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#1
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Options
We successfully fly our sailplanes by keeping our options open, don't
we? We keep an extra 300 feet in the pattern, just in case we hit a bunch of sink, don't we? On the ridge we keep our speed up and always have an escape route, don't we? Why then, do we continue to use a finish gate that reduces our options to just one? When we finish at 50 feet we must immediately exchange our speed for altitude and hope there isn't somebody above us as we make a beautiful climbing turn to down-wind. What if we suddenly see someone else in the pattern? What if we see 3 other ships in the pattern? Been there, done that! I abandoned any thought of putting it on the runway and lined up on the taxiway, just to see one of the other ships make the same decision and cut inside me. We rolled to a stop, not 15 feet apart. Over the years I have paid my competitive dues by volunteering to run contests. I have been the Competition Director in 3 Nationals and a Regionals in the last 30 years. I will not subject myself, the pilots or the organization to the liability involved in using a finish gate that I consider outmoded, unnecessary and unsafe. We have an option, don't we? JJ Sinclair |
#2
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I think the idea is that you have a good idea what is going on in the
pattern before you finish. In most (all?) contests, the last leg of a task *should* guarantee that all competitors are coming from the same direction, therefore you have had 10/20/30/40+ miles with the same aircraft heading for the finish. In Australia we have had several midairs over the years, some with tragic consequences, but I dont know of any that have occured at the finish line. They all occur on task (generally in a thermal) where at least one of the 1 pilots would have had a good view of the other sailplane. When we fly, we are all placing our life in the hands of other pilots. I Agree that low, high speed finishes are not necessary. But they are FUN! They are fun for the pilot, and fun for those on the ground. In fact, when you think about it, they are really the only fun thing to see for the people on the ground. They are also the only part of the sport with any marketing potential. Non-pilots are not interested in seeing your new C302, PDA or Winglets. They want action. Have a look at the interest the UKSmokin video has generated. Watch it with non-gliding friends that have never seen a glider before. See the look on their faces. Nick. wrote in message oups.com... We successfully fly our sailplanes by keeping our options open, don't we? We keep an extra 300 feet in the pattern, just in case we hit a bunch of sink, don't we? On the ridge we keep our speed up and always have an escape route, don't we? Why then, do we continue to use a finish gate that reduces our options to just one? When we finish at 50 feet we must immediately exchange our speed for altitude and hope there isn't somebody above us as we make a beautiful climbing turn to down-wind. What if we suddenly see someone else in the pattern? What if we see 3 other ships in the pattern? Been there, done that! I abandoned any thought of putting it on the runway and lined up on the taxiway, just to see one of the other ships make the same decision and cut inside me. We rolled to a stop, not 15 feet apart. Over the years I have paid my competitive dues by volunteering to run contests. I have been the Competition Director in 3 Nationals and a Regionals in the last 30 years. I will not subject myself, the pilots or the organization to the liability involved in using a finish gate that I consider outmoded, unnecessary and unsafe. We have an option, don't we? JJ Sinclair |
#3
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I guess the older we get the less "fun" we want to have, remember.
