Sunday 11 July 2010

Day 6 Sunday

Today Sid Snot published his forecast which was excellent and deserving of a 400 with an early start. He then changed his mind and said that soaring would stop within a couple of hours under the approaching front.

Director set a weasly 200k NAI ILS BUL SAN NY1 which was flown in 1hr 49m seriously devaluing the day. Well done Watty for the day win beating the next competitor by a country mile. Me, I started before the main pack but after the twins, Leigh and Tim. Ended up flying the whole task on my own only catching the guys in front at the finish line.

The day was a bit tricky to get right. Despite the light wind wave was interfering with the thermals which were very tight, broken a couple of times to base, and the good ones hard to come by. I put the welly down and used all the working band taking only one or two really satisfying climbs.

The best climb was my last at Kemble. It was so good I lingered too long and got 1200 over glide on a 4 McCready, some 26:1 to the line into a light headwind. Add to this a really good street and I had to fly at Va to use the height crossing the line at some 140kts!!

Any road, I had a good day. 9th on the day, beating 3 National Champions and one World Champion. Good enough I think. The comp overall was, however, a disaster coming nearly last after my brain fart and dropped day. I have taken some training plans away though and also know that my glider is a match for the others and that the pilot is too, on occasion! Just need more experience and more patience.

Leigh took the comp with Chris Starkey second and Tim third. Matt was disappointed with his 4th but the guys above did fly well and he should not feel too bad.

If you liked the blog, I'll do it again next year.

Bye for now, Jim

Saturday 10 July 2010

Saturday

We woke up to unforecast claggy sky. This did not deter Sid the Snot who forecast blue haze caps becoming small cu, despite the 8/8 clag out the window during briefing! So a 170 was set with a fall back which was rebriefed on grid.

After briefing we were treated to a superb flypast by the Red Arrows, smoke on, over the airfied en route Yeolveton. This was followed by grid squat.

Later Sid launched as snifter in a very strange pissed two seater (Silene?) without a working altimeter to tell the director what the climbs and cloudbase were! He opined that there was more crap coming and despite the 2kt climbs and 3000ft cloudbase the director let the competitors at the front persuade him to scrub. We scrubbed with parachutes on and raring to go.

As we sat down to Budvar and poker the sky improved and improved. Oh dear!!

Maybe tomorrow after the front? The Pig was selling Holy Moly with all proceeds to charity so we had to have at least one.

Luv Jim 

Friday 9 July 2010

Friday Day 5

An AAT was set but it didn't meet with Tim's approval. He (and others) protested so much that the Director changed the task to another, less suitable, task which he later fell back to NAI NOW ENS NY1 200k. This would prove to be about right.

As I was on the front row and the sky looked crap I positioned at the back of the grid. This looked like a really good decision as early launchers relighted. With cloudbase only 2,400ft I decided to wait a few minutes so that I could go straight off tow if necessary. Unfortunately my probe was not fully pushed in so when I did launch I had no instruments! Pulled off at 50ft and landed at the end of the field. Now the fact that the organisation had nicked my crew meant that it took 15 mins more than I wanted to get back on line.

Took off again and started right away some 30 mins after Tim etc. A bad run had me near the ground at Aston Down and by the time I climbed away I was feeling crap and flying worse. I returned to NYM and decided not to restart and land. Day over. Anne made me tea.

Matt won the day first of 12 finishers. Hope to be back on song tomorrow. Maybe rule 1 should be 'Directors direct. Competitors compete. All parties should respect this rule'

Thursday 8 July 2010

Thursday Day 4


We flew today! Director set NAI BAN WOC CHB NY1 258k and waited for a gap. Set off a minute or two behind the pack and had a good run to EDG where I connected with a good thermal to get me in and out of BAN. From there to WOC and CHB I was duelling with an ASG29 '10'. He would come in to join my thermal above me then set off first; I would arrive in his thermal above him and set off first..etc.

At CHB I lost track of him and played alone. Found I could make Little Ris so set off and found a weak thermal there. Found I could make Chedworth so set off, didn't connect and landed. Bit of advice: if you get cowshit on your glider, wipe it off immediately. I now have a nasty brown stain on my starboard wing tip!

Pizza at Giuseppe's on our return to the airfield. Bruce was still out so Watty took his place! See Pizza Fairies on the right.

Now off to the Pig for a beer. Jim

Wednesday 7 July 2010

Wednesday

Scrubbed at briefing. Went to Gloucester and fixed the car. More revealing information about Booker members spotted in the Ol' Spot.

Wayne, sorry I was late posting yesterday. Got pissed instead!

Jim

Tuesday Day 3

Well that's blown it! Serious brain fart caused me to come nearly last for the day. Director set NYM SAN ANE NOS NY1 in order to beat the advancing warm front.Started well and proceeded very well getting right to the top of the lead gaggle with LE and G9, Z3 and M2 someway below.


Around about Swindon the gaggle had become huge and a bit scary and I was puzzled as to why LE and G9 were hanging around at cloudbase when I could see a perfectly good line into ANE. Bosh! I went for it, my chance for glory...Sometime later I was grovelling off the ground at Whitchurch watching the gaggle go by overhead.

