Please keep in mind that I am not trying to solve anything here. Just some random thoughts about how contests seem to be evolving.
I don't think anybody is saying that a pic or telemetry is an "unfair" advantage. Anything allowable under the rules is certainly fair. What is evident in this thread is that soaring contests mean different things to different people. I know that my idea of what a soaring contest is has evolved over the years. When I started soaring, much like you today JB, it was a win at any cost mentality. Back then, I would have agreed that the use of technology to gain an advantage within the rules is the way to go... But that being said, there is no way for a rules maker/contest designer/whatever you want to call him, to foresee the evolution of technology in the years to come. Today, I don't feel that the use of telemetry is in the "spirit" of the rules as they were originally intended. A contest or competition of any type is designed to measure something. Auto race - all out speed. Football is a land aquisition game. You get the idea... but what exactly are we trying to measure with a RC soaring competition? I know what I think we are trying to measure... In my mind, we are trying to measure true soaring skills. Soaring skills to me are the ability to recognize and work lift, strong, weak... anything to make our target time. Exercise good judgment, constantly analyze and optimize our situation... What takes years and years to accomplish is learning to read the model, read the conditions, decide if we're actually climbing, staying level... etc... On every contest flight, I am constantly questioning my own judgment. That's what makes the soaring contest fun to me... am I really staying up? Am I really going to make my time? Is the lift a little better over here? Oops... doesn't look like it... but maybe.... The Pic eliminates all of this... Again, not saying they are unfair, cuz I could use one too, but they do take the skill out of the whole thing... These are the things that are the difference between a "Joe Novice" and a Joe Wurts. My question is, where will it all end? There is already autopilots that can be programmed to fly a model in a predesigned path. GPS's I'm sure are allowable under the rules. An autopilot and a GPS is certainly legal as long it is controlled from the ground. So you could certainly program it to fly in a constant bank angle and energy, and turn it off, come home and shoot your landing. I realize I am going extreme here, but that's what I'm talking about - where does it end? At what point does the technology available exceed the spirit or intent of the rules? And then again... what... are we really trying to measure? I personally believe that any telemetry back to the pilot is not within the spirit of a soaring competition. That's just my sentiment. Wood vs. molded... I agree there are performance differences. Would I rather drive a Ferrari or a Yugo? I could still win with the Yugo. But the Ferrari is more fun... I like high performance models. And I can't afford a Ferrari... Blaine mentions that we should design a contest that allows us to use the technology available. I whole heartily agree. You techy's have a blast. ;-) But maybe we should try to define what we are trying to measure at our little TD contests, and write the rules accordingly. that's about 8 1/2 cents worth... and I have to get some work done... ;-) Have fun guys - I was actually thinking about practicing a bit this year. That Soaring Masters thing sounds like fun. It's even more fun to climb through you guys with those things stuck in your ears... ;-) D __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and AOL are generally NOT in text format
