Tasks for
Soaring Pilots
Revised 16 March 2000

If you have some tips/ info/ ideas/ etc. that you'd like to share please send them to:
pjkelly @community.net

Overview
A "Task" is a course or set of turnpoints flown by a glider pilot - either announced/ declared prior to the beginning of the task, or flown first, and then declared after the flight is completed.
Each Task has a name, or Task identification - Task ID, and the total number of statute miles and kilometers are shown.

This file lists numerous "tasks" which have been established, at various locations.   Most all glider pilots flying such tasks use a gps navigation system of some kind.  Since each gps records the flight into an electronic file, a record of each flight is normally available.

Please describe a Task in a text file (using Notebook from windows, or something simple) and send in tasks that you think others should try.  Let's start with the "easy" ones.  The ones that follow the most commonly found and usual lines of lift!  If you have flown one of these tasks, tell us the date, how long it took, The speed on course, altitudes flown, etc.  By using a know task for your flight, others will have a better understanding of the locations of your turnpoints, thermals, final glide, etc..

Each task displays the number, name and coordinates of each turnpoint, and in parenths is shown the magnetic course, distance of that leg, and the percentage that leg is of the overall course.

Notice that each task has a start point - other than the departure gliderport.  This is useful so that you can exclude how how long, or how high or how far you were on tow before the start of the task, and we can compare speeds, if we each use the start point, rather than the point of takeoff.

The tasks are arranged by gliderport.  You may click on one here to jump down, or just scroll down to the list below.


The preface to each task will be changed as more info is received from those of you who have flown it.  It would be both helpful and cool is if you would make up a .jpg file (less than 20k in size) of the data logger file vertical profile of you flight - be sure the task points are on the image.  Then I could post it here for others to see and compare.

The purpose of having established tasks is to provide some measure of what is possible.  Some courses appear impossible, while other appear easy.  Doing a 100 kilometer task in early March may be more difficult than doing a 500k task in August - it depends on the weather.
 

Tasks from Williams


Here are a couple of the ten or so tasks made up by Peter Kelly.

--------------------------------------------------
TASK ID = wsc511

511.4 kilometers, landing at Minden.  Since the landing elevation will be 4700 ft MSL, you may tow to 7,000 ft MSL and still be legal for the completion of a 500 k flight without a distance penalty for landing more than 3,000 ft below release altitude.  Lee Halaberg (sp?) did something similar years ago from crazy creek.  This could be refined, but I'd like to keep it at a 500 k flight.  Note that Crater Pk is over by Lassen, not up by Klamath Falls.  Note the format.  Let's use this one, unless you have some better ideas.

TP ID-TP Name  Latitude Longitude  (nowind heading  distance  percent leg is of total course)

213-Goat M14-U2   39:15.900N  122:42.600W
272-Pk5448 -U8    40:33.300N  123:00.150W  (334deg  145.59 km  28.5%)
306-Crater Pk-U7  40:41.850N  121:37.200W  (065deg  117.74 km  23.0%)
505-TruckeeT-R1   39:18.710N  120:08.430W  (124deg  199.04 km  38.9%)
518-Minden -R1    38:59.480N  119:45.050W  (120deg  48.98 km  9.6%)

Total distance = 511.4 km
-------------------------------------------
 

----------------------------------------------------------------
Task ID = wsc332

332 kilometers down the east side of the Sacramento Vly

109-Cortena-E7    39:13.670N  122:12.560W
375-Nevada GV-R5  39:13.600N  121:00.100W  (073ø  104.02 km  31.3%)
379-CamrnPark-R5  38:41.350N  120:59.100W  (162ø  59.78 km  18.0%)
329-Brownsvil-R8  39:27.500N  121:17.900W  (326ø  89.70 km  27.0%)
101-WSC-R1        39:09.800N  122:07.900W  (229ø  78.84 km  23.7%)

Total distance = 332.4 km
----------------------------------------------------
 

----------------------------------------------------------------
Task ID = wsc578

If the Mendicinos are working, this one ought to be fast, since it starts at Walker, goes north-south, and then back to Williams.

