"Soaring would be a great Olympic television sport."

I agree, but technology to cover a decent soaring competition well simply does not exist. (Satellite tracking, CGI and cockpit views make it exciting for those who understand the concept, but it looks like a video game to most spectators who are not pilots.)

Don't get me wrong- I watch the SGP videos from South Africa, New Zealand and Chile over and over. Ionia? Nyet!

We fly hundreds of miles, in three dimensions. Altitudes of over 15,000 ft. and speeds above 100 mph are simply out of the operating range of most helicopter camera platforms.

Contrast these parameters with Sean's favorite: Sailing is performed in two dimensions at sea level at speeds of about 11 knots. The course is a few miles in length and width.

Extremely easy to cover with helicopters, and lots of folks can watch the "action" from the shore or from a boat outside the course with a decent set of binoculars and a few beers. Bikini clad crew on other spectator boats also add to the enjoyment with the aforesaid binoculars. Not so much in soaring.