1.0 GENERAL COMPETITION RULES
The following are required:
USHPA card. Pilots must meet the requirements of minimum hang 3
rating; as well as aerotow (AT), turbulence (TURB) and cross country
(XC) sign offs. Aerotow rating or evidence of extensive aerotowing
experience is a strict requirement.
Pilot's valid FAI Sporting
License.
USHPA membership.
A GPS of each competitor for registration with make, model, and
serial number available including backup GPS, if any.
Radio frequency used. The frequency list will be maintained by the
meet director, be publicly displayed and pilots will be allowed to
change their frequencies on the list.
Pilot and driver cell phone number. The phone list will be
maintained by the meet director and be publicly displayed.
FAR 103 and Cloud flying
FAR 103 (U.S. Airspace Law/ Federal Aviation Administration Air
Traffic Rule violations). All competitors are required to comply
with FAR 103 at all times. A copy of FAR 103 can be provided to all
competitors. Any verified infraction will result in a penalty (see
below) for the associated day or possible ejection from the contest.
Pilots are expected to familiarize themselves with all controlled
airspaces in the vicinity of course lines (maps will be provided).
It is illegal and un-sportsmanlike for competitors to fly into
clouds. Competitors who fly into clouds will incur a penalty for the
day. A competitor is deemed to have flown into a cloud if he/she is
observed by a meet official or videotaped going into and
disappearing into a cloud, or videotaped appearing out of a cloud,
or: If two witnesses from two different countries near the accused
witness the accused going up into the cloud and completely
disappearing from their view, and attest to this fact in writing and
if barograph or 3D GPS traces from the accused and a witness show
the accused above the witness at the time of the incident.
If the accused cannot produce a barograph trace for that day or a 3D
GPS track log from their 3D GPS, only two witness statements are
required. It is highly recommended for all competitors to fly with a
recording barograph and they must fly with a 3D GPS at all times.
A pilot sucked into cloud who did not have the intention of gaining
an advantage should perform a figure 8 maneuver once out of the
cloud so that other pilots could see it had not been intended. It is
recommended that a pilot sucked into cloud who did not have the
intention of gaining an advantage should perform a figure 8
manoeuvre once out of the cloud so that other pilots could see it
had not been intended.
Witnesses should press Mark/Enter when they witness a pilot going
into a cloud. Any pilot found to be deliberately supplying false
information about another pilot with respect to cloud flying will be
removed from the competition.
The penalty - the offending pilot shall receive a 10% reduction in
their score for the first infraction, 30% reduction for a second,
and then a zero daily score for any further infractions.
Meet officials may fly with the pilots to check for cloud flying and
to be in contact with the safety director (who will not be flying at
any time) to report safety conditions on course. If the meet
director is flying and checking on pilots and the weather the deputy
meet director shall take over his duties.
Following instructions from meet officials
Pilots are required to follow instructions given to them by meet
officials expeditiously or risk penalty. Pilots will be instructed
where to set up their gliders in the staging lines, where to enter
the launch lines, and how to be prepared to launch safely. Pilots
need to follow these instructions carefully.
2.0 EQUIPMENT
Radios and Phones
Radio transceivers are permitted and a radio receiver compatible
with the organizer's frequency is mandatory during competition
flights. Radios are for communication between competitors, team
leaders, drivers and the organizers. All pilots and crews are
requested to submit their team frequencies and mobile telephone
numbers to the competition director. This information will be used
by the safety director for safety purposes.
Appropriate aerotow bridles
Competitors must use appropriate aerotow bridles as determined by
the Meet Director and Safety Director and their designated
officials. Bridles must include secondary releases (as determined by
the Safety Director). Bridles must be able to be connected to the
tow line within two seconds. The only appropriate bridles can be
found here:
http://OzReport.com/9.039#0 and
http://ozreport.com/9.041#2.
Pilots who have not already had their bridles inspected during the
practice days must bring their bridles to the mandatory pilot safety
briefing and have them reviewed. Pilots with inappropriate bridles
may purchase appropriate bridles from the meet organizer.
Weaklinks
Pilots must use weaklinks provided by the meet organizers and in a
manner approved by the meet organizers. All weaklinks will be
checked and use of inappropriate weaklinks will require the pilot to
go to the end of the launch line to change the weaklink.
Weaklinks will consist of a single loop of Cortland 130 lb Greenspot
braided Dacron Tolling line
http://www.cortlandline.com/catalog/braid.html and should be
placed at one end of a shoulder bridle. The tow forces on the
weaklink will be roughly divided in half by this placement. Pilots
will be shown how to tie the weaklink so that it more likely breaks
at its rating breaking strength.
