DAY 1-2.
We are up in Wisconsin this week, flying the MidWest Comp. (Local pilots are Gregg, Dan L and Knut.)
Congrats to Gregg Sessa, winning the Sports class day comp, Day 1, flying to goal. Great job Gregg and 30km.
The lucky one's topped out at 5k feet.
I made it to 8km and had to land.
Very poor conditions around the start on Day 1, but apparently much better, if you could nail a week thermal early on and drift 20 km down wind.
Many open class pilots had up to 3 launches, before they could get out of the start circle.
Many other landed at the airport.
DAY 2.
Today was just cancelled, due to strong wind. However, the rest of the week looks good.
Going on a bike trip.
In any case, competition is runned well, with a few hick-ups. Plenty of all from tugs, voulenteres, food, music bands playing, beer trailer, gifts and world top pilots that are talking to amateurs like me.
A great place to fly, learn and talk HG. Hopefully the rest of the week will be fantastic.
Knut
Midwest 2017
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
Midwest 2017
Last edited by krryerson on Mon Jun 05, 2017 3:28 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Re: Midwest 2017
Dan, Gregg and Knut
Last edited by krryerson on Mon Jun 05, 2017 3:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Midwest 2017
Forgot, Richard Milla and wife is here too and she is our retriever.
Also; John Simon, which is flying great, but was passed by some of the world's best on Day 1.
Also; John Simon, which is flying great, but was passed by some of the world's best on Day 1.
Last edited by krryerson on Mon Jun 05, 2017 3:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Midwest 2017
Richard and Angelyn
Re: Midwest 2017
Day 3
Davis summing it up good at http://ozreport.com/21.112#1
Of 80 pilots, sports class started last. Got of tow and quickly got into a 500 fpm thermal, north of the airport to 5k.
Flew together with Dan at that point and we both drifted away on task. Maybe a 15 mph drift and cold.
Lost a lot of feet after that and had no other pilots in front of me that found lift.
Turned back to the airport getting a new tow, as the last pilot leaving.
Quickly found a good 500 fpm thermal again, now together with 3 other Sport class pilots.
This took me over 5 k ft, and drifted away with it, now having more CU in front. Cloud base 6-7 k ft.
From then, got low two times, 3k, but stayed high for most of the drip, CU jumping, making it to goal in 2hrs. Flew mostly alone. Challenging but fun day.
Had to be very conservative during the flight. Had to find waypoints and stay out of airspace at the same time
Flytec 6030 told me all and that goal was reaceable 12 km out. Went on for a long final glide, trying to get an eye contact with goal and made it with 1000 ft.
Found Gregg there already, getting 2nd place. Congrats Gregg.
We must have been 11 pilots getting to goal in the sports class.
New personal record: 75 km.
Knut
Davis summing it up good at http://ozreport.com/21.112#1
Of 80 pilots, sports class started last. Got of tow and quickly got into a 500 fpm thermal, north of the airport to 5k.
Flew together with Dan at that point and we both drifted away on task. Maybe a 15 mph drift and cold.
Lost a lot of feet after that and had no other pilots in front of me that found lift.
Turned back to the airport getting a new tow, as the last pilot leaving.
Quickly found a good 500 fpm thermal again, now together with 3 other Sport class pilots.
This took me over 5 k ft, and drifted away with it, now having more CU in front. Cloud base 6-7 k ft.
From then, got low two times, 3k, but stayed high for most of the drip, CU jumping, making it to goal in 2hrs. Flew mostly alone. Challenging but fun day.
Had to be very conservative during the flight. Had to find waypoints and stay out of airspace at the same time
Flytec 6030 told me all and that goal was reaceable 12 km out. Went on for a long final glide, trying to get an eye contact with goal and made it with 1000 ft.
Found Gregg there already, getting 2nd place. Congrats Gregg.
We must have been 11 pilots getting to goal in the sports class.
New personal record: 75 km.
