| Author |
Comment |
| Ernie
|
Preface
This is the 3rd year that Vince Endter has gone to Florida to fly the comps there. Each time that he's gone, he has
posted his experiences so that the rest of us could be with him.
This year I decided that I just had to see it
for myself, so I entered the Flytec Championship at Quest. As luck would have it, I found myself on the waiting
list with little chance of getting a competitor slot, so I decided to go as a volunteer, helping to run the meet and flying
after all the competitors had left on-course. As Vince had done before me, I posted a journal of my experiences,
along with a lot of photos that I took. They're all here for your reading/viewing enjoyment.
If you want to jump right to the photos, here are links to them:
Before the comp
Friday, 4/16 photos
Saturday, 4/17 photos
Sunday, Monday, 4/18-19 photos
Tuesday, 4/20 photos
Wednesday, Thursday, 4/21-22 photos
Friday, Saturday, 4/23-24 photos
After the comp
As he did before, Vince reported on his experiences at this meet. Of course, being a competitor, his story is quite
different than mine. This year, Vince kept his journal on his own website, so I'll just point you there:
Vince's journal
If, as you go through the photos, you see someone you know, but whose name isn't mentioned in the photo caption, please send
me an email so that I can update the caption. My email address is "erniecamacho(at)comcast(dot)net. Also, please be aware
that all these photos are copyrighted by me. If you want to use one, please contact me. BTW the originals are much higher
resolution than these web-based copies.
Ernie Camacho
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| Ernie
|
Ernie, Maya and son Ernie in Florida
It's Monday night, April 12. I'm sitting upstairs in the Quest game room,
typing up a report for you all. I was hoping to do this from my
trailer, parked next to the lake, overlooking the swimming
trampoline, but I can't get a strong enough wireless signal from
there.
It's nice here now, especially after the nice hot
shower that washed away two day's grime. Maya and I managed to make
it here in 51 hours, which included 6 hrs. of naps along the road.
It was an interesting trip, although not quite what I expected.
Starting in Arizona, and all across Texas and Luisiana, we were
rained on. The clouds were only about 500 ft. up. I was wondering
what that would mean for the air over Quest. We had left home about
8:30 Sat. morning and when we pulled in to Quest at 2:30 to hear
that the flying didn't happen today and probably wouldn't tomorrow.
That's OK. We spent the afternoon setting up the tent trailer and
Maya's tent, getting food and barbequeing dinner. Tomorrow we pick
up my son Ernie at Jacksonville International. He's back from Korea,
for good, and we'll spend the next few weeks getting him used to us
again.
Vince's glider arrived today, on Mark Mulholland's
trailer. I've got my Laminar and a backup XC.
I'm going to
start mingling. Later!
Ernie
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| Lori
|
Ernie!!!
I'll be at Quest early evening on Thursday so save me a hug. I
think Judy Hildebrand is picking me up from the Orlando airport --
I'll know more today. I'll be camping out on the field while I'm
there as well. Can't wait to see you and the rest of the family.
Vince, can't wait to see you
either.
Lori
Have-massage-table-will-travel
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| Ernie
|
Tuesday morning post script, 4/13
I'm still on California time. My wristwatch says it's 9AM, but the
car clock, changed to local time, says it's noon.
I woke up
an hour ago, late for me, but really late for here. Why did I sleep
in? Take your pick:
- I had to make up for the lack of sleep
during our drive here.
- I was kept up all night by the high
winds rocking the trailer.
- I was out partying till all
hours.
It seems that David Glover wanted to shoot his version
of a Coors commercial that I hadn't seen before, something to do
with a bunch of swinging singles at a bar and how a cool Coors
lubricates social intercourse. A bunch of the Quest staff, and us,
made our way into downtown Orlando (just down from the police dept.)
to a bar owned by Andy, a guy after my own heart: recently learned
to fly at Quest and loves micro brews. He brings in brews from all
over, even one from the Lost Coast Brewing Co, in Eureka. As luck
would have it, I have three cases of Red Tail in my truck, so I gave
him 3 ice-cold bottles to tickle his educated palete. Now I'm his
best friend ;-)
As for David's video, I must admit he was
having fun playing director, and the rest of the crew was in fine
form. I would have bought that beer if it could make me dance like
that too! Maya and I left early - the sleep thing, you know - but we
didn't get back until way past midnight, local time. We had followed
another car there (thanks to Michelle and Drew), so we had no idea
how to get back through that maze of intersecting highways, toll
roads, etc. Luckily we had our Street Atlas USA pgm on the laptop,
but I'd left my GPS back at camp. We plotted a route home, missed a
turnoff and found ourselves in front of Disney World, plotted a new
route and made it back from the wilderness to our beds.
