King Mountain Contest Rules
2008 CONTEST RULES
Download Registration, Release, Rules, and Routes forms HERE [8 pg PDF 49KB]
ORGANIZATION
A route committee consisting of the meet director and three competitors will determine the route for the day. The days task will be declared by 12:30 pm on launch. The decision is based on the upper air forecasts and will be (generally) the most downwind route. If a consensus is not reached by 12:45 the meet director will select the route. New routes may be opened as dictated by conditions or alternate launches.
The Meet Director may appoint a rules committee to assist with disqualifications, grievances, cheaters, complaints, whiners, and other weighty matters.
CLASSES
Pilots can choose between an OPEN and a RECREATION (75 mile) class.
Entry to the Recreation Class is restricted to those pilots who have NEVER had a flight over 75 miles (prior to registration). Pilots in the Recreation Class are also eligible to enter and place in the Open Class for an additional $15. There will be extra, Recreation class only bonus LZs closer to launch. First through third place trophies will be awarded in each class. In addition to individual scores, a TEAM competition will also be held. Pilots wishing to enter a team must register their team prior to the start of competition, and pay a fee of $5 extra per person on the team. Teams must be 5 pilots, at least one of whom must be entered in the Recreation Class. Individual daily scores will be added, then divided by the number of members on the team to determine the team score. Trophies will be awarded to the first place team members. Free flyers are welcome but they will not be scored and they are expected to not interfere with the competition. All pilots flying during the Meet must have current USHPA membership for insurance purposes, including free flyers.
FLYING CONDITIONS
King Mountain has two SW facing launches with primarily thermal lift. Afternoon conditions are typical mountain flying conditions with turbulence and sink accompanying STRONG lift. The launches and landing zone are large with few obstacles. Access is via a new improved, but still 4WD, road. Other launches may be used if dictated by weather conditions.
SETUP
Gliders may be set up anywhere that they do not obstruct launch or impede vehicle turnaround. Meet Director and Launch Director will be the first to go up to the upper launch.
Three vehicles will be allowed on upper launch at a time. Vehicles MUST BE UNLOADED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE then driven down to the parking area. All rigs must park below the launch spine wind sock after unloading. Be aware that dust devils are frequent and that gliders must be securely tied down if left unattended. Do not trust old ropes left on tie-downs.
PILOT RESPONSIBILITIES
Pilots are responsible for using their best judgment of their abilities and conditions to fly in a safe manner in compliance with FAR part 103. Pilots will follow generally accepted right of way and thermal etiquette rules. Please behave in a courteous and sporting manner at all times. All thermalling turns will be to the left within one mile of launch.
Pilots exhibiting unsportsmanlike conduct may be subject to the wrath of the Meet Director and /or disqualification.
A WORD ABOUT DOGS...
Sorry, but no dogs will be allowed in set up areas or on either launch. NO EXCEPTIONS. An official pooper-scooper, rubber gloves and baggies will be left at the Moore Park. Pet owners are asked to respect the citizens of Moore and other competitors by picking up after their dogs.
TASK FORMAT
To maximize fun and mileage, the tasks will be open distance cross country along a declared route with bonus goals. The routes have been flown many times and have proved to be effective XC routes. To maximize the fairness and validity of the meet, and to ease the scoring and retrieval, all pilots will fly the same route each day and must land within the designated corridor to be scored. As previously stated, the Route Committee will attempt to pick the optimal route based on the days conditions. As always, however, it is the pilots responsibility to fly safely and terminate the flight as dictated by changing and/or dangerous conditions.
LAUNCH RULES
Once the route has been called, the launch window is open until one hour prior to sunset. There are two launch sites available at King Mt. (upper and lower). Due to space restrictions at the upper launch, if the field of competing pilots exceeds 50 then the pilots who pre-registered will be given upper launch preference. Postmark dates for pre-registrations will be used to determine the pilots in order of preference (the earlier the better). Any remaining spaces on upper launch will be available in order of on-site registrations. Re-flights can be made from either launch. If a pilot prefers the lower launch he/she is welcome to use this launch exclusively, even if they were allowed an upper launch space. Three vehicles will be allowed to unload at the upper launch at a time. Pilots on the Task Committee shall be first in line to upper launch after the Meet Director. Vehicles are to be unloaded immediately, then parked below launch. With the exception of the task committee, no one is permitted to start setting up their glider on upper launch until all vehicles have had a fair opportunity to unload. Pilots choosing to launch the lower launch may set up their gliders at any time.
