Thanks Gin!

A few pics I took on a record cross country flight in Alaska this spring.

As expected, the organization here in Mungyeong was top notch. I'd like to thank Gin for making such an investment both in time and $ to insure everyone was looked after and exceptionally well fed. I know that personally, as my friend Bill was commenting, I was burning more calories ust eating the veggie sandwich on launch than I was storing from the ingredients themselves, but honestly, I think many of us could take a lesson from the Korean people and their diet. The food offered was “enough” along with the fruit, and although psychologically I had it in my mind that I needed more.... gotta load up on protein – the reality was that it was enough because it was good nutritious whole food – certainly not the norm for many of our diets these days. And come on, how often can you walk for 3 hours through a park in a constant flow of visitors, and never see anyone who is over weight?

Of course for me it's hard to be objective with the win under my belt, but I think the overall mood and attitude was surprisingly good considering the lousy run of weather.... and this we must attribute to the organization. I'm also so fortunate to have a life partner who is supportive of the paragliding mistress that latched on to me 11 years ago. I doubt I'll even see her in Lienz next month as I'm sure she'll be out doing the hut to hut or paddling down some river in her pack raft! And it seems as though we get plenty of nice time together at the comps during weather days when it doesn't always work out that way at home due to our busy work schedules.....

PWC Austria is next for a very high pilot quality warmup for the FAI worlds in Spain. The World champs is something I've always hoped to be able to fly in one day. I was starting to wonder if I'd have to become a Canadian citizen or move to Luxemburg! I'm proud to be joining Josh and Brad along with Jeff and Rob in Piedrahita! I hope to represent well and feel ready with the right glider and a good attitude....

In August I start working with a mechanic to finish the restoration of our Cessna 180 tail dragger which hasn't flown in many years. After 3 intense months of PWC and FAI worlds, I don't plan to compete again until the PWC Superfinal in Valle next January. I'm sure it will be painful knowing my friends are racing at the national comps in Utah and Texas, but honestly I'm excited looking forward to just being home in Alaska this late summer and fall and perhaps doing some XC at home where on a good day it's one of them most beautiful flights on the planet....

Launching the R10.2 in strong winds

After more than a few hundred hours flying the R10.2, and after watching so much launch carnage in Mungyeong over the past week, and at the Turkey PWC Superfinal last fall, I feel motivated to offer some feedback which might help the newer R10.2 pilots, and perhaps some of the more experienced ones as well. If more pilots could safely launch the glider in stronger winds, then perhaps this could lead to a successful task on some marginal days, instead of a forced cancellation by organizers trying to protect those who are struggling and creating tension and anxiety on launch.

I'm hesitant to include the Boom 8 and other 2 liners as I haven't flown them and wouldn't feel comfortable including all 2 liners in a generalized manner. I'm hoping that other 2 liner pilots will jump in and comment with additional content. I'll start from the beginning so that I can offer my full perspective on the R10.2. I'll describe some characteristics of the glider as this is applicable to the high wind launch technique discussed later.

The unique wing loading qualities of the first R10.2 in my country became immediately evident with the first sessions on the glider at the training hill with my original instructor who's been flying and competing from early on. Trying to stall the glider while hovering in strong wind close to the ground was an instant eye opener. Neither of us had ever seen so much “stall authority” and a glider that kept flying with far more brake input and travel than one could ever imagine before it slowly let go. It was instantly clear that this glider was pressurized and loaded surprisingly well, and that the production 2 line innovation was made possible by some very brilliant internal design and construction.

When launching the R10.2 in high winds, the glider demands mastery of control. If you relinquish control in strong wind, even for a moment, the R10.2 will have it's way with you. The airfoil has become far too efficient in generating lift for a pilot to be tentative, and in my opinion, only one launch technique is consistently safe. I'm disappointed that it took me so long to master this technique. I'm afraid I was just muddling along like many R10 pilots just hoping that I would keep getting away with it. That all changed in Turkey last fall at the Superfinal when I was popped high off the ground and dropped hard on two separate occasions having the wind knocked out of me and shaken up...... not the way to start a task, and very likely a contributing factor to my poor performance there. Talk about frustration! You know it's coming but don't know how to prevent it. That forced me to seek out guidance and figure it out!

