contest task explanations .....

[Ron Gleason]

I am looking for a document, web page etc that explains, in words and
pictures, the task types used in today's SSA sanctioned competitions?
Yes there is an explanation in the rule book, below is from the 2010
sports class rule book, but it is not easy to understand or visualize
for us newbies.

Thanks in advance

From the 2010 Sports Class rulebook

10.3.2 >> Task Types
10.3.2.1 Assigned Task - not used.
10.3.2.2 >> Modified Assigned Task (MAT) - Speed over a course of one
or more turnpoints, with a finish at the contest site.
10.3.2.2.1 The CD shall designate a minimum flight time.
10.3.2.2.2 The CD may designate from zero to 11 turnpoints. Designated
turnpoints must be attempted in the designated
sequence, but a pilot may elect to finish after any turnpoint in the
sequence.
10.3.2.2.3 A pilot who achieves all designated turnpoints may elect to
fly to additional turnpoints. Such pilot-selected turnpoints
must comply with any restrictions the CD has imposed under Rule
10.3.2.2.4, and no turnpoint may be repeated unless at least
two intervening turnpoints are claimed (the Start and the Finish are
not turnpoints).
10.3.2.2.4 The CD may restrict:
• The maximum number of turnpoints to a number less than the normal
maximum of 11
• The number of times any particular turnpoint may be claimed
• The choice of the first turnpoint (applies only if the CD designates
no turnpoints per Rule 10.3.2.2.2)
10.3.2.2.5 ‡ The CD may designate a final turnpoint that all pilots
must use immediately prior to a finish. This final turnpoint
shall be no further than 10 miles from the finish (gate or cylinder
center).
10.3.2.3 Turn Area Task (TAT) - Speed over a course through one or
more turn areas, with a finish at the contest site.
10.3.2.3.1 Turn areas are turnpoints with a designated radius defining
a cylinder.
10.3.2.3.2 The CD shall designate a minimum flight time, a sequence of
one or more turnpoints and a radius for each which
shall be an integral number of miles not greater than 30.
10.3.2.3.3 Turnpoint cylinders shall be chosen so that no task leg can
be shorter than the restrictions imposed by Rule 10.3.1.1

[lanebush]

Try John's website with old contest corners.
http://faculty.chicagobooth.edu/john.cochrane/research/Papers/#corner
I pieced enough info together to participate this year. Once you
start flying the contest it all starts to make sense. If you are hazy
on something like a "starting out the top" just ask someone else while
on the grid.

Lane

[John Seaborn[_2_]]

Try this. In the National rules (ssa.org>Sailplane Racing>Rules) in
the back is an explanation and illustrations of how the tasks work. It
sounds like to have seen this already but take a close look at the
task illustrations. If you have specific questions post them here and
the RAS brain trust will help out.

Contest flying is really a great way to learn and improve XC skills.

John Seaborn

[Papa3]

On May 18, 1:23Â*pm, Ron Gleason > wrote:
> I am looking for a document, web page etc that explains, in words and
> pictures, the task types used in today's SSA sanctioned competitions?
> Yes there is an explanation in the rule book, below is from the 2010
> sports class rule book, but it is not easy to understand or visualize
> for us newbies.
>
> Thanks in advance
>
> From the 2010 Sports Class rulebook
>
> 10.3.2 >> Task Types
> 10.3.2.1 Assigned Task - not used.
> 10.3.2.2 >> Modified Assigned Task (MAT) - Speed over a course of one
> or more turnpoints, with a finish at the contest site.
> 10.3.2.2.1 The CD shall designate a minimum flight time.
> 10.3.2.2.2 The CD may designate from zero to 11 turnpoints. Designated
> turnpoints must be attempted in the designated
> sequence, but a pilot may elect to finish after any turnpoint in the
> sequence.
> 10.3.2.2.3 A pilot who achieves all designated turnpoints may elect to
> fly to additional turnpoints. Such pilot-selected turnpoints
> must comply with any restrictions the CD has imposed under Rule
> 10.3.2.2.4, and no turnpoint may be repeated unless at least
> two intervening turnpoints are claimed (the Start and the Finish are
> not turnpoints).
> 10.3.2.2.4 The CD may restrict:
> • The maximum number of turnpoints to a number less than the normal
> maximum of 11
> • The number of times any particular turnpoint may be claimed
> • The choice of the first turnpoint (applies only if the CD designates
> no turnpoints per Rule 10.3.2.2.2)
> 10.3.2.2.5 ‡ The CD may designate a final turnpoint that all pilots
> must use immediately prior to a finish. This final turnpoint
> shall be no further than 10 miles from the finish (gate or cylinder
> center).
> 10.3.2.3 Turn Area Task (TAT) - Speed over a course through one or
> more turn areas, with a finish at the contest site.
> 10.3.2.3.1 Turn areas are turnpoints with a designated radius defining
> a cylinder.
> 10.3.2.3.2 The CD shall designate a minimum flight time, a sequence of
> one or more turnpoints and a radius for each which
> shall be an integral number of miles not greater than 30.
> 10.3.2.3.3 Turnpoint cylinders shall be chosen so that no task leg can
> be shorter than the restrictions imposed by Rule 10.3.1.1

