{"id":923,"date":"2019-12-05T00:01:13","date_gmt":"2019-12-05T00:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ukcompetitionballooning.com\/?page_id=923"},"modified":"2019-12-03T08:49:17","modified_gmt":"2019-12-03T08:49:17","slug":"fly-on","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ukcompetitionballooning.com\/index.php\/fly-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Fly On"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row gap=”20″ equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1575220154122{border-top-width: 2px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;border-left-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 50px !important;padding-bottom: 50px !important;border-left-color: #dd3333 !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-color: #dd3333 !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-color: #dd3333 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #dd3333 !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;}”][vc_custom_heading text=”Fly On” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:30|text_align:center|color:%23dd3333″ use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1575220049291{padding-right: 25px !important;padding-left: 25px !important;}”][vc_separator color=”juicy_pink” border_width=”2″ el_width=”20″ css=”.vc_custom_1575220022153{margin-bottom: 15px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1575220287201{padding-right: 25px !important;padding-left: 25px !important;}”]15.5\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 FLY ON (FON)<\/strong><\/p>\n

15.5.1\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Competitors will attempt to achieve a mark or valid track point close to a goal selected and declared by them during flight.<\/p>\n

15.5.2\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Task data:<\/p>\n

a.method of declaration
\nb.number of goals permitted
\nc.goals available for declarations
\nd.minimum and maximum distance between previous mark and declared goal<\/p>\n

15.5.3\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The result is the distance from the mark or closest valid track point to the nearest valid declared goal. Smallest result is best.<\/p>\n

15.5.4\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Declaration method for events with observers:<\/p>\n

The competitor must declare his Fly On goal(s) either on the previous marker or on his assigned observer\u2019s report form. The declaration can take place at any time prior to dropping the previous marker.
\nThe declaration must be written by the pilot. A verbal declaration will not be recorded. If the observer is flying in the basket, he should witness and record any declaration written on the marker before the marker is released.
\nAny valid declaration on the marker will invalidate all declarations on the observer report form.
\nIf no valid goal is declared the competitor will not achieve a result. If more goals are declared than are permitted the competitor will be scored to the least advantageous valid goal.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Competition Ballooning – Fly On<\/p>\n

The rule (or information) for this task is set out in Chapter 15 of the Event Rules<\/p>\n

The Fly\u00a0On\u00a0(FON)\u00a0is probably one of the commonest tasks set in any competition; 5 of 19 tasks in the 2015 Saga International Balloon Fiesta\u00a0and 2 of 7 at the 2015 British\u00a0Nationals.\u00a0\u00a0It is the easiest task to add on\u00a0to any number of previous tasks as long as there is room on the competition map and there are goals to declare.\u00a0In fact you may be faced with several tasks then a\u00a0FON\u00a0followed by another\u00a0FON\u00a0(or even more).\u00a0Valid goals are defined in the rules\u00a0and are usually\u00a0a road junction\u00a0that is\u00a0neither a major road nor\u00a0an unfenced farm track,\u00a0so there has to be a selection for the pilot to choose from. With the new electronic \u2018loggers\u2019 the pilot can declare just a grid reference\u00a0\u2018in the sky\u2019\u00a0and aim for that so one needs no ground features at all; you score in this instance by pressing the\u2019\u00a0drop marker\u2019\u00a0button as you fly though the point.\u00a0In the\u00a0FON\u00a0task the pilot chooses a goal that he\/she intends to fly to after the previous task but needs to select that goal and declare it before dropping the marker to that previous task.\u00a0So in a simple set of tasks such as a\u00a0Judge Declared Goal (JDG)\u00a0followed by a\u00a0FON\u00a0you need to select a goal\u00a0(usually only one) further\u00a0on from the JDG (usually 2-5 km) while flying the first task. To reduce workload pilots will select\u00a0\u2018provisional\u2019 goals\u00a0in the area where they are likely to head\u00a0to\u00a0after the JDG and work out the grid references of those goals so they are ready to\u00a0write the selected one down.\u00a0\u00a0The normal method of declaration is to write the goal reference of the\u00a0FON\u00a0onto the marker of the previous task; in this case the JDG. With electronic loggers the pilot has the ability to declare the goal in the logger. When this is done the time and place declared will be also be logged thus identifying if this has been done before reaching the previous goal. In both cases (manually and electronic) one has the ability to re-declare should the winds shift as you approach the previous goal.<\/p>\n

