Around the World Race 2013 thoughts and suggestions
Mike, Rob, and Austin
I am really sorry for chiming in here so late but since before Christmas I have been busy with real life.
I have a few suggestions for this year’s race I would like you all to look at. Some of these ideas I discussed with Rob after Mike had asked to help out with the race this year.
With the recent changes to the committee I think we have an excellent opportunity to press the reset button one on the race. Most of the members who fly now are used to the in depth rules and challenges that we have had for the last few year’s.
It’s the start of the next era of the Around the World Race and my suggestion is to strip all of the extras from the race this year making the rules as simple as possible.
There are a lot of benefits to doing this now. First is with the change in leadership it’s the right time to do it. Second it’s actually completely instep with past planning that always added more or different to enhance the race. This idea will certainly count as different. The last reason is with the new management system fewer rules and account should mean it will be easier on everyone involved.
There are probably a few other reasons but for now those will work.
In the nut shell
1. Strip out all bonuses
a. No kickoff event
b. Team Flights are a requirement but yield no bonus, let them all be done as soon as a team can with no restrictions on time.
c. No aircraft bonus
d. No landing bonus
2. No Penalties such as wingman transfers the delay in time between baton and wingman serves as sufficient penalty.
3. Necessary penalties for cheating type infractions constitutes a loss of leg, no additional time.
4. No unnecessary accounting because there is no bonus bank.
5. No special challenges make the race purely about racing around the world in defaults and aircraft from the approved list.
6. Increase the maximum leg distance to 800nm
7. Remove the 2hr x 3 penalty and replace it with a 3hr drop dead leg time. Any leg going over 3 hrs is lost time.
8. Skip the continental briefing sheets and anything that adds complexity to the race.
9. Make this year’s race a shot gun start. Rob and I have discussed this before. Post all the routing rules less the starting and ending point. The starting and ending ICAO should be included in the Official Race has started post. If anyone objects just tell them it was my idea. LOL
10. I know there has been some thought to close the South Pole route for the race but I would like to voice my opinion on why it should not be closed.
a. Pulling off the Southern route is just as likely to go horribly wrong as it is to be an advantage.
b. The starting and ending point is just as effective in closing the southern route but it still leaves the path there forcing each team to look at is it do able for this race.
c. The Southern Route becomes a mystery where each team will wonder if the other will be taking the path. This means each team should be planning and testing the route. (Except for us I am not doing it again. LOL)
11. I think I forgot something I wanted to say so if I did it will be number 12.
Again I know this is late in coming but it should not make planning harder but easier.
Dave
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