Hi guys, Tidewater Model Soaring Society normally have a club contest on the second Saturday of each month and my schedule happened to put me on their field that day (after about an 1,100 mile drive to get there). The weather was looking like rain and wind, but all we got was wind....in the 20+ range for most of the day but the winds aloft were soooo much stronger that if you flew across the wind direction it pushed your sailplane back a ridiculous distance. It wasn't 'hard' to fly in, and there was lift to be found if you caught the cycle right. My host and club pres, Lenny Strickland was in the zone, he flew steady and well but he needed a 20 min flight in his last round to max...tough even for a Supra in those conditions. But right off the launch, he gained and gained. We got him in to thermal flow zone and he kind of worked the it, never just sitting, but moving to stay with it. He maintained about 1,200' for most of the flight, but the sky was now getting darker and seeing the model was iffy at best. He'd been flying on the left side of the field and he'd gotten his time, so we decided to move across to get in landing position and to get a clearer view of the model, but as I mentioned, as soon as he got abeam of the wind, the model faded wayyyy down wind. The flight turned from a winning effort to a battle to get home. In the end he took a zero for being off field, landing in a pasture nearly a thousand feet from the landing zone but safe. I can tell you it took a lot of beer and ribs to get over that flight! :-). All of the pilots rose their games to the task, in the end it was Josh Glaab who took the biggest piece of wood with me being the usual bridesmaid :-). Fun had by all! They are going to run a new ESL date with a fun format aimed at every level of pilot skill May 17, 18th, and I have to tell you guys around the country, its time you come over to this field, its got a lot lift zones, and plenty of view in all directions. We tested the just-tuned Wade Winches today that they'll be using and all seemed uniform. They'll have retrievers so thing should move a long plenty quick. The Tidewater club has a rich history of LSF5's and top pilots as well as hobby contributors, so I pity the fools don't put this one on their schedule. Gordy Onward :-)
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