The flight and the task.



The task committee under called the day. The forecast was for strong lift, and a
4,500' cloud base, but with a 10 mph east or east northeast wind. We were
concerned that the wind going over Lake Okeechobee would cut the lift.



With an east wind we would have to do a cross wind task as there is airspace
further to the west around Fort Myers. We called a 47 mile task down to the
south and then back to the north. We could have had the turnpoint further to the
south at Imokolee, but Kevin was concerned that we were calling too big a task
after some folks flew for five hours the day before.



There were a few scattered thin cu's over launch as well as haze domes as we
started launching at 1 PM. The wind dummies were up and they stuck so we started
launching right away. I was off early again and got to the top of the inversion
at 3,500' right off tow. We couldn't get any higher and the inversion was
obvious.



The plan was to go early, at the first start clock and race back to use the
later guys on the return leg to the north to indicate the thermals for us.
Jim Yocom and Paris headed out from our zero sink thermal a few miles from the
edge of the start circle and I went with them five minutes before the window
opened.



We found weak lift but it was enough to get us back to 3,500' just before the
start. Paris decided to wait for the second start time when he saw that the guys
who stayed behind got higher and were heading out on course line. I went out in
front seeing the two wind dummies ahead (one was Andreas Olsen in a prototype
Wills Wing glider).



I found 400+ fpm and got high very fast leaving Jim and four or five other
pilots way below and heading fast toward the first turnpoint. I was really going
to push this.



The glide was poor and the wind dummy that I had caught and I had to work back
up from 1,800' while all the guys who were way behind caught up with us. Now we
would fly together on the course.



Jim and I kept going out in front pushing and pulling from haze dome to haze
dome. We were racing as hard as we could and just pulling away from the other
pilots.



Ten miles out from goal after a six mile glide racing for a disappearing wisp of
a cu, we climbed at 350 fpm back to 5,000'. Richard Lovelace was with us and
just over my head. Jim Yocom \was just below me, and ten pilots came to join us
in our thermal well below us.



Jim and then I went on final glide with Richard behind and just above us. I
can't glide with Jim, but my Flytec 5030 says that I'm going to make it to goal
if I don't hit bad sink. I hit 600+ fpm down a few minutes and this got me down
to 1,200' three miles out. Not enough to make it according to the 5030.



I found strong lift and circled as fast as I could but the guys that were below
us in the last thermal catch us. Turns out that when we left the thermal it
turned on to 700 fpm and they climbed out to 6,000' in a hurry and raced after
us. I pulled out of the thermal at 2,600' and stuffed the bar. The grass
airstrip at goal filled up with gliders.



You can find the results (in Race output format) here:
http://ozreport.com/2007usnats.php.



Tom Lanning is the US National Flex Wing Champion.



Campbell Bowen is the US National Rigid Wing Champion (and he won the rigid wing
class).



Rodger Furrey is the US National Sport Class Champion.



Last Day:

Overall: