Sailplane Grand Prix US Florida 2018

[Duster[_2_]]

SGP scheduled to begin first race day today launch 1:15est. Other than the SGP website, not sure where to get current updates.

http://www.sgp.aero/usa2018/race-coverage/daily-race-coverage.aspx?contestID=31089

[Frank Whiteley]

On Monday, March 26, 2018 at 11:04:01 AM UTC-6, Duster wrote:
> SGP scheduled to begin first race day today launch 1:15est. Other than the SGP website, not sure where to get current updates.
>
> http://www.sgp.aero/usa2018/race-coverage/daily-race-coverage.aspx?contestID=31089

https://twitter.com/faisgp

[Tango Eight]

On Monday, March 26, 2018 at 2:15:27 PM UTC-4, Frank Whiteley wrote:
> On Monday, March 26, 2018 at 11:04:01 AM UTC-6, Duster wrote:
> > SGP scheduled to begin first race day today launch 1:15est. Other than the SGP website, not sure where to get current updates.
> >
> > http://www.sgp.aero/usa2018/race-coverage/daily-race-coverage.aspx?contestID=31089
>
> https://twitter.com/faisgp

Amusingly (given all the noise in the not so distant past from a certain someone), the only tracking info available seems to be on via glideport aero & SSA.

best,
Evan Ludeman

[Duster[_2_]]

Cancelled for Monday, Tuesday's weather looks better.
Tracking: my favorite was whatever they used for the SGP Chile finals, IMO

[Dan Stroschine]

On Monday, March 26, 2018 at 10:04:01 AM UTC-7, Duster wrote:
> SGP scheduled to begin first race day today launch 1:15est. Other than the SGP website, not sure where to get current updates.
>
> http://www.sgp.aero/usa2018/race-coverage/daily-race-coverage.aspx?contestID=31089

That'll be a real shame if they go backwards on the tracking front. I enjoyed watching the coverage of the race in Chile.

[Tony[_5_]]

i thought that the good ol boys had set up an OGN tracking system for the Seniors but I never saw any links to it during that contest. Maybe they left the recievers up for the SGP and 18m Nationals?

[Rich Owen[_2_]]

Tony, John Good was able to get the base unit up and this was the first time it was to be used. We simply ran out of time to get everything up in time.. As in every endeavor it takes time and money. John and I had to go to the SSA convention to fulfill our professional obligations to our associations.. All the other volunteers were working on their piece of the pie while we were gone. Hope to get system up and operational at the Seniors next year. Don’t think any of the participants had any issues with the contest. I know I didn’t! 😁

For the SGP we are using the same system we had last year. It isn’t the best but we are still able to see the race on the ground here with the SGP.aero website. I’m lucky to be in the air as a participant so I’m not exactly sure of the mechanics. I’ll find out today and let you know.

One thing I loved about last year was the the recap videos Sean did for every race. Great to see the entire race with commentary using SeeYou. Hope the 18 Meter Nationals guys don’t look at those!

Really wish you were here Tony. It was great flying with you last year.

Cheers,
Rich
ZO

[Tony[_5_]]

Thanks Rich I knew John was working on an OGN network for Seminole.

Wish I was there too. Have fun!

[Renny[_2_]]

On Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at 6:23:21 AM UTC-6, Tony wrote:
> Thanks Rich I knew John was working on an OGN network for Seminole.
>
> Wish I was there too. Have fun!

Hopefully, the OGN network at Seminole will be up and running soon. One bit of good news is that we now have an operational OGN receiver operating at Moriarty, NM. Even though it is early in the season we have been able to track gliders out as far as 58 KM....

[Ron Gleason]

On Tuesday, 27 March 2018 07:28:21 UTC-6, Renny wrote:
> On Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at 6:23:21 AM UTC-6, Tony wrote:
> > Thanks Rich I knew John was working on an OGN network for Seminole.
> >
> > Wish I was there too. Have fun!
>
> Hopefully, the OGN network at Seminole will be up and running soon. One bit of good news is that we now have an operational OGN receiver operating at Moriarty, NM. Even though it is early in the season we have been able to track gliders out as far as 58 KM....

