Club Class Handicaps
Tim Shirley AG Sept Oct 1998
As promised in the last AG, the handicapping committee has come
to some final decisions on the handicap factors and weights that
will apply in the club class nationals at Temora in 1999. It is
not likely that there will be any further changes between now and
the competition.
To repeat some of the background: the sports committee in
February decided on a new approach to handicaps and appointed a
subcommittee consisting of Tom Gilbert, David Pietsch, Maurie
Bradney and chaired by me. The brief was to create a new set of
handicaps based on some principles for which the sports committee
gave some guidance but left the committee to work out in detail.
Having decided on the principles the subcommittee then spent some
months working from the basis of the Graham Brown list to come up
with what is contained in the list below.
First, however, the principles:
The GFA sports committee has decided on a number of basic
principles that should apply to the handicapping system used at
national championships, including both the club class nationals
and the FAI nationals, league 2.
These principles recognise the essentially empirical nature of
the handicap system, and place the decisions as to what handicaps
to apply in the hands of a handicap committee of four who report
to the national competition committee. The four members of this
committee are Tim Shirley, Tom Gilbert, Maurie Bradney and David
Pietsch.
The principles are:
~ That the club class nationals is a contest designed to attract
participation by gliders that are no longer competitive in the
FAI nationals.
~ That handicaps should be used to even out observed performance
differences between gliders. It is recognised that there are many
factors which affect the actual performance of a glider, not all
of which are measurable. That while a mathematical formula should
form the basis of the system, a handicap committee should apply
judgement based on experience to correct observed anomalies.
~ That handicaps should be based on the glider flying at the
maximum unballasted weight that the glider can normally achieve
(typically, empty weight for the type plus 110kg). This will be
known as the reference weight and will be published with the
handicap. Gliders which fly at a higher weight (by necessity)
should attract a standard adjustment. These adjustments should
not be seen to be punitive.
~ That configuration changes to the glider should attract
appropriate adjustments on handicap, but that these adjustments
should not be punitive.
~ As far as possible minor variations between gliders should be
'smoothed', so that gliders of broadly similar performance
attract similar handicaps.
Configuration
Weight
Gliders flown at lower weights (where this is a choice) will not
have their handicaps adjusted. Low wing loading gliders which
cannot achieve the reference weight have this taken into account
in the setting of the base handicap.
Where a glider is flown at a higher weight by necessity (due to
the weight of the glider or the pilot), the handicap will be
increased by .005 for each 10kg that the glider exceeds the
reference weight. (See note)
In the club class nationals from the 1999 event, pilots will be
required to declare the weight at which they will compete, and
will not be permitted to vary this during the event.
NOTE:
Gliders which are able to carry ballast to achieve the reference
weight will not be permitted to exceed that weight. Gliders which
exceed the reference weight without ie addition of any ballast
will have their handicap adjusted for every total 10 kg unit
above the reference weight. For example, a glider 9kg above the
reference weight will not have its handicap adjusted, whereas a
glider between 10kg and 19 kg above the reference weight will be
adjusted by .005. Gliders above the reference weight are not
permitted to carry any ballast (in an attempt to take the weight
to just short of the next 10kg unit).
Configuration Changes
Where a glider enters the competition in a non-standard form, the
following changes of handicap will apply. The handicap
adjustments will be cumulative when more than one is present.
~ A glider which has a different wing section from standard will
be handicapped as the glider which wing section it has, provided
that in other respects the gliders are similar. For example, a
Mosquito with a Ventus wing section will be treated as a Ventus
for handicapping purposes. This does not apply to wing sections
which are 'profiled' to achieve the factory intended shape.
~ Winglets will attract an additional handicap of .005.
~ Wing root fairings (where these are substantial and
non-standard) will attract an additional handicap of .002.
~ There will be no additional handicap if the wingspan is 1cm or
less above the nominal wingspan of the standard glider in factory
configuration. Where the wingspan has been increased above the
factory delivered configuration, there will be an additional
handicap of .001 per centimetre of increased wingspan. The
wingspan will be measured in the manner described in the Sporting
Code. (See note 3)
~ Significant drag reduction measures involving noticeable
changes to the shape of wings or fuselage will attract an
additional handicap of .002 per measure. This does not apply to
profile sealing of control surfaces, smoothing or sealing of
canopy or surface gaps, or provision of sealing flaps over
openings such as aerotow releases.
Note 3: Certain 15 metre span sailplanes have been manufactured
slightly in excess of 15 metres. These aircraft will not be
penalised under the 'grandfather clause' principle.
Hcap Glider Ref Wt kg .82 ASH 25/E 700 Nimbus 4D/M 797 .84 Nimbus4 580 Nimbus 3/22m 570 ASW22&22b 550 .86 DG 500m 735 ASH 26E 434 Stemme S10 750 DG 600/17 387 Ventus 16.6 .88 Ventus a, b 15 343 ASW17(20.5m) 530 Nimbus 2 470 Jantar 2 465 Lak 12 475 DG 600m/15 370 DG400/17 431 LS 6b 380 .90 JanusCm 680 Caproni A21s 616 DG 200/17c 350 Jantar 1 417 Kestrel 19 435 ASW 20 374 ASW 20b 387 .92 DG 200 360 DG 400 425 LS3 408 LS 3a 380 LS 8 350 Speed Astir 2 & 2b 375 Mosquito 355 Mini Nimbus 355 Kestrel 17 390 Discus 363 SZD 55 336 ASW 24 350 Janus B 594 IS 32 530 .94 LS4 380 LS 7 341 DG 300 367 Pik 20 & 20b 356 .96 Jantar Std 2 365 Jantar Std 3 390 Pegase 357 .98 Open Cirrus 370 Diamant 16.5 390 ASW 19b 400
Hcap Glider Ref wt kg 1.00 Std Cirrus 33o Jantar Std 1 365 Open Libelle 300 Hornet 364 LS If 365 DG 100/101 357 Phoebus 17 350 Twin Astir 520 1.02 Std Libelle 320 ASW 15 318 A$W 15b 360 Astir CS & 77 380 Cobra 15 370 1.04 1S29 360 Phoebus a & b (15) 328 Club Libelle 328 1.06 Salto 290 1.08 Twin Astir 2 550 Astir G 102 380 1.10 Std Austria 323 Foka 5 366 1.12 SZD Junior 340 1.16 PW5 300 Boomerang & S Arrow 343 Ka6e 300 SF 27 331 ASK 21 540 IS 28 574 M200 525 1.18 LO 150 1.22 Puchaz 550 Super Blanik/18 1.24 T53 568 Bergfalke 4 480 1.26 Pirat 370 Ka 6 300 Puchatek 524 1.28 Blanik L13 472 Blanik L23 K7 460 K13 470 Bocian 522 Bergfalke 3 465 Arrow 280 1.34 Olympia 315
If anyone has questions or comments about this, I can be
contacted at 30 Postle Circuit Holt ACT 2615, Australia
(02)-6254-1262 (phone or fax), 0417-268073 or tsh@ozemail.com.au.