In the tradition of lies, damned lies, and statistics, I see that a plurality of pilots in the Opinion poll supported making stealth mode mandatory for Nationals--30% (vs. 19% organizer choice, 24% pilot choice, and 13% stealth prohibited). So instead of disenfranchising anyone, the Rules Committee appears (without knowing the back story) to have responded to pilots' preferences.

I strongly suspect that if the responses were broken down into those who had flown a stealth-mode-mandatory contest vs. those who had not, the results would have been much more lopsided in favor of mandatory stealth. I've done both and much preferred mandatory stealth mode. My sense of the Elmira nats where it was mandatory was that most pilots thought it worked very well, but that's an unscientific opinion.

The percentage of pilots who support prohibiting stealth mode ranges from 13% (at nationals) to 17% (at regionals). It seems logical that if you're really opposed to stealth for safety instead of tactical reasons, you should be strongly opposed to stealth being allowed OR mandated, and that didn't come out.

So on a tactical basis, regarding whether leeching works, I respect Andy's analytical approach studying past data when he says leeching doesn't pay off. But based on experience, I would offer that this tactic is like anything else in soaring (or life): i.e., it's no panacea. Some pilots really know how to use it, even to the point of being able to win national contests. Others are less skilled. I can say for certain that it's very frustrating to take your turns leading out or to fly by yourself when you have the courage of your convictions and then have a top pilot sweep into your thermal closely followed by half a dozen leeches who are focused so grimly on keeping him in sight that they barely acknowledge your existence. Indeed, I've had to take evasive action when the trailing pilot(s) didn't see me.

So, yes, leeching works for some. And FLARM makes it easier to leech. The reason it doesn't effect top pilots most of the time is that they're better than the rest of us and don't need it. Duh. It's middle-of-the-pack pilots who want to place high but don't want to fly their own flights who can benefit.

To be completely honest, leeching using FLARM probably enhances safety compared with leeching based on eyeballing because it gives everyone a better view of other gliders. But that's like saying that tailgating a fast-moving car on the freeway at 80 mph is safer with one of the new automatic emergency braking systems or self-driving cars than by driving manually. You shouldn't be doing it either way.

Just my opinion.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"
U.S.A.