Now
I'm typing this from my trailer - I've got enough of a signal here
to get to the internet - with a cup of coffee and a plate of bacon
on the table. Life is good! I'll post a few pics in a
bit.
Ernie
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| Ernie
|
Photos
Our campsite, on the
lake
which is right near the swimming hole.
Here is
an overview photo of Quest Air,
where you can see how everything is layed out. North is at the top
of the photo.
|
| Vince
|
RE: Florida
If all goes well, I should arrive there around 8:30 pm Wednesday
night. I will then have to unpack my crate and get my camping stuff
out and set up my tent. I think I am cutting it a little close this
year.
Vince
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| Ernie
|
Wednesday at Quest - 4/14
Well, we managed to pick up my son,
Ernie, eventually. We left Quest at 6:30pm and got to Jacksonville
International at 9:30. Ernie's flight arrived at 10:30 so we had
time to kill. Oops, make that 11pm - delayed flight. The flight gets
in, no Ernie. Checked the cell phone for messages. Sure enough, his
flight was rescheduled in Cincinnati 'cause of snow. Now we had to
wait until 2am for his flight, which got us back to Quest around
5am. It was a long night, but a hitch hiker we picked up on the way
there had a good story and a missed turnoff had us driving through
some wonderful scenic back roads.
Today started out
promising, with the winds not too strong, but they picked up so that
now it's blowing the strongest it has all week. It's another day of
trying to get my file uploads to work, checking out the stores in
the neighborhood, and feeling lazy. There is only tomorrow for
aerotow practice before the comp starts on Friday.
I signed
up the three of us to be volunteers, helping the comp pilots get
into the air each morning. For helping, I'll get a chance to tow up
in the afternoon.
Strange animal count so far: 1 dead
armadillo by the road and a plastic alligator on the swimming
platform in the lake.
Competitors keep arriving. I have to
check the Oz report to see who's who. Lots of foreign conversations
in the game room. Interesting ambience!
Maybe by tomorrow
I'll be living in local time.
It's 5PM, local time (I'll stop
making that distinction) and I'm finishing this up in the game room.
The network signal is just too tenuous at the lakeside camp. I heard
from Ron Gleason & Mark Mulholland that Vince should be around
6PM. I've got time to burn so I'll post a few more pics, and maybe
get into a pingpong game. BTW, they're trying to set up a webcam so
you can watch the pingpong games live. What fun this internet stuff
is!
|
| Ernie
|
More Photos
Pulling into the Quest parking lot.
Brian Porter and a friend are
working on his Swift Light.
Upstairs, in the back of the
headquarters bldg, is the two-story game room. Right now, I'm
sitting in that same chair.
Ron Gleason, telling me how
best to get from Quest to Jacksonville.
Roadside scene coming into Groveland. Here's the place to retire to!
So, what's the difference between a gator and a croc?
A
series of shots taken from the SE corner of the game room (camera
starting S and moving around CC to N):
The pool/hot tub area
Work/assembly shed
Shower building with pilots trailers & motorhomes
beyond.
More trailers and work
areas
And finally, Maya and Ernie (EC) getting
into the swing of things.
Edited by: Ernie
Camacho at: 4/14/04 2:11 pm
|
| Donna
|
Re: More Photos
Ernie,
Looks and sounds like you're having a great time.
Thanks for the pictures. Makes it real!
Have
fun,
~Donna
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| Ernie
|
Thursday, 4/15
I'm sitting in the pilots meeting (started at 7pm) and talking to
you since I'm not a comp pilot and don't have to pay
attention.
I flew today, sort of. Six tows, two successful
releases at 2000 ft. My first tow: popped up off the cart and broke
the weak link. Fourth tow: weak link broke about 15 seconds into the
flight - a surprise since I thought I was doing fine. Fifth tow: my
release released by itself about 10 seconds into the flight. It must
have slipped a bit just before takeoff. Sixth tow: another weak link
broke about 5 seconds into the flight - another surprise. The air
was was indeed a bit bumpy, but not all that bad. I spoke to Vince
about it later and he asked me a question that was germane: "did
your keel lift off before your wheels" No. I think I was keeping my
weight too far back during the takeoff roll. That would account for
three of the breaks. The others? I'll be doing another tow tomorrow
morning early to see if it really is me, or if the conditions were
to blame.
