The two winners at Uvalde yesterday did not team fly! :]
________________________________
From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
To: Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia.
<[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, 7 August 2011 11:59 PM
Subject: [Aus-soaring] Team flying - what is it worth?
Hallo All,
Preamble
For years, there has been robust debate in this
country, on the subject of team flying in Australian Competitions. Some pilots
are strongly for it, some strongly against it, and some are ambivalent. Some
pilots have been known to change their viewpoint, when their own circumstances
change!
It is generally acknowledged, that in any modern
competition, where the practice of team flying is allowed, (such as a World
Championship), GOOD team flying is essential if any team wants to get
at least one of their members onto the podium. I have used the word
"GOOD" quite advisably, because, like everything else in gliding, it takes
considerable time and practice to perfect the necessary skills.
****************************************************************
That is of course the rub. How can
this practice be carried out? This is not the question here, but Allan
Barnes, a member of the DDSC has seriously considered this
particular question and offered some suggestions. In passing, I
suggest here, that if the team changes, then it is probably necessary to
return to the basics, at least in the short term, to develop the essential
trust and rapport that is required in this exercise. I would expect that
two pilots who are experienced team flyers (but not with each other), can far
more quickly become a new team, than a team made up of any other
combination such as: Two pilots who have never team flown at all;
a team of one experienced team flyer, and one pilot who has never team
flown before. A further interesting question is "what
is the ideal team size"? My own suspicion is that to a limited extent,
more is better. In the world of professional bike racing, the team size is 9
riders. In gliding at World level, I think 3 pilots per class is the
official limit, so I suspect that the possibilities of a team larger
than 3 has never been explored! Can perhaps some research dollars
be obtained (to the greater good of Oz gliding, and indeed World gliding),
to explore this subject? I am certain that there is the odd PhD or two that
could be obtained here, and the pilots in the studies would of course have
to undergo maybe hundreds of hours of team flying in the interest of this
research! What a bugger!
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The Question
For the sake of this post, assume that we have
a team of two pilots who are competent in team flying. They are
pitted against many individual pilots. As outlined above, we know that
there is an advantage in team flying.
So the question is "what do YOU think is the
percentage advantage of the team flyers over an individual pilot under 'normal'
Australian Summer conditions." As every exam paper demands - state why you
formed this viewpoint.
Regards,
Gary
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