2014 SSA/US Tasking Analysis

Craig,

You did not Hijack the threads. I think OLC has something in common with AST tasks. Here is my logic...

I am all for OLC gatherings, events, vacations (whatever we call them). I am the one hosting the Ionia OLC event. Obviously, I fully support OLC events.

We had fairly poor turnout for our Ionia sanctioned contests (3) although 2 of the 3 had over 30 pilots (excellent turnout). Actually, I think one had 40. Anyway... Weather was uncharacteristically poor for those events unfortunately (as it was for many east coast contests those years). I think the main attraction to trying OLC is that it is "not a contest." It is a soaring vacation and you can basically do whatever you want. You don't have to wait for the CD to tell you whether or not you are going to fly on a given day, etc. You can stay home a day or two (something many did anyway at the contests...work, etc). Another benefit is that beginners are free to learn in OLC vacations. The OLC environment (I imagine) actually encourages teaching and learning (for more than contests do). Pilots can freely talk on the radio and latch on to (leech) experienced pilots (who will help pull them along), etc. I think an OLC event is absolutely the right thing for Ionia to try as we have few serious contest pilots and a large amount of beginners. It is going to be great fun and I hope it is well attended. I am guessing 20. That is about the same that we had (on average) for the recent contests.

In my view, OLC is not a truly meaningful form of soaring competition. It is way to unstructured. One can simply grid first every day and move halfway up the scores on that alone! It is a soaring VACATION or potentially a naturally occurring "soaring school." Anyone who thinks these OLC events are soaring competitions is kidding themselves! We are calling the Ionia event the "midwest OLC championships." (www.r6n.org) For anyone who doesn't get it, that is completely tongue and cheek. Sure, we are going to have prizes and reward the longest flights, etc. But we all know it is not an objective test like a contest task. Maybe it will evolve into something bigger than this, but I doubt it. Real contest results will always be the prized goal of the best soaring pilots.

I think one problem we had in the USA is that the only option to fly "events" was SSA sanctioned contests. In most sports 80-90% of the activity is coaching, training and learning. Only 10-20% is actual competition. In soaring (US, can't speak for Europe) 100% of the events (until recently) was SSA sanctioned competition (rules, structure, etc). I can understand (and lived it) how difficult that could be for some. Now with OLC vacations (events) we have another option. I think this is why it is so popular. Kudos to the originator of the OLC event idea!!!

Again, I believe that OLC events make great sense. One benefit of OLC events is that they should take the pressure off the real contest CD's having to run so many watered down OLC tasks. One can hope! That is to say that the number of zero and one turn MATs (and wide turn area TATs) run in real contests should be much less as the OLC soaring vacation events grow. This is great! Contests should be for the serious, intermediate or advanced pilot. OLC is for the soaring vacationer or beginner. Contest pilots can (and will) certainly choose to unwind and attend an OLC vacation event. But most OLC pilots (mostly) are likely not ready for real contests. Now they have somewhere to fly and "event" without complaining about the tasks being too hard. They can accept that real tasks are run in contests and can choose to prepare for those in OLC events before attending the real contest. The competitive OLC pilots will eventually want to test themselves at real contests. This is much better scenario then contests having to accommodate the wishes of everyone including the soaring vacationers with their tasking....

I miss long distance tasks, of course, since I don't fly anymore, I miss any kind of task.

It seems to me every winter we get a whole rush of adrenaline: yeah, we gotta go fly them long assigned takss with lots of landouts, and so what if the first turn is in a storm!

Then, every spring, as the armchair gives way to the cockpit and the question becomes, yeah, but do you really want to fly that hard assigned task today, in the iffy weather we have today, with the pilots and gliders and muddy fields we have today, at this contest, all that enthusiasm evaporates.

Again and again and again. This is not a rules question. The assigned task is a legitimate task. If there is any strong demand by pilots to fly assigned tasks, just tell the CD, don't rant about it on RAS.

I can't wait for spring.

John Cochrane

John,

ASTs are not (IMO) necessarily "synonymous" with landouts. That is not the goal of the task. That said, ASTs equal landouts is the narrative that is being pushed in the U.S. leadership. This narrative is working well. It has almost succeeded. We are down to only 4 (and a brand new rule US rule "OUTLAWING" ASTs in Sports class).

ASTs (IMO) should be called on all good to great weather forecast days. No task can guarantee no landouts and we should not be trying to absolutely prevent all landouts.

