All,
Jim Messina and I are organizing a small unsanctioned R2G mini-meet on the eastern shore (20m North of Ridgely). We have 2 tugs and Nick Caci and Jim Prawl are going to tow for us. There are a few open spots if you’re interest in joining please PM me ASAP, more details below:
Practice Day: Friday, June 3rd
Comp Days: Saturday, June 4th – Saturday, June 11th (yes 8 comp days)
Info: https://sites.google.com/view/hc2022/
Info from last year meet here:
Info on location etc: https://sites.google.com/view/2021-hc/home
Write ups and video: https://sites.google.com/view/2021-hc/scores?authuser=0
HC 2022 : R2G mini Comp : June 3rd - June 11th
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
Re: HC 2022 : R2G mini Comp : June 3rd - June 11th
Todays task canceled.
If interested, check flight logs for task/day 1-3:
1) Saturday and found Ric's flight. Knut and Ric
https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl44 ... 61xozernl6
2) Sunday flights Knut and Ric https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl44 ... 6127x19syj
3) Monday flights, Pete, Ric and Knut
https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl44 ... 61xjcehat3
Knut
If interested, check flight logs for task/day 1-3:
1) Saturday and found Ric's flight. Knut and Ric
https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl44 ... 61xozernl6
2) Sunday flights Knut and Ric https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl44 ... 6127x19syj
3) Monday flights, Pete, Ric and Knut
https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl44 ... 61xjcehat3
Knut
-
Danny Brotto
- Posts: 709
- Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:29 pm
Re: HC 2022 : R2G mini Comp : June 3rd - June 11th
VIP TFR expected this weekend; 30 NM around Wilmington, DE. Please check NOTAMS... but otherwise have fun!
Danny Brotto
Danny Brotto
Re: HC 2022 : R2G mini Comp : June 3rd - June 11th
The H C crew is having a blast racing around the Eastern Shore this week. On this coming Saturday morning Massey Aerodromes is hosting their Antique airplane fly in., It's a pretty cool event. We usually head over there around 8 am watch some arrivals hang out for a bit and then return to our field and fly a task. Come on out and check it out massyaero.org
Thanks for the heads up about the TFR
Jim
Thanks for the heads up about the TFR
Jim
Re: HC 2022 : R2G mini Comp : June 3rd - June 11th
masseyaero.org
Re: HC 2022 : R2G mini Comp : June 3rd - June 11th
https://sites.google.com/view/hc2022/pictures-writeups
The 2022 Highland Challenge, aka The Charlie Mini-Comp
By Pete Lehmann
Demonstrating both the vitality and decline of hang gliding, Charlie Allen has once again put together a small competition on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. This is the area that for years was host to the much larger aero-towed East Coast Championship at nearby Ridgely, MD. When Highland Aerosports closed their doors, and the airport changed hands, the sport lost an important focal point. Nonetheless, aerotowing has quietly continued on a private basis on the Eastern Shore, and a couple of years ago Charlie decided to put on a small, un-sanctioned meet to encourage competition and xc flying in what is a meteorologically interesting place to fly. The original objective was to hold the competition with ten pilots, but as is too often the case in hang gliding nowadays, he could induce only six pilots to participate. Shame on those who passed on the opportunity for some wonderful flying.
The DelMarVa peninsula over which we are flying is essentially flat, and at this time of year, enjoys ample, enormous landing fields. What distinguishes the flying is, however, the peninsula’s location between three bodies of water, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. The presence of the water bodies greatly influences the meteorology of the land, and consequently the flying conditions experienced. The interaction of the solar heated land with the onshore breezes originating from the three bodies of water creates a marvelously complex variety of convergences that both create and limit soaring opportunities. Flying near the cooler waters can be either terribly difficult, or fabulous if a convergence line sets above the collision of cold and warm air. It’s a place that puts a premium on pilot knowledge of cloud formations, and pilot skill in working crap conditions until getting into the better lift marked by the clouds. Added to that is the caveat that the conditions are dynamic. Conditions vary greatly over the course of the day as winds shift direction and strength with the heating of the land mass.
We are towing from Ben’s, a private farm airstrip near Chestertown, MD. Its location adds to the difficulty by being just 15 miles east of the Chesapeake, while also being much nearer one of its major estuaries. It’s wet nearby. This makes it often necessary to scratch very hard for the first ten miles when while heading inland to the better conditions. Indeed, it is sometimes necessary for the tugs to pull us up towards the inland east in order to contact workable lift. All of this is by way of saying that flying around here is complicated. A pilot has to juggle a number of decision-making balls, keeping a weather eye on the clouds, and using three-dimensional visualization software to imagine how the land and water will interact as one flies the course. It’s fun.