It's very easy to build up false confidence with this glider launching or practicing inflations in strong wind at the training hill. Turns out with a light kiting harness and quick feet, a fast (and motivated) pilot can successfully sprint up under the glider, turn and be flying all in one aggressive motion. This can't be duplicated, however, with a fully loaded pod harness – not even close to it. In fact, the heavier, slower moving pilot anchor just accelerates the glider and generates more lift quicker causing the well known R10.2 classic “pilot plucked off the ground and redeposited” syndrome.

After observing literally 100s of high wind 2 liner launches now, I can suggest with confidence how to proceed. Firstly, starting from a strong wall, then loading and forming up the glider early, and keeping the glider symmetrically loaded is crucial. Any technique which results in the glider pressurizing asymmetrically while overhead or near overhead is dangerous, and is the single greatest cause of loss of control in strong wind. This also holds true for gliders which are brought up symmetrically, but partially unloaded with the Bs, and then let go to load overhead. Although effective with a 3 liner, with a 2 liner this latter technique usually results in success only after masterful input from a very strong pilot, and more often than not the glider experiences several sketchy asymmetrical gyrations in the loading process. Cheers and applause also typically follow this launch effort – not the recognition we should strive for..... I don't want anyone to notice my launch – just the fact that my spot is vacant.

In the past I'd been impressed by excellent pilots who were able to bring up their conventional 3 line comp glider by either B or C line input – much like you'd launch any serial glider..... It's relatively easy to grab a handful of Bs or Cs and bring the glider up on your terms in the strongest wind. None of this applies to the R10.2 Don't kid yourself into thinking you can bring the glider up with As and the B toggles. You might get lucky here and there in a laminar coastal soaring wind but there's no future in it in thermal wind..... Here's why: Even if you manage to B toggle the wing up and overhead in some form of a glider without it snaking all over the place, the chances of an asymmetrical high speed inflation/pressurization are very likely, with the resulting dangerous consequences.

Perhaps the strongest quality of the R10.2, and now the R11, is it's brilliant ability to hold it's form and resist stall. This quality is also strongly present when the glider is being launched, so it makes excellent sense to take advantage of it.

If you have help to hold your glider down, prepare for your high wind launch as you would any other, with the As and brakes as normal. Any riser/brake handling technique is fine..... If you don't have help add in a bite of the B toggles until you are ready to pull up. The Bs along with lite As does wonders to stabilize the glider nicely on the ground and avoid the dragon in strong winds.

Launch the glider as you normally would, looking for a 100% normally formed and loaded wing. When the glider approaches a mid point of about 45 degrees or so, or at a point where it is clearly both solidly pressurized and accelerating, drop the As and go to both brakes symmetrically or as required to maintain a symmetrical rise. Brake down the glider to a point where the rest of the rise to the overhead position is on your terms – not the gliders. I can't speak for other 2 liners, but the R10.2, because of it's huge stall authority, gives you all kinds of room to work with here without breaking form. With a bit of practice, you'll find that you can easily “walk” the glider up the rest of the way, keeping it loaded and safely symmetrical.

Because of experience with other competition gliders in the past, or perhaps due to my lack of confidence in high wind launching, I wasn't sure that this was an option for me as the stalling characteristics of others gliders I've flown were nothing like the R10.2. If you brake it too early, it will simply unload most likely in a very controlled manner. If you brake it too late..... well we all know what that outcome will likely be!! You probably won't brake it again late the next time! All kidding aside, if you do brake it late, the glider will still remain symmetrical, shoot overhead and frontal while jerking you cleanly and efficiently off the ground and then dropping you straight down onto your fully loaded pod which shouldn't be too painful..... This is far preferable to a glider which is pressurizing and accelerating asymmetrically, causing the pilot to lose balance... and then control, often becoming airborne in a dangerous and scary manner....

