• Old Bob Is Right!

    From Eric Greenwell@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jun 2 08:15:38 2023
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't possible,
    because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without any
    consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this incentive for
    glider pilots to take high tows!

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Dan Marotta@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Fri Jun 2 10:53:26 2023
    So... All I need to do now is get ATC on board to let me self launch to
    33,000 feet and perform a 50:1 dead glide to a bit over 500 km. Of
    course, I might get a bump or two along the way. Is that unfair since
    Bob's tug can't pull him that high?

    Dan
    5J

    On 6/2/23 09:15, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't possible,
    because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without any
    consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this incentive
    for glider pilots to take high tows!

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From [email protected]@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Fri Jun 2 12:55:33 2023
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't possible,
    because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without any
    consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this incentive
    for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From 2G@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Fri Jun 2 14:18:37 2023
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without any
    consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this incentive
    for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP

    Hey Booby, what height DO you tow to, ten feet? I will bet it is, at least, 2k ft. Some towheads will get off lower because they don't want to pay your exorbitant tow fees, but we MG pilots only consume another quart of fuel to get another 1k ft (about a
    buck and a half), so why not?

    Tom 2G

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From [email protected]@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jun 2 15:07:10 2023
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 5:18:39 PM UTC-4, 2G wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without any
    consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP
    Hey Booby, what height DO you tow to, ten feet? I will bet it is, at least, 2k ft. Some towheads will get off lower because they don't want to pay your exorbitant tow fees, but we MG pilots only consume another quart of fuel to get another 1k ft (about
    a buck and a half), so why not?

    Tom 2G
    Tommy The Tyrant, I usually to to 2k but have been known to get off at 600 feet, why not, and I still pay the 2Ktow fee, I am not a cheap MG guy. I even still do a high speed pass at say 5 feet and pull up , catch a thermal and go like hell once again.
    If you take a hard look you can see it on OLC. OBTP, your mentor

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From 2G@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Fri Jun 2 17:31:23 2023
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 3:07:12 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 5:18:39 PM UTC-4, 2G wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without
    any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP
    Hey Booby, what height DO you tow to, ten feet? I will bet it is, at least, 2k ft. Some towheads will get off lower because they don't want to pay your exorbitant tow fees, but we MG pilots only consume another quart of fuel to get another 1k ft (
    about a buck and a half), so why not?

    Tom 2G
    Tommy The Tyrant, I usually to to 2k but have been known to get off at 600 feet, why not, and I still pay the 2Ktow fee, I am not a cheap MG guy. I even still do a high speed pass at say 5 feet and pull up , catch a thermal and go like hell once again.
    If you take a hard look you can see it on OLC. OBTP, your mentor

    Yeah, right, Booby. A high-speed, low pass is a DUMB, STUPID maneuver which smart pilots avoid like the plague. But you are not smart, so I am not surprised. And you did not say WHAT you tow fees are, so I was right in saying they are exorbitant. BTW, I
    have NEVER met a MG pilot who said the primary motivation in buying a MG was to save on tow fees - not a SINGLE ONE!

    Tom 2G

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Charles Longley@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jun 2 18:15:48 2023
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 5:31:25 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 3:07:12 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 5:18:39 PM UTC-4, 2G wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without
    any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP
    Hey Booby, what height DO you tow to, ten feet? I will bet it is, at least, 2k ft. Some towheads will get off lower because they don't want to pay your exorbitant tow fees, but we MG pilots only consume another quart of fuel to get another 1k ft (
    about a buck and a half), so why not?

    Tom 2G
    Tommy The Tyrant, I usually to to 2k but have been known to get off at 600 feet, why not, and I still pay the 2Ktow fee, I am not a cheap MG guy. I even still do a high speed pass at say 5 feet and pull up , catch a thermal and go like hell once
    again. If you take a hard look you can see it on OLC. OBTP, your mentor
    Yeah, right, Booby. A high-speed, low pass is a DUMB, STUPID maneuver which smart pilots avoid like the plague. But you are not smart, so I am not surprised. And you did not say WHAT you tow fees are, so I was right in saying they are exorbitant. BTW,
    I have NEVER met a MG pilot who said the primary motivation in buying a MG was to save on tow fees - not a SINGLE ONE!

    Tom 2G
    Are you joking? High speed passes are awesome! Nothing like the sound of it. That’s of course if you don’t have your motor out. Then it’s more of a lawnmower sound….

    ES

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Eric Greenwell@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Sat Jun 3 07:59:12 2023
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without any
    consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this incentive
    for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP
    I am surprised that I was the first one to point out the important difference between the OLC-distance course and the other courses. Many, maybe most, pilots aren't aware that OLC-distance does not have height restrictions.

    My OLCsplaining to Old Bob was inadequate for the task, I think, as you (apparently) still do not understand the situation. I am curious about your committment to "fairness": If someone asked for a 10,000' AGL tow, would you refuse? What is the highest
    you are willing to tow someone?

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Eric Greenwell@21:1/5 to Dan Marotta on Sat Jun 3 07:46:21 2023
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 9:53:30 AM UTC-7, Dan Marotta wrote:
    So... All I need to do now is get ATC on board to let me self launch to 33,000 feet and perform a 50:1 dead glide to a bit over 500 km. Of
    course, I might get a bump or two along the way. Is that unfair since
    Bob's tug can't pull him that high?

    Dan
    5J
    On 6/2/23 09:15, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without any
    consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this incentive
    for glider pilots to take high tows!
    I didn't see anything in the rules to prevent that, but OLC-distance was in the rules for 2022, and I haven't heard of anyone really taking advantage of it, even with much lower tows to, say, 10000' AGL. I think it was intended to encourage flying
    farther from home, but I'm not aware of the official reasoning.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Eric Greenwell@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Sat Jun 3 08:19:26 2023
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without any
    consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this incentive
    for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP
    There is an interesting variation in typical launch heights between the different types of motorgliders and their pilots. Some will take the usual 2000 AGL launch, knowing they can easily restart if needed; some will take an extra 1000' or so, because it'
    s really cheap and easy to do; and FES pilots will often putter around at 1000'-1500' AGL until they find a thermal, to maximize their remaining battery capacity.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From [email protected]@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Sat Jun 3 08:34:58 2023
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 11:19:28 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without any
    consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP
    There is an interesting variation in typical launch heights between the different types of motorgliders and their pilots. Some will take the usual 2000 AGL launch, knowing they can easily restart if needed; some will take an extra 1000' or so, because
    it's really cheap and easy to do; and FES pilots will often putter around at 1000'-1500' AGL until they find a thermal, to maximize their remaining battery capacity.

    What used to amaze me when I was towing was that some guys (KZ) would get off in a popcorn fart just off the end of the runway, climb up and be gone for the afternoon. Others on the same day would take a 2K or 3K tow and be back before the tow plane.

    Walt Connelly

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Dan Marotta@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Sat Jun 3 09:41:20 2023
    I've performed many tows to 10,000' MSL but refused to go higher because
    there was no transponder in the tug.

    Dan
    5J

    On 6/3/23 08:59, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    What is the highest you are willing to tow someone?

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Charlie M. (UH, Pi & 002 owner/pilo@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Sat Jun 3 13:15:30 2023
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 11:35:00 AM UTC-4, [email protected] wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 11:19:28 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without
    any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP
    There is an interesting variation in typical launch heights between the different types of motorgliders and their pilots. Some will take the usual 2000 AGL launch, knowing they can easily restart if needed; some will take an extra 1000' or so,
    because it's really cheap and easy to do; and FES pilots will often putter around at 1000'-1500' AGL until they find a thermal, to maximize their remaining battery capacity.
    What used to amaze me when I was towing was that some guys (KZ) would get off in a popcorn fart just off the end of the runway, climb up and be gone for the afternoon. Others on the same day would take a 2K or 3K tow and be back before the tow plane.

