Back into full swing

We are back into full swing today, in great spirits after the great day yesterday. The weather, however, is far from what the predictions yesterday indicated for today. Likely a blue day, with winds of 15-20 kt, and max altitudes rising slowly to 1200-1300 m (3500-3800 ft) under a strong inversion. There are very slim chances of 1/8 Cu to the South, so their tasks have been set as flat triangles in that sector. For Club Class, task A is an AST of 233 Km, quite long in my opinion under these conditions, and task B is a 2:45 hr TAT. We will await for the convective evolution to hear the final call, likely on the grid.

The point spread at the top of the score sheet is very small, and the 100-point spread from the top is now down to 5th place, with rapidly increasing gaps behind that, but this is the kind of day where everything can happen. First launch is currently delayed to 1:00 PM due to the slow-developing convection. More news later on after the take-offs.

Another twist discussed at the pilots briefing this morning is the passage of the Tour de France tomorrow, bringing the cyclists, and associated helicopters, caravans, etc., within 500 m of the airport. This will result in the major road from Issoudun to the airport being closed between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM, and may possibly affect the task possibilities due to the presence of low-flying helicopters. More on that later when the organizers will have discussed more with the Tour organization.