Kowbell

On 7/5/2015 2:42 PM, Tony wrote:
Bob, low level winds were southerly at 15-20.
Inneresting. Beneath Nebraska's panhandle in NE Colorado, there was
essentially zero ground breeze all day, while the (few for the most part)
convective clouds reflected the satellite loop.

Terrain wasn't so much an issue as the transition from cut wheat fields in
Kansas to Very Tall Corn in Nebraska. I hit the south edge of sand hills at
Taylor and without enough altitude to clear them and no landable field in
sight on course I turned 90 degrees and landed at Burwell.

Ah so...technically/topographically, the stretch from Kearney to Burwell is
considered "dissected plains - hilly land with moderate to steep slopes, sharp
ridge crests, and remnants of the old, nearly level plain. The dissected
plains are old plains eroded by water and wind." Burwell is on the (roughly
E-W) dividing line between dissected plains and sandhills - "hilly land
composed of low to high dunes of sand stabilized by a grass
cover[which...]mantle stream-deposited silt, sand, gravel and sandstone." In
current populational terms, it's pretty thinly settled between Burwell and the
Missouri River Valley up at the SD border. Makes that downwind dash "to
Thedford glider flight" (about 60 miles west of Burwell, smack dab in the sand
hills center of a N-S transect line through Thedford) from way back when
something to better appreciate I'd reckon.

Way to go!

Bob W.

Wind was definitely south in the convective layer. I got a late start (launched roughly two hours after Tony) and made it all of about 150 miles to a nice field, 10 miles north of Hill City, Kansas. Landed in a field that was having its wheat harvested. Flight is on OLC, but no points because my logger had its seal broken recently. And I didn't realize it until I downloaded the log file. Oh, well. Was a fun day. My crew for the day agreed to go because he didn't think I would go more than 30 or 40 miles! Maybe it will inspire him to take the step up to something like a Libelle, which would be about perfect for him.

You should have stopped in, Sean. I got home at about 12:30 AM Saturday morning. That prompted my late launch on Saturday. Got home from my Kowbell adventure about 1 AM Sunday morning. All this after two weeks at Hobbs for the Open Nationals. I think I need to go back to work to get some rest!

Steve Leonard
N366W, FJ-1
(started out as a H-301)

Cool. Now tell us more about the FJ-1. Please.

On Monday, July 6, 2015 at 10:44:38 AM UTC-5, Papa3 wrote:
Cool. Now tell us more about the FJ-1. Please.

New thread started on the FJ-1.

Every club should have an event similar to the Kowbell. Kansas Soaring Association has been doing it since 1962. Longest winning flight has been 552 miles. Shortest winning flight has been 3.5 miles. It has never been handicapped, and I think there are very few times that handicapping would have changed the winner, based on distances flown.

I refer to is as our "Contest of Biblical Proportions". It is the first Saturday that is after the First Full Moon that is on or after the Summer Solstice.

The Dust Devil Dash was patterned loosely on the Kowbell. Pretty sure there are a few other Free Distance contests out there, as well. I remember the Downhill Dash (from Black Forest). Everyone should try it once in a while. It is great fun, and quite an adventure. And a chance to introduce people to cross country soaring.

Steve