Tools for the Job

Sage Advice - Tools for the Job

A question most recently asked has been, "if equipment is unimportant, why do I recommend composite wings and tails in an attempt to improve performance?"

To answer this question, let me say that premium equipment can be crucial to the skilled pilot. He can extract the improved performance potential that’s available. However, the same can’t necessarily be said of the intermediate pilot. As an example to illustrate this point, let me convey an actual story that happened about four years ago.

Daryl Perkins, the current World F3B Champion was going to be in town for the day and arranged to compete in a monthly TPG thermal contest. Although it’s not critical to the story, let me say that Daryl didn’t win the thermal duration contest that day. I mention this only because with Daryl, you’d better take your shots when you get them as there won’t be many opportunities. Following the TD contest, there was a 60 inch slope race at the Poway hill location. Daryl was unfamiliar with the site and didn’t have a suitable glider, but was convinced to come along and observe the competition.

Approximately 20 rabid slope racers including some of TPG hottest pilots made the trek to the top of Poway hill. One of the pilots was Richard Morton, a relatively inexperience flyer (Intermediate) who was advancing rapidly through the ranks. He had two slope racers to compete with that day. The first was his tried and true "Renegade" with balsa sheeted wing and wood fuselage. The second was one of the new and just available Renegades with carbon fiber sheeted wings and fiberglass fuselage. Since the carbon fiber Renegade offered improved performance potential, Richard wanted to fly it in the contest. However, since the glider was relatively new, he didn’t have it trimmed to his liking and wasn’t confident in his ability to fly it effectively.

The conditions on the day were marginal for racing. The wind, although on the slope at about six to eight knots was cycling such that it was difficult to remain airborne for an entire eight lap heat. No one even considered using ballast and those competitors that had a choice of two gliders chose to fly their lightest.

Because of his lack of experience with the newer carbon fiber Renegade and because of the light conditions, Richard decided to compete with his old wooden Renegade. Since he wasn’t going to use his new ship and as a gesture of kindness to the visitor, Richard offered Daryl the use of his carbon fiber Renegade for the contest.

With the contest due to start in only a few minutes, Daryl eagerly accepted Richard’s kind offer and flung the glider off the slope to see if it would be competitive. Daryl immediately realized that the glider was nose heavy and brought it down to correct the CG. He knew that a quarter weighed five grams and would approximately counter the nose heavy CG, so he taped one under the tail. He also understood that the increased polar inertia would adversely affect the gliders responsiveness; but with time being so short, he didn’t have any choice. With the race due to start, Daryl didn’t even have time to confirm his assessment and launched into his first heat on blind faith. .

Because of his skilled flying and ability to stay in the narrow lift zone, Daryl went on to win the contest that day. He also beat some of the best slope racing pilots in Southern California with a borrowed glider and on an unfamiliar slope. Richard was overheard to say "that being beat with your own glider is the ultimate indignity".

The point of this story is that although good equipment can be an asset, an intermediate pilot is usually at a point of development that won’t allow him to exploit the potential. An additional comment is that the way a particular glider is trimmed probably has more to do with its performance than the fact that it may be superior in design to a competitors glider.

An analogy I like to use is that of the carpenter and his tools. A professional carpenter makes his living with his tools, so he buys the best tools that are available. He knows that in the long run, expensive tools are actually a bargain because they don’t wear out and can be relied upon to complete any job no matter how difficult. However, it’s not the tools that allow the carpenter to complete a job skillfully; it’s the ability and experience of the carpenter. The right tools just make the job easier, quicker and repeatable.

Just like professional carpenters, contest winners likely don’t compete with 99 cent screw drivers they buy in the bargain bin at K Mart. Because they’re committed to winning, they use the best equipment they can afford. Remember, however, they’re winning contests because they are skilled and experienced pilots, not because they campaign exceptional equipment.