The Case for Club Class Glider Racing in the U.S.

Since I initially wrote the post below, Club Class has begun to gain recognition with the approval of our Super Regional contest to be held in Moriarty, NM with a Club and a Modern Class. At this moment, the U.S. Sports Class nationals is going on with a Club Class being scored separately and SSA medallions, if not a trophy, up for grabs. The club class pilots are at the top of the overall score sheet, too.


The turnout for the Moriarty contest (of which I will be Contest Manager), is very strong for both Club Class (15 so far) and Modern Class (18 so far) with a cap of 40 ships. There's still a little space if you want to join the fun June 11-17 in good old Moriarty, NM. A good number of these folks are either new to racing or haven't raced in years. We hope to make this a friendly, fun, safe contest where new pilots can learn from the more experienced ones, and no one needs to be embarrassed by his/her "old" glider.

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The Case for Club Class

During the late summer of 2010, a proposed change in the U.S. Soaring Team selection rules sparked a lively debate on rec.aviation.soaring about Club Class glider racing. This discussion has surfaced now and then for years, with threads on the topic as far back as the nineties. Why don't we have a Club Class National Championship here in the United States, when it is an FAI class with its own World Championship?

It's time for Americans to embrace Club Class glider racing. Why? First and foremost, it is an inexpensive entry to racing. It brings us into line with the rest of the world, where it is standard practice. It is better preparation for the Club Class Worlds. And it is fun!

What is Club Class?

Club Class is a fun, competitive, inexpensive racing class. As practiced around the world, the class is handicapped range includes specifically named set of older glider models, from a Standard Libelle at the low end to an ASW 20. This range of gliders is much narrower than Sports Class, with tasking to match that performance.

The FAI Sporting Code defines Club Class this way: “The purpose of the Club Class is to preserve the value of older high performance gliders, to provide inexpensive but high quality international championships, and to enable pilots who do not have access to gliders of the highest standard of performance to take part in contests at the highest levels. The only limitation on entry of a glider into a Club Class competition is that it is within the agreed range of handicap factors for the competition. Water ballast is not permitted. Championship scoring formulas shall include handicap factors.” (Section 3, 6.5.6)

According to FAI International Gliding Commission (IGC) President Bob Henderson, “The Club Class provides a competitive class for gliders that would otherwise have to be withdrawn from international competition; provides a learning ground for lower experienced pilots who are entering international competition; [and] meets a need for pilots who do want to compete but are unable to finance the cost of the latest and greatest machines.” Henderson continued, “it also supports the development of gliding as a whole because it protects the value of older gliders in the market.”

A Bit of History

The concept of Club Class originally came from Germany, where it was a popular way for younger pilots in older gliders to practice their competition skills. A t the 1999 IGC meeting, Australian IGC Representative Terry Cubley moved to introduce the Club Class as a new competition class for World Championships. He served as Competition Director of the January 2000 Pre-Worlds and of First Club Class World Gliding Championship (WGC) in Gawler, Australia in 2001. Cubley has participated as pilot, organizer, or observer in every Club Class WGC since then.

“The real benefit of the class is that it enables many more people to compete without needing to purchase a modern glider – a $20,000 Cirrus can provide an excellent competition career,” Cubley commented. “Our experience in Australia is that this added additional pilots, rather than re-cycling the old hands.” Ten years on, “Club Class is now a core part of the IGC calendar,” he says.

Club Class Today

It continues to be a very popular class worldwide. The most recent Club Class WGC in 2010 in Prievidza, Slovakia had 47 competitors, and each previous WGC has been equally well-attended. Top pilots from around the world have chosen to focus on Club Class, including the current second-ranked pilot in the world, Sebastian Kawa of Poland. He has won the event three times. In order to qualify for his place on the team, he had to compete in the Polish Club Class Championship, in a Club Class ship, a Jantar Standard “Bravo”.

According to Marina Vigorito of Italy, who has been very involved in Club Class events over the past decade, “Club class was a most clever and innovative IGC idea. With a few thousands of Euros, young pilots can buy a beautiful glider and fly just for fun or compete in every kind of competition, up to the Worlds.”

IGC President Bob Henderson agrees. “My experience of attending Club Class competitions was that they are perceived as fun, challenging, enjoyable, lower pressure than in other classes and less costly.”

Encouraging New Competitors

You probably have not heard of Omri Kalinsky. He is not a big name on the U.S. soaring scene. But he is exactly the kind of pilot who would become an active competitor in Club Class. The single 31-year-old is a budding racing pilot. After earning his glider rating at Texas Soaring Association near Dallas in 2005, he purchased a Libelle 201 in 2009. He participated in a local contest that year. Then an experienced competition pilot friend persuaded to try his skills at Region 10 North in Arkansas in May 2010.

He doesn’t see himself flying his Libelle in a Sports Class Nationals.

“I'd rather fly Club Class, because the contest director can call tasks around a reasonably narrow range of performance without having to accommodate very low performance or very high performance ships,” he said. “I also like that all the handicaps of all ships will be fairly close. Even though handicapping can help, it usually favors the expensive ships in strong conditions and the older ships in weak conditions.”

“It's a great way to get into racing, it's reasonably accessible, and you can still win if you don't have $200,000 to blow every few years to buy the latest and greatest ship,” Kalinsky added. “The best part is the handicapping allows pilots to compete purely on piloting skill and not using the performance of your ship and thus the depth of your wallet.”

Pilots with lower performance gliders tend to think twice before going to the expense of entering a competition where many of the gliders will be Ventus 2s and ASW-27s. There's no way to know for sure how many contestants are being discouraged in this way each year because you can’t survey those who are not showing up.

The Future of Club Class

The Australian approach to Club class may be a model of what we could do here in the U.S. They made a conscious choice to limit the Club Class event to the same aircraft as are on the IGC Club Class list.

“To accommodate the guys with the more modern gliders who wanted to go and fly somewhere, we also kept a sports class for higher performance gliders, which flies in parallel,” Cubley said.

“This has seen a growth in the number of competitors in Club Class gliders, and a whole new group of pilots enjoying high level competition, with a chance to compete internationally,” he added. “With the smaller range of performance in the class, this has enabled a balance between Assigned Area Tasks and the traditional speed task (AST) which the pilots enjoy. We get some movement between classes so some of our top Standard and 15-Meter pilots are also borrowing gliders and flying in Club Class, and vice versa.”

“We find that the number of competitors in our Club Class event is larger than the other traditional classes, with a constant influx of new pilots,” Cubley added.

IGC President Bob Henderson sees interest in Club Class as increasing in the future. “The IGC is under pressure to increase the opportunities for Club Class aircraft to compete at the international level.” Henderson notes. “This has to be balanced against the demands for other classes and the ability of the gliding community to organize and host the number of World Championship classes and events that are already in the calendar. As time goes by and the championship calendar is modified, there may well be the opportunity to create a second Club Class grouping that will accommodate the first and second generation 15-Meter racing ships.

