Soaring Simulator Training and Competiton

At the SSA Convention, Scott Manley provided an opportunity for hands
on experience with the Condor Soaring Simulator in Paul Remde's
Cumulus Soaring Booth.

Scott was also the speaker at two sessions, one on using simulators to
supplement soaring flight training, and the other flying a contest
with 4 or 5 other pilots scattered around the US and connected on the
internet.

It was obvious that Scott has put a lot of time and effort into this,
and he makes a very strong case, with real life examples, for the
benefits in training.

The contest added another dimension for experienced pilots. A highly
ranked national pilot that participated in 8 or 9 real contests last
year indicated he had been racing on the simulator once a week for
quite a while.

I have no financial interest in any of this, but came away very
excited with the potential and opportunities this offers to make
training more effective at a lower cost, and to provide some soaring
and racing during the winter. This has been available, but not widely
exposed to the soaring community as far as I can determine.

If there is sufficient interest, it seems to make sense to try to get
a monthly article started in the SSA Soaring Magazine to help folks
get started and share ideas.

Any comments, ideas and opinions will be appreciated.