Many of the pilots who registered have arrived, and are preparing for a flight. The first daily meeting was at 10:30, and grid time is 12:30. I hear Gatineau club operations flying in the background... The club is looking good, the pool is at 75F and climbing by the day, and everyone seems very happy.
The Contest Director giving the daily briefing
The pilots, towpilots, Crews enraptured by the CD briefing
The gliders -many in their "glider jammies"-ready to go in the larger of our two hangars (note the old primary trainer hung from the ceiling. If we're motivated, we auto-tow with that!).
The weather is not spectacular, but minimum tasks have been assigned to allow pilots to become familiar with the local area. We will be testing the "Dump Tasks" for each class - called in the event a minimum task is required by either low ceilings or rapidly changing weather (fronts with thunderstorms). There is high overcast, but Dr. Jack's forecast suggests there will be lift of about 400 feet per minute to about 4,000', with northeasterly winds, by 2 PM local.
FAI class task is at Assigned area task:
05 Start W with a radius of 5km, height limited to 5,000'.
52 Montreal Soaring AP radius 8 km;
08 Apple Hill radius 10 km;
46 Montebello radius 10 km;
returning to 01 Pendleton radius 2 km, max height 10,000', lowest height 800'ASL.
This gives a minimum distance of 96.80 km, nominal (going to each centre) of 146.69 km, and maximum (going to the far edge of each) of 199.07 km, in one hour and 30 minutes. Minimum distance is 80 km in our rules, and the class is handicapped; the distance is decreased because the gliders perform better than the base glider - the minimum handicapped distance is 81.80 km.
Controlled airspace is orange; turn areas are green. If you're colour blind you're on your own!
Club class is also AAT; 90 minutes; route
05 Start W radius 5km;
52 Montreal Soaring radius 10 km;
17 BrownHouse radius 15 km;
07 Alfred radius 8 km;
01 Pendleton rad 2, max 10k', min 800'ASL, giving 90.81 km (80.37 handicapped), nominal 142.16 km, and max 199.26 km.
These routes are over very landable terrain, and there are a lot of airports to visit if lift is not there in any area. Fields in the area are quite damp after a biblical rain on Friday; corn is less than knee-high, which is comforting. On this task, club class pilots, whose gliders may not be of the highest performance, don't have to cross the Ottawa River on a relatively poor soaring day.
Mandatory pilot meeting is 7 PM in the carpenter shack on 2 July; it will be followed by pizza from a great pizzeria in Wendover - about 8 km away- and a choice of adult carbonated beverages (or pop for those so inclined).
It's gonna be great! I hear the towplanes launching the grid as I type this. Later!
Dan
Scorer/Blogger
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