Oz Report

Tin Cup

(This topic is in: <-- Apr.8 Apr.7 Apr.4 Apr.3 Apr.2 Mar.22'07 Mar.21'07 --> )

Thanks to all those who have contributed (LA, CA, USA)

I'm a little behind in sending out my personal thank you's, but will get to it tomorrow.  We are back in Cathedral City and back in our home (trailer) for the first time in five months, so I'm not quite on the case.  Also internet access is intermittent.

Northwing is back with us as an advertiser.  It's great to be supported by two of the three (if we count Bob) US hang glider manufacturers.  Check them out.

You can send $20 or more for a yearly subscription/donation.  To pay for your subscription with your credit card or PayPal account:

If you’d rather just send a check for $20 (US Dollars, only please) or more, please feel free to do so.  The mail gets forwarded to me wherever I’m at.

Payable to:

Davis Straub (Not to the Oz Report)
PMB 1889 PO Box 2430
Pensacola, FL 32513

These are our supporters (if you are not on the list and have donated to the Oz Report, email me and I'll make sure that you are recognized): http://ozreport.com/supporters.php.  Some of you who I've missed in the past did write to me and made sure I knew just how important the Oz Report was to them.  If I've missed you, please do tell me.

Come over to the Oz Report support web page and sign up to support us: http://ozreport.com/support.php.  Or click here:

Discuss Tin Cup at the Oz Report forum   link»

Leaving the start cylinder early

Using appropriate penalties so that they are actually applied (Big Spring, Texas)

http://ozreport.com/12.045#1

There was no uniform CIVL Sporting code rule about what happens to pilot's leaving before the start open time.  The local rules for the 2007 World Championships in Big Spring, Texas (http://ozreport.com/bigspring2007afterCIVL.php) state:

The Pilots leaving before the start gate opened are awarded minimum distance points only if GAP 2002 scoring system is used.

This rule, which we did not like, was forced upon us by the CIVL Bureau.  Numerous different rules are applied in Category 2 competitions to deal with this situation.  The recent CIVL Plenary decided:

Early start penalties for Cat 1 comps.  Gerolf Heinrichs proposed that the penalty for early start is ten times the amount of time added as a time penalty to the pilots total time.  Amended by Nils Jorgen Askirkto read the max amount of time that this rule will be applied to is five minutes.  Beyond five minutes the pilot will receive minimum distance.

This seems unduly harsh to me.  I say just shift the start time to the first start time and leave the time interval the same.  Or rotate the time interval around the first start time.

Discuss Start cylinder at the Oz Report forum   link»

FsComp (scoring software)

Entry and Exit Cylinders

http://ozreport.com/12.033#0

http://ozreport.com/12.046#1

http://ozreport.com/12.059#0

Daniel Vélez Bravo <danielvelezbravo> writes:

The new software designed for scoring competitions that has just been released, called fs (http://fs.fai.org/) has just simplified an unnecessary policy about difference between the entry and exit start gates.

The software makes the logic assumption that the last crossing of the start cylinder is in fact your start time.  If its an entry or an exit does not need to matter at all, and so the flight computers (Brauniger and Flytec 5030-6030) wouldn't need to make this distinction at all.  The "Entry" or "Exit" discussion ends up when you take a look at the logic of the whole problem, and the way the FS software deals with it.

The theory plain and simple says that if the next turnpoint is outside the cylinder, then the last time you will cross the line would be going out of the cylinder.  On the other hand, if the next turnpoint happens to be inside the start cylinder, then the last time for crossing the start cylinder would be the last time you enter the start cylinder.  So this way is not important the way for crossing the line, but to cross the line just after your selected start gate time, and then fly to your next turnpoint.

I'm incapable of thinking of a scenario where the task committee would force an entry start gate where the next turnpoint is outside, or an exit start gate when the next turnpoint is inside.

If we start dealing with this nice and simple theory, and keep the software as it actually is, without introducing the exit/entry variable, everything will be simpler.  Perhaps the next firmware for the Brauniger/Flytec won't have the "entry" or "exit" input field, as it's not necessary at all.

Discuss FsComp at the Oz Report forum   link»

Southwest Texas Drought

Getting ready for the WRE (La Pryor, TX, USA)

Right on our world record encampment route going north.

http://www.drought.unl.edu/DM/monitor.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23810851/

LA PRYOR, Texas - Hal Jessee looks at a shovelful of dirt and assesses it as only a lifelong farmer can.

"It's not looking good," says Jessee, 83, who farms 400 acres about 100 miles southwest of San Antonio.  "If you go down, you get dry dirt.  ...  It should be wet all the way down."

Discuss Drought at the Oz Report forum   link»

Hang Gliding World Masters (for the older farts)

Five days of flying in the Austrian Alps (Bach im Lech, Tyrol, Austria)

Volker Kastenhuber <volker.kastenhuber> writes:

Hang Gliding World Masters 2008 International Hang Gliding Event and Championships

FAI/CIVL Class I + 5
Bach im Lechtal - Tyrol -
Austria July 13 - 18, 2008
Local Regulations and Invitation
Sporting management: Austrian Aero-Club Union flying swans Traunsee, hanggliding and paragliding Club, Event - Address: A - 4694 Ohlsdorf, Forsthausstrasse 42

Place of Event: A - 6653 Bach I'm Lechtal - Tyrol, Austria Starting point: Jöchelspitze (1780m NN)

Competition and Event Management: Volker Kastenhuber, Austria, phone: + 43 664 1606 559, email: <volker.kastenhuber> 
Competition Assistance: Rainer Möller, Germany, email: <moeller-petriroda> 
Coordination Management: Rainer Möller and Katrin Kastenhuber
Jury: Rainer Möller and competitors of the task-team
Evaluation: DI Andreas Burböck
Info: Volker Kastenhuber, phone: +43 664 1606 559, email: <volker.kastenhuber>
Entry fee: € 120,-
Account number: 007-12.364.501
Bank code: 18600, VKB-Bank Gmunden-SEP
BIC: VKBLAT2L
IBAN: AT521860000712364501

The entry fee includes: Organisation, evaluation, material donations, certificates, transport with chair lift, return transport organisation, 1 meal and drink voucher

For anybody who doesn't want to participate in the competition, but would also like to join us must pay € 70,- witch includes organisation, transport with chair lift, one meal and drink voucher.

Registration: In the competition office in Bach in the center of the town

World Masters Competition Classes: FAI /CIVL Class 1 flex wings (with kingpost, your score is multiplied by 1.1) FAI /CIVL Class 5 rigid wings

Documentation: exclusively with GPS (Info: www.paragleiten.org)

Evaluation: The flights will be evaluated by GAP-system with CompeGPS and Race.  Every pilot is responsible for the evaluation with his own GPS (special connecting cabel should be brought by yourself).

Participation requirements: male: 50+ years (year of birth 1958 or older)
female: 45+ years (year of birth 1963 or older)
international recognized hang gliding licence
crash helmet
rescue parachute
an admitted hang glider with a valid Third Party Liability insurance + a certificate about the sum of €1,5 mio (if your register you get the insurance),
Observation of WO-HGPG of the ÖAeC and the Code Sportive and the competition- and law policy of the organisers
call to the office immediately after landing outside the landing area (if the office gets no information about the landing, the pilot will be searched for on his costs)
possibility to protest is 1 hour after getting the official results, protest charge is € 36,- or € 75,- to ONF (there is no fee for the first 30 min.)
the organiser takes no liability for any pilot

Languages: German, English

Web site: www.aeroclub.at

Program:

Sunday, July 13th 10 am - 7 pm registration and training 7 pm welcome- & information evening
Monday, July 14th to Friday, July 18th Competition days

Friday, July 18th 7 pm Prize-giving ceremony Good-bye party

Tasks and Scoring: Tasks: Triangular Courses, Out and Return courses, Courses with designated landing areas.  At the first Pilot meeting a task-committee will be chosen.  This committee will set daily cross country tasks after consulting the weather bureau and on advice of the stewards.  Task setting and Scoring will be according CIVL Sporting Code (GAP System)

Transport: A chair lift will transport you and the hang glider separate to the starting point.  The pickup should be organised by the pilot.  The hang gliders have to be packed up safety by the pilots.  If you have no chance to be picked up, please contact the organizer.

Prizes: WORLD MASTERS CUP, honorary prizes, great material donations

Accommodation:

Please book your accommodation as soon as possible at:

Tourism office Bach or Elbigenalp Tel.  +43/5634 6778 +43/5634 5315 e-mail: <info>  www.lechtal.at

Discuss Master at the Oz Report forum   link»

Blogs Updated Lately

There is some news from around the world

http://bjorn.ellefsen.net/

http://hang6.blogspot.com/

http://www.warrenwindsports.com.au/blog/curt-warren/fly-solo-lessons/women-fly-kath-soars-big-stanwell-nsw.html

http://alabamahangglidingassociation.blogspot.com/

http://gottafly.blogspot.com/

http://corinnaflies.blogspot.com/

http://naughtylawyertravels.blogspot.com/

Discuss Blogs at the Oz Report forum   link»

Wills Wing Demo Days - the pictures, part 1

(This topic is in: <- Apr.7 Apr.4 Apr.3 Mar.19 Nov.15'06 Feb.1'06 --> )

The truck load arrives from California (Wallaby Ranch, Florida, USA)

Mike Meier <Mike> sends:

Rob and Trish Kells, and Dianne and Rob McKenzie, with truck and trailer on Tuesday Morning at Wallaby Ranch, the first day of the party (looks cold):

Discuss Wills Demo Days at the Oz Report forum   link»

Mobile connecting to the Internet

The "best" way to connect over the cell network to the internet? (Caravan Park in Cathedral City, CA)

I'm thinking about signing up for a "real" data plan with a cell phone service provider.  Most of the time I just use wifi at various locations - Quest Air, Highland Aerosports, etc.  Often I can find very fast wifi.  I have also used the very slow GRPS system on ATT connecting my laptop through Bluetooth to my cell phone at $25/month.

I'm thinking maybe a USB data connect device on my laptop.  Or I could get a Smart phone with a high speed data connection and connect to it via Bluetooth.  Which way should I go?

I'm very rarely in urban areas so I've always assumed that I am condemned to GPRS type speeds.  True?

ATT?  Verizon?  Sprint?  Write in to the Oz Report forum and tell me your experience.

Discuss Internet at the Oz Report forum   link»

"Flying" penguins

Going north for the winter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrxmpihCjqw

Thanks to Mike Tryon.

Discuss Penguins at the Oz Report forum   link»