Task 1 – 124km 3 turnpoints. Take off was fine, slightly breezy in the St Andre valley and very choppy. A lot of people struggled to get round on to Cheval Blanc round the front, me included so I decided to go the back way via Thorame-Basse. I got a climb to about 8,500ft and then snuckled up the spine and through a Col at 150ft – suddenly I had a 3,000ft ground clearance when I popped out the other side. At one point I looked back wondering why I was there. We then moved on to the Dormillouse run which is where Sailplanes were passing at 100knots. The Dormillouse is a about a 30km ridge where you never need to turn unless you hit a 10 up. The scenery and the rock strata is just incredible and I wish I had taken my camera, it can be a proper white knuckle ride and then you have to come back! I flew with Dave Matthews for most of the flight and I felt like we were old men on zimmer frames because it seemed to be taking ages to do the task.
Landing was interesting as the goal field had been called for my least favourite place (next to the lake) where it is common place for the wind to switch – which it was doing. I decided to head for another field and an angry French farmer who wasn’t too pleased I landed in his hay field! The flight was interesting, challenging and tiring.
Oh no! I hand my instrument in to Dave who is doing the scoring and he tells me “9” – “9 what?” I say – according to the scoring system my Compeo and back up MLR haven’t made the first turnpoint! This is impossible, both instruments confirm I have completed the full task and would not switch to the next turnpoint without doing the first – a bit like a TomTom works they would have said the equivalent of “turn around when possible”.
Head back to the tent gutted.
Yesterday the Compeo is checked again on a different laptop which now says I missed the turnpoint by a further distance than I did last night! What’s going on…… other pilots are now worried that their instruments will switch also. Do I have confidence in the scoring system being used? Is there something wrong with my Compeo? This should not be happening…..
Task 2 – the weather yesterday was stronger thermals and lift and lighter wind. There was certainly stronger thermals but not lighter wind it was much stronger @45km per hour plus. Where is the respect for the mountains?
After going into free fall and many, many near head on’s the free fall made my decision to go and land in a safe field. I had nearly 900ft per minute sink on the way in – not good and probably the roughest conditions I can remember ever flying in. The task was stopped and we are all scored to where we were at 1515 today. The majority of pilots I spoke to agreed with the decision.
Not a good 2 days in France so far.
