HGFest'99 Homepage
As your faithful Flight Director for the 1999 McConnellsburg Hang Gliding Festival, I've been working to design a comp format that will hopefully be rewarding and challenging to pilots of all skill levels. Here's what I foresee happening, though I'm open to input from everyone before making it final.
Although I'm still working out the final details, it looks like I'll be going with a scoring system similar to what Mitch Shipley used in the past, i.e. novice, first-time xc pilots will probably get a handicap miles multiplier of 2 or thereabouts. However, there will not be a "mid-level" experience multiplier. Most novice xc-er's I know would fall into the range of never having flown over 15 miles.
I am considering the possibility of requiring teams to have at least one hang 2 member. I don't want powerhouse teams to exclude the lower experienced pilots from the thrill of victory and the benefits of advice from the more experienced team members. I'm open to feedback on this, so let me know.
As conditions permit, I will try to call turnpoint and/or triangle tasks that will involve bonus points, much as Kevin Madden did in 1997. I will have GPS coordinates and locations of said turnpoints available before the comp weekend. These tasks are designed to keep pilots close to the Pulpit, yet provide xc skills challenges. I will design the scoring in such a way that team strategy will result in bonus scoring. By this I mean it will be to the advantage of the team for advanced pilots to develop a strategy for assisting novice members in getting as far as possible. There will also be the option of going straight-line distance as far as you can, regardless of turnpoint tasks.
I will hopefully be able to use computer and internet resources to make the best forecast possible for conditions and determine the task and site as early as possible on Saturday and Sunday. In the event of a site change, I will announce that by 10:00 so that we'll have plenty of time to move and set up.
I will select a couple of pilots to assist in task selections for the day, and tasks, weather info, etc. will be made available at the pilot's meeting which will be no later than 11:30. Weather and conditions permitting, comp windows for xc tasks will open promptly at noon. In-air starts at launch will be permitted.
Safety is of paramount importance, reports of leaf-scraping suicide glides or crash-landings in postage stamp lz's will not be dealt with lightly. The flight director will cancel tasks or call the day at any time if conditions so warrant. The flight director may assess penalty points or change scoring points as conditions/pilot actions dictate. Pilots may submit grievances, and all decisions of the flight director will be final.
It will be the pilot's responsibility to report their accurate scores to the flight director. Use of GPS's are encouraged, but not required. Pilots will be held accountable for as accurate a report of their score as possible. On Saturday, please try to report before the evening's festivities get underway.
Above all, this is meant to be a fun and educational meet for all pilots concerned. It's just a fun fly-in, so keep it safe.
Sincerely,
Marc Fink
Email: in_a_cloud@hotmail.com