WWGC 2022 - Sunday 7 August 2022 - Unofficial practice day

 Sunday 7 August 2022

It was a calm evening with a fabulous sunset last night and I had plenty of sleep.



The weather forecast for today was similar to yesterday, although it was forecasting blue conditions (no cumulus).Today's task was set by the Team Captain - a 3 hour Area Assigned Task:- Naseby West - Rushden - Silverstone - Finmere - Lyveden - Husbands Bosworth.  (Finmere replaced Oxford East just prior to launch, but I didn't have time to alter the map!).

Conditions started early and were way better than forecast with cumulus cloud developing from about 09:00.  However, instructions were not to launch until 13:00 and go through the start at 13:30.  By the time I was airborne, the clouds were diminishing rapidly and I found the thermals broken.

The plan was to fly as a pair with Jeremy in his ASG29, and Ayala and Fran would fly as a pair again on the same task.  

I struggled initially to climb sufficiently high to be able to start (using the Pilot Event start system (PEV)) and Jeremy and I had to make a second attempt at PEV.  In the first sector there were wisps of clouds and conditions, although tricky, were perfectly good.  If I'd have been on my own, I would have continued further into the zone, but the decision was to turn relatively early in the first area (just to the North of Grafham Water) and head towards Silverstone.  Around Bicester, the conditions started to become more difficult and this could be heard by the radio calls between Ayala and Fran who were ahead of Jeremy and I.  We caught them up just past Silverstone and overtook them but elected to turn for the final sector South of Oxford.  At this point Jeremy decided to take a different route to myself, further to the East, and I continued past Milton Keynes, and over Kettering and Corby in an attempt to find thermals.  I eventually had a climb on the edge of Corby which enabled me to glide back to the airfield.  

I have to say, I landed with one humdinger of a headache...not sure why as I thought I had enough to drink; maybe not in these hot conditions.  

I'll see what the weather does tomorrow, but right now, I'm planning on a rest day.















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