Volume 32 No 1 Feb-Mar 1981.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

NATlONALLADDEA WINNERSDear Editor,COllgratulations to the pilots who havedone so well on the Nationa/ladder, especiallythe winners,It seems to me, however, that the purposeof the National Ladder is beingdefeated. The privileges enjoyed by amember of the British Team and officials ofthe BGA in being able to use the back-upfacilities of Met, launching etc at a NationalChampionships would seem rather unfairto those lowly club mortals w'ho would notget the same privileges.Shouldn't these pilots be satisfied withtheir competition flying and the extrafacilities given to practise for World Championshipswithout also stealing the breadfrom the ordinary club members?ROGER HARLOW, Enfield, Middlesex.WHAT IF HE DID HIDE HIS VARIO?Dear Editor,Peter Riedel in his article in the Octoberissue, p228, suggests that in publishing hisbook in 1932 Kronfeld deliberatelychanged the word "variometer" to theword "altimeter", in order to keep secrethis use of the instrument. There are anumber of twists to th,is strange storywhich throw some doubt on it.First, the manuscript was not written inEnglish, so it could have been a translatingerror. (It was translated by J. Manchot withthe help of Rudoll Flinsch and family, sothere is one possible line for further inquiryif any of those people are still alive.)Secondly, contrary to what Peter Riedelsays about the book being published inEnglish only, a version of it was also publishedin French in 1935. lt was translatedby W. Korporinde, but it does not say fromwhat language. The pertinent passagesalso use the word "altimetre".Thirdly, C. H. Latimer Needham's bookSailplanes was also published in 1932 andnot only mentions the vario but includes aphoto of a :tSm/sec instrument, presumablyGerman, because it reads Steigt andFa lit. So the "secret" was out anyway; to befollowed by an article in Sailplane andGlider, March 3, 1933, by someone rejoicingunder the nom de plume of "Ventre aTerre", which mentions that WoH Hirth hadinsisted on the indispensability of the varioat the London Club Christmas dinner.40There may have been earlier references inS&G, my set is incomplete, but my point isclearly that Kronfeld had no reason anylonger to hide his 'lario, because it wasalready being talked about.If, however, Kronfeld had hidden hisvario in a paper bag in 1928, there musthave been a conspiracy with othersinvolved, for it is hard to believe that. workingat the Wasserkuppe, Kronfeld couldhave hidden the instrument or its significancefrom Professor Georgii, Fritz Stamerand A. lippisch. All three of these pioneerscontributed long, important articles to theearly numbers of The British GlidingAssociation Journal (Nos. 1, March 1930,and 3, January 1931) and none of themmentions the vario! Or perhaps there wasno conspiracy: they merely did not think itwas very important for slope soaring, andthermal soaring was still in Its infancy.In any case, what if he did originally hidehis vario in 1928? Wouldn't most of yourreade~s have done the same in his place togain a litlle time over the competition?WILlIAM MALPAS, Upper Montclalr, NJ,USA.MANDARINS BEAT RETREATDear Editor,After my letter in the October issue, 1'254,it is a pleasure to report that the SportsCouncil for Northern Ireland has beenreprieved and is to continue as an effectivebody with executive powers and a dedicated,qualified stall rather than become apowerless ministerial plaything.The relevant minister, Lord Elton, wastaken aback by the huge volume of protestwhich his previously ill-considered planproduced from about 120 voluntary bodiesrepresenting sports and recreations rangingfrom aeromodelling to water skiingand youth hostelling. In December the governmentbeat an almost complete retreatand announced that the SCNt would continueas an executive and professionallystaffedbody, with only a minor trimming ofits powers in one respect.Gliding's voice was ,in there with the protestersin the form of effective pressurefrom the BGA through the Chairman, TomZealley. Our thanks go to Tom - and toanyone else in the movement who, inresponse to our appeal, found the opportunityto express a view.The BGA has served us, one of its smallerclubs, very well on this occasion and weare duly grateful.BOB RODWELL, Secretary, Ulster GC.STAMPING OUT FIELD LANDINGSDear Editor,Well, any reaction is better than none!(See "Competition and Field Landings" letterin the August issue, 1'203.) I am gratefulfor lan Patterson's lelter (October issue,p255), and would have liked to discuss anypoints he might have made, but apart fromtelling me I am talking rubbish, and suggestingwhere I should go, he hasn't saidanything.However, I take his point about the CompetitionEnterprise people being a wonderfulcrowd (aren't we all?) although I am notsure whether John Fielden's altitude tofield landings differs any from the BGA's.I am particularly pleased to get someopinions from Ralph Jones (last issue,p306), because when someone in the gliderrepair business disagrees as strongly as hedoes with my ideas about field landings,then I begin to think that I may have saidsomething valid. He makes the point thatsome people get less adventurous with oldage, and some people get more adventurous... a profound statement which isdifficult to argue with. However, it must bevery difficult in Ralph's position to be completelyobjeetive about the "average"altitude to final glides, in the same way thatan outbreak of the plague must give rise toconfused emotions in the breast of anundertaker.I agree that the real damage caused tofarmers' property by field landings is minimal,but my fear is that the general resentmentagainst gliders landing near glidingsites might not remain in proporticm to thedamage. There is very little romanticadvent'ure about stretching one's glideunneoessary to an unknown landing field.All competition pilots hawe a good ideahow to force land without 'injury to themselves(which takes care of the personalcourage aspect) so I must conclude thatthe stimulation is the prospect of a loss ofinsurance no claims bonus, or telling thesyndicate partners that they have nothingto fly for the rest of the season. If thisexcites the youthfUl, then perhaps I am gettingold - please send me your measurementsRalph, and I'll knit you something fornext Christmas.As to general reaction since my letter, thepeople I have spoken to have generallyexpressed cautious approval (including, Iam pleased to see, Platypus in the Octoberissue, 1'210). Does this mean that the silentmajority of readers can't be bothered towrite because they don't feel stronglyeither way?Offhand, I can think 01 no other sportwhere a competitor gets proportional scorepoints for partly completing the course.Marathon running, ding1hy racing etc, youeither finish or you have" retired" and. so itshould be with modern gliders. In my"Proposition One" I suggest that passing2X is a means of crediting a competitorwith actually competing on the day,Whereas "Proposition Two" and "Three"are my British compromise suggestionswhich hopefully would lessen the inducementto stretch final glides.The chief difficulty in getting competitionorganisers to use new scoring systems istheir fear that the BGA will decide that anydeviation from the accepted CompetitionHandbook will render that particular meetinginvalid for rating purposes.Some years ago, a "Placing System" wastried at a Dunstable Regionals, and thefinal results differed only slightly fromthose arrived at using the official system. Isuspect it didn't catch on (a) because it wastoo simple (the present system must besuperior, just look at all those lovely computers!)and (b) it couldn't give the pilots aNational Rating figure. I would like the BGACompetitions Committee to giwe theirapproval to any Regional competition thatSAILPLANE & GLIDING