Papa3
May 21st 08, 12:02 PM
Monday was forecast to be THE BIG DAY, with strong lift to over 6,000
feet and Cu. With uniformly good skies, CD Andy McQuigg called a
3.5 hr MAT with a first turnpoint of Fitzgerald to the East. After
that, you were free to go wherever it looked good.
As it turned out, the day wasn't quite the no-brainer that was
anticipated. Strong winds from the west southwest made upwind
progress challenging. Streets which looked textbook were maddeningly
unreliable, leading many pilots to fall below the reliable lift
band. Those who were able to find a working street found that they
in fact worked for extended periods and put together long runs at high
speeds. The majority of the fleet fell into at least a couple of
holes, spending precious time digging out at a knot or two while
drifting downwind at a prodigious rate.
Bif Huss (H7) avoided most of the problems, putting together an
impressive run at 65 mph, more than 5 mhp faster than Henry Retting
(R) in second. The day scrambled the top of the leader board, with
the standings and movement after Day 5 as follow:
1. Mike Smith (XM) 3437 (+1 spot)
2. Jae Walker (JW) 3424 (+1 spot)
3. Phil Gaisford (PG) 3353 (+1 spot)
4. Chip Garner (CG) 3351 (+3 spots)
5. Mark Keen (7K) 3312 (-4 spots)
That brings you up to date on the flying so far; a quick update on
Tuesday's "wind out" to follow.
P3
feet and Cu. With uniformly good skies, CD Andy McQuigg called a
3.5 hr MAT with a first turnpoint of Fitzgerald to the East. After
that, you were free to go wherever it looked good.
As it turned out, the day wasn't quite the no-brainer that was
anticipated. Strong winds from the west southwest made upwind
progress challenging. Streets which looked textbook were maddeningly
unreliable, leading many pilots to fall below the reliable lift
band. Those who were able to find a working street found that they
in fact worked for extended periods and put together long runs at high
speeds. The majority of the fleet fell into at least a couple of
holes, spending precious time digging out at a knot or two while
drifting downwind at a prodigious rate.
Bif Huss (H7) avoided most of the problems, putting together an
impressive run at 65 mph, more than 5 mhp faster than Henry Retting
(R) in second. The day scrambled the top of the leader board, with
the standings and movement after Day 5 as follow:
1. Mike Smith (XM) 3437 (+1 spot)
2. Jae Walker (JW) 3424 (+1 spot)
3. Phil Gaisford (PG) 3353 (+1 spot)
4. Chip Garner (CG) 3351 (+3 spots)
5. Mark Keen (7K) 3312 (-4 spots)
That brings you up to date on the flying so far; a quick update on
Tuesday's "wind out" to follow.
P3