Transcript Slide 1
2007 Albert Lea Soaring Contest Welcome to Albert Lea Paul Remde: Contest Manager 2005 Albert Lea Soaring Contest Pilots Meeting Paul Remde: Contest Manager Charlie Miner: Competition Director Phil Schmalz/Leo Benetti Longhini: Operations Directors Welcome to Albert Lea • Safe Contest • Fun Contest • Learning Experience Key Personnel • Operations Directors: Phil Schmalz & Leo Benetti • • • • • • • Longhini Scorer – Rick Green Weighing Director - Tom Chrisfield Awards – Paul Remde Weather – Tom Kelley Network Administrator – Eric Strandjord Office Volunteers Social Events Coordinators: Paul Remde & ??? Critical Assembly Check • Teach someone the critical assembly items for your glider. • Have them check those items each time you assemble and initial your wing tape on the left side of the glider/wing junction Children and Pets • They are welcome but… – Airports are dangerous places with whirling propellers, high-speed landing airplanes, etc. – Educate children and watch them closely. – Keep pets on a leash No Smoking • No smoking at contest meetings or in the contest headquarters hangar Airport Overview • Car procedures – Where to park – When to go back • Outhouses • Tow procedures • Runways and patterns • Relights Airport Overview Gridding Gridding Gridding Units • Distance: Statute Miles • Speed: Statute miles per hour • Altitude: Feet AGL Rules • Read the rules. I’m very serious about that. • The rules of the contest are an agreement between the contest officials, the pilots and the SSA and are the only way to insure fair and consistent competition. Task Advisory Committee • Assist the CD in the selection of tasks – Open Class Nationals: – 18 m Nationals: – Region 7 Sports Class: Contest Competition Committee • CD and up to 3 other members appointed by the CD. – Experienced competition pilots – Not competitors • Paul Remde •? •? Valid Contest • Open and 18 m Nationals – 5 Entrants per class whose final score is greater than zero – Minimum of 4 valid competition days • Region 7 – 5 Entrants per class whose final score is greater than zero – Minimum of 2 valid competition days Buddy System • At least 5 pilots that are new to contests • Match new pilots with experienced pilots Daily Safety Talks • • • • • • • Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: Saturday: Sunday: • • • • Monday: Tuesday Wednesday: Thursday: Weighing Procedures • Tom Chrisfield Official Configuration • A sailplane’s official configuration is the one used on the first competition day at takeoff. Motorgliders • Please launch using your motor if possible to help us get everyone launched as quickly as possible. • You may elect to take an aerotow Daily Pilot’s Meeting • 9:30 in contest headquarters hangar Grid Time • Grid time will be 11 AM unless otherwise • • announced. It is very important that you make grid time. If you are not there on time the gliders will pull out onto the grid and you will not be able to get to your spot. As you pull down to the launch grid please find your assigned number and pull off the runway near it so others can go by you on the way to theirs. Grid Time • Pull off with the tail of the glider in the grass • • and the nose pointing to the center of the runway. At grid time I will announce over 123.3 “Ladies and gentlemen please grid up”. Please pull your gliders out and be ready to fly. I will also announce the time of the grid meeting. At this meeting we will discuss the latest weather info. and the task sheets will be passed out. Grid Time • We will be on Task “A” unless you hear directly from me • • • • on the grid or through a roll call in the air. If you need to pull back for any reason please see me or the Operations Director Scott Elhardt. Remember, Pulling back is to deal with unforeseen problems and not as a routine part of contest strategy. Sunset is at: 8:45 On most days the sniffer will be launched at grid time so there can be no gliders towing out to the grid on the runway. Cars • Cars may be parked near gliders before grid time. After • • the pilots meeting near the front of the grid all cars must be moved behind the wing of the last glider so there can be no possibility for accidents involving cars and launching gliders. No cars will leave the launch area after the launch starts. An announcement will be made on the radio on 123.3 when it is clear for all crews to move the cars back to the tiedown area. Even then it is possible that the movement may be stopped to accommodate a relight – so keep your radios on 123.3 until you are back at the tiedown area. Sniffer and Towing • I will launch the sniffer when the weather looks • • • • • favorable. As soon as it goes through 2,500 feet AGL I will announce a launch time. Tows will be to 2,000 feet AGL. All tows will be to the designated drop zone for that contest day. Towplanes will be on 123.0 If the weather is iffy and the advisors have not reached the minimum of 3,300 feet AGL then I will announce that the last in the class has been launched with the task opening to be announced. Relights • If you need a relight call on ground control • • (123.3). If the launch is still underway the preferred landing location is the cross runway. A relight list will be kept and takeoff will be according to the sequence in the relight process after all assigned launches have been completed. Start Cylinders • There are 4 start cylinders: – Start N, Start S, Start W and Start E • We will be using turnpoint #1, Albert Lea • • • • • for the center of finish cylinder. The radius of the start cylinder will be 5 statute miles. The maximum altitude will be 8,000 feet AGL or about 9,260 feet MSL unless specified otherwise on the task sheet. A start occurs each time a sailplane exits the start cylinder (either though the side or top). No flying faster than 115 mph in the start cylinder. Call back your start time on 123.3 within 15 minutes after the start is made. The reported time must be accurate to within 2 minutes. Airfield Landing Bonus • A pilot with an incomplete task who lands at a designated airfield can receive a score bonus for such a landing. • All airports on a current US Sectional Aeronautical Chart will be accepted. Tasking • I will make every attempt to insure you are on a doable task each day that follows the rules of creating a safe and challenging task. • Assigned Task – Open and 18 m classes only Tasking • Modified Assigned Task (MAT) – Minimum flight time will be assigned – CD may designate from 0 to 11 turnpoints. They must be flown in the designated sequence, but a pilot may elect to finish after any turnpoint in the sequence. – After completing the designated turnpoints the pilot may fly to additional turnpoints. – No turnpoint may be repeated unless 2 intervening turnpoints are claimed. • The start and finish are not turnpoints. Tasking • Turn Area Task (TAT) – Speed over a course through one or more turn areas. – Turn areas are turnpoints with a designated radius defining a cylinder – Minimum flight time specified – The pilot decides where to turn in each cylinder in an attempt to finish in a little more than the minimum flight time. Finishing • Finish Cylinder – – – – Radius: 1 statute mile Floor of the finish cylinder is 1,000 feet AGL (2,260 MSL) Finish time is when the glider enters the finish cylinder When 4 miles from the center of the finish cylinder call “[Contest ID] four miles” on 123.3. – Switch immediately to 123.0 – Silent finish – Upon entering the downwind leg of the landing pattern, the pilot should transmit “[Contest ID] downwind for runway [runway ID]” on 123.0. Retrieves • Please call the retrieve office upon landing away • • • from Albert Lea The retrieve office phone number is on the bottom of the task sheet. It will be 952-4840239 You may also call your crew directly, but be sure to have them check-out with the retrieve office before they leave the airport so we will know you are being taken care of. The retrieve office will close at 6:30 PM Landing Cards and Submitting Flight Logs • Landing cards will not be required except in certain circumstances: – A Safety Finish is claimed – Motorized sailplane used the motor after starting – Flight documentation includes and incomplete flight log. • Flight recorders (or flight log files) must be turned in to • the scorer within 1 hour of landing (preferably ASAP). Please leave the scoring area after you turn in your documentation. Hanging around the office slows the process of scoring and causes the scorer to miss dinner. Radio Procedures • Contest Frequency: 123.3 (almost everything) • Takeoff & landing (Airport Freq): 123.0 • Pilot to Crew: 123.5 • • • • • • • • • Before Launch: 123.3 Aerotow: 123.0 Immediately after release 123.3 Announce start times “[Contest #] started at 13:15”: 123.3 Talk to gliders while on course: 123.3 Talk to Crew with position and heading updates: 123.5 When approaching the finish 123.3 “[Contest #] 4 miles out. Approaching from the SSW.” Switch immediately to airport frequency: 123.0 Announce landing pattern: 123.0 Safety Finish • Cylinder centered on the finish point with a radius of 5 miles. • If weather conditions warrant, the CD may activate the Safety finish by a radio announcement on the contest frequency. Missing Pilots • If there is a contest day in which a pilot does • • not return or call within an hour of sunset I will launch “Albert Lea Air”. This aircraft will go up over the airport with enough altitude to cover the task area and broadcast the missing call sign on 123.3 and 123.5. I and all involved in the contest will do all in our power to find the pilot. We will search until dark and resume at daylight. An ELT is a very good idea. Crewless • If you are crewless make arrangements to have your • • • • vehicle moved back to the tiedowns after the launch. Have your trailer ready to go Make sure you have an agreement with someone to be your retrieve crew. You cannot expect the contest organization to find you a crew after you have landed out. If we are flying a TAT or MAT please make arrangements to have a crew following your progress via the radio on 123.5. Tell them the turns and headings you are attempting. Searching for you without any information is impossible. Crews • Please put your contest ID on your crew vehicle • • – use wing tape. It will make it a lot easier for contest organizers to find you in case of a phone call or retrieve. Please read the rules concerning crews and radio transmissions. This is one area in which you can get your pilot a penalty. Have a plan for the recovery of your glider and pilot. Have the tail dolly with you and be ready to pull the pilot off the runway quickly so others can land. Rule Changes •? Thank You • I am open to suggestions as to how to improve safety or increase fun!