The Real Show Begins Tomorrow
Good morning, everyone. I’m sure you will be reading this early on Wednesday since it is getting pretty late in Uvalde as I write this. I am honored to be your reporter for the 18 Meter Nationals and Uvalde Glide.
The first practice day was yesterday. All classes had the same Assigned Area Task. After Start A, the group flew to McKinley, Farias, Anacacho, RanchSbn, Sabinal and then Finish. The launch almost went off without a hitch. Two Navy aircraft forgot to check their NOTAMS and taxied for launch while the gliders were taking to flight. After some discussion on the radio, the Navy trainers were allowed to depart from the intersection while the gliders held. Thanks Mark, for taking care of our fledging Naval Aviators.
Climbs off tow went right to a cloud base of 5,500ft with good lift, superb visibility and a surface temperature of 106 degrees. Everyone was grateful that the cloud bases were rising during the day, so the cockpit temperatures remained tolerable. It seemed like most pilots started right around 2:00pm on the 2:30 minimum task time. The first leg was very good with speeds being kept high by nice lines of good Cu. You did not have to turn much at all. At about the halfway mark in the turn area, blue sky prevailed and most everyone turned there. The second leg was another good one. Clouds were honest, speeds continued to go up and pilots were happy. Going into the third turn area, clouds started to thin out and down track the sky started to look weak. Smart pilots stayed high to give themselves more options. This was where the big decision on what track you took determined where on the score sheet you placed. Some turned a little early and joined a cloud field that seemed way off track. It turned out that was the key to the winning speeds in the Open and 18 Meter classes.
Returning to the field, we did have an unfortunate incident when one pilot got distracted by a radio call in the traffic pattern and inadvertently landed gear up on the taxiway. No one was hurt and the pilot courageously maneuvered his ship off the pavement due to landing traffic behind him. The ship probably received more damage doing this, but it prevented aircraft landing behind him to experience a last minute diversion off the taxiway. As a side note, the landing gear warning system had experienced a failure and the pilot had not fixed it yet due to coming to the contest. Key points, always do a landing checklist out loud in the cockpit and physically look at the gear and flap handles before saying down and set. When a safety system breaks, prioritize its repair. It costs a lot less than a gelcoat repair.. Tonight the ship is repaired and will make the first contest day.
For practice day one, in 18 Meter, Fernando Silva finished in third with Jim Frantz in second. Winning the day with a speed of 87.44 mph over 227 miles was Jerzy Szemplinski. In the Open Class, Keith Essex won the day with a speed of 91.54 mph over 240 miles. Dan Mockler was in second with Bruce Taylor in third. In the 20 Meter Class, Pete Alexander and Team 98 took first place with a speed of 78.77, not bad for a bus.
The weather for practice day two was forecasted to be better. We are lucky to have Fernando Silva as our weatherman. I’ve worked with him during several contests, and he always provided a first-class weather forecast. Fernando also adds some additional information when unique weather phenomena occur in the task area. Today we had a cold front moving in from the northwest (the temperature was only going to be a high of 104 degrees) and a sea breeze front was moving in from the southeast. He showed us a movie of the Uvalde area showing the effects of this weather pattern. It was very interesting.
A good number of competitors decided to take the day off, expecting a long string of consecutive days of flying. With good weather forecasted in the long term and temperatures above 100 degrees each day, energy management is going to be a priority for the pilots. Early each morning the crews and pilots will prepare their ships in the relative cool. It will be commonplace for everyone to be staged by 9am each morning. Sean Fidler has two thermometers on his trailer. One is in the sun, and one is mounted in the shade.. After the pilots meeting today, I looked at the temperature on each of them. The one in the sun was reading 118 degrees and the shade thermometer displayed 101 degrees. Hydration, energy management, stamina and basic good health practices will play an important part in the competition for all the pilots. Uvalde always tests the pilots and aircraft to their limits.
Again, all the classes had the same Assigned Area Task that began in Start E. From there they headed to Eagle Pass by the border, CrystalC, Rocksprings in the hill country, Bat Cave (a neat side trip if you want to see hundreds of thousands of bats fly at sunset) and Finish. During the start it was easy to climb and get to the initial cloud base of 5,500ft. Most pilots chose to start around 2pm in anticipation of the mandatory pilots meeting and dinner tonight. The first two turnpoints had lower cloud bases in the 7,000ft range while in the hill country, the bases were generally above 9,500ft. One pilot I spoke with got to 10,600ft at the end of a very nice cloud street. Maxing out the Rockspring turnpoint was one of the keys to a superior task speed. Several pilots were on final glide a long way out and you could tell from their faces, they had a blast. I’m not going to report the scores since there is some discussion about a couple of penalties.
After flying, Victoria managed a wonderful dinner and live music entertainment for what our CM called a Ho Down. Sorry if that is an incorrect spelling. I turned in my Texas cowboy hat a long time ago. We did do the mandatory pilots meeting where Mark Huffstutler expertly answered all the questions. His slides and visual aids certainly made the information very easy to understand.
Well, that is all for tonight. I hope the scores will be resolved quickly and we can get on with the big show. The contest team is prepared, the pilots are ready to go, and the weather looks great. Stay tuned for updates and be sure to follow the live tracking on the SSA website and WeGlide. This is going to be an exciting contest, tell your friends to tune in.
Cheers,
Rich Owen
Team 98 Backseater

On Tuesday, August 15, 2023 at 11:26:54 PM UTC-5, Rich Owen wrote:
> The Real Show Begins Tomorrow
> Good morning, everyone. I’m sure you will be reading this early on Wednesday since it is getting pretty late in Uvalde as I write this. I am honored to be your reporter for the 18 Meter Nationals and Uvalde Glide.
> The first practice day was yesterday. All classes had the same Assigned Area Task. After Start A, the group flew to McKinley, Farias, Anacacho, RanchSbn, Sabinal and then Finish. The launch almost went off without a hitch. Two Navy aircraft forgot to check their NOTAMS and taxied for launch while the gliders were taking to flight. After some discussion on the radio, the Navy trainers were allowed to depart from the intersection while the gliders held. Thanks Mark, for taking care of our fledging Naval Aviators.
> Climbs off tow went right to a cloud base of 5,500ft with good lift, superb visibility and a surface temperature of 106 degrees. Everyone was grateful that the cloud bases were rising during the day, so the cockpit temperatures remained tolerable. It seemed like most pilots started right around 2:00pm on the 2:30 minimum task time. The first leg was very good with speeds being kept high by nice lines of good Cu. You did not have to turn much at all. At about the halfway mark in the turn area, blue sky prevailed and most everyone turned there. The second leg was another good one. Clouds were honest, speeds continued to go up and pilots were happy. Going into the third turn area, clouds started to thin out and down track the sky started to look weak. Smart pilots stayed high to give themselves more options. This was where the big decision on what track you took determined where on the score sheet you placed. Some turned a little early and joined a cloud field that seemed way off track. It turned out that was the key to the winning speeds in the Open and 18 Meter classes.
> Returning to the field, we did have an unfortunate incident when one pilot got distracted by a radio call in the traffic pattern and inadvertently landed gear up on the taxiway. No one was hurt and the pilot courageously maneuvered his ship off the pavement due to landing traffic behind him. The ship probably received more damage doing this, but it prevented aircraft landing behind him to experience a last minute diversion off the taxiway. As a side note, the landing gear warning system had experienced a failure and the pilot had not fixed it yet due to coming to the contest. Key points, always do a landing checklist out loud in the cockpit and physically look at the gear and flap handles before saying down and set. When a safety system breaks, prioritize its repair. It costs a lot less than a gelcoat repair. Tonight the ship is repaired and will make the first contest day.
> For practice day one, in 18 Meter, Fernando Silva finished in third with Jim Frantz in second. Winning the day with a speed of 87.44 mph over 227 miles was Jerzy Szemplinski. In the Open Class, Keith Essex won the day with a speed of 91.54 mph over 240 miles. Dan Mockler was in second with Bruce Taylor in third. In the 20 Meter Class, Pete Alexander and Team 98 took first place with a speed of 78.77, not bad for a bus.
> The weather for practice day two was forecasted to be better. We are lucky to have Fernando Silva as our weatherman. I’ve worked with him during several contests, and he always provided a first-class weather forecast. Fernando also adds some additional information when unique weather phenomena occur in the task area. Today we had a cold front moving in from the northwest (the temperature was only going to be a high of 104 degrees) and a sea breeze front was moving in from the southeast. He showed us a movie of the Uvalde area showing the effects of this weather pattern. It was very interesting.
> A good number of competitors decided to take the day off, expecting a long string of consecutive days of flying. With good weather forecasted in the long term and temperatures above 100 degrees each day, energy management is going to be a priority for the pilots. Early each morning the crews and pilots will prepare their ships in the relative cool. It will be commonplace for everyone to be staged by 9am each morning. Sean Fidler has two thermometers on his trailer. One is in the sun, and one is mounted in the shade. After the pilots meeting today, I looked at the temperature on each of them. The one in the sun was reading 118 degrees and the shade thermometer displayed 101 degrees. Hydration, energy management, stamina and basic good health practices will play an important part in the competition for all the pilots. Uvalde always tests the pilots and aircraft to their limits.
> Again, all the classes had the same Assigned Area Task that began in Start E. From there they headed to Eagle Pass by the border, CrystalC, Rocksprings in the hill country, Bat Cave (a neat side trip if you want to see hundreds of thousands of bats fly at sunset) and Finish. During the start it was easy to climb and get to the initial cloud base of 5,500ft. Most pilots chose to start around 2pm in anticipation of the mandatory pilots meeting and dinner tonight. The first two turnpoints had lower cloud bases in the 7,000ft range while in the hill country, the bases were generally above 9,500ft. One pilot I spoke with got to 10,600ft at the end of a very nice cloud street. Maxing out the Rockspring turnpoint was one of the keys to a superior task speed. Several pilots were on final glide a long way out and you could tell from their faces, they had a blast. I’m not going to report the scores since there is some discussion about a couple of penalties.
> After flying, Victoria managed a wonderful dinner and live music entertainment for what our CM called a Ho Down. Sorry if that is an incorrect spelling. I turned in my Texas cowboy hat a long time ago. We did do the mandatory pilots meeting where Mark Huffstutler expertly answered all the questions. His slides and visual aids certainly made the information very easy to understand.
> Well, that is all for tonight. I hope the scores will be resolved quickly and we can get on with the big show. The contest team is prepared, the pilots are ready to go, and the weather looks great. Stay tuned for updates and be sure to follow the live tracking on the SSA website and WeGlide. This is going to be an exciting contest, tell your friends to tune in.
> Cheers,
> Rich Owen
> Team 98 Backseater
18 meter scores for 8/15/23 here https://members.ssa.org/ContestResults.asp?contestId=2548&ContestDetailId=30284&ContestName=2023+18%2DMeter+Nationals&ContestDate=8/15/2023&ResultsUpdate=True

