I considered this a very good start even though about half of the competitors were already ahead of me and the other half only seconds (or fractions thereof) behind.
Burning excess energy using the spoilers and watching the altimeter, the speedometer, the GPS, and the traffic around me all at the same time, I managed to cross the start line about 5 seconds after it opened, 20 meters below the ceiling, flying just below Vne with a ground speed of 272 kph. Trying to stay aware of everyone around me I began to dive about 20 seconds before the start of the race.
In fact, I had several close calls myself – and all of that before the race even got underway. I was not surprised when I witnessed two pairs of gliders colliding with one another. 26 gliders were sharing two thermals, all flying within an altitude band of approx. Cloud base was around 2,200 meters so everyone circled up to the base of the clouds and tried to stay there in order to maximize the potential energy when the start gate would open. The start was set away from any of the ridges so big gaggles formed underneath one of the few cumuli west of the Romans Saint Pau airfield.
With wind from WNW, the entire race could be flown in ridge lift. From there they would all fly along the same course, round eight tightly-spaced turn points, then dash for the finish line. As the name Regatta Cup implies, the race was to start at a set time for everyone with all 26 gliders trying to cross the start line below 1,800m simultaneously and as close to Vne as possible. Thermals were moderate but a steady 12-14 kt wind from west-north-west made for optimal ridge flying conditions along the steep slopes of the area. It was a short 188 km Club-Class task along and across several low mountain ridges. Here’s an example: yesterday I flew a Condor race set in the foothills of the French Alps as part of a competition called Regatta Cup. Sure, taking great risks won’t guarantee a good placement, but a good placement almost inevitably means that the pilot assumed a high degree of risk. No one wants (or expects) to crash but at the same time, most everyone flies in ways that they would consider irresponsible outside a contest environment. But I’ve found that the dynamics in human behavior are very similar to real life competitions.
#HANG GLIDER NOT STRAPPED IN YOUTUBE SIMULATOR#
Fortunately it’s a simulator so if you crash you still get to live another day. It’s the same behavior I observe (and – to be honest – participate in myself) during races on the Condor competition soaring simulator. E.g., they will fly closer to terrain than they would on a normal cross-country day they will fly in bigger gaggles, thermal closer to stalling speed, get closer to Vne – even in turbulent air, attempt safes lower to the ground, scrape across ridges or mountain passes, fly low over unlandable terrain, calculate their final glides with a narrower margin, etc. To have a chance of winning or placing well, pilots are often inclined to take higher risks than they normally would accept – consciously or subconsciously. (This article shows that during global soaring contests, the number of fatalities per number of flights has been more than 10 times higher than during flights outside of competitions.) Even though there is no (relevant) price money on the line, contests tend to tempt pilots into lowering or suspending their normal safety standards. One contributing factor has to do with the high number of fatalities during soaring competitions. 35 times as dangerous as driving, 70 times as dangerous as bicycling, and still about 3 times as dangerous as riding motorcycles. On a per-activity-hour basis it is approx. I recently demonstrated that soaring is an objectively dangerous pastime.
What Conditions Produce Good Ridge Lift?.The Colorado Fourteener Challenge – One Of Soaring’s Greatest Adventures.
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