SBC2014 Day 08 bust

I got busted on this day because I got disconnected shortly before the join time ended. Normally, if disconnected, you just continue as though nothing had happened but I panicked because didn’t see the join time that normally displays in the upper left corner. It might just have been that the countdown to race start would have displayed a few minutes after the join time ended but I tried to rejoin and was too late. I raced offline anyway and tried to submit my flight track but because it was lacking the server information that would normally be there when racing online.

I was very disappointed because mostly those who had crashed or landed out had submited their flight tracks so I though I must have done really well but when everyone had finished and the times were published, I would have tied for 61st so I’m no longer so upset.

The task was in Provence, France and was a rugged alpine ridge race that required 2500 meters or more of altitude for most of the distance. The person that one flew west of Mont Blanc and all the others gained altitude on Mont Blanc after rounding the turnpoint, which was a great distance from there. I did neither which is probably one of the reasons I did poorly. The white mass just south of the turn point is Mont Blanc.

TURN POINTS

Description: SBC2014 – Day08

Take off:	PUIMOISSON LFTP (765 m.) Airport	Start:	Barreme N85XN202 (731 m.) Heading: 59° for 18.6 km, Coords: 43.57.132N / 6.21.950E Classic turnpoint, min. height: 0 m., max.: 1,700 m. angle: 180°, radius: 5,000 m.
TP 1:	Orsieres Gare (904 m.) Heading: 21° for 238.6 km, Coords: 46.1.650N / 7.8.632E Classic turnpoint, min. height: 0 m., max.: 5,000 m. angle: 360°, radius: 500 m.	Finish:	ANNECY MEYTHET L (459 m.) Heading: 261° for 81.6 km, Coords: 45.55.708N / 6.6.20E Classic turnpoint, min. height: 0 m., max.: 5,000 m. angle: 180°, radius: 1,000 m.

Excellent results for race 5 of the Sky Battle Cup glider competition

I’m quite excited, with most pilots in, I’m third out of about 180 competitors in day 5 of the SBC 2014!  I keep checking to see if I get moved down. I was in first place for quite a while.

This race was in New Zealand. The takeoff was Glentanner airport just down the road from the Mount Cook center where Tui and I stayed when we were in New Zealand several years ago. In fact we took a plane from Glentanner to land on a nearby glacier.

Aoraki/Mount Cook as seen from SSW flying at altitude 4000m in a glider from Omarama, a commercial gliding site 100km from the mountain. Deutsch: Der Mount Cook aus etwa 4.000 Metern Höhe gesehen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)