Sunday 21 July 2013

End of play?

Saturday was a scrub. The weather never cleared through so I played 18 holes of golf instead. After the briefing we had a "pilot forum" which was an opportunity to beat up the Competitions Committee and, in particular, Russell Cheetham its chair.

The main issue was the decision to ban cloud flying in UK competitions from 2015. This decision seemed to have been taken without consultation and like previous rules was slipped into the rule book as a fait accompli. The pilots took exception to this junta like approach and asked for the decision to be rescinded. Russell explained that the decision was taken for 'sporting reasons' claiming that few gliders, even in this comp, were allowed to fly in cloud according to their flight manuals.

I do not think this is true. The gliders in this competition are ASG29s, ASW27s, Ventus 2s, Ventus 2cx's, an ASW20, and some LS8s. I believe all of these are capable of flight in cloud. This decision has a smell about it and the suspicion is that the rule is designed to favour those who have decided to fly self launchers and other types with these restrictions. I wonder who this might be?

Conspiracy theories abound in gliding and no more than in the making of competition rules. In my opinion there needs to be a new start, with total transparency, and proper representation and consultation if pilots are to have faith in the system.

Looks like today could be scrubbed too, Well done Watty for coming 1st, Matt in 2nd, and Derren just 45 points behind in 3rd. I ended up just off the bottom as a result of blobbing the first three days. The highlight, of course, was my 2nd place on day 7, the best day placing I have ever achieved in a Nationals competition.

On to Bicester.......

Saturday 20 July 2013

Day 7 result

What a result! Who would have thought that the comp numpty could do that?

I couldn't get up properly before the start so wasn't able to start early as I had wanted. The outcome was trhat I accidently started 6 minutes after the DW / F2 led gaggle. I had a nice run but not much climbing to start but managed to catch the bottom of the gaggle at Banbury. This allowed me to 'do a Matt' and follow DW / F2 down to Ledbury. I reasoned that if I could just stay with them I would beat and embarrass a lot of the pundits.

I lost a bit of ground into LED and on the way out I saw that the gaggle was climbing well off track. I didn't fancy the detour and decided to fly into the Malvern ridge and over the town where I hooked a 2000ft 4.7kt thermal. This put me back in with the gaggle and I was then able to tag along through the BAN turn and up to the Daventry area.

There the leaders set of on glide but I didn't fancy it so I mosied around under a big cu for a couple of turns putting on 700ft. This gave me a pretty secure glide to the finish although I was a bit concerned at the LUT turn.

I promised to give the credit to my glider park neighbour Nigel Mallender who prepared a fantastic breakfast including sausage, egg, and garlic mushrooms!

Friday 19 July 2013

Stop Press!!

Stop the presses. If I haven't bust airspace or missed a turn, I may actually get on the podium today! Started 6 mins after the peleton and caught them before the first turn. Stayed with them but fell behind a little at LED so did my own thing and had made 500ft on them when we next met.

I think G9 has won the day, will have to look at his trace and see how he did it.

Thursday Day 6 result

Took some scalps today but nearly landed out again. Started later than I wanted just behind the peloton (DW et al) and flew my own flight down to the first turn. I have never had such good glides - 30k + at 100:1 or better. Round DEV lower than I wanted as I could not get a satisfactory climb before and then a bit twitchy into CHV. At CHV I was concentrating hard on climbing having got onto Tim's tail; too much as I missed the turn by a few yards and when I realised I was 4k down track!

I decided to go back rather than take a 50 point penalty. This cost me 400ft and about 5 minutes. This would have been the right decision if the sky had not gone completely blue later. Tim got back in 3:20 it took me much longer 3:50 costing much more than the 50 points.

Around WSL the sky went completely blue and I switched into survival mode. A climb around STS gave me enough height to make NOW so I threw the dice and glid at best ld in that direction finally picking up a weak climb from about 1000ft over the services / roundabout at NOW. This gave me 800ft or so, enough to press on over the town. I headed NE but the town did not provide but I happened into a good climb off the golf course between NOW and PIT that got me onto a glide of 500 over on Mc3.

I was easily into HUS so I set off at a modest speed in slightly sinking air between the safety of HUS and the control point LUT. As I got nearer I was more certain of being able to complete the task and committed to LUT to finish with reasonable energy flying the last leg at 90kts.

Ended up 13th on the day with 822 points which was OK. There were much better pilots than I that fell out yesterday.

Today they are sending us to Ledbury in similar conditions. I think I will get going early!

Thursday 18 July 2013

Wednesday result

Yesterday we were set 249k HB3 NWK STT SIL LUT HUS and launched at 1300. I climbed then fell down to about 1400ft near the airfield and scratched for 30mins to get back up. Despite the cufr (cumulus frivolous) it was tricky to locate the thermals and they were very tight. Soon after I got up I called a start and set off to MAH to see what the air was like there - better. So I returned and started again just before the big gaggle.

I had a good run out but with modest thermals. I got caught by the gaggle just short of NWK but by going direct into the turn I kept up with Watty who was flying like the legend he is! A good climb at the turn kept me in touch but as usual I found it very difficult to work the thermals in the gaggle and preferred to be finding my own climbs. Consequently I chose a slightly different line and made similar time in improving conditions with thermals up to 5kts and 5000ft down to NOS. They got away from me in and out of SIL but a climb onto glide near STS and a better line gave me an fast and easy final glide around LUT to a 140kt finish.

