PrePWC SkyTribe XC 2020
Clopotiva, Romania
Version 0.1.1/22.11.2020
The PrePWC SkyTribe XC Open 2020, also referred as PrePWC SXC 2020, event runs according to the General Section and Chapter 4 and 5 of the FAI Sporting Code, CIVL Sporting Code Section 7 Common Chapter 12 and CIVL Sporting code Section 7A. References to Section 7a refer to the latest edition of this Code that can be found at fai.org. These additions supersede Section 7A and are in place to promote pilot safety and improve the sporting nature of the events. Safe flying: all pilots fly under their own responsibility. It is each pilot's responsibility to take all necessary actions to maintain their own safety during the competition and to ensure that they do not act in any way that might endanger any other pilots during the competition. It is a condition of entry to the PrePWC SXC 2020 for all pilots to accept without restriction to hold the Organizers blameless and waive all claims to compensation. Sportsmanship: the purpose of the PrePWC SXC 2020 is to provide a sporting, fair, competitive and safe contest, to determine event winners in the different categories involved and to reinforce friendship among competitors and pilots from visiting nations.
Races will be held in area of Clopotiva located at the base of Retezat and Tarcu Mountains which offers all types of flying possibilities depending on weather, high mountains, triangles, out and returns and one way ridge.
Behavior Competitors not behaving in a safe, proper, friendly and sporting manner will be penalized and may be disqualified.
Abuse Any Verbal or Physical abuse of any of the competition officials will be dealt with according to the FAI General section Chapter 5.2 of the sporting code rule concerning stewards and jury members and Section 7A Chapter 12 of the FAI Sporting Code.
Lead organizer is Club Sportiv SkyTribe Timisoara http://skytribe.ro/contact and their members.
Event runs under auspice of Aeronautic Federation of Romania (FAR), Romanian Free Flight Association (AZLR) and the Federation Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).
Event runs under auspice of Aeronautical Federation of Romania (FAR) and Romanian Free Flight Association (AZLR).
General schedule:
Saturday, 20 June 2020
Official Registration and Training Day
13:00-21:00 Pilots registration and welcome desk
Sunday, 21 June 2020
Competition day
09:00 Mandatory Safety Briefing
11:00 Competition day
Monday, 22 June - Saturday, 27 June 2020
Competition days
Saturday, 27 June 2020
Prize giving ceremony
Daily schedule
08:00 - Headquarter opens
09:00 - Deadline for responding previous day protests
10:00 - Daily briefing and transportation to Take off
The day off is if weather is not flyable.
Open Class is prohibited in PrePWC SXC 2020 competition.
PrePWC SXC 2020 is the first stage of Romanian Cup.CCC certified gliders are allowed.
Sport Class (EN-C) There are prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Sport Class, if there are no less than 10 registered pilots. If you are competing in the Sport Class, please make sure you are registered as flying as Sport Class (EN-C, LTF/DHV 2) wing at the registration.
Fun Class (EN-B) There are prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Fun Class as well, if there are no less than 10 registered pilots. If you are competing in the Fun Class, please make sure you are registered as flying as Sport Class (EN-B, LTF/DHV 1-2) wing at the registration.
Romanian Cup Championships
Woman Rating
Women participate in Overall and women ratings. Minimum number of participants for women rating is 5.
There are prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the women class.
Team rating
Competitors can sign up into teams for scoring in Teams category. Each team can have maximum 5 male and 2 female members. Only the first 3 scored results will be used in Team category rating.
Medical Cover and 3rd Party liability cover are required for this competition. All participants must have a valid medical health care insurance (covering all hospital expenses, rescue and repatriation) as well as third party liability insurance with an insured limit of at least EUR 50 000 (or foreign currency equivalent). It is pilots responsibility to have a valid insurance.
The Competition Director is responsible for the successful management of the event, assisted by deputy director, technical director and other officials.
The Meet Director is responsible for the successful management of the flying part of the event, assisted by other officials.
The take off used for this competition is Clopotiva TO (T3), as marked on the competition website and waypoint file.
General Briefing
We will have a general briefing at the competition HQ each morning at 10:00. The task briefing time on launch will be announced at this briefing. The times will also be published on the task board at HQ.
Task Briefing
The task briefing will be held on launch at the time specified at the General Briefing. The window may open earliest 15 minutes after the end of the task briefing.
Provisional results and complaints
Provisional results are published Online and physically at the competition HQ, at the task board and on launch the following day. The results will be published as soon as we have them ready. We will strive to get this done before normal bedtime but remember that we need your cooperation for the whole thing to run smoothly. Complaints may be made up to two hours after the formal publishing of provisional results, in exceptional cases (late publishing) they may be made on general briefing the following day, recommended before the briefing.