Open and 20 meter class here for 8/15/23.
https://members.ssa.org/ContestResults.asp?contestId=2560&ContestDetailId=30280&ContestName=2023+UvaldeGlide&ContestDate=8/15/2023&ResultsUpdate=True

Tracking at WeGlide https://www.weglide.org/live

A second tracking option uvalde.onglide.com

Why Do We Fly Sailplanes
Even though we are talking about 3 competitions being held in Uvalde Texas, we should look at why we all enjoy this sport. Whether you are spending afternoons at the club running operations or enjoying a day with your family giving rides, we all enjoy the company of those who share the love of flight. Many pilots enjoy the challenge of flying a long OLC flight or trying to improve their personal best XC flight. The more honorable of us donate their time to instruct and raise the new generation of pilots. No matter what gives you joy in aviation, we can all acknowledge the camaraderie we share as glider pilots. Competition flying gives you an opportunity to extend your flying family. For the past three years I have tried to make as many contests as possible. The result is, I am having the best time of my life.. My family has increased exponentially since I was able to fly some west coast contests. So, if you are looking to stretch your wings, instruct in your club, volunteer to help with a contest near you, fly a contest and bring a friend or just take a young adult for their first glider ride. You will have a smile on your face at the end of the day.
At the pilots meeting, the weather forecast said it was going to be a good day but not quite as good as yesterday. Cloudbases were expected to get to 9,500ft later in the day, but rain and some storms were also predicted. Mark ran an efficient meeting and kicked us out in a very timely fashion. Of course, most of us did not mind staying since the outside air temperature was around 95 degrees. After the meeting, some of us decided to take advantage of a great coffee shop called the Local Fix. It is on the main drag of Uvalde very near the intersection of the airport turnoff. There you will find superb pastries, breakfast selections and of course, all kinds of specialty coffees. The portions are large, the cost is fair, and the service is fantastic. I would recommend stopping by and saying hello. They are very glider friendly.
In the 18 Meter Class, they were sent from Start C to Mc Kinley, Farias, El Caballero and then Finish. The racing task distance was 275miles. They were the second class to get airborne since Open had 3 aircraft that self-launched, so it proceeded very quickly. Right off tow, they climbed to 5,500ft (airport elevation is 941ft) and by the time they started, most 18-meter ships were able to get to 8,500ft. Unfortunately, all the class’s max start altitude was 6,500ft and everyone had to come down to that altitude to start. Most of the competitors delayed their start to let the cu fill in on track. Going south of the direct line to the first turnpoint seemed to make a difference. Decision making on where to turn was easy, this was a racing task. On the second leg everyone went straight on course. This was a straight downwind leg and an easy run. The third leg course decisions seemed to favor the more southern route from the direct course. There were small showers around 25 miles from the turnpoint competitors had to deal with. Later starting pilots had a more difficult time with this leg. If you went slightly south of the direct leg your climb rates, L/D and achieved speeds were significantly higher than a more direct course. This was due by taking a different line of clouds. Final glides for the 18-meter class were very stress free. Most started their glide from about 80 miles out. I looked at several traces and many gliders took significantly different paths to the finish, but all arrived pretty much at the same time. Scores for the 18-meter Class were very tight. This race is going to be something to watch. Rick Indrebo finished in third with Gary Ittner in second. Gary just won the Sports Class, just 2 days before traveling to Uvalde. He is going to be tough to beat. In first was another good friend of mine, Jerzy Szemplinski who finished with a speed of 94.35mph. The top 7 pilots were all within 2 mph of Jerzy.
The 20 Meter Class also had a racing task that went from Start E, Chupader, El Jardin, Diversion Dam, Leaky and Finish. We were the last class to get airborne and Team 98 was the last aircraft to launch. It was easy to get up to cloudbase but we had to wait a little to let the clouds fill in just like the 18 meter pilots. The first leg was a little weak with clouds that seemed to call your name and invite you to a 7 knot climb only to spit you out in a weak, broken circle. Once we approached the first turnpoint, things started to get better. Staying high seemed to work as the lift was better coalesced above 4,500ft MSL. The further we went along the route, the better the lift and the higher the cloudbases. Stop by and take a look at Adam Woolley’s Facebook posts about the 20 meter flights. He gives a different perspective to all our flights. I’m looking forward to flying with him during the contest. For the day, Rob Cluxton and David Hart finished in third with Team 98 in second. Adam Woolley finished in first with a handicapped speed of 83.34mph.
Now for the Open Class, well, they had a pilot drop out due to an airspace penalty, so they lost their class. The pilots are still happy and looking forward to practicing for the WGC in Uvalde next year. I have the pleasure of knowing most of them and I thoroughly enjoy their company. It was funny to see Keith Essex and Jim Lee goofing off after getting their ships put up, squirting each other with a water hose. John Cochrane is always a very serious, professional persona in public. However, during a glider competition, he is one of the most pleasant people you want to be around. Jeff Banks is from Alaska and he has been a regular on the competition circuit for the last two years. My pilot, Pete Alexander is his mentor for the competition. Jeff is soaking up all of Pete’s knowledge and putting it to good use. I wish I knew Bruce Taylor better. I know we would have a great time telling stories over a pint. For contest day 1, John Cochrane finished in third with Jim Lee in second. Keith Essex won the day with a speed of 94.51mph over 308 miles. This was 6.5mph faster than Jim Lee. I am sure Jim will come back with a great flight to give Keith a run for his money.
It is again getting late, and I need to get prepared to fly tomorrow. I hope you have enjoyed this post. We will continue tomorrow evening.

