It's 4:30 in the morning. I'm in bed in a roadside hotel in Nurnberg, Germany. Can't sleep.
There is no doubt that this was a fantastic competition. I've achieved an excellent result in my first International and the flying was the best I've ever experienced. However I can't deny that I'm feeling very low at the moment. To come so close to being world champion and to lose in the last minute is hard to take.
The only way I can make sense of this is to start planning the next campaign now.
So that's what I'm doing. Step one: set up "Sweden 2011 blog".... Watch this space.
Signing off.
Sunday 9 August 2009
Saturday 8 August 2009
How to lose a gliding cometition - part 2
Fly badly on the last day.
Unfortunately I scored a last minute own goal and have finished fourth.
Next Sweden 2011.
Unfortunately I scored a last minute own goal and have finished fourth.
Next Sweden 2011.
Thursday 6 August 2009
Tomorrow last day
Today was scrubbed again when a massive thunder storm exploded over the airfield. So tomorrow will be the last day. As it stands i'm in the lead but still everything to play for tomorrow.
Morning
Day before last and we have complete cloud cover here. The satelite picutres is not looking good either. We are rigging and gridding and waiting...
Glider performance and the Glide Ratio
A little bit more about the Glide. If the air is still (not going up or down) then any glider is always on a decending path, normally about 100-200 feet per minute. Glider performance is measured in the distance forward it can fly for the height loss it is incurring.
So for example you are at 2000 feet and gliding forward in still air. Let's say you flew forward 30,000 feet (about 10 km) and are now at 1000 feet, i.e. you lost 1000 feet of height and moved forward 30,000 feet, so your performance is 1/30. This is called the Glide Ratio.
Training gliders have a glide ration of about 1/28. My glider is about 1/36, high performance gliders can have a ratio of 1/60. For comparison, small single engine planes have a glide ration of about 1/8.
What you're doing in the Glide part of the flight is try and choose good air i.e. air which is going up, in order to improve that ratio. So typically in my flight i manange to achieve glide ration of 1/45 or better despite my glider still air ration being 1/36.
So for example you are at 2000 feet and gliding forward in still air. Let's say you flew forward 30,000 feet (about 10 km) and are now at 1000 feet, i.e. you lost 1000 feet of height and moved forward 30,000 feet, so your performance is 1/30. This is called the Glide Ratio.
Training gliders have a glide ration of about 1/28. My glider is about 1/36, high performance gliders can have a ratio of 1/60. For comparison, small single engine planes have a glide ration of about 1/8.
What you're doing in the Glide part of the flight is try and choose good air i.e. air which is going up, in order to improve that ratio. So typically in my flight i manange to achieve glide ration of 1/45 or better despite my glider still air ration being 1/36.
Wednesday 5 August 2009
Another scrub
Day 9 - after a long wait on the grid we scrubbed at 13:00 with thunder storms apporaching.
Two more flying days left and we are approaching the end game phase. I am still in the lead and need to keep a cool head.
Two more flying days left and we are approaching the end game phase. I am still in the lead and need to keep a cool head.
The Glide - A Sporting Philosophy
Earlier i mentioned that there are two main components during competition flight: the climb and the glide.
Climb rate is probably the most significant factor influencing your cross country speed, but at the highest level most pilots will have very similiar climbing skills and it is very hard to outclimb people. So getting good glides is what would make the difference.
So what is the Glide. Well, let's say you found stonking 800 feet per minute thermal and you are now sitting nicely at the top near cloudbase at 5000 feet and start your glide to the next good looking cumuls. At this point, you do what many pilots do...you relax, you have a drink, a bite to eat, maybe have a pee, take a picutre, check your emails on your new iphone...before you know it you lost 2500 feet and are now panicking for another climb.
Then you look left and your mate who left the climb at the same height, flying at the same speed as you is 2000 feet above you. "What's going on with my glider?" you think, "it's a flying brick..".
Actually, the problem is nearly always with the pilot rather then the glider. Whilst you take a straight line from cloud to cloud, your mate was weaving her way in and out between "energy lines" in the sky. While thermals are normally marked by cumulus clouds, the air between them is very rarely still, it normally rises and sinks in places and the good pilots will choose their route between climbs such that it will take them via the rising air rather then the sinking air. In gliding the straight line is very rarely the quickest.
So how do you pick a good line? First of all you have to be working very hard throughout the glide to maximize your glide and picking the best lines, no more relaxing and admiring the view. You need to focus on the sky and pick any tiny bit of information that will give you a clue where the air is rising. This can be a tiny wisp of a cloud, a haze-cap, other gliders movements, birds, ground features. You have to be completly focused and tune in to the sky outside and the physical sensations you are getting inside.
The Glide is a sporting philosophy. To stop in a climb is to go backwards, so by finding these energy lines you minimize the amount of time you need to spend in a climb.
Climb rate is probably the most significant factor influencing your cross country speed, but at the highest level most pilots will have very similiar climbing skills and it is very hard to outclimb people. So getting good glides is what would make the difference.
