US club class definition

On Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at 8:28:26 PM UTC-8, Sierra Whiskey wrote:
I always find it hard to believe that an LS-8, ASW-28, and Discus 2 are considered "club" class. Seems a little modern and pricey for the average "club". Those are considered the top gliders of their own class (Standard) and are on the club class list among other aircraft that cannot claim the same merit.

Over time the Club class drifts downward in handicap (or upward if you're looking at FAI handicaps which are inverted from US). It's just a question of timing. I suspect it won't be long before all Standard Class gliders show up on the FAI list.

The gliders that go into Club are based on a tradeoff between two considerations: critical mass of non-handicapped classes and having tight clustering of the Club handicap range. Standard Class is on the edge of viability as a standalone Class and the latest generation of Standard Class gliders are effectively out of production so in the US we've elected to give racers who own these gliders the option to race in Club.

In many ways Club Class is a misnomer in the US because there aren't likely enough Club Class gliders actually owned by clubs in the US to populate a contest. The few that are owed by clubs are typically not easy to take to contests. These gliders are mostly owned by individuals and syndicates. The situation in many other countries is quite different, with a lot more race-ready gliders owned by Clubs and actually available to race.

9B