Cheers,
Rich Owen
Team 98 Backseater

On Thursday, August 17, 2023 at 12:25:04 AM UTC-4, Rich Owen wrote:
> Why Do We Fly Sailplanes
> Even though we are talking about 3 competitions being held in Uvalde Texas, we should look at why we all enjoy this sport. Whether you are spending afternoons at the club running operations or enjoying a day with your family giving rides, we all enjoy the company of those who share the love of flight. Many pilots enjoy the challenge of flying a long OLC flight or trying to improve their personal best XC flight. The more honorable of us donate their time to instruct and raise the new generation of pilots. No matter what gives you joy in aviation, we can all acknowledge the camaraderie we share as glider pilots. Competition flying gives you an opportunity to extend your flying family. For the past three years I have tried to make as many contests as possible. The result is, I am having the best time of my life. My family has increased exponentially since I was able to fly some west coast contests. So, if you are looking to stretch your wings, instruct in your club, volunteer to help with a contest near you, fly a contest and bring a friend or just take a young adult for their first glider ride. You will have a smile on your face at the end of the day.
> At the pilots meeting, the weather forecast said it was going to be a good day but not quite as good as yesterday. Cloudbases were expected to get to 9,500ft later in the day, but rain and some storms were also predicted. Mark ran an efficient meeting and kicked us out in a very timely fashion. Of course, most of us did not mind staying since the outside air temperature was around 95 degrees. After the meeting, some of us decided to take advantage of a great coffee shop called the Local Fix. It is on the main drag of Uvalde very near the intersection of the airport turnoff. There you will find superb pastries, breakfast selections and of course, all kinds of specialty coffees. The portions are large, the cost is fair, and the service is fantastic. I would recommend stopping by and saying hello. They are very glider friendly.
> In the 18 Meter Class, they were sent from Start C to Mc Kinley, Farias, El Caballero and then Finish. The racing task distance was 275miles. They were the second class to get airborne since Open had 3 aircraft that self-launched, so it proceeded very quickly. Right off tow, they climbed to 5,500ft (airport elevation is 941ft) and by the time they started, most 18-meter ships were able to get to 8,500ft. Unfortunately, all the class’s max start altitude was 6,500ft and everyone had to come down to that altitude to start. Most of the competitors delayed their start to let the cu fill in on track. Going south of the direct line to the first turnpoint seemed to make a difference. Decision making on where to turn was easy, this was a racing task. On the second leg everyone went straight on course. This was a straight downwind leg and an easy run. The third leg course decisions seemed to favor the more southern route from the direct course. There were small showers around 25 miles from the turnpoint competitors had to deal with. Later starting pilots had a more difficult time with this leg. If you went slightly south of the direct leg your climb rates, L/D and achieved speeds were significantly higher than a more direct course. This was due by taking a different line of clouds. Final glides for the 18-meter class were very stress free. Most started their glide from about 80 miles out. I looked at several traces and many gliders took significantly different paths to the finish, but all arrived pretty much at the same time. Scores for the 18-meter Class were very tight. This race is going to be something to watch. Rick Indrebo finished in third with Gary Ittner in second. Gary just won the Sports Class, just 2 days before traveling to Uvalde. He is going to be tough to beat. In first was another good friend of mine, Jerzy Szemplinski who finished with a speed of 94.35mph. The top 7 pilots were all within 2 mph of Jerzy.
> The 20 Meter Class also had a racing task that went from Start E, Chupader, El Jardin, Diversion Dam, Leaky and Finish. We were the last class to get airborne and Team 98 was the last aircraft to launch. It was easy to get up to cloudbase but we had to wait a little to let the clouds fill in just like the 18 meter pilots. The first leg was a little weak with clouds that seemed to call your name and invite you to a 7 knot climb only to spit you out in a weak, broken circle. Once we approached the first turnpoint, things started to get better. Staying high seemed to work as the lift was better coalesced above 4,500ft MSL. The further we went along the route, the better the lift and the higher the cloudbases. Stop by and take a look at Adam Woolley’s Facebook posts about the 20 meter flights. He gives a different perspective to all our flights. I’m looking forward to flying with him during the contest. For the day, Rob Cluxton and David Hart finished in third with Team 98 in second. Adam Woolley finished in first with a handicapped speed of 83.34mph.
> Now for the Open Class, well, they had a pilot drop out due to an airspace penalty, so they lost their class. The pilots are still happy and looking forward to practicing for the WGC in Uvalde next year. I have the pleasure of knowing most of them and I thoroughly enjoy their company. It was funny to see Keith Essex and Jim Lee goofing off after getting their ships put up, squirting each other with a water hose. John Cochrane is always a very serious, professional persona in public. However, during a glider competition, he is one of the most pleasant people you want to be around. Jeff Banks is from Alaska and he has been a regular on the competition circuit for the last two years. My pilot, Pete Alexander is his mentor for the competition.. Jeff is soaking up all of Pete’s knowledge and putting it to good use. I wish I knew Bruce Taylor better. I know we would have a great time telling stories over a pint. For contest day 1, John Cochrane finished in third with Jim Lee in second. Keith Essex won the day with a speed of 94.51mph over 308 miles. This was 6.5mph faster than Jim Lee. I am sure Jim will come back with a great flight to give Keith a run for his money.
> It is again getting late, and I need to get prepared to fly tomorrow. I hope you have enjoyed this post. We will continue tomorrow evening.
> Cheers,
> Rich Owen
> Team 98 Backseater

Hi Rich, I appreciate your description of the Uvalde contest for those of us who cannot be there. I crewed at the last WGC in 2012, and remember the heat and dust well. It was still an amazing memory! Have fun and fly safely..

Did I turn On the Oxygen?
Today was a great day for flying in Uvalde. Dawn broke at the airport at 7:14am and there was already movement in the trailer parking area. We have a 3-year-old, whose parents are parked right across from Team 98, that always stops by to give me high fives and fist bumps. It really makes your day better when you see youngsters on the airfield. We only hope that Charlie Spatt is looking down and guiding these juniors in sailplane adventures.
By 8:30am our ship is on the grid and the temperature barely reaches 84 degrees, a cold morning in Uvalde. Today we headed for the Local Fix for breakfast and met up with a handful of glider pilots. I was reminded that I made an error on my report yesterday. The Open Class does have a valid regional contest but will not receive US Team ranking points. The 20 Meter Class has 4 competitors, all of whom are SSA members. Adam Woolley is not a Guest entry at all, just an Australian that is enjoying himself at Uvalde and kicking our butt in 20 Meter.
At the Pilots Meeting, Gary Ittner gave the safety talk based on his second-place finish in the 18 Meter Class. He discussed advice that 3 doctors presented at other pilots meetings regarding dehydration. Although each doctor had very good information on the subject, the third doctor just happened to be a veterinarian. He said that although dehydration was an important issue, you should always have your dog on a leash at the airport. You would never expect such humor out of Gary. Must be Gina’s (his sister who traveled from New Zealand to crew for him) influence on him at contests. Everyone had a good laugh!
Ok, now for the flying. I’ll start with 18 Meter Class since I’m staying with Dave Springford and he likes to retire at a normal time. All the classes were sent on an Assigned Area Task with a 4 hour minimum time. We all did our share of flying in the hill country today and most found the experience enjoyable. For 18 Meter, they went from Start C, McKinley, Eagle Pass (good view of the border), Kerville, Rocksprings and Finish. After takeoff it was a little weak and most of the gliders took a good while to get into the cooler temperatures. At about 1:15pm the weather seemed to switch on and lift was starting to get stronger. It wasn’t until 1:50pm that competitors could get to the maximum altitude of 7,000ft. After a quick check with the task advisor (P7), the gate was opened, and the race was on. Most pilots started between 2 and 2:10pm. The first leg to McKinley was a little blue with wisps in the distance. Not very fast but not a difficult leg. Good climbs were had, and everyone was happy. On the next two legs to Eagle Pass (good look at the border) and Kerville, climbs got better and the cloudbase rose to 12,000ft. Decisions on what route to go into the task areas are always the difference in the score sheet. Today was no different. Up in the hill country, some pilots found it difficult to find a good climb. The day was getting weak, and with the 4-hour minimum task time, the day was a little long in the tooth. You also had so many good climbs for the last 2 legs that pilots passed up on the 4 knot climbs looking for those 7 knot boomers at 6pm. It just didn’t work that way today. Everyone made it back home, and most of the folks stopped by the beer stand in the trees today. More on that latter.
David Leonard took third place while Sean Murphy finished in second but also was awarded the lowest altitude in the hill country award. David Greenhill, in his brand new AS-33Es, took first with a speed of 93.5mph over 374 miles. Nice job David!
In the bus class, 20 Meter was sent from Start A to Yancy, Kerrville, Junction, Mafrige and Finish. Team 98 were the task advisors for the class and Pete Alexander gave his approval of the task when asked by Mark Huffstutler (CD). The task was opened at 1:04pm. It took until 1:50pm before any of us could get to the maximum start altitude of 7,000ft. Some left slightly lower or waited longer to get a good first glide at the maximum altitude. There were wisps on course and cu were just starting to pop along the route.. At about the mid-point in the turn area, you could turn or continue to the edge of the circle. There was a large blue area you had to avoid. The run to Kerrville was good but some of the pilots had issues with the leg into Junction. Climbs were not as good up to that point and a few found themselves disconnected from the higher lift band. At Junction we were able to climb to over 12,000ft and the temperature was wonderful, unless you are from Florida. It was cold in the back seat of 98 but I was on oxygen and happy being that high over the hill country. It was easy to stay connected to the clouds and the speeds rose. Going to Mafrige the clouds started to break up and the weather down track seemed like it was going to be trouble to make it back to Uvalde. We were 60 miles from home and the sky was blue to the finish and the air seemed like all the energy had left. So, we started at a slower speed to conserve our altitude and ran the wind line. We happened to see UC behind us, it was Keith Essex in his beautiful EB-29R. The air started to get more energetic and soon we found a 6-knot thermal to get us home. It is a great day when you beat the EB-29 on final glide home.. The Woolley and Pulkkinen Team took first place today going 329 miles at 80mph. In second place was Team 98 with Barry Jaeger and Dick Andrews in third.
Since it is so late, I asked Dave Springford to write the Open Class report.. He was very happy to do this for me since we have been great friends for a good number of years. So here it is:
Open Class had a task, and everyone made it back home safely.
Apparently, Dave used his same literary talents for the Canadian Nationals this summer. This is just poking a little fun at these guys that have wings that make 18-meter ships look like Silents in 13.5 meter configuration. In our parking line, we wanted to protest Keith Essex for having more crew than he could fit into his vehicle. It is amazing to see the number of crew he has every day to help get his EB-29 to the line. I will try to do a better job covering the Open Class tomorrow. Maybe I can get one of the Open Class pilots to let me know how the task progressed.
That is all for tonight. Tomorrow is going to be another great day in Texas, hot, dry, big cu and a sky full of lift. Maybe I can finish the day with a margarita. Good night all and be safe.

