Home

Info

Task 1, Precision takeoff & landing

Task 2, Pure Navigation

Task 3, Speed triangle and out & return

Task 4, Fast / Slow

Task 5, Kicking Sticks

Task 6, Navigation, precision & speed

Task 7, Endurance

Task 8, Kicking Sticks

Final scores

Summary

Comment & pix Task 3

This task was delayed until Monday morning (weather again).

Fuelling between teams was a great success...

not a marshal in sight, and the machines were all stored in the hangar overnight.

Everybody came back smiling from this task,

Michael WERNER
 
but it wasn't long before the shit hit the fan. Basically the Director made a mistake in the positioning of a turnpoint.

A certain team later reconnoitered the area and found this error. When they returned they were EXCEPTIONALLY offensive in the way they told the Director he had made a mistake. The director was there under very difficult conditions - unpaid - and this gratituitous unpleasantness was not necessary and he hopes such a thing never happens again - certainly at the time he was at the point of going home.

Later there were two written complaints, to which the Director replied:

Reply to the written complaint from Team France of 29/07/99 09:45

Your request to see all pilot's pictures of point 107:

The Competition Director is the judge, not one competing team or individual. The Director will of course allow pilots to see their own films should they request it and there is a good reason for it, but can not possibly allow a team or individual to review the films of pilots of other teams whilst the competition is under way as it could open the way to a charge of unsporting behaviour.

The request is denied.


Your request that all pilots who have not taken a photo of point "123.4" to not be scored the turnpoint:

The task briefing sheet specifically states a size and shape to the feature on the ground which pilots are supposed to photograph. There is not one of those at point "123.4"

The request is denied.

Reply to the written complaint from the Spanish Team of 29/07/99 13:00

It would appear there are two trig points near Bugac about 500 m apart, one is the point (known as 123.4) which is the one on the official map and the other is known as "117.4" which is not on the official map. It would appear that Trig point 123.4 does not have a structure as described on the briefing sheet, wheras 117.4 does, and is possibly the one the Director thought was 123.4 when setting the task.

The Director is satisfied that the official map is of sufficient quality that there is a perceptible difference (about 5mm) between the marked trig point (123.4) and the true position of point 117.4.

The briefing sheet specifically stated that the turn point should be at point 123.4 and that it should have a structure of a particular shape. Neither 123.4 nor 117.4 satisfy both these conditions.

Instead, it is reasonable to say that in fact all those pilots who visited EITHER point were correct. Those pilots who found point 117.4 were correct in that their map reading was very accurate, those that found point 123.4 were correct in that their ground observation was very good.

The provisional scores have therefore been amended accordingly.

Once the true cause of the problem was found he published the following:

Trig points at Bugac

It would appear there are three trig points in a triangle near Bugac all about 500 m apart, one is the point (known as 123.4) which is the one on the official map and the others are known as "117.4" and "114.4" which are not on the official map. It would appear that Trig point 123.4 does not have a structure as described on the briefing sheet, wheras 117.4 and 114.4 do. 117.4 is possibly the one the Director thought was 123.4 when setting the task.

The briefing sheet specifically stated that the turn point should be at point 123.4 and that it should have a structure of a particular shape. Neither 123.4 nor 117.4 nor 114.4 satisfy both these conditions.

Instead, it is reasonable to say that in fact all those pilots who visited EITHER point were correct. Those pilots who found point 117.4 were correct in that their map reading was very accurate, those that found point 123.4 or 114.4 were correct in that their observation of the briefed shape was very good.

The provisional scores have therefore been amended accordingly.

This seemed to be acceptable to all concerned.