OGN tracks gliders with PowerFlarm correct? Any oher devices supported?

[Renny[_2_]]

On Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at 8:45:00 AM UTC-6, Ron Gleason wrote:
> On Tuesday, 27 March 2018 07:28:21 UTC-6, Renny wrote:
> > On Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at 6:23:21 AM UTC-6, Tony wrote:
> > > Thanks Rich I knew John was working on an OGN network for Seminole.
> > >
> > > Wish I was there too. Have fun!
> >
> > Hopefully, the OGN network at Seminole will be up and running soon. One bit of good news is that we now have an operational OGN receiver operating at Moriarty, NM. Even though it is early in the season we have been able to track gliders out as far as 58 KM....
>
> OGN tracks gliders with PowerFlarm correct? Any oher devices supported?

Ron - Yes, they track Flarms. They can also track OGN trackers, but at Moriarty we are only tracking gliders with PowerFlarms. More info can be found here: http://wiki.glidernet.org/start

[Paul Agnew]

I'm trying to follow the SGP today on the SSA tracker page, but there are so many duplicate contest identifiers, it's impossible to figure out what's going on. The task isn't loading and there is no specific tab for the SGP. You have to just find Seminole Lake Gliderport and go from there.

Paul A.

[Duster[_2_]]

Try this; they are flying the task now.


http://glideport.aero/map?p=GlidePort:396

[Paul Agnew]

Much, much better. Thanks. I'll bookmark this for the rest of the contest.

Paul A.

[jfitch]

On Monday, March 26, 2018 at 10:04:01 AM UTC-7, Duster wrote:
> SGP scheduled to begin first race day today launch 1:15est. Other than the SGP website, not sure where to get current updates.
>
> http://www.sgp.aero/usa2018/race-coverage/daily-race-coverage.aspx?contestID=31089

Looks competitive: 7 seconds between 1st and 2nd, first 6 places separated by less than a minute and a half.

[Rich Owen[_2_]]

Paul, The Sailplane Grand Prix is an FAI event, not an SSA event. Go to the official website at SGP.aero where you can see the race in nearly real time, scores, comments, photos, and when Sean gets a break...he provides a blow by blow commentary of the entire race using See You in 3D mode. We really want to mirror this at the Seniors but we really need a volunteer who has good IT skills. We tried to group text the task, morning announcements this year. Funny as heck seeing a bunch of 60 something’s sitting around with the ground crew kids trying to figure it out with no luck. Cheers, Rich

[Paul Agnew]

Rich - I started with SGPAero.com and gave up trying to find converage or tracking. SSA was spotty, but it was much better on GlideportAero - though, still with duplicate contest ID's showing.

The Chile SGPtracking and commentary really boosted the experience and I hope we can get that up for next year.

Paul

[Ron Gleason]

On Wednesday, 28 March 2018 08:52:12 UTC-6, Paul Agnew wrote:
> Rich - I started with SGPAero.com and gave up trying to find converage or tracking. SSA was spotty, but it was much better on GlideportAero - though, still with duplicate contest ID's showing.
>
> The Chile SGPtracking and commentary really boosted the experience and I hope we can get that up for next year.
>
> Paul

Paul the duplicate contest Id's are showing up because each pilot is flying with multiple loggers

[John Godfrey (QT)[_2_]]

On Wednesday, March 28, 2018 at 11:08:22 AM UTC-4, Ron Gleason wrote:
> On Wednesday, 28 March 2018 08:52:12 UTC-6, Paul Agnew wrote:
> > Rich - I started with SGPAero.com and gave up trying to find converage or tracking. SSA was spotty, but it was much better on GlideportAero - though, still with duplicate contest ID's showing.
> >
> > The Chile SGPtracking and commentary really boosted the experience and I hope we can get that up for next year.
> >
> > Paul
>
> Paul the duplicate contest Id's are showing up because each pilot is flying with multiple loggers

Tracking working a bit better today

[Rich Owen[_2_]]

Paul, in a World level event, the amount of sponsorship money is much greater and hiring a company to supply tracking services is easy. With a race of only 12 pilots it’s a little different story. The experience you gain by flying in the event is awesome. Any pilot who seriously wants to be on the US Soaring Team or wants to improve their standings in National level events should use this as a training opportunity. You cannot find this kind of training in the US. However, as a retiree it is easy for me to say that. The vast majority of pilots do not have the time to spend on 4-5 contests a year.

