The biggest challenge (for me at least) is deciding on the amount of ballast to carry when launching early, when the lift hasn't yet developed to the strength I hope to see later in the day when it reaches its maximum power. Many times I have been forced to "curb my enthusiasm" by dumping part or all of my water to remain aloft, only to curse that decision when the lift peaks midafternoon and I am flying lighter than I want.

Another challenge is trying to figure out what CG range works best for the type of conditions I will encounter. Many manufacturers and pilots suggest about 80% aft in the recommended CG range, but that seems to work best with a climb/cruise ratio of 50%. If I am in strong, streeting lift conditions, I sometimes have about a 20% climb vs. 80% cruise ratio, meaning the drag associated with elevator deflection is much higher during cruise. Drag goes up exponentially as speed increases, and since I spend more time running than circling, the drag penalty is much higher. I hope to be able to quantify these data this year to be able to determine an "optimum" CG point for weak, vs. strong conditions.

And then I will just forget what I learned and do the best I can to make some distance and avoid as much yardwork as possible.