The forecast was for lift better than the day before but not quite as good as
the first day. We would be able to get to 8,000'. The winds would start light
but build to 11 knots south west. Again no cu's.

The task committee called a dogleg to Tomingley (with a eleven kilometer
cylinder) just to keep us on the mountain range and then to Yeoval, but there
was some kind of hubbub about that so after a discussion with the Task Committee
and input from Attila, they changed the goal to Wellington airfield. The course
line would have taken us through Parkes airspace which is okay with our air band
radios. (The Sport Class goal was straight o Yeoval right smack dab through the
Parkes airspace and one pilot made it.)

Unlike day 2 there was plenty of lift right away and I climbed to 5,000' and a
little later to almost 6,000'. The winds varied between four and twelve mph out
of the south west.

We moved quickly to the northwest to get upwind of the course line and to the
edge of the ten kilometer start cylinder. There were plenty of pilots around.
The wind pushed us back toward the course line and Jonny, Attila, and Jon Snr
took the 2:30 PM first start clock (which turned out not to do them any good at
all). The rest of us waited for the 2:50 clock and a big gaggle took off then.

The lift varied between 400 and 500 fpm on average. Good cores that allowed one
to put the glider up on a tip if there wasn't any interference from other
gliders. There was a eleven mph tail wind, so the going was easy.

I was a bit lower than the top guys in the lead gaggle. Paris, Steve Blenkisop,
Jonas and another pilot jumped ahead of the gaggle. Later I took off from lower
down the gaggle following one higher pilot while the rest stayed behind. This
got me into better lift quicker and when the gaggle caught me I was now
relatively much higher.

We came to the ridge south of the Tomingley turnpoint plenty high and found good
lift. Paris, etc. were high above us but we were climbing fast. We found good
lift going over the ridge to the east and on the other side. Paris, Steve, and
Jonas got flushed on the other side and watched us as we flew other them as they
dug their way out of a small valley.

We continued to find good lift going east although I had to stop for 250 fpm
before I went further into the next set of hills to get 500 fpm to 7,500'. There
were pilots all around in various thermals getting up.

It was a nineteen kilometer glide to the ridge west of Wellington and the last
obstacle before goal at the airfield. We were down to 1,700' AGL before four of
us got into 200 fpm which was the last thermal needed to get to goal thirteen
kilometers away. We had no problem making it in.

Plenty of pilots at goal, thirty five to be exact.

http://www.forbesflatlands.com/results.html

Task 3:

Cumulative:

No Australians among the top five.