15 M Time Management Nationals

"CH" wrote in message ...

No surprise that the pilots get tired of these tasks Kirk,
the scoring rules created for the AST and PST speed tasks with variable
distance are just a pain and I wonder who is responsible for them.
(see FAI SC S3 / ANNEX A). I studied these rules and it is quite a
challenge to understand how rules and scoring formulas work.
Time limits in general are just a hassle and create headache for the pilot
trying to figure out how he could optimize his flight.

(snip lots of good stuff)

Chris, I agree with you completely. I was being a bit sarcastic in my
post...

Over here in the colonies our rules makers have gone totally ga-ga,
making a lot of PC changes to the rules so everybody feels good and
flies safe, blah blah. Somehow the concept of "racing" seems to have
been lost.

To confuse matters even more, over here in the US an AST is what you
call an ST, except we use huge 1 mile radius turn areas, so distance
is scored on actual distance flown - nobody flies the same distance.
And our TAT is what the FAI calls an AST (but called an AAT at the
worlds?). Plus we score in Mph and statute miles, but usually fly in
Knots, and of course records are in Kilometers.

Meanwhile, our "Sports Class" is stuck with nothing but PST (pilot
selected tasks), which is basically a bunch of guys going cross
country on the same day. Fun, but hardly a race, IMHO, and poor
preparation for "the real thing". But it sure makes it easier for the
Contest Director/Task caller!

And we better not get started on 15 minute scoring adjustments, 500 ft
min finish at 1 mile, etc...

Out west a lot of us absolutely HATE the new rules. I guess back east
they are more popular. Must be something in the water.

ARRRGH!

Thank god we just had a great (if REALLY HOT) weekend out here in
Phoenix. Saturday our local racing gang flew a 500+k TAT at over
86mph, and Sunday a 500+k AST (to the Grand Canyon and back) at over
88mph.

Kirk

"Kirk Stant" wrote...
Meanwhile, our "Sports Class" is stuck with nothing but PST (pilot
selected tasks), which is basically a bunch of guys going cross
country on the same day. Fun, but hardly a race, IMHO, and poor
preparation for "the real thing". But it sure makes it easier for the
Contest Director/Task caller!

Sports Class contests can use TATs starting with this season, and a quick glance
at the National and Region 11 scores indicates that they were called for roughly
half of the tasks. Seems like a good fit to me...

Marc

In article , stant2
@mindspring.com says...

Meanwhile, our "Sports Class" is stuck with nothing but PST (pilot
selected tasks), which is basically a bunch of guys going cross
country on the same day.

Not true. The sports class uses the MAT:

10.3.2.2 ‡ Modified Assigned Task (MAT) - Speed over a course of one
or more turnpoints, with a finish at the contest site.

The is no PST as such. I like the MAT quite a bit more than the old
PST, because everyone does get to fly together for a while. The slow
gliders head for home after one or two turnpoints, while the rest of
us might be together for 3 or more, before we run out of assigned
turnpoints and start doing our own thing.

Of course, if the CD never assigns any turnpoints (shame on those that
don't!), it's just like the old PST.

Fun, but hardly a race, IMHO, and poor
preparation for "the real thing". But it sure makes it easier for the
Contest Director/Task caller!

Who can have a big problem selecting a task for a field that can
include both a 1-26 and an ASH 26. The MAT makes it easier for the CD
to call a task with assigned turnpoints and still accommodate the wide
range of gliders that often shows up for a Sports Class event. Not all
CD's are aware of the option, or some of the pilots, either. I've
found that encouraging a CD to use the MAT yields better tasks.
--
!Replace DECIMAL.POINT in my e-mail address with just a . to reply
directly

Eric Greenwell
Richland, WA (USA)

Eric Greenwell wrote Not true.
The sports class uses the MAT:

10.3.2.2 ? Modified Assigned Task (MAT) - Speed over a course of one
or more turnpoints, with a finish at the contest site.

I stand corrected. A well designed MAT, with more than one turnpoint,
can be a respectable race task when trying to fit different
performance gliders in the same task.

However, as you mention, when the CD only assigns one (or none?!)
turnpoints, the whole exercise becomes a joke.

TATs are possible, but if you have a range of gliders from 1-26s to
Nimbus 3s competing, it could be a real challenge to make a good task.
Good luck.

Still not my cup of tea (or preferably, bottle of ice-cold post-flight
beer).

I understand the goal of the sports class races, but by not breaking
the field into rough performance classes (low and high is all that is
really needed), everyone is probably penalized, or someone is going to
be have an advantage.

Europe's Club class is another approach (Limited to roughly equivalent
performance, handicapped, no new ships allowed). The ASA's A, B, and
C classes of tasks is another (All ships handicapped; A class is
allowed water. B class is dry with a shorter task, C class has even
shorter task for 1-26s, 1-23, Dusters, PW-5s etc.)

As has been brought up in another post, what is the "mission
statement" of the Sports class? Is it training for the
Std/15m/18m/Open classes? Or is it a 'fun race get-together'? Both
are OK, but it would really drive how the races are setup. My feeling
now is that it is the latter.

Kirk
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