128 miles!

The first day of the Flytec Race and Rally started off with a bang. 128 mile task straight to Quest. The conditions were great with cloudbase around 6,300 and good solid climbs. I made a new personal best record for distance with this flight. It took almost 41/2 hours to complete and I was quite sore when I landed.

It all started with a weak-link break at 400 feet out of the field. As I turned around to land and relight, I noticed I was in a good thermal. In just a few moments I was climbing through 1,500 feet and on my way. The start circle gaggle flying was intimidating but I executed a perfect start. Right at cloudbase, at the tip of the circle, and leaving a few seconds after 1:00pm.

Some highlights of the flight were a bald eagle thermaling with me, a close encounter with a turbo-prop airliner( I could see the co-pilot looking out the window at me), and I also heard a jet pass over me in the clouds but never saw it. Florida seems to have some fairly busy airspace, especially around Orlando.

I landed just before 5:00pm and felt like I had been beaten with a 2x4. I had to lay on the couch for a while. Quest hooked it up for everyone with a great assortment of snacks and 2 kegs of cold beer. I have some pics from the flight and will try to put them up later. For now, I have to go get ready for another flight to the north. 67 miles nearer to the Florida/Georgia border.