Date: May 31 2001

To: National F2B Representatives (F2B Working Group)

From: Peter Germann, F2 Subcommittee member and F2B Working Group Co-ordinator.
 

Dear Friends:

1. You have been nominated (or you have volunteered), to participate in an internationally co-ordinated effort to revise and update the current  FAI rules for Control Line Stunt (Class F2B). So a big thank you to each of you, and a warm welcome aboard!

2. Before going any further, let me introduce myself. I am 58, have been flying in C/L Stunt competitions since the late 70's, and have had the privilege of being selected as a Swiss team member several times since 1988. Currently I fly a .60 Cardinal on pipe and even with all kinds of modelling administration obligations taking much of my time, I look forward to participating in several European Stunt contests each year. My professional background is technical (Photolab technology) and I also bring a bit of General Aviation (piston twin, commercial, IFR, 1000 + hrs) knowledge, too. Andy Sweetland, who is assisting me with this project, works in Engineering Sales at Swissair and spends a large part of his professional life writing and negotiating contracts covering complex aircraft maintenance services. Those are all written in English, even for customers who don't have English as their first language.

3. Together with Andy, and with the help of many experts from around the globe, I was originally in charge of writing and editing the currently valid F2B Judging Guide (the new version which was introduced in March 2000).

4. In March 2001 I was instructed by the F2 Subcommittee to co-ordinate efforts aimed at revising the present FAI Stunt rules. To meet CIAM schedules, we're going to have to submit a final first draft by November of this year so that it can be discussed in detail at the March 2002 full CIAM meeting. For those not too familiar with CIAM procedures I have added some extra info below, but for now, November 2001 will be a tight schedule for all of us, so thank you in advance for helping to bring the project forward.

5. There are several reasons why CIAM felt that the time has come for a Stunt rules update after 30 years or more:

First, Clarity:
There's a lack of clarity in the current rules, and the above 1999/2000 re-write of the F2B Judges Guide was heavily oriented towards clarifying manoeuvre and procedure descriptions. That was because the present F2B rules leave far too much room for individual interpretation by both pilots and judges. As a result of creating a very exact description of what to fly and how to judge it, that March 2000 Judges Guide became a very large document, and it was, with some justification, sometimes seen as a pilot's guide rather than as a set of judging instructions. So the way to clear that problem is obviously to remove the detailed manoeuvre descriptions from the Judges Guide and put them where they really belong - in the rules! For added clarity, new manoeuvre diagrams will be added to the rules too. But do please note that the new rules which we will all be discussing in the coming weeks will NOT bring major changes in how the manoeuvres are flown; neither will we propose any new manoeuvres; NONE of the present manoeuvres will be removed from the schedule; and neither will the present flying sequence be changed.

Second, Numbers:
The number of competitors at World and European Championships has been growing for some time now (over 50 entrants at the last European and almost 100 at the last Worlds), and there are strong indications that we can expect further increases in the future. We can certainly all be thankful that at least one C/L discipline is enjoying growth these days, but we must also recognise that the limits of the contest procedures as described in the present FAI Sporting Code will soon be reached if the major F2B events keep on growing. We have therefore developed alternatives which will cover a number of areas, including contest procedures and judge's fatigue.

Third, Technical Progress, Safety, and Noise:
While Stunt is undoubtedly a discipline which tends to be oriented towards the traditionalists amongst us (and long may that continue!), the building and flying of C/L Stunt models also lends itself to the application of new technology in at least some areas. So we felt that whilst the new rules should not create disadvantages for those who prefer to carry on with their Stunt activities in the same way as they always have, neither should the new rules prevent progress. So the aim here is to cater for both groups, but WITHOUT creating disadvantages for either. Not an easy path to tread, but over the next few weeks we will present you with some changes to the technical rules which address these issues in detail.

Fourth, Standardisation:
We will submit a number of proposals in an attempt to bridge the present gap between the current FAI and AMA C/L stunt rules.
 

6. Procedures for all of us now (i.e. the F2B Working Group, including each of you, the National Representatives):
 
 AA) As of now a first draft of the complete new rules (plus associated manoeuvre diagrams) is all ready to go. I'll pick out the points which we have changed and which might be expected to be looked on as critical changes, and we'll send those to you all, one by one. Accompanying each point will be the actual text from the new rules, plus the reasoning and background information behind the change. I then expect you to study that info yourself, plus circulate it within the Stunt community in your own country. You should then collect and summarise all inputs, sending them back to me by the cut-off date given.
 
BB) You can expect the first discussion point to arrive in early June, and the cut-off date for your responses will be approx. 1 month later.

 CC) That procedure will then be repeated, one by one, for each of the remaining "critical points". In each case, if we do not get a response from a particular country by the specified cut-off date I will then assume that the revised rule text and reasoning we have provided has been accepted by the country concerned.

 DD) As we receive the inputs on each "critical point" from each country, as above, we will then make whatever revisions to the first draft that your consensus inputs require, ending up with a fully revised first final draft by early November 2001.
 

7. CIAM Procedures:
AA) Having made a final first draft (as above, containing a consensus of the inputs from all of you), we will then submit an "information copy" to each of you. That will be a complete document containing all the rules, all the manoeuvre diagrams, and all the associated changes to the Judges Guide.

