On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:21:50 +0000 (UTC), Frank Stutzman
wrote:

Ron Wanttaja wrote:
Well, let's see:

OK, Ron, I'll agree with all your points except for the very first one:


1. Each race ends with an emergency (e.g., an aircraft without of fuel).

By this definition there are a powerful lot of soaring events/races
that are nothing but emergencies.

Oh, I'll grant you it's not technically an emergency since it's the intent to
land dry. But then, these aren't sailplanes. "Landing-out" in a Schempp-Hirth
is likely to be a LOT more survivable than if a RRL racer can't make the runway.
The Space Shuttle deadsticks, too, but they've got very pricey simulators and
the Gulfstream to practice with. Can't do a lot of touch-and-goes with four
minutes of fuel....

The airplanes and pilots are all festooned with cameras, transmitting data to
the ground in real-time. Everyone will have a front-row seat to the accidents.

You can replace #1, if you like, with: "If the FIRST racer to land crashes on
the runway, all the following ones are going to be in a world of hurt...." I
expect the FAA will demand contingency plans in place (alternate runways,
landing on taxiways, etc.) but odds are there'll be somebody badly positioned if
the primary runway goes down. Will the fire trucks even be allowed to respond
before all the racers have landed?

Ron Wanttaja