Complaint Procedure
Any pilot enrolled in the competition can make a written (in English) complaint to the Meet Director. It has to be made within 1 hour of the announcement of the provisional results (for exceptions see above). The Meet Director will deal with the complaint. If the person complaining is not satisfied with the outcome, he has the right to protest. Such protests must be made in writing (in English) and be handed to the MD with a protest fee of EUR 60 within 2 hours of the announcement of the decision regarding the complaint. The protest committee decision will be displayed on the official information board. The fee will be refunded if the appeal is upheld.
Scoring begins when the pilot brings GPS to download tracks at the competition HQ. The opening of the physical scoring will be announced at the task briefing. Tasks will be scored using the FS scoring program using the GAP 2018 scoring formula. GAP parameters will be announced at HQ. Scores may be modified by a pre-declared method to enable task dropping. The list of available tasks corresponds to FAI code. In case the Organizer will use Live Tracking for this event pilotrs will be informed at the mandatory Safety briefing.
Compliance with Law
Each competitor is required to conform to the law and rules of the air of the country in which the event is taking place.
Airspace
Task setting will avoid flying through restricted airspace where possible. Pilots must be fully conversant with air law and must be in possession of an altimeter.
Flight Limitations
Each glider shall be flown within the limitations of its Certificate of Airworthiness or Permit to Fly and its manufacturer's published limitations. Any maneuver hazardous to himself other competitors or the public is prohibited.
Damage to a Competing Glider
Any major damage shall be reported to the Meet Director without delay and the glider may then be repaired. Any replacement parts must conform exactly to the original specifications. The Meet Director can give permission to replace the glider, for reasons of damage, loss or theft beyond the control of the competitor. It may be replaced by an identical make and model, or by one with similar or lower performance, eligible to fly in the same class. The Meet Director may allow resumption of the original glider when it is retrieved or repaired.
Protective Equipment
Every competitor shall wear a protective helmet according to EN 966 and must carry a serviceable reserve parachute. All pilots must fly with a harness certified to EN1651, LTF09, or LTF03. The harness must be equipped with a back protector certified to LTF09 or LTF03.
Fitness
A pilot may not fly unless he/she is fit. Any injury, drugs or medication taken which might affect the competitor's performance in the air, must be reported to the Meet Director before flying.
Collision Avoidance
Circuit, turning and landing patterns given at the briefing must be complied with International collision avoidance regulations and good observation must be kept at all times. Any glider joining a thermal established by another glider shall circle in the same direction, regardless of height separation.
Turn Direction
The MD will confirm each day the direction of all 360 degree turns in front of take-off, within a given area and time. Failure to comply with turn direction will incur a penalty.
Cloud Flying
Cloud flying is defined as any part of the glider or the pilot disappearing into cloud. Cloud flying is prohibited and will be controlled by flying marshals, GPS track log and evidence supplied by more than one pilot. For safety reasons, including collective cloud flying, the MD may cancel the task before the last landing time. Should a pilot enter cloud he/she must be seen by pilots to return to a point of no advantage. This means leaving the cloud in a timely and safe manner and losing height to return to a position lower and further (in relation to next turn point/goal objective) than when the pilot entered cloud.
External Aid to Competitors
External aid to competitors is not permitted.
Communication Equipment
VHF Radios should be carried in flight by all participating competition pilots and radios may only be used in the air for safety reasons. The Organizer of the event will announce an official safety frequency. For retrieval the Organizer may announce one or more frequencies. The Organizer is not responsible for pilots flying without a radio. Voice activated microphones (VOX operated) are not allowed and must be deactivated. Frequency on 2m radios will be within 144 -146 MHz range (VHF). We recommend that you leave your mobile phone switched on and readily reachable during flights. This MAY aid in locating you if you are injured, and it will surely make it easier for yourself to call for help.
GPS
GPS will be used for flight validation. Each pilot must be equipped with at least one GPS with the ability to record a (3d) track log. If the primary GPS fails a second GPS with a 2D track log may be acceptable to validate a competitor's flight provided there is no dispute over the flight ( NOT IN THE CASE OF ALTITUDE VIOLATION FLIGHT ) . GPS needs to have a 3d track log or be in accordance with the FAI Section 7a Pilots should provide the proper software and cables. IMPORTANT: In the case of restricted airspace by flight altitude, pilot will be ask to present a valid 3D gps track. Please note that some instruments are not recording gps altitude into the track log. Such a recording will be not accepted in the case of altitude check. It is pilot responsibility to have adequate instrumentation in such an event. In case of Live-Tracking Pilots are requested to accomodate the device in their flying gear.
Pre-flyers
The competition’s Pre-flyers will be notified to all pilots at the competition briefings. They will be experienced pilots familiar with the local sites, who understand the importance of their role. They will not be competitors.
