4.1 Sailplanes and Equipment

4.1.1 The competitors shall provide sailplanes, trailers, retrieve cars, and other equipment, including GNSS Flight Recorders, radios, oxygen systems, parachutes, and survival equipment of a performance and standard suitable for the event.

a. The airworthiness, safety and safe operation of competing sailplanes and any associated equipment and vehicles, as appropriate, shall be the responsibility of the competitors at all times.

b. Each occupant of a competing sailplane shall use seat belt and shoulder harness and wear a serviceable parachute on each competition flight.

The Organisers may specify additional mandatory equipment if the conditions of their country so require.

4.1.2 Each competing sailplane shall be flown within the limitations of its Certificate of Airworthiness or Permit to Fly and:

a. Must have been issued a valid Certificate of Airworthiness or Permit to Fly not excluding competitions.

b. Shall be made available to the Organisers at least 72 hours before the briefing on the first championship day for an acceptance check in the configuration in which it will be flown. This configuration shall be kept unchanged during the whole competition. No instruments permitting pilots to fly without visual reference to the ground may be carried on board, even if made unserviceable. The Organisers may specify instruments covered by this rule in their Local Procedures .

Configuration refers to the shape, and dimensions of the primary structure of the sailplane and includes movable controlling surfaces, landing gear, winglets, and wing tip extensions. The configuration is considered to be changed if the shape, or dimensions of the primary structure are altered, or, for a motor-glider, if either the engine installation or the propeller is modified. “Instruments” includes any portable devices which use a gyro or inertial platform or high precision GNSS positioning and/ or attitude sensing technology.

Any navigational equipment is permitted.

The Organisers will state in their Local Procedures if they require competing sailplanes to:

4.1.3 Damage to a sailplane must be reported to the Organisers without delay. A damaged sailplane may be repaired. The following items may be replaced instead of being repaired: control surfaces; the complete horizontal stabiliser; airbrakes or flap surfaces; canopy; undercarriage gear and doors; propellers; non-structural fairings; and, wing tips and winglets but not the entire outer wing panels.

If the damage was no fault of the pilot, the whole sailplane or any part of it may be replaced with the consent of the director of the Championships. Landing damage is normally assumed to be the fault of the pilot.

4.1.4 A competitor involved in a collision in the air shall not continue the flight but land as soon as practicable. Both pilots will be scored as having landed at the position at which the collision occurred.

4.1.5 During the Championships, on days when tasks are set, sailplanes entered in the event may only be flown on Championship tasks, except that the Organisers, at their discretion, may permit a sailplane to be test flown.

4.1.6 The Organisers have the right to inspect a competing sailplane at any time during the Championship up to the Prize Giving.