2008 Proposed US Competition Rules Changes

The proposed rule changes for 2008 US competition soaring
are posted at SSA.org/sailplane racing/rules & process.
Input is welcome. Final rules proposals go to the SSA for publication
in the board "Blue Book" in mid January.
Seasons Greetings to all from the SSA Competition Rules Subcommittee
UH
H Nixon
Chair

On Dec 22, 5:31 pm, wrote:
The proposed rule changes for 2008 US competition soaring
are posted at SSA.org/sailplane racing/rules & process.
Input is welcome. Final rules proposals go to the SSA for publication
in the board "Blue Book" in mid January.
Seasons Greetings to all from the SSA Competition Rules Subcommittee
UH
H Nixon
Chair

Hank,
I have a question about task changing :
Will the Contest Director still be allowed to create a new task
when pilots are already in the air? We shouldn't have 50 pilots
playing with their computers under the same cloud base.

Ryszard Krolikowski RW .

On Dec 23, 11:32*pm, wrote:
On Dec 22, 5:31 pm, wrote:

The proposed rule changes for 2008 US competition soaring
are posted at SSA.org/sailplane racing/rules & process.
Input is welcome. Final rules proposals go to the SSA for publication
in the board "Blue Book" in mid January.
Seasons Greetings to all from the SSA Competition Rules Subcommittee
UH
H Nixon
Chair

Hank,
I have a question about task changing :
Will the Contest Director still be allowed to create a new task
when pilots are already in the air? We shouldn't have 50 pilots
*playing with their computers under the same cloud base.

Ryszard Krolikowski RW .

A review of the proposed changes will show no change in the rules with
respect to
task calling or changing in the air. Experience over the years has
shown that the ability to
adjust the task to changing conditions to be a useful and valuable
tool when used properly.
UH

On Dec 24, 8:46 am, wrote:
On Dec 23, 11:32 pm, wrote:





On Dec 22, 5:31 pm, wrote:

The proposed rule changes for 2008 US competition soaring
are posted at SSA.org/sailplane racing/rules & process.
Input is welcome. Final rules proposals go to the SSA for publication
in the board "Blue Book" in mid January.
Seasons Greetings to all from the SSA Competition Rules Subcommittee
UH
H Nixon
Chair

Hank,
I have a question about task changing :
Will the Contest Director still be allowed to create a new task
when pilots are already in the air? We shouldn't have 50 pilots
playing with their computers under the same cloud base.

Ryszard Krolikowski RW .

A review of the proposed changes will show no change in the rules with
respect to
task calling or changing in the air. Experience over the years has
shown that the ability to
adjust the task to changing conditions to be a useful and valuable
tool when used properly.
UH- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Could you please give me a couple of examples when creating a brand
new task while gliders are in the air is useful?

I don't think creating a brand new task while gliders are already in
the air is the right thing to do from safety point of view. If a day
is problematic the contest director should create a number of tasks
and then call one of them if he needs to change. This would allow
participants to program their computers while still on the ground.

With all this talk about safety finishes why this problem has not been
discussed? I think the safety comity should act proactively instead
retroactively. Meaning we should not have a mid air to wake us up.

Regards,

AK

On Dec 24, 9:25*am, AK wrote:
On Dec 24, 8:46 am, wrote:





On Dec 23, 11:32 pm, wrote:

On Dec 22, 5:31 pm, wrote:

The proposed rule changes for 2008 US competition soaring
are posted at SSA.org/sailplane racing/rules & process.
Input is welcome. Final rules proposals go to the SSA for publication
in the board "Blue Book" in mid January.
Seasons Greetings to all from the SSA Competition Rules Subcommittee
UH
H Nixon
Chair

Hank,
I have a question about task changing :
Will the Contest Director still be allowed to create a new task
when pilots are already in the air? We shouldn't have 50 pilots
*playing with their computers under the same cloud base.

Ryszard Krolikowski RW .

A review of the proposed changes will show no change in the rules with
respect to
task calling or changing in the air. Experience over the years has
shown that the ability to
adjust the task to changing conditions to be a useful and valuable
tool when used properly.
UH- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Could you please give me a couple of examples when creating a brand
new task while gliders are in the air is useful?

I don't think creating a brand new task while gliders are already in
the air is the right thing to do from safety point of view. If a day
is problematic the contest director should create a number of tasks
and then call one of them if he needs to change. This would allow
participants to program their computers while still on the ground.