    Walt Connelly

    When we had a weekend commercial operation and I got tows for free, towpilots knew anything above "around 800'AGL" was fair game for me to release. Current club states, "when 1000'AGL, enter the pattern if close to home".
    Club bookkeeper still comments on my "low" tows. Hey, scratching practice when close to pattern, I just stay out of the way.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From 2G@21:1/5 to Charles Longley on Sat Jun 3 17:04:58 2023
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 6:15:50 PM UTC-7, Charles Longley wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 5:31:25 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 3:07:12 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 5:18:39 PM UTC-4, 2G wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away,
    without any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering
    excuse something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are
    certainly welcome. OBTP
    Hey Booby, what height DO you tow to, ten feet? I will bet it is, at least, 2k ft. Some towheads will get off lower because they don't want to pay your exorbitant tow fees, but we MG pilots only consume another quart of fuel to get another 1k ft (
    about a buck and a half), so why not?

    Tom 2G
    Tommy The Tyrant, I usually to to 2k but have been known to get off at 600 feet, why not, and I still pay the 2Ktow fee, I am not a cheap MG guy. I even still do a high speed pass at say 5 feet and pull up , catch a thermal and go like hell once
    again. If you take a hard look you can see it on OLC. OBTP, your mentor
    Yeah, right, Booby. A high-speed, low pass is a DUMB, STUPID maneuver which smart pilots avoid like the plague. But you are not smart, so I am not surprised. And you did not say WHAT you tow fees are, so I was right in saying they are exorbitant. BTW,
    I have NEVER met a MG pilot who said the primary motivation in buying a MG was to save on tow fees - not a SINGLE ONE!

    Tom 2G
    Are you joking? High speed passes are awesome! Nothing like the sound of it. That’s of course if you don’t have your motor out. Then it’s more of a lawnmower sound….

    ES

    I don't joke about safety, do you? These are just show-boating "maneuvers" where one is trying to win the lowest high-speed pass award; what could possibly go wrong? If you want thrills take up aerobatics - they are chock full of them.

    Tom 2G

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From 2G@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Sat Jun 3 17:10:07 2023
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 8:19:28 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without any
    consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP
    There is an interesting variation in typical launch heights between the different types of motorgliders and their pilots. Some will take the usual 2000 AGL launch, knowing they can easily restart if needed; some will take an extra 1000' or so, because
    it's really cheap and easy to do; and FES pilots will often putter around at 1000'-1500' AGL until they find a thermal, to maximize their remaining battery capacity.

    FES pilots have "range anxiety" and often take tows to maximize retrieve range. My goal while launching is to get on course ASAP; scratching around at low altitude is an anathema to this end.

    Tom 2G

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Eric Greenwell@21:1/5 to All on Sat Jun 3 21:08:15 2023
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 5:10:09 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 8:19:28 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without
    any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP
    There is an interesting variation in typical launch heights between the different types of motorgliders and their pilots. Some will take the usual 2000 AGL launch, knowing they can easily restart if needed; some will take an extra 1000' or so,
    because it's really cheap and easy to do; and FES pilots will often putter around at 1000'-1500' AGL until they find a thermal, to maximize their remaining battery capacity.
    FES pilots have "range anxiety" and often take tows to maximize retrieve range. My goal while launching is to get on course ASAP; scratching around at low altitude is an anathema to this end.

    Tom 2G
    It's generally the upowered glider pilots that have the greatest "range anxiety"; FES pilots are grinning like Cheshire Cats because they have 50-100km more range than when they were powerless. Depending on how tows are charged (and other obvious factors)
    , they still might get off tow at 1000-1500 to save a bunch of bucks.I've observed "range anxiety" is determined more by the pilot than the equipment; e.g., I've known 1-26 pilots with less concern for range than some 18M pilots.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Charles Longley@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Sat Jun 3 22:44:10 2023
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 9:08:17 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 5:10:09 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 8:19:28 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without
    any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP
    There is an interesting variation in typical launch heights between the different types of motorgliders and their pilots. Some will take the usual 2000 AGL launch, knowing they can easily restart if needed; some will take an extra 1000' or so,
    because it's really cheap and easy to do; and FES pilots will often putter around at 1000'-1500' AGL until they find a thermal, to maximize their remaining battery capacity.
    FES pilots have "range anxiety" and often take tows to maximize retrieve range. My goal while launching is to get on course ASAP; scratching around at low altitude is an anathema to this end.

    Tom 2G
    It's generally the upowered glider pilots that have the greatest "range anxiety"; FES pilots are grinning like Cheshire Cats because they have 50-100km more range than when they were powerless. Depending on how tows are charged (and other obvious
    factors), they still might get off tow at 1000-1500 to save a bunch of bucks.I've observed "range anxiety" is determined more by the pilot than the equipment; e.g., I've known 1-26 pilots with less concern for range than some 18M pilots.
    Eric my friend go fuck yourself. I have absolutely no range anxiety. Get towed up with me and see how far you go.

    Charlie

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Dan Marotta@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Sun Jun 4 10:38:53 2023
    Yesterday while doodling along and low (for Moriarty) altitude, I
    thought that, if necessary, I could land on the gravel strip at
    Estancia, about 10 miles south of home. Don't know if I'd want to take
    off from a gravel strip given the price of new propeller blades, however.

    Then I thought, there's a gravel road (in good condition) that parallels
    the highway back to Moriarty. I could hitch hike back to the airport,
    get my car and towing gear, and get the local sheriff to give me an
    escort through Estancia (37 foot span with wings folded) and then,
    either assemble and take off on the highway or have an escort all the
    way back to the home field. What a story that would make.

    Yeah, either trash my carbon prop ($10K plus mechanic) or have my tail
    dolly fail and park my glider in a ditch or have a truck hit the
    glider... Nah, I'll stick to glide range of a paved airport.

    Dan
    5J

    On 6/3/23 22:08, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 5:10:09 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 8:19:28 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote: >>>> On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote: >>>>> ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him. >>>>>
    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without any
    consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP
    There is an interesting variation in typical launch heights between the different types of motorgliders and their pilots. Some will take the usual 2000 AGL launch, knowing they can easily restart if needed; some will take an extra 1000' or so,
    because it's really cheap and easy to do; and FES pilots will often putter around at 1000'-1500' AGL until they find a thermal, to maximize their remaining battery capacity.
    FES pilots have "range anxiety" and often take tows to maximize retrieve range. My goal while launching is to get on course ASAP; scratching around at low altitude is an anathema to this end.

    Tom 2G
    It's generally the upowered glider pilots that have the greatest "range anxiety"; FES pilots are grinning like Cheshire Cats because they have 50-100km more range than when they were powerless. Depending on how tows are charged (and other obvious
    factors), they still might get off tow at 1000-1500 to save a bunch of bucks.I've observed "range anxiety" is determined more by the pilot than the equipment; e.g., I've known 1-26 pilots with less concern for range than some 18M pilots.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From 2G@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Sun Jun 4 22:12:02 2023
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 9:08:17 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 5:10:09 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 8:19:28 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without
    any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP
    There is an interesting variation in typical launch heights between the different types of motorgliders and their pilots. Some will take the usual 2000 AGL launch, knowing they can easily restart if needed; some will take an extra 1000' or so,
    because it's really cheap and easy to do; and FES pilots will often putter around at 1000'-1500' AGL until they find a thermal, to maximize their remaining battery capacity.
    FES pilots have "range anxiety" and often take tows to maximize retrieve range. My goal while launching is to get on course ASAP; scratching around at low altitude is an anathema to this end.

    Tom 2G
    It's generally the upowered glider pilots that have the greatest "range anxiety"; FES pilots are grinning like Cheshire Cats because they have 50-100km more range than when they were powerless. Depending on how tows are charged (and other obvious
    factors), they still might get off tow at 1000-1500 to save a bunch of bucks.I've observed "range anxiety" is determined more by the pilot than the equipment; e.g., I've known 1-26 pilots with less concern for range than some 18M pilots.

    If they are "grinning" then why are they taking tows? You don't have to answer because they have already told me: they are keeping their limited battery energy in reserve for a retrieve, or at least to get to an airport or a safe out-landing site. A tow
    will cut into their already limited range. And you are assuming that they have no mountain range to climb over, which pretty much eliminates any possibility of self-retrieve.

    Tom 2G

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From 2G@21:1/5 to Dan Marotta on Sun Jun 4 22:16:15 2023
    On Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 9:38:58 AM UTC-7, Dan Marotta wrote:
    Yesterday while doodling along and low (for Moriarty) altitude, I
    thought that, if necessary, I could land on the gravel strip at
    Estancia, about 10 miles south of home. Don't know if I'd want to take
    off from a gravel strip given the price of new propeller blades, however.

