Jonker Sailplanes - Soaring Safaris Challenge

Iain Baker reporting


The Jonker Sailplanes – Soaring Safaris Challenge
Latest News by late September

The competition is heating up … Konrad Stark reports on his flight on 5th September:

ç Konrad’s flight in red
ç Jon’s flight in blue

My flight started at a quarter to twelve and for the first half hour I found it hard to get above 900m agl. Another thirty minutes later and still stuck at about 1400m I made my way to a fire in the distance close to Ventersdorp. The weather started to carry and I got there without losing much height. I saw another glider close to the deck and recognised the distinct shape of Jonathan Cross' Astir CS. I tried to talk with him but we were either on different frequencies (even when I tried channel hopping) or he might have been concentrating at that stage. I think the latter might be true because I don't think he was much higher than 300m agl. (John flies from Orient and I fly from Potch).

I slowly pushed on towards Lichtenburg and MM, another glider from Potch frequently asked me what the weather was like ahead. I kept on telling him that it was not great - with the windy conditions climbs were still scattered, broken and marginal at the time. MM was 15km behind me and I just hoped that I would not "lead" us into trouble. I thought the weather guys had it all wrong again, but with such optimistic predictions for the day something had to happen. Twenty kilometres from Lichtenburg, clouds suddenly started to pop 40km towards the west of my position and I could see that cloud base was more than 3000m agl. I deviated towards the clouds. MM joined some distance behind Coligny andwe got to 3000m respectively with a 2 to 3m average thermal. The floodgates had opened and I could run to Carletonville in no time. MM went down to Klerksdorp.All the while I chatted with 151 (Jonathan) who had gone straight to Orkney from Orient. After the last regionals comp, I saw that Johno likes to crack it down the track, and today was no different. I saw on OLC that he got to 78km/h average for his 356km, and considering the day's slow start this is really really good. After Carletonville I shot down to a fire across the Vaal river and I kid you not, playing the flight back on SeeYou, I saw that the fire gave me 14m/s lift peaks around quite a few turns. I was at 3600m in no time. Never really getting right up to the clouds, I would say that cloud base at its most must have been close to 4000m agl. I had little headaches telling me not to go higher than 3600m, and I think they had a point. With no oxygen you had better listen to what your body is telling you. Needless to say, when I got high I tried to fly off my height very quickly to 2000m agl, but still only managed 64km/h average for my 367 odd km. From here I had final glide for Klerksdorp and back to Potch again.Looking back at my flight, and my zig zag track, I realize I could have done well over 400km if I just flew much straighter, and not waste so much time at the beginning, but even as the day had developed there were great blue gaps between clouds, which looked quite ominous and I guess I was just playing it safe.

Picking up on Konrad’s last comments, here are a few clarifications on how the scoring is done, and some tactical pointers to maximise scores.

Flights are scored on SeeYou optimisation using the triangle option. This maximizes the distance around a closed circuit of three points and then it is adjusted by the OLC handicap. The FAI minimum leg percentage (28%) doesn't apply. The OLC rules allowing six legs - with the last two legs devalued - are not used to discourage yo-yoing and never flying far from the airfield. The start and finish do not have to be the airfield, but can be halfway along one leg of the triangle.

Very flat triangles or triangles with one very short leg are scored as out & returns. In the case of a landout, the rules would be flexed to be the distance on up to three legs but not closed circuit.
In terms of tactics, it is best to fly a triangle and when that is completed, if there is still scope for adding kilometres then to overfly the airfield in the opposite direction to the triangle going as far as you dare/can before final gliding to the field (bit like adding an out & return). That's assuming no airspace limitations.
*** STOP PRESS ***

I drafted this newsletter a few days ago and then Jon Cross flew a 400km out & return this weekend.
He needed some determination to climb away from 372m agl some 15km west of Dudfield.
The latest scores are below and it looks like the pilot who flies a 500km
flight and a couple of other decent flights will probably win.

