Region 10 South: Waller TX
Going to this contest had been on my mind all year (especially with the downturn in soaring weather) but a conflict in Lyn’s schedule was preventing me from entering the contest. Not to mention that just the thought alone of entering a contest with 30 pilots made me plenty nervous!
Ten days prior to the contest, Tony Condon sent me a text message saying that Spirit Aerosystems cut his job and he would be my crew chief for room and meals. I thought about that for about 15 seconds (at most) and started entering into the contest! Are you kidding, wow!? Going to a first contest with a friend that has contest experience has to be rare and I appreciate his time (thanks Leah!), help, and of course the experience. But, there was no way that my son Matt was going to stay at home and miss out on the fun so Team America, packing an American native Zuni in its tomahawk box, “The Kanza-hatchi tribe” was set to invade the south!
Tony and I integrated our checklists together and I was 100% prepared when it came time to fly each day. Between Tony’s loggers and mine, there were only 5 GPS recorders in the glider. None of that “missing flight log” scores during this week! Matt and Tony had the glider ready to go each morning and they secured it each evening after I ran away to soak my head in cold water and turn in the flight log. They were all smiles at the end of the day and so very encouraging. Every time I came to a stop by the trailer, they made me feel as if I had won the day, regardless of the score. A good score was just a bonus when you are having this much fun!
Sunday would be my first (and only) practice day. I was assigned a mentor, Randy Hollenberg. While Randy wasn’t about to give up his competitive soaring advantages, he did offer sound geographical advice and encouragement. After the pilot meeting, I was positioned to be the first glider in line to launch, “oh, yeah, that would be great,” NOT! On the tow, I was using full aileron and rudder to stay behind the towplane because the thermals were knife edged and violent compared to those here in KS, particularly down low. I released in lift and climbed out under a sky full of CU. There were three high powered Pawnee towplanes, so I had a new glider underneath me (or around me) arriving every 2 minutes. No time to wimp out, time to be a thermal marker for others, climb, and get on task.
I quickly became disoriented with the foreign geography. Some roads run in 45 degree angles occasionally. GPS NAV quickly became vital information to have. But, toward the end of the week, I felt right at home and the flight computer became just a navigational aid. Also, you cannot fly east very far without entering the Houston Class B, which ironically is similar to our orientation to Wichita Class C. Tony brought his FLARM and it was invaluable at pointing out other gliders and some aircraft. Having a FLARM absolutely does not remove your responsibility from constantly looking outside, it simply improves your ability to do so. This technology is definitely on my shopping list.
The weather was soarable every day (Sunday–Friday), it was glider contest paradise! Two of those days were blue, which really tested me but I made it around each day and never landed out. I only got close to landing out on the first blue day and was spared by a gaggle of Texas birds. Almost every strong thermal had birds marking the core, which helped me climb much faster than many pilots who apparently either didn’t see them or were not looking. On the first blue day, Ken Sorenson (contest director) stated that it would be blue (room groans) then smiled and said “It’s going to be great!”. When asked if he was flying today, he responds “no, I’m not flying today, I only fly when there are clouds!”
The tasks were Turn Area Task (on days with CU) and Modified Assign Task (on the blue days) to put more gliders on the same course lines as thermal aides. All tasks were really good and chosen by a master of soaring in the local area. Clouds typically had great thermals and on blue days you just almost couldn’t miss the lift, especially if looking for soaring birds.
Tony and I analyzed the flights every day and I worked hard to keep improving every day. I scored 14th on the first blue day and improved lots the next and placing 6th out of 21 on each of the last two days, for 10th overall. This exceeded my expectations and I had an absolute blast flying a heads up final glide with a Duo Discus and en route flying with two different LS-8’s. The only disappointment (to me) was that the contest had ended just as I was starting to get good at it! No doubt, having the help of Tony (and several mentors) made my first “away from home” regional contest a safe, fun, and incredibly rewarding experience. If you want to fly in a contest, I think that offering to be someone’s crew at an event for an experienced pilot would be the next best way to go.
Each day ended in a feast of food, drink, and socializing. Ken and Michelle Sorenson (and the SCOH club) put on a fantastic, first rate contest. The gliderport is a triple runway grass field with a surprising quantity of member hangars and what I consider a dream clubhouse. We were among champions, ate like kings, and I flew like a wild animal. I learned that contest flying is much more than just trying to be first, it’s the overall experience, the quantity of flying, the people, but most importantly the fun!