I write this with a mindful of very strong fresh images from Mungyeong, as well as many firmly imprinted images from Turkey last fall. I saw every conceivable method of getting the 2 liner loaded and going in the strong wind with many very strong pilots in attendance. Many times I watched the same pilot make multiple attempts. Things were really amplified because their was some terrain out in front of launch that was sometimes messing with the airflow. Every once and awhile a stronger pilot would walk out on launch and you could just see the focus and confidence. No waiting forever for the lower wind speeds that weren't gonna come while tying up the launch. Just timing the cycle and pulling up with confidence, braking the R10 down cleanly and smoothly until overhead... turning and flying away from launch without jacking up everyone's anxiety level in the process – especially the organizer and meet director....

If you fly the R10.2, the strong wind launch doesn't have to be intimidating. Of course you must exercise extra caution, but you must believe that you might be able to increase your strong wind comfort range much further than you think. The R10.2 has brought levels of confidence and safety to the competition glider world that have never been realized in the past.... The ability to cleanly launch this glider in strong wind is just one of the many qualities of a brilliant paraglider. Anyone competing on one should take full advantage of these qualities to both increase their own safety, and to help all pilots get safely and efficiently into the sky and into the start cylinder..... so the windy day task can be pulled off and enjoyed by most everyone, instead of being canceled......

I'll never forget the first day on the hill in Brazil at the Pocos PWC last year when the R10.2 first came out in numbers..... It was like a perfect production line of clean pluck and drop maneuvers... one right after another.....highly experienced pilot or not.... and it wasn't even that windy! Many pilots have adjusted... some have mastered it, still others are really hoping that it's not windy on launch!! I write this understanding that with the delivery of I don't know how many R11.2s this year, the number of new pilots getting the used R10s is gonna go through the roof! I'm hoping that these new pilots will take it upon themselves to spend the time to get properly dialed in so they can enjoy the full benefit of one great flying machine!! (Oh, and keep the launch que moving!!!!)

Jack

Task 2

The second task was again all about the wind. The winds had gone SW which is a difficult direction for the launch. After much skepticism and wondering if we would get a task, the winds shifted around more to the SE, and came in the backside which made for easy and quick launching for the entire field. The task was also built around the wind – keeping us lower and out of the stronger stuff, and in the local terrain as the downwind direction was off limits due to military airspace.

This race day was completely different than the first task, and was far more technical. At the start the gliders were very spread out, with the largest gaggle with many strong pilots more in front of launch to the North. The start cylinder was an entry and you had to continue to get the first turn point as well. It was across the valley to the west and somewhat into the wind. There were gliders heading for the start from several different directions and from a wide range of altitudes. Being an elapsed time race, I wasn't eager to mash on the bar from the get go and was more determined to be patient and let things develop a bit before I got too aggressive. Because of this I didn't enter the start cylinder until several minutes after the start time, but I was quite high and was able to fly accelerated all the way through the start cylinder to the first turn point, and then back much of the way across the valley towards launch before stopping to climb. I lost focus somewhat at that point as apparently many of the lead gaggle which had started a few K from me had run into huge sink after the first turn point and never recovered. Some turned around and went back to the terrain and were able to stay in the race. I remember watching a large gaggle racing hard for the first turn point but just plain lost track of the entire group!! I was also momentarily distracted by an R10 well below me who took a big whack and recovered, but too late to avoid a scary high speed pendulum into the trees. He was a banged up a bit but nothing serious, and ended up suspended from the branches 2 meters above the ground.

For whatever reason, many of us had a pretty easy time making it back across the valley to launch where the conditions were the strongest of the day. I remember bailing out of one climb because it was too rough, but turning around and driving right back in for another round. I was nice and high and I wanted to get higher before I headed into the wind for the next leg. At this point the high filter thickened quite a bit and toned down the day big time. This forced a major downshift of gears and it was easy to spot several gliders suddenly low and racing to the dirt! I grabbed the next turnpoint and then headed well off the course line, almost 90 degrees, to a large ridge which was ridge soarable and sustainable. Here I joined Lucas and some other strong pilots but wasn't able to hang with them. They caught a small thermal when I was soaring further down the ridge and were able to drift up and away somewhat with it, but it didn't pan out and they just ended up more downwind before the next glide. They left on glide across the city to a large climbing ridge and the next point which looked quite difficult given the reduced heat energy now coming through the high clouds. A tough decision to go with them but lower followed. I managed to find a more buoyant line then they and joined up with them very low on the next ridge. Here we spent about half an hour slowly working our way gradually higher and higher up the ridge and to the higher mountain behind. We got the turnpoint, and then the high cloud filter started thinning at the same time. For the first time I thought we might make the goal. I also knew my elapsed time was good as I'd caught up to those who had started well before me.