Knut
Re: Midwest 2017
wow..congratulations!
Cumulative:
# Name Glider Total
1 Greg Sessa Wills Wing U2 160 1405
2 Mark Dowsett Moyes Techno-Gecko 1141
3 Erik Grabowski Wills Wing U2 145 1102
4 Charles Cozean Wills Wing Sport 2 1074
5 Rick Maddy Wills Wing U2 160 1064
6 Ty Taylor Wills Wing U2 160 1045
7 Ricardo Vassmer Bautek Fizz 960
8 Richard Milla Wills Wing Sport2 155 937
9 Knut Ryerson Aeros Discus C 915
10 Sara Weaver Wills Wing Sport 2 135 524
Cumulative:
# Name Glider Total
1 Greg Sessa Wills Wing U2 160 1405
2 Mark Dowsett Moyes Techno-Gecko 1141
3 Erik Grabowski Wills Wing U2 145 1102
4 Charles Cozean Wills Wing Sport 2 1074
5 Rick Maddy Wills Wing U2 160 1064
6 Ty Taylor Wills Wing U2 160 1045
7 Ricardo Vassmer Bautek Fizz 960
8 Richard Milla Wills Wing Sport2 155 937
9 Knut Ryerson Aeros Discus C 915
10 Sara Weaver Wills Wing Sport 2 135 524
Walt Melo
walt.melo [at] gmail [dot] com
+1.804.walt.743
walt.melo [at] gmail [dot] com
+1.804.walt.743
Re: Midwest 2017
Day 4
Congrats: Gregg came in 3rd. Got back to goal in a triangel task. 54.5 km. There are 25 Sports pilots, so this is really good.
Very challenging day, in my opinion. Flew in strong great lift, 500 fpm. Drifted in 5 mph to first turnpoint.
After getting 6k ft. and unpation. Started on a glide to first turnpoint. Never found more than broken lift, which I should have stayed in. Blue day: Never go alone and be pation.
Zac came in 1st in Open class. Goal.
There might be corrections later.
Knut
Todays winner Zac and Gregg
Congrats: Gregg came in 3rd. Got back to goal in a triangel task. 54.5 km. There are 25 Sports pilots, so this is really good.
Very challenging day, in my opinion. Flew in strong great lift, 500 fpm. Drifted in 5 mph to first turnpoint.
After getting 6k ft. and unpation. Started on a glide to first turnpoint. Never found more than broken lift, which I should have stayed in. Blue day: Never go alone and be pation.
Zac came in 1st in Open class. Goal.
There might be corrections later.
Knut
Todays winner Zac and Gregg
Re: Midwest 2017
Day 5:
10 Sports pilots made it to goal. 38.6 k.m. Sport class:
Gregg, Dan, Richard M. and Knut. We all made it to goal.
Got as high as 6500 ft at start window and was able to fly fast and efficient from there, with a few hick-ups. Flew on and off together with Sara W.
Blue Sky again, but strong and good thermals 500-600 fpm. Though long between them.
Thermaling and conditon was perfect for me and mostly based on, VG completed slacked during thermaling and focusing on glide, while using all information available at the Flytec 6030.
Best of all, had pilots ahead. Though, sometimes a long glide. Noticed when low and in trouble 2/3 way, 5 HG thermaling ahead in last thermal. Got there in time and climbed to 6k, high enough to start on a 10 k.m. final glide.
Lost by 16 second and got 2nd today. Though, Sarah W. flew better and won and deserved first place.
https://airtribune.com/midwest-2017/blog__day_5
Open class had a 76k.m. and only one pilot made it.
Knut
10 Sports pilots made it to goal. 38.6 k.m. Sport class:
Gregg, Dan, Richard M. and Knut. We all made it to goal.
Got as high as 6500 ft at start window and was able to fly fast and efficient from there, with a few hick-ups. Flew on and off together with Sara W.
