The 50 km FAI triangle task and the flight.



The really great Florida weather showed up today. Beautiful thick cu's built
during the day and converged down the middle of the state as the sea breezes
came in from both coasts late in the day.



With the winds backing off and looking light for the coming week it looks like
we will have plenty of time to practice closed tasks, the kind we expect during
the upcoming competitions. Today, given that the younger guys were sore and
tired from our flights yesterday (Paris couldn't even think of flying and Mitch
got out his Aeros Target when the sky looked too good to pass up), we went for
the 50 km FAI triangle to the north. I figured a little two hour flight would be
a fine little task for the day.



I get off fourth, after working on tasks around Quest Air getting us ready for
the upcoming competitions, and pin off at 900' in 300 fpm. As the lift slows
down I push south to get under darker clouds where the report is 600 fpm, but
have to work much lighter lift to 4,000' while the pilots before me who pinned
off high head off on the task.



I really don't find great lift through out triangle even with the good looking
clouds. We first go north to just over the Florida Turnpike getting to about
4,800', then turn and go west toward Center Hill. I am forced to search for lift
at 1,500' again under dark clouds, and again find lift that only averaging 200+
fpm.



After I slowly get up (no chance for a 50 km triangle record this early in the
day), I move southwest instead of west to get under dark clouds in the hope of
finally getting some strong lift. Finally I find something that averages 400+
fpm to 5,600'.



There is another nice dark cloud over the turnpoint at Center Hill but it
produces only the lightest of lift. After wasting far too much time there I head
back southeast a couple thousand feet up Paul as I have been the whole flight.



Lauren who is doing a smaller task is out in front climbing talking again about
600 fpm, which I don't see. I work my standard 200+ fpm under clouds that look
like they should be sucking me right up. I'm just northwest of Mascotte and it
seems (according to the Flytec 5030) like I can just make it back to Quest and
with Paul two or three thousand over me, I figure I might as well try to get
there and on the ground first.



There are plenty of little cu's out in front (but no big black clouds) so I
figure if I get low I'll be able to find something in order not to have to break
down my glider in some farmer's field. I average 200+ fpm down all the way in,
so it was a reasonable gamble. I do get down on the ground first as Lauren and
Paul orbit the field.



The day improves later in the day after we land at 3:30 PM with climbs of 600 to
800 fpm over the field. The clouds last until after sunset.