At 17:48 23 June 2005, Bob Kuykendall wrote:
[Warning: starts on-topic but heads for a trip through
the weeds]



However, you don't have to look too far to see an alternate
future in
which this is not the case. Suppose, for a moment,
that it becomes
fashionable to gamble on the outcome of certain soaring
contests.
Prizes and incentives are offered for winning. Competitive
performance
becomes not just a matter of pride and prestive, but
of serious
financial gain. Serious racing sailplanes get smaller
and lighter.
Comfort and crashworthiness yields to performance.
Pilots are hired
guns, and though they obviously have some voice in
matters of safety,
it is not a loud voice against the background of finances,
sponsorship,
media coverage, and commercial patronage. In order
to call yourself a
national champion or even a national contender, you'd
have to rise to
an entirely new level of risk exposure.

Let me be the first to admit that this is a pretty
out-there vision of
the future of contest soaring. I do not think it is
likely we'll see it
come to pass. I do not wear that kind of tinfoil beanie.
However, I do think it merits some thinking on. What
would such a
future mean for the rest of the soaring world? More
media attention?
More money and participation? More regulation and restriction?

Thanks, and best regards to all

Bob K.
http://www.hpaircraft.com/hp-24

Bob,

Its all fantasy land but I think that if a lot of money
came into competitive gliding the pressures towards
safer structures would increase rather than decrease.
Look at the survivabilty of those tiny F1 racing car
'fuselages' that have strengthened steadily as the
money in the sport has grown (they do race sometimes
- albeit not at Indianapolis). As competitors in sport
get better paid they value themselves more rather than
less.

John Galloway