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Old July 11th 15, 06:48 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Frank Whiteley
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Posts: 2,099
Default When is too many at a glider meet



"2G" wrote in message
...

Boy, is this a tough crowd!

For the record, the number of 80 entrants was from someone participating in
the event, but they expected some no-shows. So I do not apologize for that
information.

Second, I didn't make a "thinly veiled" criticism of the event, I DIRECTLY
criticized it!

Third, calling me a "troll" or an "asshole" or whatever is childish and
reflects much more on the author than myself. Get real, try being an adult
for a change!

Finally, only one of you, indirectly, addressed the original question: how
many is too many? Having an efficiently run organization has ABSOLUTELY
NOTHING to do with this issue!! That only means the gliders are launched
faster; once they are in the air the event organizer is out of the picture.
Most of you guys are trying to defend Bruno - that IS NOT the issue! The
issue is how many gliders can a site accommodate safely. And the Big Sky
theory is BUNK! You get a marginal day and that theory is out the window.
And on good days it is bunk as well; lift organizes itself into streets that
pilots fly at high speed at each other.

Safety just doesn't seem to be a high priority here - one of my detractors
here has been "disinvited" from an airport for repeated unsafe flying
practices.

Okay, fire away, I can take it.

Tom

This was an SSA sanctioned air meet, though not a ranking competition. The
SSA sanction limit of 65 was in effect as well as the SSA pilot waivers and
insurance requirements. As I approved this sanction, I did take time to
verify attendance with the organizers following your original post.

As to how many gliders are too many for a particular venue, there are some
sensible things to consider before entertaining a waiver above the sanction
limit. There are also sensible reasons to set a lower limit. These
organizers have the upcoming Logan Mountain Flying Camp and have set a limit
of 40 for this sanctioned event.

I think there are a few housekeeping items the SSA needs to consider
regarding the sanctions of OLC/XC and other themed camps, just to clarify
the sanction boundaries and requirements.

Regards,

Frank Whiteley
SSA Director, Region 9
970-330-2050 7am-10pm MDT