Day One was an epically good day for this region. We under-called the 44-mile dog leg task to the southeast. Conditions were so good that the vastly experienced local pilot Jim Messina experienced his best ever local altitude, getting to 8,100 feet, while Charlie got to 8,300msl. Five of the six competitors made goal including John Simon who won the day, and Knut Ryerson who made goal on his first flight with his new Moyes RX.
Ric / Knut: https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl44 ... 61xozernl6
John / Charlie / Jim: https://ayvri.com/scene/z15yrzn1jx/cl47 ... 6m4avh96mj
Day Two’s much weaker forecast had a short 23-mile dogleg task to the north that proved tricky despite its short length. A convergence line set up around the turn point, but it was very hard to climb under it. Two pilots landed while Jim and John fairly easily made goal, with John once again winning. They then turned around and nearly made it back to the field, coming up just short of Bens. I royally screwed the pooch by loading the wrong task into my instrument. Eventually acknowledging the impossibility of flying the incorrect task, I bagged it and succumbed to beer suck. I scratched back to Ben’s flying an absurd dogleg that included an 850 ft. save with three Bald Eagles.
Ric / Knut: https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl44 ... 6127x19syj
Charlie / John / Jim: https://ayvri.com/scene/z15yrzn1jx/cl47 ... 6muikfxxl7
Day Three had a low, blue forecast which again proved partially incorrect. Climbs were good, and we climbed to six grand in the blue, much higher than forecast. However, the winds were sufficiently strong that the triangle task proved impossible, and in frustration two of us gave up on the task and flew back to Ben’s. Beer suck is real. Of those who persisted, Jim Messina won the day, with Ric Niehaus in second, but they were still well short of the forty-mile task. In fact, the wind really won the day.
Ric / Knut / Pete: https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl44 ... 61xjcehat3
Charlie / John / Jim: https://ayvri.com/scene/z15yrzn1jx/cl47 ... 6mqmhtlzue
Day Four, was blown out and we spent it fixing broken stuff. In fact, it seems that every day of the comp has involved one or the other of us trying to sort out equipment problems: blown out harness zippers, broken vario mounts, inaudible varios, and all manner of radio problems. We need a day off. The flying has been great fun, but somewhat stressful. We needed a day off.
Day Five: Task Four
Today’s task was a 40-mile triangle with the final turn being Ridgely’s airport, scene of the past East Coast Championships. It was, as Jim Messina said, good to be flying back in the ‘hood. Five out of six of us made goal, with John Simon and Jim once again being fastest, while we laggards experienced varying degrees of low saves along the way. Once again, the forecast conditions proved to have been pessimistic, and we were grateful to be getting more than a thousand feet higher than the predicted 3,500 feet agl.
The goal was not Ben’s Farm, our starting airstrip. Rather it was nearby at Ben’s Palatial Estate. The place is vast and has the feel of visiting the South Fork Ranch of the old Dallas tv series. Ben wasn’t home, so we made ourselves comfortable drinking beer at his poolside, telling lies, and enjoying life. Hang gliding is hell, but someone’s gotta do it.
Pete / Charlie / Jim: https://ayvri.com/scene/z15yrzn1jx/cl47 ... 6m7buuitil
John / Knut / Ric: https://ayvri.com/scene/z15yrzn1jx/cl47 ... 6mxsoi3xqv
Day Six: Task Five
TBD likely blown out, but we should be able to fly again on Friday.
To be continued.
The 2022 Highland Challenge, aka The Charlie Mini-Comp
By Pete Lehmann
Demonstrating both the vitality and decline of hang gliding, Charlie Allen has once again put together a small competition on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. This is the area that for years was host to the much larger aero-towed East Coast Championship at nearby Ridgely, MD. When Highland Aerosports closed their doors, and the airport changed hands, the sport lost an important focal point. Nonetheless, aerotowing has quietly continued on a private basis on the Eastern Shore, and a couple of years ago Charlie decided to put on a small, un-sanctioned meet to encourage competition and xc flying in what is a meteorologically interesting place to fly. The original objective was to hold the competition with ten pilots, but as is too often the case in hang gliding nowadays, he could induce only six pilots to participate. Shame on those who passed on the opportunity for some wonderful flying.
The DelMarVa peninsula over which we are flying is essentially flat, and at this time of year, enjoys ample, enormous landing fields. What distinguishes the flying is, however, the peninsula’s location between three bodies of water, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. The presence of the water bodies greatly influences the meteorology of the land, and consequently the flying conditions experienced. The interaction of the solar heated land with the onshore breezes originating from the three bodies of water creates a marvelously complex variety of convergences that both create and limit soaring opportunities. Flying near the cooler waters can be either terribly difficult, or fabulous if a convergence line sets above the collision of cold and warm air. It’s a place that puts a premium on pilot knowledge of cloud formations, and pilot skill in working crap conditions until getting into the better lift marked by the clouds. Added to that is the caveat that the conditions are dynamic. Conditions vary greatly over the course of the day as winds shift direction and strength with the heating of the land mass.