Hey Ron,

Sitting in the rain right now at Mifflin, so I've got some time on my
hands. I'll take a stab at a Turn Area Task just for gits and
shiggles.

TAT: A Turn Area Task allows the CD to pick a turnpoint or
turnpoints and put a circle around them which typically has a radius
of somewhere between 5 and 20 miles (but it can be as small as 1 and
as large as 30). If you fly anywhere within the circle around the
turnpoint, you get credit for achieving that turnpoint. On to the
next one. Repeat until you have touched the inside of all assigned
turnpoint cylinders. Come home. Drink beer. You get credit for the
actual distance flown. So, to use a simple example, with a single
turnpoint and a 20 mile radius (40 mile diameter), the difference
between just touching the nearest point to the start versus going to
the very back of the turnpoint is 80 miles (40 miles out and
back). When there are multiple turnpoints, the actual distance
flown gets a little more complicated, as the geometry is
interdependent. Again, just for instance, if you went to the right
half of Turnpoint 1, then your credited distance to Turnpoint 2 will
depend a bit on where you turn in that second turnpoint. The scoring
program figures out the maximum total distance for you. You can get
pretty good at visualizing (here, a picture is worth a thousand
words). Current moving map software helps a lot.

Okay, not so complicated. So why would I do anything other than just
barely nick every single cylinder and come charging home to win the
day? Not so fast cowboy... it's a Time Limited task. The CD tells
you the minumum time for the task. Say 3 hours. So, you will be
"charged" with flying for 3 hours, even if you only actually fly for 2
hours. Unless there is a really compelling reason to come home early,
this is a self-inflicted "penalty" in that you gave up all of the
distance you could have achieved in that extra hour. At its
simplest, the scoring is "Distance Flown/Minimum Assigned Time".
There ARE tactical considerations and nuances which include the under-
time adjustment and whether you're better off being right AT the
assigned time or a little over. That's Tactics 201, which is in the
second semester.

Why: There are 3 primary (perceived) advantages to this task. 1) It
reduces leaching and gaggling. You have to make more decisions;
with any reasonable radius on a turn, it creates a relatively large
area for KS or IT to go and hide. 2) Allows you to avoid certain
weather or terrain issues. Raining to the left of course. Stay
right. Not comfortable driving back into the boondocks? Stay over
the more forgiving part of the area. 3) Accomodates wide range of
aircraft and pilot performance in the same basic task. Your 3
hours at 40 mph (120 miles) vs. KS 3 hours at 60 mph (180 miles) lets
you both come back home happy at completing a task. Especially in a
lot of East Coast events, we run out of day before the slowest
finishers have a chance to complete the longer (distance) task that it
would take to challenge the top pilots.

That's a very quick-and-dirty description lacking the circles and
arrows and annotations that would really make it easy. But, it's a
start.

[Brian[_1_]]

Looks like Papa3 gave a pretty good description of the tasks.
So I will try for an overly simplifed version.

There are currently 3 task types.

1. Assigned Task,

Fly to all the assigned points in order and return.

2. Modified Assigned task.

Fly to as many of the assigned points as you want to (in order).
If you complete them all you may add additional points of your
choosing.
A minimum time on course will be assigned, if you come back under this
minimum time, your time on course will be scored as the minimum time.

