The Decline of Soaring Awards

On Thursday, March 26, 2020 at 2:31:18 PM UTC-6, wrote:
Hello Wyll, as for some of the badges you don’t really have to do a thing. For gold and diamond distance all a guy has to do is have a logger, call an observer or the airport manager, tell them your going on a long flight and fly it. If you make the distance, then you fill out the forms and have the OO or manager check over things. Actually easy peasy.
The same goes for altitude legs. For declared distance legs not really that much harder, you just have to preload your intended task into your logger and same thing, go fly. Actually it is way easier than back in the “paper� days with written declarations, cameras, turn point photos and barographs.

Dan

Any special equipment needed for the altitude component for badges today? Like an altitude encoding transponder? Or does a simple GPS data logger suffice?

A clarification on badge distance rules. All flights for Gold Distance, Diamond Distance, and Diamond Goal must be pre-declared - unless they are a point to point "downwind dash".

I learned this the hard way by being an OO for a Diamond Distance flight where we screwed up the post flight waypoint GPS identification and tried to change it.

Only an IGC approved logger is needed for altitude claims.

Lou

Any special equipment needed for the altitude component for badges today? Like an altitude encoding transponder? Or does a simple GPS data logger suffice?

From the current Sporting Code https://www.fai.org/igc-documents :
"FLIGHT RECORDER 1.1.5 An IGC-approved device to record pressure altitude and GPS position and altitude. A given FLIGHT RECORDER may be approved for all flights, all badges, or Silver through Diamond badge claims only.
POSITION RECORDER 1.1.6 A NAC-approved device to record GPS data for Silver or Gold badge claims only."

FR's have special barometric sensors. PR's can too, but most use GPS altitude, which has a error band of 100m applied.

A list of PR's approved by NACs is at http://www.ukiws.demon.co.uk/GFAC/po..._recorders.htm .

Hi John, I really empathize with your situation!

From my experience, even the right equipment is not enough for XC success. What's required is a culture, with leadership and mentors, and you might not look to your CFIG for that leadership - I've not found XC leaders in the CFI's of the clubs I've flown at, and that's fine. Friends Stan (Z1), Randy (EH), Charles (CP), Tony (1F), Wilf (K2), Adam (28) and others pulled me along and contextualized things - they taught me the card trick!

I'm convinced that we (collectively) have the opportunity to usher in a new golden age of soaring - in fact, I get angry when people discuss the demise of soaring as a known outcome!
1) Lots of great gliders around, which may or may not be "expensive", they tend not to depreciate faster than inflation - I'm happy to have diversified into a share of a glider in November 2019 vs having held that capital in the market today (even if the glider market has soured, I can't fly an ETF)
2) Tools and forecasting - with a used Android phone ($90USD), XCSoar (free) and DrJack or Skysight.io you can have incredible confidence or foresight which previously required an MSc in meteorology and an $6000 moving map flight computer
3) Tell our story - between Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and other free content platforms we have an incredible opportunity to share the majesty of soaring like never before

Your dilemma is one that I don't think tenured members care to empathize with, but is the core reason why the average age of a club tends to increase by 1 every year. When efforts are made to drive development programs, they require significant volumes of time of established members and tend to expire quickly or are only available on weekends when the weather is poor.

Fear not - I bring you the/a solution! Over the past few years, some of my gliding buddies and I have created a platform to seed and solve any club's XC development culture (and member retention goals), and we're ready to bring it to the US in 2020!

The 'Proving Grounds' is a club-specific platform with defined tasks, beautiful trophies to mount in your clubhouse or hangar and an automated email bot for pilots to email an .igc trace to. Our bot scores the trace against the tasks within a minute, returning your time, average speed and other details to the requesting email address. Record your name, glider, date and ranking metric on magnetic slips and rank it by time or average speed on the aforementioned trophies (stainless steel task boards).

We encourage clubs to start with a diamond-shaped task around their airfield which is safe as long as the pilot maintains 2500' above field elevation (1000' circuit altitude + 20:1 glide ratio).

The next two tasks we suggest clubs plan over safe terrain with good landout options and that build on each other. This way a pilot attempting the largest task can bail on that task, but still have success on the middle task.

Once the tasks are defined, there is next to no maintenance by any club member. The fixed tasks inform discussions supporting the novice XC pilot set to become the club's next XC mentor - that's you John!

In 2019 the Soaring Association of Canada provided setup and subscription costs for 3 years for any interested club. So far, 14 of Canada's 21 gliding clubs have configured a Proving Grounds for their clubs (2 more pending) with effusively positive feedback - from a group not known for effusively positive feedback.