3.0 TAKE OFF METHODS
Staging
The take off area is the Big Spring Airport in Big Spring, Texas.
Size and lay-out of the take-off area will be displayed at
competition headquarters.
- Number of tugs: approximately one tug per ten pilots.
- Tow rope length: approximately 150 feet (45.72 meters)
- Aero tow release height: release at 2000' (609.6 m) or below
In the event of dangerous overcrowding in the air around launch the
competition director may close the launch temporarily until
congestion has eased.
The daily launch and staging areas will be determined by the Meet
and Safety and Task Committees after the morning pilots meeting and
will be set-up by launch crew as soon as the optimum direction can
be determined.
For the purpose of expediency, pilots must stay away from the launch
crew and are not allowed talk to this launch crew while they are
setting up the launch and staging lines. Any pilot who in any way
interferes with the launch crew setting up the launch and staging
area will be subject to the penalty of having his/her launch delayed
or moved to the end of the line.
Only after the launch and staging lines have been fully set-up is it
permissible for pilots to stage their gliders. For safety all
gliders must be in the staging area before towing commences
otherwise penalties may be applied.
Pilots will stage in the general staging lines as determined on the
first day by NTSS ranking and after that by their current overall
ranking in the competition. The task and safety committees will
always stage together.
Gliders must be staged as close as possible to the “outside
boundary” (as defined by cones). As a courtesy to all pilots, please
stage your glider as close as possible to the glider in front of
you. Any pilot who stages his glider in a manner other than optimal
to other competitors in the designated staging area will be subject
to the penalty of having a delay or being moved to the end of the
line.
The members of the task advisory committee shall be allowed to place
their gliders in the staging line at their discretion.
Launch
The launch marshal shall (if possible) use an air horn to announce
when window opens or if there has been a change in task so that all
pilots are aware. A whiteboard near the front of the staging line
will indicate changes in times or task so that all pilots are aware.
It is each pilot's responsibility to be alert for any changes.
Pilots may enter the launch line starting at fifteen minutes before
the start of the launch window and not before.
The line leaders will signal when the launch window opens to the
pilots near the beginning of the launch lines. At this time (and not
before), any pilot who is “ready” may move to the ready-to-launch
box which will be defined by orange cones. Ready is defined as:
Pilot is completely suited up with helmet on, hooked in with vario,
GPS and other instruments turned “on.” Once in the launch line the
pilot must advance forward to the end of the launch line (towards
the ready-to-launch box).
To give adequate space for the tow planes to land, as pilots advance
forward to the ready-to-launch box, they must stay as close to the
staging line as possible. This is very important.
Pilots in the staging line have launch priority over all pilots who
are behind them in either the staging or launch line. If at any time
the launch line overlaps a pilot in the staging line who wants to
move into the launch line (and is “ready” to fly), the blocked pilot
in the staging line may enter the launch line immediately behind the
pilot that is blocking him when the blocking pilot moves forward.
Example:: If pilot B is ready to fly and wants to enter the launch
line he/she must address pilot C and inform him/her that he/she will
be entering the launch line as soon as pilot A moves forward. Pilot
C must let pilot B into the launch line in front of pilot C or pilot
C will be not be allowed to launch until all other pilots have
launched in the current task or for the reminder of the meet.
All pilots must stay in their “fore and aft” position while in the
staging line. Pilots may only move forward in the launch line.
Pilots may not move from the launch line to the staging line without
moving to their original position in the staging line unless given
permission by the launch or meet director. If a pilot moves forward
in the staging line, that pilot is subject to not being allowed to
launch until after all other pilots have launched in that task.
Hang glider pilots must release from their tow at or below 2,000'
AGL (4,500' MSL) (609.6 meters, 1,371.6 meters). They must also
release when waved off by the tug pilot. Pilots will be released
upwind unless they make it known to the tug pilot to take another
course.
Weak link breaks – pilots will be slotted in for a reflight when
they have returned to the line. Pilots who need a reflight must land
away from the area where the tugs are approaching and landing (land
in the dirt area 200' (60.96 meters) to the left of the launch
lines).
Push Rule
A pilot at any point in the launch line, with harness and helmet on,
and hooked in, may "push" the launch. The pilot must identify
himself and announce that he is pushing. He may not subsequently
leave the launch line. When the launch line is being pushed, each
pilot in the launch line preceding the pushing pilot in the launch
order, will have 30 seconds after they are attached to the tow line
in which to start take off or decide not to launch.
