tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44832461342320768142024-03-13T13:40:16.193-07:00Rat Race 2017: Indomitable Monkeys in OregonHawaii PG Pilots (aka Monkeys) join the last Rat Race put on by the Haley clan.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4483246134232076814.post-54091808855946988992017-06-25T09:34:00.001-07:002017-06-25T09:34:20.063-07:00Rat Race Run DownDay 5: We get another late task start, so the day is short. The Sprinters are doing great with Flash holding down a top ten spot. Us Racers have a run around ending at Donatos house. JK has a good day but lands short of goal in the fading conditions near Jacksonville. I manage to finish ahead of him on leading points, not sure how that works.<br />
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Day 6: High pressure remains and they start the race early. It quickly appears that conditions haven't turned on yet. Most of us eventually bomb out, but the leaders call a Level 3 and the task gets stopped. Funny thing is that charging super low in the leeside will usually find you in bad conditions. The guys who called Level 3 all flew the task.<br />
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The Sprinters ignored the stopped Race and launched at the right time and had epic high flights up Applegate Valley.<br />
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Day 7: Another late start, the Race had a fairly challenging course. Finally we got high, 9600'. The day turned off before most of us could finish the last leg into goal.<br />
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The tasks weren't long this week, but they were definitely challenging none the less.<br />
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A big party followed, kind of emotional as it was the Haleys last Rat Race and possibly the final edition.<br />
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Results- Race 1 Kansas, 2 Brad, 3 Jared, 23 Igor, 52 Dave, 62 JK, 77 Scrappy.<br />
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Sprint: 8 Flash, 19 Joe, 22 Drew (he left early)<br />
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A great time and a great Monkey party as well.firedave2http://www.blogger.com/profile/07212702155886596067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4483246134232076814.post-64214843674128228952017-06-21T22:22:00.001-07:002017-06-21T22:22:58.303-07:00Rat Day 4: Trying not to drownThe winds at Woodrat were forecast to blow 20 knots, so the task today was cancelled. Many pilots took advantage of this by doing some other activity. Reaper and a bunch of the gang decided to go play on Applegate Lake. A bunch of the monkeys 🐒 wanted something more interesting and raided the hardware store for pool floats to go tubing on the Applegate River. Problem is with minimum information we were going for it. Needless to say the river seemed pretty remote and icy cold, also there was some fairly serious whitewater for a casual float trip. Other than lost hats, sunglasses, slippers and a tremendous amount of shivering, no one drowned, so it was just a really fun day in Oregonfiredave2http://www.blogger.com/profile/07212702155886596067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4483246134232076814.post-20569178033678228592017-06-21T00:02:00.000-07:002017-06-21T00:02:31.502-07:00<h2>
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Fun, eventful, day in the sprint race. Probably deserves more of a writeup than I have energy for right now, but here are some pictures from another great day of flying.<br />
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The start gaggle above launch for the sprint race.</div>
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Hanging out, waiting for the start cylinder to open.</div>
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Crossing from Burnt Ridge to the Cemetery waypoint with Drew, hoping to find some lift before dirting.</div>
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Arriving at goal felt awesome! Thanks for hosting us Donato!</div>
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Inspecting the damage that my wing suffered when recovering from a frontal collapse while waiting for the start of the race.</div>
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The Hawaiians closing down the Red Lilly winery.</div>
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flashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741838884993292795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4483246134232076814.post-60831462539411592012017-06-20T23:16:00.000-07:002017-06-20T23:23:56.948-07:00Rat Race Day 3Day 3 had lots going on, I will just give teasers here. The Sprint saw Drews brother Eddie 8th in goal, Drew made it, as did Flash in the most remarkable way. In the launch gaggle he takes a frontal which rips open the center bottom surface of his Alpina. He heads towards Hunter LZ cautiously ready to throw his reserve if needed. On the way there he decided the glider still works okay, thermals up for the start and flies all the way to goal. Remarkable.<br />
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Everyone else had varying results. I made goal at Emigrant Lake, but we had a mandatory 6000' ceiling for Medford airspace and I hit the mark too high and lost a third of my days score. On arrival at the goal LZ Krista Auerbach had a hard landing and got hurt pretty bad, hope not too bad. Also there was a hard landing resulting in a broken ankle, and some reserve tosses. A busy day for sure. Sunny, cloudless and high pressure. It is definitely summer.firedave2http://www.blogger.com/profile/07212702155886596067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4483246134232076814.post-43627587417974901202017-06-19T23:18:00.000-07:002017-06-19T23:18:02.886-07:00RR day 2 recapDay 1 of the Rat Race included a twin engine plane slaloming through the gaggle, a whole lot of people in goal and an unfortunate reserve toss with serious injuries in a remote area. The high pressure and north wind delayed the task and put everyone on a fish bowl task.<br />
