From the SSA Rules Committee:

US Competition Rules Committee Policy on Instruments Incorporating
the Capability for Flight Without Reference To the Ground
February 8, 2012
The US Rules Committee ("RC") reaffirms the longstanding rule that instruments which can be used to
enable flight without reference to the ground are prohibited in competition.. The following policy
relating to multi-function instruments that provide such functionality as a feature has been adopted
based on consideration of the implications and side effects on contest procedures, scoring software and
the imminent start of the US contest season; and discussions with manufacturers and pilots:
1. Rule 6.6 will remain as is.
6.6
6.6.1
Restricted Equipment
Each sailplane is prohibited from carrying any instrument which:
• Permits flight without reference to the ground.
• Is capable of measuring air motion or temperature at a
distance greater than one wingspan.
2. By waiver, the RC may allow the installation of such a device if the RC determines that the
“artificial horizon” or “turn and bank” capability can be effectively and verifiably disabled for the
period of the competition.
3. To obtain a waiver a competitor must:
a. Ensure that the device in the configuration to be used is submitted to the RC for
inspection well before the intended use (at least one month). This must also include a
statement of compliance from the manufacturer.
b. Request and obtain the waiver from the RC
4. The RC will use the following criteria in determining whether a specific device is eligible for
waiver:
a. It must be obvious to the casual observer that the forbidden capabilities are disabled or
entirely absent when the device powers up and when the disablement will expire.
b. It must not be possible to re-enable the forbidden capabilities during the period of
competition. Examples of re-enablement scenarios would include:
i. Reloading firmware
ii. Changing device settings
iii. Performing any kind of hardware reset (e.g. removing backup battery)
5. The procedure for using the device is expected to be:
a. The competitor with a waiver disables the capability at the beginning of the contest
b. The competitor demonstrates to an appropriate contest official (e.g. CD, scorer) that the
disabling has been done.
c. After 14 days the disablement expires (i.e. daily checking of IGC logs is not an acceptable
process)
end