The results are found here: http://soaringspot.com/BSI2008 (flex wing) and http://soaringspot.com/BSIR2008 (rigid).

David Glover, meet director, blogging: http://2007worlds.blogspot.com/

Jeff O'Brien blogging here: http://hang6.blogspot.com

Jeff Shapiro had mentioned to me early on that he wanted a 200 mile flight at the Internationals, and later he was appointed by the meet director, David Glover, and approved by the pilots, to the task committee. With strong winds out of the south and the possibility of high cu's (11 to 12 thousand feet), Kraig Coomber was all for such a task and I was, also.

I had set up some far away waypoint for the 2007 Worlds, and we are using the same waypoints so we already had points out to 265 miles. We picked one at the town of Panhandle 215 miles out and hoped for the best. The forecast showed south west winds there so we thought we might have to battle the west component on the last leg of the flight.

There were no clouds at launch time at 12:45. The wind was 12 to 16 mph on the ground south right down the runway and we got a break not having to haul our gliders down to the north in the strong winds. We launched right next to the hangar.

The first rigid off broke a weaklink, so that was discouraging given the pretty hefty winds at launch. Then Jim Yokom turtled his glider when he told Mark Stump not to hold onto the keel. This resulted in road rash on the thin ATOS sail. Fortunately Jim Lamb, the ATOS distributor, had some sail tape for him to cover the nasty gashes. So the start of launch was not what we had hoped and pilots are always less happy when there aren't any cu's.

James Stinnet in an Aeros Phantom took off and then again I was the first flex wing to launch. But it was already 1 PM, and our launch had been opened for 15 minutes and pilots were holding back. As we only had a hour before the start window opened at 1:45, this reluctance would cause some pilots to get late starts.

We had widened the start cylinder to 12 km so that pilots could drift with the wind. This concern about staying in the start cylinder until the start time was another factor in keeping pilots on the ground. Fortunately we allow pilots to start early with only a mild "penalty."

I got the two stroke tug with the slow ascent rate and the first thousand feet were exciting as I couldn't get my glider down to get behind the tug and we continually got tossed around. But after that the air was smooth in spite of the 20 mph head wind and as soon as we went from 400 fpm to 800 fpm, I pinned off in a thermal that I would stay in for the next forty five minutes.

I reported the lift and the conditions to Belinda on the ground and that got everyone going, if a bit late. Three rigid pilots hadn't even turned their gliders around to get to launch. I think that they didn't even attempt to fly. Numerous pilots chose not to launch.

I hung in the thermal and watched the dark line of the inversion to the west which told me why we weren't seeing any cu's. The forecasted temperature with altitude line had not shown such a strong inversion. It started to be visible at 6,200' and I slowly climbed to 7,600'. We wouldn't see any cu's anywhere within 100miles of us on this day.

I was drifting near the edge of the start circle and doubled back just to stay inside. Thankfully there was zero sink around and I could keep inside as I watched a few other pilots circling to my south. I had to start 30 seconds early (which gave me a minute "penalty") when I lost the lift. This put me in the lead looking for lift.

I found some at 2,500' AGL near highway 87, 4 miles out, and radioed back my position. Dustin and the Jeff's came my way. Dustin was near my altitude as I climbed up and we stayed in the thermal until we got to 8,500'. The thermal had slowed down quite a bit near the end but Dustin was very reluctant to leave wanting other pilots to catch up with us so that we could go out into the blue together. We had a long ways to go and many places to go down. Glen Volk and Chris Zimmerman had come in underneath us and were climbing. The Jeff's we behind us and lower. No one else came to join us.

We headed north toward our goal just east of Amarillo, at the town of Panhandle. All of us spread out to help each other find lift. We knew we had to work together to get to goal and we would help each other throughout the flight. Chris Zimmerman got low and we lost track of him.

Our track kept us way east of La Mesa. When gliding we were getting about 65 mph over the ground. When thermaling we were drifting 20 to 25 mph down wind. The thermals were averaging 300 to 400 fpm. Not super strong, but we were getting plenty high, over 8,000'.

