Dumping ballast in a gaggle, bad etiquette or poor sportsmanship?

I fly glider with an old wortman airfoil, it hates getting wet. Its'
sinkrate goes up considerably, and I've even felt the whole glider
rumble when flying in rain.

At a recent contest I was flying in very weak "survival" conditions
and was very happy to find a 1.3 knot thermal. I started climbing then
thought I lost the thermal, then I noticed that my canopy was getting
wet. Then I looked up and another glider came into the thermal I found
above me, then dumped his ballast on me.
My canopy and wings were soaked and I circled 3-4 more times waiting
for everything to dry off I did not gain much altitude after getting
wet.

The pilot later kindly apologized and explained that his ballast dump
speed is very slow and did not know it was still draining.

The next day in the pre-start gaggles I was near the bottom [with other
gliders at my altitude so I don't think it is a personal attack] and
2-3 other gliders dumped their ballast while in obviously big gaggles.

Is dumping ballast on your competitors acceptable? I don't recall
seeing anything in the US race rules about it, but as the recipient I
can tell you I don't appreciate it.
I've always tried to make sure nobody was below me when I drop water
ballast.

When I'm struggling to stay aloft and someone doubles my sink rate it
makes me ask: Dumping ballast in a gaggle, bad etiquette or poor
sportsmanship?

Chris

From the Sailplane Racing Association's "The SRA Guide to Soaring
Competition", 2005 v 5.2 edition:

"If you decide to dump ballast, you must not do so in a thermal, unless
you are *certain* [original italicized] you are below all other
gliders: wetting down other pilots' wings is considered very bad form.
Be sure to know how long it takes to dump ballast, and start to do so
in plenty of time before landing."

I'd report the offending contest IDs to the CD, if nothing else.

~ted/2NO

Are you sure it was a water they dumped???


"chris" wrote in message
oups.com...
I fly glider with an old wortman airfoil, it hates getting wet. Its'
sinkrate goes up considerably, and I've even felt the whole glider
rumble when flying in rain.

At a recent contest I was flying in very weak "survival" conditions
and was very happy to find a 1.3 knot thermal. I started climbing then
thought I lost the thermal, then I noticed that my canopy was getting
wet. Then I looked up and another glider came into the thermal I found
above me, then dumped his ballast on me.
My canopy and wings were soaked and I circled 3-4 more times waiting
for everything to dry off I did not gain much altitude after getting
wet.

The pilot later kindly apologized and explained that his ballast dump
speed is very slow and did not know it was still draining.

The next day in the pre-start gaggles I was near the bottom [with other
gliders at my altitude so I don't think it is a personal attack] and
2-3 other gliders dumped their ballast while in obviously big gaggles.

Is dumping ballast on your competitors acceptable? I don't recall
seeing anything in the US race rules about it, but as the recipient I
can tell you I don't appreciate it.
I've always tried to make sure nobody was below me when I drop water
ballast.

When I'm struggling to stay aloft and someone doubles my sink rate it
makes me ask: Dumping ballast in a gaggle, bad etiquette or poor
sportsmanship?

Chris

"Jack Daniels" wrote in message
...
Are you sure it was a water they dumped???


"chris" wrote in message
oups.com...
I fly glider with an old wortman airfoil, it hates getting wet. Its'
sinkrate goes up considerably, and I've even felt the whole glider
rumble when flying in rain.

At a recent contest I was flying in very weak "survival" conditions
and was very happy to find a 1.3 knot thermal. I started climbing then
thought I lost the thermal, then I noticed that my canopy was getting
wet. Then I looked up and another glider came into the thermal I found
above me, then dumped his ballast on me.
My canopy and wings were soaked and I circled 3-4 more times waiting
for everything to dry off I did not gain much altitude after getting
wet.

The pilot later kindly apologized and explained that his ballast dump
speed is very slow and did not know it was still draining.

The next day in the pre-start gaggles I was near the bottom [with other
gliders at my altitude so I don't think it is a personal attack] and
2-3 other gliders dumped their ballast while in obviously big gaggles.

Is dumping ballast on your competitors acceptable? I don't recall
seeing anything in the US race rules about it, but as the recipient I
can tell you I don't appreciate it.
I've always tried to make sure nobody was below me when I drop water
ballast.

When I'm struggling to stay aloft and someone doubles my sink rate it
makes me ask: Dumping ballast in a gaggle, bad etiquette or poor
sportsmanship?

Chris

Are you sure it was a water they dumped???

I am sure this story is no a wife's tale during the world comps our very
much unliked primeminister many others were to be flown over by a glider
dumping water balast.

The balast was filled by pilots reliving themselves and then the rest water.

It is also a worry when you comment about them dumping water and they say
that they do not have ballast tanks.

Sorry about the previous blank post.