We are towing from Ben’s, a private farm airstrip near Chestertown, MD. Its location adds to the difficulty by being just 15 miles east of the Chesapeake, while also being much nearer one of its major estuaries. It’s wet nearby. This makes it often necessary to scratch very hard for the first ten miles when while heading inland to the better conditions. Indeed, it is sometimes necessary for the tugs to pull us up towards the inland east in order to contact workable lift. All of this is by way of saying that flying around here is complicated. A pilot has to juggle a number of decision-making balls, keeping a weather eye on the clouds, and using three-dimensional visualization software to imagine how the land and water will interact as one flies the course. It’s fun.
Day One was an epically good day for this region. We under-called the 44-mile dog leg task to the southeast. Conditions were so good that the vastly experienced local pilot Jim Messina experienced his best ever local altitude, getting to 8,100 feet, while Charlie got to 8,300msl. Five of the six competitors made goal including John Simon who won the day, and Knut Ryerson who made goal on his first flight with his new Moyes RX.
Ric / Knut: https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl44 ... 61xozernl6
John / Charlie / Jim: https://ayvri.com/scene/z15yrzn1jx/cl47 ... 6m4avh96mj
Day Two’s much weaker forecast had a short 23-mile dogleg task to the north that proved tricky despite its short length. A convergence line set up around the turn point, but it was very hard to climb under it. Two pilots landed while Jim and John fairly easily made goal, with John once again winning. They then turned around and nearly made it back to the field, coming up just short of Bens. I royally screwed the pooch by loading the wrong task into my instrument. Eventually acknowledging the impossibility of flying the incorrect task, I bagged it and succumbed to beer suck. I scratched back to Ben’s flying an absurd dogleg that included an 850 ft. save with three Bald Eagles.
Ric / Knut: https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl44 ... 6127x19syj
Charlie / John / Jim: https://ayvri.com/scene/z15yrzn1jx/cl47 ... 6muikfxxl7
Day Three had a low, blue forecast which again proved partially incorrect. Climbs were good, and we climbed to six grand in the blue, much higher than forecast. However, the winds were sufficiently strong that the triangle task proved impossible, and in frustration two of us gave up on the task and flew back to Ben’s. Beer suck is real. Of those who persisted, Jim Messina won the day, with Ric Niehaus in second, but they were still well short of the forty-mile task. In fact, the wind really won the day.
Ric / Knut / Pete: https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl44 ... 61xjcehat3
Charlie / John / Jim: https://ayvri.com/scene/z15yrzn1jx/cl47 ... 6mqmhtlzue
Day Four, was blown out and we spent it fixing broken stuff. In fact, it seems that every day of the comp has involved one or the other of us trying to sort out equipment problems: blown out harness zippers, broken vario mounts, inaudible varios, and all manner of radio problems. We need a day off. The flying has been great fun, but somewhat stressful. We needed a day off.
Day Five: Task Four
Today’s task was a 40-mile triangle with the final turn being Ridgely’s airport, scene of the past East Coast Championships. It was, as Jim Messina said, good to be flying back in the ‘hood. Five out of six of us made goal, with John Simon and Jim once again being fastest, while we laggards experienced varying degrees of low saves along the way. Once again, the forecast conditions proved to have been pessimistic, and we were grateful to be getting more than a thousand feet higher than the predicted 3,500 feet agl.
The goal was not Ben’s Farm, our starting airstrip. Rather it was nearby at Ben’s Palatial Estate. The place is vast and has the feel of visiting the South Fork Ranch of the old Dallas tv series. Ben wasn’t home, so we made ourselves comfortable drinking beer at his poolside, telling lies, and enjoying life. Hang gliding is hell, but someone’s gotta do it.
Pete / Charlie / Jim: https://ayvri.com/scene/z15yrzn1jx/cl47 ... 6m7buuitil
John / Knut / Ric: https://ayvri.com/scene/z15yrzn1jx/cl47 ... 6mxsoi3xqv
Day Six: Task Five
TBD likely blown out, but we should be able to fly again on Friday.
To be continued.
Re: HC 2022 : R2G mini Comp : June 3rd - June 11th
HC2022 Task 5
Pete L, Charley A, Jim M, John S, Knut R and Tom McG, all made it to goal today, task 5, Day 7 and 90.4 km.
