Santa Cruz Flats

[Lauren Tjaden]

I found Casa Grande, AZ, where we have been competing in the Santa Cruz Flats Meet, one of the best of places and also the worst to fly. I'll try to give you a small taste of my incredible week. Most of the pilots stayed at the Francisco Grande Hotel, a towering luxury monument -- complete with pool, spa, bar and restaurant and a golf course-- that looks as if it has been oddly dropped in the middle of serious desert. We all get to visit and party with each other because of this.
The towing takes place perhaps a half of a mile to the west, in a hellhole of dust and sagebrush.
When you takeoff on tow, you cannot see the plane at all, only a wall of dirt that burns your already chapped and bleeding lips. You just try to stay straight until you can see again. Beforehand, you swelter in your layers of clothing and balaclava, which you have donned in case the conditions are as good as forecast. The gliders are coated with grime. It is impossible to keep it off.
Although I set up each morning before 8 (so I did not have to race the young studs for the carts) the best I did in the field of almost 60 world class pilots was 21st, so I did not qualify for the priority staging. This means I suffer in line while Paul gives me water to pour on my wrists and neck. (On the practice day I was so dizzy I was afraid I would pass out in the air so I was really good about eating and drinking after that.)
I learned TONS. As usual the very best and most elite pilots will help you if you only ask. At least they will help ME, maybe because I suck enough that I am no threat, or maybe just because I am a girl and they figure they need all of us they can get. I could talk for pages about all they helped me with. For instance, last night the Canadians gave me a demo and talk on how to get your glider on an airplane. Lots of the advice was about technical flying though, like Jeff S's advice (pull more string!! -- okay, really it was more technical than that).
The flying was totally different. There were never any clouds. Instead you fly dust devils. Ha, once I took off and then after my long glide it was friggin' dust from a tractor. It could be scary flying dusties low. I had more low saves than I ever had before.
I always forget what a marathon a top comp is. You need to be fit. Most of us were really hurting after a few days. Sometimes you just want to land and give up the battle but that means you will lose for sure.
The air was rough for an east coast wussie like me. My glider performed aerobatics I had no part in some days. Sometimes I went weightless before smacking myself on my glider's undersurface. Sometimes it was very very smooth, so you could thermal with lots of VG and one hand. I got tougher but need to be tougher still.
The landing areas were generous -- everywhere- but mostly you had to stick the landings pretty good since the often deep footing made it impossible to take more than a step. The hard-pack desert was the best to land in, but I only got that kind of surface a couple of days. Once I got a bad downwind on a light day and I nearly turtled in a deep plowed field. I got stuck under my glider (could not unhook) and Mike from Columbia that I landed with rescued me. I am only one of maybe 2 pilots with little wheels but they don't do anything on this sort of surface.
The land is mostly flat but these huge mountains jut out of it. On the best day of lift -- climbs to 10 grand and 900 fpm -- it was so clear you could see every bump on the terrain. Linda described it as spiritual. The view was sometimes spectacular. Think of immense ridges and peaks pushing out of the farmland; the untamed nestled close to the tamed.
The only really bad place to land was if you ventured out into the desert (hard not to do on the bad X wind days). Maybe you could live through it but the retrieves were impossible. It gets cold at night there.
Paul got totally screwed this comp. He didn't fly. His hip for some reason is making it hard for him to barely walk. On the last day he woke up all in hives and red and having trouble breathing with a weird allergic reaction to the meds or something-- who knows. He was so supportive (oh, go set your glider, I can live on the way to the hospital and drive myself) but of course I took him to the ER instead. He recovered but but by the time I got back I didn't feel much like flying. I was so tired and I wasn't set up and I missed the meeting and it was late late late.
But then about 15 minutes later I realized what loser I was being. So yeah, I decided to fly. Threw my shit together (although I did not really have my shit together, if you know what I mean).
Anyhow, Jamie waited for me and Jim P towed me down by the start circle well after all the other pilots had launched. It was the easiest task they gave us, a 50 mile downwind. It was the only day I flew that was really easy and not stressful. I had to fly mainly by myself but got to goal (I should have been lots faster but I really wanted to get there) and then everybody was really nice at goal. Mike grabbed my harness and Mark Fruitiger took my glider. It was so great to land by a windsock!!!
I flew over 17 hours this week! I haven't counted miles yet. My glider won't be back in FL for a week so hopefully I won't miss any record days here (not that I would manage it anyhow but I would like to test my shaky skills).
It was pretty cool. Dustin says he'll do the meet again if the hotel will do something about the tow paddock. Everybody liked it except for that, mostly.
I'll see you kids up at Highland. Hopefully my Paul will be back in shape by then. We just got back to FL a few hours ago.
Lauren

