Pilot Events Mandated by IGC?

I just read the following in the Cambridge 302 manual (http://
www.cambridge-aero.com/manuals/302_v3.pdf - page 7)

"...used to log Pilot EVents (PEV) in the flight log as
mandated by the IGC."

I have never heard that Pilot Event logging was *MANDATED* by the
IGC.

I searched and found the following at http://www.fai.org/gliding/IGC_approved_frs;

"Functions such as Pilot Event (PEV) ... may also be
incorporated."

I then found at http://www.fai.org/gliding/system/fi...Marker_USA.pdf
the following;

"March 6, 2009 - It is Proposed: To eliminate from the
Technical Specifications for IGC-Approved
GNSS Flight Recorders the requirement to provide a Pilot
Event Marker."

So can I assume that the PEV is no longer required to be performed by
the pilot? Certainly none of my badge applications have been
challenged for not having PEV's. When and why was it required?

Thanks, John

On 9/21/11 3:19 PM, ContestID67 wrote:
When and why was it required?

It never was, and nobody could think of a good reason for them, so that
is likely why they propose to get rod of them.

I've hooked up my PEV to a button on the panel, and will occasionally
use it to mark an "interesting" point in my flight. Makes it really
easy to find it during analysis. If I fly over an interesting landmark,
I can mark it then later look it up on Google Earth, for example. Also
used it to confirm my ENL sensor is working at various throttle
settings, or as I change ambient cockpit noise.

Remember, the GNSS spec came out back in the "dark ages" before there
were (many) FR's, so they didn't know what features would be needed. A
pilot event could be used in some ways during a contest, I suppose...

-Tom

On Sep 21, 5:19*pm, ContestID67 wrote:
I just read the following in the Cambridge 302 manual (http://www.cambridge-aero.com/manuals/302_v3.pdf- page 7)

* * * * * * "...used to log Pilot EVents (PEV) in the flight log as
mandated by the IGC."

I have never heard that Pilot Event logging was *MANDATED* by the
IGC.

I searched and found the following athttp://www.fai.org/gliding/IGC_approved_frs;

* * * * * "Functions such as Pilot Event (PEV) ... may also be
incorporated."

I then found athttp://www.fai.org/gliding/system/files/igc_agenda2009_8_6_1_Event_Ma...
the following;

* * * * * * "March 6, 2009 - It is Proposed: To eliminate from the
Technical Specifications for IGC-Approved
* * * * * * *GNSS Flight Recorders the requirement to provide a Pilot
Event Marker."

So can I assume that the PEV is no longer required to be performed by
the pilot? *Certainly none of my badge applications have been
challenged for not having PEV's. * When and why was it required?

Thanks, John

The idea, I think, was to make gaggling and leeching harder. You had
to push the PEV to declare your "real" start, and could not start
again for 15 minutes after that. Then you could sneak off and do a
fake start, the leeches follow and then you go back for a real start.
Since the rest of the IGC rules make gaggling a necessity, you might
see why it wasn't so popular, to say nothing of the complexity.

John Ccochrane

Pushing PEV also set the recording rate to 1 second samples for 30 secnds,
so in early recorders with limited memory, and slow analysis computers, the
normal recording rate could be 20 seconds, but pressing PEV while rounding
a waypoint ensured a recorded point in the zone.

With lots of memory, and much faster analysis, this use is also redundant.


The idea, I think, was to make gaggling and leeching harder. You had
to push the PEV to declare your "real" start, and could not start
again for 15 minutes after that. Then you could sneak off and do a
fake start, the leeches follow and then you go back for a real start.
Since the rest of the IGC rules make gaggling a necessity, you might
see why it wasn't so popular, to say nothing of the complexity.

John Ccochrane

On Wednesday, September 21, 2011 9:31:57 PM UTC-4, John Cochrane wrote:
The idea, I think, was to make gaggling and leeching harder. You had
to push the PEV to declare your "real" start, and could not start
again for 15 minutes after that. Then you could sneak off and do a
fake start, the leeches follow and then you go back for a real start.
Since the rest of the IGC rules make gaggling a necessity, you might
see why it wasn't so popular, to say nothing of the complexity.

John Cochrane

Right. IIRC, this was rushed through after the fatal midair in
the 1999 Bayreuth pre-worlds (as a means to discourage leeching
and resulting traffic concentration). I don't think it was ever
actually used in practice.

There's an Event Button in the SN10 ;-)
You'll see in the SN10 log file something like this:
E150305PEVPilot confirmed START

Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"