We arose this morning to dense fog and even during the pilots’ meeting the skies lacked much promise; however our trusty weatherman, Scott, was encouraging and we went to the grid as planned.  The CD decided to launch the 15 and 18-meter classes and then hold to see how the weather improved. The wait for the sport and standard classes was short and the launch proceeded.  The ceilings lifted and climbs to 4 and 5 thousand were available.  Most found the early part of the tasks to be fast but some of us had trouble getting home as the high cirrus moved in from the west reducing opportunities to find lift, and there were a couple of land outs.

At the end of the day, Rhonda held an awards ceremony and recognized the day winners of each class and the contest winners as well.

Operations went smoothly and the contest closed out with no errors and all aircraft back safely.

This is my second contest and both were nothing short of OUTSTANDING.  It is easy to see why Perry is such a favorite among so many pilots. One gent, Pete Alexander, came from California. There was a strong contingent of our friends from north of the border, representing Ontario Canada. There were 89 registered for 65 slots. Rhonda and Al Tyler were great hosts and let no effort get in their way to provide a fantastic soaring event.

I can tell all that I have learned more in the two contests flown so far than I had in the 10 years before. I believe that no other environment is so rich for the pilot who wants to learn more about the sport of soaring. If you yearn to break free from final glide of your home airport, find a contest that has room for you and go. There may still be some slots open for the Caesar Creek XC camp. See the SSA website for details.

Bravo Zulu is back in the box and when she returns to the sky, it will be over Huntsville, Alabama, our new home as of the end of the month.