>From the FAI web page. The second sentence fascinates me. F3J - Thermal Duration Gliders
This class is very popular as it is a single task event with simple rules. The competitors try to keep their models aloft for exactly 10 minutes and land as close as possible to a designated spot. Launching the model is achieved by hand towing, where two persons with a 150m-monofilament line pull the model. Pilots are divided in groups, after a matrix schedule, so that during the preliminary or qualifying rounds, they compete against as many as possible of the other pilots. Then the top pilots fly in a single group the Final or Fly-Off rounds, which determine the winner. Excuse my ignorance I am new to the world of soaring. Are they launching like this in international competition? Sounds fun. VFBASS RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and AOL are generally NOT in text format