Hi all
J1M is once again entering the 15s. This year it is at Lasham and I have a shiny newly refinished ASW27. The pilot, however, is the same old Jim but we are hoping for a good result. All encouraging posts welcome.
Jim
Monday, 28 May 2012
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
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
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'
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
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
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.
Off to rig, Jim
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