Rule-changes and amendments for 2024
We want to wish all of you a healthy, peaceful and successful start into the New Year with lots of memorable flights in the upcoming season. The new season will come with the Sportsclass-Worldmasters in Zell/Haidberg.
For the upcoming flying season we would like to inform you about the most important rule changes for 2024 with this announcement.
The official documents will soon be published in the according rulebooks on the GPS-Triangle website (www.gps-triangle.net) for download.
The changes were elaborated within the GPS-Triangle committee from surveys within the competing pilots during the last flying seasons as well as from experiences / incidents during the last flying seasons and will be effective from February 2024.
Changes for ALL Classes:
– The barometric altitude needs to be shown in at least ONE “navbox” on the navigation-tablet in every screen (START – THERMAL – GLIDE- INFO). This measure is necessary to facilitate communicating the flight altitudes inside the pilots´ box.
– The pilot is entitled to change the glider model even after take-off but only as long as the maximum entry altitude has not yet been reached.
– Deleting log-files from the scoring platform (www.rcmodelspot.com), from the tablet storage or from the onboard logger storage with the purpose of destroying evidence will result in disqualification from the competition.
– The use of cellphones in the pilots` box that have not been switched off or set to flight mode is prohibited during the heats. Uploading of data has to be done exclusively during breaks in between the heats. A first violation will be reprimanded, the next violation will lead to a zero score of the heat, and even further violations can lead to disqualification of the competitor.
– The operation of a navigation system with a frequency other than the assigned one will result in a zero score of this heat for the pilot. In the event that this leads to an interference with the other pilots in this group, the entire group must be neutralized and restarted without the pilot who caused this to happen.
Changes for Light-Class (Release-Version “V2.1”):
– The maximum entry altitude will be changed from 200m AGL to 250m AGL.
(Reason: This change will give slightly more operating height and allow fulfilling longer flights in tough/windy weather conditions)
Changes for Sport-Class (Release-Version “V1.8”):
– Landing points will only be given after at least one (1) triangle has been completed.
(Reason: Out of technical reasons, it is not possible to assign landing points in the “RCModelspot-platform” without at least one completed triangle.)
Changes for Scale-Class (Release-Version “V10.0”):
Since more than three years now we see pilots competing in the Scale classes with one and the same model. Surveys and observations during the 2023 season were clearly leading to one remarkable statement that emerged:
“One Scale Class is enough!”
Ultimately this statement leads towards the decision to merge both classes, “1:3” and “SLS”.
In the end we want to offer fair and exciting competitions with as many participants as possible.
After the 2023 Worldmasters in Neresheim, it was quite obvious that the only differences between the “1:3” and “SLS” class are the means of getting airborne.
For the upcoming CONTEST-Eurotour events, beginning 2024, we thereby took the decision to only fly ONE Scale-class anymore.
The type of launch (self-launch or aerotow) will be determined by whether tow-planes will be available or not. This will be defined by the respective organizers before the registration period for each competition starts.
The class will be called only “Scale” from now on and the method of towing will be indicated as “Self-launch” or “Aerotow”.
Which planes will be allowed?
All gliders in the scale of 1:3 or smaller are allowed.
All gliders which are larger than 1:3-scale and which were available on the market or have been developed and flown before the year 2024 are allowed too.
So even if pilots plan to buy and compete with these gliders, they surely can do so in the future.
New developments must be smaller or exactly at the scale of 1:3 though!
We want to make sure that design efforts and investments which were undertaken already can pay off here.
However, we also want to ensure that no arms race takes place and immense investments have to be made in new aircraft designs that only have to comply with the 25kg limit. In our eyes this would mean that almost all current models would become obsolete and many new models would have to be developed in a very costly manner.
For one model for example, a scale of 1:2,33 would make sense, the other would be better built in a scale of 1:2,87 in order to achieve the best possible aerodynamic performance.
However, it is much more important that fair competition conditions are created for the largest possible number of participants, which can only be achieved by choosing a sensible upper scale limit.
Based on the currently available models that are well suitable for competition, this maximum upper scale limit can only be “1:3”.
In addition, the maximum allowable wing loading limit of 115gr/dm² applies to all scale glider models. The maximum wing loading is calculated according to the principles specified in the rules documents.
Therefore from 2024 on all scale gliders will compete in one Scale-Class.
The additional changes in the rules will be:
– Landing points will only be given after at least one (1) triangle has been completed.
(Reason: Out of technical reasons, it is not possible to assign landing points in the “RCModelspot-platform” without at least one completed triangle.)
– After the first attempt, it is not allowed to replace any parts of the scale glider. This applies to all mechanical parts excluding the batteries for the engine.
– If towing is available all gliders have the right to be relaunched. However, the first right will always be given to pilots whose gliders are not equipped with a motor.
Please note:
The organization, registration, execution and scoring will be carried out exclusively via the platform www.rcmodelspot.com.
Please register to this platform and download the latest firmware and software versions from
www.rc-electronics.eu!
