WGC Final Report, John Good

How to fix future WGCs so they measure pilot ability, not the ability of countries to cheat within the rules. Level the playing field for small countries that can not field large complex teams. After all, is the WGC not meant to determine the best pilot?

1. Take away the team flying
a. one pilot per country per class
b. no pilot-to pilot communication except safety calls
c. no pilot to ground communication

2. Take away the ground "team"
a. no tactical information to pilots from any source outside their eyeballs and on-board flarm


3. Institute harsh penalties such as Tijl suggest that would disqualify the team for the duration of the competition and ban the offending pilot for life.

4. Apply pilot event marker controlled starts to minimize start gate games.


This trajectory the WGC is on is destructive as shown by the blatant cheating that occurs within loopholes while trying to get "your" country on top instead of trying to determine the best pilot at the competition.

On Monday, January 20, 2020 at 1:17:36 PM UTC-6, wrote:
https://ussoaringteams.org/john-good...c#comment-5830

Eureka! The solution is in 'cockpit voice and video recording' for all flights, easily achieved with commonly available matchbox size cameras with prices beginning at $35. At 720p resolution, a medium capacity microSD card would save the whole flight; a small external source for power supply will be needed. Everything still way more compact than the photo cameras we used in the past to take pictures of the turning points. Any illicit help from the ground (radio or image) would be recorded. The recordings provided along with the IGC logs, checked at random and/or on demand. A substantial penalty for a missing recording. Garmin Virb and latest GoPro cameras (higher price mark) provide geo-referencing, too. How many cars drive these days with 'dash cameras'?

tiistai 21. tammikuuta 2020 6.04.24 UTC+2 Tom BravoMike kirjoitti:
On Monday, January 20, 2020 at 1:17:36 PM UTC-6, wrote:
https://ussoaringteams.org/john-good...c#comment-5830

Eureka! The solution is in 'cockpit voice and video recording' for all flights, easily achieved with commonly available matchbox size cameras with prices beginning at $35. At 720p resolution, a medium capacity microSD card would save the whole flight; a small external source for power supply will be needed. Everything still way more compact than the photo cameras we used in the past to take pictures of the turning points. Any illicit help from the ground (radio or image) would be recorded. The recordings provided along with the IGC logs, checked at random and/or on demand. A substantial penalty for a missing recording. Garmin Virb and latest GoPro cameras (higher price mark) provide geo-referencing, too. How many cars drive these days with 'dash cameras'?

130 competitors flying 6 hrs+, you would be staring at 800 hrs of videos per day in WGC. Should be doable by 100 volunteers over night, though. But what if pilot have a small in-ear headphone for listening to radio?

On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 5:55:25 AM UTC-6, krasw wrote:
tiistai 21. tammikuuta 2020 6.04.24 UTC+2 Tom BravoMike kirjoitti:
On Monday, January 20, 2020 at 1:17:36 PM UTC-6, wrote:
https://ussoaringteams.org/john-good...c#comment-5830

Eureka! The solution is in 'cockpit voice and video recording' for all flights, easily achieved with commonly available matchbox size cameras with prices beginning at $35. At 720p resolution, a medium capacity microSD card would save the whole flight; a small external source for power supply will be needed. Everything still way more compact than the photo cameras we used in the past to take pictures of the turning points. Any illicit help from the ground (radio or image) would be recorded. The recordings provided along with the IGC logs, checked at random and/or on demand. A substantial penalty for a missing recording. Garmin Virb and latest GoPro cameras (higher price mark) provide geo-referencing, too. How many cars drive these days with 'dash cameras'?

130 competitors flying 6 hrs+, you would be staring at 800 hrs of videos per day in WGC. Should be doable by 100 volunteers over night, though. But what if pilot have a small in-ear headphone for listening to radio?

You have not noticed this in my message: The recordings (...) checked at random and/or on demand.

But you are right about the hidden earphone, and possibly a heads-up display (HUD) mounted in sunglasses. The situation is helpless... So I'll stay out of competitions and continue my lonely exploration/fun/diamonds cross-country flights with all the navigation and safety devices fully ON.

On Monday, January 20, 2020 at 2:17:36 PM UTC-5, wrote:
https://ussoaringteams.org/john-good...c#comment-5830

It seems clear that the intent and spirit of the 15 minute delayed tracking rule were well understood by all.
Using an unsecured tracking site to eliminate the 15 minute delay is a violation of the intent and spirit of the rule.
While it could be argued that there was no specific rule against using the unsecured GFA tracking data, the intent and spirit of the 15 minute delayed tracking rule were still being violated.
The honorable action for whomever on the Australian team, discovered the unsecured GFA site would have been to report it to the competition organizers so that the issue of un-delayed / unsecured GFA tracking could have been mitigated in some fashion.
Competitive soaring to me is a wonderful thing, testing pilot skill against pilot skill at a high level. Using loopholes to violate the intention and spirit of rules clearly created to create a level playing field, degrades and dishonors our sport to just another "best cheater wins" sport.

John did a great job on the summary, but I'd like to think there is another path forward in the rules.


1) Like Golf, the rules could be focused on testing pilot skill assuming the pilots police themselves. The idea that some rule would not be practical because it is hard to enforce seems contrary to the sort of folks that soaring draws. This might include the idea that self enforcement draws a smaller penalty than getting caught.

2) The current rules are written in the negative which creates loopholes for what you have forgotten. If, instead they listed what was permitted, then the opportunity for the holes might be less. For example, the pilot is only permitted information from the following electronic means...

I think depending on the race, there is room for wildly different permitted lists. Grand Prix might expect a ground controller and full tracking with the controller on the podium along with the pilot. A pilot testing race might go the opposite with a very short list.

On Monday, January 20, 2020 at 8:17:36 PM UTC+1, wrote:
https://ussoaringteams.org/john-good...c#comment-5830

I've suggested this before but nobody agreed.

The solution is to have predetermined start times, randomised each day. Scoring calculated from this start time. Penalties for starting before the time, no penalties for late starting, because the extra delay is it's own penalty.

On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 12:21:28 PM UTC-5, Chris Wedgwood wrote:
On Monday, January 20, 2020 at 8:17:36 PM UTC+1, wrote:
https://ussoaringteams.org/john-good...c#comment-5830

I've suggested this before but nobody agreed.

The solution is to have predetermined start times, randomised each day. Scoring calculated from this start time. Penalties for starting before the time, no penalties for late starting, because the extra delay is it's own penalty.

That would work great in Condor :-).

T8

On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 8:26:58 PM UTC+1, Tango Eight wrote:
On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 12:21:28 PM UTC-5, Chris Wedgwood wrote:
On Monday, January 20, 2020 at 8:17:36 PM UTC+1, wrote:
https://ussoaringteams.org/john-good...c#comment-5830

I've suggested this before but nobody agreed.

The solution is to have predetermined start times, randomised each day. Scoring calculated from this start time. Penalties for starting before the time, no penalties for late starting, because the extra delay is it's own penalty.

That would work great in Condor :-).

T8

Condor tracks real life, not the other way round