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WGC 2024 Uvalde

WGC 2024 Uvalde

Early Report

Day 6

I had a chance to talk with several pilots to get an indication of how yesterday went from the cockpit’s perspective.  We did find out that 2 gliders did have brake malfunctions and that is why ships were in the hangars with crews working on them.  One aircraft did suffer some minor damage, but it will be fixed for today’s flying.  These two aircraft and some minor Flarm antenna and Flarm issues were the only ships that were involved with any mechanical issues that needed to be addressed. 

In the 18 Meter Class, the first leg into the cirrus was daunting.  Since it was a racing task there were no other options but to journey into the haze.  There were a good number of aircraft in the area, so everyone had markers to help.  Even after they made the turnpoint, it was still hard going until after the halfway point on the second leg.  The better weather was short lived when they reached the return leg in the hill country.  Due to the late time, the lift and cloudbases were strength and height.  Still, they were able to make it home safely.  There were 5 pilots who did not make it back and had to start their motors with one glider having to make a safe landout.    

In Open Class, having an assigned area task allowed them to take advantage of the ability to go where the better conditions were.  That was evident in the achieved speeds of the winner which was 142kph (77mph).  They had two turnpoints that went southeast and northwest.  Normal thinking at Uvalde would be to make your km/miles up north.   Another thing that helped the Open Class, their angle out of the first turnpoint was very much an out and return leg.  Most flew the same track back to the north except for a slight deviation around Uvalde heading northwest.  The final glides were slightly better than the other classes simply due to the wingspans.  All the gliders made it back safely but 2 aircraft did start their engines with 2 others having finish penalties.

The 20 Meter Class had a long day also.  Their racing task had them going towards the cirrus twice, once on the way out and the other starting their final glide.  The first leg was soft as well as half of the second leg going into the hill country.  Once In the hill country, the lift was better and the cloudbases were higher.  However, they soon headed southeast again into the weaker weather.  They were on final glide later in the day, in the weaker lift and it was a struggle for some pilots.  Only 1 team started their engine, but many got low somewhere along the track.

So, the weather played an important part in yesterday’s tasks.  Some pilots gambled (just like every other day) and lost.  Others made large deviations to mitigate very weak areas and were not rewarded for their decision.  In every class there were pilots who drove themselves low expecting the 3m/s (6kt) thermal to save them, but this time it was not there.  The best pilots who made the best decisions were at the top of the scoreboard.  Being conservative on some segments of the course made a difference.

Today the tasks are all assigned area tasks and shorter.  The International Night is tonight, and we are all looking forward to the rest day tomorrow.  It looks like a good day today without all the drama from yesterday.

Cheers,

Rich Owen
Media Team

WGC 2024 Uvalde

Uvalde 2024 WGC

Very Late Report

Day 6

Well, it is 11:00pm CDT and we have just gotten back from dinner.  Today was a very hard task in weather that was challenging but safe.  Decisions had to be made to minimize the risk in the weak areas because there were no 4m/s (7kt) thermals that would magically appear to save you when you got low.  I am sure the climbs in some of the areas were significantly less than what we have experienced up to now.  Uvalde is a great place to fly, but it is not all big climbs and high cloud bases. 

Because of the late hour, I will not be able to give you a good report on what the pilots saw and why some of the scores look unusual.  I have never seen penalties given out for flying after official sunset, but there were a few today (or should I say tonight).  There are several ships in the hangar getting worked on.  I do not know why.  I can tell you; everyone made it back to Uvalde safely.  So, lets cover what we do know.

As we said earlier, the weather was not like the last 6 days.  There was a line that went northwest to southeast.  This was a line of demarcation that separated good climbs from weak climbs.  Going east, there was a chance of high cirrus that did show up.  In the 18 Meter Class, on the second leg, large deviations had to be made to avoid the direct line to the turnpoint due to this cirrus.  Several pilots decided to take a bigger risk by going more on a direct line, and they were rewarded with a good score. 

Open Class had to go south into the weak area first, then they did the hill country later in the day.  That would normally mean you make the distance up north.  However, the hill country lift dropped way down on the return leg due to being so late in the day. 

