USA Team Selections Rules Clarifications/Interpretations/Processes

The following clarifications/interpretations/processes will be implemented at the 2009 F3J Team Selections:

1. The Team Selection event will be conducted over 3 days in Denver Colorado from Saturday September 4 through Monday September 7, 2009.
2. Model check-in and marking will occur on Friday afternoon September 3 at the flying site.  Models must be checked in prior to the pilot meeting at 5:00pm.
3. A pilots meeting and registration will occur at 5:00pm at the flying site (weather permitting). Should the weather not cooperate the meeting will be held at the TS HQ (to be announced).
4. Up to 8 pilots are allowed on a team. There will be team protection for up to 4 flyers.  Teams larger than 4 pilots can have 2 pilots in the same flight group.
5. There will be no downsizing.  This means no fly-off.  All pilots will compete all three days.
6. There shall be one throw out round applied after six complete rounds have been flown.  There will be a second throw out round applied for fifteen minute flights after five complete rounds of fifteen minute flights are flown.  If there are less than five fifteen minute rounds completed, and more than five rounds complete overall, there will be a single throwout for the complete contest.
7. The scores from all of the days shall be added together, consistent with the throwout rules noted above.
8.  The junior competitors shall compete in the same flight groups as the senior competitors.  If more than five juniors compete at the team selections, they will be flown in a separate group.  If there are less than 6 junior pilots, they must be associated with a senior team for inclusion in the overall flight matrix.
9. The competition shall use a ten minute working time until the final day, then a fifteen minute working time.
10. All other F3J rules shall be in effect.
11. All teams will designate a team manager who will be the interface for the team in dealing with contest officials.
12. There will be one official timer assigned by the organizers to each team. The official timer for a team will not necessarily be the same individual for all flights but will be assigned prior to each flight group.
13. Each team must provide 1 watch to be used by the official timer. The watch must be capable of displaying count up time to at least 2 decimal places.
14. In the event that the attempt was not judged (ie timed due to timekeeper, watch failure, etc) by the official time keeper the following procedure will be followed:

    The official time keeper must immediately notify the pilot's Team Manager that his watch has failed. The Team Manager then has the option of either; a) allowing the pilot to continue the flight using one of the pilot's helpers watches as the official watch or b), landing immediately. The decision to choose option a or option b must be conveyed to the official time keeper by the Team Manager within 30 seconds and may not be reversed thereafter. In the event that the team manager elects option a, the TM will specify which pilot's helper's watch will be used to time the flight and the official time keeper will thereafter observe operation of that specific watch. If, for any reason, the official time keeper has reason to question the operation of the helper's watch, the flight will be cancelled and a new working time will be granted. If the TM elects option b, the pilot must land as soon as possible thereafter and a new working time will be granted.

15. The current FAI rules regarding line crosses and cuts during launch will be followed. Crossed lines on the ground prior to a launch WILL be considered as a hindrance and cause for reflight, but only if the lines are crossed when the pilot is hooked up and ready to launch, and the official timer is notified and observes the crossed lines. Cut lines during a launch will be considered a cause for a reflight provided the cut was witnessed and / or brought to the immediate attention of a contest official and the contestant did not waive his right to a reflight by continuing with his launch and/or flight. Airplane collision with another competitor's line is cause for reflight. Pilot airplane collision with another competitors line is cause for reflight if observed by a contest official. Crossing of lines without a cut is NOT cause for reflight.
16. If a pilot lands out of the landing zone and chooses to refly, they must mark the spot of the resting place of the nose of the plane before retrieving it for the next flight.  If the spot is NOT marked and the pilot chooses not to make the reflight, then the round is ZEROED!  This prevents pilots/helpers from retrieving planes that may have landed outside the 75m landing requirement from obscuring the actual landing spot and then not relaunching and expecting to get their time from the initial flight.  The pilot may leave the plane at its resting spot and use an alternate for the next flight, or place a marker.  The CD will determine if a measurement is needed at the end of the round.
17. The organizers reserve the right to require retrieval of the lines during the working time as stated in the rules or in the interest of efficiency to allow the competitors lines to remain in place on the grounds. This will be made clear at the pilot meeting, but the CD may change this during the event.
18. Team positions on the flight line will randomly assigned by the organizers on a daily basis. The organizer MAY choose to randomly assign lanes more than once during a day.
19. An early launch is considered an attempt.  The pilot must immediately land and relaunch within the working time.  The pilot does NOT get another launch in the working time as both attempts have been used.
20. Flyers granted a reflight for any reason, including timing failures, will be positioned in a flight group using the following priorities in accordance with the currently published FAI rules:
    a. in an incomplete group, or in a complete group on additional launching/landing spots;
    b. if this is not achievable, then in a new group of several (minimum 4) reflyers;
    c. if this is also not achievable, then with his original group at the end of the ongoing round.
     
