Rain, lots of it. Here’s Davis praying for better weather in front of the radar image of the storm.

So no task today, tomorrow looks very iffy too.

Sorry for the short updates, it’s so late when we get home and the energy levels are not as high as in the beginning of the competition. Anyway, yesterday we got a task with real turnpoints (oohhh). Unfortunately it was the slowest day so far with lots of high clouds shading and shutting down the conditions. I took the fist start with Atilla, John Jr, and a gaggle of other good pilots. We had a good run until we hit shade just before the first turnpoint. I got a good thermal going back from the TP, where lots of other pilots struggled, and could glide in above the leading gaggle.

We went on a long glide towards the second turnpoint, it was super smooth air, and not much thermal activity. We all spread out in search of lift, as the whole area was shaded, and I glided cross towards some sunny patches. I decided it was not worth gliding into the shade, just to glide out the altitude I had. Instead I tried to use it to search for lift that might get me to goal. I was searching in a promising area for a long time, but it never took off. No pilots made goal, I would have scored much better if I had glided out my altitude, but that’s hanggliding…

Today it looked slow like the day before, but it turned out to be the best racing day of the comp. I got a good start, stuck with the main gaggle until halfway where I hit a bad line when heading out in front of the gaggle. I lost some time there, to get back up and lost contact with the lead gaggle. I joined up with Dave Sieb and one Spanish pilot, and we had a good run until goal.

This guy was at the airport to greet us when we got home, lots of insects here due to the rain earlier.

Forecast for the last two days are not very good, the tropical storm Erin is already making rain here in Big Spring.

284km task, got stuck low halfway after making a stupid choice, and spent the next half hour getting up again. Got to goal, but it was slow at the end as the day was shutting down. Landed at 19:30, got 55. place. Not very happy about the speed, but it was cool to fly this long.

Yesterday we had a rest day after the long flight and drive home, today looks good, but the next few days might bring thunderstorms.

Finally we got better conditions with some clouds, and higher inversion. The task was 149 km straight to goal with a exit start around Big Spring. I towed up quite late, but the conditions were good and I was originally planning on taking the second start time. I hung out with the main gaggle at the start circle, and I did the classical mistake and got low just before the start. I was not too worried until I saw everyone taking the fist start, so it would be few pilots at the second start. I turned aorund and went after the main gaggle, hoping to catch up enough to get contact.

After two thermals I was in contact with the main gaggle, but we had to cross over a big blue hole, and I had to top up as much altitude as possible. At 250o meters we started our glide, aiming for the gaggle that had a strong core on the horizon. I got a bad line and came in the lowest of all, and had to struggle a little to find the  core. By the time I got up the gaggle had left for the next thermal. Not much to do than slow down a little, and take shorter glides. I met up with two Italians Elio and Tulli and we took the last few thermals together and went on final glide.

We were warned that it was not landable around the goal, as it was on the other side of a small town and had lots of oil pumps around it. We took lots of extra altitude, and came in way too high. It was too thermic to fly faster than 100 km/h. The goal area was ugly, with wires, barbed wire fences, and almost no grass. I landed Ok on the asphalt runway. Others were not so lucky, and Olav Lien’s glider blew onto a fence and got a small rift in the sail.

Today we might get a very long task. Weather looks ok.

And it was a repeat of yesterday, only more difficult at the end. We got a 169 km task, straight to goal. Nils Aage and me took the first start gate, flew together most of the day, and ended up on the same field 24 km from goal. Olav Opsanger made it in again, Olav Lien Olsen landed after 101km.

Atilla have won every day now, and is strong in the lead. The weather does not look as if it is changing at all, so we will have more of this low and slow conditions.

Nils Aage and me together in slooooow conditions. We landed after gliding out when this thermal died at 1700 meters, the terrain is at 900 meters here.

Sign at the airport

Another blue day today, 10-15 miles southerly winds and what looks to be a repeat of yesterdays conditions.

