400 miles

To me, one of the best things on this flight is that it wasn't the "vulgar, downwind dash". It was a cross headwind, crosswind, cross-tail wind, finally light tailwind flight. It had clouds, and it had blue. It went over fields and over some really gnarly terrain. And, it ended at an airport with really good people ready to take care of you!

Oh, and it was flying home after a contest. There is the real benefit to having a crew! You get to fly home! I have always wanted to do that, but have never tried.

Steve Leonard

Vulgar downwind dash"? ?
I don't know what you are referring to.
Straight out flights, at least anything more than a 100k, will be of constant different and changing conditions.
After all that is what it's all about.

On Tuesday, August 16, 2016 at 2:39:21 PM UTC-5, 6PK wrote:
Vulgar downwind dash"? ?
I don't know what you are referring to.
Straight out flights, at least anything more than a 100k, will be of constant different and changing conditions.
After all that is what it's all about.

Old school term. Look at the writings of Phillip Wills.

Thanks Steve. As far as I could tell, the day was a boring average Soaring day in the panhandle. So now I know what can be achieved on a normal day, I am even more excited to get a shot on a really good day!

6PK, not necessarily...my other Big Flights, all of which would qualify as Vulgar Downwind Dashes, were pretty constant and homogenous Soaring weather wise. Especially the big 525 miler, the conditions were strong with nice Cu and strong tailwinds the whole way. One of the 300 milers did have a shift from clouds to blue but without a major shift in thermal strength.

On Tuesday, August 16, 2016 at 2:14:23 PM UTC-7, Tony wrote:
Thanks Steve. As far as I could tell, the day was a boring average Soaring day in the panhandle. So now I know what can be achieved on a normal day, I am even more excited to get a shot on a really good day!

6PK, not necessarily...my other Big Flights, all of which would qualify as Vulgar Downwind Dashes, were pretty constant and homogenous Soaring weather wise. Especially the big 525 miler, the conditions were strong with nice Cu and strong tailwinds the whole way. One of the 300 milers did have a shift from clouds to blue but without a major shift in thermal strength.

So, after reading 6PK's comments, and Tony's, can we summarize that 100k + downwind dashes have a Heroic level of difficulty here in the rough & tumble southwest, while such flights are easy on a level of vulgarity back there in the easy-flying Midwest?
-Chuck Coyne

On Wednesday, August 17, 2016 at 3:53:38 PM UTC-7, wrote:
On Tuesday, August 16, 2016 at 2:14:23 PM UTC-7, Tony wrote:
Thanks Steve. As far as I could tell, the day was a boring average Soaring day in the panhandle. So now I know what can be achieved on a normal day, I am even more excited to get a shot on a really good day!

6PK, not necessarily...my other Big Flights, all of which would qualify as Vulgar Downwind Dashes, were pretty constant and homogenous Soaring weather wise. Especially the big 525 miler, the conditions were strong with nice Cu and strong tailwinds the whole way. One of the 300 milers did have a shift from clouds to blue but without a major shift in thermal strength.

So, after reading 6PK's comments, and Tony's, can we summarize that 100k + downwind dashes have a Heroic level of difficulty here in the rough & tumble southwest, while such flights are easy on a level of vulgarity back there in the easy-flying Midwest?
-Chuck Coyne

I thought anything anywhere was vulgar in a motorglider. :-)

It's sort of like golf. Headwind on the front 4. Still a headwind on the middle 3. Headwind back to the clubhouse. Repeat on the back 9.

It's sort of like golf. Headwind on the front 4. Still a headwind on the middle 3. Headwind back to the clubhouse. Repeat on the back 9.