There are more than 1,000 IGC Club Class-eligible gliders according to a quick search of the FAA database. When you consider the U.S. Team Committee’s Club Class Team selection-eligible glider list, that number rises to more than 1,300. By the same token, there are currently only approximately 425 current generation gliders registered.

If we establish Club Class in the U.S. we may be surprised to find how many new faces are out on the contest grid. If we truly commit to recognizing this FAI class, the sport of soaring will find itself healthier in the long term.

Thanks

Terry Cubley, Australian Representative to the IGC; Bob Henderson, IGC President; Omri Kalinsky, regular pilot; Tim McAllister, pilot-husband; and Marina Vigorito, Italian Alternate to the IGC.

Friends of Club Class Gliding in the U.S. Facebook Group

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=120361478018985

Moriarty Club/Modern Class Super Regional Contest June 11-17

http://moriarty11.wordpress.com

Day 4 Underway

Day 3 was kind of  bummer for team EY. We got a boo boo on the ramp while towing in to the trailer, so we are out of the contest. But fortunately there are plenty of other things to do in this part of the world. So as we plan what to do next, today looks great with nice cumulus streeting off to the north east. Bah! But great for those who are out on task right now!
Susan

Elephant walk

Day 3 underway

The wind picked up out of the southwest just as we had gridded on runway 4, so we had an elephant walk to the other end so we could use 22. It was fairly howling by the time we started the launch at 13:20. It went very well, though. They're out on task and it's blue, but apparently good, since everyone got out of the start between 14:30-40. More soon!

elephant walking to rwy 22 now. task tat bryce 25 mi. richfield 20 mi. sulphurdale 5 mi. cedar city 15 mi

Day 2 Complete

So it was one of those days...at dinner tonight, many pilots were saying things like "well, it was interesting," "a struggle," and "pucker factor high." A few either landed out (4 people) and around 6 didn't attempt the task. During the pre-start radio discussion, there was some support for the idea of abandoning the task. However, instead the task was just shortened, as I mobile-posted earlier. Tim made it around but finished 20-somethingth. Better than going aux vaches. Better than landing gear up, as our unfortunate trailer neighbor did today. Bah!

I did my crew-ly duties of laundry, taking three year old to the park, grocery shopping, laundry folding, etc. And visiting Dairy Freez (no 'e'). Good night from lovely Parowan airport!
Susan

A few finishers - 17:40

A few are coming back, but according to SPOT tracking, a bunch of them must have started later. A couple of landouts and folks who didn't do the task. It's blue, windy from the west, and pretty warm - maybe 80 or so? But there's still a very dry, cool feeling to the breeze. A welcome change from muggy Texas!

How about 2.5 hrs for that task?

Task being shortened to 3 hrs drop last turn

Task 02 start b. 35 richfield 30 mi. 69 bryce canyon 20 mi. 45 beaver 20 mi. 77 exit 42 20 mi 3.5 hr min. nominal 272.73 mi

Launching the field into blue conditions. 3.5 hr TAT

Its cold in the camper this morn at parowan airport. front came thru abt sunset & has to be close to 40 now. well see what charlie has in store for the task.

June 16 day cancelled due to wind

Wind came up in the middle of the night and is increasing. Probably 20 gusting 30 now but gusts to 60 still predicted s. We're tying everything down and preparing for a crew day which means doing something to entertain the 3 year old. Susan

Day1 Complete

We had a good day (for the most part) at Parowan today. A very cool morning (40s) gave way to decent heating by early afternoon. The right time to leave on task? About 2:30. Just about everyone did. The task was a TAT for those of you following along 32 Kanosh Canyon, 74 PineValley Mountain and 44 Exit 95, 3 hour minimum. Our very fortunate former U.S. Teammate in France 2006 Tim Welles (W3) won the day. Lots of pilots seemed happier than usual at the end of the day. Nick Kennedy was heard repeatedly yahoo-ing and others echoed the senitment. By late afternoon it was actually hot - not Texas hot, but pretty hot, and breezy. Walt Cannon (a bona fide national weather service forecaster gave us some stong advice about tomorrow - we could see gusts up to 60 - yes - 60 miles per hour on Wednesday. Hope our camper won't take flight! I'd expect a no fly day tomorrow as a result...way too early for a rest day - darn! But we'll see at the meeting tomorrow.

Be sure to check out the spot tracking page during the afternoon to see how folks are doing.

Susan

tim is home safe. good day & good meal in the hangar.

pilots out on task. the race is on. getting windy, though.

Practice Day at Parowan underway

Hello from Parowan! It's finally cleared out and the gliders are on task. Nice cumulus. Time for a visit to the main street of town to check out the dairy freeze with DD.

Day cancelled contest complete! #ssar9n

The rain finally came in overnight. maybe not flyable today. #ssar9n

Hot & more moisture today #Ssar9n

#ssar9n it was a good day until it wasnt but ey made it home so i am happy

One landout so far. most looking good #ssar9n

FWD: Correction EY P7 ZL Win practice day #ssar9n

EY P7 AP Win practice day

Good 1st day at logan. BBQ Delish!

The day s improving & most pilots out on course inc EY. dd is napping! #SSAR9N

And then we rested

Here's what we did on the rest day today - almost nothing! It was great. We had been flying for 7 straight days including practice days, so I was ready for a break. We had a leisurely breakfast and headed out for a nearby lavender farm...yes, you heard correctly...a lavender farm in the volcanic rock countryside of northern California. It was very nice to wander through the rows and harvest a bunch of lavender for myself.

The flying has been pretty good considering the heavy smoke (see Tim's blog for more about that). He has been very frustrated with winpilot, which is known as a good program, but he has never used it before. This has made for many errors, some of which have cost him points. But if you aren't looking at the scoresheet, as he claims not to be, this shouldn't be a problem, right?

Any way, he is having fun flying the Sparrowhawk. The baby is having fun watching that firebomber and visiting her favorite tow planes. She is partial to the yellow husky for some reason.

The weather looks to be heating up into the 100s for the next few days. We'll let you know how they turn out...
Susanbb

Sports Class Nationals Day 1

Hi Everyone!
It's blogging time again - from the Super 8 in Yreka, California where it’s hot and smoky as all get out. Not smoky from the two dozen truckers who have their rigs parked out in the lot. I mean smoky like smoky the bear (only you can prevent forest fires and you really fell down on the job because now much of northern california is burning smoky).

We were lucky enough to have Greg & Neva Cole offer Tim their personal sparrowhawk to fly in this contest. It’s different from other gliders. First of all, it is yellow, like a flower or a ray of sunshine. Second, it weighs 215 lbs empty. This vs. the SZD 55 we have at home which weighs 499 lbs dry. It’s kind of like a pocket glider, or a ‘fun size’ glider, you know, like those mini candy bars. Tim has been enjoying it so far. Unfortunately he found himself calling me on the cell phone from someplace called Butte Valley about 5:45 this evening. Oh well!

