Thread: Hard Deck
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Old February 8th 18, 07:31 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot)
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Default Hard Deck

OK.......simple example.......
The Elmira/HHSC "Snowbird" contest.
No cross country.
The rules are mostly based on "exact time" and "spot landing/parking".
Some minor bonus points for altitude gain (although this may mean pilots are doing spins back down to gain more accumulated altitude points, which may be a tie breaker....yes, I have done this.)

Over many years (decades) this has been fine tuned, emphasizing "energy management" to cover the first 2 goals (time and spot landing/parking).

Yes, I am biased......having done well over the years, my group (Valley Soaring in Middletown, NY) as well as personal.
Interesting to see the peeps that are used to, "land wherever, roll to wherever, push it to where we want" vs., "practice putting into a field" which to me is a major part of the goal.
I believe many "long time flyers" as well as CFIG-s at our field drill this into students and above, all the time.

When I was an active CFI-G, part of the private test was, "landing, stopping within 200', but not past, of a predetermined mark".
I read that as, "I could land rather fast, roll 1/2 mile, stop within 200' but don't go by it".
Sorta poor training.

You can search for the Snowbird rules, there should be a link to the "landing portion" for scoring.
Should give some here some pause.

While waiting late to decide to land is poor judgement, not really knowing how to put the aircraft "exactly" where you want when you want is a major recipe for broken bits.
Taken from someone that has helped FIX broken bits later as well as watch pilots wait until their broken bits mend (assuming they survived in the first place, been there as well.....sigh....).

I won't weigh in on whether any "hard deck" will Improve crash/death numbers, I will say it won't really make a difference to me.
I have been "too low before", but no clue on when that decision could have been made. At least a few times, crap happened with weather/geography that I totally missed and I was in a bad spot.
Points didn't matter, not breaking the sailplane was paramount. Sailplane not broken, worst I had was soiled underwear.

So please, read the scoring for the HHSC Snowbird, ask yourself, "How do I think I would do?".
As an aside, on a good weekend, if you are NOT scoring around 950+ points/flight, you are looking at 4th or lower.



PS, I should answer the question in another active thread, last 20 or so contest years (went up from 10 since I have not been real active recently), worst glider damage was torn gear door hinges in a 20 landing in a potato field. Glider was flying the next day. Foliage stains are not counted as damage.
Hoping I don't do anything real stupid in the foreseeable future......doing my best, hoping to guide others along the way.