Results for Day 1 - 25 February 2006
| Rego | Who | Actual km/h | km/h after handicap |
|---|---|---|---|
| FQK | Craig | 87.35 | 88.22 |
| IUS | Robbo | 83.2 | 81.5 |
| AE | Gav | 58.5 | 62 |
| ZAW | Keith | 50 | 59 |
| QH | Cath | Outland | |
| MU | Pete P | Flew course but no logger | |
| XJB | Phil | Flew course but no logger | |
| IUI | John | DNS | |
| HP | Greg | ?? | |
Day 1 was set as an assigned area task: Waikerie - south to Copeville (40 km circle) - return via Loxton wheat bunker (20 km circle).
As told by Craig Vinall, who went fastest:
The cloudbase was 4,000 feet over Waikerie before start. This might seem low for a cross country task, however because there were plenty of cumulus it was not hard to find the next thermal. Fortunately so, because cloudbase lowered to about 3,000 feet towards Copeville.
Returning towards Loxton, lift and Cu were plentiful and the cloudbase rose again to about 4000 feet. However turning towards Waikerie, Craig faced a blue hole, and on the other side, a line of rain showers obscuring Waikerie. Craig gained enough height for final glide towards Kingston, then flew through the rain and landed at Waikerie.
He comments that days like this are very enjoyable. There's no trouble finding lift, and the shorter tasks mean that the whole day is more pleasant than the 40-plus degree days with 10,000 feet.