There are old pilots and bold pilots but no old and bold pilots. Nick Gilbert wrote: I think the idea is that you have a good idea what is going on in the pattern before you finish. In most (all?) contests, the last leg of a task *should* guarantee that all competitors are coming from the same direction, therefore you have had 10/20/30/40+ miles with the same aircraft heading for the finish. In Australia we have had several midairs over the years, some with tragic consequences, but I dont know of any that have occured at the finish line. They all occur on task (generally in a thermal) where at least one of the 1 pilots would have had a good view of the other sailplane. When we fly, we are all placing our life in the hands of other pilots. I Agree that low, high speed finishes are not necessary. But they are FUN! They are fun for the pilot, and fun for those on the ground. In fact, when you think about it, they are really the only fun thing to see for the people on the ground. They are also the only part of the sport with any marketing potential. Non-pilots are not interested in seeing your new C302, PDA or Winglets. They want action. Have a look at the interest the UKSmokin video has generated. Watch it with non-gliding friends that have never seen a glider before. See the look on their faces. Nick. wrote in message oups.com... We successfully fly our sailplanes by keeping our options open, don't we? We keep an extra 300 feet in the pattern, just in case we hit a bunch of sink, don't we? On the ridge we keep our speed up and always have an escape route, don't we? Why then, do we continue to use a finish gate that reduces our options to just one? When we finish at 50 feet we must immediately exchange our speed for altitude and hope there isn't somebody above us as we make a beautiful climbing turn to down-wind. What if we suddenly see someone else in the pattern? What if we see 3 other ships in the pattern? Been there, done that! I abandoned any thought of putting it on the runway and lined up on the taxiway, just to see one of the other ships make the same decision and cut inside me. We rolled to a stop, not 15 feet apart. Over the years I have paid my competitive dues by volunteering to run contests. I have been the Competition Director in 3 Nationals and a Regionals in the last 30 years. I will not subject myself, the pilots or the organization to the liability involved in using a finish gate that I consider outmoded, unnecessary and unsafe. We have an option, don't we? JJ Sinclair |
#4
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JJ,
Of course we have options. It's called the Sports Class. The fact that we have "so few" options in the finish gate is why it is highly regulated. Finish direction. Radio contact. Procedures for pattern entry and landing. And because we have so few options, it's much easier to observe and predict the actions of other competent pilots. As FM pointed out in another thread, it is much easier to manage the environment and your own actions if you know where the threats are coming from. Yes, it is an anachronism. There is no need for a finish line. But I would venture that it is less dynamic than a gaggle cylinder finish for several reasons. First, when do you pull in a cylinder finish? When the gps goes beep? How do I know mine will go beep in sequence with yours? What if I delay my pull? What risk am I taking? What are the speed differentials among the gliders in the gaggle? With a finish line, high and low energy aircraft separate naturally. Will the pilot above and behind me pushing to redline notice I'm in front flying at best L/D in an attempt to avoid missing the bottom of the cyliner? And where is the cylinder? Why, it's right there on my instrument panel! Next to the altimeter, my other sore distraction. When was the last time we wanted to ban gaggles for safety reasons? At least in the finish I have energy. What are my options in the prestart gaggle? I've always considered the finish gate a more manageable environment that the top of a thermal with 30 other gliders, each pilot with his own notion of how best to maintain altitude just below the top of the cylinder while waiting for the "markers" to head out on course. My theory is that ignorance shows more profoundly low and fast than high and slow. Nice thing about ignorance, though. It's curable. Thanks, JJ, for the opportunity to purge. It's been a rough week at work. Cheers and best wishes, OC |
#5
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I know a few who are old & bold.
I think it should be treated as any other aerobatic manouver. People should be taught how to do it safely. Aerobatics are unecessary & dangerous. Should we ban them? Nick. wrote in message oups.com... I guess the older we get the less "fun" we want to have, remember. There are old pilots and bold pilots but no old and bold pilots. Nick Gilbert wrote: I think the idea is that you have a good idea what is going on in the pattern before you finish. In most (all?) contests, the last leg of a task *should* guarantee that all competitors are coming from the same direction, therefore you have had 10/20/30/40+ miles with the same aircraft heading for the finish. In Australia we have had several midairs over the years, some with tragic consequences, but I dont know of any that have occured at the finish line. They all occur on task (generally in a thermal) where at least one of the 1 pilots would have had a good view of the other sailplane. When we fly, we are all placing our life in the hands of other pilots. I Agree that low, high speed finishes are not necessary. But they are FUN! They are fun for the pilot, and fun for those on the ground. In fact, when you think about it, they are really the only fun thing to see for the people on the ground. They are also the only part of the sport with any marketing potential. Non-pilots are not interested in seeing your new C302, PDA or Winglets. They want action. Have a look at the interest the UKSmokin video has generated. Watch it with non-gliding friends that have never seen a glider before. See the look on their faces. Nick. wrote in message oups.com... We successfully fly our sailplanes by keeping our options open, don't we? We keep an extra 300 feet in the pattern, just in case we hit a bunch of sink, don't we? On the ridge we keep our speed up and always have an escape route, don't we? Why then, do we continue to use a finish gate that reduces our options to just one? When we finish at 50 feet we must immediately exchange our speed for altitude and hope there isn't somebody above us as we make a beautiful climbing turn to down-wind. What if we suddenly see someone else in the pattern? What if we see 3 other ships in the pattern? Been there, done that! I abandoned any thought of putting it on the runway and lined up on the taxiway, just to see one of the other ships make the same decision and cut inside me. We rolled to a stop, not 15 feet apart. Over the years I have paid my competitive dues by volunteering to run contests. I have been the Competition Director in 3 Nationals and a Regionals in the last 30 years. I will not subject myself, the pilots or the organization to the liability involved in using a finish gate that I consider outmoded, unnecessary and unsafe. We have an option, don't we? JJ Sinclair |
#6
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Oh, you just reminded me of a relite I had at Chester, SC one year.