    Then I thought, there's a gravel road (in good condition) that parallels
    the highway back to Moriarty. I could hitch hike back to the airport,
    get my car and towing gear, and get the local sheriff to give me an
    escort through Estancia (37 foot span with wings folded) and then,
    either assemble and take off on the highway or have an escort all the
    way back to the home field. What a story that would make.

    Yeah, either trash my carbon prop ($10K plus mechanic) or have my tail
    dolly fail and park my glider in a ditch or have a truck hit the
    glider... Nah, I'll stick to glide range of a paved airport.

    Dan
    5J

    That is the price you may pay for not having a trailer. I could launch from a gravel strip w/o any damage to the prop.

    Tom 2G

    On 6/3/23 22:08, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 5:10:09 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 8:19:28 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote: >>> On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote: >>>>> ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him. >>>>>
    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without
    any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP
    There is an interesting variation in typical launch heights between the different types of motorgliders and their pilots. Some will take the usual 2000 AGL launch, knowing they can easily restart if needed; some will take an extra 1000' or so,
    because it's really cheap and easy to do; and FES pilots will often putter around at 1000'-1500' AGL until they find a thermal, to maximize their remaining battery capacity.
    FES pilots have "range anxiety" and often take tows to maximize retrieve range. My goal while launching is to get on course ASAP; scratching around at low altitude is an anathema to this end.

    Tom 2G
    It's generally the upowered glider pilots that have the greatest "range anxiety"; FES pilots are grinning like Cheshire Cats because they have 50-100km more range than when they were powerless. Depending on how tows are charged (and other obvious
    factors), they still might get off tow at 1000-1500 to save a bunch of bucks.I've observed "range anxiety" is determined more by the pilot than the equipment; e.g., I've known 1-26 pilots with less concern for range than some 18M pilots.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Eric Greenwell@21:1/5 to All on Mon Jun 5 07:36:42 2023
    On Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 10:12:05 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 9:08:17 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 5:10:09 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 8:19:28 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away,
    without any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering
    excuse something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are
    certainly welcome. OBTP
    There is an interesting variation in typical launch heights between the different types of motorgliders and their pilots. Some will take the usual 2000 AGL launch, knowing they can easily restart if needed; some will take an extra 1000' or so,
    because it's really cheap and easy to do; and FES pilots will often putter around at 1000'-1500' AGL until they find a thermal, to maximize their remaining battery capacity.
    FES pilots have "range anxiety" and often take tows to maximize retrieve range. My goal while launching is to get on course ASAP; scratching around at low altitude is an anathema to this end.

    Tom 2G
    It's generally the upowered glider pilots that have the greatest "range anxiety"; FES pilots are grinning like Cheshire Cats because they have 50-100km more range than when they were powerless. Depending on how tows are charged (and other obvious
    factors), they still might get off tow at 1000-1500 to save a bunch of bucks.I've observed "range anxiety" is determined more by the pilot than the equipment; e.g., I've known 1-26 pilots with less concern for range than some 18M pilots.
    If they are "grinning" then why are they taking tows? You don't have to answer because they have already told me: they are keeping their limited battery energy in reserve for a retrieve, or at least to get to an airport or a safe out-landing site. A
    tow will cut into their already limited range. And you are assuming that they have no mountain range to climb over, which pretty much eliminates any possibility of self-retrieve.

    Tom 2G
    They are grinning because the FES glider gives them options they did not have with their towed glider. Some of them take tows to extend those options. I liken it to motorglider pilots that buy optional wing fuel tanks, instead of just using the fuselage
    tank, or glider pilots that get the 18M tips instead of just using the 15M tips. The FES pilots I've talked to don't have "range anxiety"; instead, their anxiety is reduced, because they can more easily avoid landouts and retrieves.

    I'm sure it's tough for a "belt and suspenders" (21M wings and wing fuel tanks) person, such as yourself, to grasp the value of the FES glider, with it's much smaller powered range. Try to recall flying in your ASW19: wouldn't you have had less "range
    anxiety" if the ASW19 had been FES equipped?

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Dan Marotta@21:1/5 to All on Mon Jun 5 10:17:14 2023
    True dat. But I can pack enough stuff for a 10-day stay for my wife and
    I and fly from Moriarty to Minden with a stop at Cedar City, UT for
    lunch and gas and burn less than 25 gallons of car gas getting there.
    And that $65-80 THOUSAND I saved by not buying a trailer has paid for
    gas, maintenance, and insurance for the 7+ years I've been flying the
    beast with a bunch left over.

    Dan
    5J

    On 6/4/23 23:16, 2G wrote:
    That is the price you may pay for not having a trailer. I could launch from a gravel strip w/o any damage to the prop.

    Tom 2G

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From 2G@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Mon Jun 5 18:09:21 2023
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 7:36:44 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 10:12:05 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 9:08:17 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 5:10:09 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 8:19:28 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn'
    t possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away,
    without any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering
    excuse something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are
    certainly welcome. OBTP
    There is an interesting variation in typical launch heights between the different types of motorgliders and their pilots. Some will take the usual 2000 AGL launch, knowing they can easily restart if needed; some will take an extra 1000' or so,
    because it's really cheap and easy to do; and FES pilots will often putter around at 1000'-1500' AGL until they find a thermal, to maximize their remaining battery capacity.
    FES pilots have "range anxiety" and often take tows to maximize retrieve range. My goal while launching is to get on course ASAP; scratching around at low altitude is an anathema to this end.

    Tom 2G
    It's generally the upowered glider pilots that have the greatest "range anxiety"; FES pilots are grinning like Cheshire Cats because they have 50-100km more range than when they were powerless. Depending on how tows are charged (and other obvious
    factors), they still might get off tow at 1000-1500 to save a bunch of bucks.I've observed "range anxiety" is determined more by the pilot than the equipment; e.g., I've known 1-26 pilots with less concern for range than some 18M pilots.
    If they are "grinning" then why are they taking tows? You don't have to answer because they have already told me: they are keeping their limited battery energy in reserve for a retrieve, or at least to get to an airport or a safe out-landing site. A
    tow will cut into their already limited range. And you are assuming that they have no mountain range to climb over, which pretty much eliminates any possibility of self-retrieve.

    Tom 2G
    They are grinning because the FES glider gives them options they did not have with their towed glider. Some of them take tows to extend those options. I liken it to motorglider pilots that buy optional wing fuel tanks, instead of just using the
    fuselage tank, or glider pilots that get the 18M tips instead of just using the 15M tips. The FES pilots I've talked to don't have "range anxiety"; instead, their anxiety is reduced, because they can more easily avoid landouts and retrieves.

    I'm sure it's tough for a "belt and suspenders" (21M wings and wing fuel tanks) person, such as yourself, to grasp the value of the FES glider, with it's much smaller powered range. Try to recall flying in your ASW19: wouldn't you have had less "range
    anxiety" if the ASW19 had been FES equipped?

    I know of a Mini Lak FES pilot who could not get back to Ely and he was only 50 miles out. He took a tow to preserve his battery capacity, but a small mountain range stood between him and home. Just climbing the required altitude to clear the range would
    have exhausted his battery capacity. Instead, he used his battery to scout for a safe outlanding site. Was this better than the pilot who was forced to land his pure glider in the same general area? Of course.

    You can play with semantics all you want, but the fact remains the FES pilots DO have range anxiety when you are flying in high desert country. You haven't flown your electric yet (even after 3 years waiting), but once you do you can report back on the
    difference between it and the 26e.

    Tom 2G

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Eric Greenwell@21:1/5 to All on Mon Jun 5 20:55:38 2023
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 6:09:23 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 7:36:44 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 10:12:05 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 9:08:17 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 5:10:09 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 8:19:28 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that
    wasn't possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away,
    without any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at
    this incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering
    excuse something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are
    certainly welcome. OBTP
    There is an interesting variation in typical launch heights between the different types of motorgliders and their pilots. Some will take the usual 2000 AGL launch, knowing they can easily restart if needed; some will take an extra 1000' or so,
    because it's really cheap and easy to do; and FES pilots will often putter around at 1000'-1500' AGL until they find a thermal, to maximize their remaining battery capacity.
    FES pilots have "range anxiety" and often take tows to maximize retrieve range. My goal while launching is to get on course ASAP; scratching around at low altitude is an anathema to this end.

