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The philosophy of the OLC
Written + Fotos: Gerhard Marzinzik (aerokurier)
 Set your own tasks, fly cross-country
from your home-airfield, and still test your skills against those of pilots
from all over the world. aerokurier is using the Internet to make this
new competition concept a reality (www.segelflugszene.de). The new format
allows pilots to compete both locally and internationally, and to see the
results of their efforts the same evening on the website. Thanks to this
new system the world record flown by Klaus Ohlmann in Argentina was immediately
available for all to see.
WORLD-WIDE X-COUNTRY WITH
DAILY SCORING
Competition flying can be
a lot of fun. A major aspect is being able to compare your performance
directly with that of other pilots, something that until recently was only
possible with centrally organized competitions. But the technology of the
Internet is now changing that. The aerokurier-Online-Contest makes it possible
for pilots from all over the world to compete with one another, and to
see the results online just a short time after landing.
 The aerokurier-Online-Contest
creates a world-wide overview of the cross-country gliding scene. For example,
Klaus Ohlmann's incredible record breaking flights in Argentina were immediately
available on the web site (www.onlinecontest.org). Anyone could download
the logger-file from the 2,453 km world record flight to their PC and reconstruct
the task using flight-planning software (Flight Planner, StrePla, SeeYou).
Since the aerokurier-Online-Contest
was introduced last year the response has been terrific. The concept of
combining logger-documentation, free (not pre-declared) flights and the
Internet has found many supporters. The multiple-world record holder Hans
Werner Grosse particularly appreciates the fact that pilots are released
from the constraints imposed by fixed tasks, and free to try and extract
every last kilometer from whatever meteorological conditions they are confronted
with.
An online forum has been set
up at www.onlinecontest.org for pilots to exchange views and experiences.
When asked directly, successful pilots will often describe the tactics
they use for particular problems and weather conditions.
It’s very easy to take part
in the aerokurier-Online-Contest. There's no bureaucracy or red tape, and
anyone who hates filling in the usual paperwork will find it a refreshingly
easy way to add their kilometers to the competition database, and compare
there achievements with those of other pilots.
The aerokurier-Online-Contest
can be found at www.onlinecontest.de (email: info@segelflugszene.de).
AEROKURIER-ONLINE-CONTEST
SCORING SYSTEM
The aerokurier-Online-Contest
spans all glider classes and is all about flying the greatest possible
cross-country distances. The day's task does not need to be declared before
take-off. No official observers are required.
 The differences in glider performance
are balanced-out by applying the German Aero Club's (DAeC) Index List.
Flights are scored on a daily
basis, so there are also daily winners! Separate scoring is done on a national
basis as well so pilots from the same country can compare their performances
directly.
The pilot with the highest
total score from any six flights will become aerokurier-Online-Contest
Champion.
The competition runs from October
to October the following year.
 Optimize your Online-Contest
tasks on your PC
The flight-planning and analysis
software producers have already adapted their products to work with the
Online-Contest (CAL, DMST-G, StrePla and SeeYou). They offer functions
that allow a task to be optimized for the new contest format. The task
submission form is automatically created by most programmes and is then
simply uploaded with the logger-file (in IGC format) to the website at
www.onlinecontest.org.
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