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January 1st to December 31st
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here’s been more flights entered in the online paragliding XContest scoring system than the one we’ve been using for the past 30 years. It’s easier for some to enter, especially if using a phone for tracking, and scoring is quick and automatic. Publishing flights can inspire others to try the same. Maybe it’s time to change; online scoring saves me a lot of work, but some issues remain which is why we hadn’t gone online. Although some had used it for years, not everyone was informed of the new online HG XC contest and when it was also called the NZ National HG XC Champs, many pilots thought it was official. The NZHGPA website however still lists the original NZ HG XC Champs with the link to the HGPG Supplies website. Nobody told me about the online either. Reasons we hadn’t changed to online; You need an IGC tracklog to enter, so pilots without compatible instruments can’t enter, though some (but not current Apple) cellphones can do it. Online points systems don’t accurately compare the difficulty of different types of flights. Allowing 3 or more turnpoints encourages people to go up and down a ridge, easily doubling the kms. Even if scored at slightly lower points, that’s a huge advantage over those going open distance. It’s easier to double your distance by going back over ground covered say on a ridge, then heading off for a third waypoint. It’s going over ground you know has worked and thermals are even marked for your return with modern instruments. Having turnpoints presumably is encouragement for paragliders as they don’t go as well into wind or crosswind compared to hang gliders. It’s even easier to double your distance if you are ridge soaring and now the hang glider online section presently allows ridge soaring flights! Currently someone can coastal ridge soar over 100kms doing only one 90 degree and two 180 degree turns. Most pilots would use more skill in open distance flights of a fraction of that distance. Paragliders require the flight to be thermic. The online contest doesn’t seperate different classes of glider which have large performance differences. FAI has 2 classes of rigid wings and one of flex wing hang glider. More relevant would be topless, kingposted and skyfloater. It is possible to add categories on XContest and the current Sport class is kingpost only so far so this could be a start. FAI Triangles have always been an option but had little interest until this year. It’s a category that can be encouraged. With longer flights the online points are well earned but shorter flights and flat triangles get more points than they deserve. Current start and finish dates are the calendar year, giving a yearly winner, but more importantly the contest ends and starts at the peak of the season, when pilots are still fired up and have the opportunity to do well. Most pilots when surveyed voted for the calendar year rather than the start and finish dates which are mandatory for XContest. The existing HG XC Champs has always allowed online contest flights and pilots in the past have entered flights from online contests. All that’s required was to notify me. I download and verify their tracklogs and enter their flights. Some pilots don’t feel their coastal ridge soaring or even Kaimais flights should be counted and have been using the online contests for some time.
The 2021 Cross-Country Championships Table 2021 Name
Flight 1
Flight 2
Rick Hawkeswood 81.4
l
l
l
l
l
l
24 A i r b o r n
Flight 3
Flight 4
Total kms
28.6 144.8
Bill Degen 59.6
42.3
21.1 122.9
Ian Miller 44.2
32.3
26.6
Laki Pule
8.6
*
15.0
l
l
34.8
Coastal or ridge flights can take skill too but it’s a different skill to open distance XC, and often too easy to double your distance. Ridge soaring achievements can be more technical and are best not measured in distance. Suggestions Tom offered to correct the naming of the online contest and is contacting those who entered the online contest to see which flights they want entered in the existing NZ XC Champs table which will then be scored. We’ll have that in the next issue. As there’s enthusiasm for online scoring I suggest we continue the online categories individually but without the points total. It’s clearly not fair to compare the different skills by points with the current values. However seperate categories will be fairer and still allow all those achievements to be recognised. We can still allow Open Distance, XC with 3 turnpoints, Triangles, Out & Return, Club Comp, Wandering Kiwi etc. If there’s enough, say 3 or 5, we could add Ridge Soaring, Rigid Wing, Topless, Kingposted and Skyfloater classes, perhaps a Veterans class or anything else there’s if there is demand. The more people taking part, the more happy pilots and more winners. If the online contest can’t do it the way we need, the Comp Committee can adjust the results and provide commentary as the PCC has done. We can look at the options. Think things out, try to make it fair to all, and let us know if you have any ideas, objections or solutions. Apologies to those
17.1 120.1
7.6 * Skyfloater flights
31.3
without 3D GPS instruments, it may be time to upgrade at last, but I can help with that! Some History We first had the National Cross Country Series back in 1981, with a table of xc flights published in the 2-monthly Airborn. There were a lot more pilots doing a lot more flying back then with gliders that had glide performance less than todays skyfloaters. Still decent flights of typically up to 50 odd kms were entered (in miles), even in winter. Entry was by post. Scorers had a huge job to do. Maps were searched, coordinates checked and photos or witnesses verified. Results were often late and a common pilot tactic was to keep flights secret and enter at the end of the season. There was no appetite for triangles or out & return, as they were difficult to verify and witnesses were required. The contest fizzled out for a few years then I revived it as the NZ XC Champs in February 1992 (30 years ago) with a 60 day entry limit. Later when most had internet we changed to a 30 day entry limit. Entries were still often mailed in and time consuming to verify. Scoring was still hard work. Previously flights were ‘launch to landing’ then GPS brought remote starts & finishes but added expense so that has been optional up to now. Newer pilots without expensive instruments were still able to enter. More recently most entered with a GPS track log. Even now many find it difficult to operate their instruments to get their tracklogs entered but more have suddenly improved this season.
Placings in the XContest Open distance (below left) and aggregated points scores (below right)
