AZ Flats Day 6

The HP contest is on the main page of Youtube with a link to my video!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just wanted to give a quick thanks to all the people making such encouraging remarks on my HP youtube video - I've gotten like 20 comments a day on that video since I won the grand prize. Thanks again everyone - and stay tuned for more! I plan on buying some better equipment and devoting more time to photography and video work, which I will continue to post up on this blog.


Eric walking towards the launch line, past the driving range to the right of the image (that's where I landed today)


My glider is still set up and ready for tomorrow since I made goal!

SO today (results HERE) was the second to last day of the Santa Cruz hang gliding competition and I'm in 9th right now overall! I came in 11th for the day today as well. I hope I can hold on and finish the meet in the top 10. It was a 91km triangle task today.

I almost lost it today though, the resort was acting like a beer-magnet during the start circle. I had been thermaling for an hour and a half in tight gaggles and was only at 4,000'. I was really thinking about landing and going and start drinking some beer at the resort and give up on the day.

But about 10 minutes after that thought the day turned on, and I was up to about 8,000' and so I was high enough to start the course, albeit behind the lead guys, but I caught them after the first glide, but then they left me again after the first turn point. I got slow at the last turnpoint, but managed to get into goal. Several people landed just short of goal today - I feel their pain but did not want to be one of them, so I slowed down a little to make sure I could make it in, took a slow climb until my 6030 told me I had goal made by 1,200' and I burned it in.

Below is my track log (feel free to zoom and pan around to check it out) - Sorry no inflight photos from today, too busy racing!

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Tomorrow is the last day of the competition and we've got a 27 hr drive home, not including losing 3 hours to time change to make. So I've filled up my new iPhone (my present to myself for winning the HP contest) with some tv shows and games to pass the time in the car (so far I really like JellyCar and Doodle Jump - they're games).