Another 49 days before the 2009 JS-SS Challenge finishes.

Just as a reminder of the prize and the rules …

The Prize:
· One week flying an LS4 or similar glider with Soaring Safaris (dates to be agreed)
· Seven aerotows
· Task planning, post-flight analysis and cross-country coaching
· Free camping at New Tempe Airfield

Rules:
1. Scoring is based on the OLC system and handicaps, limited to out & returns and triangles.
2. Flights have to be registered and validated on OLC.
3. A pilot’s total score for the JS-SS Challenge is the sum of the pilot’s three best flights.
4. Minimum qualifying score is 600 points.
5. Eligibility: pilots who have not achieved a top three placing at a National contest, or who have not previously won the JS-SS Challenge, or have not completed a declared 500km task.
6. Pilots must be paid up members of SSSA with a valid GPL and aerotow rating.
7. Closing date for flights: 15 November 2009.
8. That’s enough rules ....

Please contact Iain Baker if you have any questions by emailing him directly at iainzbaker@googlemail.com.

a little birdie

A little birdie tweeted in my ear that we will have an 808C at FAWC before the end of year!! Lucky pilot, i hope he lets his wife fly it as well ;-)

Le weekend 26 September 2009

It is supposed to be spring, but the fronts are hammering us, so up into the wave it will be, at least on Saturday, and perhaps also Sunday.
Saturday
Anabatic warm front, 237km N, moving 20kp Southwards,vertical motion 220m/hr, rain in 2.3 hrs (ie at 16h20 local)
Surface wind - NW20, 5000ft NW40, 10000ft WNW80, 15000ft WNW 110, 20000ft WNW 120
Windshear is 22ms/4km (on the high side) with a low CAT at 6500 - 16000ft
Wave from 8300 ft to 27800f (contactable much lower in the BreedeRiver Valley), all at 3.1ms!!!!
Cloud 3-5/8 from 10 000 - 22000ft
Max 18.5C Dewpoint 7.5C Trigger 18.3C
Expect 0.7 ms - 1.1 ms to 4800ft
Boundary layer energy at 20J/kg
Sunday
Swinging south, postfrontal and rising pressure
Anabatic cold front, moving 20kph to the N, 139km to the North, vertical motion 109m/hr, rain behind the front.
Surface wind - S 40, 5000ft S 20, 10000ft W 60, 15000ft WNW 150, 20000ft WNW 170
Strong surface Cat and Medium CAT from 5000ft - 17000ft
Windshear is high at 35ms/4km
Rain is predictedWave from 8300ft to 14000ft at 3.8ms
Cloud 5 - 8/8 from the 2000 - 5000ft and 3/8 from 22 - 25 000ft
Max 10.1 Dewpoint 7.8 Trigger 11.5
Expect 0.2 ms - 0.4 ms to 3000ft
Boundary layer energy 0 j/kg

EY

le weekend 19 September

An ideal wind direction and sounding for the weekend, but it is perhaps not hot enough yet, and the wind a wee bit too lite, but i think we can put in some good flights this weekend

Saturday
Surface wind - SW 10, 5000ft W light, 10000ft W 30, 15000ft W 50, 20000ft W 60
Windshear low at 10ms/4km
Wave from 10000ft upwards (with the caveat that the wave is normally lower and contactable in the Breede River Valley)
Cloud bleu
Max 19.5 Dewpoint 6.5 Trigger 18.1
Expect 1.1 ms - 1.5 ms to 5800 ft
Boundary layer energy 57 J/kg

Sunday
Surface wind - 10Sw, 5000ft NW 10, 10000ft W 30, 15000ft W 50, 20000ft W 60
windshear 10ms/4km
Wave - again predicted from 10000ft (but see above)
Cloud 8/8 at 30000ft
Max 21.1 Dewpoint 6.5 Trigger 20.4
Expect 0.8 ms - 1.2 ms to 5000 ft
Cloud bleu

