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#1
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Short cuts
Oh geez Steve, they've taken away all our fun!
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#2
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I wonder how much of the adventure has been taken out of soaring by the rise of sustainer systems. The andrenalin of a low save and making it home is lost knowing that you can always just pop out the engine. It's opened up new areas to fly safely - but is it really the same? How many of the +1000km flights we are seeing now everyday on OLC would be taking place with out sustainer equipped sailplanes?
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#3
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Clint, I feel the advent of sustainers, while great for recreational flying, has changed the complexion of setting records and racing. Sustainers provide a safety net which results in guys being able to take chances they normally would not take when flying a conventional glider. No one can tell me that guys fly a course in a sustainer the same as a non motor equiped machine.
They are given a built in advantage in searching for lift and traversing areas of having "iffy" conditions. They should be placed in their own catagory in records and in racing. This very issue was discussed in the 1950's by the SSA rules committee, you can find their discussions in the archived records. I believe the first big discussion was in 1955. At that time they ruled against allowing motorized gliders to race with conventionals for these very reasons. Dan |
#4
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On Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at 12:10:09 PM UTC-6, wrote:
"Sustainers provide a safety net which results in guys being able to take chances they normally would not take when flying a conventional glider. No one can tell me that guys fly a course in a sustainer the same as a non motor equiped machine." Yikes! That seems like a foolish dice-rolling approach to using a device that does't work 100% of the time. I decrease my probability of having a field landing and ground retrieve, but trade that in for an increased probability of killing myself. What on earth are people thinking? I generally associate an adrenaline rush while flying with an inescapable sense that I've done something very, very stupid. Not at all enjoyable. If you enjoy flying gliders for the sensation of risking your life, my advice is you should stop before you have a little bit too much fun. Andy |
#5
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Yes I agree with you Andy, but racing is racing for a good number of guys and I know they choose to take those chances. If they choose to, well thats their business, but for the sake of the competition it does change the dynamic. Thats what the SSA was worried about back in the day.
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#6
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On Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at 1:10:09 PM UTC-5, wrote:
Clint, I feel the advent of sustainers, while great for recreational flying, has changed the complexion of setting records and racing. Sustainers provide a safety net which results in guys being able to take chances they normally would not take when flying a conventional glider. No one can tell me that guys fly a course in a sustainer the same as a non motor equiped machine. They are given a built in advantage in searching for lift and traversing areas of having "iffy" conditions. They should be placed in their own catagory in records and in racing. This very issue was discussed in the 1950's by the SSA rules committee, you can find their discussions in the archived records. I believe the first big discussion was in 1955. At that time they ruled against allowing motorized gliders to race with conventionals for these very reasons. Dan Excluding the motor guys because "they're not like us" may make some people feel better but it forces them to either go away or form their own group. Neither option does participation much good. We need all the participants we can get. UH |
#7
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Oh Charles I'm surely not into any more fragmentation of our ranks. We are few enough already, I'm just bringing up the point that having a sustainer does change the dynamic. At the most I'd put an asterisk next to any records they set. As for racing I think within the next decade or so all of the competition ships will probably be sustainers so the discrepancy will actually solve itself.
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#8
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Well Bob I hear ya there, however with the price tag of sustainer equiped ships, I know there will always be a bunch of us conventional sailplane fliers doing our thing and needing a tow "up the hill".
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#10
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