On Feb 10, 9:25*pm, John Cochrane
wrote:
Let's not start the old sports class and 1-26 vs. nimbus 4 debate.

The proposal is to allow a small range of handicaps within standard
class.

Most of the "club class didn't get home on day x" stories, or the
similar "nimbus 4 couldn't get through the big blue hole that ka6
didn't have to cross" stories involve gliders of very different
performance range flying together, in the very rough-and-ready system
of sports class.

That is largely addressed in club class, in the mixed FAI regional
classes, and in the standard class proposal, by having races in which
gliders of very similar performance fly together with handicaps.

That does not mean this is an easy decision. Handicaps add noise, even
if just a little noise and a 3% handicap range. Some pilots might try
the strategy of sticking with the gaggle and winning on handicap.
Pilots who made a big investment in a new glider find that investment
doesn't pay off. Balancing the pilots who want to fly given the new
handicap for their older gliders are pilots who may not fly because
they don't like the whole handicap thing. There is a chance that a guy
in an LS4 can win the standard nationals and get sent to the worlds.

I like the handicap proposal, because I don't see a way out of our
participation decline. The alternative may be canceling nationals hwen
not enough pilots show up. And this has been a great discussion.

But let's keep it on point and not go back and revisit sports class.

I was wondering if the following has been considered?: Allow any
Standard Class glider to enter the Standard Class Nationals. Use a
Handicap system to level the playing field so that that Nationals
would be a true test of the skill of the pilot. Then used the non-
handicapped results to select the Team Members for the World
Championships. This approach would allow many more pilots and many
more sailplanes to participate and have a chance at becoming the U.S.
National Champion AND still ensure that the U.S. Team would consist of
the best Pilot/Sailplane that would allow the Team to be competitive
on the World stage. Just a thought from a dummy that doesn't even have
an A Badge.