Meet director reflects on this years comp
This years’ Elsinore Labor Day Cross Country competition was hosted by The
E-Team, Lake Elsinore, CA in Southern California September 3, 4, and 5th.
The format was x/c race to goal, GPS tracking.
Expecting big-air days, long flights (& retrieves) hot temperatures, a raging convergence and ripping thermals to monster altitudes? Well, it didn’t quite happen that way, but the race was still on.
Saturday, Day 1
We were met with cross and down wind. Virtually unlaunchable conditions for this Saturday. Somewhat of an odd occurrence, as I have not seen it blowing down steadily in the morning more than three other times this year (it’s been a rather mild season too). An occasional twitch of the wind sock in a favorable direction, but really not desirable.
In a desperate and heroic attempt, Eric “Clockboy” Delf manages to huck-off in a little sucker-puff into what he later called a “washing machine”. Within a very few short minutes, and with the whole ridge looking on, Eric showed us some 1200 fpm up, a wings level 1200 fpm down, and dramatic yaw angles in both directons ; soon to disappear beyond the E-cone in a sinking dash to the schoolyard bail-out. That was it!..Day 1, Task 1, 1 man off the hill. It seemed a lesser skilled pilot may have met disaster; but Eric showed us all that even if we could punch-off that we would most probably not escape the turbulence and the result would most likely not be to our liking.
Task 1 was promptly called off. About half of the attendees quickly packed off and raced to Crestline & Marshall for an afternoon recreational flying.
Sunday, Day 2
Looking pretty good today! Actually, the weather information was calling for thermals to about 8K feet across the valley, and a light south wind at altitude…not exactly a big day. We had about 20 pilots, from novices to experts, young and old, flying in 3 categories: Paragliders, Kingpost Hang Gliders, and Topless Hang Gliders. The task was announced as an out-and-return for the Topless/Rigids (no Rigids registered) about 57 miles. A shorter out-and-return for the KP’s and a one- way trip for the paragliders to Soboba on a course that snakes between two Skydive Drop Zones and some Class-C airspace. All the pilots, competitors, and others got off the hill. Nearly all got up and out.
Phil Bloom, one of several visiting pilots who fly with the Sylmar Hang Gliding club, must have received an excellent briefing as he locked on to “Doggone” Bill Soderquists’ tail feathers early. Both rifling up and over to the Towers turnpoint and promptly pointing there Moyes Lightspeeds across the lake. Phil and Bill flew together past the next turnpoint .. they separated in the area of Doouble Butte where Bill left “maybe a little early” while Phil stayed a bit longer and for a bit more altitude. They met up again out at Soboba where Bill chased some dusties to the northwest, and Phil whipped it around to grind back up course in a more southerly direction. At some point, Bill caught up with Phil…but at a much lower altitude. Phil managed the 20 -some miles return… arriving at goal (Elsinore LZ) about 15 minutes ahead.
Somewhere out there on the course was a lonely and determined Mark Mallet, gritting out the return trip on a 5-plus hour marathon to make the 3rd of only 3 pilots to complete the 57 mile course to goal. The last leg was into the westerlies on a day that only offered mid-7k altitudes…and that was if you were patient.
The Paragliers did not fare so well Charlie Gage (Pasadena area) made it out front early and stayed there until he re-united with terra firma somewhere near Sun City. James Bradley (Los Angeles), and Jason Gilbert (Torrey Pines instructor) hit the deck on the east side of the lake…in fizzling lift near Railroad Canyon. A couple of non-competing “old timers” made Soboba (PG Goal), but it is unclear whether they made the designated turnpoints. We heard some radio chatter between them and another E-team member flying a Sailplane near Hemet…at about 7k feet or so. Our benevolent Marilyn Soderquist was there for the retrieve.
The Kingpost class had folks strewn all along the course. Several not able to get backup after tagging the McCall Hospital turnpoint. Double Buttes was just not reliable. One guy would dirt, and another…just 30 seconds behind, would hook-up and get 5k. None of the kingpost gliders would make it back across the lake either day. The tenacious Eric “Clockboy” Delf and the calm, cool Jack Barth landed about 4 miles apart..both well short of the 28-mile task to goal (Elsinore LZ).
