On 2/25/2016 1:06 PM, Dan Daly wrote:
On Thursday, February 25, 2016 at 2:38:49 PM UTC-5, Chris Snyder wrote:
On Thursday, February 25, 2016 at 11:35:36 AM UTC-5, Tony wrote:
Making a run southeast from Sunflower in Kansas. Hoping to launch at 11
central. Follow on SSA Tracker or glideport.aero

Newbie question: Downwind? Is this a one-way trip to maximize ground
covered?

Yes. He's flying to maximize distance. He did a 750 km Diplome flight a
year or two ago this way ( see write-up at
http://soaringcafe.com/2014/03/spring-go-south/ ; actually 844 km ). Snip...

Chris,

You'll better understand the allure of what's nowadays often,
generally-fondly, referred to as "a vulgar downwind dash" once you've a bit
more experience under your belt...say, when you begin seriously considering
flying your Silver Distance badge leg in your club's 1-26! Based on last year,
Tony's probably trying for a seashore landing this year, or maybe the Caymans.

All levity aside, many (most?) soaring pilots will admit to - at one time or
another - seriously daydreaming of simply attempting to soar as far in a
single (meaning, downwind) direction as a decent day will allow. It's a
"freedom of flight" thing harking back to the early days of the sport of
soaring when the whole idea of powerless flight was new, and penetrating into
the wind was more a concept than a reasonable possibility, given the ships of
the day. See anything written by Philip Wills...

In U.S. latitudes, unstable air trailing springly cold fronts combined with
typically strong northerly winds behind the front, make for Real Temptation,
depending upon one's starting geographical location. Tony doesn't merely dream
about it, though!

Bob W.