Wednesday started nicely, got right on up near 5000 feet after tow to 2000, and decided to try to fly a declared course of 50 miles, a loop remaining within 10 miles of the airport.
Plan, go west, north, east, south, and back to the airport area. Try to go past the center of the circles for more "points". Hitting the circle is sufficient for it to score.
Sometimes you have to wander off course to find some air to keep you up.
Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the southern point, as that would have put a building rain area between there and the finish.
Headed south, the next target was that light area on the left, a trailer park in the middle of nowhere with a blue swimming pool in its center, and the next target (finish) just offscreen to the right.
There's rain headed toward my path. The windspeed is low, but sometimes the storm will grow and expand quickly (this one did), so I chickened out. Gotta have an eye on the weather when you're depending on it to stay up and stay safe.
Got to play up high near the rain as it approached the airport (bottom left) 30 minutes later, though.
Get long glides without circling in broad areas of sometimes strong lift under those big clouds. You get to go fast (downhill) as the air tries to pull you on up but you must not allow that. You can either put on some drag to be less efficient and maintain altitude or put on some speed. Speed is usually more fun.
No lighning else I would have already landed.
Can't fly in rain Can't see, and water on the airframe reduces its efficiency quite a bit, maybe 25% or more. You can hear a diiference in the wind noise between wet and dry, and it takes a few minutes to dry out again.
Landed uneventfully a little while later, ads the storm sucked the life out of the surrounding air, shaded the ground for miles, and I couldn't find any more lift to stay up as the whole thing rapidly dissipated.
About the same view as above, and not long after. Lower than desired, but headed toward a safe landing.
Two hours and twenty one minutes, not a bad flight time for a sketchy day.
This summer has been unpredictable. This was the first "distance" flight I've attempted for while, maybe since May.