Cheers,
Rich Owen
Team 98 Backseater

PS Thanks Dan for your kind words. Uvalde is not for the weak of soul. It can be brutal and you need to pace yourself like any other National competition. Mark Huffstutler puts on a great contest. This is my 4th time here. I will always keep it on my contest scorecard for any year they have an event.

On Friday, August 18, 2023 at 12:42:15 AM UTC-4, Rich Owen wrote:

> Did I turn On the Oxygen?
> Today was a great day for flying in Uvalde. Dawn broke at the airport at 7:14am and there was already movement in the trailer parking area. We have a 3-year-old, whose parents are parked right across from Team 98, that always stops by to give me high fives and fist bumps. It really makes your day better when you see youngsters on the airfield. We only hope that Charlie Spatt is looking down and guiding these juniors in sailplane adventures.
> By 8:30am our ship is on the grid and the temperature barely reaches 84 degrees, a cold morning in Uvalde. Today we headed for the Local Fix for breakfast and met up with a handful of glider pilots. I was reminded that I made an error on my report yesterday. The Open Class does have a valid regional contest but will not receive US Team ranking points. The 20 Meter Class has 4 competitors, all of whom are SSA members. Adam Woolley is not a Guest entry at all, just an Australian that is enjoying himself at Uvalde and kicking our butt in 20 Meter.
> At the Pilots Meeting, Gary Ittner gave the safety talk based on his second-place finish in the 18 Meter Class. He discussed advice that 3 doctors presented at other pilots meetings regarding dehydration. Although each doctor had very good information on the subject, the third doctor just happened to be a veterinarian. He said that although dehydration was an important issue, you should always have your dog on a leash at the airport. You would never expect such humor out of Gary. Must be Gina’s (his sister who traveled from New Zealand to crew for him) influence on him at contests. Everyone had a good laugh!
> Ok, now for the flying. I’ll start with 18 Meter Class since I’m staying with Dave Springford and he likes to retire at a normal time. All the classes were sent on an Assigned Area Task with a 4 hour minimum time. We all did our share of flying in the hill country today and most found the experience enjoyable. For 18 Meter, they went from Start C, McKinley, Eagle Pass (good view of the border), Kerville, Rocksprings and Finish. After takeoff it was a little weak and most of the gliders took a good while to get into the cooler temperatures. At about 1:15pm the weather seemed to switch on and lift was starting to get stronger. It wasn’t until 1:50pm that competitors could get to the maximum altitude of 7,000ft. After a quick check with the task advisor (P7), the gate was opened, and the race was on. Most pilots started between 2 and 2:10pm. The first leg to McKinley was a little blue with wisps in the distance. Not very fast but not a difficult leg. Good climbs were had, and everyone was happy. On the next two legs to Eagle Pass (good look at the border) and Kerville, climbs got better and the cloudbase rose to 12,000ft. Decisions on what route to go into the task areas are always the difference in the score sheet. Today was no different. Up in the hill country, some pilots found it difficult to find a good climb. The day was getting weak, and with the 4-hour minimum task time, the day was a little long in the tooth. You also had so many good climbs for the last 2 legs that pilots passed up on the 4 knot climbs looking for those 7 knot boomers at 6pm. It just didn’t work that way today. Everyone made it back home, and most of the folks stopped by the beer stand in the trees today. More on that latter.
> David Leonard took third place while Sean Murphy finished in second but also was awarded the lowest altitude in the hill country award. David Greenhill, in his brand new AS-33Es, took first with a speed of 93.5mph over 374 miles. Nice job David!
> In the bus class, 20 Meter was sent from Start A to Yancy, Kerrville, Junction, Mafrige and Finish. Team 98 were the task advisors for the class and Pete Alexander gave his approval of the task when asked by Mark Huffstutler (CD). The task was opened at 1:04pm. It took until 1:50pm before any of us could get to the maximum start altitude of 7,000ft. Some left slightly lower or waited longer to get a good first glide at the maximum altitude. There were wisps on course and cu were just starting to pop along the route. At about the mid-point in the turn area, you could turn or continue to the edge of the circle. There was a large blue area you had to avoid. The run to Kerrville was good but some of the pilots had issues with the leg into Junction. Climbs were not as good up to that point and a few found themselves disconnected from the higher lift band. At Junction we were able to climb to over 12,000ft and the temperature was wonderful, unless you are from Florida. It was cold in the back seat of 98 but I was on oxygen and happy being that high over the hill country. It was easy to stay connected to the clouds and the speeds rose. Going to Mafrige the clouds started to break up and the weather down track seemed like it was going to be trouble to make it back to Uvalde. We were 60 miles from home and the sky was blue to the finish and the air seemed like all the energy had left. So, we started at a slower speed to conserve our altitude and ran the wind line. We happened to see UC behind us, it was Keith Essex in his beautiful EB-29R. The air started to get more energetic and soon we found a 6-knot thermal to get us home. It is a great day when you beat the EB-29 on final glide home. The Woolley and Pulkkinen Team took first place today going 329 miles at 80mph. In second place was Team 98 with Barry Jaeger and Dick Andrews in third.
> Since it is so late, I asked Dave Springford to write the Open Class report. He was very happy to do this for me since we have been great friends for a good number of years. So here it is:
> Open Class had a task, and everyone made it back home safely.
> Apparently, Dave used his same literary talents for the Canadian Nationals this summer. This is just poking a little fun at these guys that have wings that make 18-meter ships look like Silents in 13.5 meter configuration. In our parking line, we wanted to protest Keith Essex for having more crew than he could fit into his vehicle. It is amazing to see the number of crew he has every day to help get his EB-29 to the line. I will try to do a better job covering the Open Class tomorrow. Maybe I can get one of the Open Class pilots to let me know how the task progressed.
> That is all for tonight. Tomorrow is going to be another great day in Texas, hot, dry, big cu and a sky full of lift. Maybe I can finish the day with a margarita. Good night all and be safe.
> Cheers,
> Rich Owen
> Team 98 Backseater
> PS Thanks Dan for your kind words. Uvalde is not for the weak of soul. It can be brutal and you need to pace yourself like any other National competition. Mark Huffstutler puts on a great contest. This is my 4th time here. I will always keep it on my contest scorecard for any year they have an event.
Rich, thanks for the writeups. Yours from various contests I look forward to like I look forward to "J9"/Janine.
Hi from NY at the club Nats.....definitely not the same weather here.

Charlie, Pi

Charlie,
Thank you for your comments. I loved reading all the write ups when I was just starting soaring. I am just paying those volunteers back. Most of them are out of soaring and this is a good way for them to keep in touch with the community.

Rich

Let’s Go Drive a Tank!!!!

