Competitions

Dates

1. The contest may be flown twice, once on each of the first and second Sundays in February, May, August and November.
2. If circumstances make it impossible for a club to fly on the designated Sunday, they may fly on the preceding Saturday but both days may not be used. (The intention of this is to help clubs which share fields with power branches when events clash — it is not meant to allow for unflyable weather!)
   1. (Recently added) If the weather makes it quite impossible for a club to fly on either of the official days, then they may fly on one of the remaining Sundays in that month, but only one day may be used.

   Flights

3. Each entrant is entitled to FIVE (5) flights, which must be flown consecutively (allowing for legitimate reflights or test flights, which must be nominated before launch), all of which are counted for his total score. (Modified May 2004) (Some confusion seems to have arisen regarding the term “consecutive” — the intention is not that a pilot must fly five flights one-after-the-other — the idea is
   that he is not allowed assorted unofficial flights in between his official ones.)
4. The flyers returning the top three scores for that day, comprise the team for their club for that quarter.
   NB
   1. A pilot may fly at a different venue from the rest of his club and submit his result as usual but his score may not then count as one of the Club Team scores. The Team Score must come from a single venue.
   2. It is possible for a pilot to count his better personal score from the one day and his other score as part of his Club Team Score from the other day.

   Launch / Line-break

5. Launching may be by electric winch (max available line from turnabout to ’chute 200 m)
   or by 150 m bungee (150 m unstretched, max rubber 30 m)
   or by 175 m hand tow.
   Line-Break
   If the line breaks, or there is some malfunction of the launching apparatus, the flyer may demand a relaunch, even after trying to make the most of whatever height he may have had at the time of the break.

   
   Relaunch

6. A relaunch may be called for (for any reason), at any time up to the drop of the ’chute. Once the ’chute is dropped, the launch is accepted, unless the pilot calls for a reflight immediately after snapping off the line. The flyer must then land and relaunch as quickly as possible.
   If a part comes off a model in flight and the model remains controllable, then the pilot may have the option of a relaunch as soon as possible or of continuing the flight without the lost part, provided that the CD is satisfied that (a) the part fell off unintentionally, and (b) the pilot gains no unfair advantage by virtue of the relaunch.
   Models
7. There is no restriction on the number of models an entrant may use in the course of the contest, a different one for each flight if he so wishes.
   Scoring
8. Scoring is as for Task A in the old F3B rules, ie to a precise six minutes, not ten, and a landing bonus of 100 if the nose is within one metre of the spot, 95 if within 2 metres and so on down to 30 if within 15 metres.
   Scores
9. Scores are to be sent off as soon as possible after the second Sunday.
10. The better club score and the better score of each individual is recorded but the club score must consist of the best three individual scores from one day at one venue.
11. Please submit all scores to the Postal Co-ordinator, John Lightfoot —
    either by phone / fax to 021 - 697 4077,
    but not in the middle of the night, please — it’s a normal phone line, not a dedicated fax line —
    or by e-mail to jfoot@mweb.co.za
    Please include a short comment on conditions or anything else of interest about
    the day.