Punishments
Protest Committee will deal with protests and decide punishments, if needed.
Assumed participation
If you have registered for the event and are present on the registration evening we will assume that you are also flying all tasks unless you specifically tell us the opposite. This means that if you do not report back before the report deadline a search-and-rescue operation will be initiated. If it then turns out that you have been lying in bed laughing all day we will charge you for the cost of the search-and-rescue, and you will be disqualified from the event.
Reporting back
It is very important that you let us know as soon as practically possible that you have landed and you are safe and sound. "As soon as practically possible" means right after landing, or as soon as you have GSM coverage thereafter. The preferred method of reporting back is by WhatsApp /Telegram message with location to the Retrieve Phone or SMS to the Retrieve phone. At the retrive vehicle Pilot must informed to the driver his name or competition id!
Start systems used
The start system for both Elapsed Time races and Race to Goal tasks is a start cylinder that must be either entered or exited after a time given on the briefing. We may decide to have a Turnpoint 0 that must be taken BEFORE the start cylinder. This is done to reduce congestion in the air around the start.
Turnpoints
The PrePWC SXC 2020 uses GPS/Live Trackers for task verification. This means, among other things, that all turnpoints are "virtual", i.e. if there is discrepancy between the physical object on the ground and the GPS coordinates then the latter overrules the former. All turnpoint sectors are FAI 400 m radius cylinders, and there is no tolerance on turnpoints. It is up to the pilot to make sure that there are track log points stored in his GPS from inside the turnpoint cylinder.
Goal
The goal is also a "virtual" cylinder with a 400 m radius. We may set a larger goal cylinder where the time is stopped but to be awarded the time points you must still make it into the smaller goal cylinder. This is one way to make sure that pilots do not race too hard close to the ground. There are no goal marshals to time goal arrival – arrival times are taken from the pilot's GPS.
Task Validity
The task will be validated when the Launch window has been open for the minimum required time. The formula for the minimum required time is as follows: number of competitors flying the task multiplied by 30 seconds.
Stopping of a Task
The Meet Director can stop a task in case of hazardous weather or other conditions that in his view could endanger the safety of pilots before the landing deadline is expired. Stopping of a task is announced on the safety frequency. Pilots who has heard cancellation must land as soon as possible while respecting the safety of their own and other pilots.
Cancellation after Landing Time
After the last landing time a task can only be cancelled by a safety committee decision. The MD can ask for a decision on the validation of a task.
Assistance to a Pilot in Danger
All pilots must gather up their gliders immediately after landing. A glider lying open on the ground means "I need help!"
Compensation to an Assisting Pilot
A pilot rescuing an injured pilot will be compensated task points equal to his own average in the competition so far. For example a pilot who has scored 920, 771 and 894 in the three previous tasks will be awarded 861.66 (= 862) points after task 4 where he landed to assist an injured pilot. Landing to assist an injured pilot during task 1 will give the average score of all pilots on this day. If the task in question is not a 1000 points task, the score given to the helpful pilot will be calculated as follows: Winner of the day = 500 points (example) Helpful pilot average of previous tasks =862 points or 86.2% of full day score Score of helpful pilot on 500 point day=500x0.862=431points
Explanation
The retrieve system is based on the same principle as the transport to launch in the morning. The system can only function if you are disciplined about your communication with the retrieve officers and/or drivers!
Limitations
The organized retrieve is limited to main roads along the task course. If you land in a rugged area, it is your responsibility to make it to a main road – these will be specified at the Task Briefings!
Retrieve communication
Once you have reached a main road you have a decision to make: You may decide to organize your own retrieve (by hitch hiking e.g.), or You may contact the retrieve officer for a retrieve. These two options should not be mixed! Once you have sent a message to the retrieve officer to ask for a retrieve from a position along a main road you should not hitch hike to another location! Doing so will confuse the system and cause delays for all the other pilots being retrieved, and you may be penalized in your day score if you muck it up sufficiently. You may cancel a retrieve via message if a very good lift turns up, but once you have cancelled your retrieve we do not want to have new message from you with retrieve wishes.
The retrieve message
The retrieve message should look as follows: Send via Whatsapp/Telegram with location, pilots number name Pilot no. XX wishes to be retrieved from (Village, junction, km N-E-S-W of village/junction along road no. YY). We will not confirm the receipt of your message's at the competition HQ. You need to trust the system to work… One pilot may send a retrieve message for a group of pilots waiting in the same spot, but remember to ask all if they intend to remain there until the bus arrives, moreover remember to include all the pilot numbers in the message.
If the weather in the morning is looking bad but there is hope of a late task we will be postponing the briefings up to the final decision.
Official web-site will reflect the Event results as close as possible to online mode.