[jimrooney]

Thank you Lauren
You have such a wonderful way of writing! Seriously the most enjoyable read about the comp. Thank you.
I'm sure if you did write up a bit about what the top guys taught you, everyone here would be hanging on your every word! How about it?

Can't wait to have you and Paul up here
Jim

[brianvh]

Funny how a gal who made the world team keeps saying how much she sucks. Guess someone who's satisfied with her skills would never push herself to the top, huh Lauren?

[Paul Tjaden]

Thought I would add my 2 cents. As Lauren stated, The Fransisco Grande Resort is a pretty upscale place to have a HG comp and it was really a treat to have all of us located together so we could enjoy spending time with all our competition friends at breakfast, the bar or hot tub after flying and dinner later. I find the desert climate NOT to my liking. It really wasn't terribly hot this time of year and the dry air made it seem even less so, but that dry air also made your skin feel like sand paper and your nose and lips like.....well, like the desert! The towing paddock was absolutely horrible. All equipment was covered with fine talcum like dust all the time and even though a large hose was constantly watering down the launch area, dust blew almost continuously. Dustin and Jamie are negotiating with the Hotel to do something (not sure what) about this problem for next year. If it can be solved, it would greatly improve my overall impression of things. It looked like the flying was fun although some of the LZ's are nasty with either more loose dirt and dust (farming areas), mud (recently irrigated farming areas) or cactus and sage brush with huge thorns. There were NO clouds ever and everyone seemed to navigate by flying from one dust devil to another. It seems that most of these bad boys are not as dangerous as I have heard as many pilots reprted low saves by flying into them at low levels. Of course we all know that this can be dangerous, but for the most part, no one had seemed to have any problems. Wonder how you can tell which ones will kill you and which ones will give you a lift? I didn't get first hand experience but I think that you might be able to see the difference in the tightness or intensity of the spinning to know if they were dangerous or not. Perhaps Larry B. or some of the others that flew there can help with this. The only other way of knowing where lift might be was to fly the ground triggers which may or may not work. Also, it seems that flying over green areas is a definite no no. Dustin said to treat them like a huge lake and stay away as much as possible. One day, Dustin flew a huge distance to go around a green area while those who tried the short cut across it hit the dirt.

As you have heard, I suffered a bout with what I think is sciatica. I have never had this problem before and I believe it started about 5 days before leaving for AZ when I carried my rather heavy Combat a couple hundred yards out of a field. A slight soreness the next day built into extreme pain by the time we reached AZ and I was incapable of walking to the baggage claim at the airport. Nearly two weeks later and numerous visits to AZ chiropracters and physicians, I am no better. Today, I started a quest to discover my problems cause and try to fix it before the ECC however, I am beginning to think that surgery may be the only answer and that will probably screw me for the season. We'll see.

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you at Ridgely at the ECC. If I'm not flying by then and haven't slit my own throat, perhaps I can chase after you guys.

Paul

[Batman]

Welcome to Old Age Paul!!! Not that I know anything about it yet ... but I think Matthew is getting old too ....

Chris

[Spark]

Paul,

Sorry to hear that you are hurting. I've been using an inversion table and it has helped me with nerve pinches.

I really enjoyed reading Lauren's post. I spent so many years flying in that kind of stuff ... I guess I got used to it.

...
There were NO clouds ever and everyone seemed to navigate by flying from one dust devil to another. It seems that most of these bad boys are not as dangerous as I have heard as many pilots reprted low saves by flying into them at low levels. Of course we all know that this can be dangerous, but for the most part, no one had seemed to have any problems. Wonder how you can tell which ones will kill you and which ones will give you a lift?
...

