GLIMMER OF HOPE

[Ed Byars]

Sorry guys, this morning another bout of "diarrhea of the keyboard" struck
and out came a proposed "letter to the editor" of SOARING. I decided not to
wait the month or more (and/or the probable rejection) for your reaction, if
any.

So, here 'tis. Fire away.

Ed Byars



GLIMMER OF HOPE ROUGH DRAFTRev.2,6-16

efb

The recent glider racing at the World Air Games in Italy was, to me, beyond
just fantastic, awesome, and thrilling. It was a revolutionary fulfillment
of a lifelong dream. Grand Prix rules were used but it was, I think, a big
improvement over those events. The secret of success was the technology (not
yet perfect), format, and presentation.



It was like watching a race from God's view point.being in every cockpit,
seeing every pilot's instruments, seeing his view of terrain, weather,
competitors, and second guessing all his decisions while listening to
knowledgeable narrators.



Each heat of about 200 km. took about two hours and I was glued to the
screen the whole time. Imagine seeing a stack of icons on the left of the
screen arranged vertically by height. If a pilot climbed above another his
position in the stack changed accordingly. Along with each icon was a real
time reading of altitude, air speed, and climb rate. Watching from above or
at various oblique angles each white glider against the real google-earth
terrain, you could watch his/her vario and watch the decision when to slow
down going through lift, when to stop and climb, tell which side of the
circle was the strongest and watch him/her shift to the core.



Finally, in my lifetime, due to technology advancements, there is proof
that sailplane competitions can be an exciting spectator sport..and from my
comfortable seat halfway around the world! After the races I watched RAS
for a few days and was not too surprised to see hardly a mention and no
discussion.



Glider competitions began to be called "Racing" back in the 60s and 70s when
NASCAR fan Charlie Spratt named his newsletter "SAILPLANE RACING NEWS". It
was the best and quickest way to know what was happening in the
pre-computer/web site days.



I and many other grumpy old geysers still think it isn't racing when you
never see the contestants during the "race" and must wait hours AFTER the
event to know what happened.



Glider pilots are the most selfish people I know. I know.I was one of the
most selfish. I now shiver when I think of the selfish way I treated my
family for decades while I enjoyed views out of canopies the world over that
were beyond description. This trait has been and is killing our sport. Our
leaders (I know.I was one) have lead us to convoluted and complicated rules
whose only goal is to use every available minute of a soaring day and
maximize the performance of the pilot and glider. Is it any wonder that our
numbers are dwindling, it's difficult to get contest venues and volunteers,
only the most dedicated spouses still crew, and most pilots show up
crewless.



It's easy to criticize, but I think (hope!) I might see a "GLIMMER OF HOPE"
for a turn-a-round in the way modern technology is making it possible for
the "layman" (spectator) to come along in the cockpit and follow a real race
real time. It would truly be a revolution in our sport if spectators could
share the subtleties and nuances of our sport and second guess pilot
decisions, the heart of our sport. Have you watched a NASCAR race lately
and seen how technology has enhanced spectator appeal?

Ed Byars

[Steve Freeman]

Sounds very interesting. Is there somewhere on the web we can see what
you have described or was it a live event only?


On Jun 16, 3:53*pm, "Ed Byars" > wrote:
> Sorry guys, this morning another bout of "diarrhea of the keyboard" struck
> and out came a proposed "letter to the editor" of SOARING. I decided not to
> wait the month or more (and/or the probable rejection) for your reaction, if
> any.
>
> So, here 'tis. *Fire away.
>
> Ed Byars
>
> GLIMMER OF HOPE * * * * * * * * ROUGH DRAFTRev.2,6-16
>

[Frank Whiteley]

On Jun 16, 3:32*pm, Steve Freeman > wrote:
> Sounds very interesting. Is there somewhere on the web we can see what
> you have described or was it a live event only?
>
> On Jun 16, 3:53*pm, "Ed Byars" > wrote:
>
> > Sorry guys, this morning another bout of "diarrhea of the keyboard" struck
> > and out came a proposed "letter to the editor" of SOARING. I decided not to
> > wait the month or more (and/or the probable rejection) for your reaction, if
> > any.
>
> > So, here 'tis. *Fire away.
>
> > Ed Byars
>
> > GLIMMER OF HOPE * * * * * * * * ROUGH DRAFTRev.2,6-16

There were a couple of recorded replays and it would be great if it
were replayed according to some schedule for the next few weeks.

The technology is impressive. Not quite sure how much was measured
and how much interpolated, but that was well handled. It appeared to
me that climb/sink rates may have included 'stick', IOW rate of change
of altitude rather than vario outputs. The simulated bank angles
appeared to match the turn rates.

