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Competing and Survival



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 4th 19, 11:59 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Clemens Ceipek
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Default Competing and Survival

- Do reckless pilots gain a competitive advantage in soaring contests?
- Is there a way to stay safe and compete?
- How can I manage my safety risks and my sporting risks at the same time?

As I'm preparing for my first contests in 2020 I took a deep dive into these questions. What I found was a surprise and a relief at the same time.

https://chessintheair.com/competing-...ring-contests/

I'm curious what others with much more experience than me think about these topics, and I welcome your thoughtful feedback. You've definitely helped push my thinking since I published my prior two articles on gliding risks.
Thank you!
Clemens
  #2  
Old December 5th 19, 12:30 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot)
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Default Competing and Survival

My basic thought....winning a nationals/regionals/worlds basically gets you a "pat on the back" and acclaim within a small community......what is that worth versus loss of the pilot to friends or family?
So....maybe your ego gets stroked.....but nothing really more.....thus.....what is your life worth in Soaring?

I basically fly such that I can fly tomorrow.....last day "maybe doing something stupid that breaks the gilder....hurts me" is borderline acceptable....I have yet to be in that position....have yet to break a glider....

Not like winning a worlds is worth millions of US dollars....or any other dollars/Euros, etc......
  #3  
Old December 5th 19, 04:55 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Brian[_1_]
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Default Competing and Survival

For your 1st contest concentrate more on just flying safely and completing the tasks as much as you can safely do. If you can complete the tasks you will do reasonably well.

  #4  
Old December 5th 19, 08:12 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
krasw
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Default Competing and Survival

On Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 5:55:09 AM UTC+2, Brian wrote:
For your 1st contest concentrate more on just flying safely and completing the tasks as much as you can safely do.


This is equally good advice for anyone participating WGC, btw.
  #5  
Old December 5th 19, 06:47 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
George Haeh
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Default Competing and Survival

The best trophy is a glider you can use again.
  #6  
Old December 5th 19, 07:21 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Eric Greenwell[_4_]
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Default Competing and Survival

George Haeh wrote on 12/5/2019 9:47 AM:
The best trophy is a glider you can use again.

....the same day.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1
  #7  
Old December 5th 19, 09:45 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
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Default Competing and Survival

I've been flying contests since 1968. My impression is that, to paraphrase an alleged exchange between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway: "The top pilots are different than you and me. They have more skills."

The differences I see in "aggressiveness" are typically due to better pilots being able to occasionally fly faster, lower, closer to the mountain, farther into unlandable areas, etc.--when it makes sense--because they have the skills to do so and still be safe. Sure, there are a few good pilots who either push too far or get too complacent or misjudge and then break a glider or hurt themselves. But I seldom see the top pilots being reckless--defined relative to their capabilities--just to win a contest. It happens (one pilot in particular comes to mind and he survived, fortunately). But the idea that you have to risk your life or your glider to win contests is a myth, IMO.

The same cannot be said of pilots further down in the ranks. I do see less experienced and/or less skilled pilots doing things at contests that they probably wouldn't do at their home airports or on pleasure flights. It's easy to get caught up in "I'm flying in a contest--I don't have to follow all the rules" or "everyone else is doing it" or, perhaps worst of all, "I'm not really comfortable but these guys must know what they're doing". Dave Nadler's excellent, often-cited article details multiple examples of this and of the sometimes catastrophic consequences.

For 12 years I flew contests with my father, we almost always huddled before takeoff and gave each other a little pep talk. That was punctuated with my reciting to him out loud the three priorities of competitive soaring:

1. First comes personal safety.
2. Second priority is the glider.
3. Third priority is contest points.

Those priorities align very well with Clemons' article and have served me pretty well over the years.

Chip Bearden
JB
  #8  
Old December 5th 19, 10:27 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Clemens Ceipek
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Default Competing and Survival

Chip,

thank you very much for your insightful comment! I think you are spot on. Ambitious, but less-skilled pilots are likely at the greatest risk because they may be tempted to compensate a lack of skill with extra risk (consciously or subconsciously). If they give in to temptation they become an accident waiting to happen. As you point out that may explain many of the "follower" accidents in Dave Nadler's essay.

If I go back to the Condor simulator data that I used for my analysis, I think this may explain a significant chunk of the extraordinary difference in crash rates between the top pilots and the one's at the bottom. In my analysis, I haven't figured out how to control the results for differences in skills (difficult to do) but I think it's very likely that you are right and that that this is a major factor.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your perspective!

Clemens
 




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