automated judging heck, how about an automated avoidance system!

[Keith Black]

OK guys, this whole automated judging thing sounds cool, but if someone on
this list has the expertise to monitor telemetry data the first thing I'd
like to see is a warning system to help us avoid mid-airs. I've seen a dozen
planes destroyed in the last year in mid-airs (one was mine), and about
three more mid-airs where the pilots were able to save the planes.

If we had ground sensors or GPS sensors in our models that could predict
within a margin of error when two planes would be in the same zone at the
same time then we could sound a warning to let the pilots know to avoid
another aircraft. Obviously the most extreme system would take over control
of the plane and dodge the other plane, but that would be really
complicated. I think just having a system to give an audible warning when to
planes got too close would be quite useful.

Think about it this way. We fly in three dimensions, many times lines will
cross visually when the x (side to side) and y (top to bottom) axis are
crossed. However, if the z (distance) axis is not the same there is no
worry. The problem is that sometimes we think the z-axis is different when
it's not, or more often we simply don't notice the other plane at all, like
when model A is coming straight down and model B is flying horizontal.

If we had a system that could monitor the x, y and z-axis then that system
could sound a warning if two planes occupied the same zone at the same time.
The zone could be adjusted for size based on the desired safety margin. This
alone would be helpful, but to make things more useful if the system could
calculate future locations based on speed and heading then this would make
the system REALLY useful. I understand that headings change abruptly such as
90 degree pulls and therefore the system wouldn't be 100% accurate, but it
could certainly help a LOT. Also, providing a reasonable safety zone, like
20x20x10 meters, would mitigate the problems introduced by abrupt direction
changes.

As to the hardware, it would be ideal if this hardware were something that
could be moved from plane to plane between flights, that way each pilot
wouldn't need to own their own beacon. Perhaps a contest would have four
beacons and these beacons would be switched from model to model between
flights. The in flight and on-deck model in each line would have the beacon
and then the landing plane would switch with the next on-deck plane. Each
district could own two or three systems that would be shared between the
different contests.

I really don't think this system is that far fetched.

THEN: once the system is in place some industrious engineer can work on
integrating automated scoring into the same system!

Keith Black


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dean Pappas" <d.pappas at kodeos.com>
To: <discussion at nsrca.org>
Sent: Friday, October 29, 2004 3:12 PM
Subject: RE: judging


Hi Earl,
I know that you were in the room, at least one time that I remember this
automated judging system was discussed.
It still is feasible and it still ain't cheap! Beer was certainly present,
at that meeting. A transponder, in the plane, and at least three  ground
based receivers would do it. Maybe now, telemetry from a GPS in the ship,
and a computer on the ground, would do. You could even evaluate all sorts of
bobbles, with the exception of wings level. But then what would we complain
about? Our flying? Heavens to Mergatroid! NO!

Jeff,
It is going to be fun to interact with your enthusiasm for this subject. I
do have a "graphical" system I would like to discuss with you. It can be
made to produce a score, but that becomes problematical, for reasons that I
can only explain by anecdote. By the way, your assumption that a good judge
separates the best and worst flyers by a greater amount sounds good, and is
actually true in many cases, but is flawed. We judge against an absolute
standard. Yes, many judges don't separate the worst from everyone else by as
much as they might. Even  bloodthirsty competitors tend to show mercy to
windblown underclassmen, and competitors at all levels who are no threat to
win!

I do think that as you spend more time in the event, you'll find out that if
you come up with a genuinely original idea, everyone will let you know. For
now, I am content to try and educate new judges as to how to execute what
the rule book says, and trusty the rest to statistics.

Regards All,


Dean Pappas
Sr. Design Engineer
Kodeos Communications
111 Corporate Blvd.
South Plainfield, N.J. 07080
(908) 222-7817 phone
(908) 222-2392 fax
d.pappas at kodeos.com



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