Death of the 13.5m class?

No one is suggesting a change to the soaring world record rules...

Nobody said gliding competitions using the existing format are being completely replaced, we have too many classes diluting the merit of the champions in each class. The top pilots compete in 2 or 3 categories (raising the cost and reducing opportunities for less wealthy pilots). So replacing a not very popular class with something new and actually different is a good thing.

If some people don't want to call it soaring fine, lets call it assisted-soaring. I think this could be a fantastic platform for technology innovation, you still need a machine a pilot, knowledge, skills and strategy (and a bit of luck). If anything, the skillset necessary to win will be broader than it is now.

Of course some rules need to be in place, perhaps limit the weight of batteries or quantity stored energy in such way that it represents lets say max 10% of the energy necessary to complete the task so it still has a something to do with gliding and not electric pylon racing.

I think this could be a tremendous opportunity to revive gliding as a sport, give a green image, sophisticated high tech sport, attract sponsors and hopefully appeal to newer generations of pilots. (Last contest I attended had 45 competitors and only 4 were under 50yo so we need to fill a gap if we want contests in 10-15 years)

My only concern would be an escalation of cost where the $ would give an edge but that is already the case today anyway and it can be controlled by rules.

I give it 10/10

Jacques

Its getting more ridiculous each year! Use a motor=your not soaring, period! Now if you want to start a new form of racing called "L/D assisted power racing" fine but its not soaring and definitely another nail in the coffin of pure sailplane racing.

The dumbing down of the actual piloting/soaring skills needed to fly cross country is apparent. Fear of outlandings, inability to go anywhere unless your flying a 40/1 machine, inability to navigate if a moving map fails, inability to find an energy line or thermal unless you can identify the gaggle using your flarm. It has become ridiculous. I will stick with setting personal cross country and state record goals. I'll land out a bunch (no big deal) and damn well find my own thermals. The racing scene has become financially unobtainable for most and at best has become a contest of who has a maximized wallet and who can maximize their flight computers performance on a given day.

If everyone in the class has an E, I'm OK with it, just don't let that kind of thinking find its way into the real soaring rules.
JJ

On Sunday, December 24, 2017 at 9:05:05 AM UTC-6, teck48 wrote:
I cannot get the .aero link to work. Does anyone have an alternate? Link "doesn't exist or has been moved"

Same link, but cut off the http// or go to just the website for spr.aero

http://www.spr.aero/wcc-main-news/e-...c-gliders.aspx

On Monday, December 25, 2017 at 12:36:43 AM UTC-5, Tony wrote:
No one is suggesting a change to the soaring world record rules...

Not yet.

wrote on 12/24/2017 6:39 PM:
If this is "soaring," then no external power or induced thrust should be allowed. Start the engine, turn a prop (or turbine, or compressed air jet, or stick an oar out the window or whatever) and you are now a powered aircraft. In competition, the flight STOPS THERE. (Just like the OLC.) No exceptions. If you elect to augment your flight to make it home when getting too low for comfort and do not want to accept a landout, too bad. The scoresheet should reflect that you decided to terminate soaring flight at that point.

Also remember that virtually ALL external power sources (Reciprocating engine, Turbine or Electric CAN fail. And the insidious "Emergency Algorithm" dictates that it will most probably fail at the absolutely WORST time, i.e., too low over bad terrain when you have not previously selected an appropriate landing area and planned how to get in to it safely.

An auxiliary power source is a neat thing to have. Just remember that it is NOT a "Safety" device. It is best if you just treat it as a way to avoid inconvenience. Betting on it to save your sorry butt in a competition (or on any flight) is just asking for trouble.

What about a glider with a rescue parachute? If the motor failed to operate, and
there was no safe place to land, the pilot could use the rescue parachute. The
risk of, say, an electric motor failing to start, AND being over a place where a
landing would harm the pilot, AND the rescue parachute failing is much smaller
than all the other safety risks of flying in a contest. In that case, a pilot with
a motor gives up some weak weather performance to gain more area to fly in,
looking for that elusive thermal. Even if the scoring ends with the motor
starting, having a motor can change how the soaring is done.


--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Dec 2014a" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm

http://soaringsafety.org/prevention/...anes-2014A.pdf

On Monday, December 25, 2017 at 8:15:18 PM UTC-8, Eric Greenwell wrote:
wrote on 12/24/2017 6:39 PM:
If this is "soaring," then no external power or induced thrust should be allowed. Start the engine, turn a prop (or turbine, or compressed air jet, or stick an oar out the window or whatever) and you are now a powered aircraft. In competition, the flight STOPS THERE. (Just like the OLC.) No exceptions. If you elect to augment your flight to make it home when getting too low for comfort and do not want to accept a landout, too bad. The scoresheet should reflect that you decided to terminate soaring flight at that point.

Powered flight is not Gliding.

Motor-assisted touring, racing, badge flying, and records are all interesting.

But they all have homes in other FAI Commissions. CASI has rules for airplanes (including electric), and CIMA governs microlights (including electric).. I'm sure that these Commissions work hard to make their sports attractive..

But my sport is Gliding. I want to do the best I can using the energy I find in the atmosphere, and I want to compare my performance with others doing the same thing. The method of my launch and retrieval are not relevant. I want a precise definition of "soaring," and I want fair rules to follow.

IGC should stick to Gliding.

On Monday, December 25, 2017 at 11:15:18 PM UTC-5, Eric Greenwell wrote:
Even if the scoring ends with the motor
starting, having a motor can change how the soaring is done.

Behold: honesty. Rare enough to be noteworthy. Thanks, Eric.

-Evan Ludeman / T8