FAI Sailplane Grand Prix USA 🇺🇸 Orlando

On Friday, March 31, 2017 at 5:03:32 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Friday, March 31, 2017 at 12:25:48 PM UTC-4, Tom Kelley #711 wrote:
No mixture, just car tow-bars are being used here. Very easy and convenient. A lot faster than what we normally do when we weight at a US contest.

Don't even remove the wing wheel or balance the wings, simply tow on to scale, they see the reference weight, if needed we drop a gallon or so of water. Roll off.

Today is rest day (weather). Maybe tomorrow but could be a blue day with 4-5000 height band.

Best. #711.
in Tom's case he is using a motorcycle to tow out

Yes, it has a tow bar and am weighed with the tow bar hooked up to both glider and motorcycle when my reference weight is done(wing wheel also is on). Whether its at the WGC or say here, you are watched to make sure your in the same configuration as when scrutineered(was done in a enclosed hanger as is the same at the WGC). The scrutineering team also does the weighting. We also have a FAI referee who watches over us. If your even 3-4 pounds over, you dump some water.
Heck, they even check the parachute card for the correct repack date and the glider logbook for its last annual. I was ready to even bend over and grab my ankles. :))).
Ahhhh, also many thanks to the NAA on my renewal for the Sporting license. I did a online renewal on Sunday evening and with our CD's help, it was done at 9:01 am Monday morning. Am using the IGC droid on my cell. Works great.. Maybe 6 plus hours of use and have a cell battery charger if needed.

I believe they are also using this same procedure at Cordele for the Nationals on weighing??? Not sure, just talk I heard.

When we are weighed, the whole group is on the way to the grid and the wind remains fairly constance doing this short period. We all drive on the same way and off.

Its been a well run contest, very good task calls, great dinners and the weather guy is doing a great job. Tony's presentation is to the point, he's been wearing only one hat...that's white for CU's. We have had great weather compared to the Seniors and do wish they would consider moving back the Seniors a few weeks. Am better adjusted to the time change after a few weeks myself.

What's unusual during this time frame is am not seeing many migrating flocks heading north bound. Also, several YouTube videos are available and maybe tomorrow am told they will do live tracking.

Am using the ClearNav XC vario......its thermal assistance is good and simply the best I have used. It updates 5 times a second when thermaling and does paint a great picture of what's going on.

Best. Tom #711.

Good morning sailplane racing � fans! The final day of FAI Sailplane Grand Prix USA 🇺🇸 is here. Jerzy Szemplinski has an 8 point lead but second thru fifth place (Sean Fidler, Tom Kelley, Jim Lee and Rich Owen) is still extremely tight. Who will stand on the podium tonight? Who will qualify (top 2) for the FAI SGP final in Santiago, Chile 🇨🇱 this fall?

Follow the action (tracking, reports, etc.) he http://www.sgp.aero/usa2017.aspx

Today's weather looks solid but for the first time in a week it will be completely blue: Here is the early forecast from Davis Straub:

National Weather Service forecast:

Sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming north northeast around 5 mph in the morning.

NAM forecast:

2 PM
800 - 1,000 fpm lift
4,000' - 5,000' top of lift
No cu's
3 mph west wind at 2,000'
3 mph west wind at 30'

5 PM
500 - 600 fpm lift
5,000' - 6,000' top of lift
No cu's
8 mph west wind at 2,000'
7 mph west wind at 30'

Skysight forecast:

1 PM
400 - 450 fpm lift
3,000' - 4,000' top of lift
No cu's
6 - 8 knot west wind at 2,000'
2 knot northeast wind at 30'

4 PM
400 - 450 fpm lift
4,000' - 5,000' top of lift
No cu's
6 - 8 knot west wind at 2,000'
2 - 4 knot northwest wind at 30'

North half of the task was blue. South half clouds. I found my best climb in the edge of the blue to get high enough for a squeeker final glide. Finished 2nd!

Jerzy Szemplinsk and Sean Fidler finished 1,2 overall, so I assume the top two places qualify for the SGP finals in Chile next year? Congrats to all, esp SF who wore so many hats at this contest.

