Course Layout
Wings of Rogallo
Ed Levin Speed Gliding 2010
Official Rules & Regulations
When:
January 30th & 31st. Alternate weather dates February 6th & 7th.
Where:
The meet will take place at Ed R. Levin County Park in Milpitas, CA. Be at the park LZ parking lot no later than 8:00am the day(s) of the event. Please be on time for a successful meet. You must be legal to fly at Ed R. Levin County Park.
Pilot Meetings:
The pilot meeting for day one will be held at 8:15am in the LZ. The pilot meeting for day two will be held 8:45am at launch. The pilot meetings will cover important information which may impact the course, rules, and pilot's scores for the day. Pilots are encouraged to attend all meetings during this competition.
Round Schedule:
Every reasonable attempt will be made to fly two rounds per day of the contest. To accomplish this, the first round must begin as early as possible.
Note: Do not expect to fly in the first round of the day if you are not at the park gate when the park opens at 8:00am. Do not expect to fly in the second round unless you promptly tear down your wing and return to the top of the hill. A second round is always tight time wise at Ed Levin due to building breezes and the launch director will not wait for laggards -- the round will go off with or without you.
Competition Classes:
Open Class: Legal H3 or higher pilot on any glider.
King Post Class: Legal H3 or higher pilot on any king post-equipped glider.
Rookie Class: Legal H2 or higher pilot on any glider.
Any pilot / glider combos that do not fit the above-mentioned classes may be welcome to enter and fly timed runs on the course, but not be eligible for class placings. This could include tandem gliders and topless gliders whose pilots are not comfortable flying in the Open Class. Please contact the Meet Director for individual assessments.
Fees:
$20 per contest entrant. Additional Ed Levin Park entry fees are the responsibility of the contestant.
Eligibility:
This event is open to current H2 (or higher) USHPA pilots meeting the Ed Levin and Wings of Rogallo requirements for flying from the 1750-foot launch. Additionally, each pilot will be required to sign a special Ed Levin Park waiver and follow all the regulations for the site (a copy of the site rules and regulations will be available).
Equipment:
Pilots are responsible to have all factory stability devices installed and operational. Pilots are responsible for glider airworthiness and thorough pre-flight prior to each course run.
Course Description:
The course will consist of turn-points that must be navigated accurately for time. Certain turn-points will also include altitude gates. In addition to safe course navigation, a quality landing will be required.
Proposed course map will be provided upon contest entry, but based on weather conditions, the course may change daily and will be discussed at the pilot’s meeting.
Turn-Points:
Turn-points will be marked with vertical white poles (with streamers). At the base of each pole there will be a blue tarp or a red tarp.
For the purpose of scoring, the turn-point extends vertically from the base of the vertical white pole (the approximate center of tarp). The white pole is merely a marker for this base point. A leaning pole does not change the actual turn-point location. Blue tarps must pass to the left of your glider and red tarps must pass to the right. An alternate way to look at this is you must turn left around blue tarps and right around red tarps (left blue, right red).
Turn-points must be flown in order based on the supplied turn-point map and round specific instructions. If the entire glider and pilot combo do not pass on the proper side of the turn-point, the flight will not be scored as a valid run.
Altitude Gates:
Some turn points will also include an altitude gate. An altitude gate consists of one normal turn point (see above) and a second vertical white gate pole to the outside of the turn point. These gate poles will be approximately 20-feet high.
When rounding a turn point that also includes an altitude gate, imagine a ribbon that is stretched between the tops of the turn-point pole and the gate pole. What the pilot must do with this imaginary ribbon varies with class:
Open Class: Some portion of the glider or pilot must pass through or below this imaginary ribbon. Failure to do so will result in a 10 second penalty added to the recorded time for each infraction.
King Post Class: Pilots in this class may ignore all altitude gates and treat them as simple turn-points.
Rookie Class: Pilots in this class MUST stay above the imaginary ribbon with all portions of the glider and pilot. Failure to do so will result in disqualification from the entire contest.
If you do not feel that you have the skill to fly the course safely with the Open Class altitude restrictions, do not enter the Open Class competition.
Round Scoring:
Scoring will be calculated as the elapsed course time plus any penalties. Each pilot’s two best times will be added to produce their total score for the event. If only one round is flown, that will be sufficient to declare winners.
Note: There is no requirement that all pilots fly all rounds. The pilots who show up and are available to fly while the launch window is open will constitute the entire field for the purpose of scoring that round.
Penalties:
Flying the course as outlined in the pilot’s meeting is required. Any significant deviation from this course will disqualify that round.
Any on course contact with vegetation or ground by any part of the glider or pilot will result in disqualification for the entire event.
Over flown altitude gate (Open Class only): 10 second penalty
Under flown altitude gate (Rookie Class only): Disqualification for the entire event.
Unsuccessful landing: “Unsuccessful” is defined as any of the following:
1. Bent or broken equipment (aluminum, helmets, appendages, etc.) Not scored as valid run.
2. Nose cone / leading edge contact with grass or ground: 5 second penalty added to run.
3. Control frame contact with grass or ground before complete stop: 5 second penalty added to run.
Launch Order:
The launch order for the first round of each class will be determined by lottery. Thereafter, launch order for each successive round will be as the current ranking of pilots from last to first. Launch order for the second round of any day may be determined by ‘unofficial’ timing data if official scoring is not complete.
Note: Launching competitors from slowest to fastest is done to build excitement for the spectators and to allow the slower competitors to learn by watching the faster competitors who follow them. There is nothing competitively sacred about this order and the Launch Director at his sole discretion may shuffle the order at any time for the purpose of expediency.
Launch windows will be 60-seconds long per pilot and will start at the discretion of the Launch Director. The Launch Director has sole authority to stop or reset the launch window timer and may do so if the launch conditions have become unsafe or otherwise. If a pilot does not launch within the 60-second window, the pilot may move to the back of the line and take a 1-second penalty. If the pilot does not launch the second time during the 60-second launch window, a zero will be assessed for that round. If all pilots have been given one chance to launch and fly the course, the round will be considered valid.
The Launch Director will have sole authority to determine where best to launch the field. The course layout is such that times will not be affected due to varying launch locations as conditions may warrant.
Note: Speed gliding events are designed to be held in no wind or light wind conditions. If you don't feel the conditions the Launch Director designates as your launch window match your abilities, act on the side of caution and don't launch. The pilot in command is the sole judge of whether launch conditions match the pilot's launch skills.
All pilots shall perform a hang-check prior to launching!
Landing in the LZ:
All pilots shall clear the LZ as quickly as possible after landing. It is best to walk your glider back to the break down area prior to unhooking. The break down area is located along the row of eucalyptus trees bordering the LZ parking lot. Remember to break your glider down soon after landing such that we can get in two course runs if the conditions permit.
Conduct:
Conduct deemed unsportsmanlike in any round, in the estimation of the Meet Director, including inappropriate verbal or other transgressions, will result in time penalties being incurred by, or disqualification of, that pilot for the round. Remember, we're here to have fun!
Contact Information:
Competitors in the Ed Levin Speed Gliding 2010 meet must provide reliable contact information on the registration form. Weather cancellation(s) and other issues may require a change of plan. An attempt to contact all competitors will be made in the event of cancellation using the contact information provided on the registration form.
Meet Frequency:
Meet officials will monitor 146.415. All radio users must be properly licensed.
Rule Changes:
These rules are subject to change. Please check for modifications. Meet Director and Meet Organizers have final say on any contest rulings.
Thank you,
Ed Levin Speed Gliding 2010 Committee