    Tom 2G
    It's generally the upowered glider pilots that have the greatest "range anxiety"; FES pilots are grinning like Cheshire Cats because they have 50-100km more range than when they were powerless. Depending on how tows are charged (and other obvious
    factors), they still might get off tow at 1000-1500 to save a bunch of bucks.I've observed "range anxiety" is determined more by the pilot than the equipment; e.g., I've known 1-26 pilots with less concern for range than some 18M pilots.
    If they are "grinning" then why are they taking tows? You don't have to answer because they have already told me: they are keeping their limited battery energy in reserve for a retrieve, or at least to get to an airport or a safe out-landing site.
    A tow will cut into their already limited range. And you are assuming that they have no mountain range to climb over, which pretty much eliminates any possibility of self-retrieve.

    Tom 2G
    They are grinning because the FES glider gives them options they did not have with their towed glider. Some of them take tows to extend those options. I liken it to motorglider pilots that buy optional wing fuel tanks, instead of just using the
    fuselage tank, or glider pilots that get the 18M tips instead of just using the 15M tips. The FES pilots I've talked to don't have "range anxiety"; instead, their anxiety is reduced, because they can more easily avoid landouts and retrieves.

    I'm sure it's tough for a "belt and suspenders" (21M wings and wing fuel tanks) person, such as yourself, to grasp the value of the FES glider, with it's much smaller powered range. Try to recall flying in your ASW19: wouldn't you have had less "
    range anxiety" if the ASW19 had been FES equipped?
    I know of a Mini Lak FES pilot who could not get back to Ely and he was only 50 miles out. He took a tow to preserve his battery capacity, but a small mountain range stood between him and home. Just climbing the required altitude to clear the range
    would have exhausted his battery capacity. Instead, he used his battery to scout for a safe outlanding site. Was this better than the pilot who was forced to land his pure glider in the same general area? Of course.

    You can play with semantics all you want, but the fact remains the FES pilots DO have range anxiety when you are flying in high desert country. You haven't flown your electric yet (even after 3 years waiting), but once you do you can report back on the
    difference between it and the 26e.

    Tom 2G
    Good Lord, Tom, he was trying to fly Big Records (like a 1000k) in a Small Glider (13.5M!) THAT was his problem, not the FES range! When you fly for records, getting home is a much smaller priority than it is in non-task flying.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From 2G@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Tue Jun 6 19:49:00 2023
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 8:55:40 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 6:09:23 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 7:36:44 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 10:12:05 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 9:08:17 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 5:10:09 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 8:19:28 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that
    wasn't possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away,
    without any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at
    this incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering
    excuse something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are
    certainly welcome. OBTP
    There is an interesting variation in typical launch heights between the different types of motorgliders and their pilots. Some will take the usual 2000 AGL launch, knowing they can easily restart if needed; some will take an extra 1000' or
    so, because it's really cheap and easy to do; and FES pilots will often putter around at 1000'-1500' AGL until they find a thermal, to maximize their remaining battery capacity.
    FES pilots have "range anxiety" and often take tows to maximize retrieve range. My goal while launching is to get on course ASAP; scratching around at low altitude is an anathema to this end.

    Tom 2G
    It's generally the upowered glider pilots that have the greatest "range anxiety"; FES pilots are grinning like Cheshire Cats because they have 50-100km more range than when they were powerless. Depending on how tows are charged (and other
    obvious factors), they still might get off tow at 1000-1500 to save a bunch of bucks.I've observed "range anxiety" is determined more by the pilot than the equipment; e.g., I've known 1-26 pilots with less concern for range than some 18M pilots.
    If they are "grinning" then why are they taking tows? You don't have to answer because they have already told me: they are keeping their limited battery energy in reserve for a retrieve, or at least to get to an airport or a safe out-landing site.
    A tow will cut into their already limited range. And you are assuming that they have no mountain range to climb over, which pretty much eliminates any possibility of self-retrieve.

    Tom 2G
    They are grinning because the FES glider gives them options they did not have with their towed glider. Some of them take tows to extend those options. I liken it to motorglider pilots that buy optional wing fuel tanks, instead of just using the
    fuselage tank, or glider pilots that get the 18M tips instead of just using the 15M tips. The FES pilots I've talked to don't have "range anxiety"; instead, their anxiety is reduced, because they can more easily avoid landouts and retrieves.

    I'm sure it's tough for a "belt and suspenders" (21M wings and wing fuel tanks) person, such as yourself, to grasp the value of the FES glider, with it's much smaller powered range. Try to recall flying in your ASW19: wouldn't you have had less "
    range anxiety" if the ASW19 had been FES equipped?
    I know of a Mini Lak FES pilot who could not get back to Ely and he was only 50 miles out. He took a tow to preserve his battery capacity, but a small mountain range stood between him and home. Just climbing the required altitude to clear the range
    would have exhausted his battery capacity. Instead, he used his battery to scout for a safe outlanding site. Was this better than the pilot who was forced to land his pure glider in the same general area? Of course.

    You can play with semantics all you want, but the fact remains the FES pilots DO have range anxiety when you are flying in high desert country. You haven't flown your electric yet (even after 3 years waiting), but once you do you can report back on
    the difference between it and the 26e.

    Tom 2G
    Good Lord, Tom, he was trying to fly Big Records (like a 1000k) in a Small Glider (13.5M!) THAT was his problem, not the FES range! When you fly for records, getting home is a much smaller priority than it is in non-task flying.

    Eric, are you out of your f**king mind? It doesn't matter WHAT record he was trying to achieve, he COULDN'T self-retrieve from 50 miles, your "sweet zone" for FES gliders.

    Tom 2G

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Ramy@21:1/5 to All on Tue Jun 6 22:35:18 2023
    Wouldn’t that be the case also with regular sustainers? I understand they too may not be able to cross some of the ranges in the Great Basin, especially when waiting until low to start. Or so they tell me.

    Ramy

    On Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 7:49:02 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 8:55:40 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 6:09:23 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 7:36:44 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 10:12:05 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 9:08:17 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 5:10:09 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 8:19:28 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season,
    that wasn't possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest
    away, without any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted
    at this incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of
    engineering excuse something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me,
    you are certainly welcome. OBTP
    There is an interesting variation in typical launch heights between the different types of motorgliders and their pilots. Some will take the usual 2000 AGL launch, knowing they can easily restart if needed; some will take an extra 1000'
    or so, because it's really cheap and easy to do; and FES pilots will often putter around at 1000'-1500' AGL until they find a thermal, to maximize their remaining battery capacity.
    FES pilots have "range anxiety" and often take tows to maximize retrieve range. My goal while launching is to get on course ASAP; scratching around at low altitude is an anathema to this end.

    Tom 2G
    It's generally the upowered glider pilots that have the greatest "range anxiety"; FES pilots are grinning like Cheshire Cats because they have 50-100km more range than when they were powerless. Depending on how tows are charged (and other
    obvious factors), they still might get off tow at 1000-1500 to save a bunch of bucks.I've observed "range anxiety" is determined more by the pilot than the equipment; e.g., I've known 1-26 pilots with less concern for range than some 18M pilots.
    If they are "grinning" then why are they taking tows? You don't have to answer because they have already told me: they are keeping their limited battery energy in reserve for a retrieve, or at least to get to an airport or a safe out-landing
    site. A tow will cut into their already limited range. And you are assuming that they have no mountain range to climb over, which pretty much eliminates any possibility of self-retrieve.

    Tom 2G
    They are grinning because the FES glider gives them options they did not have with their towed glider. Some of them take tows to extend those options. I liken it to motorglider pilots that buy optional wing fuel tanks, instead of just using the
    fuselage tank, or glider pilots that get the 18M tips instead of just using the 15M tips. The FES pilots I've talked to don't have "range anxiety"; instead, their anxiety is reduced, because they can more easily avoid landouts and retrieves.

    I'm sure it's tough for a "belt and suspenders" (21M wings and wing fuel tanks) person, such as yourself, to grasp the value of the FES glider, with it's much smaller powered range. Try to recall flying in your ASW19: wouldn't you have had less "
    range anxiety" if the ASW19 had been FES equipped?
    I know of a Mini Lak FES pilot who could not get back to Ely and he was only 50 miles out. He took a tow to preserve his battery capacity, but a small mountain range stood between him and home. Just climbing the required altitude to clear the range
    would have exhausted his battery capacity. Instead, he used his battery to scout for a safe outlanding site. Was this better than the pilot who was forced to land his pure glider in the same general area? Of course.

