Dodging showers

Yesterday, last day, 137km.

Last day tactic, ah, there should be a book about this. So often the leader makes a mess of things and lose the comp on the last day, and i should know. Eric, the French team coach, famously lost a world championship at his home club on the last day after narrowly missing the start line. So there is really everything to play for.

After launch, there are a few showers around, but it doesn't look to bad and we decide to start late, hoping for cloudbase to go up. Cloudbase at the start zone is really interesting with big variations of more than 1000 feet and large steps in the clouds.

Now on plan B, the showers starting to look more threatening. This is not good as it limits our starting options. We decide on plan D, immediate start. The ones to watch out for are BC in the lead and EA behind in 3rd place.

First leg, early starters are climbing well on the right but we are romping under the street without stopping. BC joins me on the right and EA on the left, this is good, i've made 5 minutes on the leader. The first (of many..) TP is in the shower, still not turning i am having to fly with my brakes open for couple of minutes as cloudbase at the turn is 1000 lower than on the sunny side.

The line of showers is running broadly north-south and our task crosses that line 4 times...left-right, left-right...

We get soaked. Drenched completely. But yet we fly on, dodging in and out of the showers, hopping from field to field.

Eventually, the third TP is in total, post-shower dead air, it's inevitable glide into a field trying to make as much distance as possible.

Good field by lake (where else?), near a town call Tuna. Ten gliders in the field and we name it "Tuna International".

In the field is Agnete (BC) and Amilie (EA) so that's 1-2-3 in the same field. We know the score will not change and congratulations and commiserations go round.

Denmark

Nice 4 star hotel in Soro, Denmark, on route home.

Well, yesterday's flight was fantastic but sadly didn't score any points, not enough pilots flew the minimum distance (100km). More on that later.

So final score, silver medal for me, or second place, depends which way you look at it...silver medalists sounds much better...

Slightly, disappointed i didn't get the chance for that last battle on the last competition day, with Saturday's mysterious scrub and Sunday's non scoring day.

However, am really proud and happy in the way i flew and the result. It's the first competition that i didn't make a big mistake, maybe i am maturing as pilot??

Also, Agnete, the winner is a fantastic pilot, I've been admiring the way she flew all week, worthy of the gold medal.

We have a task

137km. Launch at 14:00.

Live updates on the team website.

Last day - Live update...

Rain this morning, briefing postponed to 12:00. Chance of a task late this afternoon.

After yesterday's scrub they will do what ever they can to get us flying.

Watch this space...

Confusion

Launched at 13:00, sky not great but perfectly soarable. We find up to 3knots climb to 3500 feet. We are at the start zone, the countdown is now 3 minutes to the gate opening.

Mel, team captain comes on the radio. "Club class, today's task scrubbed...".

We have no idea why, no explanation was given. Afterwards, some pilots launch and do the task for fun anyway....

Tomorrow is the last day and weather looks iffy.

Tenpin Bowling - Musical Chairs

The weather and results so far remind me of tenpin bowling, or shooting ducks, or Big Brother.... Every day another pilot is hit, shot down, eliminated. On day 4 it was Liz, yesterday it was Amilie in EA who was leading from day 1.

The idea in gliding competition is to be sitting when the music stops. Trouble is, you don't know when that will be...

Landout day again

Yesterday, day 5.

The weather man says, there is low pressure moving to our east. Oh and there is another small one developing to our South. Oh, sorry, i forgot, there is another small low just to the west of us...

We get a task at least. The sky look ok when we launch but the clouds don't seem to work very well. Weather reports from Allan on the radio don't seem to show any long term problems such as high cloud encroaching or showers. We delay our start to 13:30.

In hindsight this was a mistake as conditions deteriorated very quickly at the start zone to the extent where the Standard class task was cancelled. They probably would have cancelled our task as well but our start gate was already declared open. The day can't be cancelled once the gate is declared open.

Cloud base is topping at 3000 feet and the climbs are weak, 2 kts at best. We are tip towing forward, taking each climb to the top. Cloud cover is now complete 8/8, you can see cumulus from a distance but as you get to them they blend in with the medium cover and disappear, you have to take a guess.