The 20 Meter Class spent more time up in the hill country early, but they still had issues with the day.  There were clouds up in the hills, but many did not work.  Today was a weaker day than any of the contest or training days these pilots have experienced.  I will try and get better information before the pilots meeting tomorrow and include that in my morning report.

The 20 Meter teams were sent out on a racing task of 623.3km (387mi) east to Diversion Dam, north to Fredericksburg, west to Four Square, southeast to Charlotte and then finish.  In third place was Lutz & Janowitsch (Austria) with Jones & Coppin (Great Britain) in second.  Winning today was Bouderlique & de Pechy (France) with a speed of 112.25kph (70mph) over the 623km task (387mi).  Great flying in these conditions with 20-meter ships.

The 18 Meter Class were sent on a racing task of 575.46km (357mi).  They left the start and went east southeast to Kennedy Regional, southwest to Santa Maria Ranch and then back to finish.  What the task had for simplicity entering into the nav system, it more than made up in the complexity of the decision making.  In third place was Linas Miezlaiskis (Lithuania) with Sean Fidler (USA) in second, only 8 points out of first.  Lumpy Paterson (Australia) won the day (I would love to have a beer with him and Adam Woolly one night), flying the 435km (270mi) task at 125.3kph (78mph).  Nice job Lumpy!!

In the Open Class, they had an assigned area task that took them south southeast to Chupacabra, northwest to El Diablo and then to finish.  Again, they went south first, apparently the task setters wanted them to avoid the possibility of storms later in the day.  They headed north and had good weather there until the return leg when I heard it got soft.  In third place was Felipe Levin (Germany) with Sylvain (France) in second.  Winning the day was Laurent Abouliin (France) with a speed of 142kph (88mph) over the course of 661.71km (411mi).  These three pilots were only separated by 7 points total!!!!  Very fine flying by these pilots on a very difficult day.  Not that I’m a fashion guy (what glider pilot is?), the French team has the best team shirts besides Team USA.  I’m sorry, white is a better color to fly in 40C (104F) temperature days.

That is all for tonight.  Tomorrow is a new day, and we are only halfway through the competition.  There are plenty of days to make up points and the weather looks like it will support it.  We are flying tomorrow.  However, we will be starting later, and the task setters have already agreed to back off on the extra long tasks for tomorrow.  I will try and get the report out earlier and bring you up to speed on today’s flights.

Cheers,

Rich Owen
Media Team

WGC 2024 Uvalde

Uvalde 2024

Early Report

Day 6

The daily routine for the pilots and the crew are well established now.  Most of the pilots have transferred the responsibility of preparing the glider to the crews.  Team Captains meet with their pilots just after the pilots meeting and back at the team houses.  The time before the pilots meeting is a quiet time for the pilots.  Looking at the early weather and reviewing the previous days’ flight does not tale long.  Days are a little quieter now unless there is a mechanical issue.  Jonkers, Alexander Schleicher, and Schempp-Hirth all have some kind of factory support for the gliders on the field.  We have had some issues with the gliders, but all are very minor.  Tires, nav system failures due to the heat and sometime brakes have been a problem.  All have been fixed through cooperation and sharing of spare parts.

The launch was initially delayed for 15 minutes, after that, getting everyone airborne went off without a problem.  The 20 Meter Class start gate opened at 1405, the 18 Meter opened at 1416, and the Open Class started at 1405.  Todays tasks are going to be long so do not expect any information until after 7pm earliest. Until then, have a good day.

Cheers,

Rich Owen
Media Team

WGC2024Uvalde

Uvalde 2024 WGC

Late Night Report

Day 5

Hold the presses!  There is a new development that is being announced by all the major sailplane instrument manufacturers.  After years of incorporating WiFi and Bluetooth into their high-end avionics, they found another way to improve the connectivity between the glider and the pilot.  After years of research into the demographics of the typical glider pilot, they have found a way to use Bluetooth technology to connect to the pilot’s hearing aid.  No more will the pilot miss a thermal because they didn’t hear the vario’s climbing tone.  This will be coming out shortly.  So, if you thought Hawk was expensive, wait till you see the bill for this one! Paul Remde from Cumulus Soaring will be taking orders tomorrow at the pilots meeting.  Be the first one to have this technology, order it from Paul tomorrow. 

