Starting out the top

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Seems to me, that a safe and fair way to start a glider race is to climb out the top of a start cylinder. To make starting out the top an option that most pilots would choose, the top of the cylinder should be about 1000 to 1500 feet below cloud base and 2000 to 3000 feet above release height. I have been to several contests where the top of the start cylinder has been set very high or unlimited. While a high altitude top of the start cylinder seems to be popular, to me it seems to be unfair to late launchers, often seems to have starters flying very close to the VFR limit below the clouds, and in general placing a lot of gliders close together at the same altitude. I would like to have the opinion of others on this topic.

Bill Snead
6W

[[email protected]]

On Thursday, November 7, 2013 9:29:56 PM UTC-5, wrote:
> Seems to me, that a safe and fair way to start a glider race is to climb out the top of a start cylinder. To make starting out the top an option that most pilots would choose, the top of the cylinder should be about 1000 to 1500 feet below cloud base and 2000 to 3000 feet above release height. I have been to several contests where the top of the start cylinder has been set very high or unlimited. While a high altitude top of the start cylinder seems to be popular, to me it seems to be unfair to late launchers, often seems to have starters flying very close to the VFR limit below the clouds, and in general placing a lot of gliders close together at the same altitude.. I would like to have the opinion of others on this topic. Bill Snead 6W

The contest rules subcomittee has agreed with your description of a fair and safe start and encouraged the adoption of this by contest organizers for quite some time. It gets a bit more complicated when cloud bases are lower.
It adds the interesting complexity of providing the opportunity to make a start based upon soaring conditions as opposed to tactical considerations with respect to other pilots in a gaggle.
UH

[Wallace Berry[_2_]]

In article >,
" > wrote:

> Seems to me, that a safe and fair way to start a glider race is to climb out
> the top of a start cylinder. To make starting out the top an option that
> most pilots would choose, the top of the cylinder should be about 1000 to
> 1500 feet below cloud base and 2000 to 3000 feet above release height. I
> have been to several contests where the top of the start cylinder has been
> set very high or unlimited. While a high altitude top of the start cylinder
> seems to be popular, to me it seems to be unfair to late launchers, often
> seems to have starters flying very close to the VFR limit below the clouds,
> and in general placing a lot of gliders close together at the same altitude.
> I would like to have the opinion of others on this topic.
>
> Bill Snead
> 6W

Lobby your CD and task advisors to set the cylinder height to allow
out-the-top starts. Pretty much all the contests I have flown in the
last few years have had a start height that facilitated starting out the
top.

WB

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[Hartley Falbaum[_2_]]

On Thursday, November 7, 2013 9:29:56 PM UTC-5, wrote:
> Seems to me, that a safe and fair way to start a glider race is to climb out the top of a start cylinder. To make starting out the top an option that most pilots would choose, the top of the cylinder should be about 1000 to 1500 feet below cloud base and 2000 to 3000 feet above release height. I have been to several contests where the top of the start cylinder has been set very high or unlimited. While a high altitude top of the start cylinder seems to be popular, to me it seems to be unfair to late launchers, often seems to have starters flying very close to the VFR limit below the clouds, and in general placing a lot of gliders close together at the same altitude. I would like to have the opinion of others on this topic.
>
>
>
> Bill Snead
>
> 6W

Rule requiring MSH to be at least 3500 AGL needs revisiting. Too restrictive in the South!
Thanks

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On Friday, November 8, 2013 10:53:22 AM UTC-6, Hartley Falbaum wrote:
> On Thursday, November 7, 2013 9:29:56 PM UTC-5, wrote:
>
> > Seems to me, that a safe and fair way to start a glider race is to climb out the top of a start cylinder. To make starting out the top an option that most pilots would choose, the top of the cylinder should be about 1000 to 1500 feet below cloud base and 2000 to 3000 feet above release height. I have been to several contests where the top of the start cylinder has been set very high or unlimited. While a high altitude top of the start cylinder seems to be popular, to me it seems to be unfair to late launchers, often seems to have starters flying very close to the VFR limit below the clouds, and in general placing a lot of gliders close together at the same altitude. I would like to have the opinion of others on this topic.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Bill Snead
>
> >
>
> > 6W
>
>
>
> Rule requiring MSH to be at least 3500 AGL needs revisiting. Too restrictive in the South!
>
> Thanks

Changing "shall" to "should" be at least 3500 is on the agenda.