I suspect that the potential for a dusty to tumble your glider (i.e. potentially kill you) is related to the strength of the dusty and the amount of shearing (i.e. strength of the wind). I have often seen them twist up and develop a horizontal section.

I've only been tumbled twice in close proximity to dust-devil activity ... and
I've witnessed dust devils breaking gliders on the ground ... maybe a half-dozen times. So ... experience shows (me) that that they can break your glider on the ground ... and can cause your glider to tumble.

Wonder how you can tell which ones will kill you and which ones will give you a lift?

The only way to know for sure is to try it and see ... the ones that give you lift are the 'good ones' (tongue in cheek)

[Matthew]

So, young whipper snapper... should we start calling you batboy?

Matthew

[Batman]

It does have a nice ring to it ... much better than Robin ....

[mcelrah]

Shall I tell about the arduous round of meetings I had to suffer through last week?

Paul: do not, repeat, do not, let a sawbones anywhere near you with a scalpel until you have exhausted all alternatives. Two weeks? Patience, grasshopper! Studies have shown that if you go to the chiropractor and do exercises etc, most back pain will go away in 30 days. It may also go away in 30 days if you do nothing (drink heavily) - but the bottom line is you gotta give it some time.

Would be interested in anything you are willing to pass on from knowledge you have acquired this time or over time. Is the part about packing your glider for the airlines something you could write up or talk about when you get here?

- Hugh

[Paul Tjaden]

To Spark: You've "ONLY" been tumbled twice by dusties? Spark always had bigger kahonas than me. Anyway, thanks for the info. Based on what I gleaned from other experienced desert pilots, the bottom line is that you are risking tumbling any time that you enter a dusty at or below the level that it is visible (it is carrying visuble dust). You should never enter a dusty below chute altitude (although, I know this rule gets broken lots). It also makes a difference in where you are out west. The dust is very fine and light where we were and it doesn't require a lot of energy to pick it up so most of them were probably fairly benign. Still, it COULD be a strong and turbulent vortex and kick your butt. I think everyone goes into the area with the idea of NOT flying into a dust devil low but then gets lulled into the idea that it's really OK after a few days of getting away with it. Then, like Spark says, you eventually fly into one that gets you. Pretty typical scenario for us "hand" gliders.

Paul

[Paul Tjaden]

Reply to Hugh:

After spending the day with my GP and Chiropracter and reading your post, I have had my attitude adjusted and will be spending the next few weeks trying to heal myself with less drastic measures than cutting, lasering and chipping. Actually, my chiropracter thinks it may be a displaced pelvis and if he's correct, the cure could be fairly quick with a few adjustments. We'll see.

Paul

[Lauren Tjaden]

