advance report: Lead & Sweep with FidoDido

[FidoDido]

We all met at the deflation point at 7:30am.

Unfortunately Rene couldn't make it. I hope he feels better by then.

As all knows that Lead & Sweep is bit different than any other advance trip, so I have given the breifing and mission was given to the team.

And my part was finished

Each driver will post his report as continue of this post.


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[FALCON]

First of all I would like to thank you FIDODIDO for organising the trip

First part (Newbie)
Trip report FALCON_83
Lead and sweep

All drivers met on time at point 3 08:40
in sweihan .

I took the convoy from Bhavesh
It was a Newbie trip from point 3 to point 4
After i go through the safety briefing and discuss all the mandatory stuff and the risks on the desert
I checked the Offroad and safety equipment
I set the convoy order as follow
Mark was my second leads
Amr was the 3rd Car
Bhavesh was official sweeper

We start playing and having some fun and enjoining the view of the golden dunes
We have one stuck on the face crest but it was a hard one for a Newbie
Bhavesh did the recovery in excellent and safe way
We continued playing around the area and we had break in between checked with the drivers if everything goes well
All drivers Did a great job
I hope you guys enjoyed the track and hope to see you again in the dunes .

—————————————————————

Second part (Intermediate )
Trip report FALCON_83
Lead and sweep

From point 7 to point 8
I go through the safety briefing and discussing about side sloping and how to control the car without fighting gravity and how to get the momentum in correct place not the speed

I set the convoy order
Bhavesh was my second lead
Amr 3rd car
Mark was sweeper

We started with the small dunes with smooth side sloping after watching the convoy and how they r controls the cars in a great way I increased the level for a bigger dunes and longer side sloping
Everyone was doing very well

We finished the trip in point 8 safely with a big smile

Thanks everyone for joining the trip hope you guys enjoyed
And I hope to see u again

[loefflmj1]

Lead and Sweep (August 30 - Mtg Time 730am at Deflation Waypoint N24.314684 and E55.418765)
My first Lead and Sweep trip! Thank you so much FidoDido. We all appreciated your well planned and very informative trip, learning by doing, I like that. After deflation, briefing held and my fellow future Leaders and I understood our mission and objectives. Eight waypoints, each of us to do two trips, one Newbie and one Intermediate, while rotating all three positions (Lead, Second Lead and Sweep). I volunteered for first trip at the Intermediate level and after correctly adding Waypoint #1 to my GPS thanks to learning how to "share" the coordinates with my teammate Bhavesh, we were on our way...

AD4x4 Trip #1 – Deflate to Waypoint #1
Date: 30-Aug-2019
Time: 8:00am – 8:20am
Level: Intermediate

We all met essentially ontime and ready for our adventure in the sands of Sweihan. Introductions and Safety briefing were held where I focused on safety and having fun. A short demonstration of the Do’s and Dont’s of slide sloping was provided. After setting the proper radio channel, convoy order and radio check we were all moving, Yalla. The convoy order was Lead (Loefflmj1), Second Lead (Falcon), Amr, and Sweeper (Bhav). The convoy moved well, the team worked well together ensuring good communication with encouragement for both good skills as well as areas of improvement. During break, we all discussed the drive to make sure everyone was comfortable. I know this Leader learned a lot for example that the first few minutes of any trip are the most important and to take a minute to evaluate the drivers right away. We reached Waypoint #1 on time and safely.

Thank you everyone for making my first Intermediate trip lead successful and safe. Amr – you did a great job, your skills of side sloping are improving. Remember don’t fight gravity? Thank you for listening well, we could all tell you are eager to learn. Thank you Falcon and Bhav for your support.

Mark


AD4x4 Trip #2 – Waypoint 3 to Waypoint 4
Date: 30-Aug-2019
Time: 10:00am
Level: Newbie

We all met at the deflation point (Loefflmj1, Falcon, Bhavesh and FidoDido) in Sweihan where the safety briefing was held. We went over the objective and details of the trip ahead. This was a Newbie trip so I ensured Amr had all the right safety and recovery gear. Thank you Amr for being so well prepared! We set the convoy order, performed the radio check and off we went.
Lead: Loefflmj1
Second Lead: Bhav
FidoDido
Sweeper: Falcon

The first thing we did was to search for the perfect straight-cresting dunes to coincide with FidoDido’s Newbie level and trip # (I believe it was 4 under his belt). After ensuring and evaluating the skills of our mid-level Newbie, a discussion was held to make sure we all felt comfortable with the speed and pace of the trip. And that is when the adventure began. We were immediately faced with a series of fences blocking our path to our destination. We worked well as a team to try and overcome our obstacles, however, we found ourselves boxed in a little. Fortunately our Newbie Amr had just only recently been to this area of Sweihan and remembered where the gates/gaps in the fence were. Thumbs up to our quick thinking Newbie! After that excitement we were able to make it safely to Waypoint 4.

