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21.05.2011
Track logs and live tracking


Gordon Rigg <<gordon.rigg245km>>
writes:


While a 3D flight recording can be essential for a flight to be
ratified - when did it become compulsory to publish it on the web before the
wider community of pilots believe the flight was legal?


This seems to have happened in the UK, if your 3D track log isn't available
online "you must have cheated". Even if the flight was otherwise independently
assessed absence of a complete recording from the public domain means the pilot
must have something guilty to hide!


This got me thinking about track logs in general.


Is it now required that everyone should know exactly how you flew from A to B?
Every thermal circle you made? Perhaps sometimes there are some special places
with special lift that if published means you give away some competitive
advantage, some local knowledge. How Pendry made it to the finish in the 80s was
impossible for us to find out in the past, and where to fly then was often a
secret known only by the top pilots!


Should track logs from all manner of competition flights be published? (not just
checked for the scores, and airspace violations) without first consulting the
pilot?


I recall a DHV article when they took Kathleen's track log (the slowest pilot to
make goal) and Manfred's track log (the task winner) and compared them -
basically admiring Manfred's flight and taking the p*ss out of Kathleen's.
Fortunately Kathleen was not offended!


I am open minded about whether the track logs should all be public - I just
don't think anyone has considered how generous it is for the top pilots to allow
it! It just "happened" and became the norm with no consideration or any
consultation. It has completely changed the access to other pilots techniques.
At the same time we have seen a compressing of pilot performances. Usually
nobody wins by much, and the bulk of the also rans are close behind - though
that is perhaps more due to everyone getting better over the years, fewer new
pilots so inevitably we are all closer to perfection (that would be nice
wouldn't it!?).


As technology progresses I can see a situation where everyone knows where
everyone else is in real time, and those who have a ground crew reading the
other pilot positions will be fed with that info, and advised on tactics like in
F1. I think we should have a debate on if that is a good thing, before it just
happens.


We already had one of the top European Championship teams who left two pilots at
home who could have entered, and wanted to enter, seemingly in favour of funding
ground crew and extra equipment! Publishing the track logs has happened without
any discussion - but without any objections. I think we should have a discussion
about real time tracking, who can see it and when - because there is potential
for it to change pilot tactics in the air - give greater advantage to those with
greater resource, and change the nature of competition so the the flight
tactical decisions are taken from the pilot and made by others sat in front of a
laptop.



http://OzReport.com/1305944446
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