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In article , Martin Gregorie
writes
On Fri, 5 Mar 2004 14:12:51 -0700, "F.L. Whiteley"
wrote:


"Martin Gregorie" wrote in message
. ..
On 5 Mar 2004 11:12:19 GMT, Don Johnstone
wrote:

At 17:06 04 March 2004, Ian Strachan wrote:

snip-
A proposal that badge distances should be allowed for
free flights as
well as pre-declared, was defeated.

Quite right too.

Free flights should not count for badges because an important part of
the badge requirement is to pre-plan a flight that can be done in the
prevailing weather conditions. That's why (in the UK at least)
suitable competition tasks cannot be used to claim badge flights: you
haven't planned the task, only flown it.

Way this always a rule? I know of one UK competition where 25 Diamond
distance flights were completed. Perhaps only a goal leg is not
claimable, but may distance, altitude, and duration are?

In my previous post I repeated what I was told when last year I asked
if a 300 km Regionals task could be claimed as Gold distance. The
explanation I repeated as to why it couldn't was given to me at the
time.

Now I've just skim read the FAI OO guide and it mentions no such
limitation, so on the face of it I can't see why a competition task
shouldn't be claimed as a badge flight.

However, I'd also say that the logistics of making a properly
witnessed claim during the task could be quite a problem. You'd have
to get your declaration made between briefing and launching the grid,

I don't see that. I have always taken the view that by virtue of taking
part in the competition that day, you have declared the task as set by
the organisers. That's common sense, isn't it?

find an OO to supervise removing the logger after you land and then
sort out any conflicts between the OO and the task scorer regarding
logger custody and downloading - and do all this in the general
turmoil of a competition day without annoying the folks in competition
control.

Having an OO remove the Flight Recorder from the Aircraft is only
necessary IF the approval document for that Flight Recorder requires it.

Certainly, under Lasham's Local rules and maybe other clubs, Competition
Officials are Officials Observers for the Duration of the Contest.

It is however important to remember that the 'observation' zones for
Competitions and Badges are slightly different, and if you intend to
claim a badge you need to go a bit further into the zone.

Tim Newport-Peace

"Indecision is the Key to Flexibility."