Message for the NCC.
Dear Ross, I have refrained from entering into this discussion to date, but am concerned as others are, about what is happening to the starting procedures. I believe our present starting procedures have worked very well in recent years, they are well understood, and over a period of a week's flying any advantage gained by one start will even out. I think we should be very careful about changing procedures that are working well, particularly if the changes have a negative consequence for safety of pilots. So, this is my formal request to the NCC, as a competition pilot and occasional Comp Director, who was not invited to comment on the "draft" proposed rule change. My request is that the rule change be not implemented until all competition pilots are given the opportunity to comment and review discussion on the issue. I request that the NCC circulate amongst email lists of known competition pilots the proposals and discussion forthcoming, and notify membership in general by means of the GFA Soaring Australia magazine. (Please remember this aus-soaring site is not an official GFA site and only caters for a small number of GFA members.) I request that no final rule change be made on this issue until the above notification and discussion process has been completed, and then submitted to National and State pilot meetings during the forthcoming soaring season. I believe this then will comply with the intention of last year's pilot meeting resolutions to "investigate" how these procedures could be implemented. Please consider this email as a formal request from me to the NCC. Thank you Dave Shorter 11 Lighthouse Crescent Emerald Beach, NSW 2456 Phone/fax (02)6656 1979, mobile (0429)429 539 Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Note no "au" in address) -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ross McLean Sent: Saturday, 31 May 2008 5:33 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; 'Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia.' Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] Start procedures Guys Please see my previous emails on this topic. 30 May: "If you go to the following link on the GFA website you will find the current set of rules, V1.53 August 2007. http://www.gfa.org.au/index.php?option=com_content <http://www.gfa.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=393&Itemid= 184> &task=view&id=393&Itemid=184" ...(snip).......... "The proposed rule changes are then circulated through various members of the gliding fraternity, experienced competition pilots, International pilots, thought leaders, previous members of NCC, and long time glider pilots, for a reality check. At this stage, after further NCC discussion, the rules can be amended, trialled, or scrapped. Only after this quite rigorous process are they implemented into a new revision of the rules. This process is currently in train for V1.6 of the rules which are still in Draft form." 31 May: "The NCC has done as requested and is currently in the process of gaining consensus on the proposed rule." The rule has not been changed without the further chance to comment, the rule has been formulated, as requested, and is currently undergoing the rigour of gaining consensus, (or not). This is the accepted process and it is being followed. If you would like to understand the full details of the rule please feel free to contact me directly and I will be more than happy to discuss at length. Your opinions and views will be taken into account but I would like you to clearly understand the proposed rule as formulated. For the record, It bears absolutely no relation to the horrific nature of the rule that Gerrit, and others, were forced to use in Bayreuth, that sounded terrifying to say the least. As presently formulated it is not that different from the current rules and in fact the start circle is more than double the size, (increased from 3sq klm to over 7sq klm). ROSS -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Robert Hart Sent: Saturday, 31 May 2008 4:05 PM To: Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia. Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] Start procedures Ross McLean wrote: > > 3. *Height and Speed Restriction at Start Point:* > > David Jansen proposed a maximum starting height and speed for all > National Competitions. This system was encountered by David & Graham > Parker at the 2007 18m Pre-Worlds and removes the potential for early > launched pilots to gain an unfair height/speed advantage over later > launched pilots. Tim Shirley advised that SeeYou is capable of > scoring such a system. > > *Paul Mander moved that the NCC investigate the best way to implement > this in Australian National Competitions.* > > * * > > *Vote:* > > *Motion passed in the majority.* > > > > The NCC has done as requested and is currently in the process of > gaining consensus on the proposed rule. > I was at that meeting and I supported the motion. Unfortunately, what I understood by "investigate the best way to implement this" is not the way it has been interpreted. There was considerable discussion of this motion, pro and ante, and it was clear there were a number of issues that had to be thought through if a workable rule was to be achieved. Accordingly, I was quite happy with the wording of the motion as "investigate..." to me clearly implied that the NCC would come back to pilots with options and/or a recommendation. I most assuredly did not expect the rules to be changed without a further chance to comment. I may be alone in viewing the motion in this light, but I suspect I am not. -- Robert Hart [EMAIL PROTECTED] +61 (0)438 385 533 http://www.hart.wattle.id.au _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list [email protected] To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
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