Today we had a 267 km task set for Standard Class. Our class was at the back of the grid which gave us some more breathing room. It was forecast to be a blue day with thermals 1-1.5m/s to 1800m. But there was subsidence and that was expected to lower the height the thermals were working to later in the day.
Today the routine is setting in which can be summarised as:
- Gliders are rigged, ballasted and towed to the grid before briefing.
- Briefing happens
- We have our own translation of the briefing
- The pilots talk tactics
- We go to the flight line.
Launching can occur as soon as 30 mins after briefing ends so we need to be organised and ready.
We are functioning well as a team now.
The Weatherman Uwe is also on the grid – I made a joke about him flying to make sure he got his forecast right. The Germans tell me it will be a bigger joke if they have to retrieve him from a field.
We launch the girls then Keith and I head into Bautzen to get some fruit and Vegies and recharge the phone cards. Phone calls are a scarey price here. E2.00 a min (about $4.00) so SMS's are better. We had a coffee at a street cafe and watched the smart car's unique way of parking.
We took the radio with the car and can hear that the two Lisa's have been unable to keep together today. Lisa Trotter got a bit lower and had trouble climbing back up. Talking to the locals after the finish, we learned that this is not uncommon on blue days. The thermals are not one big bubble but smaller bubbles and if you miss getting in the bubble, you have trouble climbing until you catch the next one. Even if you come in just under a glider climbing well.
At least we are more used to blue days. Some of the locals are quite daunted by them
We head back to the airfield by 4:30pm and the first gliders are finishing. Our class launched last so we are seeing club class home first (Swaantje is one of the first back) and the first of the 15m ships.
A K8 landed and the pilot explained to me that they have to complete a 50km flight before they have their glider licence test and he had just done his first 50km. A few minutes later an ultralight arrived to retrieve him (he will ride back in the ultralight and another pilot has come to fly the K8 on tow).
We can hear our team approaching home on the radio and are delighter to hear Lisa Turner announce she has final glide and is switching to the airfield frequency. Good finish Sierra Papa.
Lisa Trotter has had a harder time of it and we have to wait a bit longer for her to arrive but we are delighted both gliders are back.
We have our team debriefing, and flight analysis then the girls head home for an early night.
Swaantje, Helge, Sabine, Volum and I go to the model aeroplane club that flies on the edge of the airfield (along with just about everyone else who is staying here). The model club has invited us for a BBQ and put on an airshow.
It was good fun. Steak, bratwurst sausages and beer where available and we watched a great display by many types of models. There were scale models, aerobatic planes, helicopters and even a very light plane that would hang in the air
There was the obligatory crash, and a very nice looking aerobatic scale Sukhoi ended up in the fence.
The star of the show was the Junkers JU-52 (Tante Ju)
The scores show Lisa Turner in 7th place for the day (IGC trace) with a score of 977 points and a speed of 81.70 kph. The winner for the day did 82.76 in a Discus 2b. Great effort in an LS4!
Lisa Trotter was in 12th place for the day (IGC trace) with a score of 665 and a speed of 67.07 kph. Her experiences taught us more about the characteristics of these German thermals.
Swaantje was 4th in Club Class. More details of the scores can be found at http://www.dsmf2004.de/dsmf2004.php?lg=de&whl=12000000
Lisa Turner is 8th overall and Lisa Trotter is 14th.