To be clear on who to contact, Amy Stanton deals with the financial
aspects of the competition series. For all other matters, please contact Ken
Wilkinson kwilkinson2000@hotmail.com
Password and other basic problems should be sent to Ken Wilkinson in the
first instance. ( Tel 0117 9620455)
1 Background (The Ethos)
The competition has been designed to
encourage paragliding and hang gliding pilots to improve their flying and cross
country skills through a friendly yet competitive coaching environment, by
competing in teams against other clubs.
The primary pillars under laying the
competition are flying, fun and safety.
The aim is to encourage teams to visit other areas of the UK and fly new and different types of sites to help improve the scope of their flying abilities.
At the same time pilots will have the
chance to learn from one another, exchanging views and ideas on the continual
improvement of skills and the sport.
There are three variations of competition
1 Cross Country (The main goal of the competition. 1000
points maximum). To be classed as a cross country task, the distances must
be gained by using cross country flying skills, i.e. thermalling. A run along a
ridge followed by a flop off the end, or an elongated top to bottom cannot be
considered as a cross country task. This should then be considered as a ridge
run.
The scoring of an XC task will be subject to the number of pilots entering a raw score of 5k or more.
1 pilot will result in a multiplier of 0.2
2 pilots will result in a multiplier of
0.4
3 pilots will result in a multiplier of
0.6
4 pilots will result in a multiplier of
0.8
5 pilots will result in a multiplier of
1.0, (the maximum score)
Scores of less that 3k should not be
entered.
The scores will also be subject to the
multiplier for the number of clubs as detailed in section 4 below (0.5 for 2
clubs, 0.75 for 3 clubs, and 1.00 for 4 clubs.)
2 Ridge Soaring (Limited to 200 points)
3. Spot landings (Limited to 200 points)
4. In exceptional circumstances, a
triangle may be set.
(1000points max)
The teams are made up as follows:-
Each team has up to six members, one
captain/coach and five team members. The minimum number is one.
The team can comprise of club pilots,
pilots and advanced pilots, and the competition is designed for the more
experienced can coach the less experienced members of the team.
2 Pilot Eligibility
The competition is open to all pilots of
sufficient experience and competence to safely attempt cross-country tasks
(tasks set and consequent briefings will reflect the large variation in
experience and ability of competing pilots).
It is recommended that pilots have a
minimum of CP plus 15 hours airtime, but the captains may use discretion.
Pilots should be full members of the club
that they compete for.
Tandem pilots may fly in rounds, but will
only score as an individual for the club.
The team may consist of as many club pilots, pilots and advanced pilots
as it would like to field, subject to a handicapping system, as follows:
First, the full points earned by each pilot are allocated. These points
are then discounted as follows:
Multiply points earned by Pilots by 0.9
Multiply points earned by Advanced Pilots by 0.8
Multiply points earned on a Performance glider by 0.9
Multiply points earned on a Competition glider by 0.8
The discounts are cumulative, so the score of an AP flying an Advanced
glider will be multiplied by 0.8 and then by 0.9.
For definitions of standard, performance
and competition:-
PG
Standard DVH1 or 1-2
Performance DHV 2
Competition DHV 2-3 or higher
Standard Skyfloaters and Traditional king
posted
Eg Clubman, Calipso, Pulse, Sonic, Eagle, Rio, Java,
Airwave K series,
Xtralight, Scandal, Kingposted Laminar
Performance 1st generation topless and high performance
king posted
Eg La Mouette Topless, CSX, Java Comp, Scandal XK,
early topless
Laminar, U2, Litesport, Discus
Competition modern topless & 1st generation class 5 & modern class 5
Eg Talon, Litespeed, recent Laminar, Ghostbuster, Atos
(Original),
Stalker, Top Secret, Extaccy, Axcess
Atos C, Atos V series (V, VR, VX), Phantom, Tsunami
The website has the scoring calculator
built in the data entry section, and once the pilots rating and glider are
entered, the website will score the points for the team.
3 Registration
All teams must register and pay before
taking part in a round of the competition.
There is no deadline for payment, but
teams who aren’t registered on the website won’t be able to participate in
rounds or score points.
The cost per team is £35 per team.
To register captains must print off the
application form from the forms section of this site, and send the completed
form with payment to the BCC organiser. (Amy Stanton)
Each captain/team will be issued with a
login name and password for the Website. This is to be used for setting up
rounds, joining and scoring on the Website. This will enable all captains and
pilots to have up to date information and scores.
Each team will be issued with information
on how to use the website, and sheets to assist scoring.
4 Round organization
Rounds can ONLY be set on weekends and
public holidays.
There will be no formal designation of who
will compete against whom or where.
The top six teams based on points scored
(your top 6 scores count) through the year, plus one discretionary place, go
through to the final.
When a club has decided that it would like
to host a round, the captain's position is to invite other clubs to come along
and compete. This is done by logging into the website and registering the day
and place of the round. When this has been done an email will be sent to all
the other captains inviting them to compete. At the point of registering a
round, a maximum number of teams will be specified.
