US Soaring Masters

[D_Ryan]

Copied from a post to RCSE by John Diniz (I hope he has no objection)

Well folks, time to block out your vacation days for Sept 21-24, 2006. I'm
pleased to announce the 1st annual LSF Soaring Masters to be held at the AMA
site in Muncie, In. Please see the press release below. There will be a website
up in the coming weeks that will have more info on registration and sponsorship
opportunities. Cash payouts for the top five finishers and trophies through
tenth as well as many product give-away opportunities for the rest of the field.

Stay tuned to RCSE for more updates!!!!
Thanks,
John

Press Release
US Soaring Masters.
The goal for this event is to help stimulate the competition soaring segment
into higher levels of awareness within the modeling community. Soaring has
endured many years with no real push to grow the segment. With a prestigious
international event, that will draw out the best pilots from not only the US
but the world, could only help grow the great sport of competition soaring.
IMAC has seen much growth, which is no doubt partly due to prestigious events
like TOC, and the Don Lowe Masters. Scale has also seen great growth with
events like Top Gun and the US Scale masters. The Electric segment has seen
growth with events like Neat and SEFF. Giant scale has seen growth with events
like Joe Nall, Dogs and the IMAA rally's.
Soaring needs it's own high profile event. An event that will be the one to
win, an event that brings the soaring segment in front of the average modeler,
an event that gets people excited about soaring. This event is not a fly in, it
is a pure competition, with rules designed to choose the best thermal pilot in
the world. This event will aspire many to get involved in soaring and aspire
them to higher levels of soaring skills.
Dates:
September 21 - 24 2006. The competition days are Friday, Saturday and Sunday 8
- 5. Thursday is setup day.
Location:
AMA Headquarters, Muncie IN. This site will be ideal due to the ability for
360deg winch setup.
LSF Involvement
LSF has agreed to support this event is in the form of manpower and equipment.
The LSF has agreed to run this event through utilization of their staff and
equipment. Additional Horizon staff will also be available to help.
Entries:

All attending pilots must be a registered member of the LSF.
Entries will be capped to 150 due to available manpower and long duration
flight times.
10 Additional non-LSF positions will be held and recommended for entry by the
event organization staff. Entry Fees will be $75.

Competition rules:

1. Normalized Man on Man event. Each round will be normalized to
1000 pts. This normalization also includes landing points (ala FAI events). A
perfect score will be a 12-minute flight, and a 100-point landing.

2. Any model can be flown, provided it is a sailplane and meets
the AMA weight limit and total surface area restrictions.

3. 2 models per pilot will be allowed and can be alternated at any
time throughout the event. If a 3rd model is required, that can be registered
on a as needed basis.

4. No skegs or landing devices will be permitted.

5. Every round flown will be a 12 minute duration.

6. Each pilot will be allowed 2 line breaks for the entire event.
No line break re-flights will be allowed after the pilot has used up his 2
launches.

7. Flight time starts when the model is released from the winch
line.

8. No model can be launched until the start of working time. (Zero
flight score will result).

9. If model lands outside the designated landing zone, no flight
score will result.

10. Landing tapes will be standard FAI tapes. The last 2 meters
will be divided into 10cm spacing with additional 1-point increments up to the
maximum landing score of 100.
11. All winches will be supplied by the LSF and will be of equal
performance.

12. Ten to twelve (10 - 12, weather permitting) qualifying rounds
will be flown, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The top ten from qualifying rounds
will advance to the final Fly-off rounds.

13. Each finalist will carry his total score over to the finals as
a normalization of the qualifying rounds. If a pilot has the leading amount of
points after flying the qualifying rounds, he will carry a score of 1000pts
place going to the finals. Each pilot in the top 10 will then be normalized
based on the winning total score from the qualifying rounds. 3 additional
finals rounds will be flown and the accumulation of the normalized qualifying
score along with the additional finals scores will be added up to determine the
winner.

14. 1st through to 5th place will receive cash prizes, and trophies
will be awarded to the top 10 finalists.

[mlee8249]

Hi John,

This is a very interesting event and one that I am game for. But I would like to know if this is an invitational meet or if it is open to any AMA and LSF member? If LSF is required, which is not a real problem, do you need to be any given LSF level to be able to enter? Being this is man-on-man and we are basically flying a modified version of F3J, any chance of the winch line being monofilament? (oh boy...that would be sooooo cool!). Sounds like too much fun to me! Thanks for the info!

Mike Lee

[Jim Bacus]

Hi John,

This is a very interesting event and one that I am game for. But I would like to know if this is an invitational meet or if it is open to any AMA and LSF member? If LSF is required, which is not a real problem, do you need to be any given LSF level to be able to enter? Being this is man-on-man and we are basically flying a modified version of F3J, any chance of the winch line being monofilament? (oh boy...that would be sooooo cool!). Sounds like too much fun to me! Thanks for the info!

