SEN 2845
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Where we are
We got a suggestion from a long time SEN subscriber that we publish the extract below from Free Flight News, written by Ian Kaynes. FAI Free Flighters are all trying to figure out the next step. On one hand with vaccines and public health measures we are getting the pandemic under control. We see on Facebook some big ‘local’ contests such as the SCAT and San Valeers at Lost Hills and national ones like the recent Russian event. But the position of many is reflected by the email the USA Team Selection committee recently received, where a long time FAI Sportsman, former USA Team member and regular participant in FAI in the USA and other counties said that even though he had received a vaccination, the uncertainty involved in travel to the USA team selection event and World Champs in France was just too great. He regretted it but would not be taking part this year and he looked forward to next time when hopefully it would all be sorted.
This is the latest from FFn
CIAM
A Bureau meeting was held on April 3. This discussed the status of 2021 Championships, the World Cup and preparations for the 2021 Plenary meeting and associated meetings which are to be held during the next month.
Championships
The 2021 Championships have different decision dates for determining whether they go ahead or not. All events considered so far have been cancelled or postponed. The decision dates for free flight events are May 15 for F1ABC Senior and F1ABP Junior World Championships in France, June 1 for F1E World Championship in Romania and September 1 for F1D Indoor World Champs in Romania in December.
The meeting requested that plans be drawn up for the alternatives which will be adopted in the event of a championship being postponed from 2021. The Free Flight Subcommittee have considered this for the free flight events and unanimously propose the following:
After losing events in 2020 and 2021 it is logical to return to the traditional Free flight schedule which places the F1ABC and F1E World Championships in odd year and the Junior F1ABP and Indoor World Championships in even years.
- the F1ABC World Championship in France would be delayed from 2021 to 2023. This does not disturb the planned 2022 F1ABC European Championship in North Macedonia. The bids submitted for2023WorldChampionships(from Romania and Mongolia) could be transferred to 2025 or left for consideration at a future Plenary, depending on whether a decision is known by the time of the 2021Plenary meeting.
- For the F1ABP junior events, the 2022 World Championship is awarded to Bulgaria and this should stand. To follow the link with F1ABC in France a2023 F1ABC World Championship in France could be linked with the 2023 F1ABP Junior European championship. This world/junior European link would be the same as originally awarded to France for 2021. The bids submitted for 2023 (from Romania and Russia) could be transferred to 2025 or left for consideration at a future Plenary.
- For F1E and F1D the only bids and accepted events are all hosted by Romania, with the possibility that the 2021 Indoor World Championships (postponed from 2020) will be able to be held as planned in December 2021. Whatever happens with that one, itis simple then to identify the 2022 events as World or European Championships according to the standard schedule for odd and even years.
World Cup
Initially the start of the 2021 World Cup had been postponed to March 1. At the February Bureau meeting the decision had been taken to delay it further to May 10. At this meeting I proposed that in view of the present Covid-19 situation and international travel problems for many countries the start should be put back to July 1. Bruno Dolors said that it was important to start on May 10 without further delay regardless of the difficulties. This view received no support from the Bureau and so the start of the 2021 World Cup is now delayed to July 1. This will be reviewed next month at Bureau and Plenary meetings. It is possible that if a further delay is required the remainder of 2021 could be combined with 2022 for single extended World Cup. Some other categories, with fewer autumn events than F1, are already considering the viability of their 2021 World Cups.
Free Flight Technical Meeting
This will be held on April 17. The proposals to be considered were listed in January FFn except that a proposal from the Free Flight Subcommittee carried over from 2020 was not included. This is a proposal to clarify the need to announce if timekeepers will not be provided at an Open International:
F1.1.2 Provision of Timekeepers
Add a new sentence to F1.1.2 a) as follows:
a) In Free Flight events, provide each starting position with two time keepers in Championships. At Open Internationals each starting position should be provided with at least one timekeeper, but if the organisers are unable to provide official timekeepers they must announce this in advance in a bulletin. For fly-offs an additional timekeeper must be provided (i.e. three for Championships, at least two for other contests). All time keepers must have binoculars. Each starting position must be equipped with at least one tripod for supporting binoculars.
Reason: This emphasises that organisers should provide at least one time keeper at each starting position. However, some competition organisers do not manage to meet this basic need and it is important that competitors know in advance if there will be no official timekeepers. They can then make a decision in advance of whether to attend the event.
The subcommittee has considered the proposal (j) from France using the term “self-timing”. Apparently that proposal is not intended to apply to competitors timing their own flights, but it was recognised that the Sporting Code does not actually state that they cannot time their own flights. It will be suggested to the Technical Meeting that this timekeeping clarification proposal be extended to cover this additional clarification:
Change item F1.2.1.(b) to read “Competitors may act as timekeepers for flights of other competitors.”
Reason: To confirm the currently accepted situation that competitors can never be timekeeper for their own flights.
CIAM procedures require that the Subcommittee should vote on the proposals before the Free Flight Technical Meeting and these votes are used as one input to the discussions at the Technical meeting and the Plenary meeting.
The following gives the votes by the subcommittee.
The above timekeeping clarification and the addition to it were supported unanimously by the subcommittee. Votes on the other proposals in the order used in the January FFn are:
F1A launching 5 for, 10 against
F1B flyoff 11 for, 2 against
F1C characteristics for juniors 2 for, 8 against
F1C instead of F1P at Junior Champs 2 for, 8 against
F1D half-motors 7 for, 1 against
World Cup – add F1D and F1D Junior unanimous support
World Cup – bonus top 3 places unanimous support
World Cup – first flight unanimous support
Championships Bids
2022 events
The 2022 World Championships were awarded last year:
F1ABP Junior World Champs Bulgaria
F1D World Champs Romania
Continental Championships for 2022 have a single bid for each, with the award to be confirmed at the 2021 Plenary meeting:
F1ABC Euro Champs North Macedonia
F1E Euro Champs Romania
F1ABC Asia-Oceanic Champs Mongolia
2023 events
The offers for 2023 will be considered at the Plenary meeting in May. The current status for free flight events are:
F1ABC World Champs bids from Romania and Mongolia
F1E World Champs bid from Romania
F1ABP Junior Euro Champs bids from Russia and Romania
F1D Euro Champs bid from Romania
Editor’s Comment – the voting from the FFTSC is quite important as it appears that CIAM Plenary delegates without a firm mandate from their NAC often follow the “experts” when they vote.
Seen On FB (and in the Sympo?)
Extensive photos of events in Russia. Good to see faces of old friends and new people. Looks like there was a very good turnout. Pity we don’t see many at other international events.
There were some pictures of an F1B that appeared to have one wing as a flapper and the other ‘normal’ and another where it suggested that the right and left wing panels might have different wing sections. The author of the article said that inventor of these ideas was wishing that they were subject of a NFFS Sympo Model of the year. To explain a bit more, which many non American people commenting on the article did not understand, the NFFS does not send out people to scan the world to find great stuff. It works more like this: each year a different person is appointed as the Symposium editor – this year it is Jack Murphy. Then people are appointed to head up the various committees such as the model of the year. It would happen that sometimes there is some event where the choice of a candidate for model of the year is very obvious, possibly a World Champs or World Cup win. In this case the Model of the Year [MOY] committee might seek out information about that model. But most times the MOY is proposed by someone who thinks that the model or some innovation is worthy of nomination. That person will make a proposal to the Sympo Editor and MOY committee. The committee with review that along with other candidates and decide on the models of the year for that Sympo. Sometimes the proposer will ask other modellers to write to the MOY committee in support of the proposal. The Sympo editor is always looking for quality material so it you have the information, go for it!