When a visiting team decides to partake in
a round, the captain must log onto the website and register their team for the
round. If the maximum number of teams able to partake is reached then the round
will close. This registering of teams must be done prior to the round being
held so that the round organiser can enter the scores directly into the website
after the event.
Every time a team joins a round an email will be automatically generated to the round organiser to inform them. The same is done if a team cancels. These emails should not be replied to.
The round must have at least two different clubs in attendance to validate a round. Two or more teams from the same club can compete against each other at the same time as long as one other club is present. There is a multiplier applied for competitions with a small number of
clubs (irrespective of the number of teams).
If only two clubs compete, the total scores achieved for each team are
multiplied by 0.5. (i.e. a 500 point maximum task.)
If only three clubs compete, the total scores achieved for each team are multiplied by 0.75. (i.e. a 750 point maximum task.)
For four clubs and above the full score (1000 points) applies
The captain's of the visiting teams must
confirm with the round organiser whether the round is on for that specified
day. It is NOT the job of the round organiser to chase visiting clubs to
confirm attendance or not. This can be done via the website, yahoogroups or
telephone.
To assist in the organisation of rounds, a
yahoo group has been set up for the BCC competition.
It is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FLYBCC/
Please log on to the yahoogroup and set
your settings to receive emails. This will ensure you know what is
happening, for instance with rendezvous details and weather prospects. This
discussion group is for team captains to discuss issues and setting up rounds,
and for others who wish to keep in touch. If a task is cancelled, then you will
receive an email from the BCC website automatically.
5 Task setting
Rounds can ONLY be set on weekends and
public holidays.
The round organiser shall organise the
task, but is requested to liaise with the club captains, to ensure all views
are heard before briefing.
Based on experience and local knowledge the round organiser should select a task that will benefit as many of the competing pilots as possible.
The tasks that can be set are as follows;
1 Cross Country. This is the default task.
Ridge Soaring
- Scores will be allocated as a proportion
of the maximum distance flown along a ridge, but the task must involve a
specified turn point.
This task is limited to a 200 point limit.
Airmanship
Spot landings. This task is limited to a
200 point maximum.
Scoring
Every day is one round, and one round
can't be held over multiple days; this is to stop confusion over 2 day competitions
when some teams (especially the smaller clubs) can only fly a team for a single
day. A weekend will consist of 2 one day rounds. These will have to be logged
as separate entries on the website, and teams can join one or both rounds.
The top six teams scoring the most points
before the qualifying date (the second weekend in July) will go through to the
final, plus one discretionary place.
No correspondence will be entered into.
All clubs will have to actively compete to
achieve a place in the final.
To reach the final each finalist team
member must have flown in at least one qualifying round.
This is to encourage the teams to compete
in the final with the keenest and most enthusiastic pilots and not field their
best pilots for the final who haven't supported the team throughout the rest of
the season.
Tandem pilots may fly in rounds, but will
only score as an individual for the club.
Only the team’s four highest scoring
pilot’s points will count towards the total for the round.
Each round gives a maximum of 1000 points
to the highest scoring team, and the remaining teams have their score
proportionally calculated on the ratio between their score and the winning
score.
The team's total score over the
competition is based on their top six scores from the qualifying rounds.
The top six teams scoring the most points
before the qualifying date will go through to the final.
Teams may compete in more than 6 rounds,
but only their top six scores will qualify.
This is to encourage the teams to keep
competing against a greater range of other teams throughout the year.
Teams can compete and score against other
teams more than once.
Based on the number of hang gliding teams
that enter, the BCC organiser will specify whether rounds have to be held to be
selected for the final.
For a team and pilots to be entered for
the final pilots MUST have flown in a round for their club.o be
7 Calculating scores
Only the team’s four highest scoring
pilot’s points will count towards the total for the round.
Each round gives a maximum of 1000 points
to the highest scoring team, and the remaining teams have their score
proportionally calculated on the ratio between their score and the winning
score.
Please also note the new 2/3/4 club
multipliers in section 1.
Please note the automatic 5k scoring
protocol in section 1. This is based on raw 5k scores and the website
calculates this automatically.
Scores of less than 3k should NOT be
entered.
A club pilot will score 100% of points awarded.
A pilot will score 90% of points awarded.
An advanced pilot will score 80% of points awarded.
Then
If that person is flying a standard glider they will keep the above
score.
If that person is flying a performance glider they will score 90% of the
above points.
If that person is flying a competition glider they will score 80% of the
above points.
For definitions of standard, performance
and competition:-
PG
Standard DVH1 or 1-2
Performance DHV 2
Competition DHV 2-3 or higher
Standard Skyfloaters and Traditional king
posted
Eg Clubman, Calipso, Pulse, Sonic, Eagle, Rio, Java,
Airwave K series,
Xtralight, Scandal, Kingposted Laminar
Performance 1st generation topless and high performance
king posted
Eg La Mouette Topless, CSX, Java Comp, Scandal XK,
early topless
Laminar, U2, Litesport, Discus
Competition modern topless & 1st generation class 5 & modern class 5
Eg Talon, Litespeed, recent Laminar, Ghostbuster, Atos
(Original),
Stalker, Top Secret, Extaccy, Axcess
Atos C, Atos V series (V, VR, VX), Phantom, Tsunami
The website has the scoring calculator
built in the data entry section, and once the pilots rating and glider are
entered, the website will score the points for the team.