With all this talk about safety finishes why this problem has not been
discussed? I think the safety comity should act proactively instead
retroactively. Meaning we should not have a mid air to wake us up.

Regards,

AK- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The number of days where task changes have made for fairer and
in some cases, safer, are too numerous to count.
Examples; 2 days at the '07 15M Nationals would likely have been
either
no contest or highly devalued had we not had the option to change
tasks as
the weather developed.
Days were changed at the 07 Sports Nationals due to weather not
developing as
expected. If there had not been for the unsportsmanlike conduct of one
pilot jamming
the radio, the last day would also have been changed to a more
appropriate task and
the results of that contest likely would have been significantly
different.
Prior to having this option, I recall a number of days where we flew
off into bad weather
or on tasks that could mot be done because the option to change did
not exist.
I completely agree that the best option is to be able to select from
previously defined tasks.
That said, this is not always possible.
I do no programming of my pilot interface in the air- only minimal
data entry to define a task
and personally don't see this as a hazard. My choice of equipment is,
in part, done to ensure
this is easily and quickly done,if needed, in the air.
UH

Changing tasks in the air is a very good tool and should continue to
be used. In the many contests that I have flown, we have always had a
few task changes and it has always worked to make a better and safer
contest. There is no sense in sending the whole fleet into an area of
dead air or where sotrms are developing. To try to anticiapte this
before launch is just impossible. Charlie Spratt is a master at
understanding the conditions and changing the task when required.
With todays GPS and logger systems, it is far easier than the old days
of photos. When a task change occurs, just go out a little way and
find some empty space to reset the task in your computer. It doesn't
take that long anyway. I would much rather fly a task in better
conditions than being forced to fly into storms and landing out.
There lies much more danger.

ASW27 BV

Thank you both for your examples I see your point. Do you have any
opinion on what is the best software for PDA in regards to entering
new tasks in the air? What I am looking for is any easy to operate,
with minimum attention, fewest steps software other than Glide
Navigator II. Thx.

AK

On Dec 24, 12:58 pm, AK wrote:
Thank you both for your examples I see your point. Do you have any
opinion on what is the best software for PDA in regards to entering
new tasks in the air? What I am looking for is any easy to operate,
with minimum attention, fewest steps software other than Glide
Navigator II. Thx.

AK

Hi AK,
The safety question of changing tasks in air the while somewhat
inconvenient has proven it's self to be a great tool and beneficial
for all concerned as noted by UH & BV. One of the many pre-contest
practice items to add to your check list is "changing tasks in the
air", be it AT, TAT or MAT. Once you've put a dozen in air task
changes under your belt it will be fairly easy to accomplish. Try it
in simulation mode on the ground a bunch of times to get comfortable
then repeat the process in the air, you'll be fine.

As for a software that's "easy to operate, with minimum attention,
fewest steps" I don't know why you would discount GNll, it's certainly
the easiest software I know of to enter tasks on the fly. I also have
Winpilot but prefer GNll , especially in comps for the very reasons
you're looking for it's easy to operate, with minimum attention and
the fewest steps to complete, but with less bell and whistles, hense
easier. Most comps I've attended in the last four years have had one
or two task changes in the air, so count on it occurring.

Regards,
Rick - 21

2 more cents to add he

Contest directors are generally very aware of the diffuculty and
dangers of task changes in midair, so they only do it when the need
for a task change outweighs the difficulty of doing it in midair.
Good CDs often take steps to minimize in-iar programming; they call
A,B,C tasks; they limit task changes to easy things to do like adding/
deleting a turnpoint rather than starting over, and they hate to
change task type e.g. MAT to TAT. I don't think we need rules unless
CD judgement were failing here, which isn't the case.

On software, realize that most of the software out there is not
designed with in-air task changes in mind, since this freedom is a US
particularity. The ease of in-air task change varies a lot. One
program I tried crashed the PDA and the 302, needing an in-air power
off restart of both, 10 minutes before start opened. Not fun.

John Cochrane

On Dec 28, 11:11 am, BB wrote:
On software, realize that most of the software out there is not
designed with in-air task changes in mind, since this freedom is a US
particularity. The ease of in-air task change varies a lot. One
program I tried crashed the PDA and the 302, needing an in-air power
off restart of both, 10 minutes before start opened. Not fun.

Yikes. Certainly some software is designed with this in mind.
Guess that's why we're still cranking out ILEC SN10Bs !
Best Regards, Dave "YO"

PS: Yes, I know, AATs could still be a bit easier...