Tag Team Glider Contest

Based on several years of experience racing sailplanes, Bob Eli and I
have been working on the rules for a new type of sailplane competition.
The basic idea is to have two pilots fly one sailplane as a team on a
single soaring afternoon.

We hope that this format will bring new people into the sport of
sailplane racing. Specifically, this format should appeal to people
who do not have a crew. Since all the cross country tasks will all be
pilot option speed tasks, the contest should also appeal to pilots who
don't like to be sent on tasks selected by a competition director.
Further, since the competitors tow and run the contest, it will not be
necessary for non competitors to expend their free time running these
glider contests.

The format of the competition is designed so that the competitors can
fly, tow, and run the contest. By allowing two pilots to fly one
glider, it is expected that camaraderie and fun will be encouraged.

A system of easily transferred generic turnpoints has been developed
for these contests. The turnpoints are always the same distance and
bearing from the contest site. A spreadsheet has been developed where
once the home turnpoint's coordinates have been entered into the
spreadsheet, the computer will calculate all the other turnpoint's
coordinates automatically. Since the competitors will run the contest
and bring their own tow planes, it will be easy to move the contest
from site to site on short notice. It is envisioned that a competition
site committee will select the site to be flown on the Thursday before
the contest is due to be held on the following Saturday and Sunday.
Sites can be selected where the ground is dry and the possibility of
soaring is great.

A local flying task has also been developed to allow competition in
very weak weather.

A set of preliminary rules have been written. If you would like to
review the rules and suggest changes contact me at . I
will e-mail you a set of rules. If we can interest a few pilots, Bob
Eli and I would like to start flying these contests with a small group
of contestants at various sites in Texas.

Bill Snead