Then we headed back to the hospitality tent for a apfelschmarrn, a local specialty:
Right now a German band is playing Walk of Life by Dire Straits.
Gotta go, battery is dying.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Warning - No Ballooning in this Post
Have you ever stumbled onto a restaurant way off the beaten path that's completely unexpected? We did just that tonight. On a tip from some Texans, we wandered up a hill in Schielleiten (site of Al Nels's 1987 world championship) and walked into a place that had fantastic spareribs. For 7.20 € (about $10 USD).
Then we headed back to the hospitality tent for a apfelschmarrn, a local specialty:
Right now a German band is playing Walk of Life by Dire Straits.
Gotta go, battery is dying.
Then we headed back to the hospitality tent for a apfelschmarrn, a local specialty:
Right now a German band is playing Walk of Life by Dire Straits.
Gotta go, battery is dying.
Flight canceled
After a 90 minute hold, the winds never let up. Tonight's flight was canceled.
Tomorrow morning is supposed to be cold, 33-35 degrees. Fortunately we've perfected our mobile tank heating system.
Tomorrow morning is supposed to be cold, 33-35 degrees. Fortunately we've perfected our mobile tank heating system.
Live from the Afternoon Briefing
Two parts: a hare-and-hound with 2 lead balloons (one marker, scored to the nearest hare) and a hesitation waltz (MJDG) with 4 goals. Common launch point, from the field outside the briefing tent. Free marker drops on both. It's gusty right now (15 kt), but they're saying that will weaken after 5:00pm.
They're forecasting high pressure for tomorrow, with weak northerly winds. Hopefully lots of tasks in the morning...
They're forecasting high pressure for tomorrow, with weak northerly winds. Hopefully lots of tasks in the morning...
Results from Tasks 1 & 2
Results from this morning's flight (tasks 1 & 2) are now posted on the Results section of the event's website:
http://www.balloon2008.com/fileadmin/user_upload/wmresults/Worlds2008Index.html
We got a couple-hour nap in this afternoon. It's a little windy right now, so we just received a text that the 4:00pm briefing has been re-scheduled for 4:30pm.
http://www.balloon2008.com/fileadmin/user_upload/wmresults/Worlds2008Index.html
We got a couple-hour nap in this afternoon. It's a little windy right now, so we just received a text that the 4:00pm briefing has been re-scheduled for 4:30pm.
Worlds, Day 4
Finally, some tasks.
Even though you could only see them for 100' or so, our 4:30am pibals at the cottage showed lots of wind just above the surface. However, things were a little calmer outside the briefing tent at 5:30am. We arrived to a 2-task flight, both Hesitation Waltz's with 3 goals. We would use a common launch site (just outside the briefing tent) and gravity marker drops were specified for both. The wind was scheduled to pick up significantly just after 8:30am, so the idea was to get up and down quickly. One thing I really like about this event is that the briefings are early. When we exited the tent it was still pitch black, almost an hour before sunrise. That gives plenty of time to go out, find a launch site, and steer your way into targets. With this morning's common launch site it meant we had a little waiting to do, but that's just fine by me. The green flag came up right about sunrise, and about 100 fans immediately started.
For the first task, most pilots chose a goal that was on a soccer field. Shawn and Larry (in our lead vehicle) talked Paul into that one. We estimate his drop at 12-15 meters.
(Photos courtesy of Larry Coan)
He actually made runs on 2 goals for the second task, taking a logger track point just outside the measured scoring area of an upwind one (as a backup) before flying on and dropping a marker (in traffic) at about 12-15 meters from one further downwind. Of course we have no idea how these will stack up, but we do know that not everyone got 2 markers on the ground.
We then waited in a pretty long propane line. Like they predicted, the wind picked up (probably 15-20 knots) right around 8:45am. Remember when I said smoking was pretty popular in Europe? I saw more people smoking in this line than I have in 27 years of being in them in the US. One guy right in front of us was lighting up 5' downwind of a basket in which someone was disconnecting fittings. I tried to get a photo, but he walked off (I think he realized what I was doing).
In terms of seeing scores, your best bet will probably be to look at the event's website. They seem to be updating it pretty regularly (including photos of this morning's flight), so hopefully they'll show up there first. With our Internet situation here, you may see them before we do.
On the social front, after last nights cancellation we paraded 3 vehicles down to the Murpark shopping center in Graz. Not many purchases were made, but it was interesting to see a European version of what we call a "mall" in the US. We even found a restaurant that served Buffalo wings.
I'll admit that I wasn't paying much attention to any longer-term forecast that was being given at this morning's briefing, but I think things still look pretty good for the next couple days. Two-part mornings aren't typical at an event like this, but it was definitely the right call today. However, I think we all hope that the next couple mornings bring the "good, long, complicated flight" that David Levin articulated yesterday. In the meantime, we'll grab some lunch, charge some laptops, and get ready for this afternoon's 4:00pm briefing.
Even though you could only see them for 100' or so, our 4:30am pibals at the cottage showed lots of wind just above the surface. However, things were a little calmer outside the briefing tent at 5:30am. We arrived to a 2-task flight, both Hesitation Waltz's with 3 goals. We would use a common launch site (just outside the briefing tent) and gravity marker drops were specified for both. The wind was scheduled to pick up significantly just after 8:30am, so the idea was to get up and down quickly. One thing I really like about this event is that the briefings are early. When we exited the tent it was still pitch black, almost an hour before sunrise. That gives plenty of time to go out, find a launch site, and steer your way into targets. With this morning's common launch site it meant we had a little waiting to do, but that's just fine by me. The green flag came up right about sunrise, and about 100 fans immediately started.
For the first task, most pilots chose a goal that was on a soccer field. Shawn and Larry (in our lead vehicle) talked Paul into that one. We estimate his drop at 12-15 meters.
(Photos courtesy of Larry Coan)
He actually made runs on 2 goals for the second task, taking a logger track point just outside the measured scoring area of an upwind one (as a backup) before flying on and dropping a marker (in traffic) at about 12-15 meters from one further downwind. Of course we have no idea how these will stack up, but we do know that not everyone got 2 markers on the ground.
We then waited in a pretty long propane line. Like they predicted, the wind picked up (probably 15-20 knots) right around 8:45am. Remember when I said smoking was pretty popular in Europe? I saw more people smoking in this line than I have in 27 years of being in them in the US. One guy right in front of us was lighting up 5' downwind of a basket in which someone was disconnecting fittings. I tried to get a photo, but he walked off (I think he realized what I was doing).
In terms of seeing scores, your best bet will probably be to look at the event's website. They seem to be updating it pretty regularly (including photos of this morning's flight), so hopefully they'll show up there first. With our Internet situation here, you may see them before we do.
On the social front, after last nights cancellation we paraded 3 vehicles down to the Murpark shopping center in Graz. Not many purchases were made, but it was interesting to see a European version of what we call a "mall" in the US. We even found a restaurant that served Buffalo wings.
I'll admit that I wasn't paying much attention to any longer-term forecast that was being given at this morning's briefing, but I think things still look pretty good for the next couple days. Two-part mornings aren't typical at an event like this, but it was definitely the right call today. However, I think we all hope that the next couple mornings bring the "good, long, complicated flight" that David Levin articulated yesterday. In the meantime, we'll grab some lunch, charge some laptops, and get ready for this afternoon's 4:00pm briefing.
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