The baby is enjoying watching all of the gliders and airplanes. She often points at gliders and says ‘da da’ which is either cute or sad depending on your point of view.

More later –
Susan

December 21 Contest Day 3

Today is the third contest day and we are getting ready for launch. The weather looks nice again, so we'll see what the day brings. The only way is up for Tim, who had a tough day yesterday - but clawed his way home in true Tim fashion.

One of the funny things about this area is how early everything closes. We walked to the town last night after 8 pm to get an ice cream and found everything except the one pub to be closed! Most dinner places close at 6:00. You have to be organized to get your dinner. Our hotel does serve later, so we're getting fed, never fear!

Tonight is the Biscuits Bark Up at the same local pub. This annual event brings together local sheepdogs in a comp to see how loud they can bark. I am thinking of entering the baby. She is pretty loud sometimes!

Susan

December 17, 2007

Omarama - it's one of those little gliding towns. If you've been to a contest, you have been to a town just like this somewhere. It reminds me of a small Walden, CO or Pagosa Springs. It has everything you need, though - a few hotels, a few restaurants, two gas stations, and a 4-Square, which is a small grocery store. Most importantly, it has fabulous gliding conditions - usually. They did fly yesterday (Tim's flights are posted on the OLC if you are inclined to look at them).

We survived the trip OK, and the baby is doing great.
More soon,
Susan

Tim Arrives in NZ

Tim arrived in NZ yesterday (well, it is the yesterday that is my today...I think. The whole dateline thing is a bit confusing.) He is there. The area around Omarama is really beautiful, he says. Everyone is very nice in NZ, too. So he's getting settled in and taking an orientation flight around the area.
Do you have any tips on traveling with a baby? If so, feel free to post them as comments below! I could use all of the help I can get!

Tim is on his way to NZ

Tim is on his way to NZ tonight. In a mere 24 hours after leaving Dallas, he will be in Christchurch, with only a 4-5 hour drive on the wrong side of the road ahead of him! His blog is www.echoyankee.com, so check out his reports as well.
I am excited to add another sponsor to our team: Nielsen Kellerman. Thank you for your support!

Susan

Rain, Bowling, Contest Complete

The rain overnight continued without a break all day. It was pretty obvious there wouldn't be any chance to fly today, so the day was cancelled, making this two-day contest nonetheless valid. The results were:
1. Victor Panafutin 18 pts
2. Tim McAllister 14 pts
3. Vladimir Bessarabov 13 pts

There was actually a tie for 3rd place, but Vladimir was determined the 3rd place pilot by a tiebreaking method in the SGP rules.

So Victor and Tim have qualified for the 2007 World Sailplane Grand Prix in New Zealand. It's quite a long way off, though, scheduled for December 2007. It's an exciting prospect. However, it doesn't ease our dissapointment with the weather here. Tim said that he had really looked forward to flying in Russia, almost more than the French Alps. Maybe we can come back some day? The people have been great, and we have had a good time here. The weather, well, what can you do? Everyone says it is really unusual for this time of year to have any rain. I have to say to Sabine Prasser - I think I am winning the rain competition!

So a bunch of us went bowling this afternoon at the nearby mini mall in Protvino. I took a bunch of pictures then promptly deleted them instead of copying them. So I am sorry, but no pics of bowling. It was a real American Brunswick bowling system, all computerized and fancy. I think I took last place with several frames of zero points. Well, someone has to be last!

After the closing ceremony tomorrow at noon, we will travel to Moscow for a few days before heading back to Dallas. Seems like a good idea to see some of the major sights other than the Drakino Airfield, although it is very nice.
Susan

August 8 Day Cancelled

When we woke up this morning, we saw this:














Although we were not quite sure what it was (apparently it was the sky), we took it as a sign that we might have a chance to fly today. Sure enough, two warring airmasses were doing battle right over our heads. Just to our northwest, there were cumulus clouds. Over our heads, the deck of clouds remained. We sat on the grid (change of pace!) until 3:30, when the sniffer reported that it was just "flat" so the day was cancelled. We have one more chance to fly, but the forecast for Wednesday looks slightly worse than today.














Tim considers the better weather to the northwest, just outside of the task area.

Someone was asking me about some of the Grand Prix rules, so here is a very short summary.

The contest is limited to 20 aircraft and pilots. Typically they are from one class. In this case, they are all exactly the same kind of aircraft. After the gliders launch, the start time is announced. Pilots must be behind the start line one minute before the start. These times are announced on the radio and in larger Grand Prix, announced over a PA system. Once the start line is open, the clock is running for all competitors, just like in auto racing. There is no penalty for starting late, but you have to find a way to get in front of those who have started before you if you hope to win.

With the start line and this type of "regatta start" the spectators below can really see the pilots as they get behind the start line and then start.

The tasks are all racing tasks. So how do you win? By making the best choices for that particular day.

The length of the competition period is shorter, the tasks tend to be shorter, but they do not have to be. Oh, and you don't get any real bonus or penalty for your speed. The first person to cross the finish line gets 10 points. The second place person gets 8 points and so on down to 9th place, which gets 1 point.
It doesn't matter if you beat someone by 15 seconds or 15 minutes as long as you come in first. Interesting, right?

In the Grand Prix rules, the task setter may also give bonus points for reaching a certain turn point first, which can change the game on a particular day.

If you really want to get into the rules, which are still featherweight in size compared to the Sporting Code Annex A, you can read them at

Aug 6-7 RAIN

August 7, 2006 (Monday)
Heavy rain last night. Now we are re-connecting with the world since the internet service was restored. When people start discussing which glider DVDs to show at the morning pilots' meeting, you know the forecast is bleak.
Susan

August 6, 2006 (Sun)
We had thunderstorms last night, complete with lightning. Quite the storm! It is still raining this morning, and the forecast really does not look too promising at all. In fact, it really doesn't look good for the next few days. So everyone looks a bit depressed, the way pilots look when things get drippy like this. They are showing pictures from their nationals in Novosibirsk (with dust devils!) and making paper airplanes.

I am hoping to go to Serpukhov (the nearby town) this afternoon to visit the flea market and to just take a look around. (We did get a nice tour of the town by Alexander, a local who is helping out with the press for the contest. He speaks English and German, so we understand each other pretty well.

Yesterday's festivities were very nice, in spite of the weather. There was a big show, with folk dancers and karaoke singing, and a sort of power house of dance-style cheerleader show.

We were treated to a luncheon of many kinds of hors d'oeuvres and vodka, cognac, and wine. Main courses were also served, but we couldn't even eat them - we were too full of hors d'oeuvres!
Susan

Rainy Saturday - Aug 5

Rainy morning...
We are all ready for the spectacle that was/is planned for today. The giant stage and sound system have been erected. All kinds of security people, event set up people, policemen and official types are hovering around. Unfortunately, it is raining. At times it is raining heavily! So we are inside waiting for the ceremony which we assume will take place at noon regardless of "moisture."














