SATURDAY JUNE 5, 2021

EXTREME WINDS at the limits of FIA F3K competition were the key theme of this F3K competition day at the Greater Detroit Soaring and Hiking Club filed at Addison Oaks Park north of Metro Detroit. My anemometer showed winds of 20 mph on the surface and it was clear that the fifty foot level the winds were stronger and the gusts even stronger. This was exactly on the limit of formal FAI F3K competition limits and proved to be excellent practice for all of us. A few gliders suffered minor damage and this was expected in such conditions. Fortunately nothing major.

The pilots here are all excellent and today the young pilots with high launches had an even greater advantage than normal as the flights were so short in the turbulent conditions. The longest flight was 3 minutes, but the average was around 1 min, and the launch was absolutely critical.

I flew well considering my typical last minute arrival and not flying since the last event 1 month ago. This was the first event in which I had used ballast of any sort, and on this day I used full ballast of 60 grams. My first heat was a disaster as I was flying very conservatively, and I paid the price scoring a bottom of the scoresheet 250 points. But I improved and won 3 of the next 6 rounds finishing 5th in a star studded field.

Sean