So what is the Glide. Well, let's say you found stonking 800 feet per minute thermal and you are now sitting nicely at the top near cloudbase at 5000 feet and start your glide to the next good looking cumuls. At this point, you do what many pilots do...you relax, you have a drink, a bite to eat, maybe have a pee, take a picutre, check your emails on your new iphone...before you know it you lost 2500 feet and are now panicking for another climb.
Then you look left and your mate who left the climb at the same height, flying at the same speed as you is 2000 feet above you. "What's going on with my glider?" you think, "it's a flying brick..".
Actually, the problem is nearly always with the pilot rather then the glider. Whilst you take a straight line from cloud to cloud, your mate was weaving her way in and out between "energy lines" in the sky. While thermals are normally marked by cumulus clouds, the air between them is very rarely still, it normally rises and sinks in places and the good pilots will choose their route between climbs such that it will take them via the rising air rather then the sinking air. In gliding the straight line is very rarely the quickest.
So how do you pick a good line? First of all you have to be working very hard throughout the glide to maximize your glide and picking the best lines, no more relaxing and admiring the view. You need to focus on the sky and pick any tiny bit of information that will give you a clue where the air is rising. This can be a tiny wisp of a cloud, a haze-cap, other gliders movements, birds, ground features. You have to be completly focused and tune in to the sky outside and the physical sensations you are getting inside.
The Glide is a sporting philosophy. To stop in a climb is to go backwards, so by finding these energy lines you minimize the amount of time you need to spend in a climb.
Tuesday 4 August 2009
Scrub
Today we woke up to complete cloud cover. The word from the organisers was "grid will open at 10:15 but don't rig...". Finally the day was cancelled (scrubbed) at 10:00.
So we decided to go sight seeing. Here we are in the Danube which contrary to rumours is definitly not blue.
Day 8, Lapse rate and more on the Start Game
Yesterday day 8. Forecast was not good, predicting a blue stable day with weak conditions. In order for good thermals to form you need the general air (environment) to be relatively cold, but also you want it getting colder rather quickly with height. So that when the warm bubble of the thermal is rising and so cooling, it is still warmer than the environment air and so continues to rise quickly. This rate of cooling of the environment air is called the Lapse rate.
When the air is stable, such as on a hot cloudless summer day, the environment air is not cooling with height fast enough (or sometimes not at all) and the thermal bubble rises slowly and not very high. These conditions can be very difficult for glider flights and are hard work, slow grovel and normally also hot and sticky.
The inital task was 3 hour Assigned Area task. At 12:30 the 15 meter class was launched and struggled to stay up. Launch was postpone by 30 minutes and the task was shortened to 2 hour AAT.
We finally launched into the weak conditions and indeed it was a struggle with weak climbs to 4000 feet and big gaggles of gliders, up to 30 gliders in a small area. Whilst waiting for the start gate to open we spotted a few isolated cumuls on track and Gill was calling 5 knots climbs to 6000 feet. Liz and I, together with Kay (Standard class) pushed on to the clouds and were rewarded with good climb now to 7500 feet. Nobody else spotted the clouds and they were all still struggling in the start area in the blue, 3000 feet lower than us. But with the westerly wind the clouds and us were nicely drifting towards the start line.
Finally everyone in our class came over below and were climbing in our cloud. We moved over to the next clouds and waited. Nobody spotted us...
Then we saw the Germans leave, followed shortly by the Czechs (2 gliders are the Germans, 3 are the Czechs..), and then everybody else...we've got them this time!
We waited 5 more minutes then made excellent start and after a very long glide we caught up with the early starters who were now marking climbs for us. The rest of the flight was fantastic with great runs and climbs. I finished 2nd again with 107 kph and Liz 3rd with similiar speed. The only reason we didn't win the day was because we got greedya and went too far in the 2nd area.
When the air is stable, such as on a hot cloudless summer day, the environment air is not cooling with height fast enough (or sometimes not at all) and the thermal bubble rises slowly and not very high. These conditions can be very difficult for glider flights and are hard work, slow grovel and normally also hot and sticky.
The inital task was 3 hour Assigned Area task. At 12:30 the 15 meter class was launched and struggled to stay up. Launch was postpone by 30 minutes and the task was shortened to 2 hour AAT.
We finally launched into the weak conditions and indeed it was a struggle with weak climbs to 4000 feet and big gaggles of gliders, up to 30 gliders in a small area. Whilst waiting for the start gate to open we spotted a few isolated cumuls on track and Gill was calling 5 knots climbs to 6000 feet. Liz and I, together with Kay (Standard class) pushed on to the clouds and were rewarded with good climb now to 7500 feet. Nobody else spotted the clouds and they were all still struggling in the start area in the blue, 3000 feet lower than us. But with the westerly wind the clouds and us were nicely drifting towards the start line.
Finally everyone in our class came over below and were climbing in our cloud. We moved over to the next clouds and waited. Nobody spotted us...
Then we saw the Germans leave, followed shortly by the Czechs (2 gliders are the Germans, 3 are the Czechs..), and then everybody else...we've got them this time!