If your narrative that "ASTs equal landouts" is accurate, shouldn't we also stop calling long MATs? Is that what you would like to see? Last I checked, US pilots are still strongly incentivized by US MAT rules to try and get to all of the assigned MAT turnpoint. Even if a weather issue is present.

Is this element of the (long) MAT causing too many landouts as well (just like ASTs)?

I think those are very fair questions.

;-)

(and a brand new rule US rule "OUTLAWING" ASTs in Sports class).

Not new. Was there all along, because sports ranges from 1-26 to Nimbus 4. It was allowed for club class.

And you can synthesize an AT if you want by the way. Call a long TAT with 1 mile circles and a 1 hour minimum. Shhh.

If your narrative that "ASTs equal landouts" is accurate, shouldn't we also stop calling long MATs? Is that what you would like to see? Last I checked, US pilots are still strongly incentivized by US MAT rules to try and get to all of the assigned MAT turnpoint. Even if a weather issue is present.

Not as strong. You can break off and head home for a speed finish at any time.


John Cochrane

I hear what your saying. The U.S. tasking allows for creativity.

But, we don't have any of those being called. We have almost no ATs and lots of OLC.

CDs don't be afraid to challenge the field. Be a leader! It's important!

I'm going to shut up now. I feel like a broken record.

After an exhaustive and scientific study conducted as per RAS protocol my committee of one has arrived at a definitive conclusion.

"The weather in 2014 was crappy"

It appears that the vast majority of 2014 CDs were just trying to get their guests in the air and create some type of flying fun. From all the cancelled days I don't think we had a "fast" summer conducive to testing the limits of pilot and equipment. I sure hope 2015 is better on those organizers.

Lane
XF

On Wednesday, January 28, 2015 at 1:19:14 PM UTC-5, wrote:
After an exhaustive and scientific study conducted as per RAS protocol my committee of one has arrived at a definitive conclusion.

"The weather in 2014 was crappy"

It appears that the vast majority of 2014 CDs were just trying to get their guests in the air and create some type of flying fun. From all the cancelled days I don't think we had a "fast" summer conducive to testing the limits of pilot and equipment. I sure hope 2015 is better on those organizers.

Lane
XF

It's nice to see that someone on r.a.s. still has a sense of humor and good will!

T8

On Wednesday, 28 January 2015 11:19:14 UTC-7, wrote:
After an exhaustive and scientific study conducted as per RAS protocol my committee of one has arrived at a definitive conclusion.

"The weather in 2014 was crappy"

It appears that the vast majority of 2014 CDs were just trying to get their guests in the air and create some type of flying fun. From all the cancelled days I don't think we had a "fast" summer conducive to testing the limits of pilot and equipment. I sure hope 2015 is better on those organizers.

Lane
XF

Lane, must be an east coast thing for 2014. Contests west of the Rockies had few cancelled days. Hope everyone has a great 2015 contest season

On Tuesday, January 27, 2015 at 12:55:33 PM UTC-8, Sean Fidler wrote:
I hear what your saying. The U.S. tasking allows for creativity.

But, we don't have any of those being called. We have almost no ATs and lots of OLC.

CDs don't be afraid to challenge the field. Be a leader! It's important!

I'm going to shut up now. I feel like a broken record.


Not sure on which of the 7 threads on task format I should post this, so it'll go here.

A couple of points from the RC on this subject (well, some of the RC - we don't schedule a meeting every time Sean posts a rant - we have day jobs).

1) ASTs have RC support (r.a.s. debating points aside), that's why they are in the rules. We'd like to see them called more rather than less. The fine points of the relative merits of different task formats pale in comparison to variety and challenge being the lifeblood of fun competition.

2) Calling ASTs take some CD conviction and willingness to withstand pilot fear and opposition on occasions. There is some natural risk aversion to mass landouts. If pilots don't want it it's hard to call. Make your preferences known to your CD.

3) No one is going to ban MATs or big-circle TATs, no matter how much you give them funny nicknames. It is extremely unlikely that a specified mix of task formats will ever become a rule. CD discretion and flexibility in calling tasks to suit the weather is more important than firmly held beliefs about what tasks ought to be called in theory or after the fact.

4) The RC would look favorably upon granting a waiver to anyone with the conviction to call an AST-only contest. That is, commit up front that only ASTs would be called - all or nothing. Other formats short of "all in" would be looked upon favorably as well, though wishing for more ASTs hardly seems like a big commitment.

Related note - There will likely be some experiments in racing formats tried at Nephi this year - for those who have an interest. More on that in the coming weeks.

9B