The Oz Report

US Nationals – Provisional results

(This topic is in: <-- Aug.5'03 May 16'03 5.152 5.151 5.150 5.149 5.148 --> )

They haven't published the results of the final day yet, but we can make some guesses about the final results.  I see that David Glover can't be held back, as he wants to scoop the Oz Report (and direct folks our way) by sending in a notice to the hang gliding mailing list.

First of all we had our final task today.  It was a dogleg to the east 18 miles and then 33 miles to the south.  Gary Osoba felt that there was a better chance of over development to the north, so we went east to an intersection to get around airspace to the south and then south to a small airport at Navasota (south of College Station on highway 6).

There was a west wind at the Hearne airport so that caused some concern re launching, holding things up a bit, so we got new start times of 2, 2:15, and 2:30.  Launches were actually fine, although Belinda told me later that there were a lot of reflights, as folks didn't stay up.  Rhett took me right to a thermal so I didn't notice this problem.

There had been plenty of cu's all day starting at 9 AM with strong winds out of the southwest that were backing off in the afternoon.  There wasn't much depth to the clouds, but they were getting us to 4,800' AGL.

Most pilots waited for the 2:30 start gate.  The rigids started at the 7-mile start circle and the flexes at 5 miles.  Bruce Barmakian took the early start gate as did Bo.  Bo landed 14 miles out from the Hearne airport early.

It was 18 miles from the start circle to the turnpoint.  The lead group of rigid wing pilots got there in 37 minutes (29 mph) following just behind the Swifts.  The lift averaged 312 fpm over this part of the course.

I'd say that we were traveling pretty fast and getting good lift overall.  The fact that we rigid wing pilots were almost able to keep up with the Swifts indicated that things were going well for us.  We didn't see but a couple of flex wing gliders, those that started early and stayed up.

At the turnpoint four of us caught up with Bruce Barmakian. I headed south chasing after Brian Porter who was in the slower of the two Swifts, trying to stay as close as I could, even if I was pimping him from behind and below.  It was 33 miles to goal.

There was quite a bit of cloud development on the second leg and it looked maybe a bit too good.  Seven miles out there is a dark cloud with a lot of vertical development.  Above all the cu's there is plenty of cirrus making for lots of shadowed areas on the ground.  It looked very iffy, and you wondered if the clouds were going to work.

I fly under the dark cloud with all the vertical development, but nothing is happening.  When we turned, the clouds turned from our friends into our enemies.  Now there are shadows everywhere and the clouds aren't working at all.

I keep gliding to get away from the shadows and clouds to find some sun to heat up the ground.  I get down to 600' and come in under Brian to find 100 fpm.  I'll take it and be very happy.

I've pushed very hard flying 13 miles from the turnpoint averaging 37 mph because there has been no lift to turn in.  Robin has disappeared ahead of us.  There are a few rigid wings now far behind me and no flex wings in site.

I'm able to climb back up to 4,400' AGL and get back on the racing circuit.  Now I'm just flying behind and under Brian as I try to continue moving along as fast as possible.  Three other rigid wings came in under me and way below me as I climbed out of that hole.

A half-hour later 12 miles out from goal, I'm back down to less than 1000' AGL and searching for sunlight next to clouds.  I've only covered 8 miles in the last half-hour and still I'm in trouble again.  There is now no one to help as Brian got high in the last thermal and I couldn't get up in it.  I should have stayed back in the 200 fpm that I found going toward him.  So much for pimping from behind and below.  J

It's a twenty-minute climb back up to 4,100' AGL drifting east in the strong west wind and not getting any closer to the goal to the south.  Mark Poustinchian is circling way down below me.  Carlos Bessa is on the ground, having taken an earlier start gate.

I start gliding toward the goal and notice that now we've got a 5-mph head wind (instead of the predicted west winds).  There is a large section of cu's ahead of me right on my line to goal, so it looks feasible.  I only need 500' to make goal.  I figure that I can hit something in the next 12 miles.

Turns out that I don't until I'm down to 1000'.  The lift is very light and irregular and I drift back faster than I go up.  None-the-less that is all there is and I make the mistake of not staying in it at 4 miles out trying instead to find something a bit more consistent which is awfully difficult when you are this low.  I end up landing at 1 mile from goal.

Bruce Barmakian makes it to goal a few minutes before I land at 4:50 PM.  Of course, Robin and then Brian have made it in earlier – about a half-hour earlier.  Right after I land Russ Brown comes over my head slow at 500'.  Just enough to make it across the street to goal.

Now there won't be any activity for the next half-hour as no one passes overhead or gets to goal.  As I'm packing my glider up on its cart to carry it out from behind the locked gate, I spy seven flex wings a couple of miles back, quite low working a very weak thermal in the blue.  On top are Paris and Brett Hazlett.  Jerz Rossignol, Terry Presley and Sandy Dittmar are also there.  They are getting up ever so slowly.

After quite a struggle they'll all make it to goal and this gaggle will be the only flex wings into goal.  Later, Johann Posch, who has been keeping us posted on the radio, will be the last pilot and last rigid wing into goal.

With Paris coming in to goal with Brett, he wins the day, and wins the meet and is the new US Champion.  Gerolf and Jim Lee do not make goal.  Jerz Rossignol may have moved up into second place.  Bruce who was behind me in the race for third place behind the Swifts, probably got enough points to move ahead of me.

All but the final results are up on the Austin Airports web site (www.austinairsports.com).

Tryg Hoff tumbles his ATOS

(This topic is in: 5.151 5.150 )

Full story at: http://www.geocities.com/tryghoff/TUMBLE1.html

ATOS advisory

(This topic is in: <- Feb.14'03 Feb.13'03 5.151 )

Felix Ruehle <info> writes:

There had been an incident during the Italian championship with an Atos C prototype.  The spoiler rope was winded around the spoiler lever.  Though it was a prototype, this can happen with every certified Atos, too, during transport or set up.  Through the friction at the lever, the spoiler rope rubbed off, with the consequence of loss of control.

Important before every flight: Check the control system by pulling at the spoiler cable.  In the this case there was a strong wind at take off which made checking difficult.  Additionally do a visual control cable check at the assembled glider.  Best way to do this is to open the Velcro between the spoiler rib and the next rib in direction of the keel.  The cable has to go straight from pulley to pulley.

In this case the pilot landed without injury with his rescue parachute.

More information at www.A-I-R.de. There will be a retrofit available at A-I-R or our Atos dealers, which tighten the spoiler cable during transport and set up.

Proud Supporter of:

To unsubscribe or subscribe