2015 Nephi OLC/XC Final Report

Just adding my thanks to the pool. I'd say everything this year was a little better than last year. Weather was about the same, ranging from ok to great. Let's not forget that weather is no guarantee, if it was scheduled a week later it would have been a different story. I am still in Utah and haven't flown for 4 days so far, and it does not looking great the next few days neither.
Also special thanks to Richard from Craggy Aero who helped me getting an EDS loaner overnight after mine failed, and to Andy for helping me with the flat tire and offering his spare tire.
I also learned something new about OLC, that it is optimizing for points rather than distance, turning my 1000km into a 999.56km so I can get an extra point or so. Sigh!
And last, let's remember that one of us had a really bad day, right of the start before even getting a chance to enjoy Nephi, as Bruno mentioned. Wishing Charlie Ryan speedy recovery.

Ramy

The Nephi event was just fantastic. Though supposedly just a low-key OLC event, Bruno, Ron, and the team put on a superbly organized show. Even the buffet line for the superb catered dinners (!) moved fast.

I went in part to scope out the site for next year's nationals. This is a great site for a national contest, combining the best of Parowan, Logan, and bits of Ely. The runway is long, flat, and has good rope break options, from either end. You can tow to 2,000' and quickly connect over the pig farm and east-facing hills just to the west of the airport.

We were launching about noon, immediately climbing to 12-14k and heading out on course. The thermals last until sunset. Returning at 5 and 6 PM, I often found some of the strongest lift of the day, still nicely lined up in streets. Most of my final glides started 2000 feet low and ended at 110 knots 3000 feet high.

This site will give us long and fast flights. At the camp, there was an FAI and a sports class, with tasks every day. (Very well set tasks, I might add.) The slow days were upper 80s, the typical day was low 90s, and I had two tasks over 100 mph. My best day was a nearly 500 mile flight at 93 mph. On a task.

Looking forward to nationals, keep in mind that 3 hours is the minimum task time. The task guidance says to use the available soaring weather, and the CDs want to show us what this place can do. So think ahead to 4 hour tasks or more. There is no reason we should not be doing multiple 750k tasks, and a 1000k task isn't out of the question.

The flying area is varied. Most of it is like Parowan, with streets organized along the ridges, flying next to very landable valleys. Then, you can fly out into the desert and enjoy some Ely style flying. There are some challenges -- crossing the wasatch, or getting up to the Uintas. A wise pilot will spend some time on Google earth. I happen to like flying in the mountains and close the the hills as one can at Logan, but Nephi is more like Parowan in that respect; you pretty much thermal over the tops of the mountains and scratching is a plan B.

It does overdevelop, but that mostly stays over the mountains. So dodging small storms isn't that hard.

A minor issue is water ballast. It has to be trucked in and stays in two big cisterns, and then 4 or 5 hoses are attached. (Did I mention superb organization?) Usually out west we are spoiled with abundant hoses, but not at Nephi. So pilots with a water transport system might want to bring it along so they can fill at their tie down spot.

All in all, this is about the best site for a national contest I have seen. Next year's contest should be one to remember.

I won't soon forget the cloudstreet running down the east side of the Wasatch front, mountains to the right, desert to the left (with fields), 100 miles or so at 14,000 t 17,499, no turns. Wow.

John Cochrane