Last Day Saturday 15th - 'I thinks I needs me thinking head today'

Last day despite looking the glider over in ever more detail I still can't identify why the glider doesn't want to go into strong thermals on the right wing.  Given we have a right circle on the start ridge policy this has been something of a handicap all week.

Id been slowly moving the hang point forward 5mm at a time to get the glider to speed up more with flaps off but this hadn't seemed to affect the turn issue. After discussing with the ever knowledgeable Mr Practial Andy Hollidge.  We do a test on the spoilers.  The left wing deploys to 90 degrees however the right stops at 60 degrees.  Sorted. three attempts before they match means tensioning and re-rigging the glider causes one of the tip compression struts to come off which Hamish spots whilst I'm about to put my harness on...Phew.

All the rushing around means I didnt get round to check the course on the large pin board and when I take off and exit the start gate I discover I've also forgotten to activate the task on the compeo.  Dooh...any distraction before a task is just not good.

My start is poor but I manage to catch up and fly out to the ridge in front under a good active cloud, however I'd not thought about what to do on the next leg and piddle around trying to find lift on the way to the last turn point losing height and wasting time.

Despite a few week bitty climbs I'm soon down low in the valley.  A last desperate climb takes me up a gully with just enough height to see nowhere to land on the top...so straight back down the gullytwo beats of the small ridge and I arrive in the landing field which had been nicely sprayed with silage....yum.  Fortunatley the fields are pen and the next one has not been sprayed.  Hamish arrives with the beers and the news that the task has been stopped as we listen to the thunder from behind the Ager ridge.

Tony Moore was last of the club class pilots to fly and won the task by flying the course with the bar pulled in trying to get away from the over abundant lift on the main Ager ridge.  Well done Tony for NOT getting sucked into the cloud!

and they are off...

some height needed

A good climb at last

getting a bit too wispy

 

Friday 14th - Out to the flats to avoid the wind

Today the task and safety committees have a dither before we go up to take off and then another one on the hill.  The outcome of this is rather inevitable considering the wind is forecast to increase but I'll come back to that topic later.

Today its a straight race to goal at Cahors airfield out in the flats.  We are warned to get a good climb at the end of the ridge line and then another before attempting to glide to goal as the terrain on the plateau behind the low ridge that leads to goal does not look good for landings.

Down both ridges and out into the flats following the plateau

A none too marvellous start but a good climb behind the first ridge before the gap and another on the far side sees me heading out to the mountain in front..  The cloud is decidedly decaying so a 5up climb just past our normall turnpoint at the end of the valley is good  A good looking cloud lined up along the valley and vultures flying past me convince me to to switch to the south this rewards me with an 8 Up and fast glide under the wisps towards the next set of active clouds.

This gives an equally good 8 up (Dave Mathews late said he'd had 9up peak).  Its then a case of just heading for the next set of active clouds.  However by this stage people who'd got low before that last climb we're discussing the increasing wind and turbulence and the very unsafe looking terrain downwind.

Four more climbs and goal is on.  However the task has been canned but at least I should have a good score for this one....even if it was taken back 20 minutes from the stop point.

Unfortunately it was stopped before 1hr 30mins and with no one in goal the task becomes invalidated so no score for anyone.

A good climb before the gap

Approaching base.  Think I'll try to get into wind a bit...

Well that clouds not working.  Where now?

The last bit of ridge which kicks into wind...

Time to run under this nice little cloud

Good job we're not going that way

Lovely U bend and ridge and an even better climb to start the flats with

Doesn't look like a good place for landing back there

On glide with Steve B...

Mike A joins a climb

That looks like the field...complete with retrieve driver

Thursday 13th - A racing day

With a forecast for possible CuNbs and increasing wind the task is set to give a couple of long fast runs along the ridge and some short legs in the Tremp valley.  This is intended to make it a fast task and get a good proportion of the field in goal.