Monday, Day 3
A shorter task day with familiar turnpoints and weather similar to the day prior. The plan was to get everyone back to the Oak Tree in the Elsinore LZ for several reasons: Get the track logs downloaded for scoring the day, compile the results, BBQ, hand out the awards, tell lies, and (of course) drink more beer. Damn if that Chippy (scorekeeper Jeff Chipman) wasn’t a busy man! All after he gave it every thing he had out on the XC task! I’m not sure if it was a heroic effort or just insanity. What I do know is that he was 3rd for the day (Wills Wing Talon), got all the track logs, and scores…and was rumored to have had a great time.
Mike Harper in his Moyes Lightspeed was on his game today after narrowly missing the 1st turnpoint the day before. He pulled out all the stops, even attempting to confuse the other competitors with a little radio psych:….”Juniper Flats and climbing like a rock”…hoping to drive the others out of their thermals either toward him…or away form him…or maybe some would lose their lift pondering the true meaning of the statement? It must have worked…Mike was the only other man to make goal this day. He had clear command of his day all the way to the end………….almost. The unforgiving air currents in the Elsinore LZ altered his otherwise solid approach ..jerking the rug right out from underneath him…resulting in a rather firm whack..bending a downtube and drawing a little blood from his upper lip. Unfazed (Mike is a tough guy and a tough competitor) Mike put in a personal best, topped nearly all the others’ best efforts, and took home the whack award too. “Doggone” Bill will need to check his six for this guy and be careful not to share too many tricks.
The folks with upper rigging (Kingpost class) on Day 3 turned in similar results as the day before..yo-yoing up and down between 6 and 7k over the Towers before heading out on the 12+ mile glide to McCall. Again the lift was elusive on this section of the course near the Turnpoint…with the top pilots ditching shortly afterward. “Clockboy” and Jack managed to hang on longer than their other kingposted brethren.
The paraglider boys had a rough time both days…maybe leaving the ridge early..or not hangin on to the patient button through the slow climbs…it just seemed like they were facing a headwind at every turn along the course. Charlie Gage made the best of it and came out on top again, besting James and Jason who dirted on the east side of the lake.. chasing scrappy lift. Charley showed me some peak climbs of over 1200 fpm up…and over 1300 fpm down on his rodeo ride across the course. One local PG (not in the contest) boldly took on the Topless class task…he made it to McCall…and then spent nearly an hour trying to get around the Skydive Nationals at Perris Airport to get back. He was rewarded with stiff westerlies forcing him down short of the lake. One of the comp. drivers delivered him (John Pitt) a cool drink and a ride to the party.
Wouldn’t you know it though…it was that “Doggone” Bill Soderquist who made goal in his Lightspeed on both days…Second on Day 2 and 1st on Day 3..showing us all who the 2005 Elsinore Hang Gliding XC Champion is. Marilyn..the champion driver..who got all of us fed on two consecutive days..as well as dressing us up in some cool t-shirts.. will share this victory with her husband. I don’t know exactly what it is…or how they do it…but those two manage to make things work out great.
It was fun to for me to participate with them, and educational too.
Elsinore truly is a world-class XC venue with the coastal onshore flow converging with the inland thermals regularly. On Some days it can put a wing within reach of cloud streets to the east for some serious cross-country adventures…maybe to Arizona? Who knows?
For sure though, as long as there are places to launch (the E-team has a permit from the Cleveland National Forest) places to land (the regular LZ is shrinking rapidly due to housing development), great performing wings (where were the Wills Wing boys?), and enthusiastic individuals (like the guys from Sylmar…outstanding examples)…there will be attempts to make the Colorado River. I believe that this kind of competition helps to inspire those attempts.
Whether it’s a race to goal, a personal best flight, or just a plain old lucky day; you can bet that the Elsinore XC experience will not be dismissed as trivial, nor soon be forgotten.
