Wills Wing
Flytec

Oz Report

Volume 13, Number 240
Wednesday, December 2 2009
USHPA BOD Meeting, Embassy Suites, Austin, Texas, USA
https://OzReport.com
"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

to Table of Contentsto next topic Safly - real time tracking of the competition pilots

Tue, Dec 1 2009, 7:51:28 am PST
Watch the contest on TV

Flavio Tebaldi|tracker

Flavio Tebaldi «worlds» writes:

We want to introduce this next year and that we would like to use to score the next Worlds.

Lucas Marchesini «lucas» writes:

I have been talking to Flavio Tebaldi, who is the responsible for the organization of the pre-WC 2010 and WC 2011 of hang gliding, in Italy.  His desire is to have a completely integrated automatic system that works from the competition registering of pilots and onboard data transmission to the ground, till the final scoring, with the spectators services.

We are doing quite well with the spectators and data transmission: the system is working fine and we are correcting only some minor issues.  Now, it's enough that the pilots have their SaFly unit and the whole process of data transmission, server processing, 2D tracking and 3D tracking, IGC (and KML) files creation is ok. We have now in the pipeline the synchronization of the IGC files on the server with the scoring office computer.

DSX Manual.

Questions and answers:

Who is going to pay for this?

The media part of it will be paid by the organizations (they can reduce the costs to zero, finding some sponsorship)

The Safly now has a cost a little bit high, because it's still in the first series production (DSX has 26 of them). The cost will change according to orders and production batches.  The starting price, maximum from where it will only descend, is today 450€ for the GPRS version.  With the satellite, only 120-130 Euros will be added.

DSX declare that the cost could be reduced about 30% selling the first 250 units.  So, about 250€ per unit.  Less than every kind of GPS that we are using to compete.

During the last Italian Championship in Parma, all the Italian pilots agree with buying one of it starting from next year if its cost will be not more than 250€.

Our goal in Italy, is to mandatory use it in all the Italian League Competitions, starting from 2011 season.  In 2010 season we'll start to test the system with some pilots.

I think that Safly can really change the world of flight competitions.  Solving the big problem of visibility of our sport.  Very important is the safety.  Every meeting director can know where every pilot is in real time.

No more queues for GPS download.  Every competition will be scored in a second after last pilot's landing.  You will download your own GPS, only if safly system is faulty for any reason.

During last world championship in Laragne my team used five of these prototypes and I was able to follow my pilots on my Netbook in real time.  Safly help us to win significantly, especially for tactics.

If FAI will accept to introduce the system to score Cat1 competitions, it should be enough that every NAC of the world buy six safly for their pilots and everything will be simple.  (About 1500/1800€ each NAC).

Where is the battery?

The battery is a LiPo battery available in the capacity of 4400 mAh or more, and is inside the unit.  It can be recharged via the USB connector (from PC or wall, 5V) or the RJ45, also with current of 12V (i.e. the car electric system or any wall charger).

Battery life depends on GPRS coverage and frequency of data download, but we have seen an endurance of 1 flying day.  The system notifies automatically (via web and/or SMS and/or emails) the condition of low battery.

The system can be reprogrammed from remote (i.e. by the contest director) to change the fix rate intervals, the frequency of data transmission and other operating parameters, if required, i.e. if a pilot outlands, it makes sense to reduce the sampling rate to 1 fix every 5' or 10', and transmit the data every say 1/2h. In this way the battery life is greatly extended (up to 2 days).

The SaFly can be interrogated via SMS by the contest director, and it responds with its position and altitude, plus a link to display the position in Google Map on the cellular phone (probably only in Europe)

How does it fit on the hang glider?

You does not fit it on the glider, but inside a pocket in the harness.  The cable of GPS antenna is up to 3 meters long and you can put the antenna in the best receiving position.

What do the antennas look like?

The GPS antenna is ~3x3 cm, it's 30 grams heavy.  The unit is a box with dimensions 11x7x2.5 cm, fitted with a GSM antenna of 8 cm.

The satellite option will most likely have a unique GPS-sat antenna, of about 7x7 cm.

Having done this ten years ago, I know that putting something like this on a hang glider is a pain.

The installation is very simple: the only requirement for a hang glider installation is to position correctly the GSP antenna, and then there should not be any shielding of carbon fibre or metal around the GPRS antenna.

Who is going to manage the systems on each glider?

Every pilot will manage his own unit by himself.  It's very easy to install and it's a piece of personal equipment for the flight.

Discuss "Safly - real time tracking of the competition pilots" at the Oz Report forum   link»

to Table of Contentsto next topic Tim gets wet

Tue, Dec 1 2009, 7:53:22 am PST
At Port Kembla

Tim Ettridge «timothyettridge» writes:

Kathryn took me to a beach south of Sydney a few days ago to try a bit of dune soaring on a single surface Malibu that the Moyes factory loaned me for the day.  As my new harness was still under construction, Steve Moyes graciously offered me his own.

To amuse ourselves while we waited for the forecasted winds to show up, Kathryn and I base-barred our gliders without a harness on the edge of the small hill and then each took a short sled ride down to the beach, just in case that was all the flying the day would allow.

