Wednesday 18 October, Comp Day 9

The pilots are keen to keep flying, but I and safety officers 1 and 2 (Vic Hatfield and Trevor West) and also Witches Cauldron staff are feeling very tired. We are sitting on the ground in 40 degree heat while the pilots get high and cool.

The forecast today was problematic - a one degree change in expected temperature made a large difference to the predicted outcome. The task committee set a bit shorter time today - 3 hours for each class, with sports class taking off first. The winds were much lighter than yesterday thankfully - the typical Keepit light westerly.

It was hot by the time 12.30 came around, but pilots were not ready in their gliders, so we were a bit late starting the launch. We sent up the first group of gliders, and then waited for a few moments to see if they climbed out OK. They did, and Val Wilkinson, one of the tuggies who is also a famous glider pilot, said there was good lift about. The launch then continued smoothly until. Al Giles did a magnificent job of running ropes. The hooker oner had to be quick to stop the rings disappearing away from the glider!

A few pilots were feeling the strain of flying every day for so many days, and elected to take a day off. Those who didn't fly yesterday felt refreshed enough to have another go today.

I have not heard much about the flying from the pilots as they are all more engrossed in the "protest scandal" to talk much about their flying to me. However I did hear that someone had got to 9000ft, and some one else "only" got to 11,000 feet during the day. It was very blue around Keepit, but high cumulus on the hills. We tasked them to the north - the old favourite Bingara Edgeroi Splitrock again.

All the gliders got back except one. A couple landed back at the field, decided that they did not have the energy to fly again after all. There were no relights. Kerrie Claffey described grovelling at about 2000ft AGL near the Carolls for ages without the height to get back to the field. She did get up eventually and flew the course.

Prime TV came out and interviewed some of the pilots and Vic- I missed watching it again.

Yesterday we had some excursions from the defined contest area, and we applied a penalty of 1 point per metre outside for this as defined by the rules. Naturally this has provoked a protest, so the protest committee will meet tomorrow morning to sort it out. The flying is the easy part! The politics are harder.

Next exciting installment tomorrow.....