The second leg is over unlandable area, you can't take chances with such low cloudbase, you have to fly the fields rather than the clouds. After two hours of crawling, we miss one climb and end up in a very nice brown field. What can you do.

Afterwards, i learn that the results went my way. EA, the leader, has landed out after only 5km, having started very late (this was the French tactic all week). Agneta, in BC, had done well and is now in the lead. I am now second, 70 points behind.

Today looks like a total washout so most likely scrubbed. Two days to go.

Showers

Day before yesterday, Day 4.

Finally a big task. Three hours Assigned Area task (AAT) to the wild unlandable north. The task setting here is a big strange, they like to have lots of turn points for some reason, but no point getting stressed out about it.

We make a good late start in the nick of time to get through a light shower and have a really good run into the first sector, making 65kph into 24 knots headwind, that's about 105kph taking wind into account. Cloudbase is impressive 6000+ and we don't even look at the huge forests below and lack of fields.

The run into the second sector, Sala, is a bit tricky and we divert south and take the back end of the sector, then clip the third, northern sector and head for home.

Lots of gliders about, including many Standards class glider and EA who started 6 minutes after us, but in AAT you have no idea where people have been.

Last leg is 95 km. Cloudbase is still high and 50km away from home I have enough height to get back and 1000 feet spare. However, big shower ahead blocking my way. Fran in the Standards is ahead and reporting a gap in the shower, she is now safely through. I can't see any gap and divert to the leading edge of the shower to the east. Liz didn't get the same climb and is now 1000 feet below me.

The shower is moving rapidly to the east. I take a safety climb in 2kts which puts me at 1000 feet above glide home and only 15km to go. This should be in the bag now. I glide through the leading edge of the shower, initially there is good lift but then i hit the downside of the shower and I go down like a brick.

Suddenly I am down to 1200 feet and 10km still to go. The sink is horrendous, off the clock. Frantically picking fields below, i will not go very far in this sink.

I turn left, further east to try and get under the leading edge again. Now i am over the sea! Suddenly a kick, and i get into a wonderful, competition saving, 5kts climb. I take it up to 3000 feet, not trusting the conditions, then glide home under the developing street. I can't shake off the height, the lift is to strong and rough and i dare not fly at more than 80 knots.

I end up over the airfield still at 3000 feet but at least i am back. Liz didn't make it through the shower and landed out 3km away from the finish.

Showers can be a lottery. Yes, there are things you can do to minimize the risk but ultimately, 5 minutes either way can mean the different between a day win and a competition disaster. You pay heavy price for landing out as you don't get any speed points.

Landout day

It's been a long day, everyone but one landed out and the retrieve was long. Results went my way, Amilie, the leader has landed out after only 50km, so now in 2nd place, 70 odd points of the lead. We will probably get one or two more days.

Tomorrow probably scrub so more then.

Scrub again...

Competition book: His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (is this really for kids..??)

Competition movie: Inception (does the totem fall...?)

Mind games

So, yesterday's flight.

We take off the south for the first time, the tow out is over a massive forest so you take care. The task is shorten from 255k to a very convoluted 155k with 4 turn points. Shame as the sky looks good and the original task would have meant 20km lake crossing,, twice, which i was looking forward to...

After a very difficult conditions at the start sector (again...) we make a rather late start at 14:30, and a whole gang leaves with us. We have a good run to the first turn point (TP) but then as we opt to an up wind cloud to stay high, the gaggle overtakes us, gets low at the TP but then find a good climb. We in the meantime don't get a climb and are left behind. UHHH!!!!!

The sky now look quite good and i tentatively suggest a restart, but Liz (luckily) says, don't be daft, and then finds a cracking climbs that puts us back in the game.

After the 2nd TP we have a relatively longer leg and we catch the gaggle up and we go together into the northern 3rd TP. But now we are all rather low, the next TP is to the north-east, but the only clouds near us are to the north. On track we see forest and more forest and then fields with good clouds over them about 10km away, but we are only at 2000 feet.