I took a few photos on my second successful flight.
I'll post them soon.
We're slated to be volunteers on the
flight line tomorrow, Maya and EC had an introduction to it today.
It should be fun, and I'll be able to take lots of
photos.
Later,
Ernie
|
| Ernie
|
Thursday Photos
Aerial photo of Quest airfield. You can see
where the tow line is at the far end of the north/south strip.
Camera facing south.
Flight line. I'm 3rd in
line.
Ernie lifting off. I think that
this flight ended with my release slipping open.
Vince, telling my how I *should* have done my tows. The big awning we're under is where
the pilots meeting, and meals will be. Hot stuff!
|
| Ernie
|
Friday, 4/16, Quest
The first competition day. I met some people, I worked the launch
line, I flew but didn't go anywhere, I busted a downtube, I fought
mosquitos, I won at rummy. And I woke up at 7:30am local time. I've
finally adjusted to East Coast time.
That's the short version
of the day's adventures. I'm running a bit late this morning so I'll
let it go at that for now. I'll fill in details later, if I still
remember them.
I've put up a lot of photos, but right now I
haven't put captions on them. I'll try to do that later too.
Here they are,
enjoy.
Ernie
|
| Bill
|
Just saying Hi!
Ernie; sitting in Las Vegas wish I were there, good luck, Bill
Vogel
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| Bruce
|
Fun Reading
Hi, Ernie and Vince: It's fun to read about your adventures... Like
Bill Vogel, (and many others, I'm sure) I wish I was there to share
in them. Keep the postings coming, and safe flying to you all! B.
Rhymes, Susanville, CA
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| John
|
Florida
Hi Ernie and Vince. Thanks for posting all you have. I had to
cancel my trip to Florida, then had changes at the last minute that
allowed me to go. It was too late to get in, so experiencing the
meet through your postings is the next best thing! Keep it
up!
John
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| Ernie
|
Sunday Morning, 4/18
It has been busy. It seems the only time I have to post is during
the morning pilots meeting. I'm sitting in my truck, listening to
Dave Glover's jokes, and checking the Bulletin Board over the
wireless network.
As you've noticed, I haven't been paying
attention to the competition itself. I'll leave it to Vince and the
OZ report to provide those details. Me, I'm on the work crew so I
spend my time running around on the ground. I did manage to take
more photos, so I'll post them when I get a chance.
As for my
flying, well, that's turning into an interesting story. It seems
that my limited aerotow experience, and my advanced glider, and
possibly some bad habits I've picked up, have caused me to be
demoted from journyman tow pilot to apprentice tow pilot. I've
bolted a fin on my glider, and I towed up this morning in calm air.
My tug pilot, Joe, tells me that I could use some more practice so
I'll stick to calm air tows for a while longer. Hopefully the strong
mid-day winds will die down today or tomorrow, otherwise I'll be
doing my towing in the morning or evening. This morning Lori towed
up on a rented glider. Now she can spend the rest of the day on the
tow crew and giving massages.
The mosquitoes, as has been
reported, are nasty. I've been retreating to the safety of my tent
trailer (with mosquito spray, mosquito coils, and mosquito
repellant) after 8pm. Son Ernie brought a bunch of anime DVDs so
we've been having a film festival in the evenings. Unfortunately,
the battery on my trailer died, in spite of the solar array's I've
got charging it. I think I may buy a new battery today.
I
expect today will be a repeat of yesterday, at least from my vantage
point. The pilots meeting is breaking up. The volunteer's meeting is
next, so I'll have to finish this
up.
Later,
Ernie
p.s. If there is anything you're
wondering about, ask it here and I'll try to get an answer
p.p.s.
The staff here has been very sympathetic to my "plight" and have
been very helpful in trying to get me into the air safely. We'll see
if their efforts pay off.
|
| Ernie
|
Re: Sunday morning
How could I have forgotten to mention that Maya got her first ever
tandem aerotow this morning! In her trademark subdued way, she was
thrilled with it.
