2011 Seniors TA Day 2 Report

Day 2 of the 2011 Seniors is in the bag, and we all had a pretty good
time of it. Weather seemed to be better to the south, so the CD
called a 3-turn TAT; south to Myakka Head with a 15 mile radius, then
ENE to Frostproof with a 20 mile radius, then NW to Blackwater Creek
with a 20 mile radius, with a minimum time of 2:45. Conditions
started out weak and blue, but most pilots were getting just to the
max altitude of 4000’ as the gate opened. There was an initial
trickle of starters, and then the flood gates opened as pilots started
to worry about getting back home before the day died. As we headed
south we started to see little wisps of clouds, and by the time we got
well into the first turn, the entire area had cu’s. Ken Sorenson won
the day with as very respectable 64.9mph raw / 57.52mph handicapped,
Dick Butler was close behind in second place with 66.32mph raw /
56.86mph handicapped, and Karl Striedieck was third with 63.78mph
raw / 56.45mph handicapped.

Ken Sorenson commented that he started much later than he wanted as he
couldn’t seem to find a good climb in the start cylinder. By the time
he did start, he found cu’s popping up in front of him on the entire
first leg, allowing him to catch up to earlier starters. Talk about
being in the right place at the right time!

At the end of the day, our hosts held an impromptu dinner for pilots,
using the leftovers from the previous day’s feast. The beer and wine
flowed freely, and so did the hand-waving and pilot talk.

Counting the practice day, we have now had three good days of soaring,
with hopefully more to come. Tomorrow we hope to see more of those
puffy white things, and then we will have the mandatory rest day on
Wednesday.

TA