International Flying

Who would have thought you could fly a glider across country borders? Well Sunday's task included a turnpoint in Poland, which on any normal day would require even glider pilots to file a formal flight plan for international travel. Luckily the competition organisation sorted this aspect.

Allan and my team flying has been progressing very well, but fell apart a little during this flight. We dropped into elastic flying and I almost caught up the 7km I fell behind on the first turn getting right back to sharing the same thermal but vertically separated. Unfortunately I was unable to connect to the next climb and the gap widened again. No problem, I continued on the task and Allan assisted with info from ahead.

The country to the north is spectacular, the paddocks in Poland decidedly smaller than in Slovakia. There's beautiful dam/ lakes, villages in valleys and other distractions from the task at hand. It would be so good to have some relaxed flying in a 2 seater around here.

The last turnpoint is located on top of the small Tatra mountains at approximately 7000ft. Heading into the mountains gets your attention and looking up to a turnpoint is definately another first for me. The terrain/ wind and sun become the main factors in looking for a climb and a cu above your target reinforces your theory. I found success most of the time, perhaps not the best climbs around but enough to get me above the turnpoint and on my way home. Following the ridgetop seemed to work well the light winds not particularly favouring ony one side. I was close to final glide but the track home was impeded with terrain, again not normally an issue for me. It looked like I could dribble around but the possibility of having to turn away from track into the valley was also on the cards. A large cu at the end of the ridge was a distinct possibility but choosing the correct track underneath was stilla question. Looking at the ground I saw an area still in full sun and concluded the wind would funnel past this area. Moving over to this spot the vario eventually responded with a bout 2 knots and I was relieved to think this climb would get me home. As I continued the searching turn I hit the core and "woo hoo" 7 knots to the airspace ceiling! My run home wa a blast, overcooked by a great run out from under the cloud and more positive air on the way home.

The day ended for me on a high, not a great result but a huge learning experience and for a couple of factors still a good run.