Badge Distance Penalties

Martin Gregorie wrote:
Edward Lockhart wrote:
On the other hand, your finish point can be whatever
you want so if you cross the startline at 5000', crossing
the finishline at 1800'+ won't incur any penalties.

I don't think that's right. The rules take the height of your landing
point as the finish height. That makes the maximum penalty-free start
height is the surface height at your destination + 1000 m. You don't
need to put a notch on the trace for distance legs - only for height gain.



Actually, Edward was correct. Let's work through step by step. All
numbers in parens are from the Sporting Code:

"Loss of Height" (1.2.7) is defined as "The START ALTITUDE minus the
FINISH ALTITUDE"

START ALTITUDE (1.2.2) is the Altitude of the glider above sea level at
the Start.

FINISH ALTITUDE (1.2.4) is the Altitude of the glider above sea level
at the Finish.

So much for the easy definitions. The rest depends upon which of the
options you select for the Start and the Finish (following cut directly
from Sporting Code):

1.1.7 START The beginning of the SOARING PERFORMANCE. It must be
either:

a. The release from launch, or stopping the use of any means of
propulsion, or

b. Leaving the OBSERVATION ZONE of a START POINT, or

c. Crossing a START LINE. (AL6)

1.1.8 START POINT The WAY POINT marking the beginning of a SOARING
PERFORMANCE. It must be either:

a. The RELEASE POINT, or

b. A WAY POINT declared as a START POINT, or

c. The midpoint of a START LINE. (AL6)

1.1.12 FINISH POINT The WAY POINT marking the end of a SOARING
PERFORMANCE. It is:

a. The point at which the nose of the glider comes to rest without
external assistance after landing, or

b. A WAY POINT declared as the FINISH POINT or goal, or

c. The midpoint of a FINISH LINE, or

d. The point at which an MoP is started. (AL6)
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To summarize, the Loss of Height limits are subject to the specific
options you choose for your Start and Finish Points. With the
advent of GNSS FRs, the majority of claims I evaluate seem to be using
a declared Waypoint as a Start Point and a Finish Point. Not all of
them, but most.

Erik Mann
LS8-18 (P3)
SSA Record Keeper, NJ