ECC: Day Three: Bug Farts

Stable. Some pilots wondered if it was worth setting up. Davis said that if the temperature reached 90F we would have weak lift to 2000 feet and weaker still above that. The temperature when the launch window opened was 78F. The wind dummies were all sleding to about 1000 feet and then slowly circling down in weak lift. However, I was optimistic and was ready to go when Paris got a slow climb while test flying Dennis' glider. I got towed to 2000 feet and flew straight to the climb at 1500. I slowed climbed a couple hundred feet while other pilots joined from below. Our small group spread out in a nice pattern as we glided towards the start circle. The rigid wings were doing much better on the glide and working the small weak thermals. However, Paris, Bubba, and I were doing ok as we drifted towards the first turnpoint. Paris left when the climb weakened, but Bubba and I stayed longer and continued the climb. Bubba left later and then Paul in his ATOS VX left shortly before me. I went on a long sinking glide on the same path that Paul just cruised through with minimal lost. I saw Paris soaring a tree line below me. I wasted some altitude trying to connect with the thermal that Paris was working. I got the clue it was time to move on when Paris landed. I continued on and found a wicked little climb low over a barn. Me and the dozer buzzards could not climb very much. I soon lost the thermal and went on final glide to a nice field next to a farm house.
I ended up second for the day. I could have gone a mile or two further with my altitude, but I wanted to find a climb that would get me into goal, not a couple more miles. It was a fun day of flying in very comfortable relaxing air. Definitely a better day of flying than most of us thought before we launched.

ECC: Day Three: Bug Farts

Stable. Some pilots wondered if it was worth setting up. Davis said that if the temperature reached 90F we would have weak lift to 2000 feet and weaker still above that. The temperature when the launch window opened was 78F. The wind dummies were all sleding to about 1000 feet and then slowly circling down in weak lift. However, I was optimistic and was ready to go when Paris got a slow climb while test flying Dennis' glider. I got towed to 2000 feet and flew straight to the climb at 1500. I slowed climbed a couple hundred feet while other pilots joined from below. Our small group spread out in a nice pattern as we glided towards the start circle. The rigid wings were doing much better on the glide and working the small weak thermals. However, Paris, Bubba, and I were doing ok as we drifted towards the first turnpoint. Paris left when the climb weakened, but Bubba and I stayed longer and continued the climb. Bubba left later and then Paul in his ATOS VX left shortly before me. I went on a long sinking glide on the same path that Paul just cruised through with minimal lost. I saw Paris soaring a tree line below me. I wasted some altitude trying to connect with the thermal that Paris was working. I got the clue it was time to move on when Paris landed. I continued on and found a wicked little climb low over a barn. Me and the dozer buzzards could not climb very much. I soon lost the thermal and went on final glide to a nice field next to a farm house.
I ended up second for the day. I could have gone a mile or two further with my altitude, but I wanted to find a climb that would get me into goal, not a couple more miles. It was a fun day of flying in very comfortable relaxing air. Definitely a better day of flying than most of us thought before we launched.

ECC: Day Two: Which Way to Goal?

I have decided this meet must be my "trial by fire" meet! It was hot, hazy, and humid but there were still some cummies forming and the task was a straight shot downwind to the Summit airport. I was one of the first to launch and quickly worked my way to cloudbase. I was in good position at the start circle with a good group of pilots and "ready to roll". After I left the start circle I noticed that my flight computer was saying that goal was 40 miles south of launch, but knew it was to the north. Uh? Crap! Think Tom, what should you do? We were given new coordinates at the pilot's meeting. I must have entered the wrong coordinates. While I was fiddling with my flight computer I kept pimping off other pilots to keep going in the right general direction. However, I lost a couple of pilots since I was not paying enough attention on climbing while I was playing with my flight computer. I tried to call my driver Brian for the correct coordinates but he never turned on the radio in my truck. So much for that idea. I was losing too much time waiting on other pilots to climb up to me so I could follow them. Um. I finally just decided to head due north until I hit water and then head east I hope I could see an airport. It was the best plan I could come up with. By that time I was behind the leaders and flying with a slower crew. I turned on the after burners and finally started moving at my pace. I noticed a highway below me and thought it might be Route 301 that I drove in on a couple of days before. If it was 301, it probably was the highway that went by the airport. Ok, follow the road. I was moving smoothly north and joined Dennis and Pete but soon left them behind after a good climb. I came to a large town when Brian finally came on the radio. I slowed down in a weak climb and started asking him where the airport was in relation to the town, but he was not sure what town I was talking about. Meanwhile, Charlie, radioed that he was 10 miles from the airport. 10 miles? He was behind me. Instead of looking forward, I looked down and just slightly forward and saw the airport. I had it on easy glide. Bummer that I wasted an extra 10 minutes circling in nothing, I could have moved up a couple of places. However, I was not complaining, I was just happy to be there since I didn't know where I was going!

