August 21, 2024
Very hot weather (107 F is severe even by central Texas standards) continues at the 38th WGC. Mercifully, it did not yield the blue conditions of yesterday: useful cumulus clouds were forecast for areas east and north of Uvalde. They appeared on schedule, and pilots found good – frequently excellent – climbs under them.
Yesterday's tasks kept pilots in hot cockpits for a long time. A goal today was to reduce the stress a bit: each class was given a 3-hour 15-minute area task, and launches were delayed to avoid the long period of pre-start flying typical of short task days at Uvalde.
Both the Open and 18-Meter classes had tasks that included turn areas south of home, where cumulus were sparse. But most pilots found decent lift there, with climbs above 7000'. The 18-Meter class finished with a run north to a turn area northeast of home, where many found too much of a good thing, in the form of cumulus clouds that had developed into a thunderstorm. The German pilots – Stefan Langer & Simon Schroder – handled this best, with a large deviation west that kept them clear of trouble and in touch with good lift marked by cu.
The Open class task took pilots northwest first, where they found good lift marked by cumulus clouds over the hills: climbs well above 10,000' were common. Their run south took them into blue conditions and much weaker lift; unsurprisingly, few did more than the minimum distance at the final two turn areas. Philipe Levin of Germany handled it best, giving him his second win in two days.
20-Meter class had the task that best fit the weather, heading north to a pair of turn areas some 200 kim from home. On the way in the Texas Hill Country, cumulus clouds marked strong lift that increased with latitude. Best climbs were 9+ kts to 15,000' MSL – a remarkable height, especially when measured above the ground (around 2000' MSL in that area). Supplemental oxygen is essential here – an unusual feature of a contest flown from a site 915' above sea level. Several gliders went to the back of both turn areas and achieved distances close to the maximum possible. Karl & Sarah again did it well, flying 532 km at 149.5 kph (93 mph) for second place, just 7 points behind the French Arcus.
It's time to look at the gliders flying here, starting with 18-Meter class. The Jonkers JS3 dominates here, flown by 22 of the 32 pilots. There are five Schleicher AS-33 models, followed by four Ventus 3 and one ASG-29. Though still early in the contest, but it may be worth noting that German gliders (flown by German pilots) hold the top 2 overall positions.
18-Meter is the only class in which non-motorized gliders can be found; I count 10 of these. Thus, 55 of the 65 gliders competing in the world championship of motorless flight are in fact equipped with a motor. I imagine this could be confusing for a visitor to the contest:
"So, this is the World Gliding Championship?"
"That's right."
"You say you fly hundreds of miles at speeds approaching 100 miles per hour, using nothing but natural solar energy"
"Yes."
"So what's that thing that looks like a propeller, hiding in the fuselage behind the cockpit?"
"Well, you see, it really helps to have a motor."
"For motorless flight?"
"Yes – motors are expensive, heavy, very fussy, and not especially reliable – but most pilots want one."