3. Turn Area Task

Same as the Assigned task however the turn points may have a very
large Radius.
A minimum time on course will be assigned, if you come back under this
minimum time, your time on course will be scored as the minimum time.


Of course this doesn’t talk about scoring or strategy.

Brian

[Ron Gleason]

On May 18, 11:43*am, John Seaborn > wrote:
> Try this. In the National rules (ssa.org>Sailplane Racing>Rules) in
> the back is an explanation and illustrations of how the tasks work. It
> sounds like to have seen this already but take a close look at the
> task illustrations. If you have specific questions post them here and
> the RAS brain trust will help out.
>
> Contest flying is really a great way to learn and improve XC skills.
>
> John Seaborn

Thanks John but I still have not seen any pictures. I do see that
there is good explanation within the document http://ssa.org/files/member/SRAGuide.PDF

I will keep looking. BTW for 2010 there is not NATIONAL RULES book. I
looked at 2007 version and see text but no pictures. Guess I will
download WINSCORE and produce some pictures that way.

Thanks

[Ron Gleason]

On May 18, 11:43*am, John Seaborn > wrote:
> Try this. In the National rules (ssa.org>Sailplane Racing>Rules) in
> the back is an explanation and illustrations of how the tasks work. It
> sounds like to have seen this already but take a close look at the
> task illustrations. If you have specific questions post them here and
> the RAS brain trust will help out.
>
> Contest flying is really a great way to learn and improve XC skills.
>
> John Seaborn

Sorry for all the replies but just found what I was looking for. The
illustrations are in Appendix A within all the 2010 rules books.

Thanks again

[Frank[_12_]]

On May 18, 3:03*pm, Ron Gleason > wrote:
> On May 18, 11:43*am, John Seaborn > wrote:
>
> > Try this. In the National rules (ssa.org>Sailplane Racing>Rules) in
> > the back is an explanation and illustrations of how the tasks work. It
> > sounds like to have seen this already but take a close look at the
> > task illustrations. If you have specific questions post them here and
> > the RAS brain trust will help out.
>
> > Contest flying is really a great way to learn and improve XC skills.
>
> > John Seaborn
>
> Sorry for all the replies but just found what I was looking for. *The
> illustrations are in Appendix A within all the 2010 rules books.
>
> Thanks again

As you read the explanations, keep in mind that the Assigned Task is
actually an Assigned Area Task (Turn Area Task) with all turnpoint
radii set to 1 mile. Two pilots flying the same "Assigned Task" can
actually wind up with distinctly different mileages if one pilot just
nicks the front edge of each turnpoint cylinder while the other goes
to the back of each one. Visualize a 'cats cradle' AT with 5
turnpoints. The 'long' pilot will actually fly 10 miles further than
the 'short' one.

Regards,

Frank

[Discusa]

