We had a pretty good time at the Electroglide last Saturday. The skies were clear, a light North West breeze was blowing for the 10:00 a.m. launch. This will be the second contest with a 10 second motor run time.
Eight pilots launched their aircraft on that first launch, seven Radians and one Phoenix II. Although the sun had been shinning for at least 60 minutes, it had not warmed up the local field area enough to produce any lift. As a result, the flight times were short.
Dennis LaBerge had the longest flight with a time aloft of 3:26 minutes. Dennis also picked up a 20-point landing upon returning. Scott Vance came in second with a flight of 2:50 minutes, also getting a 20-point landing. Bob Stinson was third at 2:44, with 20-point landing. Jim Shadwick also had a 20-point landing.
On the second launch, flight times indicated the sun had yet to produce thermal lift.
Bob Stinson had the long flight at 3:20, plus earning a 30-point landing. Scott Vance came in Second at 2:45 plus a 20-point landing. Alex Sutton was third at 2:40 with a 30-point landing. Dennis also picked up a 30-point landing, Jon Graber and Jim Shadwick both had 20-point landings and Stephen Treger picked up a 10-point landing.
Remember, with 10 seconds allowed for motor run, pilots tend to keep their aircraft close to the runway and can barely make 200 feet of altitude.
That said, the third launch proved we can still have a fun, competitive time flying gliders, because the sunlight finally lit up the lift.
Flight times jumped with Jon Graber staying aloft for 9:57 and getting a 10-point landing.
Scott was second at 9:48, with a 20-point landing. I came in third at 9:34, with a 10-point landing. Bob and Stephen both picked up 30-point landings. Alex picked up a 20-point landing. All pilots finding that lift column flew great. Avoiding a mid-air collision yet staying in a narrow lift zone is a challenge. It’s also a pretty sight to watch.
The North West wind had started to increase by the time the fourth launch took place and flight times now dropped.
Scott scored the long flight at 5:03 with a 30-point landing. Alex was second at 4:30 and picked up his second 30-point landing. Bob came in third at 4:15, with a 20-point landing. Dennis also picked up his second 30-point landing.
Winner for the day is Bob Stinson at 219 total points. Second place goes to Scott Vance at 214 points and third place was earned by Alex Sutton at 185 total points.
A fun contest enjoyed by all, that third launch was a real blast. Many bonus points were earned on the landings, proving pilots are mastering their skills at precision flying and “dead stick” landings.
Thanks again to Frank Sutton for supplying the event pictures.
Next Electroglide is scheduled for TBD, 10:00 a.m. first launch.
See you there,
Jeff
