Gary Osoba's record flight declined

FAI has canceled the following Class D (Gliders) World record :
================================================
Claim number : 15103
Sub-class U (Ultralight Gliders)
Category: General
Type of record : Free Distance
Course/location : Zapata, TX (USA)
Performance : 791 km
Pilot : William G. OSOBA (USA)
Glider : Woodstock
Date :19.07.2008
Current record : 627.60 km (09.07.2004 - Leonardo R. BENETTI-LONGHINI,
USA)
Reason for cancellation: No dossier received in due time by NAC
================================================

Flew the flight, it was all for real. SSA informed me that the FAI
would not accept the flight log from my Cambridge Model 20 logger
since they didn't file the last time around for certification. They
have only validated later models for world record level. So the file
wasn't sent. It's my fault for not knowing, and assuming it was OK
since all prior logs submitted for world records were flown with this
model. It has changed.

Whatever. This would have been number 15, and after a while they don't
seem to matter so much. Especially at what it costs to certify world
records. I can do better- 1000 km open distance is possible in the
Woodstock on a good day so if it presents itself, I'll fly the longer
flight and file it with a newer logger.

This is the first notice I have received in this regard.

-Gary

On Oct 31, 5:17*pm, wrote:
Flew the flight, it was all for real. SSA informed me that the FAI
would not accept the flight log from my Cambridge Model 20 logger
since they didn't file the last time around for certification. They
have only validated later models for world record level. So the file
wasn't sent. It's my fault for not knowing, and assuming it was OK
since all prior logs submitted for world records were flown with this
model. It has changed.

Whatever. This would have been number 15, and after a while they don't
seem to matter so much. Especially at what it costs to certify world
records. I can do better- 1000 km open distance is possible in the
Woodstock on a good day so if it presents itself, I'll fly the longer
flight and file it with a newer logger.

This is the first notice I have received in this regard.

-Gary

No Gary, it was not your fault. One can not possibly keep up with such
bureaucracy.
This goes to show the meaningless of records, as the majority of true
record flights don't get approved or never filed.
This is also a big disappointment from Cambridge. You would expect
they will look after their many customers who fly with model 20.
Great flight Gary. You have the record in my book.

Ramy

There will always be those who can fly record flights and those who
can only decline or approve them...

On Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:47:59 -0700 (PDT), Ramy
wrote:

No Gary, it was not your fault. One can not possibly keep up with such
bureaucracy.

Agreed.

Furthermore, the disapproval of the Model 20 is based on nonsense. It
has been deemed by IGC to be a security risk because it uses a single
secret key. A single key system in a different logger was broken
once, as an experiment. Consequently, all single key systems are
disapproved. This is painting with a broad brush. Sort of like not
trusting the lock on my bank because someone once jimmied the lock on
my suitcase. No one has ever broken Cambridge security.

IGC have done a lot of good for our sport, but in this case they have
hurt it.

Congratulations on a terrific flight, Gary!

Pat

Thanks for the info, Pat. It sounds like the problem, if there is any,
is with the IGC certifying process (I don't know enough about the
issues- maybe there is a security risk). Not with Cambridge. I'm sorry
if my posts unnecessarily discredited Cambridge in this respect.

-Gary

I like to say it's the experience, not the achievement. That flight
is a world record experience. No one an touch that. Those hours are
yours for eternity. The rest of us are in awe, inspired to experience
similar hours.

Fellow Woodstock pilot,
Matt Michael

The NAA rip off for doing nothing (Judy Ruprecht does all the work) is the
main reason we ridge runners don't bother with records anymore. They also
skim off thousands from what money we can raise to fund our US Team. Again
for no value added. This is an example of a beltway bureaucracy coasting
along on a compulsory welfare program.

Karl Striedieck

wrote in message
...
I like to say it's the experience, not the achievement. That flight
is a world record experience. No one an touch that. Those hours are
yours for eternity. The rest of us are in awe, inspired to experience
similar hours.

Fellow Woodstock pilot,
Matt Michael

Hmmmmm.

No sour grapes here. I've been a little out of the loop for a couple
of years when it comes to matters of officialdom. However, if you're
going to play the game, officially, you need to be up on things. I
know this from past experience, and it really is my fault for not
checking more thoroughly ahead of time. I was merely relying on past
experience. All of my dealings with Judy Ruprecht and others at the
SSA when it comes to filing official records have been quite
satisfactory, and I appreciate all of their hard work and expertise.
Judy is remarkably good. I have also had good dealings with Art
Greenfield at the NAA. It does get expensive, however. It is
disappointing regarding the Cambridge issue.

After this filight, I was urged to post it to the OLC- something I
hadn't done before. I guess I bombed out there as well, not realizing
there was a very short deadline. It was filed a couple of days late.
Again, my fault but now I know. I am curious about how this flight
would have scored properly. I couldn't find the Woodstock and so
picked a 1-26 as something close. Later, a friend wrote and said the
Woodstock can be found under M for Maupin. Does anyone have the
ability to calculate the distance and score the flight with proper
handicap from the flight log? I wonder how this flight would have
compared to others flown this past season in the OLC. I'm really
curious about this but can't figure it out from the website.

Best Regards,
Gary Osoba

On Nov 1, 7:55*am, wrote:
Hmmmmm.

No sour grapes here. I've been a little out of the loop for a couple
of years when it comes to matters of officialdom. However, if you're
going to play the game, officially, you need to be up on things. I
know this from past experience, and it really is my fault for not
checking more thoroughly ahead of time. I was merely relying on past
experience. All of my dealings with Judy Ruprecht and others at the
SSA when it comes to filing official records have been quite
satisfactory, and I appreciate all of their hard work and expertise.
Judy is remarkably good. I have also had good dealings with Art
Greenfield at the NAA. It does get expensive, however. It is
disappointing regarding the Cambridge issue.

After this filight, I was urged to post it to the OLC- something I
hadn't done before. I guess I bombed out there as well, not realizing
there was a very short deadline. It was filed a couple of days late.
Again, my fault but now I know. I am curious about how this flight
would have scored properly. I couldn't find the Woodstock and so
picked a 1-26 as something close. Later, a friend wrote and said the
Woodstock can be found under M for Maupin. Does anyone have the
ability to calculate the distance and score the flight with proper
handicap from the flight log? I wonder how this flight would have
compared to others flown this past season in the OLC. I'm really
curious about this but can't figure it out from the website.

Best Regards,
Gary Osoba

Hi Gary,

Anyone who is using SeeYou can tell you the OLC points for the
flight. Feel free to send it to me.

As the chairman of the SSA's FAI Badge and Record Committee, I felt
terrible when we saw your file (Judy checked with us for guidance).
In fact, the "problem" in the eyes of the IGC with the older Cambridge
Model 10, 20, and 25s is a little more complicated than you
describe. Their decision to reduce the approval level to "All
Badges" is related to concerns about the security/encryption
methodology employed on these models. We can agree or disagree as to
whether the IGC made the right decision in reducing the approval
levels of these ubiquitous (at least here in the US) and extremely
long-lived recorders, but them's the rules.

FWIW, the SSA has gone against the IGC in the sense that we have
decided to continue to allow these legacy CAI recorders to be used all
the way up to National Records. We are acutely aware that this
creates the potential trap of a flight being "good enough" for a World
Record but only being acceptable up to the National level.

Regards,
Erik Mann (LS8-18 P3)
Chair, SSA FAI Badge and Record Committee

Gary - If you had been able to post your flight on OLC, you would
have scored 1483.63 pts (assuming 11.9M Woodstock). This would have
been the longest flight in North America and the second longest in the
world for 2008! Great flight!

David Stevenson