Race & Rally Day 7

The last day of the comp called a 120km task North to Americus, Georgia. Once again we woke up to a less than promising sky. The clouds were low and were moving fast. Oh well, off to the airport to give it a go.

At the airport we milled around until the task was called. We then headed over to the setup area to get ready. I was nervous due to the winds, but had forced myself to relax and give a try. The airport was huge and I could always just land here if I didn’t like the air.

As we setup in a wet field, the wind continued to build with some powerful gusts coming through. My confidence began to falter and no one was rushing to launch. The task was delayed one hour, but conditions did not improve. When the launch window opened conditions were as strong as ever and cloudbase was still low.
Davis got in the launch line and started the waiting game as the rest of the field continued to drag their heals and not get suited up. The strategy was to wait as long as possible before one of the start times and then launch. With the strong winds there was going to be no way to stay in the start cylinder and with so many pilots not ready to go, someone in the front of the line could get the last clock while others were still on the ground.
Personally, I was wondering where the safety committee was and why the task had not been cancelled.

Eventually Derek Turner launched and had a wild ride. He flies a small-ish glider for his hook in weight and has high wing loading. Even with that he was getting batted around right off tow. The wind was so strong I think the tug never turned during the tow and they only ended up ¼ mile upwind. He was soon landing and it sounded like he was scared during the flight. I don’t blame him.

Jeff Obrien launched and his tow looked scary as well. The tug hit a gust and was 20 feet in the air before Jeff even came off the cart. Davis launched and seemed to have a fairly smooth tow.

After hearing Derek’s account of the tow and flying conditions the safety committee finally stepped in and stopped the day. A good call and unlike earlier in the week, no one complained about it. In fact, many pilots, including myself, had already decided not to fly.

OB's Launch

We headed to a nearby restaurant for the awards ceremony, food and goodbyes. Johnny D took first place by only 9 points (7 for 7 this year), then Dustin and Zippy. It was a good time. After dinner we packed up the van and decided to make an evening run back to Quest. It was a 6 hour drive and I took the time to book a flight relax, and talk about the adventures of the last week.