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6/27/08 - Saratoga Springs WHEW! (T. Camp)
10:55 ET - If you ever doubt that this is a race, consider today’s first flight of the day as a reminder. All I can say is WOW! This was the most exhilarating and challenging leg yet. We watched the weather and waited yet again at Franklin. The weather there was no problem but Saratoga Springs will turn out to be the make or break airport for this year’s Classic. Many teams tried to out-run the weather yesterday and had to divert. Other teams got on top of the clouds today but could not maintain VFR to get back down. We decided to stay low and fly under the deck. About 40 miles outside Saratoga Springs the clouds started to close in. We went lower and were flying around 2800—3000 feet AGL and the margins were tight. As Evelyn would focus on the route, I would call out towers and obstructions and look for the “sunny spots” in the sky. At this low level, radar and tower communications were spotty at best and often the Cleveland tower could not hear us and had to rely on visual confirmation by other planes that we were still in the air and safe. Obviously at this altitude and the weather conditions, we did have some minor diversions but at first look we still beat our expected leg time by nearly 15 minutes. That can only mean that we caught a decent tailwind and flew the leg as best as possible given the conditions. We called Saratoga Springs for the approach but ended up lining up with that same tailwind pushing us far down the runway on landing. We were safe, on the ground, and very happy to still be a contender in the race. Now for a break, check the weather and try to get to the finish line. Many teams flew past on to the end, but we wanted full fuel on board for this type of weather - just in case! - More soon. - Teresa
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