Train Wreck

I'm just seeing this now. I was happy to let this post drop to the bottom but you keep bringing it up to the top. Here we go...

Let me address just a few of your concerns to set the record straight.

1. Team flying - Team or gaggle flying in not against the rules. Pilot to pilot radio communication is. The US Team camp was held at Cordele the week preceding this year's race. We talked all about how to fly as a pair and how to take advantage of gaggles. We practiced tasks team flying as pairs. What did folks think would happen? Everyone was going to practice these new skills.

Wasn't I on this page just a year ago saying we should fly these contests with FLARM in stealth mode? You and others argued against that. I have already stated numerous times I would like to split the field up more by flying MATs and TATs. The current push is to fly ATs more than everything else. At Cordele 3 AT's were called. Fair enough.

Okay - let's race. Now that I can see everyone in the race pre-start on FLARM, who do you think I am going to pick to start with? Answer: The guy I have practiced team flying with, the guy who I have flown 2 IGC events with, the guy who has a glider just like mine and a flying style perfectly complimentary to mine. The guy who is an ideal non-selfish pair flyer. Then we are going to join the fastest gaggle at the start line as learned during Pan-American, WGC, and the team camp and go around course sailboat style just like you like to do. Here's the thing. There was no communications as you have implied. That would be against the rules and it just isn't necessary in our case. Yep, day three you had a better start time in your gaggle. Congratulations!

2. IGC rules - They're fine. They are easier to read and understand which is a plus. They don't allow for MAT tasks which I think is a great task for really determining who is the best glider pilot when call correctly. That's a negative. Don't recall complaining about the rules in Australia. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Thanks to John Good and the other volunteers, including Tiffany, who were a big help.

3. Collusion - Here's what I knew about the selection process. A call to Bob Fletcher to see when selections might be known. I needed to know because my last week vacation needed to be bid. Answer: Numerically I still had an outside chance at 5th(?) on the list for 15m. He said the pilot survey was nearly ready to go out. Besides that, I called Pete Alexander after getting an email invitation to join the team in 15m. I wanted to know who I might be going with and let him know I was honored but not at all sure I could get the time off. Unfortunately, I had to decline via call and follow up email to Pete. I had a later phone call from Fernando just to confirm I was declining and to express mutual regrets we would be flying together. I do not know where you got that I knew other people's responses to survey. I do not have access to those results.

I really think yo are doing yourself a disservice by ranting on your web page and here. Please take the vile content down and apologize to the team selection committee members who you've trashed. What purpose does this serve at this point?

XC

On Wednesday, November 8, 2017 at 9:30:58 AM UTC-5, Sean Fidler wrote:
Hank, as usual, you haven’t the slightest clue. And I am not done with the videos. I’m just getting started.

And "this" is to prove a simple point. The US Team selection process is a joke and fraud. It not based on facts. It favors butt kissers and is something that is now "given" subjectively and not "earned" objectively.

Get behind the “Team.� Get behind the team that in several cases was given their positions and DID NOT EARN IT.

Also, just to be clear, is team flying legal now? How is it that we can have 5E and XC team flying entire contests without anyone noticing or caring? Are we just trusting them? Is everyone else OK completing against the clear advantages which that allowance provides them? The same thing occurred in the Club Class (and D2, LS8, ASW20 division) nationals in Hobbs this year. See my Youtube channel for those videos.

So Mini-Me (XC) and Mr. Cochrane (good old boys spokesman east and west)....which is it? (Facts please, cite evidence). We see that 5E and XC team fly and need each other to lose the 15m Nationals. We now know that 90 leeches P7 as if prison was no deterrent. But we don’t see that with me. How am I not fast without markers mini-me? At least Cochrane won’t lie here like you. But notice that until I added the actual SeeYou replay proving the narrative was incorrect, that wasn't the case.

