The issue with the current system: If you start with the minimum number of pilots, then there is a danger of it all falling apart if one guy has problems -- equipment breaks, small damage, so on. Also, a weird thing has happened where the whole rest of the fleet has to devote themselves on the last day to making sure the last guy on the scoresheet doesn't land out, and finishes with the required 40%. So the idea was to build a buffer in to starting a contest.

The RC wisely decided not to implement it.

There is a larger question. What do we do with slowly diminishing classes? Having contests fail, as standard did at Hobbs last year, is not a great way to run a railroad.

On electronics. Yes, the whole business of policing turn and banks in iPhones was getting out of hand. But technology changes in both ways. Now that we have flight recorders, we can detect serious cloud flying. A ban on carriage is much more important when you have no idea what people are doing out there. If you circle up a few thousand feet over cloudless, expect a long hard talk with the CD. If you do it often and start winning contests expect longer and harder talks.

There is also a big philosophical push towards making rules simple. Please keep that in mind when making requests.

John Cochrane BB