Contest Reports

The Region One contest ran from Monday June 16 through Saturday June 21.

The day before the contest began, Sunday, was the official practice day. On the practice day a task is set, but there is no official scoring and flying the task is optional. It gives the organizers and competitors a chance to work out the bugs in the system before the actual race begins. Our guy, T8, came in third on Sunday - too bad it didn't count! Our friend Errol Drew wrote the report to SSA. The practice day scoresheet shows who's at the contest, not much else.

On Monday western Vermont experienced the same sturm und drang we suffered on this side of the state. The first contest day was consequently scrubbed. Some gliders were able to fly between the rainy periods, but it was another day that didn't count.

Tuesday's task was a trip down to Rutland and back. The official results are on the SSA website, as is the writeup. It was another difficult day. I got an email from Rick Roelke (RR) saying that his final glide was spoiled by rain. Those of you who have flown at Sugarbush know that there is no place to land for about six miles south of the field. The only option for a glider too low to make it home is Blueberry Lake, and yes, that's the option Rick took.

After splashing down, the glider floated pretty well. Rick jumped out and swam to shore, towing the glider behind him. The nearest beach turned out to be on a small island, so his troubles weren't over yet. His crew returned with boats and inner tubes, and they floated and towed the glider to the real shore. The glider wasn't damaged, thankfully, and Rick stayed up all night drying his instruments in Dave Ellis's vacuum chamber.

The best flight of the day in the 15-meter class was turned in by our own T8.

On Wednesday, everybody was ready to fly early, but the day was called off due to overcast and lowering temperatures. Unexpectedly, it turned nice in the afternoon, giving RR an opportunity to make a test flight in a slightly damp sailplane.

Another no-contest day on Thursday. Tony took this photo just before they called it off.

Friday: scrubbed again. An epidemic of pandiculation breaks out at the Warren-Sugarbush airport.

Finally, on Saturday, the last scheduled day of the contest, the weather gods relent. The task includes Post Mills and Springfield. Three gliders land at Post Mills, and it turns out that nobody makes it all the way around. With 24 gliders in fields and at airports all over Vermont, the results will not be known for at least another day.