Region 4 South, USA, Update

[rlovinggood]

Region 4 South
New Castle International
New Castle, Virginia, USA

Saturday, 19 SEP 09: Unofficial practice. Some pilots made flights.
Sunday, 20 SEP 09: Official practice. No flying due to solid, low,
overcast skies.
Monday, 21 SEP 09: First scheduled race day. No flying due to
overcast skies.

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA

[rlovinggood]

Wednesday, 23 SEP 09:

At 12:30 local time, gliders were on the grid and a sniffer had been
launched. Tops of the mountains still hidden by clouds, but there
were cu's reported in the area.

Hopefully, they will get a task in today!

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA

[rlovinggood]

Wednesday, 23 SEP 09:

At 16:30 local time, I received information that the fleet got to fly
today. We'll have to wait until later to read the Dick Butler report
on the SSA web page.

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA

[rlovinggood]

Weather forecast for the last two days, Friday and Saturday, the 25th
and 26th of September doesn't look too favorable for soaring.

Two days are currently "in the bag" for this regional contest, and two
days will make it an official contest, even if they can't fly the last
two.

As of Thursday, the preliminary standings are:

Standard Class:
1. Baude Litt
2. Herbert Kilian
3. David Cole

15 Meter Class:
1. Karl Stiedieck
2. Roy McMaster
3. Hank Nixon

18 Meter Class:
1. Al Tyler
2. John Murray
3. John Seymour

We won't know if the contest is over until Dick Butler has said so,
and now, still on Friday morning and before the pilot's meeting, it's
too early to say. Glider pilots are ever the optimists, so who
knows? I'm keeping my fingers crossed they can get in some more
flying.

I think a special recognition should go out to Scott Alexander for his
performance in Standard Class. He was flying an ASW-15, a ship more
suited for Club and Sports Class and not the Standard Class where he
has no help from a handicap. He ended up in 7th place in a class with
10 pilots (not sure if one pilot didn't make it to the race and thus
having a class of 9 pilots). I think he did quite well! Nicely done,
Scott!

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA