• World Pilot Ranking Scheme
  From : Sarah Fenwick || e-mail : cloud10@zetnet.co.uk
• Problem With Altitude Records
  From : Tony Burton || e-mail : editor.airsports@fai.org

In hang gliding Oleg Bondarchuk is now occupying the number 1 position 9 points ahead of Guido Gehrman, with Gerolf Heinrichs maintaining 3rd place. New pilots to the top 10 are Allan Barnes (9) and Bernardi Ignazio (10). Gerard Woll (12) and Josef Zweckmayr (13) have dropped out of the top 10. The top 5 female rankings are unchanged.

There has also been a change at the top in the paragliding rankings, with Christian Tamegger now leading by 15 point from Jimmy Pacher, with Denis Cortella in 3rd place. New pilots to the top 10 are Mads Syndergaard, Robbie Whittall and Kaspar Henny. The following have dropped out of the top 10 Bruce Goldsmith (11), Peter Brinkeby (12) and Peter Luethi (17). The top 5 female rankings are unchanged.

Full rankings are on the CIVL website http://www.fai.org/hang_gliding/rankings/ or the British League Website http://www.theleague.force9.co.uk

In 1998 there were a total of (Category 1 & 2) 14 paragliding, 15 hang gliding and 3 class 2 competitions. There are already a number of events who have or who are applying for Category 2 sanctioning for 1999 (PWC, WHGS and several Open National Championships). All national associations and competition organisers that would like their competitions to have category 2 status in 1999 should contact :

Bernald Smith has recently discussed barograph calibration stability and the lack of accuracy of most barographs at low temperatures / high altitude, something that is not possible to routinely test for at most calibration labs. He reports errors of as much as 5,000 feet above 30,000 feet. It brings into *serious* question any new claim for either altitude record. God only knows where the latest absolute altitude really was given this factor.

Even excepting the concern of accurate measurement of extreme altitude, I see a fundamental problem with altitude records now given the heights required.

1. The record is no longer a soaring record -- it has become an *aerospace* record! It is not possible to better using soaring equipment "normal" to the sport or the superior soaring skills of the pilot. It will require a pressurized sailplane or a full pressure suit and I think that that is getting pretty far outside what soaring is all about. It no longer demonstrates excellence in the sport and will now be largely a technical exercise. I recognise; however, that there is a parallel in ballooning that could argue against this point.
2. The record is no longer *safe* to achieve. This factor has precedence in the sport. Duration records were eliminated by the FAI after it turned into the flagpole sitting of the 1920s -- the record was available to anyone who could stay awake long enough. -- The record strayed too far away from the fundamentals of the sport and was simply too dangerous to continue. We are rapidly approaching this point with altitude records if not already there.

I would recommend that IGC retire the two altitude records. Do you think that discussion on this topic could be brought to the meeting? I am speaking for myself and not as a member of the committee I am privileged to work with. If the records were retired it would also make moot much of the problem of high altitude temperature compensation of barographs.