On Wednesday, 14 April 2021 at 04:46:05 UTC+1, 5Z wrote:

Actually, the OLC has created a rule to "penalize" motorglider pilots in the speed league. One must begin a soaring flight within 15 km of the takeoff airport.

At California City we would often tow to the hills about 20 km away, so had to remember to come back within 15km after getting some altitude in order to score. Folks at Williams, CA, tow much farther, so don't get to compete in the sped league.

5Z

I find that a strange rule. It certainly should not differentiate between motor gliders and pure gliders - pure glider pilots can and do tow to remote start points. But why differentiate between a pilot who tows or motors to a better soaring location, and a pilot who trailers the glider nearer to the better soaring and launches from a closer airport?

Having said that, anecdotally I will mention a friend who motored upwind in his ASG 31 before soaring conditions started, and finished downwind, in a successful attempt to achieve the UK Free 3 turnpoint distance record. Very creative, but it could have been done with an aerotow. Incidentally, he dropped out of a competition in order to attempt the record flight.

I just looked at the list of UK record holders. Of 19 records achieved since 2000, every one was achieved in a motorglider. I think that is more of a reflection of the gliders record breakers buy than of their mindset. In several cases the pilots were setting records in pure gliders before they bought motor gliders.

Mark Burton