October Soaring magazine OLC League article

I just received my October Soaring magazine with my report on the 2014 OLC League standings. It was printed with an accompanying photo of a bunch of 1-26 gliders on the ground. I had nothing to do with the photo selection, and I consider it to be an insult to the thousands of pilots worldwide who did their best to compete in this prestigious speed competition.

The 1-26 has an advantageous handicap due to its low performance. Using it to illustrate the OLC League is ridiculous. The 1-26 Association (nice guys all- no offense intended) finished 79th in the Worldwide League standings.

I would have been happy to provide an appropriate photo of a modern glider at speed to accompany the article, but I was not consulted, and I did not expect the article to be published so prominently.

I don't own a 1-26 and the matter of dact I am a fellow glashole.
I post on OLC and just like at any competion event I respect the handicap rules.
If you got your rear butt kicked by a 1-26 you most likely deserved it.
Sounds like sour grapes to me.
6PK

Peter- I think that you are confused and should perhaps read the Soaring article or just peruse the 2014 OLC results.

Good job on the article Mark. I do find the photos included with many articles to be quite random but I agree that the picture of a gaggle of grounded 1-26's for the league contest that saw cruise speeds posted above their redline to be out of place. Perhaps competing gliders just flew too fast to be captured for this article but a gaggle of 27's dumping water and shooting under a power line will be on the cover of the next issue for you...or it might be a colorful 2-33.

Geoff

I didn't get my butt kicked by a 1-26. I scored well for the World Champion OLC League club Albuquerque Soaring, flying a "vintage" Pegase 101A. I object to the 1-26 being used as the photo in Soaring magazine, associated with a report on a highly competitive speed contest recognized worldwide as an exemplar of the capabilities of our amazing aircraft and pilots.

On Wednesday, October 1, 2014 10:38:16 PM UTC-4, Mark628CA wrote:
I didn't get my butt kicked by a 1-26. I scored well for the World Champion OLC League club Albuquerque Soaring, flying a "vintage" Pegase 101A. I object to the 1-26 being used as the photo in Soaring magazine, associated with a report on a highly competitive speed contest recognized worldwide as an exemplar of the capabilities of our amazing aircraft and pilots.

I can hardly read this due to the tears in my eyes. Such hardship you bear..

That oughtta teach you to express an opinion, Mark. And now I'll get
beat up for siding with you.

BTW, gliders flying under power lines will raise the ire of the hand
wringers. And, no, I don't fly under power lines. Neither do I wring
my hands.

Dan Marotta

On 10/2/2014 6:00 AM, gotovkotzepkoi wrote:
...someone please hand me a kleenex

Mark628CA;889941 Wrote:
I just received my October Soaring magazine with my report on the 2014
OLC League standings. It was printed with an accompanying photo of a
bunch of 1-26 gliders on the ground. I had nothing to do with the photo
selection, and I consider it to be an insult to the thousands of pilots
worldwide who did their best to compete in this prestigious speed
competition.

The 1-26 has an advantageous handicap due to its low performance. Using
it to illustrate the OLC League is ridiculous. The 1-26 Association
(nice guys all- no offense intended) finished 79th in the Worldwide
League standings.

I would have been happy to provide an appropriate photo of a modern
glider at speed to accompany the article, but I was not consulted, and I
did not expect the article to be published so prominently.

I think the the 1-26's make better pictures for the artistic people that don't know a lot about soaring, but like all the pretty colors. Let's face it all the white composite gliders pretty much look alike to the uninitiated.. Except for the PW5 which if someone was setting you up with it, would be described as having a good personality, and a steady job.

I flew a sports class contest with a lone 1-26 entrant, flown by a competent pilot, bless his heart. He landed out every day, except for one, and on that day he got a standing ovation from all the other pilots on the flight line when he landed back at the airport with a completed task in the bag.

Its probably impossible to give a 1-26 enough of a handicap to actually make it competitive with modern composite gliders on a day with decent lift, and a little wind. Flown against other 1-26's with suitable tasking, I bet the Fun/$invested factor beats anything else out there, and then you factor in all the pretty colors that you can't get anywhere else.

The SSA magazine editors job is open, if you think you can do better, apply..

SF

I have to chime in here. Some are missing Mark's point.

The report wasn't about 1-26's. 1-26's didn't factor. They weren't underdogs. They weren't even a side story. They finished 79th. Why is there a picture of them with the report? Is this how we are attracting new soaring pilots.

Let me make myself clear... No one is "dissing" 1-26s or the pilots. I myself love my time flying them.

Now... my point:

We should celebrate the airplanes of our past, but are we an antique airplane club or a soaring society? When we take a story about speed flying (which is dominated by glass and carbon aircraft) and show pictures of older (and pretty) rag-and-tube gliders, we look to outsiders more like a historical society.

Again... I also love the old planes. But what inspires typical prospective pilot? I don't think we feature modern planes and the amazing things they can do enough. I've had encounter after encounter with GA pilots that know nothing about soaring. As they learn what is possible with "modern" gliders (even driven by common schlubs like Mark and Myself) their jaws head for the floor. "Holy cow! I've got to give that a try!" is a common response. That is how we grow our membership.

Terry

Again.... I like old planes and I stand in awe of what guys like Tony Condon do with them. Reply as you will, but don't confuse what i've said with glasshole-ism or 1-26 bashing.

There are no guys like Tony Condon

The picture (as the pictures in "Soaring Milestones") reflect the state of soaring in the US. SGS 1-26 and 2-33 are the backbone of US soaring club equipment.
It is not he lonely ASH-30Mi over the Sierra Nevada.
And we need more Tony Condon's.
EH