" Conclusion: Never change a good working system."
Hear hear Gerrit.
I'm surprised an issue of this consequence to pilots has been
considered "in camera" and ended up in an official 'draft' without
prior open dialogue.
Rules review is an inevitable on-going process and aspects of it will
be log jammed by reiterative and unending public dialogue. But clearly
some issues, critical safety issues in particular, deserve open debate
at forums like the Pilots meeting at National Comp level. This appears
to be such a matter.
Dion Weston
PO Box 5062 (34 Chisholm Street)
Greenwich, NSW 2065 Australia
Mb (0408) 859-267
On 30/05/2008, at 11:59 AM, Gerrit Kurstjens wrote:
Oh no, not again.
My reaction to letters of Bruce Taylor and Jo Davis.
I do not understand who is it now that likes to change a good
working system for a bad dangerous one.
For many years the Australian starting system is simply the best
that there is in the World.
After having to fly a lot of starting systems that are far worse
than the Australian system I am a great advocate of the existing
system. Simply because there is no better system.
There are a lot of starting systems that were made with the best
intentions by people that do not fly many competitions.
One of the examples was the Word Champions in Bayreuth Germany.
After the fatal accident in the Pre Worlds, the German organisers
wanted to show the World the perfect starting system. But it turned
out just hopeless:
For “safety and fairness” they also introduced a rule for a maximum
height and groundspeed for crossing a very long start line .
What happened in reality.: Everybody talks with his team mates to
know where the rest of the competitors are. If you get the message
that the most gliders started to take the brakes and descend to the
start line, the work in the cockpit begins. First you have to find
the start line, navigating on your GPS. Then you had to change one
of your loggers to see the groundspeed, at the same time you had to
keep an aye on your height. And as you cross the start you had to
activate at least 2 different loggers( backup loggers) with a mark.
And at the same time you have to avoid hitting other gliders that
come from all directions and are doing the same. It was scary. I had
a few near misses from gliders that were descending a bit faster and
came from above and behind me, but of course could not see me.
Conclusion: Never change a good working system. I agree 100% with
Bruce and Jo not to introduce a system that does not work. If people
think somebody has a big advantage in wave if the first leg is into
wind they are wrong. See also the World Championship in Benalla,
where I got lucky to get in the wave but could see the others
started at the same time got a much better groundspeed and we
arrived at the about same time at the first turn point. Why make
rules that make gliding dangerous?
Gerrit Kurstjens
33 Warana Ave
Toowoomba 4350
Australia
tel. +61 (0)746387850
Fax. +61 (0)746393556
mob.+61 (0)428387850
E-Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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