We are having another great morning in Uvalde Texas. Temperatures were in the low 80’s, humidity was low, but that unfortunately means lower altitudes and absolutely no cu. On the flight line this morning, we had another glider competition of sorts. Our small friend brought out two styrofoam gliders and corralled both me and Mellisa Indrebo to a flying challenge.. Well Melissa did way better than me, but the young Fidler kicked both of our butts. Where do you think he got that competitive spirit?
At the pilots meeting, humor seemed to be a recurring theme. When David Greenhill got up to give his winners speech for 18 meter, he spoke about the difference in flying in England compared to Texas. The temperatures were 20C in England but 40C in Texas, cloudbase was 5k there but here they were 10k and lift was 3-4 in the UK but here it was 6-10 knots. Everything is twice as big in Texas. Jim Lee had to do the safety talk and he started off talking about his flight. Then he said, oops, wrong speech. At the end, Victoria spoke to us about the things we could do in and around Uvalde. She had been on the board for the city of Uvalde and was very knowledgeable about everything in the area. She talked about the 4 rivers where you could go rafting, but the rivers are a little low. The historical items of interest were also brought up. Then she talked about our ability to drive a tank and fire the main tank gun with live ammo. That got the pilot’s attention! Back slapping and promises to meet you at the range were heard all over the auditorium. Then she told us about the Ox Ranch. This is a place where you can hunt wild hogs from a helicopter. Only in Texas can you do this. Of course, Adam Woolley asked where he could buy an official Texas cowboy hat and Victoria gave him the name of a store that could fix him up. Adam, you must know there is a book on cowboy etiquette that discusses all the rules about owning a real cowboy hat. In Texas, if you do not follow the rules, cowboys carry guns.
The weather forecast for the day was for very blue skies and lower than normal top of lift. The eyes were rolling when Fernando broke the news. Things got even better when the task sheets went out and we found ourselves being tasked into the hill country for 20 Meter and 18 Meter Classes. The good thing was both classes got to share the first two legs so there were going to be plenty of markers. The Open Class received their task, and it was a valley mission in low, weak and severe blue conditions.
The racing task for the 18 Meter Class left from Start A, went to Toroso, Pleasanton, Rocksprings (hill country), Mafrige and then to the finish into an 18 mph wind on final glide. At the start, getting to the 6,000ft maximum start altitude was difficult. At about 1:47pm a large gaggle left the start for the first point. Even though there was very little lift in the immediate area of the start, the gaggle left fast. If you could get up to a good height, you left as soon as you could. It was impressive to see a good number of the 18-meter pilots all together and the 20 meter ships tagging along. Today was not a day to venture off on your own. Climbs were only 3-4 knot range up to 6,500ft. The second leg was still blue, but the climbs started to get better, averaging 5-6 knots to 7,000ft. Then the 18- and 20-meter classes split to different turnpoints. Going to Rocksprings some of the pilots had difficulty if you went direct. Most of the gaggle made a big deviation to a cloud field to the north. Misery loves company. That proved to be a good idea and that is what the winners did. Mafrige and the final glide was not bad at all. A few pilots got to 10,000ft which was almost final glide to Uvalde. We had one landout at an airport up in the hill country which is a smart thing to do. Off field landing opportunities in that area are tough to come by, just ask Sean Fidler. In the end, task speeds were pretty high for the conditions they were flying in. In third place was Sean Murphy with Bob Fletcher in second. Jerzy Szemplinski won the day at a speed of 78.05 over 312 miles.
The 20 meter class, our racing task went from the same start line as the 18 meter class and the first two turnpoints. The third turnpoint was Cinco B and then Rocksprings, Leona and Finish. For a description of the flight, just read the first two legs of the 18 meter class, we were right in the middle of the gaggle. After Pleasanton it got very lonely. Team 98 flew with 1 and AXC for a few miles and then split off. The run to Cinco B was a little weak but conditions got a lot better the further you went into the hill country. Climbing to 10,000ft and lift in the 6-8 knot range was common.. However, if you got low, it was not a good feeling. Heading into Rocksprings we were able to climb above the inversion and nearly had final glide from a long way out. It was a great day until the score sheet came out and we were beat by .6mph. Oh well, we both had a lot of fun. In third place was Team Barry Jaeger and Dick Andrews with Team 98, Pete Alexander and some nut from Florida finished in second. In first place, again, was Adam Woolley and Pulkkinen covering the 293 miles at 69.17mph handicapped. On the bright side, the other 20 meter pilots have logged 3 more hours of flying at the contest. Just ask Adam why. 😊
In Open Class, I promised I would treat them better today. Their task went from Start E, La Esperansa, Triple B, Pasario, Chaparrosa, Anacacho and Finish. This racing task was 343 miles long and was entirely in the valley. Their first leg was very slow, into the blue and a radio call went out on task in the blind, “oh this is going to be fun”. By the second leg, wisps start to appear along the wind line and climb average increased to the 6-7 knot range. Keith Essex got ahead of everyone (imagine that), but Jim Lee was running the gang down. On the third leg, John Cockrane and his EB-29 became disconnected from the higher altitudes and got a little low. Before long he found an 11 knot thermal and he was back in the game, but Jim Lee was still coming. On the 4th leg, the three amigos (Keith, John and Jim were together and working together for the 100 mile leg in the blue. The final leg was not bad and everyone made it safely home. We should note, Jeff Banks is also part of the Open Class and has flown these monster tasks very well. Jeff is relatively new to competitive soaring and Team 98 are proud to be his mentors. In the end John Cochrane finished in third place with Keith Essex in second. Jim Lee won the day covering the 343 mile racing task at 83.64mph. Just to let you know how close all these pilots were, the speed differential from 1st to third was .37mph. All you engineers out there, tell me how much time in a thermal circle would make that difference in speed over 343 miles.
Well, tomorrow is a rest day, and I may take the day to catch up on work. Unless someone brings me a story from the tank driving adventure or hog hunting from the air, we may not have a report tomorrow. Have a good night and safe everyone.

Sincerely,
Rich Owen
Team 98 Backseater

On Saturday, August 19

Getting Out of the Heat

With 5 days of flying in the logbook, the contest management felt we needed a rest day. After Victoria covered all the things that we could do around the city, some took off to visit them. Team 98 had a chore to accomplish fixing a broken wing extension support in the trailer early. There were still a few pilots working on their glider to fix some bugs but most everyone was sleeping in.
A number of folks went out to Chalk Buff Park to sit in the river (too low to go tubing) and take in the local color. Bif Huss, Fernando Silva, Jim Frantz, Shian (Fernando’s crew), Rick and Melissa Indrebo, Mark Keene and Colin the ground crew guy who is an Olympic diver hopeful all spent the day there. The park is actually really nice. They have cabins for rent, a picnic area and a river that is very cold with smooth river rock on the bottom. The locals were very nice, sharing shade and stories to the glider pilots and crew. I did not get any stories from the Ox Ranch (hog hunting by helicopter) or the tank driving experience. I’ll check with the pilots tomorrow to see if there were any other great adventures.
Team 98 had dinner with Kerry Huffstutler, her daughter-in-law Julia and Team 89 (Rick and Melissa Indrebo). A nice bottle of wine was provided by Pete in his loft Airbnb in downtown Uvalde. It was nice to be around glider people that were not sweaty, fresh from a 5 hour flight. Some would say it was very civilized. Dinner was at Lunkers Grill and Bar. I do not think I would recommend this restaurant.
Tonight, is a beautiful night as you can see from the photo on the SSA’s Facebook page. Tomorrow we will be back again in the air. The 18 meter class is very tight and the finish will be exciting.
Good Night,
Rich
Team 98 Backseater

This was a Chupacabra Day
After a very productive rest day, the pilots seemed to be rejuvenated at the parking area this morning. Going around the group and talking to the pilots, most everyone did the fun things we talked about in the last report. The Canadians went to Old Baldy to go hiking. For those that want to know how much water you need to have for a landout, they had a gallon of water for one person, and it was gone in 30 minutes. Have that in your memory banks if you plan to fly here. Always plan for the worst and celebrate the landout next to the beer store that has air conditioning. Weather for today looks good. Clouds are expected and the day should be good until 7pm. Lift is expected to be 6-7 knots up to 9,000ft.
Ther is a wide variety of food choices in Uvalde. So far, the best breakfast place we have found is the Local Fix at 2001 E Main Street which is very close to the turn off going to the field. You have many breakfast selections to choose from, but the coffee is not like Starbucks, so be forewarned. Broadway 830, at 100 E Main Street, is a first-class pizza place that does serve more than pizza. Service is excellent and the food is first quality. The best Tex Mex we have found is a family-owned restaurant called The Vazquez 1935. The food, service, and specifically the owner, are all the very best. Their margarita on the rocks (called the Chica) is the best I’ve had in a long while. It is topped off with a single large square ice cube. A perfect drink after a long hot day. Warning, only have one because they are very powerful!!!!! If you want a steak, Jack’s Steak House in Uvalde is just ok but Hermann Sons Steak House in Hondo Texas is worth the 45 minute drive. We recommend the steak and enchilada dinner. The Town House is another Tex Mex restaurant at 2105 E Main Street in Uvalde that serves a large variety of good food.
On the grid the skies did not look like the forecast. A thick haze enveloped the entire southern portion of the task area. We also had fewer cu than expected and the heating on the ground was delayed. That meant we expected the day to start latter and end earlier.
For the 18-meter class, their Assigned Area Task was 371 miles nominal that went from Start B, Arrow, Freer, La Fonda Ranch, Leona and Finish. The first three quarters to the turnpoint was blue. Then the cu started to give the pilots hope. Speeds were slow and we did have a landout on this leg. The speed to do minimum distance was 80 mph and the first leg speeds were around 55mph. The second leg had good clouds but there was a 25-mile glide with no lift under an thin overcast. They had the same issue with the bombing range, but their task made them go around the entire range. Third leg was gangbusters which was great since some pilots did not get to the beginning of the 153 mile leg at 4:34pm. The fourth leg had cu and was an easy leg. The final glide home was only 34 miles and was very straightforward, at least the headwind was only 18-20 knots. In the end, Peter Deane finished in third and Nelson Howe in second. Winning the day with a speed of 84.3 over 341 miles was Andy Blackburn. Nice job Andy, a great flight on a difficult day.
For the 20-meter class, our Assigned Area Task was 313 miles nominal that went from Start D, Charlotte, Seven Seas Ranch, La Fonda, Finish. Our first leg was a real slow, low uncomfortable glide. The climbs were weak, and the wind was right in our face. After an hour, we only went 43 miles. Things started to pick up approaching the first turnpoint and a nice 7 knot climb got us off the back foot. There were some clouds now and you could line up some good lines into the second turnpoint. One wrinkle we had on this leg was a bombing range the Navy uses for young Naval Aviators from Kingsville Texas. You could not go too far to the east of the direct line without flying into the restricted area. Unfortunately, some of the bigger cu were right in the range. The third leg had wispy clouds and some nicer, well-developed cu that made the leg easier. The final glide was the topping of the day. After a nice climb to right below cloudbase, we put the pedal to the medal and flew back indicating 110 knots for much of the leg. We slowed down when we started to eat into our reserve, but that did not last long. In the end Adam Woolley and Pulkkinen finished in third place with Team 98 in second. Winning the day with a speed of 68.9 handicapped speed over 294 miles was Barry Jaeger and Dick Andrews. Great job guys!
For the Open Class, their Assigned Area Task was 390 nominal that went from Start F, Chupacabra, La Fonda Ranch, Rocksprings (in the hill country) to Finish. As a side note, Chupacabra looks like a coyote with a goat head with big teeth and translates to Goat Sucker. Hope the Open Class guys stay high over this turnpoint. The Open Class guys went into the hill country where the best clouds were. They all made it back safely, but I have no information on how it went.
After flying we all had a tight turnaround to go to the Disco Bingo Party at the Rexall Drug Store. Victoria Duhring, our lovely cruise and entertainment director, and her crew (Damian, Jennifer, Megan, Miranda and Mark) did a great job with a buffet of hamburgers, chicken, French fries and ice cream Sundays. She ran a bingo game with some nice prizes in the store that was decorated in a 70’s disco theme.
All in all, today was a great day. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be better. Cu should be more plentiful and I’m sure the speeds will be higher. In the 18 Meter Nationals, the top 7 are separated by less than 100 points. This race is very close with Sean Fidler only 9 points behind David Leonard who is in first overall. So, stay tuned and read tomorrow’s report for the latest developments.

