Good morning, This is just a note to let you all know that the Tidewater Model Soaring Society (TMSS) will open-up the Eastern Soaring League's (ESL's) 2008 Unlimited competition season on May 17 and May 18 in Isle of Wight, VA (near Smithfield). The contest will have Sportsman, Expert, Novice, Junior, and LSF-Ladder classes. This is our first ESL contest since 1999 and hope to build upon this year's experience, so come on out. The LSF-Ladder class is an experimental event intended to engage a broader section of the soaring community (see below for more details). Right now, we are considering an open-winch/round format for everything except the LSF-Ladder task. Lots of flying. Come on out and join us. CDs: Josh Glaab and Reid Roberts. http://www.soartmss.com/
The Ladder event is designed to provide a low-pressure competition for those who are looking for LSF Thermal tasks as well as those who prefer the pure-soaring aspect of our hobby (as opposed to split-second approach and spot landings). For this event, pilots will time themselves using a timer that will sound an alert when the task time is reached and will be on their honor. The time will be non-precision, meaning that if you fly for 5:35, you will get a perfect 5 minute score. Note that a 4:35 would be a zero score. The League of Silent Flight (LSF) Thermal Duration task times compose the Ladder (i.e. 5, 15, 30, 60, and the big one: 120 minutes). If you are a beginner, and need another flyer to help coach, that is Ok, but please check with the CD. Note: any type of sailplane is Ok to use in this event, 2M, Unlim, woodies, RES, Moldies, things you found in the attic, things you found in the backyard....;-). Unlike normal Thermal-Duration events, there is no need to worry about the exact time of the flight, only that you exceed one of the flight times and you do need to complete them in order. However, unlike other Ladder events, you can keep racking-up 5 minute flights if you are having trouble getting to the next step. For example, if pilot A already has a 5 minute flight, but his next flight is a 9:15, he can still count a 5 minute flight. This is done to provide positive motivation for those in this group to fly, fly, fly (and also necessitates the 1 pilot per frequency). Landing tasks in the Ladder event are also a little different. For the 5-minute flights, the landing task is a 100-point in/out 3 meter (LSF L-1) landing. For all other flights, the landing task is a 100-point in/out 1.5 meter task. This is done to more effectively follow the LSF pilot ladder guidelines. Thanks, Josh. Office phone: (757)864-1159 Home phone: (757)850-3971 Cell phone: (757)771-1073 Fax: (757)864-8675
