PWC Mexico, Valle - 6th Feb 2014 "NO FLY"

The alarm goes at 06h30 but I'm already awake.
My limbs feel heavy or is it the two quilted duvet covers I have on the bed to keep warm?!

I get up and almost fall over - my legs are so stiff from pushing the bar yesterday. In fact, my whole body feels exhausted!

Leaving for headquarters I collect my flight deck which feels double its usual weight and the idea of lifting my pack is a thought of horror!

My decision is I am not physically fit to fly and need a rest today.  After two previous competitions and flying almost every day for the past 4 weeks, I am tired.

A fantastic 1hr30 massage has spared me of my task today of riding the Big Bus to launch, prepping my glider and instruments pre-take off, collecting my packed lunch, weighing my ballast and kit, attending the task briefing, inputting GPS tasks, kitting up, preparing to launch carrying 33kg of equipment, lobbing off the mountain with 140 other pilots into the air, to race around the skies at hairy speeds and high altitudes, dangling on strings under a piece of cloth ….. Of real-time turbulence, ear-popping altitudes and banging on air swirling thermals, I have granted myself the privilege of looking up at the sky today instead of being in it, of becoming acquainted with surroundings which we would never have had the time to visit, and the read of a good book in the shade of the main square.

Main Square Valle de Bravo

This evening, I feel rested and ready for tomorrow…

PWC Mexico, Valle - 5th Feb 2014 - " HOKEY COKEY!"

thermaling above the startgate

Above the startgate

Today's task an 89km race to goal.
Really interesting task today in that it resembled more of a cross-countryflight rather than a race, with a remote goal in the Elefante valley.

With the start gate some 6km away, pilots were eager to get airborne as soon as time permitted.  Cautiously pilots waited in the same house thermals (Crazy and the Wall) until the clock started at 12h40pm.  With conditions weaker than usual, base was at 3200m, and no one was particularly eager to lead out.

One large gaggle formed which split into two groups as the start and the first cylinders were the same turn point.

2nd, 3rd and 4th turn points were all the same waypoint, with a first entry a 400m cylinder, then you had to fly out of the same cylinder and fly in again to take the same waypoint this time with an 8km radius, and then further in again to take the TP at 400m cylinder. In/out/in/out shake it all about!!!

This did baffle a few pilots (myself included) when programming the GPS.  My understanding of how to do this was not questioned as I presumed that the GPS would understand what I was asking it to do, however I was fooled, and although a Pilot is extremely clover, you do have to give it the right instructions for it to understand what it is meant to do.  And indeed, this did not occur, so disappointingly, my recorded flight ended at some 39km! I do stress that fortunately I was not the only foolish pilot today!

However, I had a great flight, and after getting stuck at the Three Kings for a lonely while after a small group landed on the way back from the start, I took a rough and bitty climb low over the trees and the plateau, and made a dash to connect with a small conical hill. With a 65km tailwind I headed full speed low over the plateau and the trees towards a distant conical hill.
A risky manoeuvre which had my feet out of the pod and my right hand out of the handle and free to chuck my reserve to dampen my tree landing had I not found any lift.  On a head-on course with the hill, all I could do was wait for the singular bleeps of my vario to confirm that there would be something.  I connected and without even a squeak from the vario, I last minute violently pulled break to turn into the first of several beats before being able to catch any bubble consistent enough to "S" bend my way to the summit.  Close call.

To concentrate, I pictured in my mind "S" bending above the trees at the base of the Dents de Lanfon in weak lift and cranking the glider round to lean in with outer break to maximise anything I could get.

Patience and perseverance worked, and my glider and I worked the hill until we found the core.

It was hard to work out which direction the wind was coming from which meant that there had to be convergence somewhere to cross the valley towards Elefante.

A few broken clouds made it easier to gauge what was happening and leaving just before cloud base, made the wide crossing as the valley floor appeared to rise to meet us the further and higher we flew. Here I joined up with the gliders in front of me and flew for a while accompanied which made climbing easier.

Conditions started to deteriorate at around 15h30 and I looked at the clock. The sun was losing its heat and the sky was hazy as the sun set lower and the wind increased on the rising terrain.  We were flying at over 3000m, but in some places almost only kicking trees to remain airborne.

I set off alone in search of the elusive and invisible last cylinder  before either  the conditions shut off completely or the task landing time arrived, and claimed by 72km before being "the last to land" on the course line. (Thank you Tom Payne).

Valle de Bravo and HQ at sundown

5km short of TPG04, I landed in a very swish private estate just outside Valle, neatly ploughed fields, horses and a cobbled driveway leading to wrought iron gates and the main road.

Hoiking my 30kg pack over the fence, I caught a retrieve bus passing on the main road back to HQ.  All very easy.

The track log on my GPS confirmed my failure to input the right commands regarding the cylinders of TP49, so I sadly scored almost nothing for the day, however, I did came away with a great sense of achievement at having flown the majority of the task, in some pretty windy, rough and turbulent conditions, and even having enjoyed the challenge.

So, my conclusion of the day: a rotten score and physically spent,  but an exciting and enjoyable flight nonetheless.

PWC Mexico, Valle 4th Feb 2014 - THE BIG BLUE HOLE

Ha!
Well….just when you think that you've used your "discard", you  have a blue hole day.

That big blue hole between the start gate and the first turn point…. Yessss, THAT one!

"Dirt" buddy -  Gavin MClurg

Least but NOT last, flying 5.2km and landing in the Turkey Farm with some of the best. Good to land with friends and laugh about it! What a positive mental state I've at last found in this sport.


