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The Oz Report Volume 5, Number 146 US
Nationals – never give up Wow, the results from yesterday are really interesting. The results aren't up yet on the Austin Airsports web site (http://www.austinairsports.com/), and I've had to write down the results from the paper print out, so I'm not able to retype in everyone's name. Hopefully they'll get the results up soon. Until then, Task I (yesterday): Class I: Paris Williams, Icaro Laminar, 3:40 (hours:minutes for
the 126 mile task.) Say, what? Sugarman, Carlos, Curt, who are these guys? Carlos, Wallaby Ranch tug pilot, just got his US citizenship a month ago. Sugarman has done well in Florida meets, where he lives. Curt, tug and tandem pilot, just flew 260 miles in Zapata. Class II: Here's something different: Robin Hamilton, Brightstar Swift, 3:09 (same
task) Robin is a long time British national flex wing team member. Got himself a little surgery, and now he comes out as an ultralight sailplane pilot. Today the task committee called a couple of triangles. With two separate competitions the task committee gets to have prolonged fights about two tasks instead of one. The rigids went around their thin 73 mile triangle clockwise, and the flex wings got a triangle that looked more like at FAI triangle and they did it counter clockwise. Everyone seemed to be happy with this arrangement in the end. The rigid task was NE (there was a light southwest flow on the ground), 30 miles to the intersection of highway 8 and 979, east, to Marquez, and then back to Hearne, a total of 73 miles. The flex wing task was a similar length. The idea was to get a three-hour task assuming 25 mph.
There were no clouds this morning and it didn't look like they would show up until after one o'clock. The winds were a bit strong, but they were supposed to lighten up. Today we had plenty of time to get out and get ready to go. I got off early, and pinned off at 650 feet in a bit of lift. I was going up when I noticed that I had screwed my zipper once again (I sure wish I could fix that problem). Other pilots were turning and doing fine over the airport in spite of the blue. I went down to land to fix the zipper. All the tugs were over at the rigid wing line getting them into the air first as the flex wings had a later start gate. Unfortunately as I landed, I came in a bit down wind, turtled the ATOS and snapped the keel. This 45 minutes before the final start gate for the rigids. The rigid wing pilots were being jerked into the air very quickly at this point. I had a spare keel in David Glover's glider under my trailer, and it took 1 hour and thirty minutes to replace my keel with the spare with help from Belinda and Gary Osoba, who showed up today to help with the weather forecasting. I got the start gate over an hour after everyone else, and I just had to take it low as I hadn't found any lift to speak of in the first 7 miles. Meanwhile in the flex wing line, Carlos Bessa who was doing so well yesterday locked out with his VG on. The glider was not too controllable. He crashed in hard into a cart and a golf cart, somewhat hurting himself, and taking on the new Moyes Zoom control frame. Then, Rich Burton did a similar number and took out a down tube. They closed launch for twenty minutes at this point to let wind/thermal conditions calm down. Otherwise we were just out here recreating and doing a bang up job of it. The cu's started around 2 PM, so it was good to have a late start if one must. Robin and Brian were out in front racing with each other a bit. I didn't get to see much as I was way behind and all alone. I started catching folks at the first turn point 30 miles out, and just kept catching more and more of them. They weren't any help with thermal spotting, but it was great to see them disappear in my rear view mirror. Thankfully it was a cloud street all the way from the second turnpoint back to goal. Johann feels that he is flying too fast on the new ATOS-C. He had a couple of saves from less than 300' AGL. He couldn't slow the thing down while thermaling. I passed him at the second turnpoint and then he was motivated to glide faster and he landed only four minutes behind me. Task II Class II results: Robin Hamilton, Brightstar Swift, 2:05:50 (33
mph) I came in tenth at 3:36:25 with an hour and 4 minute handicap. Robin and Brian took most of the points today (as they would on any day that they finish much faster than the rigid wing hang gliders). They means that the spread between the rest of us is much reduced and devalued. So it goes. Task II Class I results: The score keepers aren't quite ready with Class I prelims just yet. Because Check In can communicate with Race (the scoring program) they can get a pretty good system going and get results out fairly quickly. Should be ready later tonight, while I sleep (didn't get much last night after the long drive). Gerolf was first and right behind him was Paris. Gerolf led most of the way, but got stuck near the end. Paris almost overtook him. Jim Lee and Conrad Lotten came in at about the same time (4:48) but they took an earlier start gate. Gerolf was in a foul mood after yesterday and this apparently just motivated him to win the day (not that he necessarily needed all that much motivation). Tish had to land ten miles short of goal as her old arm injury was acting up and making it too hard to control the glider. This was quite heartbreaking for her. Tish is mentally very very tough, but the body has a few weaknesses (true for all of us).
To view the Oz Report on the web go to http://www.davisstraub.com/OZ/. To view this issue of the Oz Report on the web go to http://www.davisstraub.com/OZ/Ozv5n146.htm. Davis Straub | |
