Yesterday was the first potential contest day for the regional, and the 2nd official practice day for the nationals.  The weather forecast from ‘Mike the Strike’ wasn’t particularly optimistic, so most nationals pilots kept their gliders in the boxes, but the regional guys had to assemble, grid, and then wait.  The problem was a band of clouds at 10-12,000′ that kept the soaring area almost completely overdeveloped.  Eventually CD Karl Striedieck called the day at about 3:30pm.

The ‘down day’ turned out to be beneficial for several pilots as we did trailer and glider maintenance.  I discovered that my trailer tongue wheel had died, and local expert Tim Taylor (TT) clued me into an industrial supply store called IPACO that is kind of a cross between Tractor Supply and McMaster Carr.  When I got there to get a new wheel, TT’s trailer was parked outside, as he needed some specialty screws for his rig.  Dennis Linneken needed to get waypoints uploaded into his C302, so Mark and I helped him with that, and Tim Welles (W3) went up into the mountains on a hike.  The local FBO guy also drove down glider row with the O2 cart and many pilots took advantage of the opportunity to fill up tanks.

In the evening, Tim Taylor gave an excellent talk on mountain flying as practiced in the Logan soaring area, and you could have heard a pin drop in the hangar as everyone there concentrated intently on what he was saying.

Today as I look out the window of the micro-castle, I see much the same high broken-to-overcast layer as yesterday, so I fear the same thing that happened yesterday is going to happen today. The only difference will be that all 62 gliders will be on the grid instead of just the 30-odd regional guys.  Stay tuned!

TA