I'm still new to the concept of sailplane racing and am still trying to grasp the different formats being used around the world.

For the past two days, I've been watching the last hour or so of the SGP in Chile and am having a blast. The coverage with telemetry and insightful commentary has really made this a viable spectator sport for those with a specific interest in racing. The finish on Wednesday was exciting! Watching the different strategies develop and ultimately fail to pan out or work to their advantage was much more engaging to watch than some of the races I've tried to follow in the past.

I was chatting with my First Officer about soaring during our flight yesterday and he was very interested in the race coverage I was describing. We rushed to find a spot to watch the finish of the race yesterday after we landed in Boston with two hours of airport appreciation time before our next leg. As a non-glider pilot, he was completely engaged by the coverage of the race and didn't want to stop until the top five has finished. That's a good sign, if you ask me.

Add in a live shot of the finish line and some realtime weather/clouds and this format will become more popular with every race.

Today's race starts at 1230z...see you on YouTube.

Paul A.
Jupiter, FL
ASW-19