How Cloud Streets Can Lie
Remember that sailplane racing is a game of duration, not short sprints. There is no throwing out your bad day, so my best advice is to not have a bad day. You have to think tactically about how each decision will add up to 9 good days of flying.
Flying fast doesn't always mean the highest speed. Sometimes it means avoiding getting stuck. You can have the fastest flight, up to a point, but if you take 20 minutes to get out of a hole, the slower guys might just float over you and beat you.
Picking up after that one lone cloud from the article last week... A few years later at The US Open Class Nationals, I decided to cruise down the cloud street. Nearing the end, there was more cloud left, but I decided I would just leave it there. I had a nice climb to do my pull up and 180 turn and head down the next leg. I won the day.
In 2008 I was flying with Mike Robison at the WGC and we had a cloud street we were running. I figured I would continue to run down the street until I found a good climb, then we would turn around and head home. We kept going and going. Mike voiced his concern, but I knew it would pay off and we would get a good long street to run home on. Unfortunately, the street never produced anything. We cruised all the way to the ground. This led to being forced to use the pull starter on the ASH-25e. This also goes along with "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket" from last week. I was like a gambler who didn't know when to fold. The more tactical idea would have been to turn around while we still could or to leave the current cloud street and head to another one.
Fast forward to the SPG qualifier (I am sometimes a slow learner). I had this great looking cloud street before a huge hole and a large body of water. Some guys were stopping before the end and taking weaker climbs, but I just knew that there would be a good climb. As the cloud street was ending I was still waiting for that great climb. I left probably 1500 ft below cloud base and ahead of everyone. We eventually all met on the other side of the hole. The gaggle showed up after me, but still 1500 ft higher. It then took a lot of effort to regain that lost height. I had also used a lot of energy and most of my sailor vocabulary trying to just catch up.
I am pretty sure I did it again during that contest also and ended up getting stuck at a turnpoint for well over 30 minutes. But I was the first one to the turnpoint. Just ignore the fact I was at pattern altitude while everyone else got there comfortably high.
Now ignoring the last cloud (just like your high school crush ignored you), has become my usual policy. Sometimes it might not be the best climb of the day, but it's a tactical move to avoid getting stuck.
Banner Photo: Luca Bertossio
Garret Willat holds a flight instructor rating with over 8000 hours in sailplanes. His parents have owned Sky Sailing Inc. since 1979. He started instructing the day after his 18th birthday. Since then, Garret has represented the US Junior team in 2003 and 2005. He graduated from Embry-Riddle with a bachelor's degree in Professional Aeronautics. Garret represented the US Open Class team in 2008 and 2010 and the Club Class team in 2014. Garret has won 3 US National Championships.