It's difficult and dangerous to criticize the US Air Force soaring
competition program from the outside. I don't know what their
objectives are or how they measure success. I did have the opportunity
to observe the fleet competing at the regional contest during the
Hobbs Standard Class Nationals last year. I chatted with a number of
the cadets and was impressed with their enthusiasm and surprisingly
good (given their relatively brief exposure to soaring in most cases)
skills. I was also struck by the regimented nature of the flying.
Missions were planned in a structured way before takeoff (though
obviously the cadets were capable of adapting to the inevitable
changes in conditions during the day). The most frustrating--to me--
event was where a cadet pilot was ordered to turn back and land at an
airport along with a large number of non-finishers even though,
apparently, he could have completed the task. Whether that was known
at the time or only in hindsight, I don't know, nor do I know the
qualifications of the individual who gave that order.

In any case, the AF's objectives and constraints are doubtless quite
different from, say, mine. While it was obviously frustrating to a lot
of us (including the cadet pilot) to see the AF miss an opportunity to
be among a small number of finishers in difficult weather, the risk/
reward ratio might have been in conflict with their program's
objectives. They're flying state-of-the-art gliders that are very
expensive--especially in terms of tax payers' dollars. And the AF
pilots may not have the same experience as most civilian pilots at
these contests, in particular in landing off the airport in high-
performance sailplanes. In Hobbs, I tried not to judge and just to
encourage the young pilots there hoping that some of them would
continue in soaring long term.

As for whether an AF order resulted in the day being devalued for the
Parawan competitors, every day of every contest has the potential for
one or more individual's personal objectives, risk profiles, and
decisions influencing the scores of others. I hope we continue to
welcome the AF program to our contests and do everything we can to
encourage them. If change is warranted, it's likely to take time and
best come from within as a result of the learning process.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"
USA