CROSS COUNTRY MAGAZINE
The official PWC result's sponsor
Reports & Pictures
www.xcmag.com
07-14 February 1999
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CROSS COUNTRY MAGAZINE |
This first event is now over, one task was scored for PWC ranking during the last day
Final classifications :
SERIAL CLASS Overall :
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OPEN CLASS Overall :
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WOMEN Serial class :
| 1st | Maddock Alison Great Britain - Bagheera Apco |
WOMEN Open class :
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The Competition
Task 1 - 08/02/99
With 113 registered pilots, the first task for the PWC in La Cumbre, Argentina, was a 57.6 km race to goal in relatively stable conditions.
Here flying area consists of flat tablelands at approx 1000 m. To the west these flatlands drop down some 400 meters where we have main take off area, Cuchi Corral. From Cuchi Corral the ridge runs northwards, where today the pilots had to fly some 8 km in to a slight headwind in stable turbulent conditions, before flying back to the startpoint in the plains 1 km infront of launch.
To the east, behind the take off of Cuchi Corral, the tablelands extend some 10-12 km back to a Chain of mountains running north to south(la Sierra Chica) at a height of approximately 900m above these high plains. A common characteristic of the area is that an easterly wind comes over these mountains later in the afternoon, something important when considering task setting. Although today the easerly did not come in, the freshening norhtwesterly combined with the unstable conditions early on, made for an extremely technical task, with bad luck for a large number of pilots landing in the official landing field below launch soon after landing. Amongst these was the current pwc champion Peter Luthi.
Today, after taking the start point the pilots were to fly back to a turn point toward the Sierra Chica on the main highway, and then were to fly northwards into a headwind 17 km before ruturning to the goal at the Aeroclub.
Only two pilots achieved goal, the first of whom was Denis Cortella, who rather than heading into wind for the last turnpoint over the flats, continued to fly downwind to the Sierra Chica, from where he was able to reach 2500 m and make his way northwards.
The 2nd and final pilot in goal was Yvan Boullen
With only 5 pilots achieving more than the minimum distance of 35 km, the task was unfortunately not valid.
Task 2 - 09/02/99
Another day with strong inversions. After long deliberations, the pilot committee decided
to use the new air start clock system, This is where the start gate can be taken at 15
minute intervals after it is first opened, giving the pilots more flexibility to choose
the best time for them to fly the task, and also reducing the chances of large groups
flying together packed under the inversions.
The start gate initially opened at 2.30 pm and then with clock intervals, marked with
further white stripes on the ground, every 15 minutes untill 4pm. Pilots were taking their
start times from the moment it opened to the final time of 4pm.
Having reached the start clock, flying from the take off of Cuchi Corral, the pilots had
to fly straight to goal to the south, along the main road and parallel to the Sierra
Chica, for 35 km. The goal was explained in detail at the briefing to the pilots as being
in a specific field at the north end of a large lake, the latter being visible to the
pilots as there reached over 3000 m at the start point.
What was origionally considered a difficult task, chosen for flying in stable conditions,
balloning downwind, turned out to be a day with a far better quality than we thought, so
many pilots were able to reach the area of the goal. Arriving near the goal the strong
easterly winds began to come in over the mountains, generating a convergence used by those
moving out from the mountains in time, though for others who realised too late, their fate
was to be washed down into the plains to land in the wind and turbulence.
Unfortunately, due to some problems with the chosed fields, and misunderstandings within
the organisation, the goal was fixed in the incorrect place - and also a little late,
since the ground speed of the pilots was greater than that of the goal vehicle. Since
exact times were unable to be taken for a number of pilots, and even more were unable to
find the goal, landing past the goal or near the origionally specified field, the task was
declared invalid.
An excellent flying day with great flying had by many. Also a good try out for the new
clock start. But, unfortunately, still no results.
10.2.99
Today the journey to take off was perhaps one of the most memorable in the history of the
pwc. All 103 competitors went to the top of the take off las Gemelas, to the north
of the Sierra Chica, on horse back.
Because of the previous days bad luck with validading the tasks, the committee chose an
essentially down wind task, running southwards to the start clock at the aeroclub, then
continuing southwards to a turnpoint, then turning back a little to fly out to the
flatlands to a potential headwind, thus only the final part of the task being problematic
for the pilots.
Initially all went well with easy climb outs from launch, with a small tail wind towards
the clock. As the first groups of pilots reached the start point, the wind changed
180 degrees, making the hopefully easy task change to an upwind battle.
With an overall task distance of 48 km only 10 pilots bettered the minimum distance of 25
km (to the last turnpoint before turning in to the expected wind towards goal).
Denis Cortella once again acheived the best result, but unfortunately once
again with an unvalidated task.
11.2.99
Because of strong winds the task was cancelled, many pilots going on a horse ride among
the mountains.
12.2.99
Strong northerly winds prevent a task being set, though a few pilots choose to fly down
after the horse ride to take off in the winds gusting well over 40 km -hr.
At 6 pm the wind direction changes to blow equally as strong from the opposite direction.
At last a valid task (the real task 3), on the last day. A task of 39 km with 40
pilots achieving the minimum distace of 25 kms , but with only one pilot in goal, Stefan
Stiegler.
With risks of rising southerly winds, the pilots were sent on a speed run with the
turnpoint , la Fronda, some 8 km along the ridge from Cuchi Corral take off, then back to
near take off, and finally to goal some 28 km to the north into a moderate
headwind.....again. The northerly was expected to have changed to a southerly,
making a tailwind task, but once again we were a little frustrated by the weather.
The first pilots to approach goal after only 45 minutes after window closing were Kaspar
Henny and Hans Bollinger. Due to the strong headwind their final glide got them only
to 1.5 km before take off.
The same for other pilots Crespo, Bender, Bonnet, all in the take off field, but short of
goal.
Only Stefan Stiegler, having taken a routh further to the north along the mountains
managed to cross the goal line, arriving 20 minutes before last landing, not
realising he had won the task and the Argentine leg of the pwc with this one task.
The Japanese pilot Kenji Kagezama suffered a serious accident during the task and was
evacuated to Cordoba hospital were his situation is serious.
Steve Ham. TD la Cumbre 14.2.99 22.hrs