It works with more than half the field in.  I managed not to get drilled anywhere this time but was still 17 minutes behind Andy. Time to move the hang point forward and glide faster tomorrow.

Task 3 a short racing task to get plenty in goal and use the day before the forecast CuNbs

Its Ager again...now I'm up need to get back to the start gate

Climbing east of the gap en-route to TP1

TP1 done. On the way back plenty of landings this end of the valley

Going back to the Ager ridge over the valley of no return...

Sharing a climb over take off

TP2 and the west end gorge and lake

Going 'over the back'

Darnn the cloud wasn't working so back into wind to the gliders climbing over the small ridge

And the final TP back at the Castle De Mur

OOps the Atkinson's have a beer in Goal

Tuesday 11th - Borrowed vario

The compeo stopped recording part way through yesterday's flight and I had to use the backup xcsoar track, So today I borrowed Don's 6030. Which I'm relieved to say worked flawlessly unlike the pilot.

In goal despite getting flushed down the tree covered ridge behind turnpoint 4.  Only saved by a pig farm thermal which eventually got me back to the ridge which is just a well as there weren't any good landing options down there.

The long cruise down the big ridge and back again from turnpoint 5 was fun definitely didn't want to go down in that high valley.  Just thermalling at 6000 feet close to those spineback ridges was scary enough especially as at that altitude on a hot day the glider was very reluctant to slow down.

Left a final climb with Shedsy and Tim when the figures dropped to 9.6:1 for goal.  Just as well the margin was good as I was only getting 6:1 when crossing the gorge below Tremp although the lift on the ridge behind goal meant I had plenty of height left again after the final glide.

Oh NO! Its the front ridge again saw enough of that on Sunday

Back in the game again with enough time for the first start gate

Taking the second turn point at the west end of the Ager ridge

Crossing the gap at the west end of the main ridge.  That is one awesome canyon to fly over.

Climbing after TP3 at the east end of the ridge after the gap

First time through TP4 with height to spare.  Bad decision 2 about to follow...

Oh no! getting flushed after TP4.  Which means there is something here I just can't work out where it is 

Almost back at TP4 but an awful lot lower...time for a pig farm thermal...

Climbing again eventually, but a lot of time lost...again. This is where the pictures stopped which is a shame as the next ridge run was epic

Task 2 Just looking at that epic run after TP4 out to TP5 then back to TP6 and Goal

Monday 10th - And then they flew

So day 2 appeared much better ...with a 2.10 pm start gate and 5 turn point for 129km it seemed to be achievable so when Hamish asked what sort of time people would be in goal I suggested about 4pm...out of the mouth of fools and babes.

Leaving at 7500 on the first start I doubt if any of us expected how little lift there would be on the Gurp en-route to TP1.  This was going to be a lot harder than expected.  Ask Gordon Wiggy!

Fortunately the big cliffs were working as was the 'if in doubt follow the vultures'.  A good climb at the top of the col was no longer there after the turnpoint and it took a dozen vultures to convince me they knew better where the core was at the far end of the gorge cliffs.

This gave me the height to get to the high point in the corner and another climb.  Meaning I was high enough to risk the jump over the valley to the red cliffs.  Another climb over the intermediate gorge meant I got to the red cliffs over the top.  However playing around in week lift trying to find the good core meant everyone pilling in to the thermal underneath me.  When I felt I had enough height to jump through the gap I left to be overtaken by Andy just before reaching the next ridge.

Climbing to 7k the others left first but I took a more northerly route behind the cliff edge and over the valley behind the crater cliff.  This provided good lift meaning I could go straight past the flexies when they stoped to climb.  Eventually caught Andy on the way back and was around a thousand feet above him when he stopped for a 6up.

I stopped over the top corner to gain height but it wasn't the same as Friday with an 8.6 to 10k... Oh I wish! Gliding to the third turnpoint was moderate but didn't get a singlet blip on the way out so opted for the cautious route and returned to the ridge where I got promptly drilled on the lower and shallows front ridge. Biggest mistake of my day.

