I took this picture at Olav’s house in Vågå this morning, guess it explains why we did not fly today. Unstable weather indeed.

Johnny won the comp, Nils Åge second and Arnt third. I got 6. place. Results should be up at Hedemarken homepage soon.

It’s early spring and with low pressure systems all around us we have had some rather unstable weather the last few days. On Thursday it was nice in the morning, but became overcast as we were setting up at Frya. It was not possible to set a task and we cancelled and glided down. Late in the evening it cleared up and some pilots flew small XC flight.

Friday we had another promising day, but while setting up ut it started to rain/snow to the norht of us, and we got strong tailwind at launch. It was very unstable and most of the big clouds collapsed into rain and snow around us. We all moved to Brandstadkampen, and we got a 50 km task. It was a cold and loong day there, the conditions were not good and all the first pilots landed down. Just before the window closed some pilots got up and away. Most of us did not want to fly anymore, and de-rigged. The 4 pilots who got going all came within 10 km from goal, but the day was heavily devaluated.

Today looked much better from the morning, and the arrangers sendt us to Heidal where we got a 98km task south to Tretten and then back to Frya. I took the second start time, after spending some time getting up over takeoff. It was weak and turbulent, but I spotted Arnfinn going up in a strong thermal a little to the south and flew over to him. It was strong lift, very strong, I got over 7m/s over 20s average. We glided west of a snow squall at Torgeirkampen and aimed for Teigkampen. I did not stop in the weak lift Werner was turning in there but took a good line going towards Vinstra. At Harpefoss I took cloudbase again and glided to Ringebu before stopping in some lift meeting up with Johnny.

Going to the TP it was shaded from overdevelopment and snowsqualls. I glided with Olav to the TP and back but got lower than him and had to stop in the shade getting up slowly. By now it was snowing hard around me but it was weak lift even in the strongest snow. My arms and hands looked like a snowman when I finally emerged into clear air again. I took way too much height for the final glide and arrived with 500 meters to spare, but I had good air and not as much headwind as I expected.

Nils Åge won the day, I got 5. place today, 6 in goal. A lot of pilots were later than us and turned around at the snow. It was probably wise as the wind from the OD became very strong as we were packing up at goal. Tomorrow looks like it will be much of the same as today, could be good, could rain away.

I’ve borrowed a Litespeed from Fritjolf, it’s quite suprising how different the two gliders are. Even if I had a glider just like it some years back it feels very strange, and I’m not comfortable with it at all yet. It’s been a silent revolution in the glider handling and feel with the new gliders. Also the VG on the glider was extremely hard, and I was unable to pull it on more than 1/3, quite annoying. I’ve had it apart now and reassembled everything in the right order. Hope it’s better tomorrow.

We got another really good day with forecastet weak winds and good lift. The task was a 109km triangle, start time 13:30. The rigids started 15 muntes before us, and then the flex start was delayed 45 minuted because of no clouds and weak lift. Once we got underway it was really nice clouds developing, I towed up in the middle of the field, and got to the edge of the start circle in time to hang around cludbase for 30 minutes cooling off with Jon and Olav. At the first start gate many pilots went ahead on course, but we stayed behind with about 20 others for the second start gate. It would be tactical to have many pilots ahead to mark lift for us.

We glided out to take the first TP, I went left with Nene Rotor ahead of me and Andreas Ohlsson to the right. I saw Jon under me, going on glide more to the right of Andreas, that would be the last I saw of him on course. We glided back to north of Groveland, where Andreas stopped and started turning in a nice 4 m/s thermal. Nene had gone more right and missed the good lift. From cloudbase we went on glide under the clouds getting a good line and periods of good lift. We glided more than 30 km before stopping again at 600 meters over a small bushfire just before the last TP. The lift here was a little slower, but from cloudbase we glided out to take the TP and back again to the same thermal. I lost Andreas there, and stopped to take the lift with Markel and Johnny Jr. It was a little too weak, and I went on final glide knowing I needed more height for a fast glide. I hit some lift halfway, and got in to goal with 50 meters to spare after going really fast at the end. It was strong lift all the way in. Olav Opsanger reported hitting the convergence from the seabreeze, and he came in 3-400 meters too high, spending 15 minutes getting down.

It was a good and fast run, I only lost a little time before the final glide. I flew the course in 2:02, and got 10. place for the day, it was a really fun day with a great task. Olav Opsanger and Jon made it in with good times too, Olav Lien landed at the last TP.

As I was packing up my harness I hear the unmistakable sound of a hangglider crashing into the ground at high speed. I saw Chris Muller’s white RedBull WillsWing T2 flat on the ground and people running over to him. We had been flying close together while we were waiting for the startgate under a cloud, enjoying the nice air. The ambulance arrived quickly and he was airlifted out with a helicopter. Later we heard he died at the hospital. I feel so sorry for his family and friends.

In the last three international comps I’ve been to, one pilot has died each time. The odds seems to be set at 1:100. This sucks…

Today was cancelled, it’s thunder and rain outside now, we are packing up gliders. Hope it clears up so I can get some more hours in the tug.

