Open flex wing results, Rigid wing results, Sport Class

Blog from here: Jonny Durand, Jamie Shelden, Tom Lanning, and Linda Salamone

Saturday 5:48 PM: It was clear a couple of days ago that there would be severe storms on Saturday, the day before the ECC started. All day we watched the radar traces of the thunderstorms as they headed east through Pennsylvania. Then the warnings came on the radio for a Tornado watch.

The winds, then the rain and hail came through quickly in the early afternoon, thoroughly soaking the ground and making sure that Sunday would be a day for hanging onto whatever lift you are in.

Sunday 6:30 PM: The task was 54.4 miles to the south east given the forecast for strong west winds (going east just puts us at the Delaware Bay rather quickly). There was supposed to be a little bit of north in it.

We wanted to start a bit late to let the day get started after all the rain, but we risked the chance of later showers, 20% forecasted. With three separate competitions here, we had to make sure that everyone could get off and get going.

No one wanted to go at 12:45 for the rigids, and no one wanted to go at 1 PM for the open flex wing class, and it wasn't until 1:30 PM that pilots got in line and got going.

I went about fifth and found a thermal right at the end of the runway at 700' AGL, so I pinned off and hit some 600 fpm. There were lots of clouds to the south, though none over me. No other pilots got off in this lift, so I was alone.

The lift only averaged 300 fpm to 4,100', but it was a good start for the day that looked pretty iffy with a few cu's around and patches of high altitude clouds that brought areas of shading. The wind was 16 mph out of the west southwest and it was hard to head south to find lift.

I was a bit early so I was staying in the five mile start circle and went to find more lift to the south. I saw the Millennium lower than me and the rigids even lower further downwind. I headed under one cloud after another but didn't find much. The Millennium was just down wind of me and got a little higher and then went way south.

 I didn't find enough lift and landed. Looks like I should have followed the Millennium further south. I went back for another flight as I was still in the start circle.
 
As I got up, my weaklink broke at 1000' AGL at the end of the runway in lift. I climbed out slowly as I watched rain and thick clouds coming my back from the west. The lift was getting better at the edge of the dark clouds, but I wanted to stay out over the sunny fields to the south and east.

I pushed forward being chased by the shade. I didn't find great lift and finally I couldn't outrun the shade and it brought me down 10 miles out.

Jamie reports that the Millennium made it to goal. Then Jonny and an hour and a half later Dustin. That's it. Looks like a low scoring day.

Great job on Jonny and Dustin's part.