The fancy stage!














Don't you wish you had one of these cars? It is about the size of a Yugo.















Close up of the MI-2 helicopter used by the Mo-Atck aero club. Possibly produced in the 60's. Twin-turbine initial flight training! As much maintenance time as flight time, or so it seems.













Aerial view of the Drakino airfield looking roughly southwest.

Tim Wins the Day - August 4

Hello All,
The day really didn't look that promising this morning, and even until 12:30 - 1:00 it was still pretty overcast. We were promised a clearing area / better weather if we would just be patient. Sure enough, it started to clear out about 1:30 and we were out on the grid in the sunshine at 2:30. The first launch was at 3:00 and the start time was 3:45.

The task, in retrospect, was a bit of an undercall at 113.5 km.

For those of you following along at home (Rick Howell) the TPs were: 001 start, 027 Suxotino, 06 Velejevo, 003 Pfin, 002 Fin (and there was another new tp file this morning with a change to the finish coordinates, so your results may vary.

Tim called the last TP and asked "who else is home?" I answered "nobody". So as you all know, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. Tim appears to have won the day with an approx. speed of 75.6 kph, but we're waiting for the scorer before we celebrate in the traditional Russian way - with beer and fish! Apparently, dried whole fish is the favored food pairing with Russian beer. I will report about this later.

We are expecting a big crowd for this weekend's flights, air show, folk dancing(!) and general pomp and circumstance. I will continue to offer full reports as I am able.
Susan














Our FAI/IGC Referee, Bruno Ramseyer (Ireland) admires the improving sky on the grid today.

Results from Day 1

Hi everyone,
Today (Thu) has been cancelled due to high overcast and increasing winds ahead of some more weather (see my link to the weather sites at right for the "aktuelles" forecast). I look forward to a trip to a big Russian groceery store later today, if I can catch a ride with someone.

We achieved task 1 yesterday, with a 165.5 km 3 turnpoint task. The weather was pretty good, although below average by local Russian standards. There were cumulus clouds, although not all were true lift indicators, and Tim fell victim to a "sucker cloud" that separated him from the top group and dropped him to 6th place on the day.

A pretty good showing for his first cross country day in a Jantar, though!

Things went pretty smoothly from an organizational standpoint, although there was some confusion about the start order. Before the first comp day, lots were drawn for line numbers, which is pretty standard in international competition, right? Then you take off from left to right by line, so your start order depends on when you get to the grid. Here, they were trying to take people in the order they had drawn the lots, which resulted in slight confusion (I think mostly on our part) but it all worked out.

We have ended up with 13 competitors instead of 15 - two had to withdraw at the last minute. Just to put this event in perspective, there are about 300 glider pilots in the country. There aren't any "modern" gliders herre yet, although people are working to change that. There are about 100 Jantars, 100 Blaniks, and 30 Lak-12s. Russian contest pilots are given different titles, such as Master of Sport and something else I can't understand when they say it in Russian.

This airport is pretty active all week long with helicopter training and aerobatic training as well. Of course, I am tempted by the go-kart track, but so far no one will race with me. Perhaps that falls under the "don't do nothing dumb" heading anyway.

Susan















The flying center, constructed for the 2005 World Glider Aerobatics Championship














A Wilga tow plane...with a pair of Antonov 2s - one in original Russian Airforce marking and one in more modern paint job.
















Iakov Shrage, our host.
















The weather man, Sergei Stepanov points at the less-than-promising forecast for today.

Contest Day 1

August 2, 2006
After a morning of preparations, a contest day is underway now! The Competitors were able to get enough height in the start area and headed out on the task at 2:35 pm local time.
Tim was interviewed by Russian TV this a.m. - here is the link www.3channel.ru - if they do a story, you should see it in a few hours. There has been press all over this comp - two TV crews today, one yesterday, one over the weekend, and a flock of print reporters. So we are keeping busy with interviews as well as the usual contest stuff.














Here is our glider...lucky '66'

Note air museum of old Russian planes in background...oh wait, it is not a museum, they are all in use!

I'll let you know how the racing turns out in a couple of hours.
Susan

Pictures from Russia

Hi everyone,
I finally had time today, because the weather was still too overcast and damp to support a task, to resize a bunch of photos.

Today was contest day 1, so we started the morning with a special opening ceremony complete with 1. speeches by local dignitaries, 2. playing of the Russian national anthem, and 3. a young woman singing a special song about airsports - wait, what was that last one? Yes, it was a specially composed song done for the World aerobatic championships held here at Drakino airfield last year.

So anyway, it wasn't exactly raining, so we cleaned the glider and readied ourselves for possible launch, although it looked pretty unpromising. Tim and several others flew anyway. He really enjoyed flying the Jantar, and although we can't understand anything the controllers say to us on the radio, Tim managed to fly without any problems.

We expect taskable weather tomorrow, so tune in then...
Susan















Cloud streets over Belarus, on Sunday.

Chaos at Domododevo Airport.

Cloud streets as we approached Drakino on Sunday.

The long Journey to Russia

Dateline Serpukhov, Russia - July 31, 2006
After one long day of driving and one long night of repacking suitcases, and another day of flying we are at Drakino airfield south of Moscow. I will add longer notes and photos later, but here is the scoop: Tomorrow is the first day of this all-Jantar Grand Prix competition. The facilities at this arifield are wonderful. We are staying a short walk from the flightline in a great suite(!) yes, a suite, not a tent, I know, it is not our usual style!

There are 15 pilots, and 14 are Russian. The other is Tim. It is interesting to see the grand prix concept in action, because we were part of the first Worlds in GP last September. It is an evolving thing, rules-wise. Last night we saw a lively discussion in Russian about the rules. Interesting to see that the same topics come up now as in St. Auban last year: how to keep pilots from diving toward the start line, how to contorl speed at the finish, what about bonus points for a pre-determined turn point, etc. It is this mindset of collaboration that makes this kind of comp interesting for me, anyway.

Today it is raining and cool (I am happy not to be sweating for the first time in a month!), but earlier we got to meet our Jantar - contest ID 66 (registered as CCCP-1666 - I know - CCCP!) and take a look at the cockpit, which is huge compared with the Libelle. I will approach cleaning the plane either later or early tomorrow. It does need a good bath and maybe some polishing and taping.

The culture shock is immense. You feel like a 5 year old having to ask what every word means. Thank goodness for Iakov Shrage and his daughter Anna who speak excellent English and are looking after us very well. We went to get russian cell phone numbers, to the bank, to the grocery store, etc. this afternoon. Now we are provisioned and set for tomorrow...just hope the weather clears.