    You can play with semantics all you want, but the fact remains the FES pilots DO have range anxiety when you are flying in high desert country. You haven't flown your electric yet (even after 3 years waiting), but once you do you can report back on
    the difference between it and the 26e.

    Tom 2G
    Good Lord, Tom, he was trying to fly Big Records (like a 1000k) in a Small Glider (13.5M!) THAT was his problem, not the FES range! When you fly for records, getting home is a much smaller priority than it is in non-task flying.
    Eric, are you out of your f**king mind? It doesn't matter WHAT record he was trying to achieve, he COULDN'T self-retrieve from 50 miles, your "sweet zone" for FES gliders.

    Tom 2G

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Eric Greenwell@21:1/5 to Ramy on Wed Jun 7 06:38:18 2023
    On Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 10:35:21 PM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:
    Wouldn’t that be the case also with regular sustainers? I understand they too may not be able to cross some of the ranges in the Great Basin, especially when waiting until low to start. Or so they tell me.

    Ramy
    On Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 7:49:02 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 8:55:40 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 6:09:23 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    ...

    Tom 2G
    Good Lord, Tom, he was trying to fly Big Records (like a 1000k) in a Small Glider (13.5M!) THAT was his problem, not the FES range! When you fly for records, getting home is a much smaller priority than it is in non-task flying.
    Eric, are you out of your f**king mind? It doesn't matter WHAT record he was trying to achieve, he COULDN'T self-retrieve from 50 miles, your "sweet zone" for FES gliders.

    Tom 2G
    Many sustainers can't even "sustain" at high density altitudes, so crossing mountains isn't possible, and a towed glider can't even "sustain" at low densith altitudes. And why this intense focus on it's powered range, and not the gliding range - it's
    only 13.5M? Tom's insistence on the "terrribleness" of the FES gliders seems to be a matter of viewpoint: I (and the willing owners of FES gliders) consider what the FES glider can do for them; Tom seems concerned only about what an FES glider can not do
    for him. Phil Rose was not disappointed, upset, or surprised that the 13.5M MiniLak could not get him home on that flight. He took it to Ely to set records, not to get home every day: Mission Accomplished! The fact that he set so many records (over 10)
    shows us what an FES glider can do, even if it sometimes does not get the pilot home like a 21M glider with extra fuel tanks in the wings!

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Dan Marotta@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jun 7 08:18:37 2023
    I know this is off topic but, this thread has the makings of the Mother
    of all Threads for longevity, so...

    Should someone flying a 29 meter glider get the same kudos for a 1000 Km
    flight as someone flying a 13.5 meter glider? Seems to me that the
    "little guy" should get way more money and hot chicks.

    Dan
    5J

    On 6/6/23 20:49, 2G wrote:
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 8:55:40 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 6:09:23 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 7:36:44 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 10:12:05 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 9:08:17 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote: >>>>>> On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 5:10:09 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 8:19:28 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote: >>>>>>>> On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote: >>>>>>>>>> ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him. >>>>>>>>>>
    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away,
    without any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering
    excuse something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are
    certainly welcome. OBTP
    There is an interesting variation in typical launch heights between the different types of motorgliders and their pilots. Some will take the usual 2000 AGL launch, knowing they can easily restart if needed; some will take an extra 1000' or so,
    because it's really cheap and easy to do; and FES pilots will often putter around at 1000'-1500' AGL until they find a thermal, to maximize their remaining battery capacity.
    FES pilots have "range anxiety" and often take tows to maximize retrieve range. My goal while launching is to get on course ASAP; scratching around at low altitude is an anathema to this end.

    Tom 2G
    It's generally the upowered glider pilots that have the greatest "range anxiety"; FES pilots are grinning like Cheshire Cats because they have 50-100km more range than when they were powerless. Depending on how tows are charged (and other obvious
    factors), they still might get off tow at 1000-1500 to save a bunch of bucks.I've observed "range anxiety" is determined more by the pilot than the equipment; e.g., I've known 1-26 pilots with less concern for range than some 18M pilots.
    If they are "grinning" then why are they taking tows? You don't have to answer because they have already told me: they are keeping their limited battery energy in reserve for a retrieve, or at least to get to an airport or a safe out-landing site.
    A tow will cut into their already limited range. And you are assuming that they have no mountain range to climb over, which pretty much eliminates any possibility of self-retrieve.

    Tom 2G
    They are grinning because the FES glider gives them options they did not have with their towed glider. Some of them take tows to extend those options. I liken it to motorglider pilots that buy optional wing fuel tanks, instead of just using the
    fuselage tank, or glider pilots that get the 18M tips instead of just using the 15M tips. The FES pilots I've talked to don't have "range anxiety"; instead, their anxiety is reduced, because they can more easily avoid landouts and retrieves.

    I'm sure it's tough for a "belt and suspenders" (21M wings and wing fuel tanks) person, such as yourself, to grasp the value of the FES glider, with it's much smaller powered range. Try to recall flying in your ASW19: wouldn't you have had less "
    range anxiety" if the ASW19 had been FES equipped?
    I know of a Mini Lak FES pilot who could not get back to Ely and he was only 50 miles out. He took a tow to preserve his battery capacity, but a small mountain range stood between him and home. Just climbing the required altitude to clear the range
    would have exhausted his battery capacity. Instead, he used his battery to scout for a safe outlanding site. Was this better than the pilot who was forced to land his pure glider in the same general area? Of course.

    You can play with semantics all you want, but the fact remains the FES pilots DO have range anxiety when you are flying in high desert country. You haven't flown your electric yet (even after 3 years waiting), but once you do you can report back on
    the difference between it and the 26e.

    Tom 2G
    Good Lord, Tom, he was trying to fly Big Records (like a 1000k) in a Small Glider (13.5M!) THAT was his problem, not the FES range! When you fly for records, getting home is a much smaller priority than it is in non-task flying.

    Eric, are you out of your f**king mind? It doesn't matter WHAT record he was trying to achieve, he COULDN'T self-retrieve from 50 miles, your "sweet zone" for FES gliders.

    Tom 2G

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Dan Marotta@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Wed Jun 7 08:25:19 2023
    Nah... I'd suggest that it showed what he could do. Congrats, Phil!

    Dan
    5J

    On 6/7/23 07:38, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    The fact that he set so many records (over 10) shows us what an FES glider can do,

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From [email protected]@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Wed Jun 7 09:08:51 2023
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 10:59:14 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without any
    consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP
    I am surprised that I was the first one to point out the important difference between the OLC-distance course and the other courses. Many, maybe most, pilots aren't aware that OLC-distance does not have height restrictions.

    My OLCsplaining to Old Bob was inadequate for the task, I think, as you (apparently) still do not understand the situation. I am curious about your committment to "fairness": If someone asked for a 10,000' AGL tow, would you refuse? What is the highest
    you are willing to tow someone?
    It was a teachable moment for me but Eric was not listening to my lecture. You should have looked at the graph of the flight and you would have seen that the distance was calculated from the start of the vertical red line. I just returned from Cordele
    after a few days of enjoying the activity, the high tow scenario was the topic of discussion at one dinner outing and even the motorglider guys agreed with Old Bob.
    Webster gives a pretty good definition of the word fairness, go do your homework, I am just trying to enlighten you a bit. OBTP

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Eric Greenwell@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Wed Jun 7 15:23:28 2023
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 9:08:54 AM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 10:59:14 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without
    any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP
    I am surprised that I was the first one to point out the important difference between the OLC-distance course and the other courses. Many, maybe most, pilots aren't aware that OLC-distance does not have height restrictions.