About the tracker issue.....we contacted Fly Event which provides tracking services. They are letting us use a number of trackers this week to see how they work. If satisfied, we will use them during the 18 Meter Nationals this May. Any of your club members want to help out during the contest?

[Paul Agnew]

I'll put the word out to see if we can muster some volunteers.

Paul A.

[Rich Owen[_2_]]

Paul, we could use 1-3 folks on 29-30 April & 1 May in the launching crew. We will train them if needed. After that the kids are out of school.
Best Regards,
Rich

[Rich Owen[_2_]]

Everyone,
We flew with the trackers from Fly Event today. Waiting for the comments from those on the ground. I’ll try to send you folks the web address for a link to view these trackers before today’s race.
Cheers,
Rich
ZO

[Paul Agnew]

It looked like an exciting day today racing against the incoming front. From what I could tell on the SGP.aero tracking page, it looks like there was one very low finish straight in to runway 36. Everyone else was landing 18 after crossing the finish. I hope that gets covered in the post-race interviews.

Where was Rich? Did the Fly Event trackers not show up online today?

Paul A.

[Duster[_2_]]

Looks like he flew today (ZO?). At turnpoint 3 it appears that most everyone tanked up and flew final glide (47mi?) w/o circling thru the rest of the turnpoints. Must have been the front coming in with rain. ZO went straight home from TP 3, so he scored distance. Hope that's correct.

> Where was Rich? Did the Fly Event trackers not show up online today?
>
> Paul A.

[Duster[_2_]]

..... with I think 3 landouts (1 engine save).

[Paul Agnew]

F8 - Bill Gawthrop - Finish too low 59 m - Penalty 298 sec. Whew! (What's SLGP's elevation in meters?)


I was looking for ZO, but didn't see Rich on the tracking page when I was watching. His track is showing up on the Results page, though.

PA

[Dan Daly[_2_]]

On Friday, March 30, 2018 at 7:32:46 PM UTC-4, Paul Agnew wrote:
> F8 - Bill Gawthrop - Finish too low 59 m - Penalty 298 sec. Whew! (What's SLGP's elevation in meters?)
>
>
> I was looking for ZO, but didn't see Rich on the tracking page when I was watching. His track is showing up on the Results page, though.
>
> PA

120' = 37 m; min finish was 700'/213m today from task sheet.

[WaltWX[_2_]]

Posted Weather animation videos of RACE days 1-4 GOES-16 vis 0.5km imagery, IGC and IGC tracks of winners each day. Sat photos update every 5 mins, tracks every 20 secs. Beautiful example showing use of cloud streets.

On 03-30 RACE 4, I've added a vis and RADAR overlayed image showing how the day deteriorates.

Displays fine on VLC and IOS 11 players. You can download individual mp4 files in the Dropbox folder from the ... menu:

bit.ly/SGPUSA2018WeatherVideos

If you are interested in playing these in IDV, the bundled images and config are in the IDV folder *.zidv. Note that the LOCATION files for the TP plots need to be loaded separately. Track igc data needs to be converted with John Bird's python script. Color tables also needed to be loaded.

I'll add the other source config data files and notes if anyone is interested in the IDV folder.

Walt Rogers WX

[Rich Owen[_2_]]

We are using the Fly Event trackers and we are having a little difficulty getting tracks to show on SGP website. Should have it fixed today. We will use this service for 18 Meter Nationals. I’ll turn my phone on today.. Didn’t want 2 ZO show on tracking page yesterday.