The winds finally came, however, and Kathyrn easily launched and swept back and forth over a stretch of the hill perhaps two hundred meters long that was steep enough to form a narrow band of lift.  Twice she made it look so easy and twice she top landed, coming to a halt right by where I stood.

Next it was my turn.  In the aftermath, she was kind enough to claim that the wind had died somewhat and that I did, after all, weigh much more than she did.  The truth is it was nothing more than my foolishness of committing a few seconds too many to where the lift should be (but obviously wasn't) that had me landing deep in the surf, soaking not only Steve Moyes's harness and parachute in salt water, but half of the glider as well.

As it was, I'd been trying to figure out a way to have a glider to fly during my extended stay here in Australia and had been contemplating buying a floater.  The salt water landing seemed to make the choice obvious.  I bought the glider I trashed.  Gerolf now calls it my Water Rat.

I've always been impressed by Aussie hospitality but the Moyes factory has outdone themselves.  They just shrugged their shoulders at my treatment of their possessions and offered me the space and a water hose inside their walls to thoroughly rinse off my soon-to-be newly purchased glider.  Bill and Steve themselves even joined in on the task.  After we rinsed Steve's harness and washed his parachute and hung it off a high point to dry, Steve then helped me break down my leading edges to clean out the sand he suspected I might find inside.  It was there, more than I would have believed.

Steve makes a good point about water landings that I feel compelled to share.  As I approached the water to land, I was already mentally preparing for my escape if the surf turned out to be deeper than I had anticipated (luckily it was only thigh deep). I had planned to hold my breath and reach back to unlock the carabineer and unclip as soon as possible.

Steve told me others have tried this in pool simulations with safety divers at the ready.  No one, however, has been able to accomplish unclipping before running out of air.  The closed cell foam inside the harness is so buoyant, it will pin you to the sail.  The fastest way to escape being drowned beneath a suffocating sail, he explains, is to unbuckle the front, unzip, and swim out of the leg loops without even trying to unbuckle them, leaving the harness altogether.

Decisions of one's approach to an escape from a water landing need to be made before launch, not in the handful of seconds one has before realizing a landing on water is inevitable.  Gerolf also pointed out that a decision to make a 180 degree turn back to the beach the moment the anticipated lift was not found should also have been made before taking off, not in the air while a few seconds of pointless optimism takes that option away.

All and all, the outcome was good: a new glider, a good story, a lot of learning, and an even better impression of the Moyes family (if not all Australians).

http://ozreport.com/13.021#0

http://ozreport.com/13.034#0

http://ozreport.com/13.039#0

Discuss "Tim gets wet" at the Oz Report forum   link»

to Table of Contentsto next topic Time to share the love

Tue, Dec 1 2009, 7:56:45 am PST
With your land owners, etc.

calendar|Leo Bynum|USHPA

Leo Bynum, USHPA Chair, Membership and Development, «leo» writes:

This serves as your seasonal reminder and call to action to think of all of the people, organizations and staff that keep us flying.  Please remind the chapters in your regions to remember the land owners, park officials, local airport control tower, forest ranger, or anyone else who keeps us flying.

It may sound corny, but a Christmas card, bagels, box of chocolate, USHPA calendar or jacket can really buy a lot of good will in the coming flying season.  Please remind the chapters in your area not to forget these people.  It's easy.  You can just copy and paste this article and email it to them.

Discuss "Time to share the love" at the Oz Report forum   link»

to Table of Contentsto next topic Thanks to Steve Kroop

Tue, Dec 1 2009, 7:56:59 am PST
Reimbursed me for the airline ticket to Austin

Steve Kroop|USHPA

Steve Kroop very nicely reimbursed me for my extra airline ticket to Austin that I had to purchase after I used the wrong date for the USHPA BOD meeting taken from the USHPA web site.  Steve usually doesn't ask the USHPA for partial reimbursement for his travel expenses to the BOD meeting, but in this case he did so that he could reimburse me. So, the USHPA did in a round about way pay for their mistake.

Not, of course, in any way that would keep them from making it again.  But they've promised to make some changes in how they invite the membership to the meeting and notify them, so we'll see.

Discuss "Thanks to Steve Kroop" at the Oz Report forum   link»

to Table of Contentsto next topic The Cloudbase Foundation

Tue, Dec 1 2009, 8:20:19 am PST
“Hang Glider and Paraglider pilots assisting children where ever we fly”

PG

http://www.thecloudbasefoundation.org/

The Hombres Pajaro has morfed into the Cloudbase Foundation.  The idea is for hang glider and paraglider pilots to help children where ever they fly.  We/they are currently supporting the school in Canoa, Ecuador, and a mission/clinic in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

http://ozreport.com/socialresponsibility.php

Discuss "The Cloudbase Foundation" at the Oz Report forum   link»

The Oz Report, a near-daily, world wide hang gliding news ezine, with reports on competitions, pilot rankings, political issues, fly-ins, the latest technology, ultralight sailplanes, reader feedback and anything else from within the global HG community worthy of coverage. Hang gliding, paragliding, hang gliders, paragliders, aerotowing, hang glide, paraglide, platform towing, competitions, fly-ins. Hang gliding and paragliding news from around the world, by Davis Straub.

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