Today's task and flight:

https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/results

Big Spring to Lamesa to Town, 145 kilometers.

Task 6:

Cumulative:

Open class:

The open class task was stopped at 5:46 PM and scored stopped at
5:31 PM. Seven pilots had already made goal. (Tom McGowan also made goal right
after me but was scored incorrectly.)

Sport class:

Stopped at 5:40 PM and scored at 5:25 PM, Jose Sandoval was in the lead when the
task was stopped. No one made goal. There was over-development to the west which
got close to or came over the course line.

Swift Class:

Chris Zimmerman won the day.

With a forecast for strong lift, cu's, cloud base at 13,500' and 10-13 mph
southwest winds we called cross wind tasks to the north. But when we launched at
1 PM it was not happening at all and almost everyone landed and went for a
reflight.

When I relaunched at about 2 PM things were much different and I climbed up to
8,500'. I've been adding more layers each day after only two layers on Wednesday
(which was very comfortable) with four moderate layers today with the forecast
for 37 degrees at 13,500' cloud base later in the day. I don't recall us ever
getting that high here before.

There were plenty of cu's after 2 PM as there had been none at 1 PM. I took the
last start clock at 2:30 PM, which was the popular start time as almost everyone
had to launch late for the second time.

I headed for a fat cu to the north northwest fourteen kilometers and found
little lift there. It was all blue ahead so I wanted to get up from 2,200' AGL
and I left 160 fpm at 6,000' heading into the blue after a disappointing climb.

Of course, there was good lift right out in the blue and I found 300 fpm to
7,900' and then 400 fpm to 8,900'. It wasn't 13,500' but it was getting up
there. The wind had started out at 10 mph out of the south southeast and was now
10 mph out of the south.

I had enough altitude to find the next bit of reasonable lift at twenty two
kilometers to the north northwest. I was heading for the ten kilometer cylinder
around Lamesa. I headed for an isolated small cu over the canyon area that
looked like it was feeding off the gullies. The sink increased dramatically as I
approached the spot that I thought looked like the origin of the thermal, and
that assured me that there was a good thermal there. I took 250 fpm to 7,200'
from 4,500'.

With more cu's ahead I was able to climb to 8,200' at 430 fpm just before the
turnpoint cylinder edge. I pushed to the west to get the cylinder and get myself
lined up for a cloud street to the north. The wind was averaging thirteen mph
out of the south southeast.

The cloud street was working and I was able to climb at 300 fpm and then 330 fpm
and then flying straight and climbing to 9,200'. I still had not climbed high
and felt the icy cold winds. Speaking of winds, the winds were now eighteen mph
out of the south southwest.

For the first time I noticed the over-development and shading from the west.
There was rain about fifteen miles away. I wanted to go fast to get north of the
rain if possible.

Twenty seven kilometers north of the turnpoint at Lamesa I found a strong
thermal at 7,600' It averaged over 500 fpm and I took it to 12,400'. It was cool
up there. I was forty three kilometers from goal and had goal at 14:1 with a
seventeen mph tail wind. I went on final glide.

During the final glide it showed I had about 2,300' above best glide. That value
changed very little no matter how fast I flew nor how much sink or lift I
encountered. I was racing the storm to the west which was producing more rain
but wasn't effecting goal as yet. Mitch Shipley was at goal and he was saying it
was level 1. Tom McGowan and I on the Safety Committee were flying near each
other and agreed.

As I got within five kilometers of goal I no longer was losing any altitude even
with the bar stuffed.

When I go to goal it was shaded as was the last five kilometers and I found
nothing but lift. I had to fly to the east five kilometers to finally find some
sink and get down. I assume that it was being affected by the over-development to
the west.

The over-development affected the Sport Class goal much more strongly as it built
to the south of our goal. Their task was stopped a few minutes earlier than ours
was.

The task committee had originally set a task to Levelland to the west of the
Town goal. That would have put us right through the over-development. The safety
committee moved the task based on the forecast.

So far three days in a row affected by thunderstorms. The task and safety
committees have been brilliant in task calling, keeping us safe but with fun
tasks. The conditions here have been excellent as well as exciting. All the
pilots are enjoying themselves immensely. It was great getting so high today. It
was great flying the last forty three kilometers in less than half an hour.