Unknown Days...

[Rich Whitlow]

I know these days seem like Unknown Days! BUT, I am not talking about those days. I want to talk a little about the days in a contest that we do our Unknowns.

We typically run a contest and do Knowns on Saturday and an Unknown on Sunday and then go home. But, it has been discussed by a few about "changing the rules" and having the Unknown on Saturday. There is usually not the Sun issue and people can enjoy Saturday night visiting with each other and not worrying about studying and preparing.

First, that is not a "rule". The CD can choose to do the Unknown on Saturday if that is how he/she would like to run their contest.

So, is this what you guys want to do? This would be a good place for the CD's to see the opinions. I know I have done it at my contest and it seems to go over well. Especially if we have a get together or party.

Just some food for thought. What do you guys and gals think??

[Vincente Bortone]

Rich,

I really like the idea. Flying something new with poor visibility is not safe. I assume that we will get the unknows on Friday after practice or could be send by email or other social media on Friday after is dark so it is similar to the timing we do now when the unknows are provided on Saturday after the finishing the knows.

Question: When you flew the unknows on Saturday? Probably the last round.

Thanks,

Vicente "Vince" Bortone

[Rich Whitlow]

Vince,

When I did it at my contest, I gave the Unknowns out after the first round on Saturday and we flew them after the second round.

[Vincente Bortone]

Rich,

I believe that is better to do it the night before. In small/medium size contest we usually get very busy judging. If we get it the night before we will have a little more time to prepare. I still prefer the option to fly unknows on Saturday avoiding the sun. It is just safer.

Vicente "Vince" Bortone

[Doug Pilcher]

And you can also simply give them out at Pilot's meeting. That is also what I usually do when the group is a majority in favor of flying them Saturday. There are reasons though (as we will see in October in Texas) to fly Sunday too. Daylight will diminish quickly on Saturday. And trying to get a full round in on Sunday morning with 2 sequences to maintain a 3/1 as we lean to, takes far longer and longer for people to get on the road home. So I see both camps.

[Ty Lyman]

Really doesn't matter when the unk is flown provided that all pilots are in agreement if it's a change to a previously published schedule. [email protected]@, fly em first round ;-)
However, unks are not to be distributed electronically to anyone other than the contest's designated unk mgr, nor are they ever to be posted to social media prior to the completion of the contest weekend (in all regions worldwide).

[Tim Hughes]

I like the idea of flying the unknown without the sun in my face and having relax time after flying all day Saturday. I don’t recall ever doing unknowns on Saturday myself, but I like the idea.

How is Nats done? Seems like I have heard it is a little of both, some night before and some day of.

I didn’t realize you couldn’t post Unknowns until after the weekend. I haven’t ever seen it, but didn’t realize that. Good to know.

[Doug Pilcher]

NATS is dictated by the NATS rules put in place by the CD/ED but as long as I have been involved, we give the first days Unknown out the evening preceding the first day of competition at pilots meeting. Providing you are not going to fly after the pilots meeting. First day of competition we fly 2 Known rounds and then the 1st Unknown. Then the next 2 days (1 each day) Unknowns are given that evening, again if you are done flying, and flown the first round the following days flights. Then the 3rd evening after flying is banquet traditionally and the final day of flyings, (4th day of competition) 2 unknowns are passed out at the banquet. Final day is, 1 Known, 1st Unknown, 2nd round of Known, and then 2nd and last Unknown. This makes a total of 5 Unknowns in 4 days of flying. Again, traditionally. However again, year to year it can changed up.

And the fact that you have not seen Unknowns posted online prior to a monday speaks well of the CD's and Pilots out there. It is asked of the CD's to announce this at briefings and pilots to adhere to not distributing Unknowns online via Social media or other forms of electronic methods.