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.