NorCal league comp

[andy]

Sat.; Task was Paiute to Lone Pine. Winds were forecast for 10-12 N, actual was more like 5-6. Base was 12.3 and it was developing nicely at 11:00 as 25 pilots headed to launch. Good cycles were coming through as the task was set. Launch at 12:00 start at 12:45. Slight south drift kept most people on the ground until close to the start window. I was 10th off and was still low at start but finally got up and on course. It was sweet flying climbs 600-1k fpm with some stronger cores, not too many rough edges, lots of convergence around the clouds. At flynns I had caught up to all but Josh Cohn, and a couple others, and I ended up working alone most of the way. Had a couple of magic rides where I was in zeros for 3-5 miles right under the clouds, only got close to WO once and popped out the side. Did get snowed on, and had some weird crosswind coming over the top of the Inyos by Independence.
I was second in goal at about 3:45, five of us made it and others were strung along the valley floor. My new PR of 66 miles. Should be good tomorrow and Mon.

Yesterday was pretty magic at Flinns. Made 6-7 climbs from launch up to the top ridge 12k, and out to the valley for some big WO's and back up for more, I flew for 4:45, and when I finally landed the gust front was just getting to us, whew!

Andy

[andy]

Sun, Task was Paiute to Jeffrey,Gunther, Flynn LZ, Independence. We launched at 1:30 start at 1:45 flew north into the wind and had pretty good lift to 12k with clouds moving from the NE. Then south with pretty good conditions in the waning sunshine it was easy to make Black Mnt., then the task began as the clouds started evaporating and with it the lift. I skied out at Black and made the cross of Westgard pass despite the crazy sink from the east spillage and was able to connect and get back up, but it was not to last I scratched down the inyos and was getting hammered down low in the lee and finally had enough and headed out to the rest stop between Independence and Big Pine.

Four pilots made goal and 2 landed out ahead of me. It was a good task but we started late because of a flat tire on one of the vehicles going to launch so I needed that extra 45 minutes that we postponed. Also those with comp wings smoked the upwind section and got a good jump on me from the beginning.

Glad to hear the SB flying is turning on, and that Pauly is OK.
Andy

[Robb]

Hey Andy,
I was looking at the animation of your flight on Leonardo (yea I'm at work, so what??) and it appears that John, the guy first in goal, stayed considerably lower than you for almost the entire flight. Do you think that if you had made the transitions earlier (less time in lift) you would have made a significant dent in the time difference? Or was the snow load on the wing the factor? I like flying and all, but I don't see myself sticking it out in a snow storm...

Good job on flights,
Robb

[andy]

Hey Robb,

Yea I stayed high, and maybe I could have gone lower because it was working pretty much everywhere except where Josh Cohn went(Sierra side), but it was my first time down the Whites/Inyos so I just wanted to make goal. At the start of the task they were saying that no one would make goal anyway thats why they set it so long, and I wanted to prove them wrong.
Snow loading was not a factor but cloud suck was, I broke the loop on my speed bar trying to escape once so that was a bummer. It was comical as I had to reach down and grap the second stage with my hand-which at that time had no sensation left in it-and place it on my heel, which I then promtly lost so I said screw it and flew without speed the last third of the course.

I ended up third overall which was nice, and it has been awesome flying up here, but alas I will be back in SB around the 1st of Nov. see you then!
Andy