On May 18, 2:13Â*pm, Papa3 > wrote:
> On May 18, 1:23Â*pm, Ron Gleason > wrote:
>
>
>
> > I am looking for a document, web page etc that explains, in words and
> > pictures, the task types used in today's SSA sanctioned competitions?
> > Yes there is an explanation in the rule book, below is from the 2010
> > sports class rule book, but it is not easy to understand or visualize
> > for us newbies.
>
> > Thanks in advance
>
> > From the 2010 Sports Class rulebook
>
> > 10.3.2 >> Task Types
> > 10.3.2.1 Assigned Task - not used.
> > 10.3.2.2 >> Modified Assigned Task (MAT) - Speed over a course of one
> > or more turnpoints, with a finish at the contest site.
> > 10.3.2.2.1 The CD shall designate a minimum flight time.
> > 10.3.2.2.2 The CD may designate from zero to 11 turnpoints. Designated
> > turnpoints must be attempted in the designated
> > sequence, but a pilot may elect to finish after any turnpoint in the
> > sequence.
> > 10.3.2.2.3 A pilot who achieves all designated turnpoints may elect to
> > fly to additional turnpoints. Such pilot-selected turnpoints
> > must comply with any restrictions the CD has imposed under Rule
> > 10.3.2.2.4, and no turnpoint may be repeated unless at least
> > two intervening turnpoints are claimed (the Start and the Finish are
> > not turnpoints).
> > 10.3.2.2.4 The CD may restrict:
> > • The maximum number of turnpoints to a number less than the normal
> > maximum of 11
> > • The number of times any particular turnpoint may be claimed
> > • The choice of the first turnpoint (applies only if the CD designates
> > no turnpoints per Rule 10.3.2.2.2)
> > 10.3.2.2.5 ‡ The CD may designate a final turnpoint that all pilots
> > must use immediately prior to a finish. This final turnpoint
> > shall be no further than 10 miles from the finish (gate or cylinder
> > center).
> > 10.3.2.3 Turn Area Task (TAT) - Speed over a course through one or
> > more turn areas, with a finish at the contest site.
> > 10.3.2.3.1 Turn areas are turnpoints with a designated radius defining
> > a cylinder.
> > 10.3.2.3.2 The CD shall designate a minimum flight time, a sequence of
> > one or more turnpoints and a radius for each which
> > shall be an integral number of miles not greater than 30.
> > 10.3.2.3.3 Turnpoint cylinders shall be chosen so that no task leg can
> > be shorter than the restrictions imposed by Rule 10.3.1.1
>
> Hey Ron,
>
> Sitting in the rain right now at Mifflin, so I've got some time on my
> hands. Â*I'll take a stab at a Turn Area Task just for gits and
> shiggles.
>
> TAT: Â* A Turn Area Task allows the CD to pick a turnpoint or
> turnpoints and put a circle around them which typically has a radius
> of somewhere between 5 and 20 miles (but it can be as small as 1 and
> as large as 30). Â* If you fly anywhere within the circle around the
> turnpoint, you get credit for achieving that turnpoint. Â* On to the
> next one. Â* Repeat until you have touched the inside of all assigned
> turnpoint cylinders. Â*Come home. Â*Drink beer. Â* You get credit for the
> actual distance flown. Â* So, to use a simple example, with a single
> turnpoint and a 20 mile radius (40 mile diameter), the difference
> between just touching the nearest point to the start versus going to
> the very back of the turnpoint is 80 miles (40 miles out and
> back). Â* Â* When there are multiple turnpoints, the actual distance
> flown gets a little more complicated, as the geometry is
> interdependent. Â*Again, just for instance, if you went to the right
> half of Turnpoint 1, then your credited distance to Turnpoint 2 will
> depend a bit on where you turn in that second turnpoint. Â* The scoring
> program figures out the maximum total distance for you. Â* Â*You can get
> pretty good at visualizing (here, a picture is worth a thousand
> words). Â* Â* Current moving map software helps a lot.
>
> Okay, not so complicated. Â*So why would I do anything other than just
> barely nick every single cylinder and come charging home to win the
> day? Â* Not so fast cowboy... it's a Time Limited task. Â* Â*The CD tells
> you the minumum time for the task. Â* Â*Say 3 hours. Â* Â*So, you will be
> "charged" with flying for 3 hours, even if you only actually fly for 2
> hours. Â*Unless there is a really compelling reason to come home early,
> this is a self-inflicted "penalty" in that you gave up all of the
> distance you could have achieved in that extra hour. Â* Â*At its
> simplest, the scoring is "Distance Flown/Minimum Assigned Time".
> There ARE tactical considerations and nuances which include the under-
> time adjustment and whether you're better off being right AT the
> assigned time or a little over. Â* That's Tactics 201, which is in the
> second semester.
>
> Why: Â* There are 3 primary (perceived) advantages to this task. Â*1) It
> reduces leaching and gaggling. Â* Â*You have to make more decisions;
> with any reasonable radius on a turn, it creates a relatively large
> area for KS or IT to go and hide. Â*2) Â*Allows you to avoid certain
> weather or terrain issues. Â* Raining to the left of course. Â*Stay
> right. Â*Not comfortable driving back into the boondocks? Â*Stay over
> the more forgiving part of the area. Â*3) Â*Accomodates wide range of
> aircraft and pilot performance in the same basic task. Â* Â* Your 3
> hours at 40 mph (120 miles) vs. KS 3 hours at 60 mph (180 miles) lets
> you both come back home happy at completing a task. Â* Especially in a
> lot of East Coast events, we run out of day before the slowest
> finishers have a chance to complete the longer (distance) task that it
> would take to challenge the top pilots.
>
> That's a very quick-and-dirty description lacking the circles and
> arrows and annotations that would really make it easy. Â* Â*But, it's a
> start.