The rest of the course was easy as long as you were patient and didn't push on ahead low as some pilots discovered. I managed to get more of the final thermal than the others and was again in a great position to win the day. Again I was showing a 7:1 glide and 300m over the goal – much more than I needed, but wanted to make sure I would make it. I was much above Lucas before the final glide but let him go ahead of me! Still confidence issues!! I knew there were some strong south winds coming out of the valleys and I didn't want to get a last minute drilling and land short!! This is something I must work on! As it was, I was plenty high, and after the end of speed section I flew into some nice sink and spiraled down but almost too far as I just barely flew across the line!!

This was a difficult and very technical task and many excellent pilots landed early. I know the frustration factor was through the roof but was glad I'd made good decisions and flew the race on my terms without being influenced by any gaggles. The points for the day were devalued because so many pilots landed early. All in all a very fun flying day. I love mashing the bar for one kilometer after another with the vario singing in a strong convergence where it's all going up, but I also always enjoy the challenge when it's more than just seeing how fast you can go from climb to climb or through abundant lift....

Lots of site seeing on this trip - There was a beautiful national park very close to Mungyeong, and Sue spent many hours exploring and hiking....

Gin brought the house down during the opening ceremonies, and had everyone excited - well, almost everyone!

PWC Korea May 2011

Mungyeong Task 1

Today was all about the wind. Intensities were high on launch. Everyone wants to race, but of course nobody wants to see anyone get hurt. There is some conflict on launch as each pilot has his or her own idea of what is safe, and what is not. The preceding day was canceled after conditions became too windy on launch, but not until many pilots had launched, and we had witnessed many tense moments as unfamiliar pilots struggled with the quickly accelerating and high lift generating 2 liners. I felt the meet director and Gin handled things well with constant monitoring and ongoing evaluation of conditions. This is always the most difficult challenge for the organizer.... days like this when the sky looks great for racing but you have difficult conditions along with such a diverse spread of skill level on launch.

As seems to be my MO, and with no launch priority, I was later getting into the launch que, and with many pilots taking multiple attempts to get airborne, it was slow going through the line. My launch was confident and controlled as I've been forced like many R10 pilots to either figure it out or be hurt or left behind on windy days. After a few more scary blown launches the organizers closed launch for awhile, but then opened it again – although by that time, after watching so many struggle and some get banged up a bit, most of those remaining choose to not fly.

Once airborne, with only 20 minutes to the start, I was already behind before the race had even started. This forced some early on serious decision making if I was to have any chance to be competitive for the race. The conditions were very good for racing, but for some reason many pilots were spending much time climbing in lite lift trying to maximize the climb, when there was no need to be that high. I honored my C Pilot audio prompt to leave the 4K exit cylinder, and found myself immediately in a good start position, but much lower than almost all gliders. It looked good to me, however, and I felt no reason for concern as the day was looking great with nice cummies forming downwind, and plenty of altitude to find the next climb.

