Update to JD's Road to Rat Race: Redemption

Task 4

With weather almost identical to yesterday, but perhaps a bit less windy, we knew the game was on. I won't bore anyone with the drama going on in my head at this point and just get to the comp, because that is where the drama truly unfolded.

The task committee called a 40k task that would definitely have us crossing the valley a couple times and heading out toward the town of Talent with goal at DONATO. For someone like me who had yet to tag a waypoint, my goal was simply to bag one and see what happened from there.

On launch, there was a distinct sense of urgency. As soon as the task was called, waypoints set and pilot meeting adjourned, the line to check in for the day filled within minutes. Alex and I planned to launch early, yet found ourselves toward the back of the line with only 40 minutes before the start window would open. Because the winds were out of the West, only one of the two launches were open so we just had to wait.

By the time we got to the front of the line, we had 10 minutes left in the countdown to start. I didn't mind but I knew Alex was struggling. "I've never launched this late in a comp," he told me, "we're going to have to get a good climb." As if he'd made a deal with the flying gods, we both hooked a magnificent thermal right off of launch at 3800 feet and found ourselves at cloudbase over 6200 feet with 3 minutes until start. Could you ask for anything more?

The entry cylinder was again the WOOD LZ with a 1k outer cylinder we had to cross after start, followed by a 400 inner cylinder before heading to RABIES. Heading out across the valley I soon realized the performance limitations of my DVH 1-2 wing. There were swarms of pilots passing me from above and below as if I were in a 10-man river raft surrounded by kayaks. Nonetheless, this provided a visual reference to the convergence line from launch to RABIES and I maintained a constant altitude through the start cylinders all the way to the first waypoint. The lift was so good that pilots all around were pulling big ears just to stay clear of the clouds. After tagging my very first waypoint, I found the next waypoint of RAB-PK on my GPS and continued to climb in strong, congested thermals.

After tagging RAB-PK, I followed what was left of the remaining lower class wings back across the valley to BURNT. Mid-way across, I encountered my first sink and pushed speed bar as I looked at the main LZ on my right to ensure I had a bailout. Calculating my glide path, I became worried as the trees were getting bigger and BURNT still 2k away. Finding four pilots turning to my left, I altered my course and began to climb, staying in the thermal until the highest pilot, approximately 500 feet overhead, began to pull ears.

Miraculously, the wind had pushed me into the 400m cylinder at BURNT and I was off to WOODRA, the next waypoint. Along the way, I looked over to my left and found myself neck and neck with Jack Brown! No way, you're saying, he's flying an Ozone R10.2 with two thin risers, but it was true. The only difference is that he had tagged WOODRA and was headed in the opposite direction toward CEMETA.

As I glided toward WOODRA, an emergency radio call came across the meet frequency that a pilot had gone down near the antennas at WOODRA and was not moving. Another pilot was circling overhead providing reports as the emergency response team leaped into action. After 10 minutes the pilot was still not moving.

A distinct shift in the comp's atmosphere occured for me at that moment. We were into our 5th day of flying, including the practice day, and had over 500 launches and landings without incident. Now one of our fellow airmen was down. I continued my glide to WOODRA getting lift the entire way and found myself over launch at 5000 feet. Pilots above at cloudbase were pulling ears and I just wanted to continue at my altitude to WOODRA and clear the emergency scene because a helicopter was probably on its way.

As I turned toward CEMETA, I thought about climbing higher but had found so much lift along the way I figured I'd just see what I would find. Immediately after entering the gulch just north of launch, I hit some sink and searched for other pilots finding lift. The few pilots I could see were about 1k ahead of me and I knew my glide path would not get me there. Knowing there was already one rescue in progress, it made no sense to me to risk being the cause in another. I knew I was getting flushed in the same gulch I landed in the previous day and turned with nearly the same path to the field below. It was an incredible flight and I was ecstatic to have made the start and four waypoints.

On the ground I called LeeAnn to tell her the news and she seemed a bit subdued. I wasn't sure why until she told me that she was part of Reaper's rescue crew that had hiked down to the pilot who crashed. From her report, the pilot had a collapse above the ridge that ended with a cravat he tried to fix and did not pull his reserve. He was now conscious but it was apparent he'd hit his head because of the damage to his helmet. A local EMT had already hiked up and another pilot top-landed, in an extremely precarious location, to attend to him. The helicopter was inbound but more pilots were hiking down with a back-board to get him to the chopper.

The pilot's life was saved by the 45-degree incline of the slope as his GPS later showed he made six spiral dives and crashed at a rate of 1200 feet per minute down. He suffered four broken ribs, and two broken ankles, one which would require surgery. The rescue crew had responded quickly and professionally, stabilizing him quickly.

Alex may post a very similar blog as we flew almost identical paths. We both tagged WOODRA and sunk out from there. While I had turned to the gulch, Alex made it West of launch and continued to fly his own course toward Longsword Winery. After three attempts to land, there was simply too much lift and he glided back to the main LZ where we picked him up and returned to HQ.

I don't know the exact number of pilots that made goal, and as the comp progresses realize I am not all that interested in knowing. I stated in the beginning that my goal was to learn and have fun. I can honestly say that flying today was a blast and I learned I can fly thermals and tag waypoints. I was not at all disappointed to have not made "goal" today, because in every sense of word, I did make goal. My goal.

Thank you all for the comments to my blog. My writing may be boring to some but your comments are inspirational and will be something that will help me progress in years to come.