Just got back, 1:30 here. A long task in slow conditions, 185 km dogleg. Olav Opsanger took the first startgate and got to goal, Nils and me flew fast and well with the main gaggle until after the tp, where I topped out on top of the gaggle, and went on glide, only to find that nobody followed. I should have looked back and waited, but I could not imagine the gaggle would hang back on top of the thermal. Bastards… Being alone today was not very efficient, and I went into survival mode to try to stay in the air and take it very slowly. I managed to stay up, but all the gliders I could  see in front were low and landing. Weak thermals meant stayin in 0.5 meter and often just 0.

I came to a quite wide canyon with no landings, and I did not risk going low into it, so I flew back upwind and landed around 35 km from goal. Olav had topped out at 2500 meters above that point and glided to goal. So close, but 1000 meters too low.

Nils had landed where I left the gaggle, and Olav Lien Olsen around the turnpoint. Around 30 in goal.

Now sleep…

We got a 145km task to the north, straight line to goal. It was a strong tailwind, but inverted, stable, and blue. Almost nobody started towing until 30 minutes after the start opened.

My camelback started leaking while I was waiting in line for the tow, 2 liters of cold water down my back was quite refreshing in the 36 degrees heat. I had a good tow, and quickly found myself in a very good position on top of the gaggle at the edge of the start circle. But it was very weak conditions, and I did not see anyone else leaving at the first start clock at 14:45 I was flying with Seppi, and Antoine and a few others I did not recognize.  We flew upwind and stayed in the weak stuff for the next 30 minutes to take the next start. By then almost everyone had joined us in the same gaggle, making it quite unsafe for everyone in the unstructured air. I searched around for better lift, but only lost height and ended up low in the gaggle at the second start time.

I flew on and tried to stay in touch with the leading gaggle, many pilots landed under us, and I tried to stay as high as possible – meaning only between 500 and 1000 meters above ground. It was slow going, but I got to goal without major drama. I had to abort my 18:1 final glide when I got worse air than expected, and lost maybe 10-15 minutes before gliding to goal. Around 35 pilots in goal. Some of the top pilots landed out early, so it was clearly a challenging task. Olav Opsanger was first on our team, then me, and Nils Aage just behind. Olav Lien Olsen struggled early and had to land.

We do not have any results yet.

At goal – a nice little airport.

The drive to Big Spring was long and uneventful. We spent about 10 hours, and took it slow. Not much to see, but very green landscape due to lots of rain lately. We arrived in Big Spring, had dinner, and did some shopping at Wal Mart before going to bed.

I’m still jetlagged, it’s 5 hours difference to home, and I woke up at 04:30 feeling quite awake. We went out to get our gliders put together from shortpack, and do a testflight after lunch and registration at the HQ. Quite nice facilities here, we are at an airport. It’s strange to be flying above the airstrip while a 2 engine turboprop is taking off below.

Some pictures from today;

We had to pay towing and remaining fees in cash, they do not take credit cards at the worlds… Funny when all ATM’s only will give you $200 at the time, and all in $20 bills.

Setup inside the hanger, nice to be in the shade, it was 35 degrees outside, and quite windy.

Towing up

Johnny’s new bike, fitting for his personality…

Getting ready in the heat. Carrying the glider in the wind was hard work, flying after is easy, but it was still way to warm in the air. I only got to 800 above the airstrip, because I had to go down and let Olav have my helmet as he had left his at home in Norway before traveling here

Olav after his first flight on his new Wills Wing T2, he was happy with it.

So now it’s off for mexican dinner, and some sleep. Probably need to shop water, gatorade and a ice-box to have in the car. Tomorrow is another practice day, and then it all starts on Thursday.

We arrived on time in Houston, after a lot of waiting in line in Oslo, and running to get the next plane in Paris. Arriving in Houston our baggage was delayed in Paris. We got our car and checked in at the Motel, got some good mexican food, and slept solidly for 12 hours.

It’s warm and humid here, it was 33 degrees yesterday, and it’s very sticky air. We slept win aircondition running all night. The plan for today is to mod the car with roof racks, find the shipping company and get out gliders. Then it’s a 9 hour drive to Big Spring. The 5 day forecast looks very good for flying, very hot though.