jeb@eisx.UUCP (Jim Beckman) (10/10/83)
More details on the 750-kilometer task, gathered from two of my friends who were there and flew the course. Karl Striedieck was the competition director, and the course was a carefully set up quadrilateral contrived to make maximum use of ridge lines. Several pilots also reported contacting the best thermals they had every encountered. The start gate was set up on top of one of the ridges, so a start could be made in ridge lift, with immediate departure on course. One of the pilots who started became ill after reaching the first turnpoint and returned to Fairfield to land. Striedieck, after seeing all the competitors launched, also flew the task. All the other pilots completed, and the winning speed was in excess of 120 miles per hour. Most of the finishers were back around 3:00 in the afternoon, so the task could have been quite a bit longer. One pilot said the ridges were working strong all night long, so launch and start could have begun at dawn, for a tremendous task. Striedieck said that if faced with the same conditions at the next regional, he will call 1000 kilometers. Jim Beckman ATTISL, South Plainfield, NJ