Greg Launt
Meet Director, Elsinore XC 2005
Novice Paraglider pilot; Vetran Ultralight instructor
E-Team, Lake Elsinore, CA in Southern California September 3, 4, and 5th.
The format was x/c race to goal, GPS tracking.
Expecting big-air days, long flights (& retrieves) hot temperatures, a raging convergence and ripping thermals to monster altitudes? Well, it didn’t quite happen that way, but the race was still on.
Saturday, Day 1
We were met with cross and down wind. Virtually unlaunchable conditions for this Saturday. Somewhat of an odd occurrence, as I have not seen it blowing down steadily in the morning more than three other times this year (it’s been a rather mild season too). An occasional twitch of the wind sock in a favorable direction, but really not desirable.
In a desperate and heroic attempt, Eric “Clockboy” Delf manages to huck-off in a little sucker-puff into what he later called a “washing machine”. Within a very few short minutes, and with the whole ridge looking on, Eric showed us some 1200 fpm up, a wings level 1200 fpm down, and dramatic yaw angles in both directons ; soon to disappear beyond the E-cone in a sinking dash to the schoolyard bail-out. That was it!..Day 1, Task 1, 1 man off the hill. It seemed a lesser skilled pilot may have met disaster; but Eric showed us all that even if we could punch-off that we would most probably not escape the turbulence and the result would most likely not be to our liking.
Task 1 was promptly called off. About half of the attendees quickly packed off and raced to Crestline & Marshall for an afternoon recreational flying.
Sunday, Day 2
Looking pretty good today! Actually, the weather information was calling for thermals to about 8K feet across the valley, and a light south wind at altitude…not exactly a big day. We had about 20 pilots, from novices to experts, young and old, flying in 3 categories: Paragliders, Kingpost Hang Gliders, and Topless Hang Gliders. The task was announced as an out-and-return for the Topless/Rigids (no Rigids registered) about 57 miles. A shorter out-and-return for the KP’s and a one- way trip for the paragliders to Soboba on a course that snakes between two Skydive Drop Zones and some Class-C airspace. All the pilots, competitors, and others got off the hill. Nearly all got up and out.
Phil Bloom, one of several visiting pilots who fly with the Sylmar Hang Gliding club, must have received an excellent briefing as he locked on to “Doggone” Bill Soderquists’ tail feathers early. Both rifling up and over to the Towers turnpoint and promptly pointing there Moyes Lightspeeds across the lake. Phil and Bill flew together past the next turnpoint .. they separated in the area of Doouble Butte where Bill left “maybe a little early” while Phil stayed a bit longer and for a bit more altitude. They met up again out at Soboba where Bill chased some dusties to the northwest, and Phil whipped it around to grind back up course in a more southerly direction. At some point, Bill caught up with Phil…but at a much lower altitude. Phil managed the 20 -some miles return… arriving at goal (Elsinore LZ) about 15 minutes ahead.
Somewhere out there on the course was a lonely and determined Mark Mallet, gritting out the return trip on a 5-plus hour marathon to make the 3rd of only 3 pilots to complete the 57 mile course to goal. The last leg was into the westerlies on a day that only offered mid-7k altitudes…and that was if you were patient.
The Paragliers did not fare so well Charlie Gage (Pasadena area) made it out front early and stayed there until he re-united with terra firma somewhere near Sun City. James Bradley (Los Angeles), and Jason Gilbert (Torrey Pines instructor) hit the deck on the east side of the lake…in fizzling lift near Railroad Canyon. A couple of non-competing “old timers” made Soboba (PG Goal), but it is unclear whether they made the designated turnpoints. We heard some radio chatter between them and another E-team member flying a Sailplane near Hemet…at about 7k feet or so. Our benevolent Marilyn Soderquist was there for the retrieve.
The Kingpost class had folks strewn all along the course. Several not able to get backup after tagging the McCall Hospital turnpoint. Double Buttes was just not reliable. One guy would dirt, and another…just 30 seconds behind, would hook-up and get 5k. None of the kingpost gliders would make it back across the lake either day. The tenacious Eric “Clockboy” Delf and the calm, cool Jack Barth landed about 4 miles apart..both well short of the 28-mile task to goal (Elsinore LZ).
