UK Pilots and OLC

[[email protected]]

Does anyone know the reason why almost no postings are made on the OLC
by British pilots ?
I was watching Wimbledon on TV yesterday and noticed the great looking
skies over England so went to the OLC site to see what good flights
may have been made there - but nothing posted . I lived there myself
at one time and can vouch that occasionally some very good x/c
distances are possible !

ZA.

[Frank Whiteley]

On Jun 29, 8:35*am, " > wrote:
> Does anyone know the reason why almost no postings are made on the OLC
> by British pilots ?
> I was watching Wimbledon on TV yesterday and noticed the great looking
> skies over England so went to the OLC site to see what good flights
> may have been made there - but nothing posted . I lived there myself
> at one time and can vouch that occasionally some very good x/c
> distances are possible !
>
> ZA.

http://www.bgaladder.co.uk/Enquiry.asp

Provincialism

[Cats]

On Jun 29, 5:25*pm, Frank Whiteley > wrote:
> On Jun 29, 8:35*am, " > wrote:
>
> > Does anyone know the reason why almost no postings are made on the OLC
> > by British pilots ?
> > I was watching Wimbledon on TV yesterday and noticed the great looking
> > skies over England so went to the OLC site to see what good flights
> > may have been made there - but nothing posted . I lived there myself
> > at one time and can vouch that occasionally some very good x/c
> > distances are possible !
>
> > ZA.
>
> http://www.bgaladder.co.uk/Enquiry.asp
>
> Provincialism

A very unfair comment. There are many pilots in the UK (and the US as
well I imagine) who don't post flights anywhere, and also the
Wimbledon skies were exceptional for the UK. We rarely have
conditions that can compete with the continent, the US & the southern
hemisphere and there is also a lot of airspace to avoid in the
southern parts of the UK.

However, those that do post have put up some truely exceptional
flights, as a bit of hunting around in the 2007 results will show.

[Frank Whiteley]

On Jun 29, 9:03*pm, Cats > wrote:
> On Jun 29, 5:25*pm, Frank Whiteley > wrote:
>
> > On Jun 29, 8:35*am, " > wrote:
>
> > > Does anyone know the reason why almost no postings are made on the OLC
> > > by British pilots ?
> > > I was watching Wimbledon on TV yesterday and noticed the great looking
> > > skies over England so went to the OLC site to see what good flights
> > > may have been made there - but nothing posted . I lived there myself
> > > at one time and can vouch that occasionally some very good x/c
> > > distances are possible !
>
> > > ZA.
>
> >http://www.bgaladder.co.uk/Enquiry.asp
>
> > Provincialism
>
> A very unfair comment. *There are many pilots in the UK (and the US as
> well I imagine) who don't post flights anywhere, and also the
> Wimbledon skies were exceptional for the UK. *We rarely have
> conditions that can compete with the continent, the US & the southern
> hemisphere and there is also a lot of airspace to avoid in the
> southern parts of the UK.
>
> However, those that do post have put up some truely exceptional
> flights, as a bit of hunting around in the 2007 results will show.

I don't think it's an unfair comment at all, I believe it's a truism
and, in my experience, soaring is rife with it down to the club level
in the US, to a lesser extent in the UK, and doubtless other places
running national sites. It's not intentional, but results from a
variety of subjective decisions or organizational issues. It just is
what is. Yes, many pilots choose to not post their flights, some post
them all, others only post their better flights. The BGA and SGU
national and club ladders are quite popular, so that's become the
venue of focused interest and posting also to the OLC probably seems a
bit of a bother. The concept of a club ladder fell flat at my club in
the US when proposed in the mid-1990's. The OLC is a real boon to us
in the US, lacking any other venue. OLC allows us all to view the
possibilities and to promote our sites and seasons and reward those
that distinguish themselves. I would just ask to post both places.

Frank Whiteley

[Cats]

On Jun 30, 5:01*am, Frank Whiteley > wrote:
<snip>
*The OLC is a real boon to us
> in the US, lacking any other venue. *OLC allows us all to view the
> possibilities and to promote our sites and seasons and reward those
> that distinguish themselves. *I would just ask to post both places.


In the case of my own sites, the two best pilots do post (usually) to
the OLC and what is possible is there for all to see. However, within
the UK I guess people probably do use the BGA ladder - for one thing
IMHO it's rather eaiser to find specifc flights on it. I tried
browsing the OLC last night and couldn't work out how to see anything
beyond flights on a given day - I wanted to see flights from a given
launch point.

[Gavin Short[_2_]]

At 04:01 30 June 2008, Frank Whiteley wrote:
>On Jun 29, 9:03=A0pm, Cats wrote:
>> On Jun 29, 5:25=A0pm, Frank Whiteley wrote:
>>
>> > On Jun 29, 8:35=A0am, " wrote:
>>
>> > > Does anyone know the reason why almost no postings are made on the
>OLC=
>
>> > > by British pilots ?
>> > > I was watching Wimbledon on TV yesterday and noticed the great
>looking=
>
>> > > skies over England so went to the OLC site to see what good
flights
>> > > may have been made there - but nothing posted . I lived there
myself
>> > > at one time and can vouch that occasionally some very good x/c
>> > > distances are possible !
>>
>> > > ZA.
>>
>> >http://www.bgaladder.co.uk/Enquiry.asp
>>
>> > Provincialism
>>
>> A very unfair comment. =A0There are many pilots in the UK (and the US
as
>> well I imagine) who don't post flights anywhere, and also the
>> Wimbledon skies were exceptional for the UK. =A0We rarely have
>> conditions that can compete with the continent, the US & the southern
>> hemisphere and there is also a lot of airspace to avoid in the
>> southern parts of the UK.
>>
>> However, those that do post have put up some truely exceptional
>> flights, as a bit of hunting around in the 2007 results will show.
>
>I don't think it's an unfair comment at all, I believe it's a truism
>and, in my experience, soaring is rife with it down to the club level
>in the US, to a lesser extent in the UK, and doubtless other places
>running national sites. It's not intentional, but results from a
>variety of subjective decisions or organizational issues. It just is
>what is. Yes, many pilots choose to not post their flights, some post
>them all, others only post their better flights. The BGA and SGU
>national and club ladders are quite popular, so that's become the
>venue of focused interest and posting also to the OLC probably seems a
>bit of a bother. The concept of a club ladder fell flat at my club in
>the US when proposed in the mid-1990's. The OLC is a real boon to us
>in the US, lacking any other venue. OLC allows us all to view the
>possibilities and to promote our sites and seasons and reward those
>that distinguish themselves. I would just ask to post both places.
>
>Frank Whiteley
>