Onwards and upwards, today is another day :-)

PWC Mexico, Valle - 3 Feb 2014 - Task 1 - "TRICKY"

Pilots prepare under the Red Bull tent

Task similar to yesterday but strong Southerly blowing.

Today's task

After yesterday's surprise of police escorted bus to take off, DJ mixing tunes on take off, armed guards on launch, the tone was rather more sobre today as pilots concentration was more geared to the task in hand rather than the party atmosphere on launch.

Armed guards protect pilots on launch

Mexico leads the paragliding comp scene with their impressive sponsorship set up

A couple of reserve deployments today, one caused by a mid-air, fortunately no more than bruised bones, the air was rougher than yesterday, with Crazy Thermal doing it's "thang" catching more than one pilot by surprise.

First climb above launch looking down on take off

After a dreadful start, line over after catching my glove between the front and second lines of A's taking off then a line over a the glider reduced itself to a tangled mess, negative mindset to get off the hill and time was ticking. Finally last off, flying into a screeching thermal above launch to connect with Pinon, surfing up that and then onto Crazy Thermal to catch up with the gaggle 2 mins after the start gate opened - I couldn't fathom why none of the gliders were slow to start the race.

I later found out that everyone was waiting for someone to make the first move, not being able to slice through the inversion at 3200m, the long glide to the first turn point looked hit and miss with the southerly wind full on.  The field headed out to the salt lakes over the flats into the grubby inversion.  The field here split into two groups - those who bowed over the flats, and the others who followed the arrow straight to the salt plant.

Gliding towards the Salt plant

So the slow start from the field played in my favour, and I was back in the game. Taking a cracking climb with Nick Greece all the way through the inversion right to the top, whilst the rest of the field made an upwind dash low to the turn point, we enjoyed a 3M climb which enabled us to glide above the gaggle to clip the turn point and return to snatch the hoofing lee side thermal at the "Three Kings".

The majestic "Three Kings"

Climbing out from there with Tobbe Hinas, from there, forwards onto the plateau where our first glimpse of cloud for 4 days lay above our heads.

The southerly had turned easterly and was difficult to stay in the bitty broken remainder of thermals left over the hills.  The clouds forming, wind blown and dissipating before our eyes, I decided to push on into the valley to catch the front gaggle, whilst Tobbe took another line bowing round to the south.  My thoughts were to connect with the convergence in the valley similar to yesterday, however, this longer, more direct glide was to be my downfall.

Reaching the village on the other side with 50m to spare and not having enough slope to surf the treelined hill, I battled to find any lift that was useable, and to use the expression "I dirtied", at Elefante, after missing the convergence in the valley.

Finally abandoning ship sometime later, at 40+km, I landed in the small village in a field of horses. Packing up slowly, time for reflection.  Today would have to be my "Joker" card, and my projected selfish hopes that not many had made it to goal (not the case!). A long taxi ride home so as not to wait for the retrieve bus found me at HQ within the hour.

Windscreen religion!

Later, finding that many big names, Nick Greece, Pepe, Gav McClurg…, had also dirtied was to be my only consolation.

Tomorrow will be better ... for sure, and will need to get my head around that Elefante valley - I have a feeling we will be using it often this week.
Here's hoping for a task towards that big volcano in the distance that looked so inviting last week…. :-)

One of the many volcanos lined up across Mexico

Oh …uh... and just to end with, the PWC as with other organisations for Cat1 and 2 events are now using the new Conical End of Speed Section, deemed to be safer than ending a race at a 1 or 2 km end of speed section followed by a 400m cylinder or indeed a 200m goal line.  Taking into account the diagram which was used to explain the safety element of using the conical speed section (our ESS this week is ontop of a hill), some of us found it a little baffling as to how flying top speed full  bar into the side of a mountain can be safer flying to a goal line on the ground or indeed a vertical 400m cylinder!. 

When this new ESS Cone starts from ground level, how does that prevent pilots flying into the hill, particularly as they know they can surf their way back up it to reach goal? Clarification on safety element here, anyone?

Beats me! 

PWC practice task - 2nd Feb 2014

A 70odd km task set today. Conditions looked good although our take off time was late at 12h30 and race start at 1h30pm meaning a return over the crazy thermal and piñon at the height of the thermic day.

Tricky task in the second half meant that half the field was lost and sorted between Elefant and Frisco, but there were some happy faces at the landing field after the first pilots reached the landing just after 4pm. 

Pilots' dinner last night and an early night for me. 

Tomorrow the competition begins with those pilots flying banned wings begging, borrowing and stealing anything put up on offer from local pilots, the flying school and the on hands Organisation : from M4's to Pure's, pilots are now keen to return to the band wagon and let the higher powers do the rest. 

Instruments on charge, ear plugs in to cease the incessant din of the town, and lights out.

PWC Mexico pilot briefing - 1st February 2014

Enzo2 wings will not be allowed to compete following the controversy surrounding the certification process at the Superfinal.

Also the Niviuk Icepeak 7-24 has also been temporarily withdrawn from the competition until the certification on load testing can be received from the testing house.

It has been made clear that these decisions are based on pilot security following the fatal accident of a fellow pilot two days ago, and although his accident was outside the competition organisation, the decision of the PWC organisation is also to do with technical administrative legalities in the event of a similar accident during the competition.

There are many frustrated pilots here at present, but the decision of the PWC is final with no room for discussion.  Only the receipt of the load testing certificate regarding the IP7-24 could mean that these gliders are allowed to compete, but this will not happen until at least Monday morning European time.  The decision on the Enzo2's is irrevocable for this PWC Mexico, Valle de Bravo.