Monday, Day 3
A shorter task day with familiar turnpoints and weather similar to the day prior. The plan was to get everyone back to the Oak Tree in the Elsinore LZ for several reasons: Get the track logs downloaded for scoring the day, compile the results, BBQ, hand out the awards, tell lies, and (of course) drink more beer. Damn if that Chippy (scorekeeper Jeff Chipman) wasn’t a busy man! All after he gave it every thing he had out on the XC task! I’m not sure if it was a heroic effort or just insanity. What I do know is that he was 3rd for the day (Wills Wing Talon), got all the track logs, and scores…and was rumored to have had a great time.
Mike Harper in his Moyes Lightspeed was on his game today after narrowly missing the 1st turnpoint the day before. He pulled out all the stops, even attempting to confuse the other competitors with a little radio psych:….”Juniper Flats and climbing like a rock”…hoping to drive the others out of their thermals either toward him…or away form him…or maybe some would lose their lift pondering the true meaning of the statement? It must have worked…Mike was the only other man to make goal this day. He had clear command of his day all the way to the end………….almost. The unforgiving air currents in the Elsinore LZ altered his otherwise solid approach ..jerking the rug right out from underneath him…resulting in a rather firm whack..bending a downtube and drawing a little blood from his upper lip. Unfazed (Mike is a tough guy and a tough competitor) Mike put in a personal best, topped nearly all the others’ best efforts, and took home the whack award too. “Doggone” Bill will need to check his six for this guy and be careful not to share too many tricks.
The folks with upper rigging (Kingpost class) on Day 3 turned in similar results as the day before..yo-yoing up and down between 6 and 7k over the Towers before heading out on the 12+ mile glide to McCall. Again the lift was elusive on this section of the course near the Turnpoint…with the top pilots ditching shortly afterward. “Clockboy” and Jack managed to hang on longer than their other kingposted brethren.
The paraglider boys had a rough time both days…maybe leaving the ridge early..or not hangin on to the patient button through the slow climbs…it just seemed like they were facing a headwind at every turn along the course. Charlie Gage made the best of it and came out on top again, besting James and Jason who dirted on the east side of the lake.. chasing scrappy lift. Charley showed me some peak climbs of over 1200 fpm up…and over 1300 fpm down on his rodeo ride across the course. One local PG (not in the contest) boldly took on the Topless class task…he made it to McCall…and then spent nearly an hour trying to get around the Skydive Nationals at Perris Airport to get back. He was rewarded with stiff westerlies forcing him down short of the lake. One of the comp. drivers delivered him (John Pitt) a cool drink and a ride to the party.
Wouldn’t you know it though…it was that “Doggone” Bill Soderquist who made goal in his Lightspeed on both days…Second on Day 2 and 1st on Day 3..showing us all who the 2005 Elsinore Hang Gliding XC Champion is. Marilyn..the champion driver..who got all of us fed on two consecutive days..as well as dressing us up in some cool t-shirts.. will share this victory with her husband. I don’t know exactly what it is…or how they do it…but those two manage to make things work out great.
It was fun to for me to participate with them, and educational too.
Elsinore truly is a world-class XC venue with the coastal onshore flow converging with the inland thermals regularly. On Some days it can put a wing within reach of cloud streets to the east for some serious cross-country adventures…maybe to Arizona? Who knows?
For sure though, as long as there are places to launch (the E-team has a permit from the Cleveland National Forest) places to land (the regular LZ is shrinking rapidly due to housing development), great performing wings (where were the Wills Wing boys?), and enthusiastic individuals (like the guys from Sylmar…outstanding examples)…there will be attempts to make the Colorado River. I believe that this kind of competition helps to inspire those attempts.
Whether it’s a race to goal, a personal best flight, or just a plain old lucky day; you can bet that the Elsinore XC experience will not be dismissed as trivial, nor soon be forgotten.
Greg Launt
Meet Director, Elsinore XC 2005
Novice Paraglider pilot; Vetran Ultralight instructor
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