Robin emailed that it would be towing at Trøgstad on Sunday, I was at work all day Saturday, and had to get back to work on Sunday eveneing as well. I planned and declared a 50 km FAI triangle, where the flight took me northeast along the Gardermoen TA, south and back northwest to the airstrip. Åge towed Robin up a few times first, as Åge was learning to be aerotow pilot on the trike. Roger towed me up, best tow I ever had, smooth and efficient. Robin’s trike seems to climb good as well.

It was slow going after releasing at 700 meters, and I decided to float around locally as I could not go XC. While I was climbing slowly the clouds improved and started to form streets, so I reconsidered and went for the task. I did the stupid mistake of not thinking about going back to take the start point again, guess I’m too used to big start circles in the comps. To set a record the whole task must be flown after release from the tow, I had towed out of the start TP.

There was good lift over the radiotower, and I could jump between clouds after getting to base at 1450m. I had to cross over a lake and into forested areas for the next TP. The area was in shade from a good looking cloud, I went for it a little to early, and got drilled on the way in. Got seriously low over forest on the way back, but got a low save from 200 meters over a clearing in the forest, that was too close, so I blessed the thermal and hung on all the way to cloudbase in good strong lift. Heading south under a cloudstreet I thought the tailwind would make the rest of the leg easy, but the seabreeze came in and gave me 10 km headwind. Still it was quite easy following a nice street and only turning in the best lift. From the last cloudbase at 1500 meters I glided through the last TP and towards goal, with a nice tailwind the 19 km glide should be easy, pointing my toes and enjoying the glide. But halfway there I met headwind from the west again and had to speed up. I had to deviate around the last hill, and landed 200 meters from the airstrip, gliding under the power lines to get inside the goal circle.

If I only had gone back to the TP I would have set a Norwegian record (Easy since no one have declared one before :-)), the mean speed was 28,6 km/h including the tow up.

SeeYou screenshot of the task.