Oleg won the comp, Olav 17, Jon 18, me 23, Olav Lien 59. Full results are available at http://www.flytec.com/flytec_usn_05/scores.html

Another day with really good conditions, good clouds and no wind. We got a 136km task flying around the green swamp with 5 turnpoints. It was really strong and good conditions around Quest after takeoff, and we spent 30 minutes at cloudbase waiting for the first start gate. Originally I wanted to wait for the second start gate, but it was too cold to hang around in cloudbase wearing only t-shirt and speedsleeves. Jon, Olav Lien and I left at the first start gliding south, Olav Opsanger stayed behind with a few others including the leaders. It would turn out to be a good choice for him.

It was good lift and reasonably quick going until the second TP, where it was a little more shade. I glided out to the TP with Dustin Martin and Nene Rotor and continued on a really long glide back out to the sun. Dustin finally found a thermal at 200 meters above ground, and we got up to cloudbase agan way ahead of the rest of the gaggle. Jon was also joined low in the thermal. From there Jon and me glided to the west aiming for a nice cloudstreet, but it turned out be be quite inactive. I spotted Dustin and Nene that had gone east out over the swamp again to a nice cloud there.

I spend some time getting up before the last TP, when we took it Jon glided straight towards goal but I did not see him and stopped up looking for the last thermal needed to get to final glide altitude. I met up with Olav there, and we spent waaay too much time in that area with only weak and unorganized lift. When we went on final glide it was too low for me to make it, but I could not find any more lift. I was on a 1:14 glide, but hit some sink that made it 1:20 Finally we spotted a few gliders ahead circling up 6 km from goal. I took 3-4 turns there, and made it in with 30 meters to spare.

Weather today is nice, no wind, blue skies. Guess we get another long task today, and then a short one on the last day tomorrow.

We woke up to a gray and still morning, it seemed like a no fly day at about 09:00, but it cleared up and became a really good day for competition flying. I was out flying the tug with Bob again in the morning, landings are improving but still need the be smoother.

We got a 97km task, going north and then a broken triangle south back to Quest. About halfway through the launching queue the winds became switchy and tail at times. The guy before me broke a weaklink coming off the dolly and crashed downwind. I wanted to wait until it was launchable again, but the launch marshals did put some pressure on to get me going even if it was tail. Not very good for safety. I eventually launched in a weak tail wind, and ofcourse the weaklink broke as I came off the dolly. I basically spun the glider into the ground trying to get into the wind, but there was no damage to me or glider. After checking over everything I relaunched and got up in time to the first start gate.

To the first TP it was really good going, and I was the first pilot there with Oleg and Johnny Durant right behind. We glided from the TP and stopped under the next cloud at 800 meters, I stayed and spent some time getting back up, and lost the lead gaggle. From there it was OK but I had trouble finding the good cores, and had to spend more time getting up with 0.3-0.5 m/s lift at the last TP. Final glide was OK, and I got a good line having plenty of altitude at goal. I spent 2:33 on course.

Jon was first with 2:16, olav 2 twentysomething. Olav Lien landed 8 miles short of goal.

Weather today looks really good, blue skies and no wind.

Another out and return today, but shorter task (80 km) than yesterday because of predicted slower conditions. Davis does the weather, and predictet slower climbs and no clouds. I was out taking flying lessons on the tug with Bobby Bailey in the morning, and thermalled the tug in a nice core at 11:30. Flying the tug with a legend like Bobby as instructor is cool. It’s quite easy to fly the tug in the air, landings are more challenging but I have done a few attempts and we both walked away. I would not tow behind myself just yet though ;-)

We got some good clouds on the course line quite early. The first start gate was at 14:30, I gaggled up with about half the field, and we all went on course at the first gate. It was fast and quite easy going south to the TP, but again the TP area was shaded in cirrus. I went a little too low to the TP and went back to the lift at the bottom of the gaggle. I struggled a little to find lift and spent 20 minutes there before we got up to 1500 meters and on course again. By then it was blue and shaded by more cirrus for the next 20 km, and I took it slowly flying with Tom Lanning and Tove Heaney while trying to get a good line. Tove is thermaling really good, I have to work hard to keep up, but my glide is much better. We got to cloudbase going upwind to the east for a while, but the next glide took me down to 200 meters above the deck at the sailplane strip 15 km south of goal. I saw some birds and glided upwind to a weak and shitty thermal. We were in the middle of the downwind leg for the sailplanes and we had a few planes whizzing by between us. Struggling and working the lift we finally got up and could glide upwind to a better thermal marked by Tove. At 1200 meters I left on final glide, and had a fast and nice glide the 15 km to goal. Total time of 2 hours and 19 minutes. I could have saved maybe 15 minutes at the TP getting higher before taking it, but hindsight is very accurate.

Jon took the second start, and beat me with 10 minutes, Olav Opsanger took a bad line from the start and came in 30 minutes slower than me. Olav Lien landed north of the TP going back.

My glider feels really good, on glide it performs better than most here, maybe the carbon battens are worth it after all… The ATOS VX’s here are performing really good, the sink and glide is much better than the flexies. I seem to always spot an ATOS on the horizon ahead of me.