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Proposal from
Andy Phillips, GBR
Proposal title
Removal of scored launch inflation
Existing text
A4
3.C1. PRECISION TAKE-OFF AND LANDING
Objective
To make a clean take off at the first attempt in the deck, and subsequently land as near as possible to a target.
Description
The pilot is permitted four takeoff attempts, climbs to 500ft overhead the target, cuts the engine before passing through a gate and tries to make a first touch as near as possible to the centre of a target consisting of:
- A series of concentric circles for PF1 and PF2 classes.
- A series of 5m wide parallel strips for PL1 and PL2 classes
Special rules
- The pilot scores 250 points for a clean take off at the first attempt, 170 for the second, 90 for the third, zero for the fourth.
- The circuit to be flown will be detailed at briefing.
- The first touch of the ground by the pilot's foot (PF) or the aircraft wheels (PL) is the point from which the pilot's score will be derived. A first touch on the line scores the higher score. When more than one PL wheel touches simultaneously, the point chosen is the one in favour of the pilot.
- Contestants will be awarded a zero score if the pilot or any part of the aircraft touching the ground outside the deck while undertaking the task.
- Contestants will be awarded a zero landing score for:
Engine not stopped before the gate.
Gate not passed correctly.
Falling over as a result of the landing.
Scoring
Pilot score = (Bto + Bld)
Where:
Bto = Takeoff points
Bld = Landing points
A4
3.C3. PRECISION TAKE-OFF AND LANDING
Objective
To make a clean take off at the first attempt in the deck, and subsequently land as near as possible to a target
which is:
- A point for PF1 and PF2 classes
- A 5 m long line marked on the ground perpendicular to the wind direction for PL1 and PL2 classes.
Description
The pilot is permitted four takeoff attempts, climbs to 500ft overhead the target, cuts the engine before passing through a gate and tries to make a first touch as near as possible to the centre of a target.
Special rules
- The pilot scores 250 points for a clean take off at the first attempt, 170 for the second, 90 for the third, zero for the fourth.
- The circuit to be flown will be detailed at briefing.
- The first touch of the ground by the pilot's foot (PF) or the aircraft wheels (PL) is the point from which the pilot's score will be derived. When more than one PL wheel touches simultaneously the point chosen is the one in favour of the pilot.
- Zero score if the pilot or any part of the aircraft touches the ground outside the deck while undertaking the
task.
Contestants will be awarded a zero landing score for:
- Engine not stopped before the gate.
- Gate not passed correctly.
- Falling over as a result of the landing.
Scoring
Pilot score = Bto + (250 * (Dp/Dmin))
Where
Bto = Pilot’s takeoff score.
Dmin = x - the closest distance to the target achieved
Dmin = x - the closest distance to the target achieved by any pilot.
Dp = x - the pilot’s distance to the target (> x m = zero landing score).
The value of x, in metres will be given at briefing but may be between 10 and 25 metres depending on the
meteorological conditions. This outer zone should be marked by cones or some other visual indication in the form
of:
- A circle for PF1 and PF2 classes,
- Two 5m long lines parallel to the target for PL1 and PL2 classes.
New text
A4
3.C1. PRECISION TAKE-OFF AND LANDING
Objective
To make a clean take off at the first attempt in the deck, and subsequently land as near as possible to a target.
Description
The pilot is permitted four takeoff attempts, climbs to 500ft overhead the target, cuts the engine before passing through a gate and tries to make a first touch as near as possible to the centre of a target consisting of:
- A series of concentric circles for PF1 and PF2 classes.
- A series of 5m wide parallel strips for PL1 and PL2 classes
Special rules
- The pilot scores 250 points for a clean take off at the first attempt, 170 for the second, 90 for the third, zero for the fourth.
- The circuit to be flown will be detailed at briefing.
- The first touch of the ground by the pilot's foot (PF) or the aircraft wheels (PL) is the point from which the pilot's score will be derived. A first touch on the line scores the higher score. When more than one PL wheel touches simultaneously, the point chosen is the one in favour of the pilot.
- Contestants will be awarded a zero score if the pilot or any part of the aircraft touching the ground outside the deck while undertaking the task.
- Contestants will be awarded a zero landing score for:
Engine not stopped before the gate.
Gate not passed correctly.
Falling over as a result of the landing.
Scoring
Pilot score = (Bto + Bld)
Where:
Bto = Takeoff points
Bld = Landing points
A4
3.C3. PRECISION TAKE-OFF AND LANDING
Objective
To make a clean take off at the first attempt in the deck, and subsequently land as near as possible to a target which is:
- A point for PF1 and PF2 classes
- A 5 m long line marked on the ground perpendicular to the wind direction for PL1 and PL2 classes.
Description
The pilot is permitted four takeoff attempts, climbs to 500ft overhead the target, cuts the engine before passing through a gate and tries to make a first touch as near as possible to the centre of a target.
Special rules
- The pilot scores 250 points for a clean take off at the first attempt, 170 for the second, 90 for the third, zero for the fourth.
- The circuit to be flown will be detailed at briefing.
- The first touch of the ground by the pilot's foot (PF) or the aircraft wheels (PL) is the point from which the pilot's score will be derived. When more than one PL wheel touches simultaneously the point chosen is the one in favour of the pilot.
- Zero score if the pilot or any part of the aircraft touches the ground outside the deck while undertaking the task.
Contestants will be awarded a zero landing score for:
- Engine not stopped before the gate.
- Gate not passed correctly.
- Falling over as a result of the landing.
Scoring
Pilot score = Bto + (250 * (Dp/Dmin))
Where
Bto = Pilot’s takeoff score.
Dmin = x - the closest distance to the target achieved
Dmin = x - the closest distance to the target achieved by any pilot.
Dp = x - the pilot’s distance to the target (> x m = zero landing score).
The value of x, in metres will be given at briefing but may be between 10 and 25 metres depending on the meteorological conditions. This outer zone should be marked by cones or some other visual indication in the form of:
- A circle for PF1 and PF2 classes,
- Two 5m long lines parallel to the target for PL1 and PL2 classes.
Reason
It can be pure chance, and no reflection of a pilot’s skill to get knots in their lines, lines caught up, or risers stuck under swing bars. This rule encourages pilots to whom this occurs to continue the launch and attempt to fix the problem in the air. This is inherently unsafe.
In addition it requires many more marshals, smaller unsafe decks (see proposal 5), and takes longer to launch than a free launch, increasing the risk of not all pilots being able to fly the task in a short weather window. Missing an inflation is worth testing under timed conditions in a different task, in which a smaller amount of points lost by having to re-inflate for safety reasons is less likely to result in pilots launching dangerously.
Our experience in the UK is that almost all pilots score 100% nowadays and the pilots who don’t, score low through bad luck, rather than a lack of skill. We shouldn’t be scoring luck.