Awww, you guys are sooo nice.
Seriously, Brian, I am not ashamed of my skills. When I first wanted to compete with the big guys I needed to move into a racing glider and harness, and learn to fly them in a safe way. My Litespeed and Rotor went an amazingly long way in improving my scores, and I take pride in the fact that I worked so hard to learn to land and take off, trying to dismiss ego and emotion. I got my feelings and knees hurt, but I towed over 60 times the first month I got my Litespeed.
I figured next I needed to use my brain better. By that I mean I needed to better observe what was going on around me -- spotting climbs, realizing conditions were changing, and flying to use the air and strategy to my best advantage, as well as changing my flying radically with changing conditions (you can only race when the conditions allow you to race). Though I still fall down on this some I think I often feel the air, spot lift, and fly in a way that lets me work with the sky instead of against it. I am also getting much better about climbing out from very low altitudes.
This being said, the top pilots consistently beat me. I have not really understood how to make the next leap ahead. I know my glides are not great, something that can partly be explained by the fact that I have a smaller glider. (Smaller gliders don't glide as well as bigger ones. It's science.) However, that being said, I should still be performing better.
I am not willing to lose my stupid, draggy wheels that do not work, and though the top guns toss around the idea of me flying a bigger glider, I fear I have enough challenge flying the little Litespeed 3 S that I have (Rob Kells thinks perhaps I could tackle a bigger Talon; Kraig Coomber thinks more glider would kick my ass). In any case, I need to improve ME.
Now, improving my drag is still a big deal. Gred D. taped my hang straps together this meet. I have ordered a new sail to replace my poor shredded, paper-thin-one, too. I am also taking measures to stash my tow bridle away, instead of letting it flutter like a drogue chute in the wind. Hopefully these things will help.
As for me?
Jeff Shapiro (in the hot tub) discussed my sucky glide with me. I was laughing about it in my first post but he really did say to pull as much VG as I could. (Davis argued I should not pull more than 3/4 most of the time). But Jeff added that I should think about gliding like towing, and that if I was wobbling around that more VG would only hurt me. I came to realize that I was waffling around instead of following a course, allowing myself to get slapped around. I was much better after this. I keep the bar in and focus on the horizon, trying to have a light feel, too.
Jeff also advised that I keep the VG on pretty strong until I was actually in lift, and that I could let it off and use the retained energy to get a couple hundred feet on my first couple of turns in a thermal. (I often release it when I hear a beeps, hoping to avoid violent turbulence).
I also found his advice to use my VG when we (the gaggle) were topping out the lift and it got weak and nobody wanted to leave first useful. Likewise, I was to pull lots of string while I was waiting. My glider would be better climbing, and I would have distance and altitude on those leaving. That couple hundred feet often count later.
Phil Bloom suggested that I stay totally emotionally detached and suck it up and go with gaggle of world class pilots, no matter what I thought. I did not totally agree with him but I did figure out that either I should blindly follow or do my own thing. My worst day I tried to combine the 2. It doesn't work.
The other thing Phil said was to be very level emotionally -- no big joy or tears. It helps to have the temperament of a rock.
The other US Jeff advised that I read Helmet Reichman' classic "XC Soaring," as well as Brigladeri's "Competing in Gliders." He explained that the sailplane pilots have explored far more theory than the limited hang glider pilots.
Chris Smith told me I should know absolutely know every glider and harness of every top pilot, so that I know whom I am pimping off of. He and Phil also told me to be very aware of my body position gliding, because one elbow stuck out could be as much drag as my wheels.
Anyhow, that's a little of the stuff from my notes. If anyone is interested I can write about how to get your glider on a plane -- though the Canadians are the experts on this, and I wouldn't want to do it without help. I am also happy to help other pilots learn how to put courses into either the Garmins or 5030s.
I know that I don't have much authority to be giving advice; please feel free to disregard it.
Lauren

[Dan T]

Lauren,

Would you mind giving us a little more of what you've learned on using a VG as a source of potential energy. I for one had never thought of it that way. Was Jeff suggesting that you let it out a little at a time over the course of two turns in the thermal? Did you mean to pull it on when the gaggle was reaching the top of the lift or let it off to get just a little higher. I assume you mean pull on lots of string while you are hanging out near the top of the lift and waiting for others to jump. Am I right?

Very interesting, and thanks for the post. By the way how are your Florida Magazine adventures going?

Thanks again. I put your relevant paragraph below so you hopefully wouldn't be confused by my questions.

Dan T

PS it was nice staying with you guys last fall. If any of you pilots get an opportunity to visit with the Tjadens while you are down their way, you should take them up on it. A most hospitable couple.

PPS Get well soon Paul!

Jeff also advised that I keep the VG on pretty strong until I was actually in lift, and that I could let it off and use the retained energy to get a couple hundred feet on my first couple of turns in a thermal. (I often release it when I hear a beeps, hoping to avoid violent turbulence).
I also found his advice to use my VG when we (the gaggle) were topping out the lift and it got weak and nobody wanted to leave first useful. Likewise, I was to pull lots of string while I was waiting. My glider would be better climbing, and I would have distance and altitude on those leaving. That couple hundred feet often count later.

[jimrooney]

From my vantage point... one of your defining characteristics has always been a slow and determined approach to things. Level headed and always cognizant of safety. It's nice watching that consistency and hard work pay off for you.

Thank you for sharing the jewels of wisdom you've been picking up. Please feel free to continue to do so! I'm very sure that I'm not the only one enjoying what you're sharing with us.

