View Single Post
  #2  
Old September 21st 10, 04:00 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
mattm[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 167
Default Potential Club Class (US Sports Class) World Team SelectionPolicy Changes

On Sep 21, 12:24*am, JS wrote:
* We see a few pilots in this discussion who have admirably bought a
Club Class glider specifically to compete in Club Class. Some have no
other glider. What an awful thing to scold them. Sean, great flight at
the Dust Devil Dash in weak conditions, by the way.
* I had a great time working at the 2009 Club and Sports Class
Nationals at Lake Keepit, NSW, Australia last November (final results
link below). Out of 60 gliders total, it was an even split between
Club Class and Sports Class. Perhaps this is due to the existence of a
Club Class in Australia?
* Just like hosting Open Class Nationals with another class of
Nationals in the USA, holding the two classes simultaneously allows
event organizers to have good attendance. There were indeed AS-G29s
(6) and Ventus 2Cxs (5, plus one without an x) at Keepit, but they
flew in Sports Class. Discus A/B/CS flew in Club, Discus 2 in Sports.
LS-7 in Club, LS-8 in Sports. AS-W20 in Club, LS-6 and all Ventus in
Sports, and so on. We loved to see the Libelles, Ls-1s, Cirrii, Grobs,
Hornets etc. finish.
* (Names withheld, to protect the guilty) one Libelle passed an AS-G29
on short final, causing vast quantities of grief to descend on the 29
pilot. For those thinking safety, you can easily land three wide at
Keepit.
A splendid time was had by all. And dare I say, "Kingaroy!"
Jimhttp://www.keepitsoaring.com/LKSC/index.php?option=com_content&view=a...


Hmm, that's interesting. How does WGC selection work in Australia
with
both a Sports and Club class nationals? Is the Sports class just a
"dead end"
that doesn't feed a WGC team (like it is at the moment in the US)?

Club class contests have had a successful start in the US, in my view.
We've had two in two years now, with decent attendance. I'm looking
forward to there being more of them in the future.

I'm also very disappointed by this direction from the rules committee.
I'd be happy enough to remove the restriction that previous WGC
attendees are ineligible. However, there are already people who've
invested specifically in a club class plane so they can compete for
the WGC positions.

When you get down to it, how do you pick
your class? What attracts you to Standard or 18M or whatever class?
With the FAI classes you can buy a factory-new plane that's likely
got the originally designed airfoil. With a club class plane, you're
getting a plane that's been around a while and it's going to take
work to get it to fly as well as it was designed. It's really sad
that
we're undercutting people who've already decided to take
that approach, such as Sean. Club class isn't an equivalent to
Sports class (described as the "entry and exit" class). It's a
serious racing class.

-- Matt