EY

Le weekend 12 September

After last weekend there is some of the same ...

the SAWB predictions seem to show a quickly moving front going through with the winds NE Saturday morning swing quickly through to SW by Sunday afternoon, but NOAA is slightly different

So keep a heads up as the weekend approaches

Saturday
Surface wind - WNW 20, 5000ft NW 40, 10000ft NW 70, 15000ft WNW 80,20000ft W 110
Mild turbulence at all levels, wind shear is moderate at 18ms/4km
No frontal indication in the sounding
Wave at 14000 and 31000ft
Cloud Highlevel 5/8
Max 23.1 (well below the SAWB prediction of 28) Dewpoint 4.6 Trigger 23.1 (YES)Expect 0.6 ms - 0.9 ms to 3 500ft
Cloud BLUE
Boundary layer energy 13J/kg
SundayDifferent to the SAWB strong NW!!!
Surface wind - 30NW, 5000ft NW 50, 10000ft WNW 60, 15000ft WNW 90,20000ft WNW 150 (200 at 27K)
Strong surface turbulence in a thick layer (to 2000ft)
Windshear still only 18ms/4km
Wave 9900ft at 2.6ms, 18000ft at 5ms, 21000ft at 1.7ms
Cloud 3 - 5/8 from 2000ft to 9000ft
Katabatic warm front, quasi stationary, 614km to the North, vertical motion -232m/hr
The frontal layer is at 15 - 19000ft on the sounding
Max 13C, Dewpoint 9.6 Trigger 14.6 (!!!!!)
Expect very little to 3000ft
Boundary layer energy 3J/kg

EY

The Taurus in full flight - click here for the video

This is a video made by Adriaan of the flight i had with Martin Gruenert in the Taurus on Sunday, 6 September. Though i had forecast NIL wave, we, in fact, had 5.3m/s at one stage in the lee of Mostertskop. The trace is at http://www3.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=1075566
Thank you Martin for inviting me, and Adriaan for the video footage.
EY

Le Weekend - 5 September

It is getting to be time to look at longer distances ;-)
The forecast looks like this -
Saturday
A nice inversion at 5000ft with a northerly wind, going NW above the inversion with a cold frontal layer at 10 - 12000ft
If you can get through the inversion (which always is much lower in Breede River valley) and connect the wave, then its "game on"
Surface wind - N 10, 5000ft N 20, 10000ft,NW 60 15000ft,NW 100, 20000ft NW 120
Mild surface turbulence and from 3800ft upwards to 15000ft
Shear is high at 25ms/4km
Wave 3.4ms at 8500ft, 3.2ms 10300, 4.9ms at 27000ft
Cloud 8/8 from 25000ft upwards
Katabatic cold front, speed 10kph ENE 128km to the ENE vertical motion -1560m/hour
Max 20.4 Dewpoint 6.7 Trigger 20.2
Expect .7 ms - 1.0 ms to 4500ft
Boundary layer energy 24J/kg

Sunday - NO wave. Strong winds (and probable blow-out) The prediction is for 14h00, but the winds continue to strenghten into the evening.
Surface wind - 30NW, 5000ft 50NW, 10000ft 120NW, 15000ft 130nw, 20000ft 140NW
Maximum surface Turbulence!!!
Strong turbulence at 6000 - 8000ftWinds shear strong at 27ms/4km
Katabatic cold front, quasi-stationary, 80km to the NNE, vertical motion -428m/hour
Wave NIL !!!
Cloud 5/8 from 27000ft
Max 19.1 Dewpoint 6.5 Trigger 18.3
Expect 0.9 ms - 1.2 ms to ft
Boundary layer energy at 36J/kg

Pasella SABC 2

It is not often that gliding makes it onto SA National tv and tonite we a the Cape Gliding Club do ;-)
So (if you are in South Africa) watch Pasella, SABC 2 19h30 tonite (local time)
EY