COMBAT AND COMPETITION.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

CHAPTER FIFTEEN FULL CIRCLE
Lasham was urged to purchase them, in partnership with another
leading club, for hire to competitors. In order to reduce the initial cost,
the Committee had opted for those recording to the nearest minute and
could not say when any higher accuracy might become mandatory.
Strange indeed for it was the final arbiter in such matters.
I explained that we had been examining pilot operated starts, had
conducted trials on an alternative 'ground clock' 6 option and were not
prepared to use this method, as a sole source of information, without
more rigorous testing and training. As for time-base cameras, there
could be no question of such an open ended investment as the
Committee could change the specification at any time. Finally, running
a Nationals and two Regional classes from the same site, we would be
faced with simultaneous pilot operated and ground observed starts,
which would further increase the risks of launching an unproved
system.
The committee were unsympathetic and continued to press for pilot
operated starts. So I left them to continue their deliberations in my
absence. We would not change our procedures in 1985.
However we did introduce two other changes. The first, thanks to
an old Elliott Brothers colleague working at British Aerospace, was a
x 7 magnification gyro stabilised monocular. The 'Steadyscope' proved
invaluable. It compensated for 'operator shake' and made the
identification of gliders approaching the start line much easier.
The second - an attempt to introduce faster and more efficient
scoring, through the services of an up market software house - was a
total failure. We briefed them on the BGA scoring system, the data
inputs, the requirements for daily and cumulative results. As the
picture became more complete I provided them with flow diagrams
and we talked about installing TV type displays in the briefing room
and sponsor's chalet.
The first indication that there might be problems occurred when
they attempted a dummy run, late in the practice week, using the raw
data from a training contest. With less than a dozen competitors it took
an age, and much senior executive time, to produce a result which
failed to match the correct scores! Then the senior executives backed
off and, before the Championships were three days old, our scoring
was in deep trouble.
Bad enough, at the best of times, with the competitors and the
sponsor looking for fast results. But on this occasion we had the Duke
of Edinburgh coming to present the prizes and the long range weather
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