AZ Flats | Day 1

Click on pictures for larger versions (captions are below each picture).

Between turnpoints one and two

Resort and take off (its the V in bottom right)

Desert vs. mylar

Dustin Martin

Launch Line

Landing Short . . .

Jeff O'Brien making goal

The misquitos are bad.

Today was a blue day (no clouds to mark thermals) - everyone took the last (second) start time since it was kind of a later day. There was a HUGE gaggle in the start circle - all 32 pilots where in one thermal together at one point.

After the first start everyone went for it and it was a great time - going on glide with a ton of people at like 7,000' overlooking the desert and mountains of Arizona - beautiful!

Today's task was a box with goal back at start - 5 people made goal with the last leg being pretty difficult since it seemed to be a lighter day and in to the wind on the last leg. Results are HERE.


Of the Treetoppers that flew - Stinnet kicked butt (8th for the day) as well as Ricker (12th) who came in later behind Eric (19th) and I (17th), we already landed and Ricker edged us out a by a few miles - Trevor (25th) landed after the first or second turnpoint, and Stinnet had made it with the front guys when everything slowed down after the last turnpoint.

Overall a good day - I had been flying with the lead guys (the few who made it into goal, until I made one wrong decision that landed me 25 miles short of the 68 mile task).

Tomorrow I find out about the HP Video Contest - stay tuned - I could be $40,000 richer tomorrow (before taxes ;) ).