On Sunday, October 20, 2019 at 8:55:36 PM UTC-4, Roy B. wrote:
As I recall, the years following the 1973 gasoline crisis resulted in major changes to contest tasking which were intended to result in higher percentages of the field finishing the task. Before that, crews would go out on course, find a high spot to set up the radio antenna, and wait for instructions from their pilot. That never happened much again after 1974 or so.
ROY

Yes. Actually, finding a high spot and waiting was a refinement. If you go back far enough, crews would often drive around trailing their pilot to be there in case of an early landing/relight (when those were allowed) and faster retrieves for distance tasks (that often ended way out in the boonies, when those were popular).

I also recall that sometime after that, a few guys started showing up without crews. I remember thinking "how inconsiderate; how can they do that?" at the time. This was before higher completion ratios, tow-out gear, self rigging equipment, easy-load water ballast systems, etc. In the past 15 years, I've had a crew with me only a couple of times. I still gulp before a big contest and try to make sure there are a few other crewless pilots I know well enough with whom I can enter into a mutual retrieval pact, recognizing that landouts aren't nearly so common today.

I think we should keep in mind in our zeal to prepare a handful of top pilots for the Worlds that anything that starts to nudge the completion ratio down, be it more aggressive tasking or greater use of assigned tasks in uncertain weather will almost certainly lead to lower attendance at contests. Given the declining figures for almost all classes, we can ill afford that.

I'd love to see our team perform better against the rest of the world and it's an admirable goal. I remember the sense of pride and satisfaction when A.J. Smith, George Moffat, and Doug Jacobs triumphed. I flew against all those guys and they were world champions! How cool! But if I have to bring a crew along, I won't be flying as many contests in the future. And I suspect I'm not the only one. I'm 68 so you might say that won't be an issue for too long. But reading JJ's posting inspires me to think I could still be doing this for many years, despite having no time in the B-29.

Chip Bearden
JB