    My OLCsplaining to Old Bob was inadequate for the task, I think, as you (apparently) still do not understand the situation. I am curious about your committment to "fairness": If someone asked for a 10,000' AGL tow, would you refuse? What is the
    highest you are willing to tow someone?
    It was a teachable moment for me but Eric was not listening to my lecture. You should have looked at the graph of the flight and you would have seen that the distance was calculated from the start of the vertical red line. I just returned from Cordele
    after a few days of enjoying the activity, the high tow scenario was the topic of discussion at one dinner outing and even the motorglider guys agreed with Old Bob.
    Webster gives a pretty good definition of the word fairness, go do your homework, I am just trying to enlighten you a bit. OBTP
    "What we have here is a failure to communicate": you kept saying "distance", but everyone thought you meant "OLC classic distance", or maybe "OLC-Plus distance". You still don't seem to understand the "distances" that comprise OLC-Plus. Can you name the
    distances that make up the OLC-Plus score? Don't feel bad if you can't, as most pilots posting on the OLC don't seem to know what they are, either. I wasn't aware of it, either, until last week.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From [email protected]@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Wed Jun 7 16:01:55 2023
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 6:23:30 PM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 9:08:54 AM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 10:59:14 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away, without
    any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering excuse
    something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are certainly
    welcome. OBTP
    I am surprised that I was the first one to point out the important difference between the OLC-distance course and the other courses. Many, maybe most, pilots aren't aware that OLC-distance does not have height restrictions.

    My OLCsplaining to Old Bob was inadequate for the task, I think, as you (apparently) still do not understand the situation. I am curious about your committment to "fairness": If someone asked for a 10,000' AGL tow, would you refuse? What is the
    highest you are willing to tow someone?
    It was a teachable moment for me but Eric was not listening to my lecture. You should have looked at the graph of the flight and you would have seen that the distance was calculated from the start of the vertical red line. I just returned from
    Cordele after a few days of enjoying the activity, the high tow scenario was the topic of discussion at one dinner outing and even the motorglider guys agreed with Old Bob.
    Webster gives a pretty good definition of the word fairness, go do your homework, I am just trying to enlighten you a bit. OBTP
    "What we have here is a failure to communicate": you kept saying "distance", but everyone thought you meant "OLC classic distance", or maybe "OLC-Plus distance". You still don't seem to understand the "distances" that comprise OLC-Plus. Can you name
    the distances that make up the OLC-Plus score? Don't feel bad if you can't, as most pilots posting on the OLC don't seem to know what they are, either. I wasn't aware of it, either, until last week.
    I am glad I was responsible for increasing your awareness as to the Distance Category. OBTP

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Eric Greenwell@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Wed Jun 7 16:11:47 2023
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 4:01:58 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 6:23:30 PM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 9:08:54 AM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 10:59:14 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn't
    possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away,
    without any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering
    excuse something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are
    certainly welcome. OBTP
    I am surprised that I was the first one to point out the important difference between the OLC-distance course and the other courses. Many, maybe most, pilots aren't aware that OLC-distance does not have height restrictions.

    My OLCsplaining to Old Bob was inadequate for the task, I think, as you (apparently) still do not understand the situation. I am curious about your committment to "fairness": If someone asked for a 10,000' AGL tow, would you refuse? What is the
    highest you are willing to tow someone?
    It was a teachable moment for me but Eric was not listening to my lecture. You should have looked at the graph of the flight and you would have seen that the distance was calculated from the start of the vertical red line. I just returned from
    Cordele after a few days of enjoying the activity, the high tow scenario was the topic of discussion at one dinner outing and even the motorglider guys agreed with Old Bob.
    Webster gives a pretty good definition of the word fairness, go do your homework, I am just trying to enlighten you a bit. OBTP
    "What we have here is a failure to communicate": you kept saying "distance", but everyone thought you meant "OLC classic distance", or maybe "OLC-Plus distance". You still don't seem to understand the "distances" that comprise OLC-Plus. Can you name
    the distances that make up the OLC-Plus score? Don't feel bad if you can't, as most pilots posting on the OLC don't seem to know what they are, either. I wasn't aware of it, either, until last week.
    I am glad I was responsible for increasing your awareness as to the Distance Category. OBTP
    Still getting it wrong...

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From [email protected]@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Wed Jun 7 16:32:50 2023
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 7:11:49 PM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 4:01:58 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 6:23:30 PM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 9:08:54 AM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 10:59:14 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season, that wasn'
    t possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest away,
    without any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted at this
    incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of engineering
    excuse something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me, you are
    certainly welcome. OBTP
    I am surprised that I was the first one to point out the important difference between the OLC-distance course and the other courses. Many, maybe most, pilots aren't aware that OLC-distance does not have height restrictions.

    My OLCsplaining to Old Bob was inadequate for the task, I think, as you (apparently) still do not understand the situation. I am curious about your committment to "fairness": If someone asked for a 10,000' AGL tow, would you refuse? What is the
    highest you are willing to tow someone?
    It was a teachable moment for me but Eric was not listening to my lecture. You should have looked at the graph of the flight and you would have seen that the distance was calculated from the start of the vertical red line. I just returned from
    Cordele after a few days of enjoying the activity, the high tow scenario was the topic of discussion at one dinner outing and even the motorglider guys agreed with Old Bob.
    Webster gives a pretty good definition of the word fairness, go do your homework, I am just trying to enlighten you a bit. OBTP
    "What we have here is a failure to communicate": you kept saying "distance", but everyone thought you meant "OLC classic distance", or maybe "OLC-Plus distance". You still don't seem to understand the "distances" that comprise OLC-Plus. Can you
    name the distances that make up the OLC-Plus score? Don't feel bad if you can't, as most pilots posting on the OLC don't seem to know what they are, either. I wasn't aware of it, either, until last week.
    I am glad I was responsible for increasing your awareness as to the Distance Category. OBTP
    Still getting it wrong...
    I got it right, didn't I? You stumbled around for a week, glad I made a difference. OBTP

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From 2G@21:1/5 to Ramy on Wed Jun 7 21:12:10 2023
    On Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 10:35:21 PM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:
    Wouldn’t that be the case also with regular sustainers? I understand they too may not be able to cross some of the ranges in the Great Basin, especially when waiting until low to start. Or so they tell me.

    Ramy
    On Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 7:49:02 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 8:55:40 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 6:09:23 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Monday, June 5, 2023 at 7:36:44 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 10:12:05 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 9:08:17 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 5:10:09 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 8:19:28 AM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 12:55:36 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    ... but he doesn't know why, so I will do some OLCsplaining for him.

    He claims some pilots (motorglider pilots, of course) are taking unfair advantage by climbing waaay up into the sky, so they have all that "unearned" altitude to make distance and improve their OLC score. Prior to the 2022 season,
    that wasn't possible, because the rules for distance portion (OLC Classic) and the triangle portion of the OLC score (officially the "OLC-Plus" score) required a maximum of 1000M height between the start and endpoints.

    That changed for the 2022 season, when they added another bonus to the OLC-Plus score called "OLC-Distance Course". That's measured from the start of soaring (tow release or engine stopped) to the flight point that is the farthest
    away, without any consideration of the height difference. For points, that distance is handicapped as usual, and a fraction of it is added to the OLC-Plus score, just like the FAI triangle bonus.

    So, Bob is right that you can increase your (OLC-Plus) score by a high start, but he's wrong that it's unfair: it's in the rules and available to every pilot, whether towed or self-launched. As towplane owner, he should be delighted
    at this incentive for glider pilots to take high tows!
    Seem like the WOKE WORLD of MOTORGLIDING is eating a bit of humble pie. Greenie, I tried to explain to you in the very beginning that the score reflected on the graph at the release altitude and you came back with some kind of
    engineering excuse something similar to what my engineer PE son would say. Us PURIST don't' take motorglider height tows, as I stated before I would be embarrassed to record such a flight. No need for any OLCsplaining, it was a teachable moment for me,
    you are certainly welcome. OBTP
    There is an interesting variation in typical launch heights between the different types of motorgliders and their pilots. Some will take the usual 2000 AGL launch, knowing they can easily restart if needed; some will take an extra 1000'
    or so, because it's really cheap and easy to do; and FES pilots will often putter around at 1000'-1500' AGL until they find a thermal, to maximize their remaining battery capacity.
    FES pilots have "range anxiety" and often take tows to maximize retrieve range. My goal while launching is to get on course ASAP; scratching around at low altitude is an anathema to this end.