Blue Sky again, but strong and good thermals 500-600 fpm. Though long between them.
Thermaling and conditon was perfect for me and mostly based on, VG completed slacked during thermaling and focusing on glide, while using all information available at the Flytec 6030.
Best of all, had pilots ahead. Though, sometimes a long glide. Noticed when low and in trouble 2/3 way, 5 HG thermaling ahead in last thermal. Got there in time and climbed to 6k, high enough to start on a 10 k.m. final glide.
Lost by 16 second and got 2nd today. Though, Sarah W. flew better and won and deserved first place.
https://airtribune.com/midwest-2017/blog__day_5
Open class had a 76k.m. and only one pilot made it.
Knut
Re: Midwest 2017
Corrections:
Kelly came in first.
21 second between 1st - 3rd place.
Kelly, Erik. Gregg and Richard. All sports class.
Kelly came in first.
21 second between 1st - 3rd place.
Kelly, Erik. Gregg and Richard. All sports class.
Re: Midwest 2017
Day 6
46 k.m. sports class task. Cloudbase 6000 and we topped out there.
Picture shows all the one's making it to goal, Sports class.
Greg 1th and Knut 2nd. But this can change later.
Dan was a few kilometers short of goal and Richard half way.
Averaging 200-400 fpm lift, but some strong too.
Cloudy and was able to jump from clouds that always worked.
Started out high 6k and was as low as 3k. Long 13 k.m. glide to goal, racing Kelly, which probably won today.
Greg there first.
Flew with a pack of 4 gliders on and off, which made it much easier.
Very challenging on tow today with cross wind. But with plent of speed before leaving the trolley, we all made it without any hick-ups.
Muggy warm day and only 55F in cloudbase.
Looks like Saturday is not going to be flyable. Going home tomorrow morning.
Knut
46 k.m. sports class task. Cloudbase 6000 and we topped out there.
Picture shows all the one's making it to goal, Sports class.
Greg 1th and Knut 2nd. But this can change later.
Dan was a few kilometers short of goal and Richard half way.
Averaging 200-400 fpm lift, but some strong too.
Cloudy and was able to jump from clouds that always worked.
Started out high 6k and was as low as 3k. Long 13 k.m. glide to goal, racing Kelly, which probably won today.
Greg there first.
Flew with a pack of 4 gliders on and off, which made it much easier.
Very challenging on tow today with cross wind. But with plent of speed before leaving the trolley, we all made it without any hick-ups.
Muggy warm day and only 55F in cloudbase.
Looks like Saturday is not going to be flyable. Going home tomorrow morning.
Knut
Re: Midwest 2017
The 2017 Midwest Championship turned out to be a great week! The meet organizers, tugs pilots, ground crew, drivers and pilots were awesome! We experienced really nice flying conditions during the day in Wisconsin, and enjoyed many kegs of beer and live music while socializing in the evenings. It was also great to have Mid-Atlantic/CHGPA representation at the event. Thanks greatly to Larry Bunner, Greg Dinauer and Kris Grzyb for all the hard work, planning and ultimately making the event such a success!
As mentioned, we experienced great flying conditions and were able to fly 5 out of the 7 days. It was very common to see cloud base ranging from 5,000 to 7,000 feet with smooth strong lift. I arrived in Wisconsin having not flown since middle to late last year so I did not have very high expectations for performance. I managed, however, to make goal every day. I started the week flying relatively conservative, trying to fly at best glide, topping out all of my climbs if possible, and working extra lift at the end of the course to help ensure I did not land short of goal. While I made it to goal (several days with several thousand feet to spare), I didn’t necessarily do in the fastest time possible. The last day, however, I tried to push myself to climb better (looking for and sticking in the best lift) and to glide faster. I made it to goal with lower altitude, but also managed the fastest time and won the day. I found each day to be a great learning experience, and I do strongly believe I was able to further improve my flying based on the experience in Wisconsin. I finished the week in second place in the sport class, but for me making goal each day (which I have never done in the past) and successfully pushing myself to do better throughout the week was the most rewarding part of the trip!
