The results tell the story.... A difficult day from the start and then it deteriorated with the front sending thick cirrus (or was that alto stratus?) to blot out the sun round about exactly when everyone needed something to complete the task. Pepe Malecki squeezed a few extra meters more than everyone else out of the day to win the task, but other than that nothing much to say about the flying. Stefan and Seiko are leading the comp in the individual sections and Gin is leading the team section.
Before you think things are cooling down.... there are some ominous rumblings about gliders and threats of lawsuits directed at the PWCA. In another bout of 'here-we-go-again' it turns out that the Ozone wings of task winners Stefan Wyss and Yasses Savov do not measure up to the certification specifications. The trailing edge is significantly longer.
Several problems immediately jumped out before the alleged mudslinging and law talk started. First problem has to do with the fact that there are no clear rules about tolerances on the length of the trailing edge which are generally defined by the manufacturer. Then the person measuring gliders works for an opposing manufacturer. The fact that he happens to be a stand-up guy and beyond reproach does nothing to mute cries about conflict of interest. Then there is the rumour that one manufacturer will sue if the association applies penalties and another will sue if they do not. Anybody remember what happened with the America's Cup in sailing?
The test houses have apparently been contacted and I guess the question to them must be: would you certify a glider without testing it again if it had a different plan-form to the reference glider that was used to gain EN-D certification?
Personally I don't really think the Enzo 2 has any sort of advantage. The pilots who have excelled on them in GV so far have done so by sheer skill and determination. This is not a place where the glider matters so much.
... and the saga of the EN-D of Open Class continues. Don't you just hate the faceless bastards who dreamt up this Faecal Farce of Taurean proportions? I sincerely hope the FAI/CIVL crowd along with the working groups are paying close attention here: Rules mean admin baby so better have very few, or enough to cover every single little minute detail without any conflict or ambiguity.
I hope this little hiccough doesn't derail the entire competition....
1 comment:
"Don't you just hate the faceless bastards who dreamt up this Faecal Farce of Taurean proportions?"
That is a resounding "yes I do" here from Denmark. Hope to see you in a week's time
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