Here's some photos of her flight, and what
we did on the launch line yesterday. Again, there are no captions.
Some people you'll recognize, others are from far-away lands. All of
it is interesting.
Click here for the day's photo gallery
|
| Urs
|
Towing the Laminar
Hi Ernie, thanks for the reports. You seem to be flying the laminar
ST. Try 1/3 vg for the tows. This will allow you to fly faster
without PIO's and relieve your bar pressure some. Have fun!
Urs
|
| Mark
|
Great Pictures
Ernie,
Thanks for great pictures. I lived at Quest Air for
about 3 years and it sure reminded me of the great time that I had
there. Keep them coming and don't forget to get the ATOS Parts from
Mark Stump for your friend in California. I wish I could have been
there, but I have got to make up for three years of taking time off
to go flying. However, those years were the best years of my life,
and I hope to take another few years off again soon, as soon as I
save some more money.
Say hello to all the Quest Air's staff
for me and let them know I miss them greatly. I am still waiting for
my East Coast records from Quest Air to fall, but so far they are
holding strong.
Mark Poustinchian
|
| Jon
|
2 marks
Ernie,
2 marks on the vg at take-off, for the
mr2000
You have to push a little to get the cart
rolling,
but the bar should be near your navel at lift-off and
just after
it's a handfull
Thanks for the reports
Jon James
|
| Lori
|
Great pics and great company!!
Ernie, I finally got ahold of a computer and was able to get caught
up on all your posts (and Vince's too). Great pics -- of course
being here is even better and working and playing with you and Maya
and ECJr. has been a blast. Maybe by the time you get this I will
have finally made a visit to Camp Ernie and caught a movie.
Lori
|
| Ernie
|
Tuesday Morning, 4/20
I'm definitely in vacation mode now. I'm finding it hard to make
time to take photos, let alone keep a journal. What am I spending my
time on? Being lazy, that's what. I didn't even take any photos
during Sunday's launch. I did some fishing, some swimming, some
lazing in the hot tub, and of course, a lot of beer drinking. Oh,
and I've been towing up in the mornings, doing some "chasing the
ace" where the tug pilot tries to lose me with tight turns, and
simulated turbulence. I've done well enough that I think I'm ready
to graduate to mid-day conditions.
Tomorrow I'm taking a
break to visit Disney World. Today I'll try and be better about
taking photos, although I think I've already captured a good number
of the pilots and launch crew.
Here's The photos from the last two days.
|
| Ernie
|
Tuesday night
I'm in the HQ tent, dinner done, and waiting for a HG video to be
shown. It's supposed to be good. Something recent, and not shown
before.
The day was eventful. I towed up twice this morning.
That's where the last shots in the last photo link came from. I was
hoping to tow again this afternoon, but that didn't happen. I'm
getting ahead of myself, though.
Today we used runway 18,
where before we'd been using runway 09 or 09 and 36 together. I'd
been towing up from 18 in the mornings, when it was calm, 'cause
it's closest to the office area/tie-down area.
I've got to
tell a little story on myself. I was on the far side of the runway,
making sure the gliders that came over were properly placed in the
launch line. I got it into my head that the start of the line was at
the far north end of the runway, mainly 'cause that's where I'd been
towing from just this morning. The launch line is set up in two
sections, one for the rigid wings, at the front (marked with two
cones at the front), and a section for the flex wings, with two
cones at the front. I saw that the cones were at the other end of
the line so I picked 'em up and moved them over to the "right" front
of the line, to make sure pilots didn't cut in at the front. So I
place the cones and the pilot right there asks, "isn't this the end
of the line?" "No", I answer, "this is the front", but a couple
seconds later I realized I had it backward. By the time I'd carried
the cones back to where they belonged, another glider had parked in
front of the lead glider. With the cones back in place, that poor
guy had to carry his glider to the real end of the line. Oops!
Luckily Davis was there to explain that an official had moved the
cones temporarily - or some such excuse.
I tried to
concentrate on taking photos of the volunteer support crew today.
I'm hearing that we volunteers have been making this meet a very
smooth one. I think the photos will speak for themselves.
I'm
still taking pictures of pilots who's names I don't know. Sorry.
Maybe eventually I'll be able to put names to the faces you'll see
here.
I was all set to take a flight after everyone had gone
on course, but the conditions had gotten a bit rough and I didn't
go. At least one day I want to run the course. I'm looking for
better weather soon.