Eleven of us were holding on in a dying thermal a mere 500 feet above the runway, when, fizzle... no more thermal. All gliders landed together, all full of water, and all within dozens of feet of each other. A grand exhibition of a contractor's dozen executing some ad hoc formation flying. It could have been a mess... but it wasn't. No radio chatter. No whining. No accusations. Just an orderly arrival. There's no reason the finish gate can't be equally well-mannered. The key, then, now, and always, is competence. Not genius. Not the right stuff. Just simple competence. Too slow, break off and land. Too high? Don't be so conservative on the next final glide. Not sure which way to go through the finish gate? Ask. Not sure you have enough energy to clear the finish line and execute a 180? Key the mike, say you're landing straight ahead, and do it. Never thought about this stuff before? My-oh-my... what else haven't you thought about? OC This has been fun. God I love the odd dose of rancour. I'm looking forward to the day I turn full curmudgeon and jump, with equal rancour, to the other side of this issue! JJ, looking forward to the 15m nats in Montague next year. Will you have a glider? |
#7
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I think it should be treated as any other aerobatic manouver. Ahhh, hmmm....let's see if I understand this concept... Unsynchronized group aerobatics done at low level and high speed...in the landing pattern of an open airport....by fatigued pilots. Thanks but no thanks. |
#8
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#9
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It's interesting to me that finishing through the gate is one of the few
times during a contest day that I feel safest. I am much more worried about the unseen glider pulling up into me as I'm thermalling out on course or the prestart gaggle mess. Even the threat of getting low over "tiger country" worries me way more than finishing. And as far as I can tell the facts bear this all out wrt where midair's occur and what landing damage is done. As Chris has stated finishing is the one point in the race that I know where everyone is coming from and heading to. I agree with the analogy of aerobatics and precision maneuvers. Racing is not for everybody just like flying gliders is not. If you are extremely worried and scared (or your loved ones are) when you head to the airport then I'd suggest that this is not the best choice of sports for you. Tom Knauff has done a good job of disproving the idea that the most dangerous part of flying is the drive to the field. I hope that this doesn't insult you guys trying to argue the what you feel is the safety point. Your hearts are in the right place. Casey Lenox KC Phoenix |
#10
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Kilo Charlie wrote:
Tom Knauff has done a good job of disproving the idea that the most dangerous part of flying is the drive to the field. I hope that this doesn't insult you guys trying to argue the what you feel is the safety point. Your hearts are in the right place. == There are relatively few pilots who believe others are impressed by a low altitude pass. (Sort of like teenage burning rubber, thinking it impresses others.) In fact, the pilot usually needs to gain extra altitude in the final thermal in order to have the necessary energy, wasting precious time. The better pilot only climbs to the altitude necessary and then flies the correct speed-to-fly all the way home, perhaps increasing the airspeed slightly to use up the safety margin altitude, in the final miles. Really good pilots don't need to show off. They demonstrate their skills on the score sheet. == The above is a quote from Tom Knauff's last email newsletter, hopefully he won't mind my posting it here. I just like to race and get home in one piece. I want to minimize the chances of screwing up, or being subject to someone elses screw up, after I finish. Maybe you'll understand, someday... regards, Marc |
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