Today is the beginning of the Region 5 North contest. There are about 65 gliders launching each of the 6 days. This day, the launch began at 12:30 and all gliders were airborne in just over an hour. The operations officer, Larry Travers says, he wants to launch one per minute. I thought they did…
Tag Archive for racing
March 17 at Seminole – A Nugget’s View of the Seniors
by Bill Elliott •
Today closes out a very good Seniors. It was undoubtedly the best flying I have had in gliders. Florin and Andrea did a fantastic job running the Seniors. John Goode was excellent as the Contest Director. He put together some great tasks that challenge us. As for today, I finally beat Doug Jacobs across the finish gate; of course I was in the front seat of MP, his ride for the contest.
March 3rd at Seminole – winded out
by Bill Elliott •
No flying today at Seminole – 20-30kt from the south with higher gusts.
2012 Competition Season Starts at Seminole
by Bill Elliott •
I’m sitting in my micro-castle at Seminole Lake Gliderport, getting ready to start my soaring season tomorrow. I rolled in this morning and have spent the day getting set up and ready for Russel Brown to annual my ship in the morning. Oh yes, and watching an absolutely beautiful soaring day go by in the process ;-).
[HD Video] Three Gliders Racing in the Wyoming Mountains
by Bill Elliott •
Sit back and enjoy 42 uncut minutes of fast low mountain racing in Wyoming’s Salt River Range taken during the 2011 Logan 15-Meter Nationals. This is not the regular YouTube soaring video with lots of short video cuts edited to music, but shows advanced mountain racing averaging well over 120 mph continuous ground speeds. Just tell your boss that you need to take a 42 minute break today…hope you enjoy!
PowerFLARM Rental Program in the U.S.
by Bill Elliott •
In an effort to fulfill Dale Kramer’s MIRA (mandatory if rentals are available) vision to have nearly 100% participation in contests, a handful of generous, farsighted and proactive pilots have donated funds for the purchase of portable PowerFlarm units to be administered through a rental program directed by Rex Mayes.
SSA 2012 Presentation—Brigliadori Distilled
by Bill Elliott •
Sailplane racing is an intricate and challenging blend of soaring skill, mental toughness, and strategic planning. Anyone seriously interested in improving their competitive performance needs to sharpen all aspects of their soaring skill set. The book, “Competing in Gliders” by Leo and Ricky Brigliadori, provides a valuable resource to help pilots of all levels perform better.
2012 Pre-WGC Report—20 January—Last Day Cancelled
by Bill Elliott •
Congratulations to the winners and a special congratulations and thanks from the Soaring Café to Francois, Sarah, Tom, and Peter for representing the U.S. in the 2012 Pre-World Gliding Championships!
2012 Pre-WGC Report—19 January
by Bill Elliott •
Today, Thursday, January 19th, is the penultimate day of the 2012 Pre-World Gliding Championships in Argentina. The competition ends tomorrow.
Pre-WGC Report—January 18—Tasks Cancelled for All Classes
by Rand Baldwin •
Announcement posted on the contest Web site: 21:06Z—”After a few launches, operations stopped because of the rain and visibility. The three tasks were cancelled.” Links: Contest Web site Web site photos