The whole rule is quite wordy but this is\u00a0focused on 15.5.4 describing the declaration method.\u00a0This is as a result of much debate and argument over many years. The original rule\u00a0stated that \u201cThe competitor shall write clearly on the previous marker his declared goal(s) for fly on. If the previous marker is not dropped or no goal is written on it or if more goals are declared than permitted the competitor will not achieve a result.\u00a0As a precaution, in case the previous marker should be lost, the competitor may personally write a provisional goal on the observer’s sheet.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0This meant that if you wrote a provisional goal on the observer\u2019s sheet and then flew to that goal\u00a0you still would not achieve a score if you had not written anything on the marker, even if it was an illegible scribble.\u00a0 So the pilot who was skilled enough to declare before takeoff scored nothing if he did not write anything on the marker. This was always felt to be wrong and many pilots were penalised for this (including myself) and so eventually words have been found that allows you to declare to the observer (in writing)\u00a0without anything having to be on the marker.\u00a0If you do need to write on the marker (which you will have to if you change your mind and the observer is following on the ground) then it is advisable to use a permanent marker; many pilots have not been scored as their\u00a0marker has fallen on to\u00a0wet\u00a0grass heavy\u00a0which\u00a0has washed off their carefully inscribed goal reference made with\u00a0non-permanent\u00a0ink.\u00a0 The main reason to write a provisional goal on the observer sheet is in case the marker is lost or stolen. This reminds me of a miscarriage of justice that occurred at the Europeans in Lithuania in 2003. Mike Howard was flying his observer. He was approaching the goal before the fly on when he needed to re-declare his fly on goal. He wrote it on the marker and the observer then took note of the goal reference though Mike did not write it on the sheet himself. The marker was dropped close to the goal but when they returned it had been stolen. He was given a no score as he had not written anything himself on the observer\u2019s sheet though the observer had witnessed the declared goal reference. Rule 6.1 states that \u201cThe observers\u00a0duties are primarily the impartial recording of particulars of positions, times, distances etc. achieved during a flight.\u201d This he did. Mike protested\u00a0to\u00a0the jury\u00a0but lost. At the debriefing at the end of the\u00a0event\u00a0the pilots\u00a0and observers unanimously\u00a0agreed that this was wrong as that is what the observer is there for. On another occasion when I dropped my marker from height near a housing estate I could see a teenager approach and pick up my marker with my crew someway behind and out of sight because the wind was quite brisk. I got my binoculars out as I sped away and managed to follow the reprobate through a couple of streets to a house which he entered.\u00a0 I landed some miles on, quickly packed up and with the retrieve vehicle returned to the house.\u00a0 You had to see the look on this teenager\u2019s face when he appeared at the door with his mum and I asked for my marker back, the tail of which could just be seen emerging from his trouser pocket.<\/p>\n

FONs\u00a0can get trickier these days. It has been\u00a0set after a task such\u00a0as a Hare and Hounds\u00a0(see previous article). In this situation you\u00a0can only work out distance limits once the hare has landed.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0If you are close to the hare and there is little change of direction with height you may have to select a goal from very few options within a few minutes of the hare landing as you are trying to concentrate on the approach to that target. With electronic marks you may be asked to declare\u00a0at a specific height and this can be further complicated by having to declare at a height some distance above or below the declared height. For instance\u00a0at the recent World Air Games the data for the FON stated\u00a0\u201cany coordinate with altitude min. 200ft above MSL at least 400ft above or below declaration point\u201d.<\/p>\n

Taking the simple FON it should be straight forward to select a goal further on your flight rack as you will know the available winds to use as you fly to the first target. However winds can change or drop off altogether\u00a0so\u00a0it is not surprising to sometimes achieve\u00a0a result\u00a0of 2.5km with a minimum distance\u00a0between your previous mark and declared goal of 2km.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Marker going at a FON,\u00a0GP at Stanford Hall\u00a01996\u00a0 by\u00a0Karin Bareford<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n

Two FONs at Tochigi, Japan 2014<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Crews awaiting at a FON, Tochigi, Japan\u00a02011\u00a0 by\u00a0Rupert Stanley<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Written by David Bareford[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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