205-WalkerRdg-U1  39ø06.000N  122ø29.300W
270-Pk5905 -U9    40ø37.000N  123ø33.600W  (315ø  191.85 km  33.2%)
217-SnowMtn-U6    39ø22.800N  122ø45.350W  (137ø  153.63 km  26.6%)
263-T-15 7755-U8  40ø12.450N  123ø00.500W  (330ø  94.51 km  16.3%)
101-WSC-R1        39ø09.800N  122ø07.900W  (130ø  138.23 km  23.9%)

Total distance = 578.2 km
---------------------------------------------------------
 

Here are eleven sets of Tasks sent in by Gary Kemp, 10 March 2000

They are in Miles - which are probably statute miles.  (Multiply by 1.609 to change to statute miles to kilometers)

I assigned a name to each Task ( a Task ID).  (Each task needs a name if we are going to
refer to it)

They are all at Site WSC428, which I would guess is the database that Gary is using.
 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Site: WSC428
Task ID = nk571.1

101-WSC-R1  39ø09.800N  122ø07.900W
529-R-Ranch  41ø55.180N  122ø34.460W  (000ø 191.86 mi 33.60%)
518-Minden -R1  38ø59.480N  119ø45.050W  (150ø 250.91 mi 43.94%)
101-WSC-R1  39ø09.800N  122ø07.900W  (283ø 128.25 mi 22.46%)

Total Distance = 571.0 mi (918.7 km)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Site: WSC428
Task ID = nk509.2

101-WSC-R1  39ø09.800N  122ø07.900W
527-Callahan  41ø19.090N  122ø48.560W  (354ø 153.11 mi 30.07%)
518-Minden -R1  38ø59.480N  119ø45.050W  (141ø 227.86 mi 44.75%)
101-WSC-R1  39ø09.800N  122ø07.900W  (283ø 128.25 mi 25.19%)

Total Distance = 509.2 mi

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Site: WSC428
Task ID = nk320.7

104-3 Sisters-E6  39ø07.700N  122ø19.500W
356-BessaTwrs-U8  38ø39.500N  122ø11.490W  (174ø 33.26 mi 10.37%)
273-T-13 4826-U9  40ø24.000N  122ø57.500W  (348ø 127.09 mi 39.63%)
356-BessaTwrs-U8  38ø39.500N  122ø11.490W  (168ø 127.09 mi 39.63%)
104-3 Sisters-E6  39ø07.700N  122ø19.500W  (355ø 33.26 mi 10.37%)

Total Distance = 320.7 mi

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Site: WSC428
Task Id = nk143.7

104-3 Sisters-E6  39ø07.700N  122ø19.500W
433-Calistoga-E8  38ø34.900N  122ø34.000W  (206ø 39.95 mi 27.80%)
212-GravlyVly-R4  39ø27.100N  122ø57.000W  (348ø 63.54 mi 44.22%)
104-3 Sisters-E6  39ø07.700N  122ø19.500W  (131ø 40.20 mi 27.98%)

Total Distance = 143.7 mi

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Site: WSC428
Task Id = nk628.9

104-3 Sisters-E6  39ø07.700N  122ø19.500W
527-Callahan   41ø19.090N  122ø48.560W  (358ø 153.44 mi 24.40%)
364-BessaDam-U8  38ø30.900N  122ø06.100W  (176ø 197.28 mi 31.37%)
275-Weavervil-R2  40ø45.000N  122ø56.000W  (351ø 160.64 mi 25.54%)
101-WSC-R1  39ø09.800N  122ø07.900W  (166ø 117.56 mi 18.69%)

Total Distance = 628.9 mi (1011.9 kilometers)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Site: WSC428
Task ID = nk642.7
 