It's based on the Iridium satellite constellation. The normal Iridium
phone rate is $0.99/minute. I suspect there may be a 'group' ,
'corporate' or 'event' rate. Listening to the banter from time time
indicated the graphics server engine was based on the same used for
the EAD European Fighter simulator. Up to 2500-3500 'viewers' were
watching the races. I missed the comment on available feeds, but I
think they said the server could support 5,000 connections.

The limiting factor in hosting larger class competition, e.g. 50
gliders in a class may be satellite MUX space and existing customer
usage and, of course, cost.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium_satellite_constellation indicates
each satellite could handle 1100 simultaneous calls. There is also an
improved capacity constellation planned for 2016. As ballooning was
also covered with live streaming, perhaps the Iridium system was used
there also, I didn't check.

I hope the IGC will report on the development and costs and what might
be made available to future contest organizers. Some of us are
looking at the IT components for WGC2012 at Uvalde.

Frank Whiteley

[Bob]

On Jun 16, 1:53*pm, "Ed Byars" > wrote:
> Sorry guys, this morning another bout of "diarrhea of the keyboard" struck
> and out came a proposed "letter to the editor" of SOARING. I decided not to
> wait the month or more (and/or the probable rejection) for your reaction, if
> any.
>
> So, here 'tis. *Fire away.
>
> Ed Byars
>
> GLIMMER OF HOPE * * * * * * * * ROUGH DRAFTRev.2,6-16
>
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *efb
>
> *The recent glider racing at the World Air Games in Italy was, to me, beyond
> just fantastic, awesome, and thrilling. *It was a revolutionary fulfillment
> of a lifelong dream. Grand Prix rules were used but it was, I think, a big
> improvement over those events. The secret of success was the technology (not
> yet perfect), *format, and presentation.
>
> It was like watching a race from God's view point.being in every cockpit,
> seeing every pilot's instruments, seeing his view of terrain, weather,
> competitors, and second guessing all his decisions while listening to
> knowledgeable narrators.
>
> Each heat of about 200 km. took about two hours and I was glued to the
> screen the whole time. *Imagine seeing a stack of icons on the left of the
> screen arranged vertically by height. If a pilot climbed above another his
> position in the stack changed accordingly. Along with each icon was a real
> time reading of altitude, air speed, and climb rate. Watching from above or
> at various oblique angles each white glider against the real google-earth
> terrain, you could watch his/her vario and watch the decision *when to slow
> down going through lift, when to stop and climb, tell which side of the
> circle was the strongest and watch *him/her shift to the core.
>
> *Finally, in my lifetime, due to technology advancements, there is proof
> that sailplane competitions can be an exciting spectator sport..and from my
> comfortable seat halfway around the world! *After the races I watched RAS
> for a few days and was not too surprised to see hardly a mention and no
> discussion.
>
> Glider competitions began to be called "Racing" back in the 60s and 70s when
> NASCAR fan Charlie Spratt named his newsletter "SAILPLANE RACING NEWS". It
> was the best and quickest way to know what was happening in the
> pre-computer/web site days.
>
> I and many other grumpy old geysers still think it isn't racing when you
> never see the contestants during the "race" and must wait hours AFTER the
> event to know what happened.
>
> Glider pilots are the most selfish people I know. *I know.I was one of the
> most selfish. I now shiver when I think of the selfish way I treated my
> family for decades while I enjoyed views out of canopies the world over that
> were beyond description. *This trait has been and is killing our sport. *Our
> leaders (I know.I was one) have lead us to convoluted and complicated rules
> whose only goal is to use every available minute of a soaring day and
> maximize the performance of the pilot and glider. *Is it any wonder that our
> numbers are dwindling, it's difficult to get contest venues and volunteers,
> only the most dedicated spouses still crew, and most pilots show up
> crewless.
>
> It's easy to criticize, but I think (hope!) I might see a "GLIMMER OF HOPE"
> for a turn-a-round in the way modern technology is making it possible for
> the "layman" (spectator) to come along in the cockpit and follow a real race
> real time. *It would truly be a revolution in our sport if spectators could
> share the subtleties and nuances of our sport and second guess pilot
> decisions, the heart of our sport. *Have you watched a NASCAR race lately
> and seen how technology has enhanced spectator appeal?
>
> Ed Byars

I wholeheartedly agree! I, too, was glued to my computer screen, and
thoroughly enjoyed watching the races while sitting at my computer.
Whether crusing along in a Grand Prix race or watching one on the
computer, I feel Grand Prix is THE format that is the most fun, and
can be the most enjoyable / exciting for anyone watching via
computer. It is so amazing how far computer technology has come, and
how much it has to offer to soaring. There were 2 minor
disappointments with the race: 1) was that the 2 German gliders'
batteries were not functioning on one of the races, which we were not
aware of until very near the end of the race, when it was declared
that they had won and everyone was thinking what they were watching
were the actual leaders. And 2) was the finish the last day when 3
gliders were racing neck and neck to the finish and contact was lost
due to the very low angle with the satellites (with one no longer
functioning due to mid-space collision with a Russian satellite).
But, considering everything, those were minor technical glitches, and
the overall result was awesome. Many thanks to everyone who worked on
the presentation, and thanks for the post that alerted me to the
event. I look forward to more of these presentations, and look
forward to the use of them building interest back for our sport. And,
I look forward to more contests utilizing the Grand Prix format.

