On 16 feb, 23:40, "HL Falbaum" wrote:
"Ian Cant" wrote in message

... The perennial contest finish argument is always entertaining.
May I, as an ignorant bystander, ask a related question
without being strafed too much ? If a finisher has
the energy for a fast low pass and then pullup to a
safe pattern, how much time along the course was spent
to acquire that energy to be dissipated after the task
is over ? Seems to me that there must be some points
loss involved, even if it's small. Except of course
for someone who is sure he has won by a large margin
and will get his 1000 - but even then, there is a points
gain for all the other competitors.

Ian

It appears that nobody has answered Ian's actual question (imagine that?)

The height gained in the pullup is equivalent to the total energy excess and
the "efficiency" of the glider in the conversion. Figure 90% for an open
classser, and about 85% for a current 15m ship (yeah, it's a W.A.G.) so if
the glider gets 600' on the pullup and has 85% efficiency, he had 705' of
total energy excess. If the last thermal was 4kt, then it took 1.76 min
extra to climb. If points are about 8/ min, then it cost about 14 points! If
running a street it gets a lot more complex as the streets are not uniform.

It is seldom so simple, as, unless the air is dying ahead, one must have the
power of prophecy to tell what is really going to happen.

Hartley Falbaum
DG800B "KF" USA

I did. Fastest final glide is always glide at McReady, and pull out
all the speed, so stalling, while crossing the finish line. If you
assume a minimum finish height this is way more efficient then
screaming along and probably not thát much unsafer.