Flytec - Day 5

I noticed a voice mail message on my cellphone last night just before I crawled into my tent. It was from the nurse at the urgent care facility I visited on Sunday. She said it was important that I call her back. I assumed they needed information to complete the insurance forms. I started to call in the morning but was interrupted by some friends and was soon swept into the day's flying.

With the forecast for a north wind around 15 mph I thought the task committee might send us straight downwind to the Florida Ridge. However, in an effort to spare our drivers, the committee called an 85 mile task to the intersection of Route 27 and 544, then a crossing downwind leg to the east at an intersection, then a long crossing downwind leg to the west back across Route 27 to an airfield at Fort Mead, then another crossing downwind leg back to the airfield at Avon Park on Route 27. Once I saw the task I knew it was going to be fun and challenging.

I had a sloppy start but wasn't too worried since I knew I could make it up. I left the main gaggle north of Wallaby and flew directly east to better looking clouds over Route 27. That paid off as I cut off most of the main group as I crossed I-4 south of Wallaby. However, I played around in weak lift much longer than I should have in the lakes area around Haines City and several pilots caught me.

The second half of the second leg and the first third of the third leg was directly downwind of a large lake. I hung back in diminishing lift to stockpile as much altitude as possible. The entire gaggle left at the same time for a long glide into the blue, with me several hundred feet higher. I noticed gliders along the far east side of the lake but they were not as far south as us since we stuck to the course line. I kept heading for the turn point even as I noticed the lower pilots start to break rank looking for lift. I radioed back to Dave, Derrek, Linda, and Mark to leave with as much altitude as possible. I noticed a pilot turning down low but he was drifting off course line. I kept pushing for the turn point which should be outside the wind shadow of the lake. Bingo. Me and three other pilots found a strong climb right near the turn point. Once again I stocked up for the glide back across the blue as Dave and Derrek came on the radio saying they were coming into the turn point very low and might not make it.

I started the third leg nice and high (4300 feet) and with good company. As we got lower, I took a gamble on a new cloud that was forming downwind of course line. Oops. Nothing workable there. (You can see the diversion on the track log). The pilots that kept pushing along the course line eventually found a good climb over Route 27 but the climb was gone when I got there. I was now too low to go anywhere else since I was pinned up against two large lakes. That little diversion was the "memorable mistake" for this flight that ruined my scoring for the day. I wallowed around in bits and pieces of lift while I watch group after group of gliders fly in over head, connect with a climb, and move on. Oh well, such is life. I finally gained enough altitude to plow upwind to the northwest to a forming cloud where I found a strong climb and got back into the game.

I pushed a little upwind of course line hoping the northern edge of a lake might trigger some thermals, but I didn't find anything. The blue sky wasn't decorating thermals so there were a lot of gliders sniffing around for a climb when I arrived near the 3rd turn point. However, the group worked together and finally consolidated in a nice climb to 5000 feet. I had positive numbers over best glide to goal after quickie climb to 5400 feet just past the 3rd turn point. Some pilots rushed off for goal but I kept my speed in check since I wasn't sure there would be a "bailout thermal" if I came up short near goal. The remaining pilots seemed to agree with me as we headed towards goal at a conservative speed. The speedsters were soon veering off course line looking for lift as the rest of us continued on. I took a few "safety turns" but they turned out to be unnecessary as the area right before goal was lifting off as we flew through.

The goal field was filled with gliders, even Fred, Raean, and Mike who flew in from Wallaby. (Thanks for the awesome postcard Raean and Fred!) I parked near Ron, snapped a few pictures and wasn't even broke down when Mark V, Dave, and Derrek showed up. Apparently my advice to stock up before diving for the 2nd turn point helped Mark F and Linda, but Dave and Derrek were not in a position to heed my warning.

I finally called the nurse on the ride back home. The radiologist had found a suspicious mass on my x-ray and recommended meeting with my physician and getting a CT scan ASAP. Not the kind of news anyone likes to hear. So much for privacy also, there is nothing like discussing important medical news in a crowded HG retrieve vehicle!