Thanks guys for all your support on only my second time as Trip Leader, but first one as a Newbie trip. Great job second lead and Sweeper, thanks for information during our consultations. Excellent job Amr! I see two stars coming your way soon. 
Mark
++++++++++++++++++++

Thanks FidoDido! Really appreciate the time and attention you took with us future "Newbie" Leaders.
Mark

[Cannonball]

Hi Guys,

when I read this, I am very sorry that I missed this one. I hope that I will be able to join the next one Fido is organising. See you soon.

Chris

[Bhav]

FidoDido set for us some target points in Sweihan. Each of us were challenged to lead one Newbie trip and one Intermediate trip from one point to another in precisely 20 minutes (not more and not less) with FidoDido as our typical Newbie/Intermediate driver.

In each 20 minute slot, Mark, Ahmed and I were tasked with leading/sweeping Newbie and Intermediate drives. This included setting out trip objectives, full briefings, safe driving methods, convoy order, communication, judging the convoy’s driving skill/level and time management.

The objective of Newbie drive was to practice straight cresting and the objective of Intermediate drive was to practice side slopping on large dunes. In both cases, our Newbie/Intermediate driver, FidoDido, had to be kept happy while he continued to throw additional challenges and considerations during each drive.

The drives themselves were smooth over different terrains; some places being a bit too difficult for a Newbie. The beauty about such situations was that decisions were made jointly as a team.

This trip was an eye opener on leading and managing convoys (Newbie and Intermediate convoys in particular) instead of just driving. It was a chance for the three of us to prepare for our next level.

Thanks to FidoDido for arrange this trip. He drove surprisingly well as a Newbie and an Intermediate. And to my fellow leaders to be: Great job!

[Bhav]

Trip Report: Point 2 to Point 3 – Intermediate

During the safety briefing, emphasis was given to everything in the car to be tied down, secured and all drivers/passengers to be belted in. All drivers were reminded to approach each dune at the right angle and speed to side slop from one end to another. Drivers were also reminded to steer down the slope as soon as traction or momentum was lost.

We started moving from a high point, trying to find large dunes to practice side slopping. Unfortunately, we did not manage find any in the direction of our destination; we would have had to go a fair way in for the bigger dunes where we would have lost time. Never-the-less, we managed to find a dune where we practiced some side sloping one by one.

Despite my efforts, this drive turned out to be more at Newbie level. However, we reached our destination in 20 minutes precisely.

The convoy was as follows:
Leader: Bhav
Second Lead: Ahmed. You are great in analyzing my track and changing it when appropriate. You kept the convoy informed all the time and guided Amr clearly without any incident. You slowed me down when you felt I was going too fast. Fantastic support!
Great Driver: Amr (3rd car). Well what can I say for driving in 2WD? You drove confidently with good control of the car (despite 2WD). Well done! … But try using 4WD next time.
Sweeper: Mark. You kept the convoy informed on what was going on in the back. Thank you for keeping the convoy intact throughout!


Trip Report: Point 4 to Point 5 – Newbie

It was getting hot by now, but a full briefing was given where keeping a safe distance was emphasized to allow the driver in front space for second tries.

We started moving from a tight spot into a more open area for practicing some straight cresting. After several crest, we hit a particular large and sharp one. After going over it myself, I requested each driver to try individually. The consensus was that this crest was too difficult. And it was difficult indeed because Ahmed tried it and got stuck. Recovery was done my Mark with Amr watching and learning.

We reached our destination at Al Nuqra Dune. It was hot and prayer time for approaching.

The convoy was as follows:
Leader: Bhav
Second Lead: Mark. You made a wise decision not to follow me one the crest where Ahmed got stuck. Great judgement!
Great Driver: Amr (3rd car). Steady and smooth driving with no second tries. Well done!
Sweeper: Ahmed. Very good move to try the dune next after me. I think it may have saved us some time and effort dealing with more stucks. Excellent support!

[FidoDido]

Hi Guys,

when I read this, I am very sorry that I missed this one. I hope that I will be able to join the next one Fido is organising. See you soon.

Chris

We missed you too. Keep your eyes on the portal. Another one to come


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