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Wednesday, July 2nd

The task and the flight.

Notice the emphasis in the tag line above. Why do I start off with Scott Barrett winning the day? Because it is news! It is news because it is against type, against expectations (general expectations, anyway). It shakes up our view of the world. It isn't supposed to be happening, but it is. This is a guy who has never flown here, for example. He's flying on a glider from the smaller and less celebrated of the two Australian hang gliding companies. He's a designer at that company (and stands in stark contrast to the designer at the other company).

So it's news and that's why it is the lead.

The forecast was for a windy day. Not as windy as the day that was called off, but a good 14 knot south wind at 4,000' and 18 knots at 8,000'. But the organizers have a different forecast that says that the winds aren't as strong. Of course, south winds make for easy launches.

There was not supposed to be any over development over the valley, just over the mountains, and it looked like it would be a bit more stable that the last three days. There were no cu-nimbs at 10 AM, for example, in fact few cu's at all then. Lift should be a bit lighter also.

The launch opened at 12:30. There had been wind dummies and paragliders in the air for an hour but they were just ridge soaring, so this was not encouraging, but the forecast said as soon as a certain temperature was reached things should be good. I could see one hang glider wind dummy getting up under cu's five kilometers to the west, so I was willing to launch and did so about fourth in our line. There was a steady light thermal at the house thermal spot and a bunch of us just took our time and circled up as the day built.

Soon there were cu's every where over launch and out toward the the turnpoint to the northeast, so it seemed like the day would go well. It was easy to get to 8,400' and get prepped for the fast glide to the first turnpoint at SAVOURNON CARREF.

At least a hundred pilots took the first start time (there were only two). The two Jeff's, Zippy, and Scott held back with Balasz and Attila, among others waited for the second one while the rest of us tried to avoid each other.

We raced from just north of Orpierre, and  some of us found lift just on the west side of the volcano. Those of us who stayed with this lift got to see half the field dive into the ridge line to the north past the turnpoint and away from the next turnpoint to the south, ANTENNE DU ROCHE.

Three of us got high enough that we were able to jump south to the south side of the volcano without having to go back to the north to get up. Now we had to do the valley crossing, while those behind us would use the ridge line to get up, go east, jump over to the lower hills on the east side of the valley and then work their way south.

We found good lift over a cement plant in the middle of the valley and this was enough to get us up on the small hills on the east side of the valley. We were heading into a 10 mph head wind.

The hills really worked and we found strong lift that allowed us to plow forward against the wind. The folks behind us got high and caught up with us but we were pretty close to the lead, maybe a minute behind.

We got really high and made the tower turnpoint. As soon as we turned around we were blown downwind at a rapid pace. I didn't find any lift that was better than 200 fpm so I just kept on going searching for better, not finding any on the hillsides that everyone got up on, on the way out. I jumped over the gap to the west side of the valley next to the turnpoint at CRIGNE. I didn't know exactly what the landmark was that was the turnpoint, so I went past it up the ridgeline looking for lift. I found some weak stuff and thermalled back to it.

Scott was high over this turnpoint as I was 100' over it. I decided to continue heading west, ninety degrees to the course line in order to get up and to get under the clouds on the west side of the valley. Scott and Balasz headed east back to the course line and back to where we just flew to the second turnpoint. There were no cu's there.

I worked the ridgeline behind the volcano and did everything I could to stay upwind of the ridge and away from the volcano. I could go over it only if a got high enough, and I wasn't getting super high. There were a couple of pilots with me.

I worked southwest to a cloud out in the valley behind the volcano and it was rough but I got up. I was now on the western edge of the volcano where it is lower and there was a cloud street over that area. I got over 7,000' and pressed upwind toward the cloud street in the lee side of the volcano. The air was rough.

I pressed ahead and as I came to the black cloud the vario was screaming, but I was too scared to turn. It was too rough, the glider was going sideways. There was plenty of clouds ahead, I had a tight grip on the bar and I was pulled in.

Finally I got to let the bar out a bit as I hit more lift, but the strong stuff was gone. There were broken cu's ahead toward Laragne and Laragne-Chabre. I slowed down, went into search mode and mellow flying mode, going slow in the weak sink and weak lift, under small clouds, looking all around.

There were a few pilots around and we found light lift as we pushed toward Laragne-Chabre. Finally we were able to make it over the ridge line and we found 700 fpm to 8,100'. The 6030 said I had goal by over 2,000', but it was a long ways away at this point, twenty kilometers, fourteen of them upwind.

I headed out over the valley toward the turnpoint. I could see the goal field, with four gliders in it. I had to fly seven kilometers past the goal and then come back down wind. The 6030 kept saying that I had it no problem.

Scott and Balasz were in goal first with Scott just barely ahead of Balasz.

Two kilometers from the turnpoint, I stumbled into 400 fpm up. I gained 500' and the 6030 kept saying I had goal, no problem. After four turns I said okay, I'm heading out. But I also said to myself, you'll regret this.

In the next five minutes I lost 2,500' going to the turnpoint and coming back. The glider was falling not flying. The turnpoint was tucked in behind a south facing hill side and I was in the rotor, although I didn't have time to assess that.

I was about to splat into the ground and I was looking at landing in a field or in the river bed a few hundred feet lower. I raced along the edge of the river bed and suddenly there was lift, where I had seen Mario turning a few minutes before, when I was plenty high.

I grabbed a hold and held on as this thermal went skating to the north. I just prayed that this was enough to get me to a safe place to land and maybe to goal.

Six turns and I lost it but the 6030 said I had goal by 700'. I was five kilometers away but running away from the south facing hillside and toward the north/south running hill side. My luck held and I made it across the line into goal with a few hundred feet to spare.

Numerous pilots landed just short. The meet officials have been told that the task committee doesn't need to call a waypoint in the leeside of a mountain, especially one where you are likely to be low.

Attila landed in a river bed. He had his brother drive the car down and it got stuck. Last we heard they were trying to arrange for a crane to lift it out.

Task 3:

Overall:

In spite of not making goal, Jeff O'Brien moved up two places to eleventh. I moved into the top twenty, after starting in 74th (after the first day). The US team has moved up into 7th place, just behind the UK B team.