Wallaby-March-22-2019

The Skydog Report

Friday March 22, 2019 and here we go again and this time for the Green Swamp Challenge 2019. Jimmy Kolynich arrives Wednesday, two days before Oded and I. Jimmy is all settled in and picks us up at Sanford airport Friday at two pm. When we get to Wallaby Ranch it is sunny and 75 degrees but a bit too windy to fly so we get Jimmy's new Sport 3 assembled and Pete Kneble sets up the Sensor 610 that Oded has brought for him. The Sport 3 is beautiful and Pete's new Sensor is in nice shape.

Saturday March 23, 2019 We are up early and Jimmy is going to test fly his new WW S-3 and we need to get our gliders north to Willowtree Air Park.

Sunday March 24, 2019 And Saturday we flew Willowtree flight park and this morning Oded and Jimmy are off to the Green Swamp Sport Klassic at Willowtree. I am staying here at Wallaby Ranch and will fly with Raymond Sulin and Marc Vinarub. Raymond has a new to him Moyes supership and Marc flies a new Atos VQ Plus. Another pilot from Brazil joins us and Scott and Jason decided not to fly today. I get off first at 2:30 and Bob drags me close to the cloverleaf before we find a boomer that quickly takes me to base. Mark is off next and takes twenty minutes to catch p to me but then gets above me and I can no longer catch Mark and I had wanted to get his spaceship on video but we never got close enough. The Brazilian came up next and I never did see where he went to but maybe he flew to Willowtree park. I chased Mark for maybe twenty minutes but never caught up to him and then I decided to head back over the Ranch and I ran into big sink that put me on the ground with a 55 minute flight and up to 5,242 feet. I get back to the soccer field launch and Bob McFee again takes me to a great thermal and I quickly take it up to base again and I am searching for Marc and after a half hour I see Marc way below me and he later told me that he got down to about 800 feet and climbed out of the hole ant got up high again, Raymond took off and I saw him stay at about four grand and Raymond (ChicoMon) had a nice flight getting used to his new glider. After almost one hour I saw Raymond and Marc landing and I also came in behind them with a flight time of 59 minutes and my highest was 6,272 feet ato. Mark later told me that he logged over two hours and up to 6,200 feet ato. The air was pretty bumpy and challenging.

Monday March 25, 2019 And the sky looks great. I try to get the boys going at pm and finally by 1:50 I get into the air. I had an appointment in Tampa at five so I needed to get down by three. Bob McFee put me into a good one and I took it to base at 5,341 feet and enjoyed the day before I needed to land. My flight time was 59 minutes and I had a hard time getting down and away from the sink, Rick Mullen later told me that after I landed the lift stopped and the others landed. I was off to Ukulele club near Tampa and it was a blast.

Tuesday March 26, 2019 First thing in the morning I went with Jimmy and Oded to Willowtree and checked out the action. Lots of pilots getting ready to get into the air. I left and got back to Wallaby in time to catch a late tow along with Rick Mullen. We both boomed up to base at 5,085 feet ato and after an hour a big blue hole appeared and we sunk out. After we landed there were about ten pilots from the Willowtree comp floating in so nicely. My flight time was 56 minutes. Strong thermals and big sink. Oh what fun.

Friday March 29, 2019 I waited at Wallaby but nobody showed up so I did not fly. Oded and Jimmy flew the comp at Willowtree and Oded and Jimmy both made goal at 40 miles.

Saturday March 30, 2019 I went to Willowtree flight park with Oded and Jimmy. Jimmy made goal at 40 miles while Oded decked it at 20 miles. I took two tows at 3 pm and 3:30 and the first one only lasted 16 minutes but my second Jim Prowl took me to a good one and I went to base easily at 6,722 feet ato and I lasted 2 hours and 11 minutes landing at 5:45. Te highlight of my flight was that Mikey Barber flew in from Wallaby and joined me in a great thermal which I have on Video. Mikey headed back to Wallaby and I followed for two mile but chickened out and came back to Willowtree. It was great to fly with you Mikey.

Sunday March 31, 2019 Wallaby Ranch and I am the only one to fly. Jimmy is at the Green Swamp awards ceremony and Oded is birding with Dana. Bob McFee tows me up to 2,500 and I pin off in a thermal. The wind is from the west at about 18 mph so I try to work my way up over the orange groves and finally after 20 minutes I am at 4,200 feet ato about three miles west on Dean Still road. No other gliders or birds to play with today so I just work the lift back and forth for a flight of 1 hour and 3 minutes. This will be my last flight for this trip as we are flying home Tuesday morning and Monday looks to be cloudy. This was a good trip and Oded and Jimmy really enjoyed the Green Swamp meet.