Italy PWC: Task 2/3/4

Sorry for not posting lately, our days have been filled with flying and evenings with nice dinners and parties provided by the organization. Here is the rundown on the last few days. Thanks to everyone who sent me emails lately, it means a lot to me.

Day two was cancelled due to rain. We were at launch when the day was called off, most pilots chose to fly down in the benign conditions before the storm came instead of driving down. I was on a leisurely sled ride glide for the LZ with about thirty other pilots when everyone started mashing full bar, so just for kicks I did to. These pilots will take every opportunity possible to compare equipment and skills, good fun!

Day three / task two
Due to predictions of late afternoon overdevelopment a short 52k race to goal task was called. Conditions on course were perfect for fast racing, strong climbs and a minimum of half speed-bar on every glide was the pace. I was with the leaders up until the last two turn points, but so was everyone else, with such a short course and so many great pilots at least 50 of them were in the area I was in near the end. About halfway between the last two turn points a small group of 10 pilots were making a push for the last turn point and goal out in the valley but were clearly going to need another climb to make it, meanwhile a gaggle containing about 30 pilots was climbing high on the mountains beside me in preparation for their final glide. I was by myself and feeling like I was on a pretty good line, my Fytec 6030 was saying that I had a 12 to 1 glide to goal. I thought that if I could keep making my way to goal through lifting lines and not stop and thermal I might have a chance of staying in front of everyone and get the added height I was going to need to make my final glide. Without turning, using a combination of brakes in lift and ¼ speed-bar in sink I managed to get the 9 to 1 glide ratio I was looking for, snag the last turn point and punch full bar on my IcepeakXP for the last 6k to goal. It wasn’t until I heard Andy’s scream of excitement as we crossed the goal line than I noticed any other pilots were with me. Apparently Andy was on the top of the stack of the high gaggle I mentioned earlier, he managed to catch me on his Advance Prototype, I had him by at least a half kilometer at the start of my final glide, that glider must be fast! It was so close that no one knew who won, when the scores came out both Andy and I received 1000 points, STOKED!


My wing

Day 4
According to the weather reports the day was going to overdevelop in the afternoon. The task committee was trying hard to set task that would work with conditions. They changed the task several times before finally deciding on an individual start elapsed time race. We were ¼ of the way through the course when the organizers called off the day due to overdevelopment. Like most competition organizers these guys are doing what they can to get as many valid days as possible, but they are very safety conscious as well, cancelling days when it needs to be done and keeping pilots safe.

Day 5 / task 3
Learning from the previous day the task committee decided to call a 68.2k task early to get pilots around the course before the afternoon overdevelopment. A small group of about ten pilots established their dominance early, managing to stay way higher and just behind the leaders, it was clear to me right from the start that these pilots would be the days winners. I got a good start but quickly lost the pace and was in the third gaggle. After some good moves mid course I managed to catch the tail end of the second gaggle near the second to last turn point, we were in the mountains and headed for the valley for the final turn point and goal. I tried to push on by myself again, this time it didn’t work, I got stuck in the valley and had to make a low save just before goal. From 2k out I had a 7 to 1 glide to goal; I got this no problem I thought. I did my best impression of a lawn-dart as I did a downwind landing 200 meters short of goal! I really want to learn to race. There is a lesson in here somewhere.

I love this game.

Day 6 / task 4
The big day, 113k task. Finally conditions that allow the organization to set a big task out of the valley. Stable air has produced challenging conditions for the start of the race, small bullet thermals that many pilots found hard to get up in. I had a great start and was with the leaders, but then quickly lost the pace because I was finding it challenging to stay on a lot of speedbar in such rough air. The course took us through some beautiful snow capped mountains that reminded me of the Boulder Mountains in Idaho. I was sitting in about 30th place 30k from goal when a crucial decision had to be made. The last 30k of the course took us out over large flat valley full of farm fields. The leaders had followed the terrain off course line in order to get a better position for final glide. I was with a small group of pilots that thought we might have a chance of beating the leaders if we flew straight from our position to goal. We had goal on a 12 to 1 glide and would need one more climb to make it in. Our plan fell short 6k from goal after a 25k glide without a beep from the vario. Most pilots landed short of goal this day due to the strong headwind we were all battling into. Only 6 pilot in goal.


Day 7
Strong winds prevented us from flying a task the last day. The only thing that flew this day was a gin glider bag that got picked up in a dust devil on launch and propelled clear to cloud base, proving my theory that most things fly better than a paraglider. A fun closing party in Poggio Bustone capped off the event. Final results are posted on the PWC website.

The talented photographer Martin Scheel was at the event and took some beautiful pictures.

http://www.azoom.ch/fotos/suchergebnisse.php?shooting_no=487