    In priority-case b or c only, the better of the two results of the original flight and the reflight will be the official score, except for the pilots who are allocated the new attempt. For those, the result of the repetition flight is the official result. A competitor of this group who was not allocated the new attempt will not be entitled to another working time in case of hindering.
     In the event of priority a, we will attempt to place the pilot in the next available group that does NOT have a member of his team in it. In the event that this is not possible we will randomly select a new group of pilots from each team until we have a minimum of 4 reflyers. The randomly selected pilots may decline to fly for any reason. In the event that enough pilots decline to fly in the reflight group such that there are less than 4 reflyers, then we will refly the original group at the end of the ongoing round.
21. Sound
    a) We will have 1 speaker for every 2 flight stations placed along the flight line - there should be no appreciable delay in the sound to any team.
    NOTE: THE BEGINNING OF ALL HORNS INDICATE THE TIME! If you are landing, and not on the ground at the beginning of the horn - then you are late! If you are launching and the plane leaves your hand prior to the start of the horn - then you are early and must land and relaunch.
22. All flight announcement timing will be backed up by a manual watch.  In the event of a timing system announcment failure after the launch signal, the signals will be generated manually using the backup watch and the PA system.  In this case you will only get the 2 minute warning and the horn at the end of the slot.  If the PA system fails such that the launch, 2 minute warning or end horn cannot be heard, we will refly the group.
23. Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated.  You need to follow both the letter and intent of the rules.  Intentional unsportsmanlike conduct will result in either the disqualification of a flight or from the contest based on the gravity of the conduct.
24. Safety Zones - The safety zones will consist of the launch corridor, the Officials Tent in the center of the flightline, the pit/spectator areas and the parking area.  We will adopt the F3B style safety penalty rule.  Simply put, if your aircraft hits any object in the safety zone you are penalized 300 points. If you hit a person anywhere, then you receive a 1000 point penalty.  The one exception is that a helper that intends to catch the aircraft for a relaunch is not considered a safety infraction (whether he catches it or not).  If he fails to catch it and hits someone or something else, then it is a safety infraction. The catch must be attempted outside the safety area. Penalties are permanent and cannot be removed by a throwout. This is in alignment with discussions held at the team manager meeting in Turkey, but not yet accommodated in the rules.
25. The number of helpers rule is modified to allow any 4 helpers (2 towers and 2 callers) for a total of 5.  The role of Team manager is not pertinent.  This is in alignment with discussions held at the team manager meeting in Turkey, but not yet accommodated in the rules.
26. Prep Time - we will be trying to speed the contest up by reducing the prep time.  It is understood that some teams are towing for themselves and MAY need the complete 5 minute prep time.  The following procedure will be used:  The CD will announce the beginning of the slot and as if any team is NOT ready.  Any team may wave the organizer supplied flag to indicate that they are NOT ready.  In this case the CD will start the 5 minute prep time.  If no flags are observed we will start the 2 minute prep time.  Once the time has been started no competitor flag or complaint will stop the timing!  If we are able to run 2 minute prep times, we will get one complete extra round in per day.
27. Lines will be checked at least once per day, the CD may choose more checks at his discretion.  At the morning pilot meeting, we will randomly select a time and lane to be checked.  The result of that drawing will be secret until the check is executed.  Lines will be checkin in-place using a 150 meter steel cable and a fishing scale marked with the appropriate pull.  If the line measures long the team may choose to request a re-measurement using another measuring device with a calibrated weight.  If a line measures long, the previous flight in that lane will be scored 0. If any lines seem abnormally long, the CD may ask that the line be measured.
28. All stakes/spikes/nails or similar things that are punched into the ground MUST have orange flagging on them to ensure removal.  These things do bad things to the sod cutters, and we will surely lose our field if we leave anything in the ground and that happens.  The organizer has a roll of flagging - use it liberally.