Albuquerque Soaring number one in OLC Cross-country League

September 1, 9:11 PMAlbuquerque Soaring ExaminerConnie Buenafe

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Jim Cumiford posing with his ASW-27 ‘Red X’.
Photo courtesy of Diana Roberts

We're number one!

Sunday, August 30, was the last day of League competition in the 2009 Online Contest (OLC).  In the fiercely contested USA League, Albuquerque Soaring clinched the number one spot with 572 points edging out Warner Springs who finished second with 536 points and Tucson Soaring who finished third with 556 points.

The USA teams swept the Worldwide League with Albuquerque Soaring again finishing first with 599 points. Tucson Soaring took second with 452 points and Warner Springs claimed the number three spot with 448 points.

The On-Line Contest (OLC) is the world’s largest decentralized cross-country soaring contest. Any soaring pilot with a flight recorder can compete from anywhere in the world by uploading flight data via an internet gateway. Flights are scored quickly and appear in the ranking immediately. No previous flight declaration is required. Groups of pilots can join together and compete as a team. In 2009, 1067 teams representing 29 countries have uploaded flights.

Bill Hill and Diana Roberts with the Bill’s Discus 2 , ‘Zulu’.
Photo Courtesy of Diana Roberts

Leagues are scored using a round based formula-one scoring. The 2009 season consisted of nineteen rounds (weekends) beginning April 25 and ending August 30. The task is a 2 ½ hour cross-country sprint. The team score for each round is based on the sum of the fastest handicapped speeds posted by up to three different pilots. Points are awarded based on the number of clubs participating in each round.

Thirteen Albuquerque pilots scored at least one flight in the League competition and that depth of talent definitely contributed to victory. Heavy hitters were Bill Hill (Z) with twelve flights in his Discus 2 and an average speed of 126 km/hr; Chip Garner (CG) in a Discus 2a with eleven flights and an average speed of 123 km/hr; and Jim Cumiford (RX) in the ASW 27 who scored twelve flights for an average speed of 123 km/hr.

Central New Mexico’s famously consistent soaring weather was another factor, allowing the Albuquerque pilots to score in eighteen out of nineteen rounds; with sixteen of those rounds including at least one flight originating at their home field in Moriarty, New Mexico. In fact a total of fourty-seven out of their fifty-two flights originated at Moriarty.

The OLC Classic competition, which runs until the second Monday in October, is still underway. Albuquerque Soaring is currently number one in the USA competition and number two worldwide.

Bill Hill is currently number one in the USA in the OLC Speed Championship and number two in the world. Four other Albuquerque pilots are in the top ten worldwide including Chip Garner, James Cumiford, Tim Feager, and Bob Leonard.

For more info: For details on the OLC rules and competition visit http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0.