Dueling sailplanes.
By Mike Bergerson
What could we expect on day three of the Quadfecta, after being shut down by thunderstorms every afternoon? So far, we had four rounds of Unlimited in the books and three rounds complete in each of the other three classes; RES, 2M, and NOS. We planned to finish those rounds and get in one more complete set by 2pm.
The weather radar showed a clear path. The winds were reasonable, yet there were still threats of thunderstorms in the forecast. However, it was not raining and was perfectly flyable.
The pilots meeting was called and the CD cancelled the contest based on a forecast that severe thunderstorms would form onsite by 10am. But wait, we had a dilemma! There was a tie for first place in RES between Michigan's own Jim Martin and Virginian Josh Glaab. Oh no! What to do?
Hey kids, let's put on a flyoff (a musical movie reference for those older folks)!
So, with no further ado, I went off to string winches 3 and 8, as they were the driest. Did I mention there was a miserable thunderstorm the night before that flooded the field? Most of the standing water had soaked in, but left several of the winch stations quite squishy. With a feat of great teamwork, we urged the two pilots to their winches and began the process.
Jim brought his Topaz, took his position on winch 3 and chose Amy Poole as his advisor. Josh, armed with his Super AVA, set up at winch 8, with Gordon Buckland as his second…set of eyes. I'm really digging this “duel” scenario!
CD Wayne Whimbish and Ed Dumas, our brilliant scorekeeper, took up their stations as official time keepers. Countdown: 3…2…1…Launch! Both our heroes stepped on their winch pedals. The motors whined for a second under the tension (or is it the suspense?) and away they went, up the line.
Tap, tap, tap, to maintain a smooth launch. Tap, tap, tap, to prevent over stressing the aircraft. Tap, tap, tap, a nose over (zoom!) and pull up from the bucket (ping!). Our intrepid warriors were off to battle in the skies over Muncie!
Jim got a slightly better launch and pressed upwind to the left while Josh went right. Lift was virtually nonexistent and this quickly became a contest of who could out-float who. Could Jim's Topaz maintain its excellent buoyancy? Would Josh find lift with his Super AVA?
Our pilots pressed on as the seconds slid mercilessly into the past and the minutes built. Josh abandoned his upwind run and headed downwind in hopes of picking up more buoyant air over the control line circles. He slid smoothly left to right, maintaining his flight.
Jim tried an upwind turn, he lost orientation for a moment and stalled, losing a few precious meters of altitude. His quick recovery saved any further loss. He continued to maintain his upwind surf, but he was slowly losing altitude.
Josh was also slowly losing height and began a long, slow circle and setup on the landing tape. Josh is a master of 100 cm landing tape. A good landing can make up precious seconds lost in the air and sneak up to win the duel. The Super AVA turned on final, Josh brought her in over the landing tape and pushed over for a scored landing.
Josh Glaab landing in the RES flyoff
Meanwhile, our young challenger had begun his downwind approach. He still had air and was doing his best to gain air time over his seasoned competitor, padding his score if the landing failed to gain him an advantage. Jim set up his final approach. The moment was thick with tension and suspense while he floated his Topaz to the landing tape. He pushed over and nailed his landing!
Jim Martin’s RES flyoff landing.
When the dust and cheers settled Mr. James Martin, was our new RES National Champion! Well played Mr. Martin!
The final score for the fly off:
Jim Martin: 7:14 / 60. 494 points
Josh Glaab: 6:28 / 70. 458 points
Please, don't feel too bad for Mr. Glaab. He did take home four trophies, to include 1st place National Champion finishes in Unlimited and 2 Meter, not to mention second place finishes in RES and Nostalgia.
Randy Everly finished second in Unlimited, with Garry Ogilvie in third. Tom Broeski took 3rd in RES. Josh accepted the trophy on his behalf.
Gordon Buckland finished second in 2Meter, with Bobby Burson in 3rd. Bobby won 2M last year.
Randy Everly flew his Foxbat to a 1st-place finish and is our new NOS National Champion! Gordon Buckland finished in 3rd place.
The complete scores are on Gliderscore.com.
With this report, the 2025 AMA/LSF Soaring Nationals have concluded. Well, the report isn't the official reason. It just means I have nothing more to report, but I do have something to say (go figure), “Woohoo! I love Glider Camp!” It wouldn't be possible without the wonderful staff at the AMA supporting our efforts. Thanks JC, Roger , Woody (The Iceman!), Yolanda, Terry, Clarissa, Lee, Jay and everyone at AMA.
A tremendous thank you to the LSF crew, Wally Adaszick, Ed Dumas, and Jim McCarthy, for all you do! Thanks also to the Tennessee boys and all the volunteers for all their efforts with the winches!
Last but not least, to all my old and new friends (you know who you are) that make this such a wonderful place to come play with gliders. Thank you mi amigos! You're the absolute best!
‘Til next year…blue skies!