EEC: Day One

The air was so hazy this morning you had to look up to make sure the sky was truly clear. Oh, it was really hot also. Picture mid-August in New England. Our task was a 40+ mile triangle that started with a leg into the wind. It looked very stable, even after some ragged cummies formed. The wind dummies sledding didn't look promising either. However, we got in line, suited up, and launch. Many pilots took several tows before the stuck, but I was lucky and managed a slow climb to cloudbase at the whooping altitude of 2700 feet. I hung around the start circle trying to avoid some of my usual start-circle goofs. I headed towards the first turnpoint slightly downwind of the course line. It turned out that Michael Williams had the same idea. Everyone else headed further upwind to the west. We got a good climb after a long glide and then moved on. I got very low after the next glide and had to drift and struggle downwind trying to get back up. I kept watching the turnpoint get farther and farther away. Crap. I finally started climbing, but I was now far off the course line all alone trying to fly almost directly upwind. It is hard flying upwind with 50-100 fpm climbs. I finally saw Michael as he was landing and I just barely missed joining him on the ground after spottting a bald eagle climbing to the south of him. I managed a couple more climbs before the sea breeze came in an shut down most of the lift. I took a smooth glide to a large cornfield next to a farmhouse. The family was very friendly and I enjoyed talking with them as I broke down under a shade tree in their yard. Brian and Michael showed up as I zipped up the glider bag and we headed back to the flight park to watch Paris come into goal.

West Rutland

Although I had everything ready to go to the East Coast Championship at Highland Aerosports, I decided to drive 2.5 hours in the wrong direction to fly at West Rutland instead of driving south to Maryland to sit in the rain. Dave set an informal meeting time by saying he would be there at 11:30. Rodger was about 30 minutes ahead of me when I left home, but I caught up with him just as we reached West Rutland. Before long pilots starting showing up in the LZ. It was great seeing friends I have not seen in months. Nine pilots (Al, Aric, Chris H, Dave C, David V, Pete J, Peter K, Rodger), showed up at the LZ. We met Marshall at the gate. Pilots continued to show up throughout the entire afternoon. There was a lot of catching up to do as we made our way to launch.
It was obviously soarable when we arrived, so we didn't waste time setting up. I discovered a small dimple on the inside of my leading edge, probably caused by the "dingle dangle" striking it on the ride up the rugged 4x4 "road". I carefully checked it out and decided to fly with the damage. I followed Aric as he started the parade off launch. It was soarable, but as Dave C would later comment, the air was "stiff". Not stiff as in a "stiff breeze"; more like the air made your glider feel stiff. The thermals were strong, but not necessarily big. It wasn't rough, just hard to keep the glider where you wanted it. I also noticed that the wind was stronger below 3000 feet (15 mph) than above (6 mph). This made staying in the squiggly thermals even more difficult.
I had several climbs over 3800 feet, but nowhere near cloudbase. I made several runs to the west to play whenever things became crowded on the ridge. A "down" cycle a couple of hours into the flight put many of the pilots on the ground. Shortly afterwards the wind picked up and the thermals got even stronger. John, Pete, Aric, and I played around some more and then each of them eventually worked their way down to the LZ. I was playing in the valley when Rodger mentioned dinner plans. That was enough to entice me to land. Besides, 3 hours was enough of a work-out before the comp that starts on Sunday.
After dinner in Ludlow, I drove to Morningside for an evening of flying lies and ***** around the fire at Camp Rob.