In the middle of this crazy time, we are trying to start some conversations with SSA to see if they would do for US clubs as SAC has done in Canada to support the member clubs, and the sport of soaring with a scalable, no maintenance, high-value but low-cost program. This will ultimately make it less expensive overall and, I think, would be a great way for SSA to provide turn-key support for clubs without ongoing burden associated with other types of programs/initiatives.

If anyone has names of folks who could be influential in helping motivate the SSA to support this kind of initiative, please follow up directly - or if you'd like more information specifically, do the same.

I'm a "tenured" XC pilot and love racing the Proving Grounds for recognition I don't get on Skylines or OLC (among peers, not strangers) and to motivate others to try task flying and XC. But my greatest satisfaction from participating in the program at my club is when I saw a novice pilot nearly in tears with a sense of pride affixing their slip to the task board - gaining some recognition and accomplishing their first soaring milestone! I know this works in year 1, and I can't wait to see how it will evolve in my club by year 10+.

Start now!

If anyone can help us bring this to the US, I'd really appreciate any direction or conversation to that end. The feedback across Canada is that pilots really appreciate the platform which is creating excitement and engagement immediately upon delivery.

For more info:
soaringtasks.com
"Proving Grounds" on Facebook or LinkedIn
Article in SAC's 'Free Flight' magazine - http://sac.ca/index.php/en/free-flig...2/latest-issue
Note the feedback in SAC's 2019 Annual Reports (find "Proving Grounds") - http://sac.ca/index.php/en/documents...l-reports/file
I'm @paddy_mack on Instagram and Tik Tok

Fly Deliberately. Fly Tasks.

If anyone can help us bring this to the US, I'd really appreciate any direction or conversation to that end. The feedback across Canada is that pilots really appreciate the platform which is creating excitement and engagement immediately upon delivery.

For more info:
soaringtasks.com
"Proving Grounds" on Facebook or LinkedIn
Article in SAC's 'Free Flight' magazine - http://sac.ca/index.php/en/free-flig...2/latest-issue
Note the feedback in SAC's 2019 Annual Reports (find "Proving Grounds") - http://sac.ca/index.php/en/documents...l-reports/file
I'm @paddy_mack on Instagram and Tik Tok

Fly Deliberately. Fly Tasks.

Patrick, this is a big enough initiative you should post again under its own subject line so it will get more exposure.

That is simply terrific!

I suggest you repost under your own subject line, just as Bret suggested.

On 3/28/2020 9:13 AM, Bret Hess wrote:

If anyone can help us bring this to the US, I'd really appreciate any direction or conversation to that end. The feedback across Canada is that pilots really appreciate the platform which is creating excitement and engagement immediately upon delivery.

For more info:
soaringtasks.com
"Proving Grounds" on Facebook or LinkedIn
Article in SAC's 'Free Flight' magazine - http://sac.ca/index.php/en/free-flig...2/latest-issue
Note the feedback in SAC's 2019 Annual Reports (find "Proving Grounds") - http://sac.ca/index.php/en/documents...l-reports/file
I'm @paddy_mack on Instagram and Tik Tok

Fly Deliberately. Fly Tasks.
Patrick, this is a big enough initiative you should post again under its own subject line so it will get more exposure.


--
Dan, 5J

Hi Bret (and Dan), it's our interest to see if we can get buy in support from the top and introduce the platform as "available to clubs with support from SSA".

COVID19 has disrupted some early conversations, but if you have leads let me know.

More to come!

Thanks for the feedback! �

On Saturday, March 28, 2020 at 1:46:32 AM UTC-6, Patrick (LS6-b EH) wrote:
Hi John, I really empathize with your situation!

From my experience, even the right equipment is not enough for XC success.. What's required is a culture, with leadership and mentors, and you might not look to your CFIG for that leadership - I've not found XC leaders in the CFI's of the clubs I've flown at, and that's fine. Friends Stan (Z1), Randy (EH), Charles (CP), Tony (1F), Wilf (K2), Adam (28) and others pulled me along and contextualized things - they taught me the card trick!