Though, Knut and Tom landed at the Elementary school. The rest of the pilots landed at the beach 98.4 km.
Knut and Pete's flight https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl49 ... 61tn7zzb93
Awesome flight and day.
Knut
To be continue... .
Pete L, Charley A, Jim M, John S, Knut R and Tom McG, all made it to goal today, task 5, Day 7 and 90.4 km.
Though, Knut and Tom landed at the Elementary school. The rest of the pilots landed at the beach 98.4 km.
Knut and Pete's flight https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl49 ... 61tn7zzb93
Awesome flight and day.
Knut
To be continue... .
Re: HC 2022 : R2G mini Comp : June 3rd - June 11th
Thanks for posting your flights. I virtually enjoyed them. Carlos
Re: HC 2022 : R2G mini Comp : June 3rd - June 11th
https://sites.google.com/view/hc2022/pictures-writeups
Day Seven: Task 5
By Charles Allen
We opted for a 90.5km dog leg task to Indian Beach. However, we had an 8km turn point at goal so as not to force pilots to race low to the beach as there are limited suitable landing fields for about 4 miles prior to beach and we were concerned about an onshore sea breeze. The day was epic with climbs to almost 6,500 with great looking clouds. I ended up taking the 1:45pm start clock and heading off early. I was ahead until about half way into course when I got down to about 900ft and had to slow down. Jim and Pete who were close behind ended up passed me at this point as I was left of course line by about 5k. I arrived at the beach 12min after them. John took the 2:15pm start clock and arrived at the beach ~20min after me. Knut and Tom made goal but did not make the beach. The day ended with drinks and dinner at a Tiki bar a few minutes from the beach.
Pete / Charlie / Jim: https://ayvri.com/scene/z15yrzn1jx/cl4c ... 6mtqv6l34o
John / Knut / Tom (guest): https://ayvri.com/scene/z15yrzn1jx/cl4c ... 6mcn22xtqw
Day Seven: Task 5
By Charles Allen
We opted for a 90.5km dog leg task to Indian Beach. However, we had an 8km turn point at goal so as not to force pilots to race low to the beach as there are limited suitable landing fields for about 4 miles prior to beach and we were concerned about an onshore sea breeze. The day was epic with climbs to almost 6,500 with great looking clouds. I ended up taking the 1:45pm start clock and heading off early. I was ahead until about half way into course when I got down to about 900ft and had to slow down. Jim and Pete who were close behind ended up passed me at this point as I was left of course line by about 5k. I arrived at the beach 12min after them. John took the 2:15pm start clock and arrived at the beach ~20min after me. Knut and Tom made goal but did not make the beach. The day ended with drinks and dinner at a Tiki bar a few minutes from the beach.
Pete / Charlie / Jim: https://ayvri.com/scene/z15yrzn1jx/cl4c ... 6mtqv6l34o
John / Knut / Tom (guest): https://ayvri.com/scene/z15yrzn1jx/cl4c ... 6mcn22xtqw
Re: HC 2022 : R2G mini Comp : June 3rd - June 11th
OMG, that track with Jim and Charlie and Pete (if I've got the right link) was an absolute blast to watch! What an amazing Fly-To-Beach day, it sure sparked some great memories! And just a bit of envy 
Wish I could consider myself current in AT, but those skills (in a comp setting at least) have really faded at this point. Still, very cool to see that pilots are tearing it up on the Eastern Shore!
Wish I could consider myself current in AT, but those skills (in a comp setting at least) have really faded at this point. Still, very cool to see that pilots are tearing it up on the Eastern Shore!
Re: HC 2022 : R2G mini Comp : June 3rd - June 11th
Yes,
Added all official flights to ayvri for 1-5.
Corrected Task 5 Pete/Knut
Task 1 https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl4g ... 61xc79vdpv
Task 2
https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl4g ... fullscreen
Task 3
https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl4g ... fullscreen
Task 4
https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl4g ... 6111k9er60
Task 5
https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl4g ... 617mgztw2f
Added all official flights to ayvri for 1-5.
Corrected Task 5 Pete/Knut
Task 1 https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl4g ... 61xc79vdpv
Task 2
https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl4g ... fullscreen
Task 3
https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl4g ... fullscreen
Task 4
https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl4g ... 6111k9er60
Task 5
https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz603ojz/cl4g ... 617mgztw2f
Re: HC 2022 : R2G mini Comp : June 3rd - June 11th
If anyone's made it to the bottom of this thread, do take a look at Knut's two videos posted immediately above this comment. He did a really good job in putting together fun, easily understood narratives of the five comp days.
They're worth watching, and I hate hang gliding videos.
Pete
They're worth watching, and I hate hang gliding videos.
Pete
Pete Lehmann