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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I recall a discussion on this subject earlier in
the year. My background is heavy IMAC but I am wanting to fly some more
pattern soon. Part of the earlier discussion was about the issue that
calling avoidance and breaking from the sequence if you think you might mid-air
is allowed in IMAC but not in pattern.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In 10+ years of IMAC competition- maybe 40-50
contests - I can only think of a few mid-airs, maybe three or so. Believe
me when I say that calling avoidance and breaking the sequence is not something
that you want to do in the heat of competition- it can really throw off a good
sequence. Having said that, with fewer mid-airs in IMAC perhaps
we can conclude that allowing sequence breaks to avoid potential mid-airs makes
sense for pattern too. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dave Michael</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=tkeithblack@gmail.com href="mailto:tkeithblack@gmail.com">Keith
Black</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org
href="mailto:nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org">NSRCA Mailing List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, September 25, 2007 5:47
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [NSRCA-discussion] Mid-Air
discussion</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Following my mid-air at the N. Dallas contest
this weekend there's been an RCU thread started on the subject. From this
discussion an interesting idea has evolved. For those who would like to read
the thread here's the link: <A
href="http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_6409493/anchors_6413018/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#6413018">http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_6409493/anchors_6413018/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#6413018</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If you'd just like to hear the idea I'll paste my
RCU posting below:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri>This is my
third mid-air in four seasons. My first may have been avoided, but the last
two were a complete shock to both me and my caller. In fact, in mid-air #2 my
caller said "you're good" (meaning we were not going to hit). The other
pilot's caller walked up to me and apologized saying that he told the other
pilot that he was in the clear. Therefore, I don't know how effective a third
"spotter" sitting between the lines could be.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri>That being
said, two recent events have given me an idea of how we might be able to
greatly improve this problem. The first light bulb was Vicente's suggestion of
the spotter that warns the pilots. The second event was my walk out to pick up
the fragments of my beloved Brio. As I was walking back I stood for a bit to
observe the planes looking down the flight path. It was amazing how clearly
you can see each plane as it moves in and out from the flight line.
</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri>So here's
the idea: What if we sat a spotter at the corner of the box to watch plane
separation in the distance out dimension and then had the other spotter
sitting between the judges (or even back under the cover) watching in the
right to left dimension. These two spotters could use radios with headsets and
continually talk to each other. There are many times that planes appear to be
close to a mid-air from the flight line viewpoint, however, the number of
times that both spotters would be alarmed should be fairly minimal. When this
occurs the spotter could sound an alarm (this deserves discussion as to the
details) and each pilot could peel off of their course. If one pilot froze the
collision may still be avoided by just one pilot taking action. Sure, this
could cause a mid-air, but viewing from two dimensions should help in alerting
only when an impact is probable.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri>Some have
stated that they've seen very few mid-airs, but my experience in D6 and NATS
is that at least 70% (if not more) of the contests I've attended have had
mid-airs. I'm not going to run away crying and quit the hobby due to this
mid-air, but reducing such losses would be a benefit to us all!</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT face=Calibri>Keith
Black</FONT></P></DIV>
<P>
<HR>
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