FYI, the time in Russia is 2 hours ahead of central europe, so 9 hours ahead of Central US time. Just thought you would like to know...
Susan

July 28 called due to rain - This WGC is complete

Hey all,
We knew that rain storms were coming today, just not when. Everyone went ahead and gridded, although you could see the bad weather coming our way. By 12:00, the day had been cancelled, and everyone hurried to de-rig and put away everything before the storms came It really rained hard ( although not as hard as the day of "Mudfest") and it was definitely the right call!

Results from 7/29 and overall

Club Class
Tim McAllister 36th on the day, 23rd overall
Tim Welles 29th on the day, 31st overall
David Stevenson 25th on the day, 34th overall
*A note: Tim McA had a really tough flight and was ucky to get home at all. As his crew person, I thank him for a landout-free contest!

World Class
Pat Tuckey 6th on the day, 11th overall
Francois Pin 8th on the day, 5th overall

These pilots are to be commended for their quick study of the flying in this region. It is a very steep learning curve, and all did very well at it. This was also a very strong field, containing many of the best pilots from Europe and around the world. No slouches here! So you should be proud of our boys as I am.

The incredible heat and number of hours flown made this a real endurance test, both physically and mentally. I enjoyed my time in France, although it kind of reminded me of time in Uvalde or Hobbs. The food was pretty good (even Flunch) and of course the camraderie was great. So, tonight is the final party, with the closing ceremony tomorrow morning. Then Tim and I wil be off like a shot heading back to Schwabia and on a plane to Russia Sunday morning.

The adventure continues...stay tuned!
Susan

July 27 - Day 11 underway

Hey y'all-
It is day 11...Regis, our competition director can be smug now...he promised us 10 flying days, and lo and behold, we have achieved 10 days.

Another hot one! The tasks for today are:

Club Class an assigned area task of 3 hours with a min distance of 311.3 km.
124 Start - pont de manosque, 053 Luc en Diois (30 km) , 064 Moustiers (20km), 017 Briancon (30 km)

Tim McAllister has a vpos tracker - if it works is another question.

World Class also has an assigned area task of 2:45 hours and a min distance of 213.4 km.
123 Start Greoux, 043 Jausiers (30 km), 027 Chatillon (30 km)

Yesterday's results
Club Class
Dave S. - 16th 88.8 kph
Tim McA 17th - 89.3 kph
Tim W 30th - landed out near our hotel La Pigette, safe and sound, but just lacking the altitude to make it home to Vinon.

World Class
Francois and Pat both landed out. Unfortunately, Francois had problems with his outlanding and the glider couldn't be repaired in time for this morning. After discussions with the comp director, it was decided that he could fly the glider that Paul of NZ had originally been flying. Lucky! So there was a purpose, although not readily apparent, for Paul's injured acchilles tendon after all.

With the forecast looking less than promising for tomorrow, this could be our last racing day. I will keep you suitably informed.
Susan

Competition Day 10 underway - July 26

Hello All,
This is supposed to be the hottest day of the summer, but I find that hard to believe. It has been an inferno for weeks! The pilots are on task, supposedly rested after yesterday's "day o' rest" and we are back into the contest routine.

The Tasks for today...

Club Class
123 Greoux, 069 Orpierre, 118 Puimichel, 075 La Roche Ram, and home. A racing task of 328.3 km.

World Class
107 Vinon Aero, 075 LaRoche Ram, 087 Serres - a racing task of 278.9 km.

Based on the weather briefing this morning, strong thunderstorms should build over the mountains this afternoon. So far there are large builds of clouds both northeast and northwest. We will see.

It's hard to believe that there are only 3 more possible days...Friday is our lqst day, with the closing ceremony on Saturday a.m. After that, Tim and I are off to Germany to return the glider, then on a plane to Russia to fly the Grand Prix there. So there is much more racing to be done.

Susan

Hello All.
Rest day, rest day, how I love my rest day!
Here is a quick report and then we are off to swim.

The weather was once again not as forecast, with rain showers headed into and out of the first turn for Club class (Luc en Diois). It was a pretty straight racing task from there. I was happy because all of our pilots got home in time for our joint party with Germany and Austria. Lots of German beer flowed freely, the chili we served was eaten all up, and I never even saw the Austrian chocolates because they were scarfed up quite rapidly!

Club Class results from yesterday...
Tim Welles 26th speed: 99.8
Dave Stevenson 28th speed: 97.3
Tim McAllister 31st speed: 96.1

In World Class, Pat tied for 4th on the day with a speed of 97.5 kph and Francois was 8th with 96.0 kph. They were pleased with their team flying today.

So I am out of here and will talk to you manana!
Susan

Day 9 - July 24

Ooh La la! It is even hotter today than the previous days, when the temps have reached 40 deg centigrade and higher! That's more than 100, and I stop counting over 100.

Today's initial task was set but was changed on the grid due to storms over one of the turnpoints. So we ended up with the following:
Club Class - a 315.1 km racing task
Start, 124¨Pont de Manosque, 027 Chatillon, 026 Chateau Neuf, 086 Serreponcon.

World Class - a 274.0 km racing task
Start 123 Greoux, 084 Savines, 035 Digne, 087 Serres

Club Class has the trackers today, and Tim Mc has one, so if the system is working, you should be able to watch at www.wgc2006.fr

Yesterday was very exciting and challenging. The great forecast was a teeny bit off, or perhaps a great bit off, because big storms in the Durance Valley sucked up all of the energy in the area, leaving pilots in both classes to struggle at, or below, ridge height for long periods of time. Unfortunately, Dave landed out on his way to the third turn, Valensole, which is nw of here on the plateau. Tim and Tim both finished the task, although both struggled mightily to do so. On Tim W's way in, he called me on the radio once he figured he would indeed be making it home, saying simply "Order pizza now!"

Francois allso scraped his way home, reporting how far under glide scope he was during his final glide, but somehow making it and ending up in 4th on the day. Thank you to Nancy Snead for those worry beads you gavedottiee Pin a while back...she really used them yesterday. Pat almost squeaked it home, but landed out 1.7 km from the airport. His family was here to help out with this very manageable retrieve.

The 500 km task took longer than expected for most competitors, so we were seeing finishers anywhere from 7:30 to 9:00. Very late night!

Tomorrow has been cancelled for a safety break. A certain French pilot was complaining vigorously about this, as was another Team Captain, but it has been declared and looks like we can sleep intomorroww!!! Boy, do we need it.


Tonight is our US team party, which we're doing with the Germans and Austrians. The Germans brought 180 litres of beer, we are doing chili, and the Austrians have brought Mozartkugels, chocolate confections which look like trailer hitch covers. Should be fun, and I expect that the beer will be consumed with some vigor, since tomorrow is a rest day.

Quote of the day " Some of those pre-start gaggles resemble a demolition derby!" Pat Tuckey

Day 8 underway

So it is Competition Day 8/Day 9 of the contest. Possibly a mistral day. That means a northwest wing and much trickier conditions for those unfamiliar with the area. It is hot, the sky looks good, so we shall see how they do.

