Participating in Contests

These barriers are removed. You're out of excuses. Hope to see you
next year!
John Cochrane BB

Wow, that is really good information and straightened me out on a lot
of things
that I simply did not know.

Looks like I really don't have any excuses and it sounds like fun.

I also just read about the local sport regionals at Warner Springs and
found there were
7 newbies attending that contest and its only 40 miles from home.

I'll make a plan to attend some regionals next year, and brush up on
my skills
in preperation in the mean time.

I have one more question.

Do pilots typically carry oxygen at these events?

I imagine since going fast is the objective most will not thermal up
to cloud base (out west) when they
could be racing along with shorter climbs?


Kirk:
What book by Moffat? Is there just one?

Does the SSA site have the Sport Regional rules on PDA/GPS, or is that
specific to each regional contest?

Ray

On Oct 1, 9:24*am, jb92563 wrote:



Do pilots typically carry oxygen at these events?

What book by Moffat? Is there just one?

Does the SSA site have the Sport Regional rules on PDA/GPS, or is that
specific to each regional contest?

Ray

In the west O2 is used often. Higher usually mean faster, not in all
cases, but most. Many reasons too numerous to list here. Higher
gives a greater range to find stronger thermals and higher is thinner
air so you are flying faster.

Moffat's books either "Winning on the Wind" or Winning II (basically
"Winning on the Wind' with additions). Good books to read. Many
others as well, but you don't need to get to complex to start. There
is the teachable moment and some will come after your first few
contests.

Both the SSA site under racing and the SRA site are helpful.

http://www.sailplane-racing.org/

Best thing is to go out ot your local site and visit with some of the
pilots that race. They can be very helpful on getting you ready for
your fist contest.

Just remember it is addictive. You may have to attend Sailplane
Racing Anonymous. As I tell people I'm addicted to "White Powder and
Speed". That smell of gel coat and epoxy when you open the trailer is
intoxicating.

Good luck

Do pilots typically carry oxygen at these events?

If you're going to fly xc at any site that allows you to get over
10,000', oxygen is a must. Forget about speed, as a beginner you're
going to want to be at the top of the thermals because you don't want
to think about landing out. Planning to bail out of thermals below the
top for 02 reasons sets you up for a needless mountain of stress. The
mountain high system is great, and the small ones are easy to install.
Yeah the FAA says you can go higher, but you want to make good
decisions in stressful situations. I set mine to go on at 5000' after
seeing at Tonopah that my o2 saturation was 95 % and heartbeat 10
beats above normal while sitting on the runway.

John Cochrane BB

The impression that the super pilots with full time organized ground
crews and $90k+ ships makes going to a contest with a older generation
glider say a HP-11 with ~36:1 glide rather futile and would perhaps
feel like a 2nd class pilot showing up with such a craft amoungst all
the expensive glass.

Having never been to a contest I suppose it may just take one good
experience to make me a regular attendee but I just have not felt the
urge to get all the resources together to make that 1st one. Perhaps
its lazy convenience that keeps me at the local club. Distance is
another factor but would probably drive up to 500 miles to go to a 3
day weekend event.

I think what would make me come to one would be a contest amoungst
more of the older generation gliders and some explanation of how
retrieves would be made if I did not bring my own retrieve crew.
Knowing I would have a retrieve crew available at the contest would
remove 75% of the reluctance and flying with older gliders to keep it
interesting, would remove the last 25% and get me to come out.

I know from my sail boating experiences that going to a contest is the
fasterst way to learn from much more experienced pilots and accelerate
your own progress.

I think another good idea for first timers would be to have an
optional pre-contest orientation weekend where perhaps a month before
the contest you could go to the site with a number of others and fly
the area to get the lay of the land for us first timers. For that
matter they should just have a firstimers class with detailed
explanations of what to expect, what not to do, where not to go and
how to prepare for that particular site. Show us where the house
thermal are.

