On Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 5:28:36 PM UTC-5, wrote:
I'll throw two cents more into this discussion. I think xc soaring has always been a minority persuite in soaring. The vast majority of soaring pilots do not own their own ships, they are dependant upon club ships. It started this way and it is still this way. That being said, most clubs, with a few exceptions, do not place much emphasis on xc due to the hassle of retrieves etc. thus we get very little 'club' participation in contests. Those guys who own their own ships, for the most part are content to hang around doing local flying for the same reasons, the hassle factor of xc. When we eliminate the club/non owners and the 'happy to fly local/private owners from the pool, their ain't much left for contests.

I think the big stumbling block to the entire situation is the lack of desire to simply fly xc. Lack of a personal machine=inability to go anywhere (for most guys). The issue comes down to DESIRE. A guy who has desire to do something will always find a way and find the cash that fulfill it. If your talking about engendering desire in a prospective contest guy, the 'buddy around a task' approach in a Duo is a helpfull way to go to prompt someone to get involved in contest flying. We need to recognize there is an intimidation factor involved in xc and we have done it to ourselves. Guys see 18 meter ships 40+/1 zipping around a 100km xc on a sunny afternoon and then they look at themselves and think 'man I'm not very good, what if I land out?' We have looked at outlandings as a sign of failure instead of accomplishment! Once we start to engender an understanding that an outlandings is no big deal, a learning experience, and possibly a sign that we took our abilities to the edge of their limits, then guys will be more enthusiastic about going for it.

As for an entrance ramp for guys to get into contest flying, there are plenty as has been demonstrated in earlier posts. I have never been in a contest but I spent five years crewing for my brother in regionals and Nationals back when the Zuni and the asw20 were hot birds. I couldn't afford one of them but I did have access to a Pilates and did a whole bunch of xc flying on my own. You see I already had the DESIRE to go xc and to learn to go faster by watching and flying with those guys at the regionals. I remember one day going xc from Minden down to bishop in the Pilates and running into a bunch of guys flying the last leg of a regional task, flying with John Sinclair. It was the fasted I had ever averaged along the whites. Later that night I had a chance to talk to him and remember him telling me 'oh you were the guy in that red white n blue Pilates, yeh that leg along the whites was pretty slow' . Geese I thought we were screaming along! That one little bit of exposure to contest flying taught me more about efficient xc flying than a whole summer of punking around myself!

Second factor, Let's face it, contest flying is for the most part expensive. Even to engage in sport class flying at a regional, a guy better have at least $1000 bucks in his kitty for travel gas hotel entrance fees, extra tows etc. a guy can fly a whole bunch on $1000 locally.

I have returned to soaring after many years of hiatus, but since I already had the Desire to go xc, that was no problem, cost however was still an issue. I circumvented that by going back to basics. I got involved with the veritable dependable and very affordable 1-26. For under 7k a guy can find an excellent 1-26 and trailer and fly to ones hearts content. Xc IS doable, gold n diamond tasks ARE doable, and landing out IS NOT scary, humiliating or a sign of defeat. In fact it is half the fun of xc. I am prouder of my little 100km flights with a land out on a marginal day than most guys flying around in their glass n getting home. Yes I worked harder, yes I went way way slower, but I know that I made far fewer mistakes than the glass man who has the cushion of performance to cover his ass where if I make a mistake missing one thermal I am down 10 miles from home. I am redoing my badges in my 1-26. 1-26 flying is a measure of the man not the machine.

As for contests in a 1-26, I talked to Wick Wilkerson the pres of the 1-26 assoc, they are waving the entrance fees for anyone who has never flown a contest before and wants to fly in the 1-26 nationals this year. Secondly, a simple logging computer like the old Oudie or nano is all that's needed to fly in their nationals. Thirdly, no matter how ratty or clean your 1-26 is, you are going to be competitive. How's that for an entrance ramp!

I can't think of a better way for anyone with limited soaring experience and a limited budget to get involved in xc and in contest flying.
Sincerely
Dan Nezgoda 1-26 #225

Dan, this is one of the best posts in a very long time.