Cheers,
Rich
Team 98 Backseater

Another Tour of the Hill Country
Seems like there is crew mutiny in the 7T camp. The young Fidler decided to switch teams and was seen going down to the grid driving the 89 crew vehicle. Good thing they were going down the runway since it is a lot wider, and this was the first time the young crewmember had driven. Tiffany asked, where is Vaugn, as she saw the back of Vaughn’s head driving away with 89’s ship in tow.
At breakfast this morning we had the pleasure to speak with a several Texas Depart of Public Safety and Florida State Troopers brought in due to the border crisis. Most were from out of the area and left their families to keep us all safe. They were very upbeat and a credit to their departments. I will tell you, the Florida State Trooper I spoke with looked like an Alabama offensive lineman. He was huge!
Volunteers are the key to running a great contest, and Mark Huffstutler has certainly rounded up an all-star crew. For the next few days, I’d like to take a minute and tell you about the folks that allow us to enjoy this competition. Our Scorer, Ron Gleason, lives in Utah and fly’s out of Logan. He will be involved with the scoring for the 2024 WGC in Uvalde. This year he is using both Winscore and See You competition to familiarize himself with both scoring programs. Ron is also publishing information on We Glide, Soaring Spot, and utilizing OGN tracking to keep a lookout on all the competitors. Thank you Ron for all your hard work!
At the pilots meeting, our weather brief was not a joyful experience. Yesterday the expectation was for the weather to be better. Today it looks worse than yesterday, and we are in the hill county. Doubt was everywhere when the CD told us the task will be handed out on the grid. Traditionally, Mark always handed out a nicely diagramed task sheet at the pilots meeting. Well, we are looking forward to an exciting day.
I am finally back from dinner and time to do the reports. First, tomorrow is cancelled due to a very high chance for heavy rain and storms. A Rules Input Meeting is scheduled for 9:30am for pilots to make their desires known for rule changes, deletions, explanations or additions.
Now for the flying, The 18-meter class was sent on an Assigned Area Task with a minimum time of 4 hours from Start A, Devine, Fredricksberg, Canyon Ranch, Mafrige, and Finish. In the start circle, cirrus came in right before the gate opened. Going to Devine, the leg was straight forward. Climbs were 3 knots to 7,600ft. Heading to Fredickberg, climbs were getting great. Most pilots experienced 6-8 knot climbs to 10,600ft. Next leg was again good and I’m sure all the pilots are going to thank Fernando for the good forecast. Some pilots used the 18 knot tailwind to get their L/D to 171 over a 110 mile leg. Shade came in around Canyon Ranch that produced large blue holes, but you were able to glide through that area easily. Approaching Mafridge, there was a cloud street that produced speeds around 90 mph on that leg. The final glide was tough. Going into a 13 knot headwind, with blue holes, many people suffered in much weaker conditions. Scoring moved the top competitors around a little. In third place was Gary Ittner with Rick Indrebo in second. Winning the day was Jerzy Szemplinski with a speed of 86.94 mph over 364 miles. Only 105 points separate the top six pilots, with only 40 points separating the top 3. Sean Fidler is in first place with Dave Leonard 25 points behind and Sean Murphy is third place overall. This is a very tight race for the podium. Good luck to all of you!
The 20-meter class had an Assigned Area Task of 267 miles with a minimum time of 4 hours. We left from Start C, Devine, Rust, Goebel, Rocksprings, Leona and Finish. The start area was a little weak and we wondered if the day was going to be a repeat of Saturday. The first leg was a little weak with 3 knot climbs and heights that were not impressive. Soon the light switch was turned on and the race was on. Great climbs to higher altitudes greeted most of the pilots. Team 98 did 315 miles (10 miles less than maximum) but were going to be 25 minutes early so we slowed down to make final glide easy. At the airfield we were over 2,500ft above the finish altitude. Looking back, we figured we were on an 88.66 mph pace for the flight we flew. But that is not the way the rules work. In third place Rob Cluxton and David Hart with Team 98 in second. Team 1 finished in first place with a speed of 80.74mph over the maximum distance of 325 miles and they were still 2 minutes under time. Mark, you owe Team 98 a beer!
Open Class started early figuring the area was going to blow up late in the day. Their Assigned Area Task of 349 miles nominal with a minimum time of 4 hours had them begin at Start D, McKinley, Boerne Stage, Junction, Mafridge, Bracketville and Finish. All I know is they had a good amount of rain near their first turnpoint. Sorry, I just do not hear from the guys with really big wings.
That is all for tonight. Take care and fly safe.
Cheers,
Rich
Team 98 Backseater

And the Rains Came

Today, the skies opened up and spread much needed rain for the agricultural needs of Texas. The only thing is, we cannot fly very well with 30 knot winds and driving rain. Luckily, contest management cancelled the day early enough yesterday so pilots could box up their ships, if desired, or put extra tie down equipment in place. At the end of the day, all the ships and trailers are intact.
In place of the pilots meeting, a rules input discussion was held hosted by Bif Huss, Contest Committee Chairman, Andy Blackburn, Rules Committee Chairman and Rich Owen, Rules Committee member. Several items that bothered the pilots were discussed along with explanations on how the rules process works. These items will be covered in the rules survey that will be coming out later this year.
Since the weather was bad, I do not know what other groups did for the day. I do know Team 98, 89 and P7 all went to San Antonio and met up with the Co-Contest Manager for the Seniors, Kerry Huffstutler. Our group went to the Blue Star brewery and the old Pearl brewery for lunch and a beer. The Blue Star brewery was very nice with excellent food, superb service and a fine selection of craft beer. The old Pearl brewery building was made into a premier hotel right next to the riverwalk in downtown San Antonio. I’ll put some pictures on the SSA Facebook page tomorrow. It is a great place to go and spend an afternoon. The architecture is amazing. They kept many of the old brewery tanks and structures and included them in the hotel’s theme. An example is a 200-gallon beer tank had a hole cut into it and now it is a private seating area for about 10 people. The main bar is very luxurious, and the back bar is perfect for a group of pilots and crew.
Back in Uvalde, many of the group went to Broadway 830 for pizza and trivia night with our official cruise director, Victoria. Everyone had a great time, but pilots are not the brightest when it comes to trivia. We received a WhatsApp message from the contest management stating we should not grid or even go to the trailer parking area before the pilots meeting. That is code for, we may not be flying tomorrow. I guess that gave some pilots an excuse to have one more beer.
Well, that’s all for tonight. We will see what tomorrow brings. Be safe and fly well.
Cheers,
Rich
Team 98 Backseater

On Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at 10:35:44 PM UTC-4, Rich Owen wrote:
> And the Rains Came
>
> Today, the skies opened up and spread much needed rain for the agricultural needs of Texas. The only thing is, we cannot fly very well with 30 knot winds and driving rain. Luckily, contest management cancelled the day early enough yesterday so pilots could box up their ships, if desired, or put extra tie down equipment in place. At the end of the day, all the ships and trailers are intact.
> In place of the pilots meeting, a rules input discussion was held hosted by Bif Huss, Contest Committee Chairman, Andy Blackburn, Rules Committee Chairman and Rich Owen, Rules Committee member. Several items that bothered the pilots were discussed along with explanations on how the rules process works. These items will be covered in the rules survey that will be coming out later this year.
> Since the weather was bad, I do not know what other groups did for the day. I do know Team 98, 89 and P7 all went to San Antonio and met up with the Co-Contest Manager for the Seniors, Kerry Huffstutler. Our group went to the Blue Star brewery and the old Pearl brewery for lunch and a beer. The Blue Star brewery was very nice with excellent food, superb service and a fine selection of craft beer. The old Pearl brewery building was made into a premier hotel right next to the riverwalk in downtown San Antonio. I’ll put some pictures on the SSA Facebook page tomorrow. It is a great place to go and spend an afternoon. The architecture is amazing. They kept many of the old brewery tanks and structures and included them in the hotel’s theme. An example is a 200-gallon beer tank had a hole cut into it and now it is a private seating area for about 10 people. The main bar is very luxurious, and the back bar is perfect for a group of pilots and crew.
> Back in Uvalde, many of the group went to Broadway 830 for pizza and trivia night with our official cruise director, Victoria. Everyone had a great time, but pilots are not the brightest when it comes to trivia. We received a WhatsApp message from the contest management stating we should not grid or even go to the trailer parking area before the pilots meeting. That is code for, we may not be flying tomorrow. I guess that gave some pilots an excuse to have one more beer.
> Well, that’s all for tonight. We will see what tomorrow brings. Be safe and fly well.
> Cheers,
> Rich
> Team 98 Backseater

Ah Pearl beer, that brings back some memories Rich. Going to the Hemisfair, in San Antonio. This was back in the 60’s when I was stationed in Kingsville, VT-21. But back then if I remember correctly, they only had 2 kinds of beer in Tex, hot or cold Pearl. It was also called Tex back then because the ass was in Washington.

The Rains are Still Here!

Well, the trailer parking area is almost under water this morning. The county water truck that keeps the dust down on the main road got stuck trying to get out of its parking spot. The truck that brought the driver almost got stuck. There is a picture that Mark showed at the pilots meeting that highlights the number of miles to make minimum distance and the number of miles that takes for a 1,000-point day. After Fernando’s weather brief, it was obvious that we would not get a task in, so the day was cancelled. We did get to watch the Sun Ship Game in the auditorium on the big screen and Andy Blackburn went out to OX Ranch to drive a tank. I am waiting for the pictures.
Tomorrow is anybody’s guess. If it does not rain, and if the trailer parking area can dry out a little, we may get to fly. I will say Victoria, our cruise ship director, did a magnificent job on highlighting all the things you can do in and around Uvalde. She has lived here all her life and knows everyone.
Guess I will talk to you tomorrow. Until then, stay high, go fast and come home.

Cheers,
Rich
Team 98 Backseater

PS Thanks Glennnnnnn. I remember Lone Star Beer whose tag line was watch out for the giant armadillo!

On Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at 10:10:57 PM UTC-5, Rich Owen wrote:
> The Rains are Still Here!
>
> Well, the trailer parking area is almost under water this morning. The county water truck that keeps the dust down on the main road got stuck trying to get out of its parking spot. The truck that brought the driver almost got stuck. There is a picture that Mark showed at the pilots meeting that highlights the number of miles to make minimum distance and the number of miles that takes for a 1,000-point day. After Fernando’s weather brief, it was obvious that we would not get a task in, so the day was cancelled. We did get to watch the Sun Ship Game in the auditorium on the big screen and Andy Blackburn went out to OX Ranch to drive a tank. I am waiting for the pictures.
> Tomorrow is anybody’s guess. If it does not rain, and if the trailer parking area can dry out a little, we may get to fly. I will say Victoria, our cruise ship director, did a magnificent job on highlighting all the things you can do in and around Uvalde. She has lived here all her life and knows everyone.
> Guess I will talk to you tomorrow. Until then, stay high, go fast and come home.
> Cheers,
> Rich
> Team 98 Backseater
> PS Thanks Glennnnnnn. I remember Lone Star Beer whose tag line was watch out for the giant armadillo!

For those interested, this contest is also being scored using SeeYou Competition with results posted on https://www.soaringspot.com/en_gb/usa-18-meter-nationals-and-uvalde-glide-uvalde-garner-field-2023/

Doing testing and familiarization with these technologies in preparation for the WGC2024.

One goal I have each day is to have the tasks posted to https://www.soaringspot.com/en_gb/usa-18-meter-nationals-and-uvalde-glide-uvalde-garner-field-2023/ 90 minutes prior to launch, and after the pilots meeting. This allows pilots to download the task directly from soaringspot to their flight computers, allow the task to be displayed in www.skysight.io route forecast and OGN display websites such as uvalde.onglide.com and www.glideandseek.com to access the tasks and overlay them for better viewing experiences.

Technology is great!

The Glider Mud Olympics
At the morning brief, Fernando told us all about the amount of rain that had falling around the Uvalde area. You did not need to be a rocket scientist to see that the trailer parking area was flooded. Sean Fidler was everywhere! Preparing his ship for tow to the grid and his shoes looked more like snowshoes than hiking boots. The amount of mud and straw attached to the bottom probably added a pound or two to his ship. When all the gliders went on the taxiway enroute to the grid, it looked like the remnants of a tractor pull. There was mud everywhere!!
Finally, the ships were on the grid and the competitors went to the morning pilots meeting. You always must stop and have a cup of coffee and a pastry just inside the entrance to the auditorium. Miranda from the Local Fix sold morning treats before the meeting. Now, right before you entered the auditorium there was a sign that said, “No Food or Drinks Please”. Too bad the school doesn’t know that pilots cannot read.
The expected weather today was for a late start due to all the rain over the last two days. Everyone was sent on a 3:15 Assigned Area Task heading east out of Uvalde then out to the hill country where there was much less rain. The maximum start altitude was only 4,000ft so you can imagine how weak it was.
The 18-meter class was sent from Start A, Diversion, Fredericksburg, Junction and then Finish. The top pilots started late, around 2:45pm. There might have been a little start gate roulette. The first leg was blue, 2-3 knot climbs with clouds in the distance. Hondo was a good place to get your first climb. Right before the first turnpoint, the quarries gave the pilots a climb to 4,500ft and speeds started increasing when the gaggle got to the clouds. At cloud base, the race was on. Cruising at 110 knots smiles started showing on the competitors’ faces. The second leg was a good run, well connected to the clouds. Over the hill country, climbs were better, cloudbases were higher and speeds again increased. On the third leg, decisions on how far to go into the turnpoint was the deciding factor to where you were on the score sheet. The sky looked great, but no one knew how tough the last leg was going to be. Those that thought the speeds were going to keep increasing were wrong. The clouds were separated by greater distances, some clouds looked great but were very weak and arrival times started slipping for some pilots. Just when you thought you were going to be under time, you are suddenly and hour over time. Motor starts and landouts interrupted good standings for some of the pilots. In third place was Bif Huss with Sean Fidler in second. Winning the day was David Greenhill in his new AS-33Es, covering the 264 miles at 70.62mph.
With one day to go, Sean Fidler has a 69-point lead over Sean Murphy. In third place, David Greenhill is only 14 points behind Sean Murphy. Between 4th place and 8th place, these pilots are only separated by 58 points. It is still almost anyone’s race. Last year in the 18-meter Nationals, Sean Fidler beat Sean Murphy on the last day. I’m sure Mr. Murphy would like to get some payback.
In the 20-meter group, we started from Start C, Castroville, Techirhart, Junction and Finish. We had a lot of discussion about whether we should attempt the task due to low altitudes, weak conditions and the conditions in the hill country. In the end, Adam Woolley started but abandoned the task, which was a good decision since he had a borrowed glider. Garret, he took very good care of your baby. Rob Cluxton and David Hart in 4D started but the first leg was super weak, and they returned to the field. Barry Jaeger and Dick Andrews made a very good decision and started early. Even though they got down to 900ft AGL on the first leg, they were able to climb out and were the only 20-meter pilots to make it around. Team 98 started 25 minutes after them and ran out of lift at the end of the day. This shook up the score sheet in 20-meter. In third place is Team AXC with 4700 points, with Adam and Pasi (Team 1) only 13 points behind Team 98 who is in first place now. Tomorrow will decide who will win the class. I am very lucky that I personally know 3 out of 4 of these Teams. The last 2 weeks I wish I spent more time with Adam and Pasi. I follow Adam in his posts and have learned from them. Pasi and Adam seem to be the guys you want to have beers with. I’m sure I’ll see them at the WGC next year.
The Open guy’s kind of did their usual thing, not paying attention to any of the short wingers. They went across the blue holes, leisurely making it to the cu in the high country. On final glide, it was tough but when you can float like these magnificent ships, you make it home. For today, John Cockrane was third with Bruce Taylor in second. Keith Essex won the day again with a speed of 73mph over the 293 miles. Overall, Keith is in first place. Jim Lee is 182 points behind, so he needs some help. John Cockrane is only 41 points behind Jim so a change in second place is not out of the question. One person that we have not spoken about much in this contest is Bruce Taylor. A fantastic pilot who will most likely be in the 20-meter class at the WGC next year in Uvalde. He is one of the nicest people you will ever meet, but I would not like him behind me on final glide. I would love to fly with him in a two seater or have a pint with him at Broadway 830 in Uvalde next year.
That’s it for tonight. I hope you liked these reports. Tomorrow we will have two reports, one in the late morning and one after the banquet. I believe the scores will be held close until the awards are given out tomorrow night. Until tomorrow, fly safely, stay high and mentor a kid along in XC flying.
Cheers,
Rich
Team 98 Backseater

