Oz Report
Volume 14, Number 61Friday, March 26 2010
Quest Air, Sheets airfield, Groveland, Florida, USA
https://OzReport.com
"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
- In this issue:
Tin Cup The meet organizer assistance package Small/women hang gliders Surround photography Paradise Hang Gliding Tennessee Tree Toppers Competition registration On-line Contests Results
Tin Cup
Thu, Mar 25 2010, 8:43:14 am EDT(Quest Air, Groveland, Florida, USA)
Davis Straub|PG|Quest Air
Check out the meet organizer assistance package below. I provide all these tools
to help meet or event organizers put on their events free of charge. The idea is
to encourage meet organizers by reducing the barriers to putting on their
events.
Events and competitions are an important part of the hang gliding and paragliding community.
Please, help us out. Support something that you find useful so that it can continue to be there for you.
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:
3 topics in this article: Davis Straub, PG, Quest Air
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The meet organizer assistance package
Thu, Mar 25 2010, 8:47:22 am EDT(Quest Air, Groveland, Florida, USA)
Jamie Shelden|PG|Quest Air
Here is what you need if you want to put on a competition or event:
1) A web site to announce the event, register pilots, display the names of the pilots who are registered, display the local rules, give the location, download the waypoint list, and display the scores.
2) A pilot registration system that not only lets pilots easily sign up for your event, but also lets them pay so that they can secure their spot in the competition.
3) A scoring system that lets you easily download pilots' GPSes (for cross country tasks), and puts the scores up on the internet.
In this article I will link you to the free tools and templates that make it much easier for you to do all these things. You can set up all this within a few hours without any previous experience.
1) Web site:
You can create your own web site if you are or have a web designer and a web hosting company. Some examples can be found here and here. These examples are from flight parks that already have their own web sites and web designers who work with them.
You can also set up a web site for free and you don't have to be a web designer to do it. Some examples are here, here, here, and here.
I have created a template for a free web site that you can "copy" (import) to create your own web site for free. You'll find it here. It is not possible to copy the whole web site in one fell swoop. Rather you can import a copy of it in your own new competition specific Wordpress.com blog.
You first sign up for a free "blog" in Wordpress (the same software that is used to run the blogs and comments of the New York Times) and import my template. You can choose from many different themes/layouts for your web site on the Wordpress servers. The whole creation/editing system is menu driven and it takes about an hour or so to understand how most of the system works. Jamie Shelden was able to do it without any knowledge of how to create a web site. Just her experience as a blogger on Blogspot.
You'll find the step by step instructions for creating your own Wordpress blog site for your competition or event here.
2) Registration System:
You can find my freely available pilot registration system here. Versions of it are used in the competitions linked to above, as well as the 2010 Canadian Nationals as found here.
Just follow the instructions given in the link above to create your own copy of my pilot registration template. I also tell you how to create a Buy Now button in your PayPal Merchant account so that pilots can pay you when they register (or send you a check).
3) Scoring System:
You'll find the complete freely available scoring system here including the templates. There are complete instructions there on how to use it. It handles Race to Goal and Open Distance competitions.
If you are doing other types of events, like spot landings, etc., there will soon be a server available to help you out. You can see its current incarnation here. Contact Jeff Nibler «jeffnibler» and tell him what you want in your competition.
An alternate scoring system (that uses the same formulas) is found here: http://fs.fai.org/.
3 topics in this article: Jamie Shelden, PG, Quest Air
Discuss "The meet organizer assistance package" at the Oz Report forum link»
Small/women hang gliders
Thu, Mar 25 2010, 8:47:47 am EDTCIVL|Dennis Pagen|PG|Scott Barrett
Heather's report from the Plenary.
Dennis Pagen has drafted a letter to ask manufacturers how they recommend their gliders' sprogs should be measured, and in particular for smaller gliders. This ties in with the Australian proposal about manufacturers looking at certification standards to accommodate smaller gliders. It was felt that the letter from Dennis will adequately address this in the near future.
Other Australian proposals regarding working groups and conflicts of interest were discussed and modified as felt appropriate to achieve the best results. The following motions were passed:
Working groups are to include competition pilots, technical experts and CIVL representatives where appropriate. Recommendations from these working groups will be made to the delegates and CIVL Bureau.
When recommendations are made by technical working groups these recommendations are to be given all due consideration.
That members of work groups should have the FAI Code of Ethics and its references to Conflicts of Interest brought to their attention and that CIVL should follow the actions in that document regarding any disclosures of conflict of interest.
The background for this is found here. Scott Barrett asked for decisions at CIVL to be made not by some political process but be based on the technical aspects of the issue. He has also previously raised the issue of small gliders (and women pilots being unfairly penalized by the DHV procedures).
So now we have a criteria to determine if CIVL is in fact involving competition pilots and technically competent individuals in their work groups going forward. We see that Rob in’t Groen (competition pilot) will be involved in the sprog measurement issue. I wonder when hang glider manufacturers like Wills Wing will be involved.
You can see who is involved in the helmet working group here. I don't know if any of these people has any technical expertise in helmets. I am not familiar with any of the people involved with the Paragliding Open Class Technical Working Group, found here.
It appears to me that we need real experts on the sprog work group, and on the small/women's glider work group (and we'll need to form that one).
4 topics in this article: CIVL, Dennis Pagen, PG, Scott Barrett
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Surround photography
Thu, Mar 25 2010, 8:48:22 am EDT
http://www.utah3d.net/SulpherCreek_swf.html
http://www.utah3d.net/DoubleArch1_swf.html
http://www.utah3d.net/PaysonC_swf.html
Discuss "Surround photography" at the Oz Report forum link»
Paradise Hang Gliding
Thu, Mar 25 2010, 8:48:38 am EDT(Paradise Hang Gliding, Bonita Springs, FL, USA)
Scott Trueblood|video
Scot Trueblood «paradisehanggliding» writes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbuPCtd9vb8
Our glider was damaged by an unexpected wind storm March 11 during which gusts hit an estimated 35 kts. At the marina.
Hopefully we will be back in action in time to catch most of the spring break season. Please check our websitefor news about our new location, and refer friends and family to us for great tandem flights from the unique perspective of high above the Gulf of Mexico.
2 topics in this article: Scott Trueblood, video
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Tennessee Tree Toppers Competition registration
Thu, Mar 25 2010, 8:48:57 am EDTTennessee Tree Toppers
Jeff Nibler «jeffnibler» writes:
Registration is now open for the TTT Superman of the Sequatchie open distance meet, all three Weekend Sprint races, and the Team Challenge. Details and registration forms available at: http://sequatchiecompetition.com/.
1 topic in this article: Tennessee Tree Toppers
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On-line Contests Results
Thu, Mar 25 2010, 8:49:14 am EDT(USHPA headquarters, Colorado Springs, CO, USA)
CIVL|PG|USHPA
XContest: | HOLC: | Leonardo:
|
DHV (Leonardo): | CIVL WXC server: |
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