Visibility: 10+ miles each day
Wind: Variable
Altitudes: 8,000 msl
Time Aloft: Varies
Max Lift: 8 kts
Temperature: 75 - 85 F
Comment: See Report
Tow pilot: See Report
The Central California Soaring Association conducted its 45th
Spring Contest from May 14 -18 at the Avenal Sailplane Facility.
Twenty-seven pilots participated in the contest that featured one practice session and four planned competition days. The competition was run on the handicapped Sport format, with the entries exhibiting a wide variation in sailplane technology. The field featured motor gliders and pure sailplane designs.
Weather at the task start
Most of the participants were from California Regions 11 and 12, with some being from Colorado and Nevada. Finnish, Italian, and German nationalities were represented.
Spring brings some of the best soaring conditions to the
Avenal area. Contest tasks generally make
use of the convergence lines that usually run west of the airfield from the
Hollister area down to Taft. Long runs
along the Temblors are possible if the pilot locates the best lift.
Tasking for the May 14 practice session and the May 15 and
16 contest days made use of the forecasted lift along the mountain range. Contestants were required to make flights to turn
points in the San Benito range before running south to turns on Orchard Peak or
as far as Taft Ridge before running back to northern points such as Center Peak
or one of ELs located above New Coalinga. The finish for these days was a cylinder centered on the Avenal Facility.
The weather on May 17 brought lift along the mountains and
east out to the San Juaquin Valley. A north
wind was predicted to strengthen later in the day. The course ran from Avenal to Microwave
Towers north of New Coalinga, south to Elk Hills, then east across the valley
to Porterville. The valley was then
crossed again to Harris Ranch before heading back to a point on Kettleman hills
leading to an Avenal finish. As the
pilots made their way on the first legs, the predicted wind arrived and soon the
retrieve desk was receiving calls for crews or aero retrieves. Zach found himself on the ground near a cow
pasture; Jenna joined a farmer plowing the field she landed in for several
acres before her crew arrived. Several
others made landings west of Porterville or used the onboard engine to make the
return home. Five pilots managed to make
their way around the course, not enough for an official task but still an
impressive show of the possible.
One of the best features of the Spring Contest is the food prepared by Katrina and Darrell. Katrina prepared breakfast meals for all five days and assured lunch supplies and drinks were available. Darrell cooked hamburgers and hot dogs for the Friday night meal and Tri-Tip for the Saturday night BBQ. This, along with salads, vegetables, beans, and desserts donated by other contestants and families was one of the highlights of the gathering!
Evening dining
The weather on May 18 was forecast to be as windy as the day before, with lighter lift. Due to the effort put into the task the day before and the likelihood of retrieves, no task was assigned, and the contestants were invited to fly for fun.
The final results for the contest were: First Place: Thomas
(9), Second Place: Thorsten (KD), Third Place: Jenna (IC). This is the third victory in a row for
Thomas.
Thomas preparing to launch
It takes a crew to make this event happen. Thanks to Contest Director Zach, CCSA Club
President Larry, Food and Retrieve Desk operator Katrina, Cook Darrell, CCSA
Finance Officer and Ground Operations Manager Richard, Ground Crew Russ, John, Gabriel,
Peter, and tow pilots Dan, Jim, Theo, and Mason.
Various photos from the contest - thanks to contributors!
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