Contest Corner

Contest Corner – An invitation to contests

John Cochrane

Welcome to the contest c= orner. I plan to provide a mix of columns on flying technique, weather, safety, rule= s, and news. I hope the column will spark interest in those who don’t (yet) = fly contests, be helpful to new contest pilots, and occasionally provoke some thoughts for the pros. I welc= ome your feedback and suggestions.

This month’s colum= n is for pilots who don’t fly contests. Why should you try a sports class regional?

Let’s dream up a perfect gliding vacation. We= 217;ll spend a week at a good local site or we’ll take a trip to some famous soaring Mecca. We’ll have our gliding buddi= es come along too, of course, and we’ll sprinkle in some friendly soaring sages. A super weatherman and an expert will get up at 6 am, figure out the= day, and suggest where we should go. Each of us will have a “mentor,”= ; a top pilot with lots of local knowledge to talk us through the plan for the day = and keep an eye out for us. We= 217;ll go fly, often together, sharing the adventure. In the evening, we’ll = go out to dinner or have a fun social event, swap stories with our buddies and make friends from around the country.

Operations will be superbly organized. We’ll jus= t grid on the runway, and some nice volunteer will take a bunch of tows to tell us when it’s time to go. A big fleet of towplanes and eager helpers will speed us off. If we land out, we’ll have a sta= ff waiting by the phone to dispatch a towplane, a = crew, or some of our buddies.

An impossible dream, the lap of gl= iding luxury? No! It’s real. It’s a contest. (And this is a go= od time to appreciate all the people who work so hard to make this dream come true.)

If, like me, you can only take so much time off of wor= k and family, contests make the best use of your limited time. Flying for distanc= e or badges can be disappointing if the weather is mediocre and you can “only” do 200 miles. At a contest, you fly every day to its max= imum. Some of my most satisfying flights have been on days I would normally not e= ven assemble the glider.

No, you don’t need the latest glider. The handic= aps actually favor older gliders in sports class. No, you don’t need thousands = of hours. Once you have a silver badge and a few good xc flights, you’re ready. A regional contest is the best place to get going in flying cross country = and improving your skills. No, you don’t have to fly hopeless tasks and land in the middle of nowhere. The PST and TAT put an end to all that.

Only about 5% of SSA members fly contests. This is a b= ig puzzle. Why isn’t every regional a big fly-in, with every glider in t= he region there for the party? I= t can be that way. All we need is you= to come too.

But I have to warn you: Contest flying is addictive! Y= ou should come for the fly-in, but you may leave hopelessly obsessed with cont= est flying.