I flew 90% of the race alone. I was never high with the gaggles, but made the choice to prioritize my position over my altitude. If I'd ever stopped to climb high I would have dropped far behind of the leaders. This wasn't really my initial plan, it was just the reality of where I was at the start. It was fun and fast racing, a bit rough in spots but overall pretty nice. I flew fast, never getting high and put myself in a great position to go for the win. There was nobody in front of me but many less than a kilometer close behind but much higher. The clouds were popping everywhere in front of me and I had plenty of altitude to find one more good core. It looked so good, but being alone, I just didn't find it and instead found a sinky line and got low about 10K from goal. This was the same area where several pilots were busting the 2000m altitude restriction set for the day. I wouldn't say that I was desperately low, but at least half my focus was on a safe landing spot, while the other half was on a last attempt to get away. The last bit of terrain along the river which formed a nice bowl was working nicely and even though I was quite low, it worked and turned into my final climb. The time to get established cost me the lead and I took more altitude than I needed, or so I thought. Yasson was the first to fly over while I was low. He was alone and pushing hard. Pepe and some others were higher and further SW and also passing while Dean was passing above and to my left. I left on a 7:1 with a nice tail wind and 300m over goal.... As soon as I was situated back on glide with the kick down rings to the pullies, I noticed Yasson just getting absolutely drilled on a line right in front of me. Dean was to my left on a line which took him over the last bit of terrain and turned out to be a good decision. Pepe and the others were higher and to the right and in much better position. Really bad luck for Yasson as his drilling took him all the way to the dirt when I believe he was in a good position to win the day. I'm not sure when, but soon after I went on final glide, I backed off the speed and went into the “I just want to make the goal line” mode. I had just enough altitude to angle off to the left and surf the last bit of terrain across a huge bridge and then to goal. I crossed the line, made one S turn to the right, and then landed behind Dean who had won the day.... WAY TOO CLOSE for comfort.

After a few weather days, it was great to see so many pilots fly to goal, and many happy faces all around.

Roldanillo Final task

Seems I was bound and determined to finish what I had started here in Roldanillo 2 weeks ago in proper fashion. I've never been more confident in knowing what I must do to be competitive in such a strong field. Never have I had such magnificent training and opportunity to hone the skills necessary to up my ranking. Never have I been in such a wild ride of mental conflict in skill versus execution! Everything I need I have. Everything I need to know has been demonstrated to me numerous times here in Roldanillo. I couldn't ask for better mentoring, a better glider, a better field to race with - it's all been here and given freely. I don't usually keep a diary or record of my competition flying, but after this experience I am putting it down on paper as this was the ultimate training session and I simply mustn't let it's content drift away. I don't know if I'll be able to execute and progress, or stagnate and fade away. I do know that I have all the pieces of the puzzle within my grasp!

Day 6 was yet again another spectacular flying day. Again my goal was to be a team player and see if I could hang with the gaggle. I started strongly and ended up nicely positioned with the lead gaggle, turning with all kinds of great pilots and heading out on the course line sitting beautifully. Once again, it was a frustratingly easy choice for me to leave the lead gaggle and forge out on my own - chasing a big climb off the course line. Once again the synergistic strength of the strong pilots working together was able to easily overcome any strategic move I thought I might be making, and even though I found a nice climb to base, I was immediately behind once again, with an almost impossible chance to catch up. I made a valiant effort, and was almost successful at the third turnpoint, but the lead gaggle was just too fast and strong, brilliantly getting centered in each climb quickly and efficiently.....

Another day of non-stop smiles at goal with many pilots, along with myself, enjoying one of the best weeks of racing in their flying careers! The Colombian people, especially those in the outlying areas, were so free flowing with hospitality and genuine good will, that it begs one to want to return and do it again. What a contrast to Valle de Bravo where more often than not it's become all about getting more and more $ from the gringos any time and any place that they can - a sad evolution at a great flying site that hopefully won't be repeated in Roldanillo.

The food here is great and the accommodations are a nice 2 star- I'm not aware of anyone either last year or this who experienced any stomach issues from the food or water. Breakfast includes a daily large bowl of cutup fresh juicy papaya or mixed fruits along with scrambled eggs with ham and onions, bread, and a great big glass of fresh squeezed OJ.... all for about 3 bucks. I've had excellent pizza, lasagna, top sirloin steak/potatoes/veggies, nice salads, and one of the best "hamberguesa" creations I've ever eaten from a street vendor....

Because the PWC rules only allow 6 days of flying if they are all fully valid, which they were, the 7th day - Saturday - is a free day for flying, shopping, or R & R. I chose the R & R! after 44 hours of flying over the past 2 weeks. There was a big party last night with all you can drink for only 15,000 Colombian pesos (about $8). I passed as I was afraid that the French pilots would all get too drunk and beat me up!! Honestly though, I just wasn't feeling it for drinking and socializing....

