Jim Ward
10-30-2012, 02:54 PM
From the 2013 Rules Change Proposals thread:
Thanks for the info. That is actually sort of good news in that the effort that IAC volunteers put into last year's rule change benefited one member. But it begs the question of whether the IAC contest rules should contain paragraphs that benefit one or two members.
Hope that the minutes if the fall board meeting offer some insight into the discussion on this one.
Regards,
Wes
N78PS
Wes & all,
The 4-Minute Free is an interesting topic. Here are some numbers:
36 regional contests are posted on the IAC results page so far in 2012
Of these, 6 contests included a 4-Minute Free Program, but only 5 had 2 or more competitors flying
Of the 300-400 people who've flown contests in 2012, just 9 flew the 4-Minute Free (8 from Unlimited, 1 from Advanced)
Most of those 9 flew this program in just one contest; 1 pilot flew 2, 1 pilot flew 3
If you include Nationals, the new numbers become: 37 contests, 6 with a competitive 4-Minute, 14 pilots flying (12 Unlimited Power, 1 Unlimited Glider, 1 Advanced Power)
Looking at this info, a reasonable person might ask whether there's sufficient ROI to operate this flight program. There does seem to be modest support for it within our membership, so I wouldn't use the data alone to argue for its removal. From an administrative point of view, though, all the hard work (the "investment") has been done – save, perhaps, for wrestling with rule change proposals.
The rule change effective in 2012 that includes Advanced category pilots has marginally increased participation and has the potential to do so further in the future. So, considering that the infrastructure is in place and that contests may include 4-Minute Frees at no incremental cost, I see nothing that motivates a change here. Do you?
Best,
Jim
Thanks for the info. That is actually sort of good news in that the effort that IAC volunteers put into last year's rule change benefited one member. But it begs the question of whether the IAC contest rules should contain paragraphs that benefit one or two members.
Hope that the minutes if the fall board meeting offer some insight into the discussion on this one.
Regards,
Wes
N78PS
Wes & all,
The 4-Minute Free is an interesting topic. Here are some numbers:
36 regional contests are posted on the IAC results page so far in 2012
Of these, 6 contests included a 4-Minute Free Program, but only 5 had 2 or more competitors flying
Of the 300-400 people who've flown contests in 2012, just 9 flew the 4-Minute Free (8 from Unlimited, 1 from Advanced)
Most of those 9 flew this program in just one contest; 1 pilot flew 2, 1 pilot flew 3
If you include Nationals, the new numbers become: 37 contests, 6 with a competitive 4-Minute, 14 pilots flying (12 Unlimited Power, 1 Unlimited Glider, 1 Advanced Power)
Looking at this info, a reasonable person might ask whether there's sufficient ROI to operate this flight program. There does seem to be modest support for it within our membership, so I wouldn't use the data alone to argue for its removal. From an administrative point of view, though, all the hard work (the "investment") has been done – save, perhaps, for wrestling with rule change proposals.
The rule change effective in 2012 that includes Advanced category pilots has marginally increased participation and has the potential to do so further in the future. So, considering that the infrastructure is in place and that contests may include 4-Minute Frees at no incremental cost, I see nothing that motivates a change here. Do you?
Best,
Jim