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For a few days :-)
Me and approach speed just got out of synch, so only one nice landing
today, which put my final score behind last season, and I am pretty sure there
are 120+ pilots who ended up with lower scores than mine feel the same way...the
landings were too easy.
NOT kidding. The runway was broad as a barn door and long enough to
fit a 747, and I think that threw most of us off...go figure.
Larry Jolly was in the zone in every way.
Young Paul Anderson displayed his 3D electric sloflyer skills in ways that had JW and DP and well even me totally tied in knots of appreciation. He's a nice guy and an example to every pilot there, showing what is possible with some practice and talent :-) I had the honor to be Craig Allen's caller through out the event and he
stayed steady to the end...earning a spot in the top 30 flying a V tail
Sharon.
Total props to Airtronics and JR for their huge contributions to both
the raffle and the winners.
Daggers and jealousy to Darwin Barry and Bill Malvey for winning just about
everything in the raffle!
The weather you ask? Mid 80's, sun, extremely light breezes.
Oh and of course I racked up enough LSF contest points to get a new big screen TV. My flights were easy and uneventful, except for the last. It was an 8
minute, and I decided to punch out in front of everyone else working some
lift down windish. After a sweet ping, my Pike headed out..and down and
down and down and YIKES, 1min 30ish I was looking at a touch and go off a camper
air conditioner. :-(
Rick Matte (Airtronics) was my caller and he thought my original idea was a
good one but when I was nearly on the roof of that camper, he had pretty much
decided that I had made a mistake :-)
I kicked it in reflex and pushed hard, and after only about 100' forward,
that Volz powered Pike popped its tail up and seemed like I had kicked in after
burners! I didn't think, consider or ask for international confirmation, I
just hit the rudder, pushed the nose over hard and banked as hard as I could,
then yanked like mad on the elevator. It literally exploded thru that
first turn up and I worked it hard like that for about 15 turns and moved a
little off that spot to see if I was in the sweet spot...and oh oh! It was
like someone roped my tail! So again with out a thought I banked the nose
down to where I had been and found that what I had was a dustless devil about
10' wide (or so it seemed).
I decided against any more research and just battled that twister till it
finally collected with some other lift and I was able to climb out conformably
for the time. Too bad at that point I was earnest about making that last
landing and tired and frustrated about bouncing out of so many landing points,
and while I was dead on for that big finish, I got kicked over a foot or so on
the near approach and had to last second kick the rudder to keep the nose on the
spot, but that yaw was enough to twist it out of the money :-( That 25
points would have gotten me my goal of bettering my last year's finish.
But I think this Visalia was the 'luckiest' I have ever had!
Because I had a chance to talk soaring with most of the top 49 :-)
Watch out ESL and OVSS, Keith McClellan has decided to come back home to soaring. Inspite having been woo'd away by jets and big gas stuff, he's re-hooked. Dudes I'm tired, 6am flight tomorrow :-(
Next stop Louisville
Gordy
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