[QQ] Region 4 North particulars

Tue Sep 27 14:01:31 UTC 2022

OMG this weekend looks like a complete wash-out from the hurricane /
tropical storm.

On Tue, Sep 27, 2022 at 9:13 AM Allison Diaz <allisonvdiaz at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hey Piet,
>
> I had a work event come up on Friday the 7th, so I'm out that day (I've
> updated the spreadsheet accordingly). However, I was able to get the
> 4th/5th/6th off, so I can be there those three days. Lemme know if this
> works.
>
> Allison
>
> On Thu, Sep 8, 2022 at 11:52 AM Piet Barber via QQ <qq at skylinesoaring.org>
> wrote:
>
>> I've updated the spreadsheet again, with new columns based on your
>> feedback.
>> I've put in a "Y" or "N" or "M" (for Maybe) based on my interpretations
>> of your email responses.
>> Please update the spreadsheet as appropriate.
>> It looks like I'll have a few people for the beginning, and a few people
>> for the end, and it looks like we'll have coverage.
>>
>> I'll warn you that I have terrible luck with contests.  I've never
>> attended a contest where the weather was great.
>> I've participated in 9 contests, every single one of them has had the
>> dialog from the contest director: "Wow the weather is terrible this week.
>> Let's see if we can scrape up a contest with several marginal days."   I
>> can count on one hand the contest days that were truly excellent weather --
>> days I reflect upon with fondness.
>>
>> I had a drug addict friend once tell me "Oh if you took LSD once and had
>> a bad trip, you should *absolutely* have another LSD trip and if you keep
>> doing it, you'll eventually have a good LSD trip"   I kind of feel like
>> this with contests.  I keep showing up and the weather keeps disappointing
>> me.  It's not that the weather sucks in these places, it's just that the
>> timing for these is terrible. "Oh you should have been here [the three days
>> before the contest / the three days immediately following the contest ]!
>> It was the best soaring I've ever seen!"   I suppose if I keep flipping the
>> coin enough times, I'll see a result I like.
>>
>> Here's my contest history:
>> https://members.ssa.org/MyHome.asp?mbr=2269297242&show=achievements
>>
>> Truly good contest days in no particular order.  Funny how these are all
>> at Mifflin.
>>
>> 5 hour ridge adventure with Todd Morris at Mifflin 2021.
>> <https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=8378269>
>>
>> This was the one good day at the contest.  I made it out of the starting
>> gate (lots of gliders didn't).  I made it to the ridge, got to the first
>> two mandatory turnpoints, and then I made some poor decisions.  If I really
>> wanted better speed, I would have gone back to that ridge and kept the
>> speed up.  This was a Modified Assigned Task.  The MAT is essentially "We
>> chose the first few turnpoints for you. Once you get to those turnpoints,
>> go fly to a few others at your choice.  Once you get to the time limit, get
>> home. He who gets the fastest course over his choice of turnpoints wins the
>> day."   The MAT benefits the guys who know the terrain really well.  They
>> know "Oh you don't go flying over that area, it's a swamp" or "Oh if you do
>> this ridge system instead of that ridge system, the mountains are actually
>> tall enough for you to use"   I hate them.  They are a uniquely American
>> contest style.    When the Contest Director hands out the task, and
>> announces that it's a MAT, I want you to look over to me and see the look
>> of dread and disappointment on my face.   A buncha people landed out on
>> this day.  Cathy Williams in her LS-8 landed out.  Tom Ward landed out in
>> 9Y.  Dave Hart and Rob Cluxton landed out at the third turnpoint (this was
>> the part of the soaring day when I really struggled, so it's cool that I
>> dug it out)
>>
>> Good Thermal day with Pete Maynard at Mifflin 2016
>> <https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=5068693>
>>
>> This was my first really good contest day at my first contest.  The
>> thermals were great. I used all of them. The old guys who knew this area
>> really well knew how to use the winds to make ridge runs. Karl Striedieck
>> used ridge lift for this day (I didn't think it was possible).  I was just
>> getting used to this flight computer, so I didn't really know how to do a
>> final glide calculation yet.  I had a brand new computer installed in the
>> glider the day before my first contest. <- not too smart!
>>
>> Excellent ridge day with JP Stewart at 20 meter Multiseat Nationals 2018
>> <https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=6424270>
>>
>> The beginning of the task day was as marginal as you could imagine.  We
>> launched the fleet with the expectation that the front would blow through.
>> We had full water in the wings.  We had a 2000' AGL aerotow to the ridge.
>> The ridge Just. Wasn't. Working.  We worked little nibbles of lift until
>> the ridge started working.  You could see the front blow in.  Now the ridge
>> is working.  JP and I scorched along to all of our turnpoints.  We had a
>> great run on the ridges as fast as our ballasted glider could go.  We made
>> a few good jumps in the transitions.
>>
>> Classic Thermal day at Albert Lea, MN 20 meter Multi-Seat Nationals 2019
>> <https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=7162568>
>>
>> I was flying with Mike Hess.  This was a classic racing task.  All
>> turnpoints were assigned. You fly the course, and the fastest time around
>> the course wins.  I got skunked, but I enjoyed the day.  I think I came in
>> last place that day, but I didn't land out!  There were two different times
>> during this flight that I got low enough to switch to "desperate" mode.
>> Once at Grand Meadow (when I dumped my water ballast) and once at Henry,
>> Iowa.  This was when I got below the lift band.  Any lift at all was
>> welcome.  Chris Norris was co-piloting with somebody in a different glider,
>> and scooted along above us. "good byyyeeeee Piet!"  In fact, the whole
>> group left me in their dust on that day.  It was still a fun day, and I
>> would love to have more soaring experiences like that.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Aug 31, 2022 at 10:15 PM Piet Barber <piet at pietbarber.com> wrote:
>>
>>> This mailing list consists of:
>>>
>>>    - allisonvdiaz at gmail.com
>>>    - cjones404 at gmail.com
>>>    - cwuerker at me.com
>>>    - good4us at solarservices.com
>>>    - tbookwalter at juno.com
>>>
>>> This mailing list will be disbanded after the contest.
>>>
>>> The contest will take place in the first week of October 2022. I'll
>>> probably drive up there on Thursday night, and start camping early.  I have
>>> the day off of work on Friday before the contest, and they always seem to
>>> have fun flying the days before the contest starts.  At least for the past
>>> few years, they had the pre-contest flying, which was way more fun than the
>>> contest days.
>>>
>>> Chris Jones, I'll need you to sign a special waiver indicating that you
>>> won't consider this as flight instruction, won't log it as such, and won't
>>> treat it as flight instruction.  This is for the purposes of the insurance
>>> policy; they don't let me give flight instruction to non-rated pilots under
>>> my current policy.
>>>
>>> Please reply-all which dates you are and are not available, and we can
>>> make sure we have full coverage.  I'm keeping this spreadsheet to indicate
>>> which days people can do which things.  You should have write access to the
>>> sheet, so feel free to indicate what days you can and can't be there in the
>>> "notes" section at the bottom of this spreadsheet
>>>
>>>
>>> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/137bIse7RVcPr8iGzmGUia5bSXnCXVlWW16KdsiTqsf0/edit?usp=sharing
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> http://www.pietbarber.com/
>>> http://blog.pietbarber.com/
>>>
>>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> http://www.pietbarber.com/
>> http://blog.pietbarber.com/
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>

-- 

http://www.pietbarber.com/
http://blog.pietbarber.com/
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