AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - August 2017 - 72

PILOTS TAKE their own paths between

turnpoints in the race, seeking the best
lift. Gliders must pass through a 500meter-radius cylinder of airspace centered on each turnpoint, as recorded by
GPS flight recorders on board. Contest
manager and contestant Sean Fidler
catches some shade before the launch
with his wife, Tiffany, a contest scorer
(opposite page).

Pensacola, Florida, where he had more time
on jets than his instructor. It was only natural that he was assigned to fighters.
After his Navy retirement Owen continued earning his living as an airline pilot. But
to replace the fellowship, the challenge of a
never fully mastered skill, and the metrics
of performance, he learned to fly-and then
to race-gliders. Elite pilots can race these
engineless aircraft at speeds and over distances that amaze-powered by gravity and
fueled by atmospheric energy, with neverexceed speeds greater than 150 knots.
PURE SPEED

72 | AOPA PILOT August 2017

Partizánske, Slovakia
Celje, Slovenia
World Final, Vitacura, Chile

The competition quality is exceptional
and broad." Glider contests range from
low-intensity and highly social interclub
competitions to the FAI World Gliding
Championships. Most are too remote for
a spectator to easily observe, and for the
uninitiated the rules are challenging to
understand. For many competitions pilots
fly at different times, on different routes. A
GPS flight computer takes a fix every few
seconds, and after the finish, the total qualifying distance is divided by the time (or the
minimum time) to determine a speed. This
is then adjusted by a handicap factor that
is supposed to even out the performance
among differing types of gliders, and the
handicap speed is used to rank the pilots.
Repeat for a few days to a couple of weeks,
add up the points, and determine a winner.
The Sailplane Grand Prix, which started
with experimental events in 2001 and 2003
and became an official FAI event in 2005,
is like a yacht regatta. All the pilots start at
the same time and altitude over a straight
starting line. They are equalized for performance, by wingspan, and by wing loading,

July 29-August 5, 2017
August 19-26, 2017
January 13- 20, 2018

with the lighter-loaded gliders permitted to
add water ballast in the wing tanks to bring
them up to the wing loading of the heaviest. Even in the moderate conditions found
over the flatlands of the eastern United
States, these sailplanes average more than 80
mph for distances of as much as 200 miles,
chasing each other through small turnpoint
cylinders defined by a 500-meter radius.
They tend to fly much closer together, and
the first pilot to cross the finish line wins. It's
a pure speed event.
Gliders start and finish close to the airport at the spectator-friendly contests, and
thousands around the world can watch the
gliders' positions online in real time. And like
a yacht-racing broadcast, a color commentator and host can add details on the subtleties
and the contestants.
The pilots will fly for only 90 minutes
to two hours, in the heat of the day. With
a maximum field of 20 gliders, points are
awarded to the top 10 competitors in order
of finish. This contest is designed to be
more ruthless than conventional racing,
giving points only to the first 10 finishers.

KEVIN HAND

To understand a glider, think of a bicycle
with no pedals. To go forward it must go
downhill. And the steeper the hill, the faster
it goes. So the soaring pilot must climb to
regain potential energy, using one of several
sources of rising air: thermals, ridge lift, lee
mountain wave, or convergence. Climb, then
glide-at a ratio that can exceed 50:1-and
repeat. Climb better and, therefore, faster
than other pilots, and you'll spend less time
climbing and more time gliding. Find the
best energy, and use it as efficiently as possible to fly faster and farther.
Racing enthusiast and competitor Sean
Fidler notes, "Soaring is the only accessible
form of aviation that allows competitive flying, records, and the associated challenges.

FAI SAILPLANE GRAND PRIX SERIES EIGHT
Three races remain

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - August 2017

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