We waited 5 more minutes then made excellent start and after a very long glide we caught up with the early starters who were now marking climbs for us. The rest of the flight was fantastic with great runs and climbs. I finished 2nd again with 107 kph and Liz 3rd with similiar speed. The only reason we didn't win the day was because we got greedya and went too far in the 2nd area.
Sunday 2 August 2009
Second half - a tough day
In football the first few minutes of the second half are critical if you are the leading team. The opposition are psyched up by their manager and will be raring to have a go at you. You need to sit tight, keep your focus and not concede.
Today felt the same, after yesterday's rest day and with 6 days to go, we knew the Czechs will come out all guns blazing. However we didnt need to take big risks and so with the forecast for weak conditions and early shut-off, we decided to start early.
As it turned out the conditions were better than we thought but our start time was not a big mistake. The Czechs did start 20 minutes after us and did win the day but by a small margin and they will need to take bigger risks to catch up unless we make big mistakes.
So for the day. It really was horrible flight, the climbs were extremly rough and narrow and my Libelle did not like it at all. I was having terrible time in the climbs and was getting out-climbs even by the weakest competitors. And climbing is normally my secret weapon, if all else fail at least i know i can outclimb people.
So i spent the whole flight 1000-1500 feet below everyone else trying to catch up. The reason i got a good result (third) was that i left the weak climbs even though i was lower than everyone. I didn't succumb to the temptation to take a few more turns in weak climbs in order to get to the safety of cloudbase.
So, played badly but still managed a good results. Fun factor 2, result factor 8.
Today felt the same, after yesterday's rest day and with 6 days to go, we knew the Czechs will come out all guns blazing. However we didnt need to take big risks and so with the forecast for weak conditions and early shut-off, we decided to start early.
As it turned out the conditions were better than we thought but our start time was not a big mistake. The Czechs did start 20 minutes after us and did win the day but by a small margin and they will need to take bigger risks to catch up unless we make big mistakes.
So for the day. It really was horrible flight, the climbs were extremly rough and narrow and my Libelle did not like it at all. I was having terrible time in the climbs and was getting out-climbs even by the weakest competitors. And climbing is normally my secret weapon, if all else fail at least i know i can outclimb people.
So i spent the whole flight 1000-1500 feet below everyone else trying to catch up. The reason i got a good result (third) was that i left the weak climbs even though i was lower than everyone. I didn't succumb to the temptation to take a few more turns in weak climbs in order to get to the safety of cloudbase.
So, played badly but still managed a good results. Fun factor 2, result factor 8.
Saturday 1 August 2009
The Shabath
Today is mandatory rest day so we're off to the local water park to chill out. Liz and Alan have gone to have icecream in Romania..
Outragous day
Yesterday's weather forecast was for a blue day with weak conditions. It turned out to be a mega racing day and we have achieved amazing speeds in our club gliders. Liz won the day with a whooping 113kph and i'm second with 110kph.
On a cloudless day (blue) you want to start as late as possible because you can use other gliders ahead to mark climbs for you. But on a day with possible showers you generally want to start as early as possible to minimize the chance of getting caught out in a showers (showers tend to develop later on in the day).
So yesterday at 12:30 it was still blue with no sign of cloud but by 12:45 the sky was full of great looking cumulus. After take off while flying around in the start area i noticed the clouds were getting taller very quickly, a sign of possible showers. We had a string of gliders following us around everywhere we went and to try and shake them off we tried a dummy start, went down track for 10km and came back. They all came back with us...
So we then made a proper start straight away which was the decision that won the day. The Czechs and Germans waited too long and got caught out. We had fantastic run all the way, cruising between climbs at 90-95 knots (170-180 kmh) and only stopping to climb 7 times. At one point i took a 10kt climb which is 1000 feet per minute. When you are in a climb like that it feels like you are on an express train to heaven..
The last 50km were tricky, clouds getting massive and we could see showers ahead. We took the last climb very high to have safety margin in case we get caught out in the sink (downdrafts) expected in the shower and got home to find out we romped the 220km task in just under 2 hours..my personal best speed ever in this glider.
On a cloudless day (blue) you want to start as late as possible because you can use other gliders ahead to mark climbs for you. But on a day with possible showers you generally want to start as early as possible to minimize the chance of getting caught out in a showers (showers tend to develop later on in the day).
So yesterday at 12:30 it was still blue with no sign of cloud but by 12:45 the sky was full of great looking cumulus. After take off while flying around in the start area i noticed the clouds were getting taller very quickly, a sign of possible showers. We had a string of gliders following us around everywhere we went and to try and shake them off we tried a dummy start, went down track for 10km and came back. They all came back with us...
So we then made a proper start straight away which was the decision that won the day. The Czechs and Germans waited too long and got caught out. We had fantastic run all the way, cruising between climbs at 90-95 knots (170-180 kmh) and only stopping to climb 7 times. At one point i took a 10kt climb which is 1000 feet per minute. When you are in a climb like that it feels like you are on an express train to heaven..
The last 50km were tricky, clouds getting massive and we could see showers ahead. We took the last climb very high to have safety margin in case we get caught out in the sink (downdrafts) expected in the shower and got home to find out we romped the 220km task in just under 2 hours..my personal best speed ever in this glider.
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