Competition Ballooning – Maximum Distance Time
The rule (or information) for this task is set out in Chapter 15 of the Event Rules
The Maximum Distance Time is where the competitor attempts to achieve a mark or valid track point far away from the reference point, within a maximum set time. This is similar to the Race to an Area (see Aerostat June 2017) except instead of the shortest time to get to an area it is the farthest distance flown in a set time. Thus, this depends on wind speed and as with the Race to an Area has the same disadvantages. This is very rarely set and the last time I flew it in a championship was over 10 years ago. The best conditions to set this task is, like the Race to an Area, where there is a narrow band of wind that by accurately flying within it one achieves the best result. Your maximum distance will be from a reference point, either the launch point or your last marker. It is measured in a straight line and not your track length so any deviation along your flight path may not produce the benefit you expect. I did fly this at the Warsteiner Internationale Montgolfier this year in their long distance race which is really a Maximum Distance Time over 2½ hours; in championships the time set is usually 20 or 30 minutes. At Warstein the ideal wind was a low-level jet at about 500ft but in the last 30 minutes of the race the wind at 5,000ft became much stronger. Some pilots climbed up to that height increasing their speed from about 12kts to 20kts but the 40o change in direction meant that their straight-line distance from the launch point ended up less than they would have achieved staying low and none benefitted. In competitions it is easiest to set with loggers and you will be scored to your last track point within the set time. If it is set with markers you need your observer to see the marker drop and that can be difficult in fast winds unless you have them with you in the basket. The time of the mark is when it leaves the basket and not when it lands on the ground, so you can ‘gain’ a few more metres by dropping it in the highest part of the fastest wind as long as you, and more importantly the observer, see it land!
Figure 1: Quieter times at the World Championships 2016, Japan
Written by David Bareford
