Day 1

We were set ALT HAR ILS BUC WAN BUL LA7 but by the time the Juniors had launched the weather to the S was all clagged out so the Director sensibly retasked ALT CHV BUC WAN BUL LA7 which was a bit shorter and into better air.

Off tow I found a thermal and before I knew it was joined by LE. I spent the next 40 minutes chasing Leigh around thinking that would a good thing to do. Of course he lost me just before the start! I started then thought I may have gone too soon but kept on after a short dither.

Flew most of the way to BUC in the company of Matt and Derren. Watty seemed to be doing his own thing. After BUC We were getting very low going into 20kt headwind and I didn't like the look of what they were doing. At that time I found a weak thermal which turned into 4kts to cloudbase and I zoomed past most of the pack into Oxford where I came under M2 and F2 again in a very weak climb at about 2500ft. I bravely left them and went a little NW. There I found a corker to cloudbase but it remained a bitch to get into Wantage against the 23kt headwind.

Finally around then fairly straightforward home but I went slow thinking that I had done the hard bit and it would be foolish to land out now.

DW, 900, M2, F2, and 10 all finished before me but I think I may have embarrassed one or two players! Trace will go up on the ladder in a moment. Results to follow.

Jim

Off and running

Tent pitched, fridge full. I can certainly recommend these new self inflating foam mattresses! A bit cold 9C overnight but we are promised good soaring for a short while today.

Camp site

The 15s are gridded behind the juniors and we have been set 267k down to ALT the up to BUC via ILS and then home via WAN and BUL.

Just programming the computers. Must be off.

Jim

Another Year, Another Comp

Hi all

This year the 15's was due to take place at Tibenham. If you know where TIB is, then you know why I didn't enter. Only a handful of pilots did. So the BGA comps committee wisely moved the competition to Lasham to run alongside the Juniors and a flurry of late entries means we have a field of 24 including myself.

As usual, I will try to post the story of my week as it goes along. Hopefully I will get a better start than last year, but I do not expect to win this time. The field includes several World Championship medal winners, several of the UK team and untold previous National Champions.

I am sure, however, that the gliding will be fun and it also looks as though we will have some decent weather. The last time I flew from Lasham we had just one day and that was a mass landout!

Watch this space.....

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.......

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!

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!