The tasks...
Club Class a 498.8 km racing task shaped like, well, a couple of triangles.
036 Embrun, 080 Saillans, 114 Valensole, 029 Col de Cabre

World Class is a 364.2 km racing task, bow tie shaped.
027 Chatillon, 116 Brunet, 105 Veynes

And yesterday, well it was a good day for some and a bad day for some. They aren't kidding when they say this is a game of skill AND chance.

Tim McA put a good flight together with 111 kph and 14th on the day. Unfortunately, Tim W. and David landed out, but fortunately, they were together. It was a long retrieve, and they didn't get home until after midnight.

Francois made it back as well, with a speed of 82.9 kph in 5th place on the day.
And Pat, there's a story there. He landed out near Sisteron, which should be a 45 min drive, right? Well, Bogie left yesterday, so Pat has a new crew - his nephew Jake. Jake is 18 and has never crewed before, but he had the directions and a map, and all of the phone numbers, and he seemed so confident...but he IS an 18 year old boy. So hours passed and no Jake. Then he arrived in Sisteron, but still couldn't find Pat. Eventually, about 9:30, they connected, and all was well. So a late night, but happy endings for all.
Susan

Pics:

Susan















At camp, our typical pre launch gathering.















Sylvie, Meredith, David and Meghan.
















Marina Galetto, one of the Stewards.













Dottie tries to keep Jan cool.

Day 7 Underway - July 22

Hi Everyone,
I wonder if some of you remember that old song "I am fixin' to die?" Well, it is that hot. The Texans among you may question this assessment of the heat. I mean, we are talking about FRANCE, not Houston, for goodness sake! But you have to trust me...I think I have melted a sizable section of my brain due to desert-like temps and although it is sort of dry, I am always sweating. I found Dottie Pin yesterday in the hangar waqtching the VPOS tracking of the World Class and resting her head on her frozen bottle of water. I would have taken a picture, but she was so hot, it didn't seem fair to subject her to that (although she still looked good - how do you do it, Dottie?) Oh, and to clarify, I am not complaining - at least it is not raining and we are having lots of good flying WX.

Anyway, back to the flying. Today's tasks are:
Club Class - Assigned Area triangle Task 2:45:00 hrs min distance 223.32 km, max 426.8 kmStart 123 Greoux, 073 Pre Md Carl with radius of 35 km (Darned abbreviations), 027 Chatillon radius of 30 km, and 125 finish 20

World Class - Assigned Area "bowtie" Task 2:30 hrs, min distance 211.5, max 463.8 kmStart 124 Pont de Manosque, 029 Col De Cabre (our fave) radius 20, 064 Moustiers radius 20, 086 Serre Poncon radius 25, 125 finish 20.

So they are out there now and I am seeking shelter from the sun in my air conditioned hotel room for a few minutes.

Wrapup of yesterday - We seem to be taking turns having good and bad days in club class. Tim W put together a good flight for 19th place on the day, and David S. was 30th. The winner, France's inimitqble (ask me and I will tell you why) Olivier Darroze won the day with a smoking 115kph speed. Tim McA had a tough day, making it home, but winding up dog slow back in 35th on the day. Oh well!

In World Class, at least a Pole won the day instead of a French pilot.
Francois placed 6th and Pat was 9th on the day. Now Pat is having radio probs instead of battery probs, urgh!

Latest controversy: sunflower picking on final. There's a field of sunflowers at the appreach end of runway 20, so of course, some pilots cut their margin pretty fine on final glide...sometimes even disappearing under the blooms for a moment. I have not yet seen a glider hop out of the cockpit with an armload of sunflowers, or tournesols, in French, but it wouldn't surprise me if it happened. Well, it would surprise me to receive flowers from a glider pilot, but I think you know what I mean...So Regis the CD made a new ruling that low approaches will not be tolerated. How low "low" is will be determined by a video camera at the finish line. So it remains to be seen who will have an example made of them. It seems like half of the finishers are sunflower picking from my vantage point. I will keep you posted on that one.

Weirdly enough, after three weeks in the French desert, I am having a hankering for the following: Mi Cocina food and a Mambo Taxi, a Dr. Pepper slurpee, a selection of current English magazines, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, the Weather Channel (I know, I can't believe it either) because there seems to be no Weather on French TV except a super cool guy who kind of waves at a graphic with little suns on it), and of course a long phone chat with my friends & family. Other than that, everything is cool here. Anyone who wants to send along some of the above mentioned items will find our physical address on the official website http://www.wgc2006.fr/. Be sure to pack that slurpee in dry ice.

Here are pics...



























You have got to love a language that calls a sports goal a 'but'.

Day 6 underway

Hey Y'all,
Another hot one, sans cirrus clouds today. The tricky thing will be avoiding late afternoon storms in the northern part of the task area (the high ground). Things were pretty weak at first, with almost all of our pilots complaining of being below release altitude early on.

The tasks:
Club Class - Racing task 376.0 km. 107 Vinon Aero, 053 Luc En Dioi, 022 Castelon, 086 Serre Poncon, 125 Finish 20. This is another bow tie to the north zest, then on a southeasterly line, north to Serre Poncon, and home.

World Class - Racing task of 366.8 km. 123 Greoux, 075 La Roche Ram, 090 St. Andre Les something ( I only have the short names), 084 Savines and home. This is a kind of long dog leg to the northeast.

Yesterday was indeed challenging, but doable for both classes. At times there was alot of rock polishing - this alps should be pretty shiny with all of the polishing going on!Unfortunately, David landed out at Briançon Airport, but he did make dinner reservations for Meredith and Meghan at the apparently good airport restaurant. Good pilot!

Tim McA pulled off arespectablee 7th on the day w/ a speed of 91.8 kph, and Tim W made it home after getting stuck in "the right place that he thought was the wrong place," if that makes any sense. Good job Tims. Good Pilots!

In World Class, Pat and Francois placed 6 and 7 on the day, with speeds of about 74 kph vs. the French winner's time of 76 kph. They seem to be putting it together well and are moving up the overall scoresheet.

I am impressed at your restraint in the caption contest. In fact, no one has entered a caption at all, which I suppose should tell me something about the attractiveness of the contest. I will endeavor to take a more interesting or humorous pic in the next day or so.

Susan

Day 4 Wrapup; Day 5 underway

I am starting to sound like a broken record, but it is true: it is another hot day here in Vinon. Today, cirrus clouds were hanging around our area and they are still here to some degree now (14:15) It looks very blue around here, with a few puffy cu way off to the Northeast.

Here are today's tasks.
Club Class will do a 406.6 km racing task shaped like a butterfly or a bow tie depending on how you look at these things. First turn is Plampinet to the Northeast, Then to La Cluse to our northwest, then back to the east to Jausiers, which is near the high mountain town of Barcelonette, then home.

World Class will also do a racing task of 269.7 km shaped like a bow tie, but to Orpierre first, then to Aiguines east of us, then to Seyne and home. I expect it to be a challenging day...