A pilot who declines to take-off during his decision period must
immediately go to the end of the queue. A pilot who fails to
take-off within the completion period will be scored zero for the
task. The pilot who initiated the "push" does not have the option to
decline to take-off but must do so within 30 seconds of being
attached to the tow line or score zero for the day.
The 30 seconds referred to in the above paragraphs must be
uninterrupted by unacceptable launch conditions, as determined by
the launch official. The launch official will tell the pilot when
the 30-second period begins and will count down the last 10 seconds
before it ends. If the 30 second period is interrupted, it will
begin again.
Wind Speed
The average wind speed cannot exceed 25 mph (40.234 kmh) nor the
gust factor 5 mph (8.05 kmh) (total of 30 mph) (48.28 kmh) as
measured at 7 feet (2.1336 meters) at the front of the launch line
by a Flytec ALTI Windwatch for a five minute period or the launch
will be suspended until the average maximum wind speed decreases.
4.0 WAYPOINTS AND GOALS
Cylinder starts will be used and these may be either entry or exit. The type of start and the dimensions may vary from task to task and will be specified at each task briefing.
Turn Points will be cylinders of 400 meters radius
unless otherwise specified at the task briefing.
Goals (at Big Spring) will
be goal lines 200 meters long with a 100 meter long physical line.
Virtual goals will be virtual cylinders of 400 meters radius size
and at the specified co-ordinates unless different radius value is
specified at the task briefing.
A physical goal line will be used if the goal is back at Big Spring
airport and its center will be placed at the specified GPS
coordinates and oriented 90 degrees to the course line. Meet
personnel will monitor the goal line for pilot finish order.
Otherwise virtual goals will be used.
5.0 RETAKE-OFF
A competitor will be allowed unlimited Take-off(s) to attempt the task within the stated take-off period. Pilots must report to the Start Marshall before all subsequent take-off attempts. Relaunches may only occur if you land on the "airport property." Pilots have to walk their glider back from their landing area to the launch line.
6.0 TASK PERIOD
Times of window open for take-off and time for the closing of the window, turn points and last landing will be displayed in writing. Any window extension policy will also be displayed in writing. The minimum period of time that the launch window will remain open for the launch to be considered valid is 60 seconds of launchable air per pilot divided by the number of launch points that can be used or if 90% of the pilots registered and present in the staging line have launched at least once.
7.0 SCORING AND FLIGHT VERIFICATION
Scoring will be done according to the OzGAP 2005
scoring system. GAP Parameters: Percentage at goal: 30%, Minimum
distance: 5 miles, Nominal distance: 40 miles, Nominal time: 2 hours
GPS track log evidence is the only way to verify and provide data
for flights. The track logs of two or more GPS units together may be
used to provide a required track log. To be considered valid, the
GPS track log has to comply with the current requirements in Section
7A of the FAI Sporting Code, chapter 15.
Scoring a stopped task. A task which has been stopped but not
cancelled shall be scored if one hour have elapsed since the opening
of the first start gate.
A pilot who lands (or limits his flight) to assist another pilot in
distress shall be scored for the day. This score shall be the
average day-weighted of what he scored in the previous rounds, or
the average pilot score if this happens on the first task. However,
as the meet progresses that score will change to take into account
his average day-weighted scores of the whole meet so the score will
be adjusted after each task. The competition director may also award
extra points.
Pilots leaving before the start gate opened are awarded based on the
formula built into the scoring program. The program rotates your
starting time around the first start time and leaves your flight
time interval unchanged. For example, if you start five minutes
before the first start time at 1 PM (12:55 PM) and you fly for
one hour (to 1:55 PM), your calculated for scoring purposes start
time will be 1:05 PM and your finish time will be 2:05 PM (your
flight is slid 10 minutes forward in time). If there are start time
intervals, say of 15 minutes, in this example the scoring program
will then reset your start time to 1 PM and your finish time at 2:05
PM, the same as though you in fact started at 1:05 PM.
8.0 COMPLAINTS AND PROTESTS
The organizer shall publish provisional task results
in the evening of the day the task was flown. When this is not
possible (late retrievals), they will be published officially at 10
AM the next day.
Competitors are recommended to request correction of mistakes as
soon as possible. A complaint in writing may be made to the meet
director. The time limit for complaints is 12 hours after the
posting of the previous day's results which will occur by 10 AM.
If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome, the pilot may
make a protest in writing to the Competition Director. The time
limit for protests is 12 hours after publication of the provisional
results or the results of the complaint, except that after the last
competition task it is 2 Hours. The protest fee is $50 USD. It will
be returned if the protest is upheld.