We had a pilot meeting at 9:30am for a safety, weather and task briefing. Today's weather...hottest day yet. Climbs to 10,000' later in the after noon and lift averaging 800'/min. The task was set as 140km triangle to the north then back SW of Forbes and finally back to the air field. Jonny durand, Attilla Bertock and Zac Majors are our task committee. Pilots had requested a short task for the practice day so Jonny informed us this 140km task will likely be the short task we will see.
I'm doing retrieve with Jamie Sheldon and Linda Salamone. Mike Mcfadden is our driver and doing a great job. Jamie is absolutely miserable in this heat and doesn't want to go out to the field til late. I have a concern that we will not be able to drive out to the line after the towing has started and I am not going to carry my glider out to the line. Jamie assures me it is a very short walk so we head out about 1:30pm to start setting up.
A little over half the competitors are flying today. We drop our gliders at the back of the line and check out how the towing is going. It doesn't seem to be moving to fast so we sit under the red bull tent for a while, drinking red bull and listening to the music they are playing. We wait for the line to get shorter because once you set up your glider you can't leave it. The dust devils are fierce here and your glider can be destroyed if you leave alone too long. After about 1/2hr Garnet helps me set up my glider. I'm one of the last few to tow up and Davis gives me a lecture while I'm on the Dolly as he doesn't like how pilots ahead of me were launching.
I have an uneventful tow and get waived off at 2000'agl. The tug pilot flags me off in a good thermal but it stops at just over 4000'asl. I wander around the field for over an hour trying to get high before I head out and finally get a strong climb to 8000'. I figure it's a bit late to try and tackle the task and probably a bit much for me today any way. No sense getting burnt out before the comp even starts. So I decide to head to the second turn point to see if I can meet up with the lead guys at the turn point and race back with them. A couple other gliders have the same idea and we fly off to the turn point together. The lift seems a little better away from the air field and we climb to over 10,000' on the way there. I never really get low and it's a pretty easy trip out and back for a total flight distance of 50km. I take a climb 15km out to 9000' and should make it in pretty easy. My instrument shows I have 1100' to spare and when I switch to my final glide page it's a 6.5/1 glide into goal. Man 11100' over the field I'm going to look like a fool. As I fly through lift on the way in my numbers only get worse. 1900' above goal. I'm going to look like a total amateur. I cross the line going fast, about 1000' over the field. Only a couple gliders there so no one really notices I'm in orbit over goal.
As I get low it's still way over 40c at 6:00pm. My landing is better than many, right in the middle of the field leaving me a long walk to tear down. Garnet comes out and helps carry my glider back to the hanger.
I was very happy with my practice day and now I'm ready to head off on some massive task for tomorrow.
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