Tonight is the awards party and then a painfully early getup at 3am for a 7am departure from Periera... I finished in the 20s, and am happy with the whole thing considering the invaluable experience I've gained. I wished I'd had a better finish as it would have brought more WPRS points to our nation's ranking and maybe helped get a 4th position at the FAI Worlds this summer. As it was it looks like we should improve from our 10th place Nations position with Nick and Josh finishing so strongly.....

The day's task laid out by Nicky Moss (known locally as Micky Mouse)

Roldanillo Day 5

My game plan for day 5 was to try and work on my gaggle flying and be a better team player. My starting ability has really improved, partly due to the features of the Compass Cpilot. I started again beautifully, and was positioned well on the first glide. I was behind Brad G who was leading out, and having a nice glide... Most of the gaggle was to my right, either at my same altitude or higher. Not 5 minutes into the first glide, the air mass in front of me seemed to just separate. I found myself in serious sink while Brad, less than 500 meters in front of me, was in zeros or better. The entire gaggle to my right was also doing just fine, but my situation was quickly changing. I couldn't dive back in under the gliders to my right, as the terrain situation wouldn't allow that as a safe move - just nowhere to bomb out in that direction. Instead, I was forced to fall off to the terrain along the valley floor, and then work to get re-established. I took the biggest drilling since I'd been in Roldanillo, also finding the strongest wind I'd experienced as well. I was literally down to almost not penetrating with as much speed as I'd dare to push. I eventually rounded the ridge really low, and started the long process of getting back in the race. It was a struggle, and by the time I had recovered, I was more or less out in the valley, while most of the field had disappeared on course in the mountains. It was slow going from there with no gaggle to work with.

It was another great racing day, and there was no catching up to be done with such talented pilots gaggled up and racing strong. Myself and a few other stragglers brought in the red lantern to goal just barely making it when the sea breeze came in strongly across the valley. It was one of the more tense moments I've had here as I found myself with 3 others on a ridge well into to some light to moderate terrain, with only sketchy hill side lzs as possible landing options. There were better fields out front, but a huge power transmission line was just before. A safe landing became the top priority, so we started ridge soaring to gain enough altitude to go over the back to a safer landing spot. Just when the heart rate was starting to climb, we spotted a gaggle of vultures in front of the ridge who were struggling to keep good form in a huge thermal that was letting go. We all just rocketed to cloud base and were able to make the final glide to goal. I left on a 3 to 1 glide and only had 150 meters or so left over the goal....

From 8th overall to 104th on day 4, and up to 83rd on day 5 - whoo hoo here I come!! The heck with the score - the flying is so beautiful and fun here it's hard to get too bent out of shape on the results.... tomorrows gonna be another great race day!

The real Boss of the Coffee Plantation

A valley far away...

No language barrier here!

Roldanillo Day 4

Day 4 proved a turning point for me in terms of scoring well, but also provided the most amazing landing out experience I've ever had. After a poor start and then catching up well with a strong gaggle, I became overconfident coming off a 2nd place finish the day before, and reverted into a mindset where I was able to make pretty much any mistake.... and the mistakes poured out of the processor one after another until I found myself alone, far off the course line, sinking into a rather steep valley with few landing options and no shortage of power lines.

An extremely technical approach and landing found me on a nice hillside full of field workers preparing and planting coffee bean plants. I had landed myself right in the middle of the Rochela Coffee Plantation. I spent the next 6 hours being buried in hospitality unlike anything I'd ever experienced over the years of xc. From the field workers who helped me with my glider and transported me to the main plantation facilities, to the top managers who drove me around the plantation for 2 hours, including a breath taking vista high up in the mountains. They fed me a most excellent meal with delicious soup and mouth watering chicken as good as any I've ever had. I toured the stables, learned everything about the evolution of a coffee bean from the plant to the grinder, and honestly didn't want to leave when the retrieve finally found me that evening.

XC anyone?

Luc telling us about flying an R10.2 in the rain....

South African friend killing time before takeoff

Beautiful but long walk out last night....

Some really mean and scary French guys here!