If you get time can you explaine what class to sign up for? I thought
the Sport class was for newbies, a easier task and shorter min time.
But I see lots of very experienced racing pilots signing up in the
sport class. Also the time for sports and 15 meter used the same min
time and course on your first day at Mifflin.
Thanks
Glenn

[mattm[_2_]]

On May 19, 7:21Â*am, Discusa > wrote:
> On May 18, 2:13Â*pm, Papa3 > wrote:
>
>
>
> > On May 18, 1:23Â*pm, Ron Gleason > wrote:
>
> > > I am looking for a document, web page etc that explains, in words and
> > > pictures, the task types used in today's SSA sanctioned competitions?
> > > Yes there is an explanation in the rule book, below is from the 2010
> > > sports class rule book, but it is not easy to understand or visualize
> > > for us newbies.
>
> > > Thanks in advance
>
> > > From the 2010 Sports Class rulebook
>
> > > 10.3.2 >> Task Types
> > > 10.3.2.1 Assigned Task - not used.
> > > 10.3.2.2 >> Modified Assigned Task (MAT) - Speed over a course of one
> > > or more turnpoints, with a finish at the contest site.
> > > 10.3.2.2.1 The CD shall designate a minimum flight time.
> > > 10.3.2.2.2 The CD may designate from zero to 11 turnpoints. Designated
> > > turnpoints must be attempted in the designated
> > > sequence, but a pilot may elect to finish after any turnpoint in the
> > > sequence.
> > > 10.3.2.2.3 A pilot who achieves all designated turnpoints may elect to
> > > fly to additional turnpoints. Such pilot-selected turnpoints
> > > must comply with any restrictions the CD has imposed under Rule
> > > 10.3.2.2.4, and no turnpoint may be repeated unless at least
> > > two intervening turnpoints are claimed (the Start and the Finish are
> > > not turnpoints).
> > > 10.3.2.2.4 The CD may restrict:
> > > • The maximum number of turnpoints to a number less than the normal
> > > maximum of 11
> > > • The number of times any particular turnpoint may be claimed
> > > • The choice of the first turnpoint (applies only if the CD designates
> > > no turnpoints per Rule 10.3.2.2.2)
> > > 10.3.2.2.5 ‡ The CD may designate a final turnpoint that all pilots
> > > must use immediately prior to a finish. This final turnpoint
> > > shall be no further than 10 miles from the finish (gate or cylinder
> > > center).
> > > 10.3.2.3 Turn Area Task (TAT) - Speed over a course through one or
> > > more turn areas, with a finish at the contest site.
> > > 10.3.2.3.1 Turn areas are turnpoints with a designated radius defining
> > > a cylinder.
> > > 10.3.2.3.2 The CD shall designate a minimum flight time, a sequence of
> > > one or more turnpoints and a radius for each which
> > > shall be an integral number of miles not greater than 30.
> > > 10.3.2.3.3 Turnpoint cylinders shall be chosen so that no task leg can
> > > be shorter than the restrictions imposed by Rule 10.3.1.1
>
> > Hey Ron,
>
> > Sitting in the rain right now at Mifflin, so I've got some time on my
> > hands. Â*I'll take a stab at a Turn Area Task just for gits and
> > shiggles.
>
> > TAT: Â* A Turn Area Task allows the CD to pick a turnpoint or
> > turnpoints and put a circle around them which typically has a radius
> > of somewhere between 5 and 20 miles (but it can be as small as 1 and
> > as large as 30). Â* If you fly anywhere within the circle around the
> > turnpoint, you get credit for achieving that turnpoint. Â* On to the
> > next one. Â* Repeat until you have touched the inside of all assigned
> > turnpoint cylinders. Â*Come home. Â*Drink beer. Â* You get credit for the
> > actual distance flown. Â* So, to use a simple example, with a single
> > turnpoint and a 20 mile radius (40 mile diameter), the difference
> > between just touching the nearest point to the start versus going to
> > the very back of the turnpoint is 80 miles (40 miles out and
> > back). Â* Â* When there are multiple turnpoints, the actual distance
> > flown gets a little more complicated, as the geometry is
> > interdependent. Â*Again, just for instance, if you went to the right
> > half of Turnpoint 1, then your credited distance to Turnpoint 2 will
> > depend a bit on where you turn in that second turnpoint. Â* The scoring
> > program figures out the maximum total distance for you. Â* Â*You can get
> > pretty good at visualizing (here, a picture is worth a thousand
> > words). Â* Â* Current moving map software helps a lot.
>
> > Okay, not so complicated. Â*So why would I do anything other than just
> > barely nick every single cylinder and come charging home to win the
> > day? Â* Not so fast cowboy... it's a Time Limited task. Â* Â*The CD tells
> > you the minumum time for the task. Â* Â*Say 3 hours. Â* Â*So, you will be
> > "charged" with flying for 3 hours, even if you only actually fly for 2
> > hours. Â*Unless there is a really compelling reason to come home early,
> > this is a self-inflicted "penalty" in that you gave up all of the
> > distance you could have achieved in that extra hour. Â* Â*At its
> > simplest, the scoring is "Distance Flown/Minimum Assigned Time".
> > There ARE tactical considerations and nuances which include the under-
> > time adjustment and whether you're better off being right AT the
> > assigned time or a little over. Â* That's Tactics 201, which is in the
> > second semester.
>
> > Why: Â* There are 3 primary (perceived) advantages to this task. Â*1) It
> > reduces leaching and gaggling. Â* Â*You have to make more decisions;
> > with any reasonable radius on a turn, it creates a relatively large
> > area for KS or IT to go and hide. Â*2) Â*Allows you to avoid certain
> > weather or terrain issues. Â* Raining to the left of course. Â*Stay
> > right. Â*Not comfortable driving back into the boondocks? Â*Stay over
> > the more forgiving part of the area. Â*3) Â*Accomodates wide range of
> > aircraft and pilot performance in the same basic task. Â* Â* Your 3
> > hours at 40 mph (120 miles) vs. KS 3 hours at 60 mph (180 miles) lets
> > you both come back home happy at completing a task. Â* Especially in a
> > lot of East Coast events, we run out of day before the slowest
> > finishers have a chance to complete the longer (distance) task that it
> > would take to challenge the top pilots.
>
> > That's a very quick-and-dirty description lacking the circles and
> > arrows and annotations that would really make it easy. Â* Â*But, it's a
> > start.
>
> If you get time can you explaine what class to sign up for? I thought
> the Sport class was for newbies, a easier task and shorter min time.
> But I see lots of very experienced racing pilots signing up in the
> sport class. Also the time for sports and 15 meter used the same min
> time and course on your first day at Mifflin.
> Â* Â*Thanks
> Â* Â*Glenn