We cautiously glide towards the good clouds, eyeing the fields in the distance, they look reasonable. A part of me is thinking, this is a landout day, this is a day i lose the competition. The gaggle have gone north away left of track but to the safety of the clouds. Tense moment.

The air is starting to bubble, one turn, nothing much, keep going, more bubbles, another turn, good but not quite, then suddenly a massive rush of air and we are riding a stairway to heaven, climbing at 700 feet per minute onto a day win...

Weather...

It is entirely possible, although morally dubious (in my opinion), to win a gliding competition without winning a single race day, the scoring system allows that. This is why i am pleased i won the day yesterday, just in case i go on to win the competition...

The truth is, it's a little bit of a lottery at the moment. The weather we are having is very unpredictable and it's very hard to get any sort of consistent performance. The tasks we are set are not only short, but with very short legs and many turn points. This makes it very hard to find any sort of rhythm in the flight because turn points disrupt the natural flow because when you are flying to a turn point you are flying to a fixed position in the ground, you are not flying in the best soaring areas.

Many turn points and short legs also make it really very hard to shake off any followers, because gliders converge at the turn point, either coming in or going out of the turn.

Unpredictable weather also limits your game options. You can't take chances looking out what your opponents are doing, you have to make decisions based purely on weather. You can't play to win the day, you play not to lose the day, which is a bit frustrating. The time to play to win is on a good racing day when the weather is predictable and on a long task.

Yesterday in pictures

Some pictures borrowed from the German blog, hope they don't mind.

Day 2 grid

View towards the drop zone and first task sector...

Scrub

Rain and drizzle, the day is officially scrubbed. In gliding terms this means, off to Bowling..

So a chance to show a little bit of the competition atmosphere.

Team briefing, Swedish style

Task planning

The French team in the opening ceremony

Comp T-shirt

Good day

Yesterday, day 2 we had a very challenging and technical flight that is worthy of world championship competition.

Grid time. Weather forecast was not great but the actual weather is worse. complete 8/8 cloud cover all around us. with the early morning cumulus spreading easily, no sun on the ground as far as we can see and with no wind for the first time in 2 weeks, the cloud cover persists.

Still, 12pm and we are launched with a task of 135 km. Very shortly after launch i am 10km away from the field and down to 1400 feet from launch height of 2400 feet. Between me and the airfield is a huge forest but with zero wind i recon i can get back if necessary.

Finally i find a very weak climb and stay with that. I meet up with Liz and we inch our way to the east where there is a little bit of sun. Finally climbing away to 3000 feet we are still 12 km away from the start line in the wrong direction. On task all we can see is shadow on the ground but the biggest problem is actually making a start through the start line.

We decide to wait. Finally at 2pm we see more sun on the ground, cloudbase up to 3800 feet, we make a long glide back towards the start line and cross it at 3000 feet.

As if on cue, three gliders appear just ahead of us, the French. And others appears as if from nowhere and so the order of the day is established...

The flight is very technical, with low cloudbase, almost complete cloudcover and few landing out fieds, we are having to make continuous tactical decisions much more then usual, there is no obvious route to take and at one point we go back south only then to go north via a wonderful cloudstreet.

At the street i find a fantstic 6kts climb and we get away from the chasing pack. It's great feeling seeing them milling around thousand of feet below. However, we lose the advantage at the second turn point where we go past the turn to a cloud that didnt give any climb at all.

So now at the last turnpoint we are all together again, but there are still advantages to take. We find a brilliant line of cloud going all the way home and we got on to it. This puts us on a fast final glide and into the mayhem of the controversial landing pattern at Arboga.

I am third on the day and now fourth overall. Liz is fifth for the day and 7th overall. The spread of the points is very small so anything can happen.

Today rain and typical UK weather, looks like a scrub. More blog later.

Risk management

You can't win a gliding competition on the first day, but you can very easily lose it on the first day.

Today was a day not to lose, rather than a day to win. The weather forecast was for showers in the competition area building in the afternoon and with showers, anything can happen. You might be lucky and get the right side of the shower and romp home or, more likely, you'll end up on the sinking side of the shower and go down like a lead balloon. In fact, that's what happened to half the Standard class today. Half got back very quickly, the other half landed out by the last turn point.