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Day 2 had similar weather, but less north. The Sprinters stayed in the valley with Kauai Joe coming in 6th, with most of the guys on goal.<br />
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None of the Hawaii Racers made goal, including Igor, but not for lack of trying. A pretty tough course from Grant Pass to Donatos house, with mid airs and tree landings, but not our guys.<br />
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Blue sky's, hot days and high pressure are what we are looking at for the week. More to come.....<br />
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<br />firedave2http://www.blogger.com/profile/07212702155886596067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4483246134232076814.post-70860869593899250992017-06-19T00:14:00.002-07:002017-06-19T00:17:43.935-07:00First day of the RaceGetting really late, but I wanted to post a couple of pics. Maybe someone else can write up a more detailed recap of today. JJ?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After some serious parawaiting in the searing heat, the day turned on and we were released into the air. <br />
It was awesome to be flying with so many gliders in tight gaggles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chuck (top right, yellow/red) who ended up in eighth place today. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start cylinder was open and everyone raced to the first waypoint. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chuck making the crossing to Burnt Ridge.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome views!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A ton of gliders made goal and subsequently worked hard to dry out the supply of Long Sword Vineyards delicious wines.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fire Dave bringing in his sweet new ride in.</td></tr>
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flashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741838884993292795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4483246134232076814.post-41164969635402114292017-06-18T00:27:00.000-07:002017-06-18T00:29:27.675-07:00The Race Begins Tomorrow / 2016 RecapI wasn't planning on flying in this year's Rat Race, but when I started going through my pictures from last year and reliving all the great memories, I decided I couldn't miss out on the fun. So here are some of my favorites. I hope seeing these pictures will get you guys as excited about heading back to Ruch as I am. Last year was my first time competing and I went from being nervous about flying with a bunch of hotshot pilots to really enjoying flying wingtip to wingtip, racing to the next waypoint in a giant gaggle.
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Igor looking pretty excited about sorting his lines on the first day of the comp 2016.
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Ninkasi was extremely generous supplying the thirsty horde of pilots with many, many, many barrels of tasty beer. Can't wait to try their new creations this year!
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Our Maui crew on the first day. From left to right: Kurt, Igor, Andrew, Peter, Jeff, Chuck and Paul.
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There was a lot of tech to figure out on the first couple of days. I had been flying with a vario from the mid nineties that basically just beeped. I was pretty overwhelmed with trying to get a grip on how to read all the info on the fancy new Flymasters. Every morning there was a lot of comparing to make sure we each entered the correct waypoints for the task.
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Chuck and Peter rocking matching outfits on launch.
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Paul looking pretty confident. I was mostly just trying to keep my knees from shaking.
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Francisco on launch. He ended up being the fastest pilot overall and showed everyone how it's done. I'm grateful we got to hang out and he ended up giving me some great pointers.
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I figure looking like an alien insect was Igor's way to intimidate the competition.
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George rocked the retrieve and was an awesome guy to hang out with. The volunteers like George are what really make the rat race so much fun.
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Listening to Mike Haley talk about the day's task became a very familiar ritual as the week progressed.
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The sprint group pays close attention as Jeff explains the tricky transitions and strategies for that day's task.
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General tips for flying in races were shared.
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So much space to launch! This is the stuff of Oahu pilots' dreams.
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Gliders everywhere! Igor with his sponsored glider was always pretty easy to spot though. (Center top of the picture -- blue with yellow wingtips.)