    Tom 2G
    It's generally the upowered glider pilots that have the greatest "range anxiety"; FES pilots are grinning like Cheshire Cats because they have 50-100km more range than when they were powerless. Depending on how tows are charged (and other
    obvious factors), they still might get off tow at 1000-1500 to save a bunch of bucks.I've observed "range anxiety" is determined more by the pilot than the equipment; e.g., I've known 1-26 pilots with less concern for range than some 18M pilots.
    If they are "grinning" then why are they taking tows? You don't have to answer because they have already told me: they are keeping their limited battery energy in reserve for a retrieve, or at least to get to an airport or a safe out-landing
    site. A tow will cut into their already limited range. And you are assuming that they have no mountain range to climb over, which pretty much eliminates any possibility of self-retrieve.

    Tom 2G
    They are grinning because the FES glider gives them options they did not have with their towed glider. Some of them take tows to extend those options. I liken it to motorglider pilots that buy optional wing fuel tanks, instead of just using the
    fuselage tank, or glider pilots that get the 18M tips instead of just using the 15M tips. The FES pilots I've talked to don't have "range anxiety"; instead, their anxiety is reduced, because they can more easily avoid landouts and retrieves.

    I'm sure it's tough for a "belt and suspenders" (21M wings and wing fuel tanks) person, such as yourself, to grasp the value of the FES glider, with it's much smaller powered range. Try to recall flying in your ASW19: wouldn't you have had less
    "range anxiety" if the ASW19 had been FES equipped?
    I know of a Mini Lak FES pilot who could not get back to Ely and he was only 50 miles out. He took a tow to preserve his battery capacity, but a small mountain range stood between him and home. Just climbing the required altitude to clear the
    range would have exhausted his battery capacity. Instead, he used his battery to scout for a safe outlanding site. Was this better than the pilot who was forced to land his pure glider in the same general area? Of course.

    You can play with semantics all you want, but the fact remains the FES pilots DO have range anxiety when you are flying in high desert country. You haven't flown your electric yet (even after 3 years waiting), but once you do you can report back
    on the difference between it and the 26e.

    Tom 2G
    Good Lord, Tom, he was trying to fly Big Records (like a 1000k) in a Small Glider (13.5M!) THAT was his problem, not the FES range! When you fly for records, getting home is a much smaller priority than it is in non-task flying.
    Eric, are you out of your f**king mind? It doesn't matter WHAT record he was trying to achieve, he COULDN'T self-retrieve from 50 miles, your "sweet zone" for FES gliders.

    Tom 2G

    It might be. Sustainers don't have the power to climb, just maintain altitude. But their power also drops with altitude, so they might not be able to do that at the altitudes we fly at in the Western US high desert. I haven't witnessed a sustainer self-
    retrieve in this area.

    Tom 2G

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Eric Greenwell@21:1/5 to All on Thu Jun 8 06:30:39 2023
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 9:12:12 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 10:35:21 PM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:
    Wouldn’t that be the case also with regular sustainers? I understand they too may not be able to cross some of the ranges in the Great Basin, especially when waiting until low to start. Or so they tell me.

    Ramy
    It might be. Sustainers don't have the power to climb, just maintain altitude. But their power also drops with altitude, so they might not be able to do that at the altitudes we fly at in the Western US high desert. I haven't witnessed a sustainer self-
    retrieve in this area.

    Tom 2G
    All sustainers I'm aware of can climb at least 200-300 fpm at sea level. The combustion powered ones do lose power as density altitude increases, but the electric ones do not. The FES - Front Engine Sustainer - system has added a gray area between
    sustainer and self-launch, as some are powerful enough to self-launch. Maybe the FES should mean "front engine system".

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Dan Marotta@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Thu Jun 8 08:12:27 2023
    Whereas motor power does not decline with altitude, propeller and wing efficiency do. The result is reduced or no climb capability at higher altitudes.

    Dan
    5J

    On 6/8/23 07:30, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 9:12:12 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 10:35:21 PM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:
    Wouldn’t that be the case also with regular sustainers? I understand they too may not be able to cross some of the ranges in the Great Basin, especially when waiting until low to start. Or so they tell me.

    Ramy
    It might be. Sustainers don't have the power to climb, just maintain altitude. But their power also drops with altitude, so they might not be able to do that at the altitudes we fly at in the Western US high desert. I haven't witnessed a sustainer
    self-retrieve in this area.

    Tom 2G
    All sustainers I'm aware of can climb at least 200-300 fpm at sea level. The combustion powered ones do lose power as density altitude increases, but the electric ones do not. The FES - Front Engine Sustainer - system has added a gray area between
    sustainer and self-launch, as some are powerful enough to self-launch. Maybe the FES should mean "front engine system".

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From [email protected]@21:1/5 to Dan Marotta on Thu Jun 8 10:21:17 2023
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 10:12:32 AM UTC-4, Dan Marotta wrote:
    Whereas motor power does not decline with altitude, propeller and wing efficiency do. The result is reduced or no climb capability at higher altitudes.

    Dan
    5J
    On 6/8/23 07:30, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 9:12:12 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 10:35:21 PM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:
    Wouldn’t that be the case also with regular sustainers? I understand they too may not be able to cross some of the ranges in the Great Basin, especially when waiting until low to start. Or so they tell me.

    Ramy
    It might be. Sustainers don't have the power to climb, just maintain altitude. But their power also drops with altitude, so they might not be able to do that at the altitudes we fly at in the Western US high desert. I haven't witnessed a sustainer
    self-retrieve in this area.

    Tom 2G
    All sustainers I'm aware of can climb at least 200-300 fpm at sea level. The combustion powered ones do lose power as density altitude increases, but the electric ones do not. The FES - Front Engine Sustainer - system has added a gray area between
    sustainer and self-launch, as some are powerful enough to self-launch. Maybe the FES should mean "front engine system".
    Standard asp engine will decline in power at 3% per 1000 feet . OBTP

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Eric Greenwell@21:1/5 to Dan Marotta on Thu Jun 8 13:18:26 2023
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 7:12:32 AM UTC-7, Dan Marotta wrote:
    Whereas motor power does not decline with altitude, propeller and wing efficiency do. The result is reduced or no climb capability at higher altitudes.

    Dan
    5J
    On 6/8/23 07:30, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 9:12:12 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 10:35:21 PM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:
    Wouldn’t that be the case also with regular sustainers? I understand they too may not be able to cross some of the ranges in the Great Basin, especially when waiting until low to start. Or so they tell me.

    Ramy
    It might be. Sustainers don't have the power to climb, just maintain altitude. But their power also drops with altitude, so they might not be able to do that at the altitudes we fly at in the Western US high desert. I haven't witnessed a sustainer
    self-retrieve in this area.

    Tom 2G
    All sustainers I'm aware of can climb at least 200-300 fpm at sea level. The combustion powered ones do lose power as density altitude increases, but the electric ones do not. The FES - Front Engine Sustainer - system has added a gray area between
    sustainer and self-launch, as some are powerful enough to self-launch. Maybe the FES should mean "front engine system".
    You ae still much better off with 100% of your power at a 10,000' density altitude, than only 80%. At high elevation airports like Ely and Parowan (6000 feet) in the summer, you often have to launch at that 80%. For self-retrieves, where you might be at
    10,000' MSL (and 30% loss of power), it will harder to clear that mountain or fight downdrafts. Kind of like having flat-rated turbocharged enging, eh?

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From [email protected]@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Thu Jun 8 14:42:18 2023
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 4:18:28 PM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 7:12:32 AM UTC-7, Dan Marotta wrote:
    Whereas motor power does not decline with altitude, propeller and wing efficiency do. The result is reduced or no climb capability at higher altitudes.

    Dan
    5J
    On 6/8/23 07:30, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 9:12:12 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 10:35:21 PM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:
    Wouldn’t that be the case also with regular sustainers? I understand they too may not be able to cross some of the ranges in the Great Basin, especially when waiting until low to start. Or so they tell me.

    Ramy
    It might be. Sustainers don't have the power to climb, just maintain altitude. But their power also drops with altitude, so they might not be able to do that at the altitudes we fly at in the Western US high desert. I haven't witnessed a sustainer
    self-retrieve in this area.

