CONDOR

The WeakWX ('Weak Weather') server is now running from 04:00 to 01:45 GMT, 7 days a week!

The flightplans in the WeakWX server's rotation will always follow the criteria:

Can be completed within one hour.

Challenging weather conditions, eg:
-Low cloudbase
-Weak thermals
-Blue thermals (very few / no cumulus clouds)
-Headwinds
-Decaying conditions
-Dead zones (low thermal activity) in the task

Current Task Rotation

Open Season 81km 45-50min Difficult
Pay attention to the terrain and consider how it and the wind will affect you.

Blue Thunder 59km 40-45min Moderate
Moderately spaced, weak thermals and quite blue.

Transition 63km 50-55min Difficult
Pay close attention to the terrain along the task.

Blame the Terrain 64km 45-50min Moderate
Strong thermals, but the low inversion may cause problems in the lowlands.

Old Tasks (not in current rotation)

No Low Saves 64km 45-50min Moderate
To force pilots to stay in a realistic height band, a penalty zone is in force. Stay over 240m / 800ft AGL to avoid 'low save' penalty zone. (Final glide is still safe!)

True Blue 59km 40-45min Moderate
A few scattered cumulus to start off with, but the bulk of this short task is flown 'in the blue'.

Return to Sender 79km 40-45min Moderate
An out and return in moderate conditions.

Low Slow Ridge 58km 35-40min Difficult
Weak ridge, 900m max start.

Low Inversion Triangle 18m 79km 50-55min Moderate
Strong thermals, but a low inversion makes for a tricky start.

Out of the Blue 54km 35-40min Moderate
Plentiful blue thermals and a light headwind. Stay high!

Lowland Scratch 60km 45-50min Difficult
Weak thermals, low cloudbase and a variable SE wind. One or two good climbs needed, pick them carefully!

Blue Monday 59km 45-50min Moderate
Blue thermals and a light headwind. Stay high!

Weak November Triangle 58km 50-55min Difficult
2pm start on a weak November day. Be quick, get high and stay high!

Weak Ridge Struggle 92km 1hr15 - 1hr30 Difficult
Weak thermals, low cloudbase and a variable SE wind. Will the ridge work?

All tasks use Cadfael's incredible Slovakia 4.0.

If you have a task you'd like hosted please submit it here or on Condor Club and I'll add it to the rotation.

Please fly carefully in this server! The server logs show a worrying mortality rate so far!

Hi Staylo,
Your server give me the "Host not found" reply

Thanks JEP, not sure why the problem happened but a restart fixed it.

I'll be taking Weak Ridge Struggle ('Variable Ridge' on CondorClub) out of rotation at the end of this week as the best times are currently around the 1hr 17min mark - I must have mistaken it for one that I had test flown! Many apologies.

It's entertaining to see the resourceful approaches to Blue Monday using the nearby terrain - see Condor Club submitted results. I'll leave this one in the rotation for now (I want to see if someone can beat the record!) but will replace it in January with another blue task - with a limited start height!

Getting host not found now

Thanks for the alert - very strange! Seems the server has been running fine all day but nobody has been able to connect. I've closed it for now and will see if it fixes itself on the next reboot.

Lowland Scratch has replaced Weak Ridge Struggle, the server logs show a lot of people struggling but several have completed it in good time; well done to them!

Weak November Triangle is the real problem child; I completed it once at 75kph or so with a hop-over-the-hedge-at-50kts finish, but the server logs are full of outlandings and people giving up. I just joined the server to check that it was possible and ended up in a field, but watched KN soar through the task at a very nice 83.7kph despite a ridiculously late (~14:40) start. So it is possible!

Getting "Host not found" on your server.


PML

Sorry for the constant connection problems (no-one could connect again today), I've still not been able to pin down the cause but will carry on trying.

A few changes in the task rotation today:

Out of the Blue has replaced the very similar Blue Monday; almost identical conditions but in a different valley and with a max start height this time Expect more complicated, difficult blue tasks in future.

Low Slow Ridge has been added, as the name suggests it's a ridge 'race' (more of a training session) in very marginal conditions. Despite this there's enough lift around that I've classified it as an 'easy' ridge race (may be optimistic!) At any speed, it's a very scenic tour of a nice section of the Slovakia scenery.

Weak November Triangle has been removed; there were just too few climbs available and the outcome was too dependent on when you joined the server (unless you were very lucky). Lesson learned!

Connection problems should now be permanently fixed

New task: Return to Sender has replaced Lowland Scratch in the rotation.

I'm thinking of the following this general rule in future, in order to decrease the total time spent at the computer to complete a task:

-Air start, generally at max start height - 300m (1000ft)
-15 minute join time
-1 min from end of join time to race start
-20 minute start window

Would any users of the server object to this (esp. air starts?)

Thanks Staylo, I believe you have made a good decision! I like to connect to servers and tasks that do not take too long to complete.

And thanks for making good task in my opinion. They are short, doesnt take too long, but still you need a few thermals to complete. Instead of long tasks with looooong glides and strong thermals, you have a little less glide time and weaker thermals. Lots of decisions to make, the wind factor is definitely one to take into consideration.

I like your tasksetting! Thanks for hosting!


PML

Thanks, Termikk! And thanks for reminding me about the wind component, that's something I should make more use of when setting tasks.

I just did the ridge in 32min38sec. Is there any page with results. I have no idea if its good or bad. I took it quite conservatively.

Ahh.. found it
http://www.condor-club.eu/besttimes/0/?id=1630

Well done cruiser, that was a nice time Lots of people have been cursing Low Slow Ridge, but the lift is there, you just have to know where to look for it!

On that note, True Blue has replaced Out of the Blue. This is the first 'proper' blue task on WeakWX - there's cumulus at the start but you're advised not to rely on it!