The rest of flight was a fight to stay up and get around. The 8/8 cirrus came over and the wind got up to 17kts against, climbs were bitty away from cloudbase but I was surprised how I was able to proceed. At NOS I felt that a land out at Enstone would be an achievement but found that the cu under the top cover did work OK and I was able to make energy lines home. The last 30k rained on me but I was able to arrive with some water and plenty of energy to observe the reason one doesn't have a turbo as 601 slipped over the edge and failed to start his before arriving in a small sloping field. At 3hrs 57mins, I beat two finishers, 2 landouts, and one crash.

Well done to Shack who stayed with the crowd and finished 8th. And talking of turbos, I understand Denis did a fine 500. Maybe he has been taking something? 

Off to rig, Jim

Monday 5 July 2010

Monday Day 2

Following a pessimistic forecast from Sid's replacement the Director set a 300 going to Bedford via Great Malvern, back via Broadway. I was last to launch and I got to cloud base 3300ft as the start line opened. I had planned to start about 1:30 but bumped into Dave who promptly started at 12:13. I reasoned he must have a good reason so followed him all the way to the first turn arriving about 1000ft higher.

I expected Dave to go back to restart but as we had had a good run I decoded to continue and flew the rest of the flight on my own. Good runs and strong climbs took me in and out of BED and nicely to BRO via EDG and then following the ridge. After BRO I followed a street out over Cheltenham and settled for a 3kt climb onto glide. This was not really necessary as the run home along the line of the ridge brought me home with tons of energy. Glad that I had put the bug wipes back on as I had to use them 5 times on task.
Finished 10th today due to early start. The day continued to improve and I reckon that one could have started as late as 2:30 and romped around. Ah well! Starkey beat us all by a mile again.

500 tomorrow? Jim

Sunday 4 July 2010

Sunday 4th

Trailer park task today...rig before briefing...derig after. Scrubbed due to wind and rain. Junior insisted we went for a walk, then Shack insisted we run up and down Cooper's Hill - where the cheese rolling goes on. Passing on the cheese we ended up in the Butcher's at Sheepscombe for a highly recommend roast beef sarny and a couple of beers. Excellent.

Looks like a race day tomorrow.

Jim

ps: Guess who disgraced himself again last night getting ratted and trying to pull a pizza fairy?!! Could be a Scottish, ex Booker member, who usually leaves the comp halfway through. (Edited by Boris).

Saturday 3 July 2010

Saturday 3rd July Day 1

Director set 328k NYM-THP-POT-TOW-NY1 because Sid the sad said that the weather would go to worms. I notice Steve Lynn managed 750 today. The cloudbase was low and variable before the start and it wasn't trivial to stay up. I was full of water and set off soon after the line opened. Had a fantastic run to THP which should have been a clue! Next leg was unrewarding and arriving a Potton much lower than I wanted I found it difficult to get a climb.

Watched Watty round the turn having taken 10 minutes out of me and followed him for a while. Being a bit lower I had to play it more carefully and connected with nothing finally ending up very low near Towester. Threw the dice for a final search around Towester town and lucked into 6 kts. Having a bit of a loss of confidence now I went very gingerly NW towards Banbury watching 301 and P2 right down in the dirt.

Finally the sky picked up a bit around Edgehill and from there it was a bit easier although there was lots of sink and a stiff headwind. Now regretting that I had taken my bugwipers off as I kept falling back on glide but ended up with good air in the last 15k to finish with plenty of energy. 85Kph against the winners 117Kph and in the bottom half. Must try harder!

So down the pub for dinner and beer ending up at the Old Spot in Dursley. Funny how you can never really get away from glider pilots when you want to. See piccy attached to a beam above the bar - sorry Perky!

Not expecting to fly tomorrow.

Jim

Friday 2 July 2010

Friday 2nd

Arrived on site and rigged the glider and started the beer fridge. Important stuff first! Took a flight around to get my bearings and find out what the site looked liked from 20k out. Wasn't very easy to see at first but once you work out where things are it becomes easier. Not very many places to land short either, the best option seems to be to bail out W towards the Severn and find a field down there. I have tried to sort one out but again they are not that easy except down by the railway where there are plenty of big flat fields.

The Director, Tim Macfdyen has worked out how he is going to play the new rules on team flying and Flarm. Let's hope that the pilot committees can put some pressure on the comps committee to repeal silly rules for next year.

There is nothing new with Matt, no crew for tomorrow, no comp licence to show the stewards. He will probably win it, nevertheless!

The B & B I have found for Boris and I is just a little quaint! Cecilia, our landlady seems nice, but the property is very old and cranky!! There is however a pub opposite which purports to be Gloucestershire's best beer pub and I have got decent wifi in the room. I let you know what breakfast turns out like!

Bye for now...Jim
Sorry no pics today, maybe tomrorrow.

Tuesday 29 June 2010

The 2010 15 Metre competition starts this Saturday 3rd July at Nympsfield, the home of the Bristol and Gloucester Gliding Club. I will be competing in my ASW27 - J1M


Time allowing I hope to post progress reports and reviews of each day flown so that pilots who are interested in gliding competition can get an idea of what goes on and may even learn a thing or two from my mistakes.

Readers are welcome to post words of encouragement but, as I am in the competition and trying to do well, please respect my state of mind. If you have nothing positive to say, please say nothing!

Jim