Also, note XC comments about how that subjective perception (which Mr. Cochrane disputes) was the reason he voted me down. You can see right there how pathetic the new buddy voting system is.

Why is XC so mad (see: Butthurt)? It is because I called them out for complaining endlessly about the FAI rules DURING the FAI world championships for which they had over a year to prepare. Meanwhile John Good writes endless articles attacking the FAI rules while my wife did 3/4 of the work of the team captain. The Team members should not be afraid of or complain about the FAI rules (or European pilots), they should be fully prepared and READY TO ATTACK IT ON ALL LEVELS AND AT ALL TIMES when the event begins. Instead, they longed for the US rules and tasks. Hence one of my many reasons for despising the failed US Rules experiment which has provided ZERO UPSIDE in TWENTY YEARS while requiring extreme effort to maintain.

Mini-Me, did do you know how the 85% “Elite� (cough, cough, wink, wink) voters voted? How is it that you know the "collective narrative" was (weeks ago) that I am not fast without markers as you posted on my Facebook page? Clearly, now that I have provided this thread some objective evidence (in the form of several SeeYou replays), Cochrane is walking that one (whopper) back for you (and the voters). But (and this is key) that is, apparently, still the justification for 5E to move up in the subjective vote and for me to move down. Hmm? The Team Committee has not released any responses to date. How did you know weeks ago? Could it be that it was contrived by a group of people with high ethical standards that would not let personal disagreements affect their votes? No? Yeah, that is a stretch. So, mini-me, how did you know?

Answer: Mini-me was in on the contrived “subjective� answer of the "elite" SSA loyalists (the good old boys) which was designed too.... We all know the answer...

When will the US Team Committee release the US Team votes and comments so we can compare their responses (subjective) with actual flight data for all relevant competition to see if it makes sense or is just personal? This is the process for the rules poll. Why is this not the process for the TRANSPARENT and OF THE HIGHEST MORAL CHARACTER US Team poll?

#participationtrohpy
#givenNOTearned

sean you are referring to me when you make accusations of team flying taking place at hobbs between D2's and an ASW20. firstly, communication is forbidden in the US, not cooperation. we all know that people cooperate during contests. i thought that one critical element of team flying was communication. since we didn't communicate, we weren't team flying. yes, i'll admit with no fear of retribution that RO, 5F, KMI, and myself flew practically the ENTIRE task together. but there's nothing in the rules against THAT. and none of us landed ****ed-off that the others stuck with us. we did well that day, but noone else at the contest was ****ed at us for flying together. under US rules there are still disadvantages to flying alone, even though it is more incentivized compared to FAI rules. so why do you keep bringing up day 2 at hobbs? we didn't do anything forbidden by US or FAI rules. again, team flying implies communication. i accept that we flew together and that there was informal cooperation. would you please explain your focus on us as an example of illegal team flying please?

Thanks Gina. Love ya!

On Monday, November 6, 2017 at 6:38:46 PM UTC-5, Sean Fidler wrote:
https://youtu.be/uhrEFpb2kGs


I just can't make sense of it, I cannot see how doing this serves your goals. So I'll try a different tack... How about you go over to Poland and kick some ass, score at the top of the sheet, post one for the Americans, and give those damn "good 'ol boys" back home here in the US no other option than to put you in the 18 meter class next year and beyond (lots of competition soaring left for you). You might be surprised how many people would get on your side (and be more open to changing US competition soaring to your preference), slapping your back and cheering you on, just like many of us did when you scored well at the Grand Prix. Leeching is legal. No complaining. Go beat everyone despite the terrible rules. Like this guy does. Can you beat him? Or do you just want to be the best US pilot. Low bar for you I think, very low bar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH6YVbUotDQ

At 23:38 06 November 2017, Sean Fidler wrote:
https://youtu.be/uhrEFpb2kGs

Why do you do this Sean? If you spent the same amount of time making a few
friends in the US Soaring community, you would probably more easily reach
your goals.