Its also a lack of awareness. i have just returned from a 2 week flying
camp in teh Swabishe Alpes in Southern Germany comprising German, Dutch
and British pilots. The British pilots were introduced to OLC and one
signed up immediately. I have been posting on OLC for a couple of years -
A Brit flying with a German club in Belgium.
Gavin
Std Cirrus, CNN now G-SCNN, #173
LSV Viersen, Keiheuvel, Belgium

[[email protected]]

Click on the underlined takeoff location) (launch point) name on any
flight, you get all flights for that point. Same with pilot names...
well, not the same, you get all flights for the pilot. Click on the
"Scoring" menu item to see other choices by club, etc.




On Jun 30, 3:13 am, Cats > wrote:
I tried
> browsing the OLC last night and couldn't work out how to see anything
> beyond flights on a given day - I wanted to see flights from a given
> launch point.

[Tony Clark]

RE : Does anyone know the reason why almost no postings are made on the
OLC by British pilots ? I was watching Wimbledon on TV yesterday and
noticed the great looking skies over England . . . .


I wonder if some of the tratitional British reserve (of say the 1930's)
is still embedded in the British psychology today and has a small
contributary effect to some degree? When I was a teenager in the 1950's
it was still considered "very bad form" for a chap to talk openly in
public about his achievments! It was quite ok for someone else to publish
a description of your achievements, but not you personally. That would be
looked on as 'boasting', which of course was unnaceptable among
gentlemen and considered very much "not the done thing"!

Does some of this way of thinkig still unconsciously run through the veins
of British gentlemen (which of course nearly all UK glder pilots are!)

This is of course said very much tongue-in-cheek. However, possibly . . .

[finalglide]

On Jun 30, 4:12*pm, Tony Clark > wrote:
> RE : Does anyone know the reason why almost no postings are made on the
> OLC by British pilots ? *I was watching Wimbledon on TV yesterday and
> noticed the great looking skies over England . . . .
>
> I wonder if some of the tratitional British reserve (of say the 1930's)
> is still embedded in the British psychology today and has a small
> contributary effect to some degree? When I was a teenager in the 1950's
> it was still considered "very bad form" for a chap to talk openly in
> public about his achievments! It was quite ok for someone else to publish
> a description of your achievements, but not you personally. That would be
> looked on as 'boasting', which of course was unnaceptable among
> gentlemen and considered very much "not the done thing"!
>
> Does some of this way of thinkig still unconsciously run through the veins
> of British gentlemen (which of course nearly all UK glder pilots are!)
>
> This is of course said very much tongue-in-cheek. However, possibly . . .

Speaking as an English gentleman, I post to the BGA Ladder because
that's how my club has always decided the end-of-year awards and
trophies which we typically celebrate in a quiet and reserved manner.
I have yet to win one of these trophies, but that isn't boasting so I
can tell you about it.

On a daily basis it is very common to spend some time at the end of
the flying activities commiserating with those that under achieved in
some way. A typical exchange would be :-

Gentleman Pilot #1 : Golly, I struggled a bit near Ely.
Gentleman Pilot #2 : Oh your poor chap, when I passed there it all
seemed to be working fine. It must have recycled by the time I got
there.

Notice that the possibilities that Pilot #1 goofed up or perhaps was
so far behind Pilot #2 that the day was over by then are not directly
introduced to the conversation and at no time does Pilot #2 suggest
his skills are better than Pilot #1.

As for the skies over Wimbledon, well they are always great looking
because they fall within one of the chunks of sky that UK glider
pilots are not allowed to play in.

And if I were not a gentleman, I would draw your attention to
http://www.fai.org/gliding/rankings/CountryScores.php

Martin

[Peter McKenzie-Brown[_2_]]

By Jove!!

Look at the countries below Ireland! Spain and Portugal both below the
Republic!! Just goes to show that if you can fly in Ireland, when you go
abroad to fly it mst seem too easy! (you could say the same for the UK).
The old adage of ' Train hard, fight easy' seems to be true again.

On another point with regards to the rankings, is it done on your
nationality or country of perminant residence? (being a ex-pat in Eire).

[Peter McKenzie-Brown[_2_]]

By Jove!!

Look at the countries below Ireland! Spain and Portugal both below the
Republic!! Just goes to show that if you can fly in Ireland, when you go
abroad to fly it mst seem too easy! (you could say the same for the UK).
The old adage of ' Train hard, fight easy' seems to be true again.

On another point with regards to the rankings, is it done on your
nationality or country of perminant residence? (being a ex-pat in Eire).