On Wednesday, 23 December 2015 21:08:04 UTC-7, John Carlyle wrote:
Chip, I'm very interested that you say you don't consider the behavior Jim White described as "leeching".

If we can all agree that "leeching" is when someone follows someone else around the course and never makes his own decisions, we can assign time and altitude limits to define "following" and automatically scan IGC files to identify when possible leeching is occurring.

I've been playing around with a computer program that attempts to do this.. The program needs a lot more work, but I haven't been putting much effort into it because until now there hasn't been a usable definition of "leeching".

Perhaps it's possible to agree on a way forward to permit the solving of the issue I think is behind all of the "stealth" angst expressed in many recent RAS posts...

-John, Q3

On Wednesday, December 23, 2015 at 7:03:18 PM UTC-5, wrote:

Lots of snipping to show subject

Jim's scenarios are very interesting--and realistic. But I'm not sure I'd use the word "leeching" to describe them, however, because they involve pilots using FLARM to make decisions. The only decision made by a self-respecting leech (a contradiction in terms?) is whom to follow that day. Jim describes pilots using [FLARM] technology to get better information to make better decisions. And regarding scenario #1, the leader starting behind the 2nd place guy on the last day to shadow him and insure a win, XX, George Moffat himself--the anti-leech--did it at Marfa one year in the 60s to Wally Scott, IIRC.

So can we use technology--i.e., post-flight analysis of logger traces--to impose penalties for leeching? Yeah, it sounds messy. More post-processing work. After-the-fact penalties. More protests from innocent and not-so-innocent pilots.

No, this isn't a troll. I'm serious. I'm sure I'm not the first to propose it. Have at it.

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

There is another way to look at this. Our brothers and sisters in hang gliding and paragliding world use the concept of 'Leading Points' to reward folks that start first and stay out in front.

explanation

11.3 Leading points
Leading points are awarded to encourage pilots to start early and to reward the risk involved in flying in the leading group. Pilots will get leading points even if they landed before goal or the end of speed section.

Explanation with equations for calculations etc can be found on page 32 of this document http://www.fai.org/downloads/civl/SC7_GAP



It has been used for a number of years now with positive results. Of course it is not perfect but what is

Ron Gleason