Another factor for some will also be the availability of a proper
Logger as they seem unnecessarily expensive and are not standard
equipment in older gliders. Perhaps allowing a PDA with GPS, or even a
simple hand held GPS unit to substitude as a turnpoint recorder would
help in this area.

Remove some or all of those barriers and Im sure the contests would
get greater attendance.

The impression that the super pilots with full time organized ground
crews and $90k+ ships makes going to a contest with a older generation
glider say a HP-11 with ~36:1 glide rather futile and would perhaps
feel like a 2nd class pilot showing up with such a craft amoungst all
the expensive glass.

Having never been to a contest I suppose it may just take one good
experience to make me a regular attendee but I just have not felt the
urge to get all the resources together to make that 1st one. Perhaps
its lazy convenience that keeps me at the local club. Distance is
another factor but would probably drive up to 500 miles to go to a 3
day weekend event.

I think what would make me come to one would be a contest amoungst
more of the older generation gliders and some explanation of how
retrieves would be made if I did not bring my own retrieve crew.
Knowing I would have a retrieve crew available at the contest would
remove 75% of the reluctance and flying with older gliders to keep it
interesting, would remove the last 25% and get me to come out.

I know from my sail boating experiences that going to a contest is the
fasterst way to learn from much more experienced pilots and accelerate
your own progress.

I think another good idea for first timers would be to have an
optional pre-contest orientation weekend where perhaps a month before
the contest you could go to the site with a number of others and fly
the area to get the lay of the land for us first timers. For that
matter they should just have a firstimers class with detailed
explanations of what to expect, what not to do, where not to go and
how to prepare for that particular site. Show us where the house
thermal are.

Another factor for some will also be the availability of a proper
Logger as they seem unnecessarily expensive and are not standard
equipment in older gliders. Perhaps allowing a PDA with GPS, or even a
simple hand held GPS unit to substitude as a turnpoint recorder would
help in this area.

Remove some or all of those barriers and Im sure the contests would
get greater attendance.

The impression that the super pilots with full time organized ground
crews and $90k+ ships makes going to a contest with a older generation
glider say a HP-11 with ~36:1 glide rather futile and would perhaps
feel like a 2nd class pilot showing up with such a craft amoungst all
the expensive glass.

Having never been to a contest I suppose it may just take one good
experience to make me a regular attendee but I just have not felt the
urge to get all the resources together to make that 1st one. Perhaps
its lazy convenience that keeps me at the local club. Distance is
another factor but would probably drive up to 500 miles to go to a 3
day weekend event.

I think what would make me come to one would be a contest amoungst
more of the older generation gliders and some explanation of how
retrieves would be made if I did not bring my own retrieve crew.
Knowing I would have a retrieve crew available at the contest would
remove 75% of the reluctance and flying with older gliders to keep it
interesting, would remove the last 25% and get me to come out.

I know from my sail boating experiences that going to a contest is the
fasterst way to learn from much more experienced pilots and accelerate
your own progress.

I think another good idea for first timers would be to have an
optional pre-contest orientation weekend where perhaps a month before
the contest you could go to the site with a number of others and fly
the area to get the lay of the land for us first timers. For that
matter they should just have a firstimers class with detailed
explanations of what to expect, what not to do, where not to go and
how to prepare for that particular site. Show us where the house
thermal are.

Another factor for some will also be the availability of a proper
Logger as they seem unnecessarily expensive and are not standard
equipment in older gliders. Perhaps allowing a PDA with GPS, or even a
simple hand held GPS unit to substitude as a turnpoint recorder would
help in this area.

Remove some or all of those barriers and Im sure the contests would
get greater attendance.

Like BB said: No excuses.

Do some homework (go to the SSA or any big club website and there will
usually be links to find info about racing rules, procedures, etc.).
SRA is another excellent source.

Read Moffatt. At least twice.

Then show up and give it a try.

Don't obsess about the "racing" aspect - you will find many pilots who
"race in order to fly", instead of "flying in order to race". (That
approach tends to change as you start doing better, by the way!)

Warning - it is addictive!

Kirk
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