Which altitude limit?
In addition to the other airspace issues here at the pre-Worlds
there is a question of what is the altitude of the bottom of Zone 3 (the outer
band of the airspace). Is it 6,000' (absolute) as it appears to be on the
organization's maps displayed at headquarters and given to the competitors, or
is it Flight Level 6,000' (which varies as the atmospheric pressure changes) as
appears to be the case with the scorekeepers? The Compeo+ and the Flytec 6030 record barometric altitude under the assumption
that see level pressure in 1013 mb. That is they are assuming a standard
atmosphere. As it is your recorded barometric altitude that is used for
scorekeeping purposes, you would want to be sure that the barometric altitude
displayed on your flight computer corresponds (is the same as) that which is
recorded. Otherwise it would be difficult for you to tell if you are in airspace
or not (at least as far as the scorekeepers are concerned). To display the current barometric altitude on launch you'll want to push the
left soft button on your instrument that corresponds with setting the altitude
display at the current barometrically determined altitude. For example, on the
second day at the south Montecucco launch, the barometric altitude was 3717
feet, while the absolute altitude (as determined by the GPS in the flight
computer) was 3940 feet. More on this: The
articles and discussion (1,
2) on altitude
measurements (individually: 12.122#0,
12.126#1,
12.194#2,
12.196#0,
12.197#0,
13345,
12.207#0,
13.012,
14559,
13.013#2,
13.015#2,
13.016#4,
13.017#4). This has been worked out previously. You can find it
here.
To verify infractions of competition altitude limits, track log
altitude data will be standardised using standard barometric altitude (Pressure
Altitude) of 1013.25hPa. ... Typically, all the Flytec/Brauniger instruments ...
will download correctly and the Pressure Altitude will be recorded in the kml
and igc track log.
The rules for the 2009 World Championships state:
11. 2 Controlled Airspace: Pilots are expected to familiarise
themselves with all controlled airspace and any competition altitude limits in
the vicinity of course lines from the maps and information supplied. The
responsibility is on the pilot at all times to prove that he/she has not
infringed airspace or competition altitude limits. The track logs of at least the top 20 pilots for each task will be checked for
airspace infringement. Other random checks will also be made. Competition
Altitude Limits will be shown on the competition maps and all restricted areas
will be clearly marked. Altitude from the pilots track log will be checked
using barometric altitude using the standard pressure setting of 1013.25hPa and
verified using the scoring software. Primary units will be meters. It is the pilots responsibility to understand whether his instruments record
and/or display barometric or GPS altitude, or both, and what corrections are
made automatically. He must ensure his instruments are set correctly before he
flies. A QNH pressure altitude for the day, with corresponding height, will be
posted on the Task Board each day.
http://OzReport.com/1281100362
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