Jim

[bustedwing2]

Hey Paul,put the surgery idea on hold for 6 months and do the exercise routine.I had a sciatic nerve that lit me up pretty good about 20 years ago,after 90 days of varied weight and calisthenic routines the problem disappeared never to return again,I did exercise for another 8 years fearful that it would come back if I stopped,it hasn't.Most recent headache is a bum knee that gets quite painful at times(shredded on the weight machine),Naproxen for 24 hours eliminates all pain and usage is 100 percrnt normal,I don't know if it will help sciatica,it's worth asking about. my 2 cents, RichB

[Lauren Tjaden]

Dan asked: Was Jeff suggesting that you let it out a little at a time over the course of two turns in the thermal?
Lauren: What Jeff S said was to throw my glider hard into a turn when I hit the good lift and pop off my VG at the same time (the retained energy will make you climb really fast for a turn or two). Be careful, obviously, of performing this. Jeff is very skilled, young and strong (see him on the cover of HG mag this month). For instance, my glider is capable of spinning if I push out with much VG, something that tends to diminish your altitude besides soiling your pants.

Dan also asked: Did you mean to pull it on when the gaggle was reaching the top of the lift or let it off to get just a little higher. I assume you mean pull on lots of string while you are hanging out near the top of the lift and waiting for others to jump. Am I right?
Lauren: Yes, this is the second, different instance, and your interpretation of it is right. Pull it on before you leave as the lift weakens and you are waiting and hanging out.
(Does this mean you'll buy us dinner if you win at the ECC again??)

Lauren to Jim: Thanks, honey. I'll be well satisfied if I someday have HALF of your skills. I'll never forget you flying 5 different gliders to spot landings in half an hour, including downwind landings. Unreal.
BTW, my adventures with Visit Florida are really fun still. I got to go skydiving a couple of weeks ago (I heard you did too!!) and go to do a ropes course in Pensacola this weekend.

About Paul: You all are great to offer suggestions. Paul can describe what's happening to him much better than I can, and perhaps someone has some advice that will serve him well. He can't exercise at ALL right now. He is in so much pain he can't even sleep without drugs. He's not real happy right now, either (go figure). I think he needs an MRI right away.
Lauren

[brianvh]

MRI, Catscan, Xray, yes, yes, yes! They will catch things you'll never know about otherwise.

Hopefully a proper combination of exercise, stretching and rest is all that's called for, but you don't know for sure unless you look. I'd agree with Hugh and Rich to avoid surgery unless necessary, but if this pain is related to an accident, it may be necessary.

[Paul Tjaden]

Hi Guys,

Thanks tons for all of your posts and personal messages regarding my sore hip and leg. I'm kinda embarrassed that this has taken up so much of this thread. Not REALLY related to HG. Anyway, unless I have major improvement in the next few days, I am seeing a top notch ortho next week. I had an MRI done last year and imagine he will want to do another to compare and try to diagnose the exact cause of my pain. It seems that many of you have had similar problems over the years and have had good success with exercize and PT. I DID get rid of nearly all of my significant lower back pain last year by using a traction therapy called VAX-D (vertebral axial decompression) and thought I was rid of all this. My back remains pain free so it seems hard to believe this could be coming from there but most of the Docs I have seen think that it is. Well see.

Thanks again for your concern. I hope to be healthy and see all of you at the ECC.

Paul

[Batman]

After perusing these boards, my suggestion is to start using a different tow release and land on your wheels. That should cure everything .....

[Paul Tjaden]

Wow, what a great idea. Why hasn't anyone thought of that before?

Paul

[Tad Eareckson]

Sounds good to me, Chris.

I note that one of the hot Santa Cruz Flats Race competitors was minorly mangled during a landing on the practice day.

One of the recommendations was:

"stay on the base bar"

[hefalump]

one of the hot Santa Cruz Flats Race competitors was minorly mangled

How can you get minorly mangled?

By definition mangled is a severe injury:

man•gle
–verb (used with object), -gled, -gling.
1. to injure severely, disfigure, or mutilate by cutting, slashing, or crushing: The coat sleeve was mangled in the gears of the machine.
2. to spoil; ruin; mar badly: to mangle a text by careless typesetting.


"minorly" is not a word either.

JD