Bob T.
19

[Gary Kemp]

On Jun 17, 7:26*am, Bob > wrote:
> On Jun 16, 1:53*pm, "Ed Byars" > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Sorry guys, this morning another bout of "diarrhea of the keyboard" struck
> > and out came a proposed "letter to the editor" of SOARING. I decided not to
> > wait the month or more (and/or the probable rejection) for your reaction, if
> > any.
>
> > So, here 'tis. *Fire away.
>
> > Ed Byars
>
> > GLIMMER OF HOPE * * * * * * * * ROUGH DRAFTRev.2,6-16
>
> > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *efb
>
> > *The recent glider racing at the World Air Games in Italy was, to me, beyond
> > just fantastic, awesome, and thrilling. *It was a revolutionary fulfillment
> > of a lifelong dream. Grand Prix rules were used but it was, I think, a big
> > improvement over those events. The secret of success was the technology (not
> > yet perfect), *format, and presentation.
>
> > It was like watching a race from God's view point.being in every cockpit,
> > seeing every pilot's instruments, seeing his view of terrain, weather,
> > competitors, and second guessing all his decisions while listening to
> > knowledgeable narrators.
>
> > Each heat of about 200 km. took about two hours and I was glued to the
> > screen the whole time. *Imagine seeing a stack of icons on the left of the
> > screen arranged vertically by height. If a pilot climbed above another his
> > position in the stack changed accordingly. Along with each icon was a real
> > time reading of altitude, air speed, and climb rate. Watching from above or
> > at various oblique angles each white glider against the real google-earth
> > terrain, you could watch his/her vario and watch the decision *when to slow
> > down going through lift, when to stop and climb, tell which side of the
> > circle was the strongest and watch *him/her shift to the core.
>
> > *Finally, in my lifetime, due to technology advancements, there is proof
> > that sailplane competitions can be an exciting spectator sport..and from my
> > comfortable seat halfway around the world! *After the races I watched RAS
> > for a few days and was not too surprised to see hardly a mention and no
> > discussion.
>
> > Glider competitions began to be called "Racing" back in the 60s and 70s when
> > NASCAR fan Charlie Spratt named his newsletter "SAILPLANE RACING NEWS". It
> > was the best and quickest way to know what was happening in the
> > pre-computer/web site days.
>
> > I and many other grumpy old geysers still think it isn't racing when you
> > never see the contestants during the "race" and must wait hours AFTER the
> > event to know what happened.
>
> > Glider pilots are the most selfish people I know. *I know.I was one of the
> > most selfish. I now shiver when I think of the selfish way I treated my
> > family for decades while I enjoyed views out of canopies the world over that
> > were beyond description. *This trait has been and is killing our sport. *Our
> > leaders (I know.I was one) have lead us to convoluted and complicated rules
> > whose only goal is to use every available minute of a soaring day and
> > maximize the performance of the pilot and glider. *Is it any wonder that our
> > numbers are dwindling, it's difficult to get contest venues and volunteers,
> > only the most dedicated spouses still crew, and most pilots show up
> > crewless.
>
> > It's easy to criticize, but I think (hope!) I might see a "GLIMMER OF HOPE"
> > for a turn-a-round in the way modern technology is making it possible for
> > the "layman" (spectator) to come along in the cockpit and follow a real race
> > real time. *It would truly be a revolution in our sport if spectators could
> > share the subtleties and nuances of our sport and second guess pilot
> > decisions, the heart of our sport. *Have you watched a NASCAR race lately
> > and seen how technology has enhanced spectator appeal?
>
> > Ed Byars
>

I too, totally agree, Ed, I think there is a glimmer of hope. I
retired 2 years ago after almost 40 years in soaing. I felt that my
poor wife and as collateral damage, my kids, had suffered enough. I
can't believe how selfish I was. I do still follow most of the
competitions. I was up every morning about 5:00 here in Arizona and
watched with bated breath the antics of the pilots. I was
particularly enthralled with Chip Garner and the next to the last day
as we watched him scrape out of a hole about 200 meters above the
valley floor to finish the contest. I thoroughly enjoyed the
commentary and the graphics.

Gary Kemp