You make some very good points about why you like the AT better and enjoy it more.

I was asking why you think it makes for better competition.

I think there is a place for the AT and agree that task advisers should perhaps be more open minded.

Personally I don't think a high percentage of AT tasks should be mandated because it can force the task committee to call them on days when it is not the best task.

I don't dislike the AT. I simply don't believe that is as good a measure of a variety of soaring skills as other options.

I've flown a lot of tasks over the years that consisted of try to start late, catch the gaggle, stay with it because the percentages don't favor bravery, and final glide home with the group, most of whom never had to find a thermal or make a significant decision all day.

We would do well to have our task setters take the guidance in the rules addendum to heart and do a better job of calling a variety of tasks.

Wish I had been able to fly with those folks the last 2 weeks.



UH


I'm not a competition pilot but I see merits in both sides of this discussion.

Please allow me to pose a different, outsiders view. For the sake of increasing contest participation, the contest committee wants non-competition pilots watching a task on GlidePort to think, "Gee, this looks like fun, I think I'll give it a try." Instead of, as it often is, "I'm confused - I have no idea what those folks are doing".

While fixed time tasks may better test a pilot's ability, they come across to neophytes as difficult to understand. Competitor tactics and strategy are not at all clear and I've had no success trying to explain them to non-contest pilots.

On the other hand, an AST is simplicity itself - it's just a race. Everybody understands a race and they're fun to watch. While AST's have less value in testing pilot's ability, they may have greater value in enticing new people into trying competition.

I would further suggest that, at least in the case of "entry level" competition, leaching and gaggles may be a good thing for a bunch of rookies learning the game by watching more experienced pilots. With the advent of PowerFlarm, this seems less dangerous that it once was.