Since today was the first day that the
goal was back at Quest, I was able to take shots of the first
finishers. Again, no names, except that Brian Porter has been the
first Swift every day, and Alex Ploner in his large-span ATOS VX has
been winning the rigid class every day. I didn't get a photo of
Vince since he came by high, then landed far from me. There's more
days, though.
But, tomorrow is Mickey World, so I may not be
convering much of the comp.
Later,
Ernie
Here's
today's photos.
|
| Ernie
|
Friday morning - 4/23
I'm listening to the Red Elvises (son Ernie bought 5 of their CD's
along with a bowling shirt) while I sip my second cup of coffee and
think about what I've done, or haven't done, over the last few days.
You know, this vacation stuff can be habit forming.
My resort
routine: I wake up before 7AM and start some water boiling while I
make a trip to the latrine (they're conveniently located all around
the field, and they're cleaned out often). A couple of eggs, and all
my vitamins and pills, for breakfast, then it's out to the tie-down
area to get my glider, covered in dew, over to the end of runway 18
for a morning tow. I've been towing once or twice most every
morning. Yesterday I towed up at 3:30pm to get some turbulence (with
the fin). Every tow, I've had the pilot do "chase the ace" which
keeps the tow from being too boring. It's fun keeping my glider in
the "cone of confidence" no matter what the tug does. Since my tows
have been acceptable, this morning I decided to do a still-air tow
without the fin, for comparison. Sure enough, there was some yaw
during the tow, but not enough to be concerned about. Now I'll see
if I can get a tow up this afternoon, without the fin.
BTW,
son Ernie got his very first aero-tow tandem flight today. I expect
he'll go up a couple more times before we leave.
Back to my
routine. I fill our water jug for the trailer, having parked the
truck near the meet tent, where I get a decent LAN signal, then I
check my email and the BB to see what the rest of the world is
doing. I hang out until after the pilots meeting and the volunteers
meeting, then I hang out some more until the bell is rung to signal
the move out to the launch line.
So, out to the launch line I
go, where I hang out until someone actually wants to launch. Once
the launching starts in earnest, it only takes about a hour to get
everyone into the air. It seems that there has been a friendly
competition between the two launch lines, one on each side of the
runway. Usually the two sides are the "Steve" side and the "Bob"
side. The Steve side, which I've been on the most, seems to win
every day, getting all its pilots launched sooner. In fact,
yesterday a bunch of pilots moved over to our line when they saw
that we were all done and their side still had 10-15 pilots in
line.
So, after all pilots have launched, we hang out to see
if any will fail to get away and will need a re-launch. Then, it's
time to do some serious hanging out.
Son Ernie has gotten
fixated on the bass in this pond. We've made several trips to the
stores to get fishing gear, and more fishing gear, in hopes of
finding a lure that is irrisistable. So far, no luck. Fishing from
the shore, fishing from a canoe, it's all the same - nada. But
that's what hanging out is all about, right? A dip in the pond, a
beer or two (I'm down to my last two six-packs of Red Tail), and
meandering around the grounds are all on my schedule of afternoon
duties.
In the evening, we head over to the HQ building
around 6:30, to work on the keg they've been maintaning. If we're
lucky, they'll have just hooked up a new keg of Bass Ale, otherwise
we're stuck with Bud. Then at 7 or so, we get in line for dinner.
Quest has had a caterer come in for the entire meet, fixing
Breakfast and Dinner, with a sandwich counter for lunch. The food
has been very good, with the chefs trying to out-do themselves every
day. Luckily, I get a dinner ticket in return for my volunteer
duties (along with a couple of tows), so I haven't been doing as
much barbeque-ing as I'd expected.
Right around 8PM, the
mosquitos come out, so I retreat to the tent trailer, where my
family unit bonds over a card game or the on-going Anime film
festival, courtesy of son Ernie.
Disney World? Big place,
four different theme parks to choose from, but you can only pick
one, 'cause $60 a person, a day, dents the budget. We chose the
Magic Kingdom, partly 'cause I wanted to see how it compares with
Disney Land. It's a pretty close match, it turns out.