://www.sgp.aero/usa2017/results-sgp/results.aspx?contestID=28476

Congratulations to today's final Race 6 winners:
1st - Jon Gatfield - United Kingdom - ASG-29
2nd - Tony Condon - USA - JS1a
3rd - Rich Owen - USA - ASG-29e

Congratulations to our overall winners:
1st - Jerzy Szemplinski - ASG29 - Canada
2nd - Sean Fidler - ASG29 - USA
3rd - Tom Kelley - ASG29 - USA

Awards, Oakwood Smokehouse catered ribs, and plenty of beer and wine for dinner this evening.

What an incredibly fun week!

Congratulations Jerzy and Sean! Now to learn how to polish rocks in the Chilean Andes in January!

Juan
Z8


On Saturday, April 1, 2017 at 10:06:39 PM UTC-4, Sean Fidler wrote:
Congratulations to today's final Race 6 winners:
1st - Jon Gatfield - United Kingdom - ASG-29
2nd - Tony Condon - USA - JS1a
3rd - Rich Owen - USA - ASG-29e

Congratulations to our overall winners:
1st - Jerzy Szemplinski - ASG29 - Canada
2nd - Sean Fidler - ASG29 - USA
3rd - Tom Kelley - ASG29 - USA

Awards, Oakwood Smokehouse catered ribs, and plenty of beer and wine for dinner this evening.

What an incredibly fun week!

Why were Robin and Sergei disqualified on Day 5? Airspace violation? Same as with the penalties a reason would be helpful.




On Saturday, April 1, 2017 at 10:06:39 PM UTC-4, Sean Fidler wrote:
Congratulations to today's final Race 6 winners:
1st - Jon Gatfield - United Kingdom - ASG-29
2nd - Tony Condon - USA - JS1a
3rd - Rich Owen - USA - ASG-29e

Congratulations to our overall winners:
1st - Jerzy Szemplinski - ASG29 - Canada
2nd - Sean Fidler - ASG29 - USA
3rd - Tom Kelley - ASG29 - USA

Awards, Oakwood Smokehouse catered ribs, and plenty of beer and wine for dinner this evening.

What an incredibly fun week!

Agree with you Juanman. One was manuever g against the flow of traffic and the other perpendicular to traffic during the start. It's a pretty harsh penalty, obviously.

The way both of these great pilots handled the penalty was some of the most sportsmanlike and gentlemanly behavior I have ever seen in sports. Both pilots addressed the others at the next morning's pilots meeting, explained their mistake in great detail using SeeYou to illustrate, and made several suggestions on improving the interface/task programming to make the semi-circle (no turns allowed area) more visible in the flight computer. CD John Godfrey did an excellent job handling as well, and the whole group (pilots and others) learned a great deal as a by-product of these penalties. The suggestions were partially simply improving our understanding of the SGP starting rules "intent," but also discussed methods for avoiding the risk of the penalty in general.

Bottom line, gliders must not turn when close to the starting line (time & distance) and a "perfect start" means very little to nothing in the grand scheme of the SGP competition format. The idea is to have a safe start. The race begins with strategy decisions out on course, well away from the starting line. All the pilots must find a way to beat their competitors without the luxury of choosing to start well behind/in-front of their competitors or by flying in vastly different areas to gain an advantage.

For those of you interested in the SGP rules, here they a http://sgpstorage.blob.core.windows....rules-v8.0.pdf

By far the greatest soaring race in recent years! Well done competitors, well done!

What the rest of the world has enjoyed is now here in the USA and in beautiful sunny florida. This should be an annual event, just like the Daytona 500 is in Florida.

I was hanging on the the race with every second!


Soooo much better than a TAT or MAT event (not a race) where gliders are going every direction and a spectators can't follow it.


The Grand Prix is racing. And the winners are worthy of their title. There's just too much dumb luck in the TAT's and MAT's. This style racing proves a REAL WINNER.

Congratulations Jerzy!