At about 60 miles out we climbed to 10,300' over a dust devil and Jeff O'Brien joined up with us. Jeff Shapiro and Kraig Coomber were just behind us out of sight and Shapiro was trying to catch us also. He was pushing too hard to catch us and later would land about 90 miles out. Belinda, handling the short distance retrieve, would pick him up and take him back to Big Spring.

Glen, Jeff, Dustin, and I continued to work the flight together using each other to find the lift. We always spread out and we always went together to the north after climbing in the last thermal. Sometimes one and sometimes another would be in the lead, but we would all get back together for the next climb.

East of Lubbock I went out and found strong lift and then higher than the rest headed further east than they wanted to go. I had to work on my own for a few minutes and then found a really strong thermal that got to 1000 fpm, while they were a little too far away from me to join me. I got high and headed north and saw Dustin very low searching and scooting quickly across the ground below. Glen and Jeff were further to his east over green fields, low but not as low as Dustin.

Dustin searched every where and found lift at 500' AGL. Hard turns in a very strong wind kept him in it. I was high over Glen and Jeff and after toping out headed north. We had been flying over farm lands but up ahead were some canyon areas which we could just make out. It looked like we could get around the first one by going a bit to the west. I was on my own for a while but we were all in radio contact.

I worked around the first canyon found some lift off a brown field and as I climbed up I saw Glen to the east. I hooked up with him and we carefully climbed up in the weak lift. Jeff and Dustin were just ahead. We were all discussing the large upcoming canyon to our north.

Glen and I climbed up and I left at 8,300' while Glen continued climbing (Glen was not in radio contact with us). I knew that Jeff and Dustin were just a few miles in front, but I didn't know that they were so low. I saw Jeff's shadow on the ground to the west and then saw him low way below me. Dustin was further west almost at the rim of the canyon low and climbing slowly. The canyon looked unlandable (although Zippy would later land there). We had to get high on the south side before going over.

I followed Jeff from about 2,000' over him to the northwest near where Dustin was circling on the rim, although we didn't see him. We did see an ATOS landing just on the south rim having been over the canyon and having flown back against a strong head wind to a safe landing area.

I was working some reasonable lift when Jeff caught a good one just south of me down low. I joined him in his thermal and we screamed up to 9,400' drifting over the canyon. Glen came and joined us at our altitude. I was the first to leave as I was on top and we were plenty high to make it over. Dustin had drifted over the south rim into the canyon working 100 fpm from 1,500' AGL at the rim. He worked weak lift all through the canyon. He was in radio contact with us asking how we were doing and he could also see our progress.

When Dustin got to the north rim he worked weak lift there to get up over the hot red rocks. By the time I got to the north rim Dustin joined us. I was now 100 feet below Glen, Dustin and Jeff having taken the lead out. We were now 28 miles out from goal and working weak lift and hoping to get all of us into goal. We really huddled together to make sure that we stayed in the air long enough for the winds to carry us there.

The three just above me found a core that I didn't find but I was still working lift and doing okay. My 6030 was saying that I had goal with 2,000' about 14 miles out. It was 16:1 to goal. Having not found the nice thermal that these guys just above me were in I went on glide toward goal. I knew that there was a lot of sink out there as we had experienced through out the flight when not in a thermal, so it was a gamble. The others also started for goal just above me.

There was a lot of sink at first and my height above goal prediction went from 2,050' to 780'. At five miles out and 1,300' AGL I felt a little bit of lift and for the next one and a half miles just drifted in zero sink as the 27 mph south southwest wind was taking me right toward goal. That drifting was enough to allow me to get to goal with 300', in fourth place.

Dustin won the day with Jeff five seconds behind and Glen just behind him. Kraig Coomber came in a bit later. James Stinnet got there first in his Aeros Phantom. But not too long before us.

It was great to fly together to all help each other reach the goal. Dustin almost landed, but made a great save. Jeff was playing it a bit safer as was Glen.