Fun XC from Sterling Mass (USA) Saturday Sep 29th

Hi Folks - It was suggested I should post this, hope you find it
entertaining. We had another great fall XC day at Sterling Saturday,
though the crowd was a bit thin ! As forecast it was breezy with
Northerly winds (340 at 16kt below cloudbase, increasing to 25 kts at
7k in the wave). Mike Newman flew the Duo with Gerry Bell, Bill Brine
flew YN, and Juan Mandelbaum flew Z8. I took off at noon and shut down
at 2k (1.5k AGL) in a nice thermal north of the field. Z8 followed the
towplane higher but took longer to connect with lift and departed a
few minutes after me. Initially I thought about heading into the
Whites, but the low bases made that unwise.

It was rough down low, windy, and with the forecast wind gradient I
was expecting some wave with corresponding sink. That plus well-
organized streets (even if just wisps early) told me to stay high,
follow the streets, and minimize circling. After departing Sterling, I
circled in 2 thermals to reach Jaffrey and Mt. Manadnock. Putzed about
and climbed into the wave to 7K in back of Manadnock. Bases were
around 5.5k, or 4k AGL, cloud tops around 6k. Wave wasn't strong so I
headed north, flying in lift above the clouds for about 10 miles
before descending back under the streets. Demonstrated wave and low
bases made me resolve to follow the streets and stay high without
circling because:
- no wave sink under clouds (usually),
- lift or reduced sink under clouds,
- wave sink possible in clear (as Z8 and YN found shortly), and
- circling means drifting downwind.
A couple times I got too close to cloudbase and was promptly punished
when I flew a bad line; too close to cloudbase and you can't see what
line to follow or where to jump streets. Crossed over Springfield VT
airport with lots of gliders on the ground, nobody in the air that I
could see or raise on the radio. Last bit into Killington was a bit
nerve-wracking as the terrain rises towards the clouds and landing
fields get sparse.

Anyway, I flew the leg from Manadnock to Killington with no circles
for 1:05, speed over ground average 51 kts (straight into the 16 kt
headwind), a distance of 64sm. A fair bit of detour was necessary to
stay under the good streets but it paid off, as I was always
comfortably high over the terrain and made reasonable speed. Meanwhile
on the radio sounds like Z8 and YN found the sink and spent a while
low near Keene, before they got back up and went to play in the
Manadnock wave with the Duo. At Killington parking lot, I hit 4 kt up
in the blue crossing between clouds, so I circled and searched about
for the wave. It wasn't organized so I dove back under the clouds and
pushed toward Sugarbush. Such a northerly wind only generates decent
wave in a few New England locations (Wachussets, Manadnock, Mt.
Mansfield in VT), usually not super-high. Up in the Rt. 100 valley the
mountains broke up the streets and it was a bit slower going, some
circling required. Spoke to Tony Lauck TL and Harvey Howell RC, who
were north of Sugarbush (Tony later reported 9k in weak wave near
Sugarbush). 10 miles south of Sugarbush at Granville I ran into a big
blue hole, and wimped out and headed south.

I thought about heading down to Southbridge, but it was reported blue
down there (again) and would have required flying across the now-
decaying streets, so I decided to head directly downwind and back to
Sterling. Took a more easterly track out of the high hills, more
working altitude and fields make it a little less trying than the
route back over Killington. Had to work some weak thermals to stay
high and with the clouds, but at least now I was drifting on course
while circling. The last gliders flying at Sterling called frequency
change to land as I passed over Manadnock with final glide almost
made.

Back at Sterling, there was still some lift, so I climbed and headed
over to look at Crow Island private airport, which looks great from
the air as well as on the ground. Came back to Sterling and a late-day
street had organized running down to Hopedale. I couldn't help myself
but head out again, turned a bit before Hopedale, and came home to a
deserted Sterling.

OLC max dist says 295 miles or 472km (max points 293, this OLC scoring
is all very confusing to me). Interesting stats: flight time 5:21,
with 87% of time flying straight. Only 13% time (43 minutes) circling,
and average circling climb was only 2.4kt, primarily weak thermals
later in the day and initial climb. I should have gone all the way to
Hopedale and made it an even 500km and 300+ miles ! Not as far as my
flight two weeks ago (357 miles, 3rd longest on OLC Sunday 16th), but
still lots of fun. Fourth longest flight posted on OLC for Saturday,
and this for a fall day in New England !

I'm starting to get the hang of the Antares. Still have to push myself
to fly it as fast as it's optimum, and still sometimes catch myself
with the wrong flap setting, but its getting really comfortable.
Obviously its performance is spectacular.

See you at the field !
Best Regards, Dave "YO"

Above flight:
http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0...tId=1401532510

OLC flights I've posted from Sterling:
http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0...&pilotId=20684

Obviously its performance is spectacular.

Ill say! Great job Dave!

On Oct 1, 10:56 pm, wrote:
Obviously its performance is spectacular.

I'll say! Great job Dave!

Great job Dave!
Thanks, but really it was just the Antares ;-)