FAI – Avenue Mon Repos 24, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland

These notes apply to European/World Hot Air Airship Championships and need to be ready in conjunction with CIA First Category Event Sanction Procedures and Guidelines Document

Senior Officials    

• Event Director
• 2 x Deputy Director
• 2 x Steward
• Safety Officer
• Scorer/Equipment Officer
• 3 x Jury = 10

Scoring Officials      = 18

Total                         = 28

Host country can provide up to 6 Senior and 6 Scoring officials

Likely to be necessary to provide people to cover the following responsibilities:

• Event Organiser
• General Administration
• Finance
• Accommodation
• Social Events and hospitality
• Site Management and Security
• Propane
• Press and PR
• Plus others to suit
• Total, say                 = 12

Summary – event takes place over 6 days (minimum) with 8 possible competition flights.

A realistic estimate would be 12/15 entries, with 6 people per entry – 72/90 people

Full board required for all officials for 7 nights, plus one extra night for, say, 10 people.

There can be some twinning of rooms, and the hotel should be as close as possible to the Competition Center and Launch Field.

Senior Officials will expect full expenses, i.e: travel costs and full board accommodation for the period of the event.

Scoring Officials will expect a contribution to their travel costs (depending on distance travelled) and full board accommodation.

Organisers Staff – negotiable, but probably the same as scoring officials.

It is normal to have an opening Ceremony and Reception (which can be combined), and a Closing Ceremony and Prize Giving Dinner (which could be combined, but are better separated). For costing purposes allow for all in 5 above plus Sponsors, VIPs and other helpers. Say 150/170

Maps of the flying area should be of 25.000 scale or larger, and 60/66 sets will be required.

The flying area needs to be large enough to permit flights of up to 12 – 15 km, either in a straight line, or as a circuit, or as out and back. In addition a suitable area is needed for (a) a slalom course – flat open area about 800 – 1000 meters long (in the direction of the prevailing wind) by 200 – 250 meters wide; and (b) a pylon race course – triangular course with 3 x 1250 meter sides (=3750m/lap for 3 laps = 11.25km).

The flying area should ideally be of varied terrain with hills and valleys, open areas, woods and lakes.

Airships like lots of space, so the launchfield should be a large flat grass area with easy vehicle access and clear of obstructions. Allow approximately 100m x 50m for each airship. Thus 12/15 airships need 60,000/75,000 square meters.

This should be situated as close as possible to the launch field, and should include:

• Briefing room to sit pilot plus 2 per team at tables plus officials
• Operations room for flight planning, debriefing and scoring
• Equipment store
• Jury room

The general briefing on the first day will be considerably larger than Flight Briefings, and should seat around 125/145 people.

Good communications between the director and his staff are of paramount importance, and 16 two-way radios (preferably with a repeater station) are required for the event.

2 will be required, one of which should be reasonably fast, and have reduction facility from A3 to A4.

2 will be required for scoring/general use

The minimum equipment requirement is:

• 10 pylons
• 5 flashing lights (+ batteries if no vehicle access to location)
• 2 X Targets
• 3 Scoring Boxes
• 2 Bulls Eye Targets
• 3 Altitude Hurdles
• 2 Touch and Go Boxes
• 2 Turning Boxes
• 9 Signals flags on poles
• Flag Pole
• Set of 7 flags for above
• Audible warning device
• 7 sets of Markers, 15 markers per set, in distribution trays
• Coloured marker tape and poles
• 10 25m measuring tapes
• 20 cans spray paint
• Set launchfield markers 1 – 12
• 6 sets competition numbers 1 – 12
• Personal Identity badges
• General stationery, copy paper, etc.
• Official Notice board

Total of 10 cars + 2 minibuses will be required for Competition Officials.

Professional met service will be required for duration of event to provide forecasts twice daily.

Propane sufficient for 9 flights x number of airships will be required. Say 200 litres per flight x 12/15 airships x 9 flights = 21.600/27,000 litres.

The Sanction Application should be submitted not later than 31^st December of the year prior to the March CIA Meeting preceding the event.

The entry timetable would be:

18.    PRE-EVENT COSTS

An initial visit by the Event Director is required as soon as possible and well before the Sanction Application deadline. A couple of days should be sufficient, so include 3 nights full board accommodation plus return fares.

Typically 30 – 36 scoring positions need to be established within the flying area. This job needs to be done well in advance (preferably the same month as the event in the preceding year) by the Event Director plus an assistant. It takes about 4 days, so the budget should include travel and full board accommodation for, say 5 nights, for 2 people, plus car hire. This is also the opportunity for on the spot detailed event planning.

2 meter (minimum) poles made from plastic drain pipe with coloured stripe for visibility. 3 stay lines and pegs. Base.

Yellow 12 volt electric flashing lights to fit on top of pylons. Flex to connect to battery on ground or adjacent vehicle. Used for Start/Finish Gate and Turning Pylon

White or orange fabric cross with arms 2 meters long by 50 cm wide. Holes for pegs + 9 pegs.

Square box made from bright coloured fabric with 4 corner poles to go into ground. Sides 150 cm long x 50 cm deep

Circular target 2.8 meters in diameter with 4 scoring areas of different colours – red centre, yellow, blue, white outer. Can be made of heavy weight plastic fabric with foam strip as ‘fence’ between colours.

2 meter long bar suspended approximately 1 meter above the ground. The bar must fall to the ground when hit by the airship, and the supports fall away to avoid getting in airship propeller. Use plastic conduit for bar and wooden supports.

10 meter square (inside dimensions) of white or orange fabric 25 cm wide. Holes for pegs + 16 pegs

5 meter square (inside dimensions) of white or orange fabric 25 cm wide. Holes for pegs + 16 pegs

75 cm x 50 cm on wooden poles. 1green, 1 red, 6 pink with black cross

4 meters high with cross bar and lines for 3 flags. 3 stays and pegs.

Set of 7 flags for flagpole. 75 cm x 50 cm with ties. Red, white, yellow, green, pink, black, violet

Yachting fog horn or similar

50 cm long x 5 cm wide. Weight 65 grammes. Can all be same colour

1 meter square white fabric with black numbers. Holes for pegs + 4 pegs

20 cm square white self adhesive plastic with black numbers

Typical numbers (based on Aosta 1996)

• Pylons - 10
• Flashing Lights + batteries - 5
• X Targets - 2
• Scoring Boxes - 2
• Turning Boxes - 1
• Bulls Eye Targets - 2
• Altitude Hurdles - 3
• Touch & Go Boxes - 2
• Scoring Officials - 20
• Radios - 16
• Vehicles 10 cars + 2 minibuses (or 15 cars)
• Markers 7 sets x number of pilots (one colour)
• Measuring tapes 10 (1 per pair of scoring officials)

Bulls Eye Target

            NOTE: See MS Word file for diagram

Slalom Course

            NOTE: See MS Word file for diagram