In short, the Sports class is a class flown with handicaps and no
ballast.
Just about any plane you can think of has a handicap assigned to it
(there's
a list on the SSA website in the contest section), from a 1-26 to a
Duo Discus.
There's also a Club class which is occasionally flown that only allows
a narrower
range of performance (basically 1st or 2nd generation glass ships
qualify).
Sports class is offered at every regional contest, plus at a Sports
National
that is used to select the competitors on the US team at the World
Club class
contest. The Assigned Task is not allowed in Sports class, but is
allowed in
Club class (US Club class has only been held at Cordele so far).

The FAI classes (World, Standard, 15M, 18M, and Open) are flown
without
handicaps (exception: sometimes Standard is combined into 15M, or 15M
is combined into 18M, with a 3% handicap). Ballast may or may not be
allowed (up to each contest to decide, and the CD may bar ballast on
certain days). All task types are allowed. National contests held in
each
class each year to select the US team.

-- Matt

[John Cochrane]

> If you get time can you explaine what class to sign up for? I thought
> the Sport class was for newbies, a easier task and shorter min time.
> But I see lots of very experienced racing pilots signing up in the
> sport class. Also the time for sports and 15 meter used the same min
> time and course on your first day at Mifflin.
> * *Thanks
> * *Glenn

Sports is aimed at handicapped racing for a wide variety of gliders,
and as an "entry" class, especially at regionals. The task will
typically be "easier" in that the CD will usually set a shorter
distance. He will not necessarily set a shorter time. There's nothing
about being new that means you can't fly for 4 hours on a great day,
just that you are not expected to go as far in that time. The official
direction in the rules is to use as much of the soaring day as
possible, in large part because many pilots are sick of taking a week
off work and then flying for 2 hours while their OLC buddies rack up
the miles.

