By Martin Grössinger on Thu, 23 Oct 2025 - 14:17

My Suggestion: just Mark landable areas and have waypoints only for windsocks (really in place).

Why:
1) A landable place ist not always and ever landable. WHO guarantees, that a landable, ist safe?
2) I am not sure if a landable waypoint File is really a contribution to safety. In my experience it is safer to assess landing Options visually than to calculate reachable outlanding options from waypoint files. The latter allows the Pilot to Push the Limit more effecively, which does nit result in a safety gain.

Organiser
By Toni Crottet on Thu, 23 Oct 2025 - 15:07

Hello Robert

Good point!!

I suggest also, that the tasksetter published standard tasks in different weather situations where bomb-out fields are marked but also other potential dangers like powerlines, turbulent zones, etc.

1 in favour | 0 against
By Fabien Zado on Fri, 24 Oct 2025 - 08:00

Hey,
And this is what is already happening. MD usually talks about the available landings, difficult parts along the race, etc, etc...
When you are flying for the 1st time in a place, it is almost impossible to remember all the suitable landing fileds, no landing zones, power lines...
And during a briefing, most of the pilots are on their instruments, not paying much attention. After the briefing, never enough time to study properly the map if you have to take off in the 1st ones...

I think all landing fields, dangerous areas, etc... should be in the instruments (airpace, waypoints).

- NO LANDING zones definition : a zone not providing any suitable landing fields and not allowing a safe crossing (forest, valley, urban areas, airports, etc…) Every area should be treated case by case.
- Suitable landing definition : a flat field with no obstacles in entry that can allow a safe landing without wind (based on high performance gliders) Sailplane database ?
- Recommended landing fields : Suitable fields providing an easy access for retrieve, authorization from the farmer, windsocks, etc…

Designer
By Luc Armant on Tue, 21 Oct 2025 - 09:33

In reply to by DomJones

On the paper, why not but, DomJones, you need to come up with a practical solution adapted to our sport. If you disqualify a practical solution (Size Equalizer) solving one issue (ballast) by coming up with a theoritical solution to solve two issues but that is not practical, you end up solving zero issue.
This subject has been turned in many ways, I don't see any practical solution to what you suggest.

However, Harness protection is another subject than the ballast issue and you can much more easily sort each issue separately in a practical manner. Shock absorption criteria is far better criteria than area or volume criteria. There are a lot of voluminous protection on the market that are not very effective, if effective at all. Big is not enough for a protection.

3 in favour | 0 against
By Mark Simpson on Tue, 21 Oct 2025 - 17:46

In reply to by DomJones

Dom. I agree that harnesses have got too slim at the expense of protection. For race to goal this is silly as we are not racing conditions as much as we are racing each other and if we are all on the same gear, that gear might as well provide more protection. However I agree with Luc that by trying to solve 2 issues with one stone this suggestion is impractical. Your suggestion would require manufactures to make 10, 15, 20? different harness sizes. I am tall (often large harness) but 70kg body weight. Have friends that are same height and 60kg. Many shorter than me weigh 85kg or more. So each size of harness S, M, L would also need 4-5-6 different envelopes. Have you flown with the equalizers? What is your concern with them. I have not flown with them, but the concept makes sense to me as they could be adjusted to much smaller increments. We simply need a comp organizer willing to try them.