PG Lonestar Championship 2012

[Brit_in_SoMD]

Just got back from Dave Prentice's tow comp in Texas - last year was such great flying (you may remember that i went 134km on my DHV 1/2, in one flight from a weak link break at 600ft!), so i figured it was worth another go.

Flying this year was reasonably good, not any where close to as good as last year, but the event was overshadowed by a tragic accident.

Unfortunately, as you may know by now, Don Bayliss, one of the participants, tragically died at the start of the event.
I don't want to say much about it as we still don't really have the answers on what happened - no autopsy results or GPS traces have yet been released.
During task 1, it looked like a gust front was going to come through the course area, so the task was stopped.
Around the usual report by time, Don still wasn't accounted for, so search efforts began and continued a while past sunset.
Searching was resumed the following day. Eventually, Don was found by a police helicopter, late that afternoon.
Unfortunately, Don was already dead when police officers reached him on foot.
Until autopsy results and Don's instrument traces are reviewed, we just don't know what happened.
However, it seems likely that Don may have been caught up in gust front related turbulence, likely leading to a very heavy landing and probably causing serious internal injuries/broken bones, from which he died.
RIP, Don.

Up to the task stop call, I had found conditions to be just fine.
However, I'd seen the clouds building and had actually decided to land before the task was stopped - I was touching down around the time the task stop call went out.
About 30 minutes later, the gust front came through where i was, just as i'd finished packing up.
The gust front was travelling from where I was towards where Don was last known to be flying.
I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be in the air still when the gust front came through...

I'm writing a piece to put down the lessons i think i've learnt from Don's death.
In the meantime, here are the main things i did:
1) buy (and start using) a SPOT
2) add some glow sticks and a space blanket to my existing first aid/survival bag
3) start flying with my cell phone turned on

I'll post my lessons learnt piece once it's done but wanted to share these points know so other folks can start thinking about them for themselves.

So the flying:

Three reasonably good (for me!) flights, 10km, 30km and 45km.
Two days when i didn't get away from the field
Two days not flying (including the Monday we were searching for Don)

Will post some better descriptions when I have my logbook and traces in front of me.

Am glad i went again - definitely recommend it for other PG folks with a tow rating who want to go XC and know there's a retrieve on the way each day.
As sad as Don's death is, i don't think it reflects in any way on the organisation of the event or the safety of the conditions in central Texas in early August.

Flying is a dangerous activitiy, no matter where or when we do it.
Every time each of us launch, we take responsibility for our own safety, whether we like it or not.
Only I can make the decision on when and where I fly - nobody can make that decision for me.
IMO, no competition, whatever the level, prizes or points on offer, is important enough to jeopardise my two golden rules for myself: 1) be safe; 2) have fun.

[mingram]

I met Don last year at Tater Hill and was shocked to hear of his death and wasn't sure what effect that would have on the pilots and comp. Thanks for the write-up, the lessons learned, and for sharing your golden rules. I'm glad you had another fun year in Texas even though it wasn't as big as last year.

Matt

[eggzkitz]

Thanks for this very thoughtful post. Good that we're able to learn from these experiences. I had not thought of including glow sticks, but I do fly with a headlamp. I think warmth is less an issue than water, maps, and communications. We generally overdress for the ground, and I've read accounts of pilots using the wing as a sleeping bag in really desperate conditions.

I was at a comp in the Owens last year when the organizers called a task due to a gust front. I had not seen it, and wouldn't have thought to have landed, but was glad to have people watching and calling it out. My lesson that day was to look out for each other, and listen to others when they know the area better than you.