"Eduardo Fonseca" <<fonseca414>>
writes:

Here is a quick summary of the comp after my last goal on task 3:

Task 4: Did not fly, too gusty for my comfort level

Task 5: Good tow, but didn’t get to leave the start cylinder

Task 6: Could have been a better tow, got just outside the start cylinder

Task 7: Great tow, great climbs, made goal.

Now, here are the details:

Task 4:

It was gusty, beyond my comfort level. I decided not to fly that day. Perhaps a
good decision given that the treachery of the wind that day cause pilots to have
two broken downtubes and a carbon speedbar. Most people didn’t make goal, and I
feel I made the right decision.

Task 5:

Had the best tow to date. After so much mentoring and feedback I wanted to stick
in the cart longer. As Mitch Shipley had mentioned, during Big Spring air pilots
need to stick to the cart longer. There is the tendency to leave the cart once
we are “lifted” by the prop wash, but there is not enough airspeed at that time
to properly maneuver the glider. Thus, pilots need to ride out the prop wash,
and then hold on to the hoses to the point that the keel of the glider lifts off
the cart. So I did, and the takeoff was so much better. Mick had also given
recommendation on how to move the body, relax the knees, and control the glider.
This tow was so great thanks to being able to apply all the teachings we had
received during the comp. During flight it was not easy to find lift and ended
short of leaving the start cylinder. Great approach and landing, which seem to
come more naturally now. However, I cannot let my guard down (stay tuned for
task 7).

Task 6:

It is important to be consistent, which I did not fully apply on takeoff. After
the prop wash I left too early, with just enough airspeed to leave the cart.
However, I felt the harness graze the cart. Thus, not the best takeoff and need
to stay in the cart even longer. The task was a 110 km flight, but just like the
prior day, could not find good lift. This flight taught me the importance of
always looking for a landing field, and how easy one can end up getting in
trouble. Trying to find lift kept me moving towards a not-so-easy-to-land area
and going to an open field was out of the question due to distance. There were
two options, freak out or stay calm and deal with the situation. Thankfully, I
have experience dealing with stressful and difficult situations that require
quick action, so the same methodology from work was applied to the landing
strategy. Given the wind direction and landing limitations, I was able to land
the glider on a pipeline path that was in very similar direction as the wind.
Good landing and not very difficult drive for the retrieval team.

Task 7:

Last day of the competition. 38 km NE downwind. I kept telling myself that just
being able to fly is great. But how great it would be to make goal once again.
We just have to wait and feel the air.

Another great tow, this time staying as long as I could on the cart. Plenty of
speed for control and contingencies. Being towed by Mick, I just felt so
confident staying in line and dealing with the bumpy air. Just a great tow.

Waved off in nice smooth lift. I was not sure if it just was weak lift or I
lacked thermaling skills, but I could see Mynor from Guatemala just a few miles
upwind going up like a rocket. I could try to fly that direction, or stay where
I was. I decided to stay with my current little climb (at least I was going up).
The only way I could even possibly make goal in my opinion was to capitalize on
any lift I could find. Thus, I kept working the lift. I took the time to refine
my thermaling skills. As I circled, I thought of the direction of the wind, the
path of the glider, and how to adjust the turning radius upwind and downwind to
make the climb as efficient as possible.

After 6500 ft MSL I did not look at the vario at all, I just managed the turns
and listened to the beeps. After a while, I looked again and for the first time
in my life I was above 10,000 ft. It didn’t really feel like it, but there I
was. “I might have a chance,” I thought. I did not care if I arrived last, I
just wanted to get there.

I got as high as 10,900 ft, and when I could not climb anymore, I set the VG
full and went on course. Getting lower again at 6000 ft, I reduced speed and
little VG in case another thermal showed up. And there it was.

Climbing once again, I prepared myself for the final stretch, taking note of
distance to goal, required glide ratio (compared with current glide ratio), as
well as time left on the task. It was 5:15 pm and the task would be stopped at
6:00 pm. Thus, it was time to leave the climb, set full VG, stretch my body and
tuck my arms in to minimize pressure drag, and stuff the bar in.

After a couple of minutes, I was at goal. I got to goal at around 6000 ft. So
happy to make goal once again.

I felt I could have gone for another 60 km, but the day had to end early due to
clos9ng ceremonies. So it was time to land. Thankfully at 6000 ft there are so
many options, and I picked a field in which two other pilots had landed (Pete
and Max).

What’s funny about this moment for me is that as I tried to go down, lift was
happening… where have you been all my life. So I stuffed the bar in, and
eventually got low enough to make the final approach. Max and Pete gave me the
wind direction. As I went down, I could see Max gesturing to add speed, and I
was trying (he would later tell me to just keep a hand of the upright and
another on the speedbar). Essentially, need to increase my airspeed, period.

Ground effect coming in, and then time to flare. There was more wind than what I
had experienced the other days of the comp, so when time to flare came, up the
glider went. Not so much, but it is one of those moments in which some people
might think of pulling in, but instead I stretched my arms even more and waited
for physics to happen. Landed on my feet, safe on the ground and with a great
smile.

This was a great way to end an amazing week of hang gliding. I had dreamed of
flying in Big Spring since the the Oz Report started talking about it back in
2002. Now, I have become a part of it.

As Mick has mentioned in prior occasions, the experience gained in competition
flying substantially surpasses recreational flying. Not for the competitiveness,
but for the learning potential. Here are some of my statistics to show you how
valuable competitions can be for pilot development:

- Number of flights: 7

- Max altitude: 10,900 ft

- Max thermal climb: 5055 ft

- Number of tasks flown: 6 out of 7

- Number of tasks completed (reached goal): 2 out of 6

- Total flight time: 7 hours 14 minutes

- Longest flight: 2 hours 18 minutes

- Total distance: 131.6 km

- Max distance in a single flight: 41.8 km

Being in Big Spring has been a tremendous learning experience that far exceeded
my expectations and made me a better pilot. Of course there is room for
improvement, and I hope that the 2020 Big Spring comp is just as exciting and
educational.