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presented by Bluegrass Airlines |
|
presented by Bluegrass Airlines |
RULES
Yes, unfortunately, there is a need to have Rules to successfully conduct events such as the GAAR. The GAAR is intended as a fun event and is open to everyone who is interested in virtual flight. Please take the time to read the Rules. Registration in the event is interpreted as acceptance of the Rules.
Objective
and Event Format
1.
The GAAR will be officially conducted over the period 16 Feb '17 - 15 Mar '17 and
will involve a total of 10 flights. The GAAR is not a race nor
a competition! It is an event in which individuals participate
against their own flying ability by navigating over a series of
Flight Legs on which they are aiming to fly as close as possible to
an individually calculated "target time". Flight Legs
can involve either and / or a combination of VOR, NDB and "dead
reckoning" navigating under both day and night Visual Flight
Rule (VFR) and / or Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) conditions with
variable departure times and weather conditions.
2. The event is conducted using MSFS versions FS9 and FSX as well as Lockheed Martin's Prepar3D. The FSX files should work as base files for P3D. Participants wishing to use X Plane for the event are welcome to do so, however, the flight situation files cannot be provided in X Plane format.
Eligible
Aircraft
3.
Participants may fly any piston or turboprop engined aircraft of
their choice that flew in the period 1903 to 1975. Aircraft
may be fitted with "ferry tanks" to effect a minor increase
in the range of the aircraft. Where "ferry tanks" are
used, the total aircraft weight must remain inside the specified
maximum take-off weight (MTOW) for the aircraft.
4. It is the responsibility of individual participants to ensure their nominated aircraft is suitable for use in the GAAR. Changing to another aircraft type once the event has begun is not permitted. Other considerations will include the Flight Leg distance and runway surface. The shortest runway is 3,000' and the longest sector is 247 N.Miles. Information on all Flight Leg distance can be found under the "Flight Schedule" link.
5. It is highly recommended, but not mandatory, that aircraft have both a VOR and NDB navigation capability. Additionally, a DME capability would also be useful. Whilst it is intended and highly encouraged that these be the primary instruments of navigation, it is acknowledged that some participants may find the event too challenging. Therefore, the use of GPS, Plan-G, FSNavigator, or other such navigation aids is not precluded.
Target
Times
6.
The "target time" for each flight leg is calculated for
each individual participant based on a Test Flight over a specified
course in their chosen aircraft. Additional time elements are
included for the "climb to cruise" and "landing
circuit" phases of each Flight Leg. The Test Flight time
is submitted during the Pilot Registration process. The details
for the Test Flight are contained under the "Test Flight"
link. The "target time" for each participant for each
Flight Leg will be displayed under the "Target Times &
Results" link.
Pilot
Registration
7.
Pilot
registration for the event will open from 0001 hrs UTC, 12 Jan '17 and
close at 2359 hrs UTC, 15 Feb '17.
Prior
to registering, complete the Test Flight as per the instructions
under the "Test Flight" link.
8. Persons wanting to participate in the event must complete and submit the application under the "Pilot Registration" link. All applications must be completed fully. Incomplete applications will not be processed. On acceptance, each participant will be allocated an ID number which MUST be quoted in all PIREPs and correspondence. It is not intended to issue registration confirmation emails. Participants can confirm their registration in the event by checking for their name on the Roster under the "Roster" link. It may take up to three days for a name to appear on the Roster.
9. Participants can submit multiple entries for the event flying different aircraft. A separate Pilot Registration is required for each entry.
Team
Entries
10.
Team entries for the GAAR are permissible. In the case of a
team entry, each member of the team flies the same aircraft for their
allocated Flight Leg. Registration for team entries is as per
single participants with a single point of contact to act as the
coordinator for correspondence and PIREP submissions. Team
entries can only submit a single Test Flight time and can use the
method of their choice to calculate that Test Flight time. The
most usual method is the average of each team member's individual
Test Flight time. Flight Leg "target times" will be
calculated using the team's submitted Test Flight time.
GAAR Downloads
11.
A series of downloads (one for each Flight Leg) are required to set
up standard flight parameters for weather and departure time for each
Flight Leg. Whilst departure and arrival runways are
established as part of these flight parameters, participants are free
to choose whatever runway they like. These required files are
available under the "GAAR Downloads" link.
PIREPs
12.
Participants should file a separate PIREP for each Flight Leg by 2359 hrs UTC on the
date specified on the Flight Schedule.
Any
participant failing to file a PIREP within the specified time period
may be declared "Withdrawn". Participants may fly and
submit PIREPs in advance of the time and date specified in the Flight
Schedule. Results from PIREPs submitted in advance will not be
posted until after the respective Flight Leg specified reporting time
and date.
13. All PIREPs are to have times submitted in minutes rounded to two decimal places. For example, a flight of 1 hr 2 mins 56 secs would be submitted as 62.93 mins. It is recommended that you download and use Tom Goodrick’s FTime from the link on the "GAAR Downloads" page. It records time from when the aircraft reaches 30 knots on takeoff until it decelerates to below 30 knots on landing. Alternatively, you may record the time using a panel clock, but convert the seconds to decimal minutes. i.e. 30:45 on a clock would be 30.75 minutes. The use of external clocks, watches, etc, is prohibited. All timers must be internal to the flight simulator.
14. The honesty and integrity of participants is relied upon entirely in entering this event and for submitting PIREPs that are accurate. Where a PIREP appears questionable or to be in error, the organisers may return it for correction or confirmation before posting the results.
15. The format for submitting PIREPs is detailed under the "PIREPs" link.
Proficiency
Rating
16.
The proficiency rating system involves a participant starting each
Flight Leg with 100 points. The "actual time" flown
for each leg is compared to the Target Time and for each percentage
point difference, a point is deducted. For example, the Target Time
for a Flight Leg is 50 mins, the "actual time" flown is 52
mins, therefore the proficiency rating for the Flight Leg is 96
points. Conversely, using the same example but where the
"actual time" flown is 46 mins, the proficiency rating for
the Flight Leg is 92 points. The proficiency ratings for each
Flight Leg will be accumulated over the entire rally. All
proficiency ratings will be calculated to four decimal places and
rounded to two decimal places.
17. The Proficiency Ratings will be updated ASAP after the closing date for each Flight Leg. However, the organisers do not guarantee that updates will be applied within any particular timeframe.
Time
Zone
18.
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the standard time zone used for
the event for the purposes of Pilot Registration, Flight Schedule
dates, PIREPs, etc.
Event
Forum
19.
The organisers have provided a forum where participants in the event
may leave comments, messages, etc, for other pilots and / or
generally discuss their progress in the event. This forum
should not be used as a means for formally contacting the organisers
with official queries or messages.
Official
Correspondence
20.
All official correspondence relating to the event should be addressed
to the Rally Director at GAAR15director(at)gmail.com
(substitute
@ for (at) in the email address).
General
Caveats
21.
The GAAR is intended purely as a fun event for all participants.
There is no obligation, legal or otherwise, on the part of the
organisers to conduct this event to its conclusion. The
organisers cannot be held responsible for any matter or thing which
may arise from the conduct of this event.
22. The decision of the Rally Director, or their nominee, on any matter concerning this event is absolutely final and no correspondence or other communication will be entered into.
Great Australian Air Rally 2017