Preliminary report from the CIAM Plenary Meeting, March 23-24, 2000

Control Line issues only.

From C/L subcommittee chairman Laird Jackson:

(Posted 29 March.)

Report of the CIAM F2 Technical meeting, 23 March, 2000

In attendance:

Dr L Jackson, USA, F2 Subcommittee chair
B-O Samuelsson, Sweden, S/C member and Vice-Chair
B Delor, France, S/C member, F2 World Cup Coordinator
P Germann, Switzerland, S/C member
Guido Michiels, Belgium, S/C member
Dr R Surugue, France, S/C member
Ing B Votypka, Czech Republic, S/C member
Ian McIntosh, Spain, Delegate
Y Garcia, Spain, observer
P Rietbergen, Netherlands, observer
A Rojas, Spain, observer
A Sweetland, Switzerland, observer

G - A CIAM Bureau proposal amending section A12 has put the 4 year rules cycle in line with the alternative year World Championships. For F2 control line this means that proposals accepted this year (2000) will become effective in the year 2001 which precedes our next World Championships in 2002. The next cycle will begin next year and all proposals will have to wait until 2005 to go into effect so they are first utilized at a World Championships in 2006, the year after they take effect. Only true safety measures or true corrections or clarifications may be exempt from this freeze.

H - WAG 2001 - There is now a venue for this in Seville with F2A,B,C on parking surfaces in central Seville and F2D on grass outside the city (there will certainly be a need for assistant TM here). The WAG are to be run as a separate and important WAG CHAMPIONSHIPS with appropriate awards to the winners as individual and team WAG CHAMPIONS. Entry and rules will be conducted in accordance to present World Championship regulations. Selection of teams should begin this summer.

F2B - Aerobatics

4.2.14.b was amended to clarify that complete three member teams are scored ahead of two member teams which are scored ahead of single member teams.

4.2.14.d was amended to clarify the intent to place a copy of the original, hand written score sheet in the competitor's hands. Facsimile copies of the original judges' score sheets from each official flight shall be given to each Competitor/team manager for World and Continental Championships before the next competitor's flight in that contest or at latest at the end of each round of that contest.

A second paragraph to be utilized in the organizer's guide with a description of alternatives to accomplish this.

4.2.16.1 Deleting the hand starting rule was referred back to the subcommittee for better wording to emphasize propellor safety.

4.2.16.3 amended to describe turn radius in reverse wingover: All turns to and from level flight should be of approximately 1.5 meters radius, not exceeding 2.1 meters. - This corresponds to the newly accepted judges' guide.

4.2.16.7 amended to remove the words equal sized and the words sides of loops are not equal was removed from the error list for inside square loops.

4.2.16.8 amended to remove the words equal sized and the words sides of loops are not equal was removed from the error list for outside square loops.

The 3 above clarifications are in effect for WC 2000 and will be published in the organizer's first bulletin.

F2C Team Race

4.3.2, 2b, 4.3.4.d, e, k, 4.3.5 were all referred to the Subcommittee. These would have painted an additional central small circle, deleted the pilot and cockpit requirement, and altered the line size (to 0.40mm and in one version would have specified 3 strand lines).

4.3.6.a added ... qualifying races with less than 3 teams will be put at the end of the draw, in order to allow a three team race utilizing team(s) which have been granted an attempt. This allows races where a team has dropped because of a last minute problem to be moved to the end of the round and filled up with a team given an attempt. This will be in effect in WC 2000.

4.3.6.c was approved for application at WC 2000: When it is not possible to organize a reflight for a team which has been granted an attempt, the judges will ask for volunteers (from different countries in the case of CC and WC) to fill up the qualifying race. The jury will organize an appropriate draw for the race among the volunteers and the team with the attempt. If there are no volunteers, the team will be allowed to fly alone to complete their qualifying race reflight during the same round. (This requires an exception in corresponding rule 4.3.8 which says that the race is null if only one team is still flying at 50 laps)

4.3.6.d, e, f were approved unanimously as clarifications to be effective WC 2000.

prohibits the mechanic from walking with a running engine - adds to paragraph d - Mechanics are not allowed to walk with a running engine.
declares that a pit area remains the place of the team choosing it for the duration of the race: adds -The chosen pitting areas are considered occupied until the race itself is finished.

allows engines to be run on the circle prior to countdown if indicated by the circle marshal (for example during a delay - adds - unless allowed by the Circle Marshal

The following three proposed paragraphs were all referred to the subcommittee for further modification.

