OK...Ill bite.

I actually already have! Check out this AMAZING website. www.sgp.aero/usa2016 - The FIRST EVER FAI Sailplane Grand Prix USA 2016 to be held next July 24th -31st. It has been sold out for many months now...

Numerous top ranked FAI pilots will be traveling to the USA next summer (more internation pilots than have been to the USA, for a non world championship event, in a VERY long time I imagine...). Pilots from Australia, Germany, Britain, etc. Over 10 of these international competitors (not including Canada) have applied to fly our FAI Sailplane Grand Prix USA. Unfortunatly, per the FAI SGP rules, only 5 international competitors will be accepted (of 20 total pilots in the contest). Wow. Imagine that. Top international pilots signing up for a US contest in Ionia, MI! An assigned task only contest clearly creating STRONG demand for top international pilots to travel to Ionia, MI USA and fly an assigned task only contest. An assinged task only event (in the USA!) which was sold out and significantly overbooked OVER A YEAR BEFOR THE CONTEST BEGINS! Hmmm. I wonder why that could be?

We also have almost 25 US and Canadian pilots in the que. They are in the process of being widdled down to the max of 15 based on SSA rankings (becuase the SSA stoped maintaining the FAI information...sigh)

Clearly, there is strong demand for ASSIGNED TASKS in the USA. Perhaps even more demand would exist if SGP USA was hosted by a more exotic location.

Personally I would rather do a grand prix match race with one other glider friend in Ionia than go to a regional contest that will only run timed, wide area TAT "weather skill" tasks. Hell, I would rather practice an assigned task by myself (something I do all the time) or try a state record flight than go to a TAT, MAT only contest. In all my contests over the last 5 years, I think I have only done 5-6 assinged tasks. I am SICK of timed, area tasks. I am probably not alone..............

I hear you. Many cry (like children at times) about assigned tasks (even though we very rarely run them at all). Some phycisally cower when assigned tasks are even "hinted at" even if the weather forecast is enormously good.. Its amazing how fearful many seem to be. Just because many protest against or threaten not to attend a contests if assigned tasks are possible does not make them justified in their strong resistance. I think assigned task (rather than just going to the best weather) make pilots better cross country pilots. I think they gave great value to newer cross country pilots. I think flying only to the best weather makes a pilot quite weak at certain areas. Assigned tasks are very rewarding and yes, sometimes, difficult. You might even land out once in awhile. So what. There is a reason they do 50% ASTs at major contests wordwide. I think an "assigned tasks lives matter" T shirt is coming! ;-)

I believe that we should strive to have at least 20% assigned tasks in the USA, not 3%. Still a small fraction (20% vs. 50%) of general international levels, but nearly 7x more than are run in the US today. There is good value, as a country, to remaining proficient in assigned tasks. We cannot purely focus on broad weather strategy, computer management task. And it is a total misconception that this value is only for the US team pilots who have to go to world championships where 50% of the task are likely to be AST.

Im really getting tired of this conversation. But I think its a important one.

The USA runs 3% NOT TIMED TASKS and 97% timed tasks. Say that 10 times for me. This is undisputed data and is not proportional to the desires of all US glider pilots, despite what the pollsters are trying to sell us.

Sean