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This is the Wills Wing Team Pilots competition blog. Here you can keep up with the various members of our team as they progress through the competition season.
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Task 1 - Wills Wing Wins!

Jun 24

Written by: Jeff O'Brien
6/24/2009 11:10 PM 

Day 1 VIDEO HERE



A 100 mile out and return tour around valleys was called. Launch time was 12:45. I was #2 in the ordered launch. At the last minute, I realized I'd left my phone in the van more than a mile away. I sprinted down to the van, and thankfully flagged down a car for a ride back up the hill. I would have never made it in time otherwise.

Was frazzled as I got up to launch and balked for a couple of minutes before I punched off. Climbed up fine. It was cold aloft and I just boated around low not wanting to freeze prematurely. It would be almost two hours before I'd take the start.



As the start approached, I was with Dustin and Gerolf among others. Gerolf pushed out to the west as a bunch of gliders came in from the east. I let him go and hooked up with Jonny and 900fpm with a ton of other pilots. We left when things went to 400fpm.

Zippy and I worked a couple of climbs hitting strong ones near the first turnpoint. We'd leave when the lift went below 400fpm. The race was on. Cloud base was just over 9000ft. The valley heights around here are 2000ft.



I took a more direct line over smaller mountains on the long 40+km leg to the second turnpoint out in the valley near Gap. After the turnpoint, we were lower for the blue lake crossing. It was particularly rough in this area. I was trying to climb efficiently and not collide with other pilots.

The run to the third turnpoint in the valley was buoyant, and we hit a good one at the third turn. Jonny and Andre Wolf were there. Jonny headed off two minutes early, but our thermal was still 500fpm+ so I stayed. I took a left line under a small street of cu's and it was buoyant. I could see Jonny and Andre getting lower as we neared the big bare mountain with no LZ's on the other side. I played it a bit conservative as I didn't want to get stuck like last year, so I milked a lifting line directly over the peak.



The lifting line continued and despite the headwind, I was able to take a direct line to the last turnpoint while others had to deviate way around to ridge soar their way to the last turn.

I could see no one out in front of me, and was beginning to think I had a good flight going. It was at this point I started being very deliberate about my decisions and paying attention to the terrain and windward faces, sun angle, etc.



Familiarity with the terrain and lay of the land also helped a lot. I put myself deeper in the mountains with reliable looking faces rather than working the lesser hills nearer to the valley. I could see sailplanes working deep, so I knew there was likely lift there.

I'd thermal up on each windward rock ridge or face, then scoot to the next one. The last 15 km to goal was out in the flats. My instrument was saying 10-15mph direct headwind. I left the last rock fin with 9.9 into goal. there was a wispy cu out in the valley and thankfully I found a lifting line on the way into goal. I played my final conservative which was what I needed to do as many pilots landed just short.



In goal there were heartbreaks, crashes, and at least three pilots who literally landed on the goal line.

I had the good fortune to win the day. Team USA is in second place by a few points.

Airtime: 5:03. Flights: 1. Miles: 100.




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