Well surprise, surprise. In spite of a cold, overcast morning, we still had a fun and competitive Electroglide contest.
The temperature was 64 degrees; and winds were Westerly at 10 mph with a solid marine layer. One would not see this as ideal glider weather.
Ten pilots were on hand for the first launch, seven flying Radians, two flying in the Open Class. Some pilots quickly found some wind lift over the Western palm trees and made use of it.
Scott Vance (Radian), had the long flight at 5:04 minutes, Dennis LaBerge (Radian), was second at 4:47 and Jeff Struthers (Radian), was third at 4:23 plus a 30-point landing. Some pretty good times considering the weather conditions. Bob Anson (Radian), also scored a 30-point landing and Deric Knight (Open Class), picked up a 10-point landing.
Second launch had the wind lift disappear on us. Scott again had the long flight, this time being 2:36 but he also scored a 30-point landing. Dennis again was second at 2:23 with a 10-point landing and Jeff was third at 2:20 with a 10-point landing. Alex Sutton and Carl Cox, both flying Radians, picked up 30-point landings. Neil Zhu (Open Class), picked up a 20-point landing.
Third launch was again into poor conditions with short flight times being the result. Deric had the long flight at 2:40 plus a 10-point landing. Dennis came in second at 2:34 and a 20-point landing. Scott was third at 2:29 with a 10-point landing. Bob Anson, Dennis, Neil and Jeff all scored 20-point landings. This made a pretty crowded set of target circles.
Fourth and final launch saw much better glider conditions. The long flight was had by Jeff at 9:15 with a 20-point landing. Scott was second at 9:06 and a 30-point landing and Dennis was third at 6:26. Alex, Deric and Neil all scored 30-point landings.
Winners for the day:
Radian Class
– Jeff Struthers 191 total points
– Scott Vance 187 “ points
– Dennis LaBerge 129 “ points
Open Class
– Neil Zhu 162 total points
– Deric Knight 123 “ points
Congratulations to all the pilots for making the best of marginal conditions. Yes, there were a few “Off Field” landings but also many target circle landings that demonstrated great approaches under windy conditions. Good job guys.
Thanks to Frank Sutton for the pictures and to Jim Bonnardel for Carl Cox’s launches.
Next Electroglide is to be held on June 17th.
See you there,
Jeff Struthers
Click the pics below for the entire album:
