Wake Up call for FAI, IGC and Condor Community!

[CristianoConrado]

Hi,

As I will no longer participate in the championship, I am no longer an interested party and perhaps now it is understood that I am not signaling things in my interest.

In this condition, I would like to draw attention to possible improvements in the manual and understanding of it, so that the misunderstandings committed by myself are not repeated.

Perhaps this discussion will result in something clearer and less emotional.


LET'S SEE THE MANUAL

https://www.virtualgliding.fai.org/s/Vi ... 11docx.pdf

Starting from the definitions:

***
1.0 DEFINITIONS:
The. Sailplane Grand Prix (SGP): Wherever this phrase is used in these Rules it refers to both 'World' and 'Qualifying' Sailplane Grand Prix events.

- World Sailplane Grand Prix: A Grand Prix which has the format of a World Championship, the objective of which is to select the World SGP Champion.

- Qualifying Sailplane Grand Prix: A National Grand Prix, approved by the IGC, the objectives of which is to enable pilots to qualify for the next World Sailplane Grand Prix.
***


So we can conclude that:

Paragraph 7.6 which talks about FINISHING, is included in "PART 7 SAILPLANE GRAND PRIX PROCEDURES", so all paragraphs 7.X are part of this chapter and refer to SAILPLANE GRAND PRIX, therefore being applicable for the World SGP (FInal) and for Qualifying SGP.

Again:

***
"a. Sailplane Grand Prix (SGP): Wherever this phrase is used in these Rules it refers to both 'World' and 'Qualifying' Sailplane Grand Prix events."
***

Continuing the reasoning:

***
7.6
c. Flying below the minimum altitude between the reporting point and the finish line, including when crossing the line, shall be penalised. A tolerance of 5 meters shall be applied (the pilot shall get no penalty if he crosses the line less than 5m below the minimum altitude, but he shall get the penalty corresponding to the full difference between the minimum altitude and his altitude if the missing altitude is higher than 5 m).
***

So we can conclude that the penalty rule for flying between the control point and the finish line is valid for both World SGP and Qualifying SGP.

***
7.6.3
B. Competitors crossing the Finish Line below the minimum altitude shall be penalised.
***

As the height limit between the control point and the finish line was not implemented, item 7.6.3 remains, which validates the finish with a penalty in case of crossing below the minimum safety height.

In the entire manual, the only mention of not validating or considering as a landout the arrival of a pilot who crosses the finish line is if he does so after sunset.

***
7.6.2
d. The Finish Line shall be closed at sunset, or when all competitors are accounted for. Competitors still on task after closure of the Finish Line shall be considered as outlanded.
***

Detail: I don't know if the file was modified, but in this new one I didn't find the terms WSGP or WVSGP in the document, saying that any finish rule would apply only to the final (WSGP).

Other considerations:

When there was a possibility that the FPL did not definitively define the rules and scoring, as when the Condor Club script computed penalties from a height limit at the finish line that was not established in the FPL, the FPL became unreliable as the only factor to consider in the FAI championship.

Seeing this last statement, I really stopped seeing the FPL and the Briefing on the Condor as definitive.
My mistake?
Yes, but it really got messed up.

I thought that with the rules the Condor Club would compute the finish and the penalty, even as DDH: 0 at +185 AGL.

Come to think of it I was naive as there is no way for the Condor to register the arrival if the finish line doesn't turn green.

The opposite can happen: If the finish line does turn green, Condor Club can add a rule and penalty value, but the waypoint has to be validated in Condor Simulator.

In any case, using this configuration of not considering a low finish, canceling it completely (landout), is against the published rule.

Perhaps editing a manual specifically for Virtual SGP, removing non-applicable rules, and not just publishing the actual SGP manual would be a good thing to do.

If there were changes, the manual would be edited or amended and the pilots would be emphatically informed about the changes, before each qualifying stage and before the final.

To complete:

I reinforce that the idea of different rules for the qualifying stages and the final does not seem to be a good thing.
Spectators will understand and enjoy the show a lot more.

I don't easily remember any sport that has different rules in a championship final match.
Better and clearer would be to keep everything the same.

Leave the shine to what really matters, the performance and show of the race, gliders and pilots.


Game rules the simpler the better, if they get too much attention, something needs to be revised.


[CON]