06/7/08 - Rat Race practice day

Weather
Unstable, Cu
2,100m, 2-5 ms

Practice task - Rat Race
Rabies, RabPeak,, Woodrat, Burnt, Winery

Comments
Difficult to climb at launch, clouded over.
Sun came back and we reclimbed, Matt Senior broke for Rabies and found, convergence working in the valley. I worked the convergence and followed Matt into the Peak and then back to Woodrat – took a slightly better line and had height at Woodrat to go straight to Burnt.
Matt was below Burnt and had to reclimb, that let me slip into goal first.

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/modules.php?name=leonardo&op=show_flight&flightID=108748

Lessons
Improve final glide, arrived with 1,000ft

Back in the USA for 2009

Wow - the year goes by so quickly

This season we have organised a Cross Country Paragliding tour around the North West of USA. We are travelling though Washington and Oregon. The tour is 15 days long but some of the guys wanted to be over for longer so we have joined in with the Rat Race at Ruch in Oregon and the tour starts immediately after from Seattle

See 2ToFly.com

Pictures from the 2009 Rat Race

Rat Race - Day 5

Weather
Actual
Blue, inverted
2000m, 1-3 ms

Woodrat – Day 5 – Task cancelled

Our Rat Race team, Fez, Melanie and John

Comments

Stable, light easterly wind. Evidently unusual conditions and direction for Woodrat.
Several tasks were presented and each replaced as conditions changed. Eventually at 3:30 the day was cancelled and we went free flying.

Flight

Lessons
Switch on the audio on the vario before you launch.

Rat Race - Task 5 - Day 7

Weather
Actual
Blue, inverted, smoke laden from the fires in California
1,700m, 1-3 ms

Woodrat – Day 7 – Task 5
Rabies, Burnt, Woodrat, Rabies, Cemata, Donado

Comments
Stable, light northerly following an overnight southerly.
Launched early, climbed 200m above launch, worked the top area then watched David Wheeler cross to Burnt, he took some turns so Matt Senior and I headed over.
Burnt was not working very well, David got flushed off and Matty and I dug in as the gliders on Woodrat made better height waiting for the start. Matty and I split, I went North to the spines in front of Burnt, Matty focused on midvalley between Burnt and Woodrat. I found the first climb and recovered to 1,400m but ended up 1.7km outside the start gate, with 7 min to go.
The Woodrat comp gaggle decided Burnt was the place to be and promptly headed over to a rather non lifty burnt ridge.Interesting to see them spread out and hunt down whatever lift was available. An efficient machine, a hungry gaggle.
Made Rabies and Wood Peak then Rabies again. My glide to Rabies was poor compared to several other gliders, got in lower and turned immediately for Burnt. Weak thermals to no more than 1,400m. Got into Burnt low but worked up with Matt Dadam, moved across to Cemetary with 5 other wings. Lift was scarce. Jack Brown, Dean and Bill Hughes had moved forward before and were not marking/finding anything.
At Cemeta found a downwind of the 1km circle and stayed with that for a long slow climb that topped at 1,700m. Bill Belcourt and I lead out the glide to goal from 12km.
Long lightly tail wind glide giving 10/12-1 LD. Bill had 30ft height but we were side by side.
Neither of us wanted to use speed as we were not sure we could clear the ridge before goal. When we eventually had a clear glider over by perhaps 10m we both accelerated through the rotor and sink for the remaining 3km.
I eventually took the first collapse with Bill taking another very soon after. Left me with a couple seconds ahead of Bill to take first in.

Flight, Results

Martie took the no 1 spot for the competition after Dean Stratton made goal but stuffed up his start time - he missed the gate by 2 minutes. Hard lesson to learn

This flight is dedicated to my father who died 2 days ago. He bought me the 5020 which guided me into goal today - his spirit was waiting at goal at the end of the long 12km glide. Love yah poppa.

Lessons
The day is usually better than it looks.
Fly the glider at the speed you would fly on your own, do not be distracted by the speed and glide of other wings.

Rat Race - Task 2

Weather
Actual
Blue, inverted
1,500m, 1-3 ms

Woodrat – Task 2
Rabies, Woodrat, Rabies, Burnt, FlyAir, Squires, Purcell

Comments
Good start with a low top of climb, 1500m
Dense, tight cores in small thermals required tight turns soon into the surge
Lead gaggle formed from TP1 and then ran the TP’s until FlyAir.
On the return from FlyAir the lead split between direct to Squires and Squires via Rabies then Woodrat.
Direct Squires route worked better

Lessons
With tight cores swing into the initial turn and centre the core on the turn
Requires a compelling reason not to fly straight line to a TP over a trigger

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/modules.php?name=leonardo&op=show_flight&flightID=109761

