Soaring – August 2019

38 Soaring • August 2019 • http://www.ssa.org

task. Finishing it in style (i.e., fast)
is merely icing on the cake. The key
lesson is that you will push yourself
into the ground (figuratively speaking)
if you get impatient working weak lift.
However, the longer you can stay air-
borne, the higher the probability that
you will encounter equal or better lift
that allows you to complete the task.
On day 3, we started the motor after
our third trip to 1,000 ft AGL and
spending the last 30 minutes working
very weak (often under 1 kt) lift. By
flying impatiently, we concluded that
we would have started the motor in
roughly the same spot 15-20 minutes
sooner. Instead, by being patient and
flying the weather we had, we maxi-
mized our probability of successfully
completing the task, even though
it didn’t work out this time. Bottom
line: “Keep the glider in the air and
good things will happen” – Rick Wal-

ters. Side note: You can make up a lot

of points if you can successfully race

a day when everyone else is stuck in

survival mode.

Keep calm and carry on – Some-

times you’re dealt a bad hand (e.g. we

motored home after relighting and

flying 30 miles on course on day 3).

When that happens, all you can do is

make the best of it – analyze it, learn

from it, and move on. A true cham-

pion doesn’t let one bad day affect

their whole contest (especially dur-

ing a long contest – it’s still possible

to make up ground) and let’s face it, a

bad day soaring still beats any day at

the office.

None of this would have been pos-

sible without tremendous support and

generosity from the soaring commu-

nity. Thanks to Al and Rhonda Tyler

for hosting Region 5 North – Perry

is an outstanding place to fly! Special

thanks also go to Leigh Zimmer-

man, Lynn Mozer, and my coaches

and mentors: Rich Owen, Doug

Jacobs, Sam Zimmerman, and Eric

Mozer. And an extra special thank

you to Eric Mozer for sharing his

time, experience, and glider with me!

What a treat!

My next stops are Newcastle and

Tehachapi, and then Hungary, here

we come! Stay tuned!

About the author: Michael Marshall

is a member of the U.S. Soaring Team

competing at the 2019 Junior World

Gliding Championships in Szeged,

Hungary. He normally flies an ASW 20

out of Warner Springs, California. When

not soaring, he is working on his PhD in

Aerospace Engineering at the California

Institute of Technology.