We decide to start as soon as we see a good weather line ahead. Cloudbase is about 3000-3500 feet but we can see the showers to the north already. I am last on the grid but we finally start after i get away from 1200 feet. The first leg to Koping is a struggle, then the second leg into 18kts wind seems very slow indeed. Then the third leg and we are faced with a long lines of showers and big decision, go right round the showers or try and squeeze between them. We inch our way closer then it looks like the gap between the showers is working well. We go for it, we get soaked but the lift is still good. Finally, the last turnpoint and through another shower i get fantastic lift in a straight line that puts me way above glide home. I put the stick forward and fly as fast as i dare in the rough air to the finish ring.

I finish 7th for the day. The french have taken a massive gamble, starting very late, and it worked out for one of them, coming back just in the nick of time before the heaven open over the airfield.

I am pleased with the day, days like today are all about playing the numbers and managing the risk. The day points are low, 396 for the winner (out of 1000, days get devalued because of short task), so not many points to win but many to lose if you landout.

Tomorrow looks like a flyable day.

Ceremony

Today the official opening ceremony and a lot of speeches from some very important people. Then pretty good air show.

Tomorrow first day, looks like we will fly so off the bed for an early night. Sleep is the one thing you really need a lot of in a long gliding comp.

More tomorrow with scores hopefully.

Practice 2

Yesterday, second practice day, the weather a little better but still very windy. The wind has been the dominating feature here since we arrived. I'm happy flying in a strong wind day, i like to work the energy lines up wind.

Good day out and 2nd spot with 71kph. You dont want to win the practice day, bad luck, but coming 2nd is good...

Stress management

Psychology plays huge part in winning gliding competitions and stress management is so important. I've been working really hard on managing my stress level using various techniques, and yesterday i put this to the test..

First, an hour before launch i realize i can't find my purse with credit cards, drivers license etc. The i put the wrong task in to the flight computer, then my primary logger fails and i'm having other instrument problems and it's launch time. Time to execute those stress management plans i drew over the winter....

What do you know, this stuff actually work. I won't go into the technique but there really is no point worrying about anything else other than what will make me go faster.

Sometime later, i find my purse, fix the primary logger and all the other little problems sort themselves out....

Practice 1 (cont)

So the grid is all set up, we are near the front, but it's really not looking good. So, rather than mill around aimlessly round the grid, we do what Brits do best...we pulled off to the back of the grid and went to have a cup of tea!

An hour later, everyone has launched, our turn. Task is optimistic 135k but with 25 knots wind and cloudbase at 3000 feet we are struggling to make the start line.

Finally we are starting, thermals are broken and weak and after 40km of hard slog we turn back.

Practice 1

Yesterday, first official practice day. The point of the official practice day is for competitors to get to know the wonderful but weird ways and procedures the organisers are operating, and for the organisers to test their well meaning but sometimes, well, how shall one put it...not entirely thought through local rules.

For example, they have decided it's a really good idea for gliders to land from both sides of the runway at the same time....

Another reason for practice day is for the Met woman/man (Sweden is truly equal opportunity country) to spot the deliberate mistake. So today the weather MAN (we have two weather people, a young woman and a very old man and they take it in turns) who looks like an elf (I will try and get a picture of him!), said he forgot to tell us about the wind shear breaking the thermals. Of course it was obvious this will happen because the 28 knot wind changed direction 180 degrees at height.

Rules

Today is the last unofficial practice day. Lunch time the sky look good to the north, there are 30 gliders on the grid but only one single tow plane. Luckily we are old and wise and we put our gliders in the front early on. So now it's 1pm and we are in the air.

We set a small 110k task to the north then east. One of the aims for the flight was to practice the finish procedure. Normally in gliding competition the finish is a 2km line centered on the airfield, so you simply glide back, cross the line and land ahead (unless there is strong tailwind). However, recently a more complex finish procedure was introduced, the finish ring. The idea is, you set a 3km radius ring centered on the airfield and you need to cross the finish ring at a minimum set height to finish. The finish height here is 250 meters (820 feet). Obviously you want to finish as low as possible yet still above the minimum height, and getting this right is complicated.

