In article ,
says...
Eric,
You are side-stepping the issue;
With conditions deteriorating, two experienced pilots declined to attempt the
glide, while two motorgliders felt comfortable attempting it.

I think you are unintentionally combining two days. Looking at the
2003 Open Class flight files, I see:

July 1, assigned task, last turnpoint: Dry Falls (near Coulee City
airport)

One Open class glider landed at Coulee City; I started my motor over
Coulee City without attempting a glide home. The Nimbus 4M did attempt
a glide home, starting the engine about 7 nm from Ephrata. JJ makes it
home to win the day in a motorless glider.

July 2, modified assigned task, no last turnpoint specified:

I attempted a final glide from Dry Falls turnpoint (near Coulee City),
starting with 5700' msl, a 28:1, 4+ MC setting glide to Ephrata. By
the time I decided to abandon the glide, it was still 28:1.

The only other Open class glider to use Dry Falls as the last
turnpoint that day was a Nimbus 3, which finished (speed finish) the
task, doing the Dry Falls/Ephrata leg with a 90+ knot average speed.

This doesn't seem like a compelling example of motorglider
superiority.

I say again, The
REAL inequity was that you were able to sample air for another 20 miles, had
you found a thermal that was strong enough to climb in, you would have
finished. That finish would have been a DIRECT result of you having an engine
for back-up.

Do you mean that without a motor, I would have been unable to sample
that air? The glider goes just as far without the motor in it. As long
as I was willing to risk a landout, I could have sampled the same air.

Perhaps you mean I would not have dared risk a landout in a motorless
ASH 26 E, and therefore, it was only because I had a motor that I
pressed on?

You've told me you're willing to land out in your ASH 25; I'm telling
you I'm willing to land out in a motorless ASH 26.

This inequity will always be present as long as there is NO PENALTY to be paid
for attempting a marginal glide.

The "penalty" for being able to attempt this "no penalty" marginal
glide is I carry 180 pounds of ballast that can't be dropped.

Maybe I can sum up our differing concepts for contests:

JJ believes motorgliders must have all advantages removed (except
self-retrieving after landing at an airport) to achieve a fair
contest. Any disadvantages caused by the motor are irrelevant and
should not be considered.

Eric believes we can allow motorgliders an advantage in some
situations, achieving fairness overall when their disadvantages are
considered.

We each hope that the pilots voting in the poll agree with us!
--
!Replace DECIMAL.POINT in my e-mail address with just a . to reply
directly

Eric Greenwell
Richland, WA (USA)