I'm convinced that we (collectively) have the opportunity to usher in a new golden age of soaring - in fact, I get angry when people discuss the demise of soaring as a known outcome!
1) Lots of great gliders around, which may or may not be "expensive", they tend not to depreciate faster than inflation - I'm happy to have diversified into a share of a glider in November 2019 vs having held that capital in the market today (even if the glider market has soured, I can't fly an ETF)
2) Tools and forecasting - with a used Android phone ($90USD), XCSoar (free) and DrJack or Skysight.io you can have incredible confidence or foresight which previously required an MSc in meteorology and an $6000 moving map flight computer
3) Tell our story - between Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and other free content platforms we have an incredible opportunity to share the majesty of soaring like never before

Your dilemma is one that I don't think tenured members care to empathize with, but is the core reason why the average age of a club tends to increase by 1 every year. When efforts are made to drive development programs, they require significant volumes of time of established members and tend to expire quickly or are only available on weekends when the weather is poor.

Fear not - I bring you the/a solution! Over the past few years, some of my gliding buddies and I have created a platform to seed and solve any club's XC development culture (and member retention goals), and we're ready to bring it to the US in 2020!

The 'Proving Grounds' is a club-specific platform with defined tasks, beautiful trophies to mount in your clubhouse or hangar and an automated email bot for pilots to email an .igc trace to. Our bot scores the trace against the tasks within a minute, returning your time, average speed and other details to the requesting email address. Record your name, glider, date and ranking metric on magnetic slips and rank it by time or average speed on the aforementioned trophies (stainless steel task boards).

We encourage clubs to start with a diamond-shaped task around their airfield which is safe as long as the pilot maintains 2500' above field elevation (1000' circuit altitude + 20:1 glide ratio).

The next two tasks we suggest clubs plan over safe terrain with good landout options and that build on each other. This way a pilot attempting the largest task can bail on that task, but still have success on the middle task.

Once the tasks are defined, there is next to no maintenance by any club member. The fixed tasks inform discussions supporting the novice XC pilot set to become the club's next XC mentor - that's you John!

In 2019 the Soaring Association of Canada provided setup and subscription costs for 3 years for any interested club. So far, 14 of Canada's 21 gliding clubs have configured a Proving Grounds for their clubs (2 more pending) with effusively positive feedback - from a group not known for effusively positive feedback.

In the middle of this crazy time, we are trying to start some conversations with SSA to see if they would do for US clubs as SAC has done in Canada to support the member clubs, and the sport of soaring with a scalable, no maintenance, high-value but low-cost program. This will ultimately make it less expensive overall and, I think, would be a great way for SSA to provide turn-key support for clubs without ongoing burden associated with other types of programs/initiatives.

If anyone has names of folks who could be influential in helping motivate the SSA to support this kind of initiative, please follow up directly - or if you'd like more information specifically, do the same.

I'm a "tenured" XC pilot and love racing the Proving Grounds for recognition I don't get on Skylines or OLC (among peers, not strangers) and to motivate others to try task flying and XC. But my greatest satisfaction from participating in the program at my club is when I saw a novice pilot nearly in tears with a sense of pride affixing their slip to the task board - gaining some recognition and accomplishing their first soaring milestone! I know this works in year 1, and I can't wait to see how it will evolve in my club by year 10+.

Start now!

If anyone can help us bring this to the US, I'd really appreciate any direction or conversation to that end. The feedback across Canada is that pilots really appreciate the platform which is creating excitement and engagement immediately upon delivery.

For more info:
soaringtasks.com
"Proving Grounds" on Facebook or LinkedIn
Article in SAC's 'Free Flight' magazine - http://sac.ca/index.php/en/free-flig...2/latest-issue
Note the feedback in SAC's 2019 Annual Reports (find "Proving Grounds") - http://sac.ca/index.php/en/documents...l-reports/file
I'm @paddy_mack on Instagram and Tik Tok

Fly Deliberately. Fly Tasks.

This sounds very promising, Patrick. However, if you're going to fly outside of gliding range of the airport, it is best done with a glider that can be easily disassembled and trailered back to the airport in the event of a land-out. The 2-33 is not such a glider, and would limit such tasks to the first one you described, unless you were able to get high enough to do the longer tasks still within gliding range. However, a 1-26 would work for this, but would not work for dual instruction, obviously.

For my own development, I think I'm going to try to pursue the Condor avenue, once the funds allow.

However, if you're going to fly outside of gliding range of the airport..

Do you mean the airport or an airport?

Around here, cross country works pretty well with one or two airports under you for safety and a cell phone in your pocket for calling the tow plane.

On Saturday, March 28, 2020 at 7:39:22 PM UTC-6, wrote:
However, if you're going to fly outside of gliding range of the airport..

Do you mean the airport or an airport?

Around here, cross country works pretty well with one or two airports under you for safety and a cell phone in your pocket for calling the tow plane.

At the club I fly at, once all the launching is done, the tow-pilot goes home, unfortunately.