But the philosophy will vary from contest to contest. The rules are a
flexible tool for contest organizers to use in order to create a fair
valid and safe competition to please the assembled pilots. They are
not a mandate for every detail of how a contest should run. The real
advice is "pick your contest" more than "pick your class."

If you go to a small regional in the midwest, or a regional that
advertises a training camp for new pilots, expect shorter tasks. If
you go to one of the local, even lower-key contests (Sky Soaring in
the Chicago area is running one next weekend), expect an even lower
key atmosphere. If you choose to go to mifflin on a booming ridge day,
expect a really long task. To call anything less would be a real
disservice to the pilots who come for just that purpose.

John Cochrane

[noel.wade]

> If you get time can you explaine what class to sign up for? I thought
> the Sport class was for newbies, a easier task and shorter min time.
> But I see lots of very experienced racing pilots signing up in the
> sport class. Also the time for sports and 15 meter used the same min
> time and course on your first day at Mifflin.
> * *Thanks
> * *Glenn

Glenn -

Sports class is not a "newbie only" class, but it's the best class for
newbies. The Sports class is likely to have slightly less-challenging
- or at least more-survivable - tasks at the regional level
(especially on marginal days). You don't have to worry about water
ballast and a couple of other nuances, so there's less to think about.
Finally, there are lower barriers to entry in terms of qualifications
and required equipment (more "off the shelf" PDA loggers are allowed,
for example).

As someone who just started flying competitions last year, the best
advice I have for you is to enter the Sports class in a regional and
then concentrate on getting yourself and your airplane prepared. The
contest strategy will make sense once you get into it. :-)

--Noel

[noel.wade]

....and now my attempt at a very brief description of the 3 major task
types in the USA (although diagrams are a lot better than words with
these) -

First rule of sailplane racing: Its all about your average speed.
You're trying to fly as fast as possible, while completing the task
you have been assigned. Another way of saying the same thing is to
say that you want to complete the task in the shortest possible time.
Remember that Speed = Distance / Time. If you take less time (or fly
farther), your average speed goes up. If you take more time to fly a
certain distance, your average speed goes down. Keep this mind, it
will come up later in this post.

-----
Assigned Task (AT):
-----
Get a list of waypoints. Fly within 1 statute mile of each one of
them, in the right order. Come home safe. Very straightforward, but
inflexible (i.e. if weather changes or if the sailplanes in the
contest have different performance levels).

-----
Turn Area Task (TAT) or Assigned Area Task (AAT):
-----
Get a list of waypoints. Each waypoint has a cylinder around it, and
each cylinder can have a different size (radius). To complete the
task, or fly into the cylinder surrounding each waypoint, in the
proper order. The trick with a TAT/AAT is that you have a minimum
time. How does this relate to the "average speed" issue I raised at
the beginning of this post? If you come home before the minimum time
elapses, the "unused minutes" are added onto your total time - thereby
lowering your average speed.

To prevent coming home early you must sometimes fly deeper into one or
more of the cylinders (maybe even to a part of a cylinder that's
farthest from all the other waypoints). The bigger cylinders give you
more options on how "deep" to fly and what course to fly (following
cloud-streets, staying away from blue holes, avoiding bad weather,
dodging hostile terrain, etc). Slower pilots or lower-performing
sailplanes can fly the entire task by just touching each cylinder,
faster pilots/sailplanes can fly deep into each cylinder in the same
amount of time - so everyone can complete the task. This allows the
TAT/AAT to accomodate a wide range of pilot skill, sailplane types,
and weather situations.

-----
Modified Assigned Task (MAT):
-----
Think of this as the "multiple-choice task". It starts off like a TAT/
AAT, but after you fly the required waypoints you have the _option_ of
flying to additional waypoints that you choose (you will have to fill
out a card while you fly or when you land, listing the waypoints that
you are claiming you flew to). The only major restriction is that you
cannot repeat the same two waypoints over and over again - you must
fly to a different waypoint, before circling back to repeat either of
the last two waypoints you've been to. Scoring is similar to a TAT/
AAT, with a minimum time. Strategy can be more complicated than the
other task types, but don't worry about strategy now. Mostly these
tasks tend to be called on marginal days, when the contest staff
aren't sure what the weather is going to be like - although they have
the potential to be used in more interesting ways.

Enjoy,

--Noel