mifflin sports class day 3

Mifflin day 3.

It was another beautiful, and of course very interesting, day at the
sports class nationals. We grid early, on the fear of strong
crosswinds. They don't materialize, so we launch into ridge lift at
11:30. The sky is overcast, but is forecast to break up and maybe even
go blue by the end of the day. Cloudbase is low, and some pilots have
to relight.

After a while it becomes clear that it isn't breaking up as fast as
forecast, and that the southern area will break up more than the north.
After consulting with task advisers Karl Striedieck and John Good,
Charlie moves the task toward the southern area. The task is a very
interesting mixed thermal and ridge task - McCollnesburg, Bedford,
Clark's Ferry, Turnpike tunnels. Then MAT but only 4 more turnpoints
with no repeats. The first leg is down the ridge. The second leg is
straight into the wind. The third mixes downwind and some ridges. The
fourth is crosswind with no direct ridges. And then it's up to you.

With a decent ridge wind, thermals are broken up and hard to center
down low. Also, there is wave above, provoking some havoc with thermals
and providing some interesting regions of very strong sink. Some go
from McCollesburg to Bedford in a cloudstreet with no turns. Some slog
it out down low making many saves off the ridges. From Bedford to
Clark's, straight downwind back to McConnelsburg and then crosswind
on the ridges proved the best route. Pilots who went first on the
Tussey ridge and then tried to thermal downwind reported weak
conditions and some problems. The winners said they had no problem at
Clark's ferry but the rest of us found it very tough, under much more
cloud than the other parts of the course. Clarks' to tunnels poses an
interesting problem since the high ground has absolutely nowhere to
land. Sane pilots thermaled it, insane pilots ridge soared it, and some
really smart pilots went all the way around on other ridges.

Many interesting flights followed. The key on a task like this, of
course, is to extend it in ridge as far as possible. But all the good
ridge possibilities meant at least one final upwind transition at the
end of the day. There were quite a few weak spots with both no
thermals and no ridge lift, leading to a large number of landouts.

All in all a very interesting day. And absolutely beautiful flying.
Zooming along a ridge late in the day under a glorious sky and
floating around in wave before the start are memories that will stay
with me for quite a while.


John Cochrane BB