Mike Lee

Hi Mike,
I can answer some of these questions. LSF is required, any level.

Winch line will be the same tough stuff we use at Nats, mono would be cool but I doubt we could keep the contest flowing maintaining the line. Also, there are some TD guys that are not used to mono launches, which at a minimum would be rat nesting winches.

Yes, a lot of us look at these rules as F3J with winches with a lot of OVSS MoM experience mixed in. It's a mixture and compromise of the best things in a soaring contest, in my opinion.

It's going to be a lot of fun, I hope you can make it.

[Jose E Bruzual]

I think it is a noble idea to promote and ‘stimulate competition’ within the soaring community, a key ingredient to expansion is inclusion, there are many excellent (if not top pilots) out there who belong to the AMA but are not necessary LSF members, hence putting the mission statement in direct conflict with the first rule of this contest.

Mission statement
“The goal for this event is to help stimulate the competition soaring segment
into higher levels of awareness within the modeling community.”

First contest rule
“All attending pilots must be a registered member of the LSF.”

I would understand if ‘registered member’ meant LSF ‘Aspirant status’, in this case then all a person would have to do is pay the $2.00 and become automatically eligible.

So the question is, does LSF ‘Aspirant status’ qualify?

Jose E. Bruzual

[OVSS Boss]

What do you think Daryl is?

[Mark Miller]

You do not necessarily need to be a member of the LSF...Note this sentence in the rules.

"10 Additional non-LSF positions will be held and recommended for entry by the event organization staff. "


Mark Miller
Isthmus Models will support this event.

[Robglover]

So you don't want to join the LSF because the $2.00 fee is too expensive?

Or are the level I tasks too daunting for you?

Try the LSF out, maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised and learn something.

[mlee8249]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the info and reply. i had to ask those questions here because I don't have a direct subscription to the RCSE group. Just the digestified version. So, I don't get to make replies. I have my LSF rating of Level 4, and I have already told my team mates and family to count me out of anything in September....I'm going to Muncie! With my teammate, Mike Skube, I simply told him not to plan on anything. He has no choice but to go with me. And I know the air in Muncie, with lightweight, floatie birds capable of running hard when kicked being the norm. Damn, I can't wait for that one!

Thanks again, Jim,

Mike Lee

[Jim Bacus]

So the question is, does LSF ‘Aspirant status’ qualify?

Jose E. Bruzual

You would need to be at least Level 1. So $2 and a two small flying sessions with a friend, and you could easily be Level 1 in a weekend, even one day if you have a slope and thermal field in close proximity.

1) A 5 minute thermal flight.
2) A 15 minute slope flight or a second 5 minute thermal flight on a different day.
3) 5 landings within 3m of the spot.

I don't think this is much to ask for qualifications into a contest of this caliber.
And you may find out you like the the LSF tasks once you start. I am currently just an 8 hour slope and 10k X/C run away from Level V.

LSF Web Site (http://www.silentflight.org)

[Jose E Bruzual]

You would need to be at least Level 1. So $2 and a two small flying sessions with a friend, and you could easily be Level 1 in a weekend, even one day if you have a slope and thermal field in close proximity.

1) A 5 minute thermal flight.
2) A 15 minute slope flight or a second 5 minute thermal flight on a different day.
3) 5 landings within 3m of the spot.

I don't think this is much to ask for qualifications into a contest of this caliber.
And you may find out you like the the LSF tasks once you start. I am currently just an 8 hour slope and 10k X/C run away from Level V.

LSF Web Site (http://www.silentflight.org)


Jim,

Thank you for answering my question, it isn't nessesarly about myself or domestic pilots, but for the international segment as stated in the original text

"With a prestigious international event, that will draw out the best pilots from not only the US but the world..."

For them having to deal with Visa's, passports, Channel resolutions, AMA, acomodations and so on, then there is one more thing that might seam arbitrary to them...

So maybe that is what the 10 extra none LSF spots might be for.

I am all for growing tough competition, since in the East that is all you see ;-)

Everyone seams to be very enthusiastic about this contest, and so am I, but I do have a contest in LI, NY that weekend and if I don't show up to support the ESL then I'll catch grief, unless everyone decides to go to the Masters and then I am off the hook and able to go.

Who knows, maybe I'll send a doble down to LI

Jose

[Jim Bacus]

So maybe that is what the 10 extra none LSF spots might be for.




That's likely what they will get used for, but I have no idea how they will be distributed. If you are a domestic pilot I think it would be easier to obtain LSF Level 1 than seek out one of those ten spots.

I hope to see you there Jose, it should be a good one.