The weather was as expected, so there were no real surprises during the day.   The 20 Meter Class was sent on a 4 hour Assigned Area Task that went southwest to Eagle Pass, Southeast to Taco, east to Silverhorn, north to Alderman and finally, west northwest to finish.  This was a straightforward task.  Climbs were averaging 2 – 3m/s (4-6kt) up to 2,460m (8,000ft).  The geometry and use of the wind lines determined the winner today.  In third place for the day was the team of Adam Woolly and Olli Gateley (Australia) with team Keith Essex and M Rossi (New Zealand) finishing in second.  Winning the day was Borgmann & Van Houweninge (Netherlands) with a speed of 129.44kph (80mph) over a distance of 517.75km (321mi).

The 18 Meter Class was sent on a 4 hour Assigned Area Task that went south southwest to Carrizo Springs, northwest to Ozona Municiple, southeast to Unverified and then to finish.  Like yesterday, getting to the high ground and making distance there was a key to success.  Cloud bases were lower on the way up, but the high country did not disappoint.  In third place for the day was Linas Miezlaiskis (Lithuania) with Manu Litt (Belgium) in second.  I only wish Baude was with Manu.  Finishing in first for the day with a speed of 155.39kph (96mph) over 635km (395mi), was Radek Krejcirik (Czeck Republic).

The Open Class was sent on a 4.5 hour Assigned Area Task that took them southeast to Alderman, northwest to Lang Ranch, south to Rancho Ecantado and then to finish.  Again, you wanted to make distance to the north in the hill country and not lose too much to the south.  Some pilots did better in the south with the weaker conditions and place higher on the scoresheet.  All in all it was a good day.  In third place was Laurent Abouliin (France) with Zoran Frenc (Serbia) in second.  Finishing in first place for the day is Oscar Goudriaan (South Africa) with a speed of 151.03kph over the 680.11km (423mi) task.

Tomorrow may bring a few wrinkles to the tasks.  The score sheet may still get a shake up but these pilots are flying very well.  You will just have to wait and see how the week will progress.

Cheers,

Rich Owen
Media Team

WGC 2024 Uvalde

WGC 2024 Uvalde

Early Report

Day 5

We have a daily ground crew award that goes to the best ground support team in the glider parking area, departure and arrival back home. The amount of hustle, camaraderie and outfits all go into selection for the award.  The South African Team won today.  In recognition for their hard work, the team took a nice picture of all the group and put it on their website with the pilots’ thanks.  Really nice job patting the folks on the back.  We fly the ships, but they do a lot of work to get each glider ready, launched and secured at the end of the day.  Well done!!

If you are wondering how we are getting the speeds and high climb rates we have achieved this week, there are very good pilots flying in this competition.  However, the fact that the temperature was 44.5C (112F) in Del Rio yesterday probably helped.

Today there will be dry air to the southwest and more moist air in the northeast.  There is a possibility of some convective activity at the coast that will move towards Uvalde, but that should not affect the task area today. 

The weathermen both projected climbs up to 16,000m (10,000ft) and lift in the 2-3.5m/s (4-7kt) range.  All the classes are on task right now.  Their gates opened between 1418-1427 CDT.  We expect for the ships to return around 1830 CDT.

That is all for now.  We are still trying to upload all our pictures to the WGC2024Uvalde.com website.  Word Press is frankly kicking my butt right now.  The pilots should be returning in a couple of hours. We will bring you an update as they arrive.  Hopefully will be able to get a beer and a slice of pizza in the grotto today.