4.3.7.a to assign determination of mechanic's infractions of the pitting circle to the timekeepers

4.3.9.j to prohibit the pilot from lying down into the circle with the feet still outside

4.3.10.a,b,c,g and 4.3.11 to change to a system of averaging two qualifying heat times and two semifinal heat times for both individual and team classification (or to qualify for the final)

F2D Combat

4.4.1 the wording was clarified - A combat event is a contest during which eliminating matches are followed by a final match. In these matches two competitors fly their models in the same circle for a predetermined time; the object being to cut a streamer attached on the longitudinal center line of the opponent's model with points awarded for each cut taken.

4.4.5 was amended to use the word aperture immediately following the word 'outlet' and to add that the length of the exhaust system was from the exhaust port(s) (cylinder) to and including outlet(s).....

4.4.6 added that the safety strap must be provided...and worn at all times while his model is flying.

4.4.8 corrected the streamer construction diagram by replacing the additional reinforcement
and;
corrected that the streamers are different colors for each competitor not model

4.4.12 added that the lines may be severed by the opponent's model, lines or engine

4.4.15.q. restated the disqualification criteria as....he interferes to cause a ground hit of, or collides with his opponent's model that clearly has no streamer left and flies level in anti-clockwise direction without any manoeuvres to chase and attack.

4.4.17 - corrected the team classification to include only wins

All of the combat corrections are in effect for WC 2000

Annex 3A - Aerobatics Judges Guide

This was approved. It is to be circulated to all members and aeroclubs and will be utilized as a working document at WC 2000. A copy may be obtained from the Subcommittee chair by email file transfer. This approval included allowing the judges to move 1/8 circle either way from their initial position during the competitor's flight to accommodate wind changes.

Annex 4C - F2A Judges Guide

4.1.13 - a correction was approved effective WC2000.....the chief timer .... He will call "two" when, after the pilot has placed his handle in the pylon, the model first passes the height marker. And he will call "one" as the model again passes the height marker.

Dr Laird Jackson, Chairman F2 Subcommittee

[What's below is replaced by the above.]

From the word of mouth of Bengt-Olof Samuelsson, Swedish CIAM delegate and C/L subcommittee member

By Göran Olsson

The following is a short summary of the control line issues:

F2A: Minor corrections to judging guide

F2B: Definition of square loops changed 'equally sized segments' replaced by 'two segments vertical and 90 degree angles' (briefly, quotes not literal). Effective this year's W/Ch. (As it is the way it has been flown and judged all the time anyway, I'm told.) Information will appear in the coming W/Ch bulletin. [This means the square of the square loops should look the same as the squares of the horizontal square eight.] .
Noise check should stay as before and not follow the change in F3A.
Hand start requirement kept.

F2C: No line change. Danish proposals submitted but lost in the agenda were referred to the subcommittee. Clarification that when voluntary teams are called, they must be from different countries. A few other minor clarifications.

F2D: All corrections and clarifications taken.

Comments from C/L Subcommittee chairman Laird Jackson

Goran - I will send to you directly, a summary of the decisions item by item. [see the above] In your brief summary all is virtually correct but the details are not quite. In the noise piece the F3A modification, which would have required pointing the model into the wind and then measuring the sound at 90 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the aeromodel, was not approved so there was no need to change our rule for the moment. For the remainder, the F2A correction simply stated the lap countdown after the handle is placed in the pylon, in a correct manner. F2B clarifications were limited to those putting the current judge's guide and the wording of the maneuver descriptions in synchrony. F2C, to the best of my knowledge, had all of the submitted proposals properly discussed. Confusion occurred because the proposals submitted through Luis Petersen went via the Danish Aeroclub and dropped between the cracks in communication from the FAI office to the CIAM secretary. I had them restored to the agenda during the Bureau meeting but that meant that they were not within the main Plenary Agenda papers so many did not receive them the next day, or were confused as to where to place them. In our report I listed them in paragraph order within the order of the Sporting Code. Perhaps this created further confusion since that meant that they were partially interdigitated with the paragraphs in the main agenda. In any event those proposals that were actually clarifications were carried through for use at the forthcoming WC and those that actually changed something - i.e. the line size and/or construction changes, and the change from the concept of rewarding the single best run to using an average of two - were too contentious in the discussion (similar to the few comments seen during their email discussion days) to achieve consensus - hence returning them to the subcommittee. In their presentation by Derek and Luis, these were put forward essentially as matters of safety - i.e. means to slow down races and reduce aggressiveness - so in case they are returned with a large consensus from the subcommittee and the community, they will be put forward as such and can achieve rapid implementation on that basis since they would be exempt from the 4 year freeze.

Thanks as always for your good work in your postings. Hope you had an enjoyable time in LA. --- doc