Since I was a few points out of second, I tried a breakaway from the group early. There was sun on the ground at the first turnpoint and I was trying to get ahead on the short task day. Got low a couple of times but kept fighting. In the end I didn’t have final glide to last TP and Home. Some sun on ground heading to Seminole. Was going to try and get one climb to get to last TP but didn’t get a nibble. Good plan but the weather didn’t support it well enough. Today is going to be good so,,,,,, Thanks for all the support for Team ZOooooooo!!! Rich

[John Godfrey (QT)[_2_]]

On Monday, March 26, 2018 at 1:04:01 PM UTC-4, Duster wrote:
> SGP scheduled to begin first race day today launch 1:15est. Other than the SGP website, not sure where to get current updates.
>
> http://www.sgp.aero/usa2018/race-coverage/daily-race-coverage.aspx?contestID=31089

Follow the leaders today @
https://lt.flymaster.net/bs.php?grp=2188&pwd=f49089cdf79c03b7db823573f7763d#

Expect Task open 13:00 EDT

CD

[Ron Gleason]

On Sunday, 1 April 2018 09:51:12 UTC-6, John Godfrey (QT) wrote:
> On Monday, March 26, 2018 at 1:04:01 PM UTC-4, Duster wrote:
> > SGP scheduled to begin first race day today launch 1:15est. Other than the SGP website, not sure where to get current updates.
> >
> > http://www.sgp.aero/usa2018/race-coverage/daily-race-coverage.aspx?contestID=31089
>
> Follow the leaders today @
> https://lt.flymaster.net/bs.php?grp=2188&pwd=f49089cdf79c03b7db823573f7763d#
>
> Expect Task open 13:00 EDT
>
> CD

Kudos to John Godfrey and others at the FL SGP in trying out the FlyMaster trackers and tracking system. The hang gliding folks 13 miles north of Seminole have a bunch of these trackers onsite for the upcoming Nationals and John, I am sure many others chipped in, took the initiative to research what it would take to perform a test to see how they worked for gliding competitions.

From what I saw it worked quite well. Yes there were some data drop outs and the task was not available but those are issues that are being addressed.. From lets try this to having it working for the top 6 gliders in a couple of days is awesome!

Great job everyone and lets see where this may lead. Tracking abilities, specifically real time, is not easy or cheap to implement.

[John Godfrey (QT)[_2_]]

On Sunday, April 1, 2018 at 4:35:56 PM UTC-4, Ron Gleason wrote:
> On Sunday, 1 April 2018 09:51:12 UTC-6, John Godfrey (QT) wrote:
> > On Monday, March 26, 2018 at 1:04:01 PM UTC-4, Duster wrote:
> > > SGP scheduled to begin first race day today launch 1:15est. Other than the SGP website, not sure where to get current updates.
> > >
> > > http://www.sgp.aero/usa2018/race-coverage/daily-race-coverage.aspx?contestID=31089
> >
> > Follow the leaders today @
> > https://lt.flymaster.net/bs.php?grp=2188&pwd=f49089cdf79c03b7db823573f7763d#
> >
> > Expect Task open 13:00 EDT
> >
> > CD
>
> Kudos to John Godfrey and others at the FL SGP in trying out the FlyMaster trackers and tracking system. The hang gliding folks 13 miles north of Seminole have a bunch of these trackers onsite for the upcoming Nationals and John, I am sure many others chipped in, took the initiative to research what it would take to perform a test to see how they worked for gliding competitions.
>
> From what I saw it worked quite well. Yes there were some data drop outs and the task was not available but those are issues that are being addressed. From lets try this to having it working for the top 6 gliders in a couple of days is awesome!
>
> Great job everyone and lets see where this may lead. Tracking abilities, specifically real time, is not easy or cheap to implement.

Unfortunately Airtribune (the main tracking site I hoped to use) had an unexpected server farm failure that took their vendor some time to fix. So no task or other display on this test. Standby for more.

QT

[WaltWX[_2_]]

Updated video for RACE day 5:

bit.ly/SGPUSA2018WeatherVideos

Walt WX