Got off to a little bit of a late start today, on account of rain
showers that started up *right* as my alarm went off in my tent here on
the spacious AMA Flying Site. CD Mark Nankavil (apologies on the
spelling) got things rolling as soon as it cleared up and we got in 4
remarkably rain-free rounds before calling it while we still had light
to pack up.
With the weather being as it is, you could call this the Fall 2006
Soaring NATS! Winds were a steady 15 MPH the entire day, gusting to 25
MPH according to wind gauges. I could count on one hand the number of
honest thermal turn attempts I saw today - surfing was the name of the
game. I'm not sure if anyone got their 12 minute tasks, though I know a
few who got very close. Thornburg mentions in The Old Buzzard Goes
Soaring, and I'll paraphrase here: "fly in all types of weather if you
want to win contests", and that is where those Soaring Masters in
attendance beat the pants off of the non-Masters. There are plenty of
guys out there who stay at home if it's overcast or blowing too hard -
today would've no doubt made them think twice about getting off the
couch. But where's the challenge in flying in pristine conditions? To
me, this hobby is about challenging, learning and expanding, and that's
why I'm here.
As far as what I've learned today, I figure that this high-wind stuff
requires a mindset that is similar to, but altogether different than
your normal calmer-air flying. If normal TD work is "macro", then
high-wind stuff is very "micro". Fine, clean control of your plane and
accurate deduction of what the fast-moving and quick-changing air was
doing in front of your ship were the keys to success today. The Masters
here did those things - and the rest of us hung on for dear life. Me?
Well, while I'm here at the Soaring Masters, I'm no Master yet! My goal
is to get on the first page of the results tomorrow :)
Yes, there was some carnage along the way - though honestly today was
the day to test the limits of all manner of equipment, airborne or
otherwise. Model throwers were the rule, not the exception along the
flight line today! Safety was on the minds of everyone after the
incident at the NATS with a pilot struck on the ground, and the winch
bosses where quick to hand out warnings and kindly suggest that someone
toss your plane. There were line breaks, but with NATS-like efficiency,
they were easily handled and the contest continued on. And while there
aren't "official" Turnaround Trolls, there was a good crew of kiddos and
of-legal-age volunteers out there doing a thankless job. Not to forget
Marney and the well-oiled machine in the transmitter impound - flawless!
The weather was heinous, and at the end of the 4 rounds, there wasn't a
perfect 4000 on the board even out of some of the best pilots from the
West Coast, East Coast or beyond the lower 48 states. I don't have the
Day One scores, unfortunately, but suffice it to say there are some
familiar names up there, but there are some unexpected as well. A good
contest, and anything could happen in the next two days. Thunderstorms
this evening and Saturday isn't looking any better - "may be severe with
damaging winds" in the afternoon. Another challenging day, but one that
hopefully the "Soaring Masters" will make the most of.
ben wilson
louisville area soaring society
http://www.louisvillesoaring.org
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