104-3 Sisters-E6  39ø07.700N  122ø19.500W
529-R-Ranch   41ø55.180N  122ø34.460W  (003ø 193.31 mi 30.08%)
356-BessaTwrs-U8  38ø39.500N  122ø11.490W  (182ø 226.24 mi 35.20%)
273-T-13 4826-U9  40ø24.000N  122ø57.500W  (348ø 127.09 mi 19.77%)
101-WSC-R1   39ø09.800N  122ø07.900W  (160ø 96.06 mi 14.95%)

Total Distance = 642.7 mi (1034.1 kilometers)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Site: WSC428
Task ID = nk218.3

Good if valley is working.  start is overhead the field.  It would be better to have a different start point.  benton is up near Redding.  Going to Paradise is good because the west side of the valley often dies out with zero lift, while the east side is still looking good with cu's based at 5  to 6 thousand, and although you may be bucking a headwind coming back to WSc from the norhteast, there are lots of options for emergency landing sites.

101-WSC-R1   39ø09.800N  122ø07.900W
302-Benton-R2   40ø34.500N  122ø24.500W  (359ø 98.63 mi 45.18%)
320-Paradise-R4  39ø42.580N  121ø36.980W  (152ø 72.97 mi 33.43%)
101-WSC-R1   39ø09.800N  122ø07.900W  (223ø 46.70 mi 21.39%)

Total Distance = 218.3 mi

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Site: WSC428
Task ID = nk201.6

101-WSC-R1   39ø09.800N  122ø07.900W
433-Calistoga-E8  38ø34.900N  122ø34.000W  (217ø 46.50 mi 23.07%)
254-AnthnyM5-U9  39ø51.100N  122ø57.500W  (354ø 90.22 mi 44.76%)
101-WSC-R1   39ø09.800N  122ø07.900W  (144ø 64.84 mi 32.17%)

Total Distance = 201.6 mi

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Site: WSC428
Task Id = nk213.3

101-WSC-R1  39ø09.800N  122ø07.900W
272-Pk5448 -U8  40ø33.300N  123ø00.150W  (342ø 106.67 mi 50.00%)
101-WSC-R1  39ø09.800N  122ø07.900W  (161ø 106.67 mi 50.00%)

Total Distance = 213.3 mi

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Site: WSC428
Task Id  NK143.7

This is doable but it is a tough one because the weather would be different than the normal pattern.  Going up to Gravely Vly from Calistoga is tough.  Going south to Bessa towers would be easier than going up to Gravelly, besides there are very few places to land out by Pillsbury Lake.

104-3 Sisters-E6  39ø07.700N  122ø19.500W
433-Calistoga-E8  38ø34.900N  122ø34.000W  (206ø 39.95 mi 27.80%)
212-GravlyVly-R4  39ø27.100N  122ø57.000W  (348ø 63.54 mi 44.22%)
104-3 Sisters-E6  39ø07.700N  122ø19.500W  (131ø 40.20 mi 27.98%)

Total Distance = 143.7 mi

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Site: WSC428
Task Id = nk104.2

You need to release at Williams, and work your butt off to get over to, and climb up the hills - a daunting task. This could be the 'ole milk run (if the day is good). Take a mountain tow over by walker or indian vly ranch, then climb to over 8,000 msl and hardly ever get out of gliding range of the gliderport.  However, doing a mountain tow, cuts the miles down by 17 miles or so, because you are no longer starting (getting off tow) at Williams.

A better run for a mountain tow would be to have the start at Goat, or Letz Lake, north to Alder Springs, south to Walker, then back to WSC.  That would be a good run for a silver badge pilot for the first time in the mountains.

101-WSC-R1   39ø09.800N  122ø07.900W
213-Goat M14-U2  39ø15.900N  122ø42.600W  (290ø 31.75 mi 30.48%)
250-AldrSprgs-U8  39ø38.730N  122ø43.730W  (005ø 26.31 mi 25.26%)
101-WSC-R1   39ø09.800N  122ø07.900W  (143ø 46.11 mi 44.27%)

Total Distance = 104.2 mi
-----------------------------------------------
 
 

Tasks from Crazy Creek
 

Tasks from Truckee
 
 



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pjkelly @community.net

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