Take care,

Rich Owen
Media Team

WGC 2024 Uvalde – Late Report – Day 4

Today was a good day.  Not because the weather was 75 degrees with a cool breeze, and we were in a boat on the water at sunset.  We finally got access and the ability to post on the WGC website!  So, go on WGC 2024 Uvalde and you will find the landing page.  It will have a link to live tracking right away.  When you enter the rest of the site, you will be able to see some basic information, all the documents the pilots saw before the WGC, the schedule from the beginning of the contest to the end, all the contestants sorted by class or by country, a Facebook and an “X” button to go right to those social media sites WITHOUT having an account there.  All the past reports we have done are now under one roof called “Contest Reports”.  We still need to upload all the pictures we have taken over the past week.  There will be a link page in the next day to give you all the links you may need to participate in the WGC.  The two weather reports we receive every day will be under the heading “Weather” as well as the Skysight HD Satellite Viewer.  The weather reports we still need to find out how to get them up, but it will be done tomorrow.  We are trying to add a You Tube link to take you to all the interviews Paul Remde have been doing before and during the contest.  He has done a great job bringing you right into the decision-making process of the pilots.  We will still make posts to WGC Facebook, SSA Facebook, SSA website, X, You Tube and the WGC website.  Our goal has always been to provide you with the information wherever you normally search for it.  Now for the flying.

The weather was better than forecasted up north, but down south later in the day, it was a little worse due to blow off from some storms.  When we were watching the flights, someone said one of the ships was 5,600ft up in hill country.  We raised a question about the altitude, and they corrected us by saying they were at 15,600ft.  Nice leg!

The 18 Meter Class went on a 3:15 hour Assigned Area Task south to Callaghan, northeast to Los Angeles, northwest to Commanche Caves and southwest to the finish.  With the seabreeze and some blow off from the storms, coupled with the better climbs in the hill country, it made good sense to make distance in the north.  However, you never want to put all your eggs in one basket.  Most of the leaders did exactly that.  Going a little into the first area and making the most miles in the last area to the north.  Final glides were mostly stress free and the top 5 pilots were separated by about 50 points.  The next 5 pilots were only 30 points apart.  In the end, Uys Jonker (South Africa) finished in third with Simon Schroder (Germany) in second.  Winning the day was Stefan Langer (Germany) with a speed of 154.39kph (96mph) over the 506km (314mi) task.  Great flying Stefan!!

The 20 Meter Class had the best airmass of the group.  They were sent on a 3:15 hour Assigned Area Task north to Menard, west to Eldorado and south southeast to finish.  With a maximum distance speed required of only 164kph, you had to plan on maximizing the distance in all the circles to be sure you did not come under time.  The weather conditions in the hill country can be really strong.  Pete Alexander and I learned from Adam Woolley and Pasi Pulkkinen last year when they maxed out the turn areas while we went 8km less than them.  We lost the day because we did not realize the task was under called until it was too late in the first area.  We will not make that mistake again.  Thanks boys!  The leaders did not make that mistake and had a great flight with the highest altitude being 5,000m (16,500ft).  With that kind of altitude, final glides were stress free.  In third place was the team of Negro & Bano (Hungary) with Sarah Arnold and Karl Striedieck (USA) finishing in second, just 7 points out of first!  In first place, flying 150.04kph (93mph) over the 531km (330mi) task was the team of Bouderlique & de Pechy (France).

The Open Class was sent on a 3:15 Assigned Area Task northwest to Queso, southeast to Taco, northeast to Burrito and to the finish.  This task sounded more like a lunch menu at Taco Bell than a race.  The Open Class had the opposite problem than the 20 Meter Class.  It would be better to make the distance in the north area since the southern turn area later in the day was expected to be weak.  That is exactly what the leaders did.  The altitudes were lower than the 20 Meter ships since they were in the hill country earlier.  Maximum altitude for the Open Class to the north was just under 4,000m (13,100ft). Finishing in third place was Laurent Abouliin (France) with Francois Jeremiasse (Netherlands) in second.  Winning the day with a speed of 145.37kph (90mph) over the 505.6km (314mi) task was Felipe Levin (France).  Nice flying Felipe!!

That is it for the day.  Tomorrow the weather may be slightly weaker than yesterday, but you never know in Uvalde.  There may be a chance of thunderstorms to the east and that always creates issues.  We hope the weather stays like it is, but we still have not had a real Uvalde day yet.  So, buckle up and stay tuned to the status report at the mid-point of the contest on Friday.  Until then, stay safe everyone, and do not get low in the hill country.

Cheers,

Rich Owen
Media Team