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THIS DRAWING WAS GIVEN TO PILOTS WITH THE TASK SHEET, BUT
WIITHOUT THE COLORS BECAUSE WE DID NOT USE COLOR PRINTER.
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NON-EGALITARIAN
TASKS.
According to a legend the scoring formula used in balloon competitions
for three decades is a
brainchild of Hans Åkerstedt, who for long time has held
very
high and
influential positions in FAI's
Ballooning Commission. Hans is from Sweden, the country that is
rightly known as
the model for all welfare states. But is there a connection between
welfare states and the drawing above? In my imagination there is.
Sweden is among the most egalitarian countries in regard
to income distribution. The distribution of points between competition
pilots is very egalitarian, too: the ones
who miss the goal are rewarded with lots of points. I think that
is a little bit too
fair! That's why I have sometimes given tasks that offer a possibility
to win thousands of points by flying very precisely to one goal.
This
does not mean that I also favour options and enormous salaries for
business executives. I think
that they reward greed more than skill.
Normally a road intersection is a goal for one, and only one, Judge
Declared Goal, and the winning pilot gets 1000 points. The drawing
above describes a case in which one intersection is a goal for 3 tasks.
It means that by throwing his markers closest to goal in all three
scoring areas (or inside the Bull's Eye) the pilot wins 3000 points.
Winner of two scoring areas pockets 2000 points. With one excellent
flight the competitor can win big! This can add drama to a competition.
A pilot with a thousand point lead can not feel that he already has
secured his victory.
I gave this kind of tasks
first time at the 2002 Swedish Nationals. There
I could use big scoring areas because we had observers - there is one
for each competitor and they can measure the result anywhere. In
Estonia we use measuring teams at goal site and they can handle only a
small area. - There is nothing in the
AX Model Rules that prevents giving this kind of tasks.
TASK
BRIEFING. I give only
one goal, the one in Võrumoisa, but 3 tasks.
After goal the pilots have to stay clear of the ugly
congregation
of big power
lines and then they have to land safely
before it gets dark. That is enough for this evening. We do not know
how long we have to wait for flyable conditions.
LAUNCH.
Wind reading results tell us that balloons
will be at the goal in ten minutes after take-off. Not much time to do
any steering! But pilots are
slow
to arrive in Roosisaare and that is my fault. Roosisaare is easy to
reach
by foot and bicycle via a 150 m long bridge over a bay, but cars
must take a much longer roundabout route. If I had paid attention
to
that I would have mentioned it at briefing.
Townspeople witness the launch in corpore. Even the
propane truck is present, the driver evidently wants to know how the
gas was used. Valdur, as usual, has informed people of the exact time
and place with help from Vikerraadio, the most popular radio channel in
Estonia. In balloon competitions that is the only way that works,
unless you
always launch from the same field. We don't.
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PEOPLE OF
VõRU CAME BY FOOT, BICYCLE AND CAR. ANOTHER
IMAGE.
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| A SLIGHTLY WINDY
HOT INFLATION. BIGGER. |
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OLYMPUS IS AGAIN
FIRST IN THE AIR. TIME IS 20:04.
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| KERSTI KõOSAAR, THE MAYOR OF VõRU, GETS A
MEMORABLE EVENING FLIGHT OVER HER TOWN IN KALEV TIKK'S BALLOON BASKET.
PHOTO
VALDUR VACHT.
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Seven of the pilots fly,
another seven decide to stay on ground. According to a well known
balloonist maxim it is much better to regret being on ground than
regretting that one is flying. Safety Officer Darius Mikalajunas asks
Tarmo Lievonen to reconsider his decision to fly, because he was
already late - and would get penalties for that - and because dark
clouds were
approaching from behind; there was a good chance that his balloon would
get wet in landing time. Tarmo reconsiders and stays on ground.
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MEASURERS EIKE KÄSI, KRISTI TOON, JANNE
KÄSI, ANNI TOON JA ITI TOON ROLL UP THE MARKERS AT
VõRUMOISA.
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MEASURING CHIEF JAANUS VÄLJAMÄE POSES IN FRONT OF
HIS ABLE MEASURES FROM KUPERJANOV
INDEPENDENT INFANTRY BATTALION BASED IN VõRU. THEIR SERVICE
IN OUR COMPETITION ENDED ON THIS EVENING. THEIR SERVICE IN THE
BATTALION ENDED NEXT DAY.
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RESULTS,
BUT NOT MANY. Mindaugas
Lycius, Gintautas
Mockaitis and Aurimas Vengrys got
within throwing distance from the goal. Aurimas missed but Mindaugas
got a result of 44.50 m and Gintautas 68.10 m, both in task 4, the pink
scoring area. No results in tasks 3 and 5.
According to rule 12.7 they are failed
tasks and are not included in total results. My offer to win big was
too difficult to make use of with short distance from launch to goal
and too much speed. There was no way to fly low over scoring
areas.
All
landings were done in calm conditions and withouth problems. No
rain either. Võru city government had invited us to show what
ballooning is about. That we had done. A good day.
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SPECTATORS WALKED FROM TOWN TO ROOSISAARE BUT CARS HAVE TO
TAKE A ROUND-ABOUT ROUTE THAT CROSSES RAILWAY TRACKS TWICE.
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| F orecast
for Friday morning promised 10 knots on surface with more
speed in the waiting, and too low cloud base. I prepared a task with
launch
from shooting range in middle of forest
Tsiasungõlmaa, just in
case the weather turns out to
be better. Forecasts are for knowing how and where to prepare. Very
seldom do they grant license not to prepare at all. |
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