BATS Thermal and Electric Glider Competitions 2024.
Please note the revised rules and dates for the BATS Thermal and Electric Glider competitions for 2024 as follows:
The season starts on Wednesday 10th April 2024 with a practice and trimming session, the week before, on Wednesday 3rd April.
Most of the rules are as last year except for :-
The motor run for the Electric Soaring reduced from 30 to 20 seconds.
The landing bonus for all classes of soaring will now be 50 points for both fully and part inside the circle. The lower 25 points for part in is now abolished.
All classes of Electric Gliders will compete in the Handicap Open Electric Soaring, subject to any general restrictions on model types and sizes contained in the Bats Rules of Flying at Seal Road. Each model type will be given an initial motor run based on its expected or demonstrated performance, all as decided by the Competition Secretary. Handicaps may be adjusted as the season progresses to minimise any anomalies in model performance.
General Rules – applicable to all competitions.
1) The decision of the Contest Director for the evening on any dispute will be final and binding.
2) 3 competitors is the minimum number to constitute a competition.
3) Pilots and timers will stand at the designated pilot’s box when flying, moving to the landing circle when ready to land.
4) Pilots will not enter the landing circle to retrieve models until it is checked clear and no other models are waiting to land. Models will be retrieved and the pilot will clear the circle without delay.
5) No flying zones i.e. over the houses, low over the tennis courts and car park will be observed.
6) For Thermal Competitions the first arrivals at the field should collect the bungees from the Recreation Centre and set them depending on the prevailing wind direction.
7) Competition flights have precedence over Sport flights on competition evenings. Sport fliers using the “Park Fly” area should be aware of glider activity and avoid conflict with gliders landing or using a bungee launch.
8) A peg board will be used for ALL pilots flying on 35 MHz frequencies and competition pilots will have precedence in the use of any frequency. 2.4 GHz users do not need to use the pegboard.
9) In any one event you may use more than one model, so you can choose a model best suited to the prevailing conditions, or if you happen to damage a model, you may use a reserve.
10) At the end of the season the Contest Director will aggregate the results of all competitions to arrive at the overall placement for each competitor. A discard system will be used based on the following formula: If eight, nine or ten competitions have been completed, each competitor’s best six results will be used. If five, six or seven competitions have been completed, each competitor’s best five results will be used. If less than five competitions have been completed, all results will be used.
Open Glider/RES Competition – (Tony Roland Mid-Week Cup)
1) Six flights allowed, with the best four times to count. Eight minutes maximum. Landing points 50 all or part of model in circle.
2) A penalty of 5 points per second will be deducted from the flight score for every second flown over the maximum 8 minutes
3) Launch by hand tow or bungee tensioned to a max. of 18 lbs. No winch launch permitted.
4) Self-timing permitted. Timing starts when line is released from the
model and stops when the model touches anything on the ground. If the model comes into contact with the pilot before touching the ground, the score for that flight is zero. No restriction on model type, construction or control.
Additional RES Award
5) To qualify for the RES award, models must be no more than 2m wingspan and must be launched off the shorter RES or BARCS bungees, max tension 10 lbs. RES flight points will qualify for both RES and Open glider awards.
6) An additional tick box will be added to the competition result sheet that must be ticked before the comp starts to indicate an entry for the RES award.
7) Competitors may fly a combination of both Open and RES models within the six flights total allowed. In this case the competitor must enter the Open model and RES model as two separate entries on the result sheet.
Attempts – Glider
Only two launch attempts are permitted for each official flight. An attempt is ‘official’ when a competitor has declared the flight is a competition flight and the model has left the hands of the competitor or helper under the pull of the launching apparatus.
Discard – Glider
A competitor may DISCARD his FIRST ATTEMPT should the model not achieve a proper launch. He must declare “Discard” as soon as the model has left the tow line. Flight time for a second launch will count.
Handicap Open Electric Soaring
1) Six flights allowed with the best four times to count. Eight minutes maximum. Timing starts when the model is launched power on and stops when the model touches anything on the ground.
2) 50 points all or part of the model in the landing circle. Self-timing at discretion of CD.
3) A penalty of 5 point per second will be deducted from the flight score for every second flown over the maximum 8 minutes
4) No restriction on model type or construction except as contained in the Bats Rules of Flying at Seal Road and of battery power as below.
5) Maximum of 3S LiPo batteries allowed. No limit on the number of batteries that may be recharged between flights.
Motor times:
As a starting point the following general handicap rules will apply:
Direct Drive Brushed Speed 400 models: 50 secs. (2S LiPo)
Direct Drive BEE600 models: 45 secs.
Geared 400 models 40 secs ( 2S LiPo)
Brushless motor models: 20 secs. (3S LiPo)
Brushless motor models may be further restricted in run time depending on individual model type or performance, at the discretion of the Thermal Secretary. Such restrictions will be applied before any competition commences and may be adjusted in subsequent competitions. Competitors who believe their model handicap to be unreasonable shall submit their concerns to the Competition Director AFTER the competition, for a review in time for the following week.
Timing: The stopwatch is started when the model leaves the hands of the launcher, motor on. The watch is stopped when the model touches anything in contact with the ground. If the model comes into contact with the pilot before touching the ground, the score for that flight is zero.
Batteries: BEE400 models and Geared BEE400 models will be 7 cell Nickel Cadmium or Nickel Metal Hydride or equivalent (2S LiPo).
All others: Not to exceed 3S LiPo or equivalent.
Attempts
A flight is official when the competitor has declared a competition flight and the model has left the hands of the competitor or helper.
Scoring – Glider and Electric
A score sheet will be provided for each competition. Competitors must check that their name is entered and frequency number. Competitors are responsible for the completion of their part of the score sheet: Flight time in minutes and seconds, and landing bonus. Penalties apply for over-flying at 5 point deduction for every second over the 8 minute maximum. Sums will be done later by the League Controller.
Top scorer for each competition will receive 1000 points towards the League Championship. Other competitors’ scores will be divided by the top score and multiplied by 1000.
Contest Director
At the discretion of the CD the number of flights to count may be adjusted, due to weather changes or the onset of darkness.
If the wind and/or weather are not conducive to flying on the night a decision will be made on the Seal Road field at 6.30pm in consultation with competitors and at the discretion of the CD the contest will be abandoned.
Flying will normally commence at 6.30 pm.
Please note: It is no longer a requirement to notify the Thermal Secretary of the type and description of competitor’s E soaring model
Phil Morrell
Thermal Secretary
2024 Wednesday Evening Competition Dates
Wednesday 3rd April – Pre Season Practice
Wednesday 10th April – E soaring
Wednesday 17th April – Open Glider / RES
Wednesday 24th April – E soaring
Wednesday 1st May – Open Glider / RES
Wednesday 8th May – E soaring
Wednesday 15th May – Open Glider / RES
Wednesday 22nd May – E soaring
Wednesday 29th May – Open Glider / RES
Wednesday 5th June – E soaring
Wednesday 12th June – Open Glider / RES
Wednesday 19th June – E soaring
Wednesday 26th June – Open Glider / RES
Wednesday 3rd July – E soaring
Wednesday 10th July – Open Glider / RES
Wednesday 17th July – E soaring
Wednesday 24th July – Open Glider / RES
Wednesday 31st July – E soaring
Wednesday 7th August – Open Glider / RES
Wednesday 14th August – E soaring
Wednesday 21st August – Open Glider / RES