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Once in the air the whole valley was beckoning and gliders spread out everywhere.
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On one of the days I looked back and I had the whole sprint field following me. That lucky break, exiting the start cylinder at the perfect time, put me in first position for about 30 seconds before getting left in the dust of the experienced pilots. That was the moment I finally understood the appeal of racing a glider though!
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Afternoon glass-off flights with friends were among my favorite memories of the week. That evening I got to share a sunset flight with Vitaly.
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It seems as though there's lift in the whole valley.
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Making it to goal at Donato's on my second attempt was also really special. Those Coronas were truly well earned.
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The big van was full...
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... but rides in the back of pick up trucks were more fun anyway!
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Everyone that made it to goal had giant grins on their faces. The stoke is real!
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More hard earned beers were enjoyed at a different goal somewhere in the valley.
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In the evenings we'd naturally share stories of epic near misses and recoveries. It really is like summer camp for grownups.
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The whole Maui crew: Rich, Paul, Andrew, Peter, Jeff, Chuck, Igor, Kurt.
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And it's also a great opportunity to make new friends, like Gabriel and Kimberly.
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None of this would have been possible without volunteers donating their time. But they had a good time too.
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I'm really stoked to be back at Raven's Landing, spending the week in my tent again. Rat Race 2017 begins tomorrow. This stuff is fun! More updates hopefully soon...flashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741838884993292795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4483246134232076814.post-40239036576363794942017-06-15T09:29:00.001-07:002017-06-15T09:29:21.097-07:00Old Guys Summer CampThe 2017 Rat Race Final Edition needs a little hype to get everyone's juices flowing. This year we have a big group invading southern Oregon for what Alex has deemed 'Old Guys Summer Camp'. Where all you care about is yourself and your friends for a full week of fun.<br />
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Pete ' Reaper' (not 'Raper') Michelmore is headed back for the umpteenth time as safety director for a week of Pluckin 'em and Suckin 'em. That refers to pilots and beers, in that general order. Just a little tip, you want to see him for sucking, not the plucking part.<br />
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Most awesome is Thom 'The Phoenix' (formerly Sidehill) Therrien, has rallied back from a year off and will be there at full power competing in the Sprint under a brand spanky Rush4. It is fantastic to have him back and to turn over the crown as the loudest guy around.<br />
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John ' Frosty Balls' Todd will be there, he is always entertaining and up to something, I spent 3 days with him in Switzerland a few years ago and came back with a months worth of stories,<br />
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Geronimo and June are there, both alumni from the old days, still charging and having fun,<br />
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Courtney and Joe at the Rat from Kauai. I haven't seen either of these two at a comp, but I expect a lot. They bring a lot of energy.<br />
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Maui has a bunch of pilots there, they always perform well. Igor is probably the top seed of the Hawaii pilots, he has been charging and has really improving tremendously as a competition pilot. The time he spends with Brad G. has really honed his flying skills, without tremendously affecting the rest of his life. I will be flying a Zeno this year and have promised myself to go pulley to pulley as much as possible, maybe I have a chance of keeping up with Igor.<br />
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JK is in, he is a charger and will definitely be up there in the standings, as will Claude 'Scrappy' Phillips. Hopefully Scrappy and I can avoid GPS problems that plagued us last time we were there. fortunately I have been flying with an Oudie the last couple of years, which is basically automatic and pilot proof.<br />
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The newer Monkey meat will be competing: Marc, Drew, Kevin. It expect these guys will do well, hard charging definitely helps at the Rat. <br />
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Motorhead Paul and Pat will be there with JK's motorhome, volunteering to drive and retrieve, Imagine driving a van to pick up grumpy and complaining paraglider pilots on the perfect flying day, with no pay. Sound like a great job, sign up today! Without volunteers like Paul and Reaper, I couldn't get to do the thing I like to do, which is fly far with minimal worries.<br />
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The free flyers and hangers around list is long with Ike, Superman RD, Shawn 'of the Dead' Garrett, FlyStrong, a few wives. So when not flying we can enjoy margaritas and tacos in Jacksonville.<br />
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See you all there!firedave2http://www.blogger.com/profile/07212702155886596067noreply@blogger.com2