Gliding competitions are like that, they have complex rules. Some of these rules are explained in my 2009 blog.

Another rule is that your glider needs to pass "scrutineering". Basically this is a comprehensive check of your glider weight and measurements to ensure it complies with the competition rules. So this afternoon after flying and before Akea meatballs dinner, i went scrutineering. All is well and i am still 12 kgs below the maximum weight. Those meatballs are yummy!

Games

Everyone is now here and the little wind up games have started. Everyone is looking around at each other's glider, trying to wind the opposition up, trying not to get stressed out by the games the others are playing. Great fun!

One of the French club class glider has addition ballast in the tail and the nose, looks a bit odd as the ballast in the tail is on the outside of the fin. Not sure it's legal to add ballast in this way in the club class so we will investigate. Probably another psychological game they are playing but it would be good to get a moral victory..

Roast elk

2pm, the sky look amazing, wonderful cumulus streets to the north west into the main competition area. After launch i get a 10knots climb which made my day. Liz and I head to the north west and after a great run we chicken out as the street collapses and no fields in site.

After flying, as promised, we roast the Elk we got from the landlord. It was gorgeous!

Lake

The British team checking out the approach into the nearest lake.....

Wave

Yesterday, howling south-easterly wind and beautiful lenticular clouds everywhere. Rigged and lunched, I take a launch at about 2pm. At 1000 feet we are through a very rough rotor and the tug pilot is rocking his wings once then second time, then dips his nose forward. I don't really have a choice and release. Not ideal.

So now I am thrown about in an extremely rough thermal, holding on to the stick with both hands and banking at 60 degrees and trying to stop the rotor from tipping me over. At the same time i am being drifted away from the airfield at 25 knots.

Luckily i manage to climb away gradually, the climb then turn into a very nice 7 knots that takes me to cloudbase at 6000 feet, then into the wave climbing up to 7000 feet.

Visibility is brilliant, which was not necessarily a good thing as to the north, which is the main task zone, all i can see is forests and lakes and to the South is huge lake.....

River and Elks

We are here, in Arboga. We have rented a lovely 15th century cottage by the river and earlier we went to test the water. Very cold but amazingly refreshing so this will now be the daily post-flight ritual.

I cooked Elk meatballs for dinner for Liz, my Club class team-mate, Helen, her devoted crew and Joao. The owner of the cottage, who live next door, when he heard of our passion for Elk meat came over with a large chunk of frozen Elk killed by his 70 years old next door neighbor (this is a true story..), then explained in details how we should roast it and also provided meat thermometer...

Wev'e just spotted a field!

100 miles to go and the cumuls look great. We also have an example of a lake breeze on the left.

Four hours to go

And all around us are just forests. Very beautiful but not practical for field landing..

Malmo bridge

It's ABBA time at last!

Issoudun

Pribina was brilliant. Flying in the mountains was new experience and the scenery was amazing. The "house" ridge packed with 100 gliders is an amazing sight.

Then Issoudun. If Pribina was awe inspiring, Issoudun was a hoot. We were there as guests, flying in the French women nationals. The atmoshere was fantastic and we made so many friends even though some of them will be adversaries soon.

Pribina Cup

Tomorrow afternoon setting off to Nitra, Slovakia, for the 2011 Pribina Cup. Using this as warm up competition, this being a very large and international setup.

Long drive ahead and Joao, my crew, and I will be driving straight through. The order is:

UK, France, Belgium, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Germany, Germany, Germany, East Germany, East Germany....Austria and left to Slovakia..

2009 blog

here is the link to my 2009 Women World championship in Szeged, Hungary.

Here we go...

Next June, once more I will be flying in the Club class for the British team in the 2011 Women's Gliding World Championship. This time it will be in sunny Sweden, at a small town called Arboga, west of Stockholm.

After coming so close to winning in 2009 I will be looking do better this time. You can read that story here.

The official GB team competition blog is here and will have real-time updates and scores. This blog is my own personal tale..

The official competition website is here.