Rules
“2nd ISLAND OF LA PALMA CHALLENGE”
(Download the Rules in .PDF here)

The “Second Island of La Palma Challenge” is a paragliding distance flights competition to be held on the Island of La Palma from 1 December 2006 to 9 December 2007 and will consist of two phases:

Round 1: Free distance flights. The top 50 pilots will automatically qualify for Round 2. A minimum of 6 of these pilots will be DHV class 2 pilots, and a further 6 at least will be DHV class 1/2

Round 2: Flights over a closed circuit set in each task by the organization.

The total points won over these two rounds will determine the final overall ranking.

Results (qualifying rounds, longest flights, final classification) will be on public display in the organization HQ and can also be followed on the web site www.flylapalma.com.

Participation Pre-requisites

To compete in the “Second Island of La Palma Challenge” you must:

1. Be 18 years of age or over

2. Hold a valid paragliding pilot’s licence or equivalent certificate showing 2 years’ flying experience and issued by an Aerial Sports Federation acknowledged by the FAI (“Fédération Aeronautique International”)

3. Have medical insurance which specifically covers paragliding, valid throughout the period of the Challenge, and which includes civil responsibility for a value of at least 300,000€.

4. Possess a GPS (at least one per pilot) compatible with the CompeGPS programm.

5. Fly a paraglider certified by AFNOR, ACPUL, DHV, SHV, GEN, or otherwise demonstrably certified as airworthy.

6. Fly using basic safety elements: helmet, certified emergency parachute and appropriate footwear.

7. Register either individually, as a member of a Team or National Team (designated by the National Air federation of the country concerned). Team competitors will have the chance to win one of the trophies awarded to the winning Teams in addition to the individual placement.

8. Fill in the appropriate Registration Form and pay the corresponding fee:

GENERAL RULES
Note: all times refer to Canary Island time.

1. Pilots can participate individually, or as a member of a Team or of a National Team, or in all 3 categories simultaneously.

2. Valid flights will be those with takeoff and landing points within the land limits of the Island of La Palma.

3. Flights which contravene Federation Rules, current Spanish legislation or these competition Rules will not be validated.

4. Participants can make any protests they consider appropriate. A protest must be made in writing and be handed at the Organization HQ (Asociación Deportiva Palmaclub, Avenida marítima S/N, Puerto Naos, next to the Playa Morena kiosk) or sent by e-mail to reclamaciones@flylapalma.com, paying a fee of 50€. This fee will be reimbursed in its entirety should the claim be deemed valid.

5. Deadlines for presenting protests shall be: 19h00 on 10 November 2007 for Round 1; 10h00 on 8 December 2007 for Round 2.

6. Resolution of protests related to the competition shall be the sole responsibility of the Jury appointed by the Organization, and their decisions shall be final and unalterable.

7. The official language of the competition will be Spanish, although translation into English and German will be provided whenever possible.

8. Any queries about the event should be sent to the Organization: info@flylapalma.com

9. The co-ordinates used will be UTM and with the DATUM WGS 84.

10. Prizes and trophies will be presented at the Closing Ceremony.

ROUND 1

Duration:
The first Round will start at 00h00 on 1 December 2006 and finish at 19h00 on 10 November 2007.

Aim:
The aim of the first round is to make free distance flights.

Rules of Round 1

1. Valid flights will be those with takeoff and landing points within the land limits of the Island of La Palma.

2. Valid distance will be the two most distant points – within the land limits of La Palma - of each flight, calculated using a GPS track, which should be compatible with the CompeGPS Programme. Points should be recorded using either “time” or “distance” mode, in no case “automatic”. Under no circumstances will out-and-return flights be considered two separate flights. Participants are solely responsible for checking the correct configuration of their own GPS; protests arising out of incorrect use or operation of GPS will not be admitted.

3. Participants must present their GPS tracks within 48 hours of completing the flight by downloading them directly onto the competition website (www.flylapalma.com) following the instructions therein. Phone contact in case of problems: +34610695750.

4. Points obtained will be calculated using the average of each participant’s three longest valid flights, to which a 20% bonus will be added. Units of 5 or above will be rounded up to the nearest 10, under 5 will be rounded down to the nearest 10.

5. When Round 1 finishes, a ranking will be published showing participants in descending order of points achieved. In the event of a tie, the next (4th) longest valid flight of each participant will be scored, then the next (5th) longest and so on, until the tie is broken.

6. The top 50 pilots will automatically qualify for Round 2, including – total number of participants permitting – the top six DHV Class 2 pilots and the top six DHV Class 1/2 pilots.

7. The names and scores of those qualified will be posted on the competition website. Qualifiers must confirm their intention to participate in Round 2 within 48 hours of the end of Round 1 and the announcement on the official website, ie. by 24h00 on 12 November 2007; those who fail to do so will forfeit their place to the next pilot on the ranking list.

8. The Organization will reserve 10 places as wildcards for Round 2, and these 10 pilots will start Round 2 with 0 points.

Aim:
The aim of the second round is to complete a daily circuit set by the Organization, which may be out-and-return flights, triangles, etc.

Rules of Round 2
These apply to all tasks, but may be modified by the Organization at the daily briefing

1. Valid flights will be those with takeoff and landing points within the land limits of the Island of La Palma and which follow the relevant task set by the Second Island of La Palma Challenge Organization.

2. Valid distance will be the maximum kilometres flown within the established time limit over the circuit set for each task by the Organization. This distance will be calculated using the GPS track. Pilots should present their GPS tracks within the time limit established by the Organization.

3. The sum of kilometres flown in each task will yield the final ranking of Round 2. Units of 5 or above will be rounded up to the nearest 10; under 5 will be rounded down to the nearest 10.

4. Start and Turn Point Sectors: will have a radius of 400m.

5. Distance of each pilot will be measured until the end of the window in each task, or until the Organization closes the task for any reason over the Security Frequency.

6. At the moment when a task ends or is closed, the distance of any pilot flying within a turnpoint sector will be measured to its centre.

7. Other distances will be measured by tracing a perpendicular from the pilot’s final landing point to the line joining the 2 nearest turnpoints.

8. A Bonus of 3km or more will be awarded to pilots who enter the sector of a designated TP within a special 5-minute window, which will open 20 minutes after the task window ends.

9. Thermalling direction at Take-off and Start Point: will alternate each day.

10. Time limit for reporting: 2h30 after the task finishes.

11. It is obligatory for all pilots to wear the official event clothing throughout each task.

PILOTS WHO FAIL TO SIGN THE CONTROL SHEET ON TAKE-OFF BEFORE A TASK WILL BE PENALIZED WITH THE LOSS OF 20% OF THE KILOMETRES FLOWN IN THAT TASK.

PILOTS WHO, WITHOUT DUE CAUSE, FAIL TO SIGN THE LANDING CONTROL SHEET AFTER A TASK BY THE ESTABLISHED TIME LIMIT WILL LOSE ALL THE KILOMETRES FLOWN IN THAT TASK.

FINAL RANKING

The final overall results of the Second Island of La Palma Challenge will be calculated by adding the points scored in Round 1 to those scored in Round 2. If for whatever reason no valid task is flown in the days foreseen for Round 2, the results from Round 1 will be considered final.

In the event of a tie, the next longest valid flight of each participant will be scored, then the next longest and so on, until the tie is broken.

Team and Country ranking will be calculated using the average kilometres of the two best-ranked pilots of the team and the best female pilot, regardless of whether any of them qualified for Round 2.