At 18:49 04 July 2008, wrote:

The most frustrating--to me--
event was where a cadet pilot was ordered to turn back and land at an
airport along with a large number of non-finishers even though,
apparently, he could have completed the task. Whether that was known
at the time or only in hindsight, I don't know, nor do I know the
qualifications of the individual who gave that order.

Most likely the person who gave the order had the only
qualification that really matters in that situation: rank.

They're flying state-of-the-art gliders that are very
expensive--especially in terms of tax payers' dollars.

But relative to the other tax payer financed machines
that the AF flies (and occasionally wrecks) those gliders
are practically free.

No doubt the AF operates under restrictions we don't
realize, and they won't tell us about. Avoiding damage
of any kind is probably more of a Public Relations ploy
than any consideration of expense. Also a CYA
maneuver for whoever commands the glider program.

Back in the day (not so long ago) when the AF cadets
flew 1-26s, I flew in a 1-26 Championships hosted by
the AF Academy in Colorado Springs. The cadets were
hugely impressive guys. As I recall, their officers also
flew some of the contest tasks. And none of them seemed
averse to the occasional landout. Each of their 1-26s had
a little row of emblems below the canopy rail, where a
fighter of 65 years ago might have painted swastikas
to tally shootdowns. In the case of the 1-26s, they were
little Holstein cows. The implication was obvious.

One of the real old-timers in 1-26 racing is Vern Hutchison,
who was in submarines during WWII. I well remember one
late afternoon after the flying when the keg was tapped
and Vern was surrounded by a group of cadets, hanging
on his every word as he told his tales of submarine
combat.

[BTW, that contest was one the rare, perhaps unique,
glider meets that started with a low pass down the
contest runway by a formation of four f-16s, just for
us. We appreciated the gesture.]

Jim Beckman