Gridding Under an Overcast
Many glider pilots will tell you, when the sun isn’t shinning in Florida, there will not be any soaring. Well today was an exception to the rule. At today’s pilot meeting, many thought today would be our second grid squatting day or the second cancelled day. John (CD) and Fernando (weatherman) seemed to know something that no one else had seen.
Before the meeting was over, we did get a few laughs. During the pilot introduction portion, Henry Retting said that he was from southeast Florida and his wife bought him a glider with a motor so she didn’t have to crew for him anymore. He also said that since he had a motor he would be happy to retrieve anyone who landed out that did not have a motor. Well, you can imagine the remarks after those comments. Werner Ruegger stood up and said he didn’t have a crew but was happy that more than 50% of the Seniors would come pick him up. This year more than 50% of the participants are equipped with motors of some kind. Greg Shugg then stood up and asked for Henry’s wife number so she could buy him a glider with a motor. It went down hill from there.
With all the levity we did have some special work related business to cover. During the 2022 Open/15 Meter Nationals in Hobbs New Mexico, the ground crew needed some coaching. Melissa Indrebo and Jennette Baugh provided that and much more. Taking a dozen tween and teens and turning them into an efficient and safe launch crew was not good enough for these fine ladies. They also took them to lunches, ice cream and mentored them about life goals. For their hard work, both of them were rewarded with the Charlie Spratt Award for advancing the sport of sailplane racing. Melissa received her award at the Reno convention and Jennette received hers in front of the Seniors pilots. Great job Jennette and Melissa!
So, that was how the morning proceeded with smiles on the pilot’s faces, a well-deserved award presented by Michelle Sorenson, full stomachs from the donuts and breakfast prepared by Rock Star Bakery and gray cloudy skies.
At 11:50am we were told to start sending the ships to the runway and expect a first launch around 1:15pm. The skies were still overcast and but some blue appeared in the distant north. Wouldn’t you believe it, the sun came out and the ground started to heat up rapidly. It was starting to get warmer by the minute and soon the sniffers were taking flight to see what none of us expected. The first climbs were slow but soon the sniffers were going up above 3,500ft and the fleet was launching. Covers that were left on expecting an early cancellation were flying off like clothes on a drying line in a hurricane. The entire fleet was launched in under an hour and soon the task was opened.
Looking around the starting area, there were ships in all quadrants. Some were high but most were on the low side. I saw one ship very low with no chance to land back at the airport over the Green Swamp. They made it out of there but it was a very risky choice. We saw a number of ships around 3,700ft starting, but no one looked like they had reached the 4,000ft maximum altitude.
Our task for the day was of course, a Turn Area Task (TAT) from Start B, Grass Roots, Inverness, Flying Baron and Finish. The minimum time was 1:30 and that was all we could realistically do given the late start to the day. The weather was severely blue with the first leg having some good climbs. Most pilots went direct or slightly west of the rum line to Grass Roots. The turn to the west and Inverness had a couple of choices. Some of the faster ships had to get more distance and headed slightly northwest, while the lower handicapped ships could go due west. Jared Granzow in his ASW-27 went due west and found a good energy line to the south of Inverness. It was so good, he just turned around and went to Flying Baron on the same line. The only problem was, it put him back at the gliderport a couple of minutes early.
I do have some good news on the ground crew front. Ms. Emma, the best line crew person we have at the Seniors for years, was released from the hospital after a bout with a kidney stone. She is feeling much better and will be returning to her normal routine soon. Emma routinely runs like a mad woman hooking up gliders and diving under the wing to get them launched faster. Her enthusiasm and outgoing personality makes her a leader on the line.
We had a few land outs and engine starts today, but everyone was able to make it home undamaged. The score sheet has undergone its normal upheaval today with a big turnover at the top. The winner of today’s task was Jared Granzow with a handicapped speed of 47.98mph. Since Jared is a Guest and isn’t old enough to be in the Seniors as a regular entry, the win goes to John Murray with a handicapped speed of 47.00mph. Second went to Susan Simmons and Sarah Arnold with third being held by Ken Sorenson. The top 10 are only separated by 127 points so it is anyone’s race over the next two days. The next 10 pilots are only separated by 63 points! This is pretty typical of the Seniors. We are expecting better weather and it should be very interesting, so please stay tuned.
Well, I’m caught up with all my reports finally. Sorry for some of the delay, I’ll try and stay ahead of my deadlines. It’s just I’m having so much fun flying with a great friend even though we are not at the top of the score sheet. Tomorrow is another day and another race.
Good Night All.