Any day I fly a task over 100kph I am happy but my 105 was somewhat behind Ed Johnstone's 113 leaving me in 14th place for the day. Hoorah. I am no longer bottom!

Steve Brown has gone home now, so no crew again. Thanks for your help Steve. Looks blue today.

Wednesday 17 July 2013

Apologies for late posting. Been busy. Monday's task saw us go up to Grantham then S and East. Set off well on my own and had really good climbs going North. As I passed MAH I saw a fire on track which got bigger and bigger. Turned out to be McCains chip factory burning down. I found a climb quite near and by the top was right by the smoke. Reckoned that a cloud climb would have been spectacular but judging by the blackness of the smoke I didn't want to go too near.

(later the fire service said it was good as the cloud was full of asbestos!)

In to Grantham and was surprised to meet the peloton coming out. Turned and went back to the fire getting there lowish. Like a fool I rejected a climb and ended up 15 mins later on the ground at Cottesmore. Bummer.

Yesterday however was much better. NAW WCB PIT RUT HB5 HUS 245k. I was determined to fly my own flight and mosied around happy to start up till 3pm. I got back to a large gaggle about 300ft lower when they started. I decided to follow despite being lower but about 2k down track I spotted a nice looking climb that the gaggle was flying left of. I turned right and took the climb. When I next met up with the gaggle I was at the top having made about 800ft on them.

I was again tempted to fly a long glide to near the Cotswolds edge but the gaggle went S and I thought "hmm..there is some good guys in there, I'll folow". As it turned out the next real climb I took was where I had intended near the ridge! In and out of WCB OK and back to a decent climb on the ridge.

Soon after I caught up with Watty who had started 20 mins earlier than me. He was about 200ft above me but I was finding his thermal a bit tricky to centre and when the gaggle bombed me I decided to leave. Wrong! After failing to get away well I set off towards Edgehill which was on track. The computer said I would get there at 500ft. I did!!! Fortunately the Church was on my side and I got a climb back up off the church. Onwards.

Good climb at Banbury...joined by the gaggle again. On the way to PIT I climbed on my own off a tractor and climbed high. Surprisingly the gaggle (good guys in there) went well south over Northampton?? I went straight to PIT and met up with T6 climbing in nothing. Left for Kettering and Corby. Good climb at COR and well into RUT at about 3000ft.

I reckoned I was just on glide home, but the gaggle felt otherwise and went straight back to COR. I decided to try the direct line to HB5 reasoning taht if I got a couple of turns I would have made straight for the finish. Didn't work out, gaggle correct! I flew towards them at Corby and found the best climb over the race track. 3kts onto a generous glide and whizzed home, finishing in a line with T6, 10, and 565.

Overall 8th...should have done better but happy with that. So pleased to get home that Steve Brown and I went out to a gastropub and had a jolly nice grub.

Hot again today. They are gridding us at the W end as there is a bit of E in the wind. This should keep the temperature down a bit in East Anglia and avoid the showers there. I trust we will get a task.

Sunday 14 July 2013

Mass landout

We finally launched at 2:35 on the fall back task of HB3 BRL WSL COB HB7 164k into the blue. There were one or two reasonable climbs to about 3200 before the start unless of course you were in a big gaggle when you mostly ended up going down in the climbs.

I got up pretty well on my own and started first at 3:40ish. I set out South in the blue but didn't bump into anything in the first 10k. Still not having a crew and not fancying another landout, I decided to return to base. As I have already blown the comp I didn't have to go. The others did.

I expected the gaggle to do it but as soon as they started a band of cirrus appeared that made it impossible to return. The entire field landed out between Brill and Northampton. So far the winner is on 97 points. I get 9 for 11.3k!!

Steve Brown has arrived to crew for me for the next few days so hopefully I will be able to report better things.

Day 2

I am a bit happier this morning, not because it turned out alright - only 68 points, compared to 600+ for the rest of the field, but because I have slept on it and have determined to enjoy the flying and the company for the rest of the week rather than worry about points.

Today has started with a persistent mist. I have rigged, cleaned, and ballasted the glider and write this from the briefing room. Briefing has been postponed until 11 (or the mist clears).

As I write today's tasks have turned up: HB3 ILS WSL COB HBFE 235k with fall forwards and backs....

Saturday 13 July 2013

Only one to land out

Nuff said...will post when I am chilled!

Day 0

Well, we made it to Hus Bos and checked in to my luxury accomodation behind the toilet block.
To be fair the caravan is clean and tidy and has a proper shower and loo. Unfortuantely the owner's alarm clock was preset to 6am and woke me early today. The good news is that I had rigged, read the paper and had two breakfasts before 9am, all in the cool of the morning.
 
I write as we wait for the briefing to start. Most pilots well behaved but one intent of being different....he probably will end up on the podium as is his usual style!
 
Expecting good climbs, cu, and maybe sparking later. Task A takes us to ILS via Norman Cross and NOS 297k. Task B turns a little shorter at WES. Will update later

Friday 5 July 2013

2013 Campaign gets under way

Hi all

Once again I will be throwing myself at the sky in the 15M Nationals. This year we are at HusBos starting on 13th July. There is a smaller field than last year at Lasham where we got just one day's flying, but all the best pilots are in the comp. Doing well this year will require some skill and luck!

Positive comments and support welcome. Watch this space.