The open class also turned out to be a great competition! It seemed that pilots kept changing positions regularly throughout the week, but in the end, it was John Simon pulling off a first place victory. Congrats John! He flew phenomenal throughout the entire week! If anyone is interested in seeing the flight tracks or the results, the information can be found on the Airtribune website. https://airtribune.com/midwest-2017/blog__day_6
I would also strongly recommend to anyone interested in flying new locations to check out Wisconsin (http://www.wisconsinhanggliding.com). As mentioned, the flying conditions are great, and there are large open landing fields everywhere (which helps to take that stress with cross country flying out of the equation). I would also like to mention that it was great to see so many sport class pilots achieving personal bests throughout the week, including Dan Lukaszewicz (with goal) and Knut Ryerson (with distance). Great Job! I would also send out a special thanks to Richard and Angelyn for driving throughout the week!
All in all it was a great week, and I am hopeful Larry, Greg and Kris will consider organizing and holding the Midwest Championship again in 2018!
As mentioned, we experienced great flying conditions and were able to fly 5 out of the 7 days. It was very common to see cloud base ranging from 5,000 to 7,000 feet with smooth strong lift. I arrived in Wisconsin having not flown since middle to late last year so I did not have very high expectations for performance. I managed, however, to make goal every day. I started the week flying relatively conservative, trying to fly at best glide, topping out all of my climbs if possible, and working extra lift at the end of the course to help ensure I did not land short of goal. While I made it to goal (several days with several thousand feet to spare), I didn’t necessarily do in the fastest time possible. The last day, however, I tried to push myself to climb better (looking for and sticking in the best lift) and to glide faster. I made it to goal with lower altitude, but also managed the fastest time and won the day. I found each day to be a great learning experience, and I do strongly believe I was able to further improve my flying based on the experience in Wisconsin. I finished the week in second place in the sport class, but for me making goal each day (which I have never done in the past) and successfully pushing myself to do better throughout the week was the most rewarding part of the trip!
The open class also turned out to be a great competition! It seemed that pilots kept changing positions regularly throughout the week, but in the end, it was John Simon pulling off a first place victory. Congrats John! He flew phenomenal throughout the entire week! If anyone is interested in seeing the flight tracks or the results, the information can be found on the Airtribune website. https://airtribune.com/midwest-2017/blog__day_6
I would also strongly recommend to anyone interested in flying new locations to check out Wisconsin (http://www.wisconsinhanggliding.com). As mentioned, the flying conditions are great, and there are large open landing fields everywhere (which helps to take that stress with cross country flying out of the equation). I would also like to mention that it was great to see so many sport class pilots achieving personal bests throughout the week, including Dan Lukaszewicz (with goal) and Knut Ryerson (with distance). Great Job! I would also send out a special thanks to Richard and Angelyn for driving throughout the week!
All in all it was a great week, and I am hopeful Larry, Greg and Kris will consider organizing and holding the Midwest Championship again in 2018!
Greg Sessa
Re: Midwest 2017
Thanks for the cudo's guys! We did indeed have an excellent week. There were no injuries (except perhaps to my ego), no significant glider damage and alot of happy faces from around the world. The weather cooperated which allowed all to enjoy the air and countryside around Wisconsin and Illinois. Knut must have felt quite at home in this area as it has a very strong Scandinavian populace. The two practice days were exceptional as well with several pilots reaching cloudbase on Saturday at 9200'msl. The highlight for the open class tasks was an under-called 90 mile task to Sterling, IL. I tried to influence the task committee that we should do over 100 but they weren't quite believers in the amazing conditions we can get around here. Anyway, 40 of the 58 open class pilots made goal! I am still decompressing after one busy week but am hopeful that we can work some issues out to do it again next year. Thanks again! Bring more people with you next year.
Bun