2009 Proposed US Contest Rules Changes

At 08:51 10 January 2009, wrote:

Technically, I think you are referring the 2007 Regional Rules. In
2008 the first leg was scored from the point you actually leave the start
cylinder. However, for 2007 you are correct. The issue is conceptually
similar to the 2009 proposal, but under the 2007 rules the potential
magnitude of un-scored distance attributable to variations in first turn
fixes was an order of magnitude smaller than would be the worst case under
the proposed rule for 2009.

One thought for a rule modification would be to extend the 115 mph speed
limit inside the start cylinder to extend to the airspace above the start
cylinder. Do loggers track IAS?

9B


No, I was talking relative to the 2008 Nationals Rules. And I don't
think there is a factor of ten more potential lost distance if you make
the same assumptions of poor start location relative to first turn fix.
The sites that will potentially show this are the ones with low visibility
where you can't see too far out onto the first leg. This might cause you
to do a serious shift in what part of the first turn area you are aiming
for. And the longer the required first leg, the smaller the "lost
distance start area" becomes, and the less distance you can potentially
lose by being in the "bad area".

I think the loggers will only report ground speed. I wouldn't be in
favor of reporting IAS, as some planes have large indicated errors, and
other have very small errors.

And, I didn't see R or N on this, so it applies to all contests for 2009,
right?

Steve Leonard
ZS