PWC Roldanillo Day 3

Today was a good day for me! Flew pretty well the first few days but today was a day when many things came together. It was a full on race day with beautiful cummies, lots of birds, light winds and pretty much a perfect PWC race to goal. I didn't start so well, but quickly started to execute my plan which was to stay in the mountains for the first half of the race while it was still early, and then take a straight line down the center of the valley to the goal. You know what? After reading through this before I post, I must admit, that I had a perfect start, because I just positioned myself so that all I had to do was dart out into the valley start cylinder, and then right back into the terrain, which put me instantly in a position to get in front. When I say I didn't start so well, I guess what I mean is that the majority of top pilots were starting out in the valley, and were much higher than I at the start..... Shame on my (sorry Bill!) for letting my visual sight picture get in the way of what was really happening!

They mixed things up a bit today in terms of the task call. Goal was an airport at the center of a 15k cylinder. You first had to tag the goal waypoint, and then fly the 15k outbound so that you were completely outside of the cylinder. Then reverse course again and race the 15k back to goal.

I hooked up with X PWC champ Yasson Savov now sponsored by GIN early on and we raced the entire race together. It was great to get up to cloud base and just keep hammering the speed bar losing very little altitude and only stopping to climb in the strongest cores (usually marked by a gaggle of Colombian vultures). The vast majority of pilots had headed out to the valley early for the start, and were having a good go of it out there, but they just couldn't compete with the stronger and more frequent cores we had in the mountains. There were 4 of us at one point, but one (another R10.2) took a big frontal whack and by the time he recovered he had lost much altitude and never caught us back up. I'm not sure who the other pilot was but his glider seemed not to be able to keep up. Yasson is flying the 2 liner Boom proto and it's going quite well, definitely on even par with the R10.

Russ Ogden, flying his glow in the dark R11 proto, was just a thermal behind for almost the entire race, but never saw us out in front of him. He thought he'd won the day and was surprised to see Yasson and me at goal when he arrived!

Colombia has been really enjoyable again this year. Beautiful people, great flying, great birds to thermal with, good food (nobody gets the stomach grunge here that I'm aware of) and spectacular flying scenery. Also something that I really enjoy here is that the local flying community and locals themselves don't come looking for $ for every little thing like they do in Valle de Bravo. It's very refreshing (although I did pay a farmer after one of his trees was seriously pruned getting my glider out last week!) I also pay 2000 pesos to have my glider hiked up the hill for me, but I feel this is fare pay for a bit of hard work....

I hope I can be consistent and keep up the good pace here. On a day like today, there is absolutely no room for even one mental lapse or mistake.... These pilots are that good.... I kept the pace up strongly until the end, and had put myself in position to get the win. I was well above Yasson in the last climb, and left when my Cpilot said I would arrive at goal with 50 meters. The Flytec said 200 feet over and an 8.5 to 1 glide. It really looked good so I left and of course, immediately get the worst drilling of the day. I thought it would be a sure thing to find at least something to help me along the way, but I got low enough that I chickened out, and just didn't believe that I could make it. I found a small thermal and stopped for a few turns, and of course Yasson was right there and beat me in by 44 seconds. As soon as I left my little thermal, I flew into a monster climb with birds climbing everywhere! I just got tunnel vision and lost my situational awareness for just a moment. It would have been a no brainer if I had just believed and been confident to the end..... I'm getting the best training I could possibly hope for here with this great field of pilots and great flying conditions....

Roldanillo Day 2

Wow, if that isn't a long day of flying, I don't what is! 6:30am get up, breakfast, load up and an hour drive up to launch in a pretty descent bus, typical time spent getting ready..... Launch around 10:40 for an 11:40 race start. 6 and a half hours later, landing with Josh and Nick, 7 k short of goal which was 125k around the course.

Weak conditions for much of the race with a few nice climbs thrown in here and there. Brad G and I had a beautiful start, but then ran into difficulty being out on the flats so early in the day. Well before the 2nd turnpoint I was a few gaggles behind and decided to spend the rest of the day just flying on my own and working on getting myself re-established in the next climb. Was very successful in doing this and quite enjoyed the flight, although it turned into a marathon later in the day. It turns out nobody made the goal, with one American, Eric Reed being 2nd closest.