Rat Race - Task 4 - Day 5

Weather
Actual
Blue, inverted
2500m, 2-5 ms

Woodrat – Task 4
Rabies peak, Burnt, Wellington, Cemata, Donado

Comments
Thermal working much better today. Easy climb from launch then across to Burnt to wait on the Start.
Climbs immediately to 2300m, 10-15 kmh from the west
100m off start gate for the go, 5 or 6 gliders 100m above and 200m behind
An acceptable start.
Glide across to Rabies Peak was turbulent and lift lines were varied, Convergences were trying to set up. Used very little bar for the transition, lost no height but some glide to gaggle.
Took Rabies Peak and glided back to Burnt, ignored lift until Burnt which recycled quickly.
Took a similar glide line towards Rabies Peak to work towards the Wellington TP.
Ignored evident convergence some 4-5 km ahead and a little east of the course line to focus on high ground terrain at Rabies Peak.
A deteriorating glide into stronger wind left me below Rabies Peak and in the leeside. Turned downwind into the rabies bowl (Chinamans gulch) and took a northerly line down the bowl. 3 other gliders took a more southerly line in the same leeside. Despite extensive searching I found nothing to work and landed, the 3 gliders to the south successfully picked up a climb from low and worked their way out.

Flight , Results

Lessons
This is a known convergent area with the colliding airflows from the many valleys.
A convergence line was clearly setting up on the course line (off the terrain) being marked by several gliders. With 3 tasks gone and 3 days to go it was time to begin to push through with some individual decisioning.

2ToFly.com - US Tour 2010 - Day 6

Broke camp by 9:00am ready to drive to Woodrat via Crater Lake National Park, Kinda awesome to see what mother nature did to this mountain just 7500 years ago.

Reached Woodrat and joined Mike and Gail Hayley of Rat Race fame, who hosted us at their place.

Glass off at Woodrat from mid launch, Matt and I got up in some convergence then landed at Longsword but the winery was closed. Peter and Barry flew and landed at the regular LZ

Dinner in Jacksonville where Paul and Sy Murdoch joined us for a drink

Rat Race - Day 3

High pressure, stable, inverted
A warm day and a forecast for a strengthening NE wind with no sign of a low inversion breaking saw the day cancelled at 2:30pm.

Light relief at the river and a search for Walmart - aisle 4

2ToFly.com - US Tour 2009 - Day 0

We have finished the Rat Race at Ruch and driven up to Seattle to get ready to pick up the rest of the guys.

Conrad, Joy and I have shared the Sprinter. Paul and Lindsay have found a lift with Chris Amonson

We have to pick up and prepare the bus. We have ordered a 15 seater so that we have heaps of space for all the gear and pilots

Tonight we pick up Toni, Phil, Barb and Rod from the airport and settle them into Conrad's for their first night. Lindsay and Paul are already here and ready to go.

2ToFly.com - US Tour 2010 - Day 0

Conrad and Joy have finished the Rat Race at Ruch and driven back up to Seattle with Barry. The new Ford 4wd looks great.

We have picked up Matt and Peter from SeaTac and escorted them around Walmarts for the shopping.

Salmon BBQ at Conrad's then an early night for an early start tomorrow

Rat Race - Task 3 - Day 4

Northern California Fires

A familiar story of fires, this time in Northern California. We have seen smoke in the distance but have not been impacted yet. A big pyrocumulus built and broke the inversion way to the south yesterday, eventually forming into an anvil head.

A remarkable picture of a part of the battle, more images here

Woodrat – Task 3
Rabies, Woodrat, RabPk, Burnt, Rabpk, Purcell

Comments
Difficult start, inverted, stable, tight thermals going nowhere
Escaped up to Woodrat TP and climbed a little waiting for the start
Some gliders went across to Burnt to wait for the start, I saw them but was nearly as high over Woodrat TP. Then got flushed from the TP, the start gate open and I elected to make my way over to Burnt to recover and begin the task – late!
Burnt went well, Rabpk worked reliably, Woodrat allowed us to get back onto Burnt to reclimb. Left at 1600m with enough to get onto Rabies.

3 gliders were climbing out over the 1km ring of Rabpk and had nearly topped out. I tried to connect with this climb but over committed and was flushed low into the Rabies bowl.
Reclimbed, took the TP then topped out to 2000m for a glide straight to goal.

Going straight to Burnt for the SG was the better move

Flight

Hayden Glatte won the day, starting from Burnt

Scores

Lessons
If a strong trigger (burnt) is evidently working when elsewhere is not as reliable then go to it.
Committing to the flushed climb at RabPk was a good gamble with a recovery strategy (just)

Rat Race - Task 1

Weather
Blue following some cumulus spread
2,000m, 2-4 ms

Woodrat – Task 1
Rabies, Woodrat, Rabies-Pk, FlyAir, Purcell

Comments
Good start, glided onto Rabies into a 2.5ms climb
10 gliders turned straig back to Woodrat, I stayed in the climb – the 10 found a good climb on Woodrat and that formed the lead gaggle and gave it an immeadiate break.

Played catch up for the next 2 TP and closed down a little.

Last TP was FlyAir, lead gaggle dived in and looked like they might find it hard on the west side of the valley. I hung and reclimbed at Rabies looking for the height for a single glide.
Still had to reclimb for 100m in the valley after the FlyAir.
Lead gaggle found some lift and made it to goal by 15 mins. Dean Stratton lead the way.

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/modules.php?name=leonardo&op=show_flight&flightID=109386

Results http://www.flyxc.org/ratrace08.html

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Lessons
With relatively short tasks there is not much opportunity to catch up when you lose the leading pilots.