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2015 Nephi OLC/XC Final Report



 
 
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  #11  
Old July 7th 15, 10:04 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Craig Funston
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Default 2015 Nephi OLC/XC Final Report

On Tuesday, July 7, 2015 at 1:09:17 PM UTC-7, Craig Reinholt wrote:
There is actually a small liquor store in downtown Nephi that
has an excellent selection of very good beers.


Sorry, but I must disagree. I checked out that liquor store and ran away. Being a beer snob from PDX, this is definitely a BYOB town.

Craig 1CR


Maybe we'll have to organize a beer exchange for next year. I'll bring some from little Portland of the north (Bellingham, WA where we have 80,000 people supporting 6 existing breweries & 5 more on the way). We love our beer too!

Everyone bring some of their local brews and we can have a tasting party.

Craig 7Q
  #12  
Old July 7th 15, 10:32 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Andy Blackburn[_3_]
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Default 2015 Nephi OLC/XC Final Report

On Tuesday, July 7, 2015 at 1:09:17 PM UTC-7, Craig Reinholt wrote:
There is actually a small liquor store in downtown Nephi that
has an excellent selection of very good beers.


Sorry, but I must disagree. I checked out that liquor store and ran away. Being a beer snob from PDX, this is definitely a BYOB town.

Craig 1CR



Two additional points.

Craig is indeed a beer snob. The state liquor store had Guinness, Newcastle and (to my taste) a pretty good Dopplebock, among other (admittedly not vast) selections. Bring your own beer if that's dishwater to you - or for variety. The grocery store beer is the not so hot 3-2 variety. :-)

In addition to all the OLC/XC flying there was some pretty amazing racing tasks called with speeds in the 90s to over 100 mph (on several days) for the ballasted FAI class. Friday saw a declared 750k with a winning speed of 94 mph. I'd call the week about average for Nephi in terms of weather. It makes me optimistic for the prospect of some bodacious flying at the Nationals next year.

Many thanks to Bruno, Ron the Utah Soaring Association, the tow pilots, all the volunteers and Nephites who support these events every year.

9B
  #13  
Old July 7th 15, 10:37 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Nick Kennedy
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Default 2015 Nephi OLC/XC Final Report

Thank you Bruno Vassel and Ron Gleason and everyone involved at Nephi 2015.
It was awesome, unbelievable really in this day and age.
The take off / grid system worked great.
The pilot meetings were very well run.
The Weather briefings, excellent.
The hanger dinners were high quality.
The 02 fills were easy and fast.
There was TP in the johns.
The Tow Ropes were well maintained.
Everyone had Flarm and it works.
The launch /landing crew were veterans.
The comradere on the ground and in the air was super good; it was not a contest so everyone was willing to help out on the radio in the air.
The weather in my opinion was simply Spectacular, I had to work to stay out of class A airspace everyday except the last day. The bits of over development was easy to go around except the last day and made for full on task racing and open distance flying while providing a spectacular setting for local cruising around, you had something to look at and manage, it was fairly easy really. And when you are 12,000+ ft off the ground, you do have a few options.
Once again, what a Total Blast to experience the Great Basin and the Wasatch Range and the Hanksville / Price area.
We Pilots are extremely fortunate and grateful to have Bruno and Ron willing to do the huge amount of work and produce the personal energy to host and manage these events. Thank you gentlemen, job well done.
BTW anyone going to Nephi for beer needs to have their heads examined :}
Nick
  #14  
Old July 7th 15, 11:34 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Nick Kennedy
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Default 2015 Nephi OLC/XC Final Report

Richard Phiffner, owner of Craggy Aero Soaring supplies was also at Nephi 2015 for the whole event. Not only did he help me repair my broken canopy latch mechanism, he also had a sales / demo booth set up and running.
He flew his butt off while answering a million questions about instruments, baud rates, TE, battery's, chargers,Seeyou, transponders, Flarm, radios, trailers, pneumatic tubing, pilot relief systems, marriage/ girl friend/business problems, canopy cleaning, WX Block, etc. and had a big hammer to pound stakes in the dirt.
And he brought a bunch of new white collared shirts to keep us looking spiffy!
Thanks Richard
Nick

  #15  
Old July 7th 15, 11:45 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Ron Gleason
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Posts: 483
Default 2015 Nephi OLC/XC Final Report

On Tuesday, 7 July 2015 16:34:41 UTC-6, Nick Kennedy wrote:
Richard Phiffner, owner of Craggy Aero Soaring supplies was also at Nephi 2015 for the whole event. Not only did he help me repair my broken canopy latch mechanism, he also had a sales / demo booth set up and running.
He flew his butt off while answering a million questions about instruments, baud rates, TE, battery's, chargers,Seeyou, transponders, Flarm, radios, trailers, pneumatic tubing, pilot relief systems, marriage/ girl friend/business problems, canopy cleaning, WX Block, etc. and had a big hammer to pound stakes in the dirt.
And he brought a bunch of new white collared shirts to keep us looking spiffy!
Thanks Richard
Nick


Thanks everyone, glad so many people had a blast. Pictures posted on FB, here is one specific to Craggy Aero https://www.facebook.com/2015NephiCa...type=1&theater
  #16  
Old July 8th 15, 12:09 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Ron Gleason
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Default 2015 Nephi OLC/XC Final Report

