| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
aeajr
477 Posts |
 Posted - 06/27/2015 : 4:27:03 PM
|
Report by Ed Anderson �
Mike Lavelle and Ed Anderson - Co CDs LISF
The field was in great condition as the grass had been cut the previous week. The weather forecasts for the weekend had gone through some pretty wild gyrations. On Monday the weekend was predicted to be a wash out. By Tuesday it looked like Saturday would be a loss but Sunday might work. Then Wednesday they were both looking about 50/50 and high winds. By Friday morning the forecast was for a good Saturday with chance of rain late in the day. Saturday night will rain heavy and then Sunday looked pretty good after 9 am. So we went ahead with the contest even though a number of people had dropped out, probably because of the iffy weather forecast.
Friday the field was opened for practice at 12:30 and conditions were spectacular for testing and tuning and general thermal enjoyment. We left the field at 7 pm with an optimistic report for Saturday�s weather.
Saturday morning .
Skies were cloudy, around 70 degrees. Coffee and doughnuts were served. There was very little wind but it was from the East. Perfect Ava weather. The famous LISF mower/tractor was put to work to be sure the landing area would be in top condition. 4 ESL winches were set with one pop-off winch. Steve Lucke brought a winch that had been serviced between contests. Chuck brought us a new set of batteries to break-in.
We set-up and called the pilot�s meeting. Only 11 pilots so we would expect to get in a lot of air time.
First launch was around 8:45 am under overcast skies. Well at least we were not launching into the morning sun.
Round 1 � There was almost no wind. You needed to stand on the pedal as there was no breeze to help you.
Group A � As is usual for the first round, lift was hard to find but somehow Steve Lucke found it and took the round with a near perfect 9:59 and an 81 landing. With Tony Guide second.
Group B � Chuck took the round with a 9:52 and an 85 with Pete Nicholson taking second. As part of Group B we saw our first major drama, provided by Mike Lavelle who had a problem with the launch of his Supra and put it into one of the trees. There it remained till after lunch. Fortunately Mike had a back-up plane for the next round.
Group C � Alex Hall took the round with a 9:24 with George not too far behind for second place.
At the end of the first round the leaders were:
Alex Hall followed by Chuck Robinett with Steve Lucke close behind. George Hill was right behind them.
Round 2. No one made their time but Pete Nicholson had the best time of the round with an 8:31 and a 69 landing. Steve and Tony Guide won their groups.
Leaders after 2 rounds:
Alex, Chuck, Pete Nicholson with George in a strong 4th place.
Round 3 - Again no one made their time but Bob Anderson took top honors for the round with a 9:40. George and Chuck won their rounds. I believe it was this round where George was flying high and deep, slipping in and out of clouds. He won his round but on the way back in he had a problem with his plane, having only limited control as he approached the field. He managed to get his flaps down so that the plane was porpoising on its own. It landed safely on the field but George had to pull out a back-up plane for the next round.
Leaders after 3 rounds
Alex Hall, Chuck, Steve, and George Hill. ( I detect a pattern here.)
Round 4 � During Round 4 we finally got some breeze but still not a lot. We had expect a blow by now but it was probably gusting to about 7 mph. Alex Hall had the best time of the round with a 9:55 and 48 landing. Tony Guide was right behind him with a 10:06 and a 20. Each won his respective group. Mike Lavelle won the third group.
Leaders after 4 rounds:
Alex Hall, Chick Robinett, Steve Lucke and George Hill.
Round 5 � We still have only mild breezes. Only George Hill made his time at 10:01 to win his group. John Pino and Pete Nicholson who the other two groups.
Leaders after 5 rounds
Alex Hall, Chick Robinett, Steve Lucke and George Hill.
After 5 rounds we started to get some sprinkles. Normally we would have just taken a rain stop but the weather radar showed that we were likely to be in this or heavier rain going forward so we stopped the contest at 5 rounds.
In sportsman:
John Pinho 1st, Bob Anderson 2nd and David Immanuel 3rd.
In Expert
Alex Hall 1st, Chuck Robinet 2nd and Steve Lucke third with George Hill on the bubble.
The usual Long Island Hero Sandwiches were brought in for lunch and no one went hungry. Overall things ran smooth with no line breaks and no equipment problems. Wind had been forecast all week but I don�t think we ever got over 8 mph and that was in round 5. It would have been perfect Ava weather if someone had wished to fly a light RES plane.
Mike and I would like to thank the Long Island Silent Flyers for hosting the ESL and thank the LISF club members for stepping up to do most of the work so our guests could focus on flying rather than working. We hope everyone enjoyed the day.
We are expecting heavy rains overnight. I will be doing a final weather report tonight around 10 pm to announce whether we expect good weather, a delayed start of if the rain Pixies plan to rain on our parade. The forecast continues to change hourly. Watch for the update.
|
Best regards,
Ed Anderson
Long Island Silent Flyers
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
LISF 1 - TD - June 27 Saturday Report
Forum Locked