Whenever possible an open launch procedure will be used. Pilots may move their glider to one of the two launch alleys at any time provided they are set up to go and in their harness - If there is a lineup, then they must wait in line. A written list may be used to keep track of the order of pilots set up and in their harness that wish to launch beyond what can be physically accommodated at each launch. Each pilot is required to do a hang check immediately prior to launching. The launching pilot may wait for a good launch cycle. If the pilot on launch does not take advantage of good launch cycles, she/he can be bumped to the back of the line.
Pilots are expected at all times to use their best judgment of their abilities and conditions to choose a launch cycle and execute a safe launch.
FREE FLYERS
No free flying from upper launch alleys on King during the meet between 1:00 and 4:00 PM without permission from the launch director. Some free flyers would be welcome to act as wind technicians if they are willing to work with the launch director. Lower launch is open as long as it does not interfere with the competition.
SCORING
This year we will be using a computerized scoring system which will be based on GPS Coordinates. Pilots are requested to fly with GPS units for ease of scoring and for safety. Scores can be manually entered, but it will not be the preferred method. Scoring will be based on straight line distance from launch to landing along the designated route. Re-flights are allowed.
Only one flight per day will be scored subject to the following:
- Flights must terminate within the designated corridor.
- Pilots landing outside the corridor will receive a penalty equal to 5X the distance outside the corridor. Scoring is one point per mile.
- Pilots are responsible for getting witnessed odometer readings to both the nearest mile marker and intersection or town.
- Anyone, including your driver, can be your witness.
- The better your landing confirmation (the best would be by a fellow competitor) the less likely that there would be any way to dispute your claim.
- The honor system will be used and the witness does not have to view the actual touchdown.
- A pilot's word is assumed good unless formally disputed. Scores for questionable flights will be determined by the Meet Director.
- In addition to the one point per mile, bonus points can be scored by landing within one mile of a designated bonus LZ.
NEW for 2008 - Final scores will be the best 4 flights out of a 6 day period.
The bonus LZs for each route and pilot category are shown on the Routes, LZs page. Based on weather conditions, the route committee can change the schedule of LZs and bonus points prior to the launch of the first pilot as they see fit. Daily Score = Flight Distance (handicapped)+ LZ Bonus
In addition to the above, a handicap system will be used in both classes, based on glider selection.
Handicap Chart
| Glider | L/D | Miles Flown | Multiplier | Miles Scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single Surface | 7:1 | 100 | 1.25 | 125 |
| Kingposted Double Surface | 11:1 | 100 | 1.00 | 100 |
| Topless | 13:1 | 100 | 0.89 | 89 |
| Rigid Wing | 16:1 | 100 | 0.81 | 81 |
Pilots MUST submit GPS coordinates prior to 10:00 pm each evening. Returning pilots may phone in coordinates as long as the call is made prior to 10:00 pm. Cellular and land lines will be available for pilots to call and leave their coordinates. In addition, pilots are REQUIRED to submit a written landing form prior to the next days pilot meeting. Landing forms are required even if the pilot did not fly that day. This is how we make sure everyone is accounted for.
DECLARING A WINNER
A minimum of one round will be required to declare a winner. As conditions permit, all days will be a competition round. The winner shall be the pilot with the most points, taken from their 3 best flights, at the conclusion of the meet.
RETRIEVAL
To keep entry fees down, no retrieval will be provided by the meet organizers. Pilots should bring drivers or plan on purchasing retrieval prior to launch.
COMMUNICATIONS
2 meter FM radios are required. USHPA frequency of 151.625 and 147.510 will be the meet frequencies. Other ham frequencies and associated licensing are also acceptable. All frequencies must be provided to Meet Officials. If frequencies are changed after registration, they must be documented with an official launch director.
ROUTES
See the ROUTES page for a list of Routes, Bonus LZ locations, and GPS Waypoints.
AWARDS
- Recreation Class: Trophies to the top 3 places
- Open Class: Trophies to the top 3 places
- Sportsmanship Award: - Awarded to an individual who makes a selfless contribution to the Meet or to their fellow competitors.
- Eiji Yokoda Memorial Trophy: This trophy was created by Jimmy Pricer to honor our friend and fellow pilot, Eiji Yokoda. Awarded each year to the pilot who has the longest flight at the King Mountain Hang Gliding Championships. This is a traveling trophy and the winner must return the trophy to the Meet each year.
- Driver Award:This award is donated by Craig Hines of Aerial Chair. Craig is donating one of his wonderful Aerial Chairs to the driver who picks up the most pilots during the entire meet.
- Staff Choice Award: This award was created to increase recognition by the pilots, for the hard working meet staff. All staff have individual awards to give out to someone that helps out each day.
HAVE FUN!