When I finally did join up with a gaggle in the last climb of the day, I ended up turning with Josh and Nick, which was a big surprise to me - I had been certain that there would be at least a few large gaggles in the goal.... It looked like half the field landing with in 4 k of each other....

A nice easy landing on a beautiful grassy farmers field, but then a two hour walk out before we finally met up with retrieve. Another 2 hours driving and not back to HQ until 9:30......

More later......

Riding to Launch in Style!

That's Right! - Bleachers Full of Paragliding Spectators!

He really wanted to eat the giant banana!

If you got food you got dog!

XC Paradise

Here's a horse that really works hard for a living!

Ahhhh Colombia!

Decided to start up the blog again as many people have told me how much they've enjoyed it.  Some might know that the main reason I was doing the blog was for my mom who recently passed on....

This is my 2nd trip to Roldanillo, Colombia, which is in the Cali - Armenia - Periera region.  Last year we flew everyday, and this year has proved just as fruitful thus far.  Last week was the Colombian Nationals, which was filled about half with Colombian pilots, and the rest with others from around the world - many coming early to fly a warm up contest before the PWC Roldanillo, which kicked off today.

The first 2 days of the first comp were more or less a disaster for me.  I did not come prepared to fly, and was very fortunate that I wasn't injured on the first day when I refused to give up scratching until it was too late to find a good lz.  I did have an lz picked out, but hit a nice big bubble of lift just as I was turning over some trees into the fiield.  The bubble turned me back about 90 degrees, and then it was too late to make my landing so in to the trees I went.  When I came to rest the bottom of my harness was literally brushing a nice patch of yard just outside a farmers barn.  I unhooked and stood up, not a scratch on me, and was then able to admire my handiwork and see my glider perfectly on top of a large tree, with all the lines perfectly and hopelessly tangled.  Ultimately, it was only about a 2 hour adventure with some serious pruning of the farmers tree, and I had my glider back with only a small bit of damage.....

The 2nd day I bombed out right away and then watched a couple of large gaggles of dhv 1-2s climb out and head out on the course line.  That night I hit up my super mentor, Bill Belcourt, who shared a bunch of his great wisdom with me to help get things sorted out in my head.  The next day, the 3rd task, I tied for 2nd place!

It seems another season of Red Ozone R10.2s, with a bunch of new Boom 2 liners out there as well.  The playing field has been greatly leveled now as all the manufacturers have been hard at work creating their version of the R10.  The new UP 2liners are going quite well, and seems the new Boom 2line protos are doing pretty good also.  There's a bunch of 2 line gliders out there and I can't even keep track of them all.  Last week I made a very long glide with one of the IP5 protos, and it seemed pretty competitive with the R10 but no better....

Today was a good start to the PWC and tomorrow looks good as well.  Today I had the best start I've ever had in a PWC event, surfing way up the side of a nice cloud just a few minutes before the race start.  I flew well, but had one slow down where I spent too much time chasing other gliders around and never really getting the nice core.  I never recovered from this mistake as that part of the race was just too fast to play catch up.  Later you really had to shift gears and slow way down and many pilots bombed out by not taking even the smallest climbs and pushed on to find big sink and landing....

Making goal today in the top 20 was very motivating for me and a real confidence builder after last week.  Trying to successfully up your game with this crowd is no easy task as the PQ (pilot quality) is quite high at this pwc.  I have much work to do, and I must again thank Bill for being so generous with his mentoring skills.

One thing I do know is that following and doing the same thing as someone else always results in me being lower and behind.

 When you go the the PWC you do not want to just "fly with the leaders", you want to fly as a leader. One is a defensive state of mind, the other is offensive. You want to have that offensive leader state of mind. This divorces you from group thinking, and allows you to capitalize on opportunity that others will miss just following the group. Followers look to leaders for decisions, leaders look to followers for information to make decisions.

It's funny, but even after having such a good year at home in the US, when I get out there with so many storng pilots, I still feel like I have so much to learn.....