So, yesterday was an interesting, albeit frustrating day for most pilots, including ours. "Nothing was easy," they all said. After many long hours in the cockpit, all of our pilots mase it home (hooray) and although the club class pilots were not pleased with their speeds, I would submit that survival was a big enough achievement. Tim McA ended up 22nd on the day, Dave Stevenson was 28th, and Tim Welles was 33rd. But today is a new day, and they are all on task now.

In World Class, Francois and Pat had caught up with the French team, who do seem to be the ones to beat, during the first leg of the task. However, the French took a different route back home and somehow outpaced our guys, who ended up 10th (Francois) and 13th (Pat) respectively.

Now for the photo caption contest! Please submit your caption for the photo below and I will choose a winner tomorrow. The lucky winner will receive a goodie bag of assorted WGC swag. The pictured unfortunate PW-5 pilot, Paul Schofield of New Zealand ruptured his achilles tendon by stepping in a pothole while running after his trailer after landing out on Day 2. Now, Paul is a special friend of the US Team and we do wish him the best, but the situation also begs for a special caption!





















And in other photos...














Dave Stevenson with his wife and crew Meredith, yesterday - 19 July.















Tim Welles after his outlanding at La Motte Chalcon on the day of Mudfest. This is the altiport where tow pilots must have a special certificate to fly there.















Neil, the Team captain of GB gives his best dour Scotsman smile.
















Yesterday in the pool - left to right: Sylvie, Megan, Jan and me.

Day 4 underway

Hey all or y'all as the case may be. I am sitting in the info office watching team captains turn in start times. The pre-start time is always such a chess game. On a day like today, with big tasks - club has a 405.4 km triangle racing task to 10 Beaurieres, 35 Digne, 17 Briançon; the World Class is on the way for a long out and return to Plampinet for 312.5 km. The weather looks pretty good, although it's always possible we'll see overdevelopment (by which I mean thunderstorms...sorry for the jargon) later this p.m. and very possibly in the mountains when the club class is at Briançon. Check out the meteoblue link to the right for the latest conditions.

Here are some of the pics I have been collecting:














At the morning briefing. Always looking at the map.





















Tim Welles programming the task into his flight computer on 17 July.














Uli Schwenk (Germany) got really stuck in Lake Vinon during the Mudfest.















I am dealing with a computer problem, I think.
















Here's Jan (crew for Tim W.) after being drenched on the muddy day.

More after I have a chance to upload what I took today.

I just heard that the Brittish team had a photo caption contest yesterday on their website www.glidingteam.co.uk. I am going to look through my pics and see if we can do the same!

Be sure to drop us a note through the comment area below...we'd love to know how our 3 readers (excluding my parents and Aldo - Ciao!) are enjoying the reports!
More to come...
Susan

Day of Rest - July 18

After yesterday's excitement, it was kind of a relief to hear from the CD that he expected to have a rest day today. With strong thunderstorms predicted again (starting to sound familiar?) the task was indeed cancelled at the 10:30 pilots' meeting. We busied ourselves with cleaning yesterday's mud off of gliders and other housekeeping tasks.

A few notes from yesterday's landouts: Pat Tuckey ended up in a field near Espinases, which is by Lake Serre Poncon. Immediately, he met a nuber of locals, including a glider pilot, a woman who wanted to "show her baby" the glider, and a guy in a motorized whelchair who seemed to be berating Pat about his ability to walk...all in French!

Tim Welles ended up at the 'Altiport' of LaMotte Chalencon with the German pilot Matthias Sturm. During the hours of waiting for an aero retrieve, the tow kept each other company. Tim took the second tow because he could communicate the wing running instrutctions in French to the airport caretaker who had to run the wing downhill. Everything went fine, and after im returned to Vinon, Matthias's 5 yr old son was waiting with a cold German Bier for Tim...very cute!

We did have a 1000 point day in Club Class, with 21 of 39 completing the task. In World Class, the day was devalued to arounf 700 points, with 7 of 19 completing the task.
And the weather, well, we'll see. We need to get out of this pattern, but I don't know when that will happen.
More news soon,
Susan

Mudfest 2006 - Day 3

So we had another contest day today. The weather man figured we would have storms, but the task setter was optimistic? with a 222 km speed task for World Class and a 291.5 km speed task for Club. Things were hot on the ground here, but more difficult up north, where they were going. Unfortunately, Pat landed out near lac serre poncon. Shortly after Bogie left to get him, it started raining here...then it started pouring here for about an hour. I heard from Tim Welles, landed out safely, if not dramatically at the La Motte Chal. Altiport, which features a very sloped runway and is located on a mountainside. Then we heard Dave Stevenson was out at Serre. So The crews strained to hear Francois and Tim who were out there somewhere fighting through the rain. During the biggest downpour and lightning several finishers started to arrive in near zero visibility. Soon we saw Tim and Francois. Good job in terrible conditions.
We're waiting for Tim to return via aerotow and for Dave by trailer.

Here are a couple of the first pics.

Susan

Stevenson wins Day 1; Day 2 complete

Hello All,
The afternoon thunderstorms are really giving our internet service fits. About the time I want to sit down to write to you, a storm comes along and knocks things out.
This was a carbon copy of yesterday, which I haven't told you about, so: yesterday (day 1) featured assigned area tasks with a min time of 1.5 hours in both classes. Immediately after launch, a big thunderstorm was brewing over the high ground to the east-northeast, over the plateau. Once pilots got away from the airfield, conditions improved, after fighting through rain on the way to the first TP. Out on course, there were good thermal conditions and plans were made for long final glides back home. The storm finally moved through with very gusty winds which tore part of the roof off Tim Welles' camper!

Dave Stevenson wins the day with a speed of 116 kph. Congratulations to Dave!

So, today (Tue) was another hot one, with storms building even during our early (12:00) launch time. The tasking was again conservative, with a 1.75 hr assigned area task for the Club Class and 1.5 hrs for the World Class. Our team heads out at about the same time, sticking together during the first parts of the task. At Blayeiul, they separated taking different lines. Dave returned first, turning in a fast enough time for 15th on the prelim score sheet. Tim and Tim got stuck on L'ubac for a time but ended up crossing the finish line at exactly the same time and causing a near accident between Jan and myself as we hurried toward the two gliders!

This evening we look forward to the Italian cocktail party and another early night as we rest up for the next hot day. I hope for longer tasks and 1000 point days!
Susan

Day 1 at 10:20 a.m.

