March 16 at Seminole – A Nugget’s View of the Seniors

It just keeps getting better and better; the weather that is.  Frank gives me more credit for improving than I deserve.  My thermal skills still suck swamp water.  On a day that produced speeds of 70 mph, I had too many 2 and 3 kt thermals.  I found myself moving around under some pretty big clouds and not staying in the core of the thermal.  I was in lift but not the core.  It looks like I am not turning tight enough.  My course line looks ok since I flew159.3 to get scored for 153.2 for about 96% efficiency.  I could have improved that significantly had I paid more attention to my course line going to the 2ndturn point.

The 2012 Seniors has been the best flying I have ever had.  It is a new experience for me to have so many days in a row where the flying conditions are so favorable.  Tomorrow looks even better and I will be flying with Doug Jacobs in John Good’s Duo.  I talked with Ben Johnson from the club at Eagle’s Nest in the Shenandoah Valley.  He said I am in for a real treat and I am looking forward to watching a master at the art of soaring.

I need to mention a couple of physiological factors.  One of the long-time participants told me that “Florida is hotter than the Sahara and sharks feed at night.”  True the second part does not have a physiological impact unless you happen to go swimming when they are feeding.  But the hot part does have an impact.

I was among those that Jim Garrison/Ben Johnson (T) and Hal Loken (1L) invited to dinner.  The food was great and even better people to hang out with.  Unfortunately, I had to leave early.  My sleep patterns were not the best and despite my hydration efforts, I was exhausted by dinnertime.  I was not drinking enough for the Florida sunshine and was in fact dehydrated.  For those who might not know, there is a simple test to check.  Pinch the skin on the back of one hand and if it does not smooth out quickly when released, you are dehydrated.  I was aware of dehydration and even drink fluids before I leave for the airport and drink a 20 oz bottle of G2 after I assemble BZ and another large glass of water after the morning brief.  I carry water with me in the glider and drink from it during the flight.  My lesson for the day, what ever I think is enough fluid, drink MORE.

The other factor is getting enough rest.  The days are long and believe it; the physical toll is real.

Good news is I came back to my room, drank more G2, took a nice nap and am now feeling up to tomorrow’s flight with “DJ” as Frank calls him.

One of my readers posted this question on my blog:

“I’d like to hear your thoughts about flying with so many other gliders in the air around you. I love the idea of glider competitions but quite frankly, the idea that there are 54 other gliders in essentially the same airspace scares the crap out of me. What, if anything, do you do to get over those concerns? Thanks.”

You can go back and read my response but for your convenience I will quote it here.

“I too had concerns over the number of gliders in the air but it is not as scary as it sounds from the sheer number. One the tow pilots spread out the fleet over a 5-mile radius circle and the gliders are also spread out vertically. Even if I am in a thermal with 6 or so gliders only one or two are near my altitude. We all turn left so it is pretty easy to keep track of the other gliders.”

One issue that does come up is when two thermals are close together and there are gliders in non-concentric circles. That said, the situation usually resolves itself pretty quickly since the pilots watch and the stronger thermal will draw them in.

The other way gliders are spread out is the pilots tend to want to explore the area and get a taste for the day rather than stay in one thermal.”

The other point I could have added but just now thought of is that gliders joining a thermal come in tangent to the circle.  That means I have to be watchful and keep an eye out for them coming in from my 1 to 3 o’clock.  Keep your head on a swivel!

BZ