Finally getting up enough to go onto the back ridge  Ieventually got a climb back to 7400 and headed for the fourth TP.  This proved moderately bouyant along the route.  A final climb on the return took the required LD to 14:1 and as I was confidant I could clear the next ridge which was the ever reliable crater off to goal it was.

The final TP was well out in the valley and meant crossing the lake which even with an 8:1 required for goal called for a quick gulp...

Just to rub it in the compeo had stopped recording part way through the flight and I had to use the backup from the Kobo/XCSoar.  That delay had cost me dear after being in the lead I was the 4th rigid in after Tim got a stonker to 10K and cruised past me.

Nationals Day 2 Task One

Little Meet Head

Claudia has officially dubbed herself 'little meet head'.

10.10 am and already at cloudbase

In the end only club class had a task.. Everyone else bottom landed.

Firmware oh yes!

So tried the firmware upgrade on the compeo this morning and it seemed to have done the trick so far.

Unfortunately couldn't get the Muvi camera to start continuous shot mode so no pictures yet again.

Highlights today were climbing over 10k twice including at the third turnpoint.  This gave me the height to go straight to the 4th turnpoint and get another corker to 10k.  This one had multiple vultures in the core as it was at the 'crater' /vulture rock.  Getting within 10 feet of these huge birds is awesome just wish I had some pictures to share.

I'm also pleased to report the my vultures were very gentlemanly and did not shit themselves right in front of me as reported by another pilot!

The second climb to 10k was an absolute corker over 8.6 up.  It had slowed to a mere 6.6 up at the inversion and convinced me to leave by throwing me weightless a couple of times.  Even better at 50mph I  managed to climb for about 2km along the ridge line whilst straight lining. From there direct to the turnpoint was easy.  Only stopping to mark some lift for the Carl and Luke still en-route to the final turnppoint before racing on to be first in goal.

Fixed glider, flew, vario bust...

A 4 turn point task UK in the Tremp valley marred by an accident on route. In goal despite flying the whole course with no Vario as the. Compeo+ locked out again on take off so chuffed and annoyed at the same time.  Not many people have flown a 100k with no Vario.

Capped by managing to be 4th pilot in goal despite the handicap.

Unfortunately failed to get the camera to work so no pictures or flight story.

One little snippet.  If you don't have a Vario and are going down follow the vultures they will find you a 5up climb in no time!

Two days of flying

So after two days of flying we have a forecast of CuNbs so definitely a rest day today.

Flying in Ager

So day one I just settled for a flight in the Ager valley due to instrument problems.  IF the PG shops open tomorrow I might buy another Compeo+ if they have one.

Today however with Gordon and the training groupies arriving we all fly a practice task.
Start Ager Camping 5km start
TP1 Sopeira 35Km
TP2 Benavent 40Km
TP3 Castekk de Mur 20Km
Goal Vilamitjana 8Km

Take Off at Ager (top of the ZigZag road) and Lake to the west of this huge south facing ridge

Climbing out after TP1 at the end of the lake

Over the GURP. No really thats its name! Turn point 2 is over the lake and on the far horizon which is another cliff face

Crossing the Lake after a long glide with nary a blip on the vario.  The red cliffs is an alternative route but having used it once I opted for the front route to the lower hills just behind the Goal field.

Far side of the lake and some week lift.  Nice view towards Tremp the local town.

Approaching Turn point 2

Crosisng another lake towards turnpoint 3.  Can you spot the hotel Terradets on the far side of the the lake?

Just before turnpoint 3. Sadly not in shot on any of  my photos....the glide had been 12 to 1 up untill then and I need 12.4 to make goal.  However as soon as I turned to Goal I was getting 22:1 which meant I would be coming in high. Oh Well....

Goal down there somewhere...