BB) At the same time, that complete document will also be forwarded to the FAI office in Lausanne, Switzerland, in time for the CIAM Bureau meeting to be held in late November/early December 2001 (hence the above early November 2001 deadline for our work).

CC) Assuming that the CIAM Bureau Meeting accepts the final document, it will then be added to the official Agenda of the March 2002 CIAM Plenary meeting.

DD) Apart from enjoying the Christmas and New Year holidays, what will also happen during the period December 2001 until March 2002 is that the above full Agenda, including the complete new F2B final draft doc, will be circulated by the FAI office to the "NAC's" (National Airsports Councils - in other words to the Aero Club or similar organisation) of each country which is an FAI member. Each NAC should then circulate that Agenda within its own country, typically to the local organisation responsible for aeromodelling, and usually to the appointed in-country C/L experts (typically, these are called "C/L Technical Committee" or something similar).

EE) When the in-country "C/L Technical Committee" receives the Agenda for the 2002 Plenary meeting (as above, including the complete new F2B rules draft), they will be invited to comment, sending their inputs up through their own NAC in time for the March 2002 Plenary meeting, also to be held in Lausanne. So clearly, at about that time, you as National rep should also be informing your own "C/L Technical Committee" in detail about the work you have been doing with this group (assuming you have not already done so).

FF) The day before the Plenary meeting itself, all appointed members of the CIAM F2 Subcommittee will be invited to attend a technical meeting at which all matters relating to C/L (including the new F2B rules), will be discussed in detail. Depending on the outcome of that meeting, the Chairman of the F2 Subcommittee, Mr. Laird "Doc" Jackson, will prepare a statement for the next day's Plenary meeting saying either that the F2 Subcommittee recommends that Plenary adopts the new F2B rules (or possibly, saying that no consensus has been reached and that further work is required). PLEASE NOTE that the above F2 Subcommittee technical meeting is open to ANYONE who cares to attend (the official status of such "visitors" is"Observer").

GG) Assuming that the F2 Subcommittee technical meeting does recommend the adoption of the new F2B rules, that statement will then be presented to the full Plenary meeting next day, and the official FAI delegate of each country (strictly ONE per country) will then be asked to approve/disapprove the adoption by vote.

HH) Assuming that Plenary does adopt the new F2B rules, then according to CIAM's 4 year/non World Champs year procedures for adopting new rules, then the new F2B rules would come into effect on 1st January 2005.
 

8. Possible "interim" Procedure:

AA) The above description of CIAM procedures clearly shows that this can be quite a lengthy process, but it does have the benefit of allowing plenty of time for "final corrections" to the new F2B rules before they finally come into effect - potentially, the above process could be repeated in 2002, and again in 2003 and 2004, and still be in time for the first available acceptance date of 1st January 2005.

BB) But the purpose of the 2001 work that Andy and I, plus, most importantly, each of you as National Reps, will all put in this year is so that by the time that Plenary 2002 comes around, we can all be reasonably certain that we will have a set of new F2B rules that everyone in the international Stunt community is happy with - in other words, if we have all done our jobs properly this year, there is a good chance that Plenary 20020 will accept the new F2B rules and there will be no need to refer back for further work.

CC) But that could in itself lead to another problem - namely, after a big "song and dance act" about new F2B rules in 2001/2002, everything will "go very quiet" until January 2005.

DD) So assuming that Plenary 2002 does accept the new F2B rules, what Andy and I plan to do is to seek a "special dispensation" from Plenary 2002, whereby, if approved,  Plenary also allows the new rules to be used at, say, 2 or 3 selected "major"  F2B comps during 2002 and perhaps 2003. That way we will keep the forthcoming new rules fresh in everyone's mind, AND we will have the opportunity of trying the new rules out "in anger" under actual competition conditions, leaving us with 2003 and 2004 to do any final revision work that actual contest experience has shown up.
 

9. A final word on methods:
AA) We propose to circulate you all with the above material by E-mails, each carrying an attached document file. That file will, unless you tell us you need something else, be in MS Word '97 format, i.e. "filename.doc". Please advise if you need a different format.

BB) Having circulated the info amongst your own in-country Stunt community, we would like you to insert the resulting changes and comments CLEARLY (use the Word "Track Changes", colour, command), into the doc file itself, and AT THE
SAME TIME, RE-NAMING the file with the FAI 3 letter code for your country  (e.g. for the UK use "gbrfilename.doc" - Note that from version 6.5 onwards, MS Word allows filenames which are longer than 8 letters, followed by the usual dot plus 3 letter identity code to define the type of file - in this case .doc).

CC) All E-mails will be sent to you from Andy Sweetland's office E-mail address: [email protected]  Please return all your replies and attached files to the same address.
 

Sorry for the length of this but I think it's essential that we all start off with a clear understanding of the what and the how of exactly what it is that we're all trying to achieve. Once again, thank you for being with us. Andy and I are both looking forward to enjoyable co-operation, and we're certain that your efforts will result in a major step forward for the event that we all enjoy so much.

Very kind regards,

Peter Germann and Andy Sweetland