The Last Day
Putting on a contest is a work of love for some contest staff. It take a number of people who are willing to give up their time from families, accept a smaller pay check from their work, operate in somewhat tough conditions just so we can enjoy our sport. The tow pilots stay in Uvalde for 2 weeks just so they can fly maybe an hour a day. The rest of the time they are up to their own devices. At least at the Seniors, I do not want to know what they do with their time off. I would be right there with then getting into trouble. Here, we had a great group of pilots making sure we got in the air safely as
they avoided the airport traffic, gliders, light aircraft arrivals and Customs helicopters. The entire group of tow pilots we had were awesome. The Chief Tow Pilot (not a job I would like to have), was Gary Evans from Odessa Texas flying a C-182. In his squadron was Mike Hostage from San Antonio flying the Bird Dog, Preston Gover from Sunflower in Kanas in the C-175, Neil Muxworthy from Hamilton Texas in his beautiful C-180 and finally, The Red Baron Pawnee from Texas Soaring Association in Dallas Texas flown by Scottie Smith. I see Scotty all the time flying tow in contests all over. It is always a pleasure and I hope to get him to tow for us at the Seniors one year.
When we arrived at Uvalde the first group of contest staff you met were the registration folks. Haleigh Boyd, Dawn Griffin and Janelle Sullivan made the process easy, efficient and very pleasant. Our weighing crew was run by Eric Anderson and James Hollins. Monty Sullivan spent a good amount of time working on the trackers that will be used during the WGC next year. Team 98 was happy to carry these high-tech devices every day to sort out the problems and verify the OGN network is up to the task. A contest flight line is always one of the most important, safety conscience work area during the launch. You can be efficient, but if you hurt someone or launch a glider when the pilot is not ready, it could be very dangerous. Sherman Griffiff was the Operations Boss for Uvalde Glide and the 18 Meter Nationals. His crew consisted of Paul Case, James Hollins, Eric Anderson, Josh King, Collin Agor, Steve Leonard and that great Marine, Melissa Indebro. If you do not have scores, you would never know who won. Ron Gleason took care of the pilots with attention to detail and a good eye on the rules. When you had a question, Ron was always able to give you a timely, correct response. Towropes, everyone wants one but few want to trapse into the mesquite and high grass to retrieve them, let alone set them up for the next day. Anne Hollins has been doing this at Uvalde for a long time. Never complaining and always making sure the knots are untangled before the next launch.
The tasks for today are all Racing Tasks, a great way to finish the 2 weeks.. The weather is going to be a little weaker than normal Uvalde put the pedal to the metal type of day. For the 20-meter class, we begin at Start F, Chaparosa, Charlotte, Los Angeles (not that one folks!), Crystal City (no not the one by DC) and Finish. It is a 226-mile task that we should easily finish in about 3 hours.
The 18-meter class go from Start B, Yancy, Hondo, Concan, Highway 90 Nueces, Cotulla, Dillui and Finish. This 237-mile task should be just under 3 hours.
The Open class will be going from Start F, Tarpley, Leakey, Chalk Bluff, Castroville, McKinley and Finish. Their task is 258-miles and should be just under 3 hours.
Tonight, we will be going to the Herby Ham Activity Center for the awards banquet. Do not look for the scores before the banquet, they will not be up.. We will put out a report soon as I know the results.
That’s all for now. We must get 98 on the starting line.
Cheers,
Rich
Team 98 Backseater

Put a Fork in it Honey, it’s Over…….. Finally
After 2 weeks of flying in Uvalde, the contest is finally over. We did 2 practice days, 7 race days, and 3 forced rest days. We traveled to San Antonio to see Riverwalk and the old Pearl brewery, Fredericksburg to see the South Pacific WWII Museum, drove tanks and shot the main gun, visited the state park at Chalk Bluff and picked up at least 2 tons of clay after the rain. Now at the banquet, all the pilots have smiles (scores are not out) and the volunteers are ready for a rest.
The flying today was somewhat tough for some classes and a blast for others.. The 20-meter ships had the weakest weather while the 18 meter pilots rocked the skies. The Open class, I saw them in the trailer parking area and Jim Lee helped us push Pete’s 32 into the trailer. It seemed they had a good time, but John Cockran came home late. You know you might be in trouble when your friends open your trailer and your ship not in it. One good point John, you have a lot of friends that care for you. Unfortunately, when you called at 4 miles, they all disappeared so they did not have to take the EB-29 apart.
The contest staff has no control over the weather, but they do have the ability to get first rate volunteers. This Uvalde contest did exactly that. Everyone worked very hard to provide the pilots with the best possible experience. From the line crew run by Sherman Griffith, to a tow operation managed by Preston Glover, scoring by Ron Gleason, Fernando Silva our ever-present weatherman and Monte Sullivan doing the trackers. All the staff was wonderful. You could not put together this team without a first-rate leader.. We would like to thank our host, Mark Huffstutler, for being the Contest Director and host for the contest. I am sure the World Glider Championships will be a huge success with Mark and Eric Mozer at the helm. I would also want to thank a woman who has helped me so much over many contests that I have written reports for. Leigh Zimmerman takes all my reports and photos and posts them on Facebook. One of these days I hope to learn how to do this, but then I would miss all those times I get to text with Leigh and catch up on what trouble Sam is getting into.
Well, the scores are being turned into the CD and I’m sure the results will be released very soon.
They are in folks. Today in 18 meter, Sean Murphy finished in third with Rick Indrebro in second. Winning the day with a speed of 80.28mph over 234 miles was Bif Huss.
In Open class, Jim Lee finished in third today with Keith Essex in second. Bruce Taylor won the day with a speed of 71mph over 254 miles.
In 20- meter class, Pete Alexander and Rich Owen finished in third today with Barry Jeager and Dick Andrews in second. Of course, Adam Woolley and Pasi won the day with a speed of 72mph over the 223 mile course.
The scores of the overall winners for all the classes have been sealed on the front porch of Mark’s house since 4pm. They have not been tampered with or discussed by anyone on the contest staff. Now for the envelope..
In Open Class, with a ship that costs more than my house and a crew that requires an extra-large recovery vehicle due to the number of helpers involved, is Keith Essex. Jim Lee finished in second place and John Cockrane was in third.
In 20 Meter Class, your overall winner, a visiting Australian with a co-pilot from Finland, was Team 1. In second place was Team 98, Pete Alexander and Rich Owen.
Your 18 Meter Nationals winner for 2023, three time in a row 18-meter champion and recipient of the Charlie Spratt trophy, is Sean Fidler. Here are the top 5 finishers with their points:
1. Sean Fidler 6749
2. Sean Murphy 6716
3. Jerzy Szemplinski 6595
4. Bif Huss 6566
5. Sergei Morozov 6558
Well, the contest is in the books and I want to thank you all for reading these reports and keeping up with your favorite pilot. Until next time.
Cheers,
Rich Owen
Soon to be back in Team ZO, she is coming in October.

Nice reporting, Rich! I enjoyed every minute of imagining I was there. Hard to believe about the weather. I've been rained out several times at Hobbs but my only nationals at Uvalde was so spectacular (9 out of 10 days) that I assumed it was a sure thing.

Chip Bearden
"JB"

On Friday, August 25, 2023 at 10:33:09 PM UTC-5, Chip Bearden wrote:
> Nice reporting, Rich! I enjoyed every minute of imagining I was there. Hard to believe about the weather. I've been rained out several times at Hobbs but my only nationals at Uvalde was so spectacular (9 out of 10 days) that I assumed it was a sure thing.
>
> Chip Bearden
> "JB"

2016 sports Nationals in Uvalde was rained out with three days left so much they called the contest.off early.

On Saturday, August 26, 2023 at 11:33:28 AM UTC-4, Tony wrote:
> On Friday, August 25, 2023 at 10:33:09 PM UTC-5, Chip Bearden wrote:
> > Nice reporting, Rich! I enjoyed every minute of imagining I was there. Hard to believe about the weather. I've been rained out several times at Hobbs but my only nationals at Uvalde was so spectacular (9 out of 10 days) that I assumed it was a sure thing.
> >
> > Chip Bearden
> > "JB"
> 2016 sports Nationals in Uvalde was rained out with three days left so much they called the contest.off early.

Rich thanks for keeping us in the loop of day to day what's going on in Uvalde!

Agree. Much appreciated!

> Rich thanks for keeping us in the loop of day to day what's going on in Uvalde!