Our
plan, right now, is to leave on Monday and take our time heading
home, with stops in New Orleans and Houston. By the time I leave, my
aerotow skills should be up to snuff, and I should have had at least
one XC flight. Actually, I could have gone XC yesterday. At 4PM I
was drifting over Groveland, just north of the airfield, under a
cloud street, and figuring I could easily get 20 miles or so, even
though the truck was locked and the kids couldn't follow me. But,
with this being a resort and all, LZ suck got me. It's just too
damned easy to land back at the airfield instead of in some field
where you actually have to break your glider down.
I'm
definitely thinking of making this trip again next year. I've never
had so much still air flying before. It's a great way to check my
glider for tune, and if I take the trouble to load all my gear, I
can do some good polar recording too.
I'm heading to the
pilots meeting now. Later.
Ernie
Photos for the last two
days.
|
| Bob
|
Great Photos
Wish I could be there and Thanks,
Bob Grant - Canada
|
| Ernie
|
Saturday night, and we're grooving
So Vince tells me he just posted a "details later" msg, saying he
was headed to the party.
Well, I'm AT the party, parked right
outside the big tent where Awesome Bob, a Quest employee who is also
a member of a local band, Weszt, is providing the entertainment,
along with a preview, coming a bit later tonight, of the video GW
Meadows has been making of this 9-day comp. (aside: talking to Steve
Kroop, the honcho here, he says that they figured two 7-day comps in
a row without bad weather, they knew this year just HAD to have
some, so they organized a 9-day comp - and of course all 9 days are
great flying. If you remember, the bad weather came just before the
comp. And maybe it'll come back for the next comp at Florida Ridge,
where the whole shebang is headed tomorrow.
As I said, I'm
sitting in my truck, watching the crowed getting into the mood.
There's a van parked next to me, with 3 taps on the side - great
beer, except for the blueberry one. The great meal tonight was
courtesy of Flytec and Quest, so we're enjoying free food, free
beer, free live music, and all the mosquitos you could want. In this
dark cab, with the bright laptop screen as a draw, I've got a bunch
of blood smears on the screen already.
I think Vince made
some cryptic reference to his flight today. I was there at the
finish, but I still failed to get a good photo of Vince. For the
second day in a row, Steve Kroop put a $100 bill in a plastic
grocery bag and suspended it a foot and a half above the ground at
the goal line. If a pilot could grab the bag as they crossed the
goal line (first time), it was theirs. Bo Hagwood got it yesterday
(I'll have to check, he may have gotten it two days in a row).
Today, Vince tried for it, but he had a bit of bad luck. Several
pilots had grabbed the bag when they shouldn't have. Steve had to
put it back in place. One of those times, while Steve and a couple
of others were re-tyeing the bag, Vince surprised us all, diving in,
yelling something like "Gimme the bag" and had to pop up over the
group huddled there. I was caught by surprise too. I wanted to take
a series of photos as Vince came in, but I didn't have time to turn
on my camera and set it up. I managed to get a quick shot of him
just before he popped up over that group. Then, Vince found that he
couldn't get out of his harness - it was still zipped up, so his
landing, a few seconds later, was less than graceful.
Damn, I
must have smashed 20 mosquitos in the last few minutes. I looked
around and found that my passenger side window is open about an
inch, and for some reason I can't close it. I'm under attack! I'll
have to finish this and get back to the party, already in
progress.
I've been able to tow, without a fin, in midday
conditions, for the last 3 days. I'm rehabilitated. But, I wasn't
able to put my new-found freedom to good use. I just can't seem to
figure out these thermals. They're spread out, with hard to find
cores. I'm sure that if I had been in the comp., I'd have sunk out
early every time. I did well to have 1 hour flights, never getting
more than 4 miles away from the safety of the airfield. Next year
I'll be prepared to log some serious XC!
For me, this has
been a very good vacation. In return for working as a volunteer
every day, I've gotten 2 flights per day (which I didn't take full
advantage of), free camping, a free meal every night, and my son
Ernie's tandem tows are covered in lieu of his free flights. I'm
seriously considering coming back next year. If I do, I'm sure I'll
have room if you want to come with me.
I think that the
photos I've been posting have given a flavor of what it's like to be
here. I'll be posting some more, hopefully tomorrow, but we'll have
to see.
In the meantime, I'm gonna
PARTY!
Later,
Ernie
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Sunday morning hangover
Well, not really a hangover, at least for me, but with the
free-flowing beer (did you notice that even Vince was thinking of
having a beer?), and the band playing into the night, I'm sure there
are a few hangovers in the meet tent this morning as we all enjoy
the free breakfast, curtesy of the caterer.