On Tuesday, 7 July 2015 16:45:45 UTC-6, Ron Gleason wrote:
On Tuesday, 7 July 2015 16:34:41 UTC-6, Nick Kennedy wrote:
Richard Phiffner, owner of Craggy Aero Soaring supplies was also at Nephi 2015 for the whole event. Not only did he help me repair my broken canopy latch mechanism, he also had a sales / demo booth set up and running.
He flew his butt off while answering a million questions about instruments, baud rates, TE, battery's, chargers,Seeyou, transponders, Flarm, radios, trailers, pneumatic tubing, pilot relief systems, marriage/ girl friend/business problems, canopy cleaning, WX Block, etc. and had a big hammer to pound stakes in the dirt.
And he brought a bunch of new white collared shirts to keep us looking spiffy!
Thanks Richard
Nick


Thanks everyone, glad so many people had a blast. Pictures posted on FB, here is one specific to Craggy Aero https://www.facebook.com/2015NephiCa...type=1&theater


The FB is https://www.facebook.com/2015NephiCamp
  #17  
Old July 8th 15, 12:27 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot)
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Posts: 1,383
Default 2015 Nephi OLC/XC Final Report

Sounds like a great time.... if time & money agree, I wouldn't mind trying it out as well.

Glad everyone had a decent time......
  #18  
Old July 8th 15, 01:01 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Mike the Strike
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Default 2015 Nephi OLC/XC Final Report

Oh dear, I didn't mean anyone to take my gentle ribbing of Utah's liquor laws so seriously! I did visit the local store and the friendly lady there found me a reasonable supply of decent brews, although expensive. I also had a good supply on hand from my visit to Moriarty a week or two earlier.

The operation, flying and support on the field were excellent, although I still maintain the weather was a notch below its best. The most skilled pilots were able to seek out some really good cloud streets - those more wussy (including me) had a slightly harder time finding the good lines. Still, a modestly good day in the Great Basin beats good days in most other places.

Nephi is a small town with relatively limited dining and accommodation but better than Parowan in that regard and a lot less stinky than Hobbs! The town could use a decent laundromat (Bruno, use your influence!)

Mike
  #19  
Old July 8th 15, 06:29 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Ramy[_2_]
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Posts: 601
Default 2015 Nephi OLC/XC Final Report

Just adding my thanks to the pool. I'd say everything this year was a little better than last year. Weather was about the same, ranging from ok to great. Let's not forget that weather is no guarantee, if it was scheduled a week later it would have been a different story. I am still in Utah and haven't flown for 4 days so far, and it does not looking great the next few days neither.
Also special thanks to Richard from Craggy Aero who helped me getting an EDS loaner overnight after mine failed, and to Andy for helping me with the flat tire and offering his spare tire.
I also learned something new about OLC, that it is optimizing for points rather than distance, turning my 1000km into a 999.56km so I can get an extra point or so. Sigh!
And last, let's remember that one of us had a really bad day, right of the start before even getting a chance to enjoy Nephi, as Bruno mentioned. Wishing Charlie Ryan speedy recovery.

Ramy
  #20  
Old July 8th 15, 04:24 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
John Cochrane[_3_]
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Posts: 351
Default 2015 Nephi OLC/XC Final Report

The Nephi event was just fantastic. Though supposedly just a low-key OLC event, Bruno, Ron, and the team put on a superbly organized show. Even the buffet line for the superb catered dinners (!) moved fast.

I went in part to scope out the site for next year's nationals. This is a great site for a national contest, combining the best of Parowan, Logan, and bits of Ely. The runway is long, flat, and has good rope break options, from either end. You can tow to 2,000' and quickly connect over the pig farm and east-facing hills just to the west of the airport.

We were launching about noon, immediately climbing to 12-14k and heading out on course. The thermals last until sunset. Returning at 5 and 6 PM, I often found some of the strongest lift of the day, still nicely lined up in streets. Most of my final glides started 2000 feet low and ended at 110 knots 3000 feet high.

This site will give us long and fast flights. At the camp, there was an FAI and a sports class, with tasks every day. (Very well set tasks, I might add.) The slow days were upper 80s, the typical day was low 90s, and I had two tasks over 100 mph. My best day was a nearly 500 mile flight at 93 mph. On a task.

Looking forward to nationals, keep in mind that 3 hours is the minimum task time. The task guidance says to use the available soaring weather, and the CDs want to show us what this place can do. So think ahead to 4 hour tasks or more. There is no reason we should not be doing multiple 750k tasks, and a 1000k task isn't out of the question.

The flying area is varied. Most of it is like Parowan, with streets organized along the ridges, flying next to very landable valleys. Then, you can fly out into the desert and enjoy some Ely style flying. There are some challenges -- crossing the wasatch, or getting up to the Uintas. A wise pilot will spend some time on Google earth. I happen to like flying in the mountains and close the the hills as one can at Logan, but Nephi is more like Parowan in that respect; you pretty much thermal over the tops of the mountains and scratching is a plan B.

It does overdevelop, but that mostly stays over the mountains. So dodging small storms isn't that hard.

A minor issue is water ballast. It has to be trucked in and stays in two big cisterns, and then 4 or 5 hoses are attached. (Did I mention superb organization?) Usually out west we are spoiled with abundant hoses, but not at Nephi. So pilots with a water transport system might want to bring it along so they can fill at their tie down spot.

All in all, this is about the best site for a national contest I have seen. Next year's contest should be one to remember.

I won't soon forget the cloudstreet running down the east side of the Wasatch front, mountains to the right, desert to the left (with fields), 100 miles or so at 14,000 t 17,499, no turns. Wow.

John Cochrane
 




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