Kingpost and Paraglider Final Results

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

Topless Official Results

Cumulative Results


Day 2 details


Day 3 details

Another Personal Best at Elsinore

Not putting down any serious milage but at least I'm not blowing out my arm like last year. After making 3 turnpoints I deck it .7 miles from the 4th turnpoint.

Marilyn Soderquist is there to make sure we're OK and has a cold brew awaitin too! Nice comp host, I'd say. Bill makes in in, again. Nice job. This time Mike Harper gets his turnpoint and makes it all the way back to goal.

Although the turnout was light compared to last year, it seems all pilots had a good time and most liked the GPS scoring. Technology looks like it's making it's way into the 'E' team.

The 'new' fence didn't cause any problems during the comp, but maybe that's because most of us landed out. Final results are likely to be posted by tomorrow.

Day 3 Task (Out and Return, again)

Another out an return day with a little less milage. Day looks good, but expect a little less altitude on course. BBQ after the meet in the LZ and awards

Topless Class

40 miles

Kingpost Class

25.5 miles

Paraglider Class

16 miles

Day 2 Results (Prelim)

Task committee did a very good call and it was do-able for a few pilots that could hang in there. Here's the preliminary results as of 6:00pm Sunday night. If you didn't pin in after your flight on Sunday please do so by 10am tomorrow. Overall most pilots did well with their GPS's and I was able to overcome most of the issues with bad track logs. If you missed the turnpoint by TOO much, we cannot get that fixed. The biggest lesson is that a 1/4 mile is really right over the turnpoint. Flying where you can see you GPS is VERY important. Without seeing your GPS count down below .25 miles there is no guarantee that you'll get the waypoint scored.















I'll post the PG results after I get more pilots to pin in.

Scorekeeper having problems with distance measurement!

It's hard to keep track of everything, hey come on, you know ........... it takes a village.

Day 2 Task (Out and Return)

Much better launch conditions in Elsinore this morning should allow the entire field to get off the hill today.

Mark Mallett brought his Mr. Death staff to ward off any west winds! It was classic 'E' Team. What a crew!!

The Tasks
Topless Class
56 miles

Kingpost Class
27.5 miles

Paraglider Class
27.2 miles

Day One Task Called

Day one was finally called due to bad or less than optimal launch conditions. With no alternate launch site for the meet the day is a bust for the comp. Tomorrow looks iffy as well with a slightly stronger pressure gradient and temps running near the same as today (upper 80's).

Weather or rather "winds" from the wrong direction seem to be our nemisis for this weekend in Elsinore. It's not looking good for the next few days as a minor shortwave trough works it's way through Califonia during Sunday. Hopfully an alternate launch will find it's way into the comp. The NWS is calling for a strengthing NW flow after the shortwave passage.........

Monday looks like it's in jeopady.

But hey..................there's always the party, right?

First Pilot Off

It's "ClockBoy" who decides to fly and takes the whole ramp to get off scraping over the bushes to get airborn. Lots of Ooohhs and AAhhs during his flight as the crowd sees his attempt at aviation is short lived.

Day One Task

Tough call with the wind steadily over the back and the conditions already looking iffy. Pilots are less than enthusiatic, but pilots do setup hoping for the best.

Unusally low turnout for the Elsinore XC comp, with only 15 pilots registered in the LZ, but more than that on top.


Topless Task
29 Miles



Kingpost Class
27 Miles


Paraglider Class
11.3 Miles

Flyin's Been Good (From Meet Organizer)

The conditions are heating up. Make your plans now to enter the Elsinore XC Meet. Labor day weekend. Registration starts Saturday September 3rd at 9AM ..

This year GPS will be required for scoring ,so if you have an extra bring it for those recreation class pilots that might not have one, also if you have an download cable bring it especially if you have a uncommon unit

Entry fee is $75.00, this includes tee shirt and BBQ. This is our annual fund raiser so come join and bring your friends. Scoring will be on a race to goal system with 1 start time . There will be 3 classes, topless kingpost & pg.

This weekend had 8k & 10k days so come prepared to have fun and do some racing.
Bill.

Also note that additional turnpoints were added so if you downloaded the turnpoints before, you'll neeed to re-download them to get the additional turnpoints that were added on 29 August

From the Meet Organizer

Pilot Registration
Waypoints for Google Earth
Waypoints for CompeGPS (right click save target as)

Where: Elsinore CA.
When: September 3rd, 4th & 5th.

Make your plans and spread the word. We will have 3 Classes this year Topless, kingposts, & paragliders. GPS will be required for scoring. $75.00 entry fee includes tee shirt and BBQ. If you have a GPS cable bring it!

WELCOME

ELSINORE XC OPEN
This is a fun meet with a race to goal format. Tasks will be called for each class. Goal & turn points will vary per class. Turn points will be scored by a GPS. Be aware when crossing the lake to STAY OUT of the DROP ZONE. The airport on the south end of the lake requires you to stay North of Rome Hill and the Stadium or ½ mile south of Corydon (the road on the south side of the airport.) The MCCALL turn point mark is on the south side of the hospital. We are required to stay south of McCall to stay out of the ARSA and clear of the PERRIS DROP ZONE AND MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE. Do not jeopardize our site by infringing on these areas. Meet Frequency is 144.120.

SCORING
Time will start when the window opens 11:00am (usually.) When launch is open be curtsies to other pilots. PGs please prep your equipment before going to launch and use the left launch or center launch if possible. Time stops when the Gps marks at Goal.

Scoring will be time x miles. Those not making goal will be scored with the time of the last pilot in their class to goal + the distance they are from goal added to the goal distance. Low score wins the day. Overall winners will be from cumulative totals of your position each day.


SIGN IN (pinning in)
All pilots are required to check in by 7:00 pm whether you fly or not EACH DAY. This helps us with safety by accounting for all pilots. (We’ll sleep better.) GPS downloads are preferred at check in or 9:30am in the LZ. If you cannot be back to the LZ by 7:00pm Call 951-533-0171 or 909-772-9369 or leave a good msg. at 951-677-7015.

RETREIVE
You are responsible for your own retrieve. There may be some drivers and vehicles available. Be generous to the drivers. There will also be a driver’s award for the most pilots collected over all. There is a driver’s form to be filled out. Very simple to do.

ACTIVITES
Free BBQ dinner on Saturday location to be announced. (Will provide directions that morning.)

Awards presentation will be in the LZ Monday after flying results totaled. (Another BBQ possible on Monday depending on funds.) Thank you all for coming!!!

POSSIBLE ROUTES

RIGID & TOPLESS MILES
1. LAUNCH to TRABUCO PEAK to MCCALL to SABOBA 39.7
2. LAUNCH to MCCALL to JUNIPER FLATS to MCCALL to E LZ 38.2
3. LAUNCH to ANZA 45.3

KING POST
1. LAUNCH to MCCALL to SABOBA 27.6
2. LAUNCH to MCCALL to E LZ 26.3
3. LAUNCH to ANZA 45.3

PARAGLIDER
1. LAUNCH to MCCALL to SABOBA 27.6
2. LAUNCH to DANS to TOWER to E LAUNCH to TOWER to E LZ 18.1
3. LAUNCH to ANZA 45