I just noticed
the number of hits this topic has had. I'm impressed! With 1180 hits
or so, a lot more folks than just our club members have been
checking in on the progress of the meet. I hope you all have enjoyed
the photos, and Vince's reports too. I'm posting my last batch of
photos. Look closely for one of Vince, just before he popped up over
the (obstructed) money bag at goal.
Everyone here is in
pack-up mode, either to go to the comp down at Florida Ridge, or to
head home. My kids and I are heading to Daytona Beach today, then
we'll hit the road tomorrow. Son Ernie was hoping for a 3rd tandem
flight today, but there's no flight activity this morning - must be
those hangovers ;-)
Here's those photos. Enjoy!
Edited by: Ernie
Camacho at: 4/25/04 5:08 am
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My personal goal
I thought I'd mention the end of my aero-tow experience here. When
I first got here, I was demoted to aero-tow student 'cause of my
inexperience, and my hard-to-tow glider. I spent several days flying
with a fin in still morning air, playing "chase the ace". Then I
towed up mid-day to get the feel of turbulence with the fin. After
that, I did a morning tow without the fin, and then finally, mid day
without the fin. My third such tow was yesterday, behind Joe. I
didn't get a chance to ask his opinion of my performance afterward.
Then at the party last night I was talking to Lisa, another tug
pilot who's been working with me. She told me that Joe thought I'd
done well, I said I hadn't had a chance to talk to him, not knowing
Joe was right next to me. So, the two of them proceeded to tell me
how pleased they were with my progress, my final proficiency, and
most of all my having put my ego in my pocket. For me, that was
praise indeed. Now I feel confident that next time I'll be able to
do some real flying right off the bat.
And even though son
Ernie didn't get that third tow, he's looking forward to getting
more experience. He already talked to Jim Yocum about the flying
scene in Colorado (he'll be stationed in Ft. Carson), and there's
always the possibility of coming back here for a week or two of
intense training.
BTW, I'm now a fan of the fin. It can
really make a difference for a pilot transitioning to a
higher-performance glider. It definitely makes a difference when
under tow. I' was also able to fly as fast as my VG and my arm
length would allow, without a trace of yawing.
Ernie
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| Ernie
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The trip home
I wasn't going to post any more photos since the comp is over, but
I found that a lot of my family and friends have been following our
exploits here and they want to see what happened to us after we left
Quest. So, if you'll indulge me, I've posted some photos of us at
Cocoa Beach on Sunday, in New Orleans on Mon., Tue., Wed., and on
the road to Huston Thurs. and on to Calif. on Fri./Sat.
I'd
like to mention that we made extensive use of Delorme's Street Atlas
USA mapping pgm., on a laptop, with a GPS hooked up to it. With this
setup, I was able to see just where I was at any time. The pgm.
would calculate routes so I'd know just where to turn (with voice
commands), and how long it would take. I used it to find a hotel at
the foot of Canal St. in New Orleans, use the provided phone no. to
make a reservation, and tell them just when I'd be there. I used it
to find a cleaners in the French Quarter, when we ran out of clean
clothes, and it helped me get un-lost several times. I can't imagine
traveling to a strange place without it to help. Plus, I had a few
thousand songs in the media player library and with an FM signal
generator I was able to play them through the car stereo. And with
Earthviewer/Keyhole loaded, I could check out locations from the air
(satellite/aerial photos) using the broadband connection in the
hotel room. And, I'll be using the laptop with Topo USA for
retrieves on those long XC flights from King later this year. I just
love this technology!
I also found that we were indeed lucky
with the weather. A storm system came into Florida just as we were
leaving. It had just left New Orleans so that we had absolutely
wonderful weather while we were there, and the rest of the trip also
had us missing the bad weather through Huston and parts
west.
I must say that this was a very enjoyable vacation, and
a great learning experience for us all. Both Maya and son Ernie are
now talking about getting hang ratings, and I'm seriously thinking
of coming back to Florida again next year to do this all over
again.
BTW, this set of photos isn't entirely non-flying
related. The first photo is of a supine setup, and if you do make
the trip to Florida by car, New Orleans is a perfect stop-over on
the way back, both time and enjoyment-wise.
Ernie
Here's the photos. Enjoy!
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