    Tom 2G
    All sustainers I'm aware of can climb at least 200-300 fpm at sea level. The combustion powered ones do lose power as density altitude increases, but the electric ones do not. The FES - Front Engine Sustainer - system has added a gray area between
    sustainer and self-launch, as some are powerful enough to self-launch. Maybe the FES should mean "front engine system".
    You ae still much better off with 100% of your power at a 10,000' density altitude, than only 80%. At high elevation airports like Ely and Parowan (6000 feet) in the summer, you often have to launch at that 80%. For self-retrieves, where you might be
    at 10,000' MSL (and 30% loss of power), it will harder to clear that mountain or fight downdrafts. Kind of like having flat-rated turbocharged enging, eh?
    Eric, now IzaBee looking for answers, how do you get 100% power at 10K? IzaBee, looking for answers. OBTP

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From 2G@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Thu Jun 8 19:15:53 2023
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 1:18:28 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 7:12:32 AM UTC-7, Dan Marotta wrote:
    Whereas motor power does not decline with altitude, propeller and wing efficiency do. The result is reduced or no climb capability at higher altitudes.

    Dan
    5J
    On 6/8/23 07:30, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 9:12:12 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 10:35:21 PM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:
    Wouldn’t that be the case also with regular sustainers? I understand they too may not be able to cross some of the ranges in the Great Basin, especially when waiting until low to start. Or so they tell me.

    Ramy
    It might be. Sustainers don't have the power to climb, just maintain altitude. But their power also drops with altitude, so they might not be able to do that at the altitudes we fly at in the Western US high desert. I haven't witnessed a sustainer
    self-retrieve in this area.

    Tom 2G
    All sustainers I'm aware of can climb at least 200-300 fpm at sea level. The combustion powered ones do lose power as density altitude increases, but the electric ones do not. The FES - Front Engine Sustainer - system has added a gray area between
    sustainer and self-launch, as some are powerful enough to self-launch. Maybe the FES should mean "front engine system".
    You ae still much better off with 100% of your power at a 10,000' density altitude, than only 80%. At high elevation airports like Ely and Parowan (6000 feet) in the summer, you often have to launch at that 80%. For self-retrieves, where you might be
    at 10,000' MSL (and 30% loss of power), it will harder to clear that mountain or fight downdrafts. Kind of like having flat-rated turbocharged enging, eh?

    Once you cut through the BS, all this boils down to the practical retrieve range of electrics is considerably shorter than advertised. Having extra margin is well worth it when you are flying in tiger country. I recall you asking me how I knew I had a
    landable field below me just a few miles from Ely. My answer: I prepared for it; your reply: I always return to Ely high and don't need to worry about it.

    Tom 2G

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Eric Greenwell@21:1/5 to All on Thu Jun 8 20:49:24 2023
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 7:15:54 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 1:18:28 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 7:12:32 AM UTC-7, Dan Marotta wrote:
    Whereas motor power does not decline with altitude, propeller and wing efficiency do. The result is reduced or no climb capability at higher altitudes.

    Dan
    5J
    On 6/8/23 07:30, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 9:12:12 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 10:35:21 PM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:
    Wouldn’t that be the case also with regular sustainers? I understand they too may not be able to cross some of the ranges in the Great Basin, especially when waiting until low to start. Or so they tell me.

    Ramy
    It might be. Sustainers don't have the power to climb, just maintain altitude. But their power also drops with altitude, so they might not be able to do that at the altitudes we fly at in the Western US high desert. I haven't witnessed a
    sustainer self-retrieve in this area.

    Tom 2G
    All sustainers I'm aware of can climb at least 200-300 fpm at sea level. The combustion powered ones do lose power as density altitude increases, but the electric ones do not. The FES - Front Engine Sustainer - system has added a gray area
    between sustainer and self-launch, as some are powerful enough to self-launch. Maybe the FES should mean "front engine system".
    You ae still much better off with 100% of your power at a 10,000' density altitude, than only 80%. At high elevation airports like Ely and Parowan (6000 feet) in the summer, you often have to launch at that 80%. For self-retrieves, where you might be
    at 10,000' MSL (and 30% loss of power), it will harder to clear that mountain or fight downdrafts. Kind of like having flat-rated turbocharged enging, eh?
    Once you cut through the BS, all this boils down to the practical retrieve range of electrics is considerably shorter than advertised. Having extra margin is well worth it when you are flying in tiger country. I recall you asking me how I knew I had a
    landable field below me just a few miles from Ely. My answer: I prepared for it; your reply: I always return to Ely high and don't need to worry about it.

    Tom 2G
    Why aren't you ragging on the towed glider pilots? Their practical retrieve range is Zero.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Eric Greenwell@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Thu Jun 8 20:46:38 2023
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 2:42:20 PM UTC-7, [email protected] wrote:
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 4:18:28 PM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 7:12:32 AM UTC-7, Dan Marotta wrote:
    Whereas motor power does not decline with altitude, propeller and wing efficiency do. The result is reduced or no climb capability at higher altitudes.

    Dan
    5J
    On 6/8/23 07:30, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 9:12:12 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 10:35:21 PM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:
    Wouldn’t that be the case also with regular sustainers? I understand they too may not be able to cross some of the ranges in the Great Basin, especially when waiting until low to start. Or so they tell me.

    Ramy
    It might be. Sustainers don't have the power to climb, just maintain altitude. But their power also drops with altitude, so they might not be able to do that at the altitudes we fly at in the Western US high desert. I haven't witnessed a
    sustainer self-retrieve in this area.

    Tom 2G
    All sustainers I'm aware of can climb at least 200-300 fpm at sea level. The combustion powered ones do lose power as density altitude increases, but the electric ones do not. The FES - Front Engine Sustainer - system has added a gray area
    between sustainer and self-launch, as some are powerful enough to self-launch. Maybe the FES should mean "front engine system".
    You ae still much better off with 100% of your power at a 10,000' density altitude, than only 80%. At high elevation airports like Ely and Parowan (6000 feet) in the summer, you often have to launch at that 80%. For self-retrieves, where you might be
    at 10,000' MSL (and 30% loss of power), it will harder to clear that mountain or fight downdrafts. Kind of like having flat-rated turbocharged enging, eh?
    Eric, now IzaBee looking for answers, how do you get 100% power at 10K? IzaBee, looking for answers. OBTP
    Electric motors get their power from batteries, and the batteries are not affected by the air density.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From [email protected]@21:1/5 to Eric Greenwell on Sat Jun 10 16:08:48 2023
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 11:49:25 PM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 7:15:54 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 1:18:28 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 7:12:32 AM UTC-7, Dan Marotta wrote:
    Whereas motor power does not decline with altitude, propeller and wing efficiency do. The result is reduced or no climb capability at higher altitudes.

    Dan
    5J
    On 6/8/23 07:30, Eric Greenwell wrote:
    On Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 9:12:12 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
    On Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 10:35:21 PM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:
    Wouldn’t that be the case also with regular sustainers? I understand they too may not be able to cross some of the ranges in the Great Basin, especially when waiting until low to start. Or so they tell me.

    Ramy
    It might be. Sustainers don't have the power to climb, just maintain altitude. But their power also drops with altitude, so they might not be able to do that at the altitudes we fly at in the Western US high desert. I haven't witnessed a
    sustainer self-retrieve in this area.

    Tom 2G
    All sustainers I'm aware of can climb at least 200-300 fpm at sea level. The combustion powered ones do lose power as density altitude increases, but the electric ones do not. The FES - Front Engine Sustainer - system has added a gray area
    between sustainer and self-launch, as some are powerful enough to self-launch. Maybe the FES should mean "front engine system".
    You ae still much better off with 100% of your power at a 10,000' density altitude, than only 80%. At high elevation airports like Ely and Parowan (6000 feet) in the summer, you often have to launch at that 80%. For self-retrieves, where you might
    be at 10,000' MSL (and 30% loss of power), it will harder to clear that mountain or fight downdrafts. Kind of like having flat-rated turbocharged enging, eh?
    Once you cut through the BS, all this boils down to the practical retrieve range of electrics is considerably shorter than advertised. Having extra margin is well worth it when you are flying in tiger country. I recall you asking me how I knew I had
    a landable field below me just a few miles from Ely. My answer: I prepared for it; your reply: I always return to Ely high and don't need to worry about it.

    Tom 2G
    Why aren't you ragging on the towed glider pilots? Their practical retrieve range is Zero.
    Eric, there you go again talking trash about towed glider pilots, when will you ever learn, towed glider pilots are much more capable of flying than those self launch guys and gals. OBTP

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)