Standard Class Nationals

20 years ago there was a waiting list to fly National
contests. Could it be that nationals today are really
designed for a small number of pilots that like 'extreme
competition', long task, long hours, new types of tasks,
no crews etc. 20 years ago nationals seemed to be designed
for a broader group of pilots.
The same pilots win whether the task is short or long.
So the question is whether we want a nationals to be
designed to include the masses or just the top few.

"Sam Giltner" wrote in message
...
20 years ago there was a waiting list to fly National
contests. Could it be that nationals today are really
designed for a small number of pilots that like 'extreme
competition', long task, long hours, new types of tasks,
no crews etc. 20 years ago nationals seemed to be designed
for a broader group of pilots.
The same pilots win whether the task is short or long.
So the question is whether we want a nationals to be
designed to include the masses or just the top few.


I don't think there are any obstacles to participation in contests except
the wherewithal to own a glider and the time to spend in travel and
participation. I think it is much easier today than in the past -
particularly for the sports class. It's certainly cheaper to own a nice
older glider with excellent performance than it once was. Major changes
in the rules aren't needed.

If there is a problem it's the similarity between the 15 Meter and Standard
Class. I've never been comfortable with the idea that we really need these
two classes where one would do as well. If the manufacturers built gliders
for only the 15 Meter class, the production runs would be longer and,
hopefully, the prices would be lower.

Bill Daniels