On Wednesday, December 30, 2015 at 10:31:15 AM UTC-8, kirk.stant wrote:

When I race, I want to RACE (see definition in another excellent post).
And IMO, in the perfect race, everyone would use the same thermals, on the same task, and finish within seconds of each other. That would be a test of soaring skill, not of luck, weather guessing, and local knowledge.


From my perspective, this is a fairly narrow view of what racing means. As presented above, it would be primarily a contest of stick skills. Same start, same thermals, same course... He/she who flies better, wins. sort of like the recent contest in Dubai.

I prefer the concept of racing to include tactical and strategic decision making, the pilots understanding of weather; picking optimal turn points; knowing when to "go deep"; selecting the best start time for the day; using knowledge of the competitors ships, habits, strengths and weaknesses; when to lead, when to follow, when to leave the pack. And yes, using FLARM info to my best advantage (as well as glide computers, moving maps, and polarized sun glasses, etc.)

Both perspectives are valid of course. I just prefer the latter

Matt Herron