On Friday, January 24, 2014 11:51:28 AM UTC-5, wrote:
The decision to thermal at 500ft AGL is the same at the finish sector, out on course or attempting to thermal out from a relight near the airport.

snip...


Daniel, I had the same thought, but really I think there is a difference between having a hard deck out on course or having one just in the "prep for landing zone". I have been guilty of low save attempts, some successful, some not, some in contests, some not. But when I have attempted them, I was alone with each turn pointed at a final into an airport or field. Having someone try it near the finish cylinder is undesirable not for their own safety (well that too) but for the safety of others. Giving a 400 pt "bonus" for pulling it off, does not seem like the right thing to do. Extending the floor of the finish cylinder out some reasonable distance, would remove the incentive to save a "land out at the airport" near the airport. I would note that the suggestion of increasing the size of the finish cylinder accomplishes the same thing, but perhaps makes the pattern entry of the landing traffic less predictable.

RR