Examples.
Eg 1 A club pilot (100%) flying 30km on a
performance wing will score
30 points for club level, x90% for a DHV 2
wing = 27 points.
Eg 2 An advanced pilot (80%) flying 50km
on a competition wing will score
40 points for advanced level, x 80% for a
DHV 2-3 wing = 32 points
Eg 3 A pilot (90%) flying 40km on a
standard wing will score
36 points for pilot level, x 100% for a
DHV 1 wing = 36 points.
Please contact Ken Wilkinson if there are
any problems with entering scores into the website.
8 Entering of scores
When the team has paid the annual fee to
register, the captain will be issued with scoring slips.
These slips must be taken along to every
round, the relevant sections completed and handed to the round organiser before
the start of the round, and the scores entered on the other section at the end
and handed in.
This is to ensure that everyone is using
the same format for scoring rounds.
If more slips are required than were
issued please print the relevant form from the Forms section of this site.
The scores can only be entered into the
website by the round organiser, or the team captain for their own team.
If any of the login details are lost,
please email the BCC organizer (kwilkinson2000@hotmail.com)
and they will confirm your login details by email/telephone.
After each round the round organiser must
enter the final scores of the competition into the website. All clubs should
have pre-registered their intent to fly in the round before the day.
If a club attends the briefing, or has
promised to attend, they will be deemed to be in the days competition.
The round organiser will log into the
website and enter all the relevant details for the round. Any problems please
contact kwilkinson2000@hotmail.com.
The website will then display the
up-to-date leader table, showing all the scores to date.
There is a new page that allows organizers
to enter the number of clubs, and the type of task set.
At the time of entering the scores a
section needs to be competed that requires a summary of the days events be entered.
This is so that an article can be submitted to Skywings regularly to update the
flying community about the competition. A photo can also be uploaded at the
same time to the gallery or emailed later, also for publication. The BCC
organisers would like this to be done as completely as possible so that
sponsors (Airwave) can also be kept informed of how the competition progresses.
After the end of the qualifying rounds, in
the second week in July, the website will display the finalists, and all finalist
team captains will be notified by email of the arrangements for the final.
9 Final
The final will be held over a weekend
early in August and the dates and place will be notified to the finalists.
There will be two chances to hold the final. If the weather is bad on the first
chance, a decision will be made by the organizer to delay the competition. The
second chance will be the final one. If the weather is still bad then a wild
and ragged party will be held.
For 2009 the final will be at the Long
Mynd.
The final tasks will be set from the cross
country list only eg. open distance, or race to goal.
At the final, all team captains must know
the deadline for the report in procedure with scores to allow the calculation
of the winners, so that prizes can be awarded.
If the tasks for the final are unable to
be validated, the organisers will award the prizes to the teams that have
performed the best throughout the year in the rounds. This decision will be
final.
10 Competition ground rules
The round organiser must be responsible
for the smooth running of a competition and set the following ground rules on
the day of the competition.
Before the competition
Calling the round on or off with respect
to the weather forecast. It is not his/her responsibility for contacting the
participating teams, in the event of a cancellation or postponement. It is the
responsibility of the participating clubs to contact the round organiser. The
rounds can be confirmed/cancelled on the website which will automatically email
the other captains involved.
Selecting the best site for the
competition taking into account prevailing weather conditions and the skills of
the competing pilots.
Ensuring the required Notams are free
phones through in good time.
Free phone 0800 515544 (Monday - Thursday
0700 to 2300; Friday - Sunday
0700 to 1700), or free fax 0500 300120.
AIS Information Line
For royal flights, Red Arrows &
temporary restricted airspace call: 0500 354802
Having details of all emergency services
that may be involved in the case of an incident.
Following some problems there will be a clarification
in the protocol for canceling tasks.
There has to be a trade off between safety and
adventure, but we also have to consider that many pilots are less experienced
and could get caught out if conditions change. Once pilots are in the air,
cancellation of a task should rarely take place. Pilots are to make their own
judgments of conditions, with the assistance of their captains
A launch window can be suspended temporarily. If
pilots are in the air then it must be assumed they are not on radio.
Anyone on radio is asked to stick to the safety
frequency.
Experienced pilots should be asked to relay any
concerns by radio to the Meet Organiser using the protocol
If the Meet Organiser hears any ‘3s’ the
continuation of the task should be urgently reconsidered, and other opinions
sought. A temporary closing of the take off window may be appropriate to
see if conditions get better. The Meet Organiser has the final say.
If pilots have already departed, or are departing,
then the task should NOT normally be cancelled
If the task is to be ‘canned’ then that is it for the
day, unless conditions improve and ALL pilots can return
to the take off. A new briefing and task must be called.
Cancellation
of a task should be indicated to all by pulling big ears and landing, as a
visual indicator to others
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