In article
,
Guy Byars wrote:


I think the most dangerous time during a soaring contest is when the
CD changes the task after all the pilots have launched. I can imagine
every pilot in the contest flying blindly with his head down, and eyes
glued to a computer as he scrolls and pokes the screen trying to enter
the new task.

Oooh! Man, I hate having to enter a new task in flight. Very scary.
Somewhat better if a dump or alternate task is agreed upon before launch
so it can be pre-loaded into the computer. That has it's risks as well.
At a recent race, I forgot to switch back to the primary task after
entering the alternate. I was half way around the course when I realized
I was flying the alternate task. It was a little late by then to
re-start, so I just went on to the primary task first turnpoint and flew
the correct task. Made for a long, strange looking first leg on the
flight trace!