Sorry for the silence yesterday - a strong storm (well, not that strong by Texas stds, but strong enough) knocked out the internet service at the airfield on the night of the 13th. So we spent Bastille Day without internet. Although flying was permitted before the opening ceremony, most just did last minute preparations and got ready for the opening ceremony. During the first speech, it started to pour, after having been extremely hot while we were in the marshalling area. So that was about it - a march in, one speech, and a quick aerobatic display to music. No tiny gliders! No folk dancing. I was disappointed. So, we are about to begin the pilots meeting. I'll give you the task and other color commentary in a little while...
Susan

2:30 on Thursday

It's another hot day in Vinon on this last practice day. The weather forecaster predicted early overdevelopment with storms, so many pilots decided not to fly today, and no task was called. However, the forecast was quite wrong. It's hot, with nice cumulus and no major overdevelopment here yet. So it goes...a 300k day, perhaps? Tim Welles is the only U.S. pilot who is flying today, and we expect to see a big smile on his face when he returns.

Last minute glider tweaking, gap sealing, and various errands are taking up most of our time this afternoon.

Tonight will be the first team captains' meeting, and tomorrow, Bastille Day, is our opening ceremony. Then we get going on Saturday.

More soon,
Susan

Downpour! Wed p.m.

Well, bless his heart - our Pat Tuckey is 2 for 2 so far - he got caught in strong storms this afternoon and landed out at Klaus Ohlmann's airfield at Serres, not far from where he landed out on Monday. Luckily everything was fine, and he decided to spring for the aero retrieve. He just returned safely. However, his crew, Bogie, while now in Europe, is still not here. Bogie, please hurry!!!

So now it's still rainy at 7:20 pm.
More soon...
Susan

Midday on Wednesday

Hello Everyone!
We had another hot day (100° plus), with great flying conditions on Tuesday. The CD, Regis Kuntz has been calling Vinon the French Namibia, and although I have never visited that African land, I can believe that Vinon could actually be hotter and dustier. It kind of makes Uvalde, and definitely Dallas, seem cool. Or maybe I am just suffering from heat stroke!

Anyway, finally, everyone is here! Francois and Dottie Pin arrived yesterday with their German PW-5 in tow. He has already gone through technical inspection, so we only have Dave Stevenson to go this morning.

Yesterday, Tim and Tim flew the task, which you can see on the official site www.wgc2006.fr. Tim McA placed 7th of 12 and Tim W. was 9th. They both had good flights up in the alps. We had our first dinner together followed by our first team meeting. There are still many logistics to work out...cell phone SIMM cards to buy, antenna connectors to scrounge, and various electronic problems to solve. We are getting things sorted out and should be ready by Saturday.

The WX today doesn't look as good as the last two days, although it should still be good. The practice task will be a 1.5 hour Assigned Area Task ( like our TAT) to the northwest and northeast. There's already alot of vertical development on the Lure Mountain, not usually a good sign for long flying tasks.
Susan

Here are some pics as promised...















Lake Serre de Ponçon, north of Vinon, leaving the high mountains onto the Parcours.


Tim Welles having made the traverse from Pic de Burre transitioning into the high mountains of Les Ecrains, headed for the Pas de Cavalle and Briançon. Looking north towards Grenoble.
















The high route from the northern Dormilouse (there are 2 mountains with this name) towards the south and home. Vinon is in the direction of the far away clouds in the left of the picture, about 80 plus miles away.

Pics by Tim McAllister, on July10.

After a long Practice Day

Hello All,
A long day yesterday (Monday)...There were practice tasks in both classes. The Tims (McAllister and Welles) flew the club task but also enjoyed some sightseeing, since it was a spectacularly clear day. They took a look at Mont Blanc from a fair distance and explored some new areas and practiced some transitions. Pat Tuckey flew the World Class task but got caught in contrary winds at Col de Cabre and achieved the distinction of having the first landout! Since Bogie, his crew, is still in Dallas (Personal note to Bogie: please hurry up and get here!) Jan, Tim W's crew and fellow PiWi pilot Paul from NZ trucked off to the landing field, about 1.5 hours away. Everything was fine, but it was a late night for them.

David Stevenson spent the day working on his glider and getting settled in.
Tim and Tim went through technical inspection last night with no major problems.

We had a near international incident when the Lithauanians parked their trailers in our tiedown area. A little diplomacy and discussion with the organizers took care of this after a few tense moments.

More news and pics - I promise - today.
Susan

First Practice Days at Vinon

Finally back on the internet after a couple of days without. Tim Welles has been here for qa few days. Tim McAllister and I arrived on Friday. Pat Tuckey soon followed, and his PW-5 got here yesterday from Poland, so he spent most of yesterday working on it out in the sun. Did I mention it's pretty hot? Not Texas Soaring Hot, mind you, but very warm all the same.

The two Tims had a nice flight on Saturday - a tour of the mountains, nice conditions. Once we get the internet straightened out today, I plan to post the flight to the OLC so those who care can take a look.

David Stevenson arrived late last night; now we're just waiting for François Pin and the team will be complete.

I'll post pics later...
Susan McAllister
10:00 am

Idyllic Schwabia

Tim and I made it to Germany via Atlanta on Delta (note to Delta - you could be a little more generous with the seat pitch in coach!) and now we are in the Schwabian Alps. If you haven't been here, picture green rolling fields, hills with ancient castle ruins, and of course, a zilion gliders everywhere on a Sunday afternoon in July. We drove straight from the Stuttgart airport to Hahnweide (naturally) to see what was going on. Just as we were hanging over the fence, we saw our team mate Tim Welles on his first tow in the Standard Cirrus he will fly in the WGC. Then we met some other German glider friends, Mario and Sabine. They were at the 1st Grand Prix Worlds last September. Many other familiar faces there, and everyone was happy because the weather was nice, if a bit windy.
I'll post some pics later.
Susan

Here we go again!

As Team Captain, one of my jobs (and one of the most fun) is writing daily reports during the contest. I will do my best to keep you all updated at least twice a day as internet service permits. Here are all of the details about the Championship:
4th FAI Club Class World Gliding Championships
5th FAI World Class Gliding Championships
Location: Vinon, France, which is just south of Saint-Auban, in Haute Provence.
Dates: July 8 - 29
Unofficial Practice Days: July 8-9
Official practice: July 10-13
Opening Ceremony (no flying): July 14 (Bastille Day!)
First Contest Day: July 15
Last Contest Day: July 28
Closing Ceremony: July 29

U.S. Team Roster
Club Class
Tim McAllister - Dallas, Texas
David Stevenson - Atlanta, Georgia
Tim Welles - Horseheads, New York

World Class
Francois Pin - Knoxville, Tenessee
Pat Tuckey - Fort Worth, Texas

If you are a competition pilot, you know how much 'stuff' has to come with you to a sailplane race: your loggers, batteries, a computer with See You, wing tape, radios, etc., etc. Now think about taking all of this on the road and across the ocean. It does require some special planning! There's also lots of prep work to do - forms and registration, finding gliders to rent, reserving affordable and appropriate places to stay, finding cars with a trailer hitches, and learning about the competition area. After many moths of prep, we are almost there.
Be sure to check out the links to the official WGC site and other fun links as I find them...
Susan McAllister
27 June 2006