Quick update: Monday, the task was around 18 miles downwind (West) towards the Cheryl turnpoint, and then north towards the turnpike another 20 miles. Chris was my instructor. I'll tell you how it went, but I will add a note about the clinic format first.
All of the instructors seem to care a great deal about their students and want to make sure we all feel we have gotten our money's worth. We have Kevin, Jonny Durant, Curt, Dustin, Brett and Chris, with Paris helping. Not a bad group, huh? We meet at 9 AM each morning and have lectures. We meet again at noon and have our tasks set and are assigned our instructors for the day. After discussing strategies, we get ready for our launch time, which is usually set an hour before our start time. So the format is much like a little competition. After we fly, we have dinner together to discuss how we flew, with a lecture after dinner.
Anyhow, Monday. I had a hard morning emotionally as it was the 2nd anniversary of Chad's death here. For those of you who didn't know, he taught me to fly and was a treasured friend. I thought about not flying but then decided that was the last thing that Chad would want; me hanging out on the ground crying over him. I decided trying for a good flight would be a better way of honoring him.
I pinned off in the most amazing lift, a solid 900 fpm. Really nice fat stuff, that I I could thermal in with my VG full on and one hand on the bar. Eventually it weakened to 700 fpm but that was OK too. Well. My radio transmit came apart, and I never even saw any of our team in the air. Such is flying. I took off downwind at 4500 feet. I am not actually sure of the altitude without looking at my logbook; we have just been flying too much to remember.
I found another thermal that boosted me to 4000. Never saw anything more than 350 up, though. A few gliders came in with me (the chickens, letting a king posted glider go first!) but I began to lose a little, so I left again. I farted around for a minute first but I need every foot I get on Griffin. The clouds had mostly disappeared, so I just tried to feel my glider and look for little haze domes. I passed over some pilots on the ground, which pleased me. At least I beat someone.
The pilots who had joined me in the previous thermal sped past a few minutes later. The difference in performance is obvious when you fly with topless gliders. Like racing a mule against a Thoroughbred. I flew their direction when I saw them circle (miles ahead) but I caught the thermal very low, at maybe 2000 feet. They sped away again after filling up their gas tanks, while I dribbled around in the rat sh** below. After that my whole flight was series of low saves and struggling between 2500 and 3500 feet. I reached the turn point very low again, 1600 feet. I caught another weak thermal. I followed it up to 3000, drifting downwind. When it died, I spent every inch of altitude I had gained struggling back upwind to the turnpoint. When I reached it the second time I was right back at 1600. This was huge error on my part. I should have flown much further upwind before the first turn point. Oh well.
My GPS, although I thought I had carefully read the instructions in the morning, wouldn't click onto the next point in my route. I punched buttons and cursed. No luck. Cursed more. Did not help. Uh oh. Getting very close to the ground. Maybe I needed to fly the glider, and also maybe find a place to land. Like, yesterday.
I needed to keep my cool more. I allowed myself to get flustered and although I found a decent field, I ate up much of it with inefficient turns. Well. The barb wire fence and power lines I was screaming towards took up much of my concentration and I rolled in, the only time I have had a bad landing XC except for my very first one two years ago. It was very gentle but I was mad at myself for allowing myself to make a bad approach. I still had 100 feet or so before the fence but this is bad form.
Really very positive stuff because I worked out GPS glitches, worked out approach glitches, etc. I will never make the approach mistake again. I do accurate approaches when I focus. I kinda had a hard time looking at it that way Monday, though. BTW, Linda made goal, as did Tom. Some of the pilots are really good.
Yesterday I flew with Kevin. We had a difficult triangle of almost 50 miles as a task. Got hysterical laughing at Kev trying to organize our group in the air. Some quotes: You stay in that thermal. Please wait there. What are you doing on glide? No! If you want to switch gliders, you can, but you probably cannot fly a new glider and fly with me today. Where did you go? Talk about herding cats.
The day turned out difficult and very few pilots made goal, even on rigids. I basically landed out, like 3 miles away -- and I got the most distance for our group! I had a very nice landing, though. Kev drove out with Roman to help me break down. Talk about nice. Claire V. from the US and Tovi, a woman pilot from Australia, have been very kind to me, as well. Paul was nearly assaulted by a totally freaked out, pissed off landowner where he landed, but he escaped with his life and glider. The adventures continue.
Lauren
more clinic stuff (long)
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