eSoaring.net

THE CURRENT WINTER POSTAL SERIES WILL BE THE LAST. IN FUTURE, WE WILL MOVE TO A SINGLE ANNUAL COMPETITION LASTING EIGHT MONTHS.

Over the past few winters, the weather patterns in the UK appear to have changed. We have seen wetter, windier, and rainier weather with only a few flyable days each month. There are a number of factors which have together have reduced the number of entries. By their nature, postal competitions in winter are difficult for those who still work having only weekends available and for those who have retired the prospect of standing in a muddy field in the cold and damp can present health hazards.

An equally important factor is access to flying fields in winter. Standing water has become a common sight throughout the winter and even if the field itself is relatively dry then finding somewhere suitable to park close to the flying site is often difficult. The ground at access gates is often the muddiest area of the field and the dangers of becoming bogged down in a field often make it unadvisable.

Having consulted the active participants in the current series a decision has been made to change to an annual competition starting each year in March and running for eight months finishing October. In this transition year the postal scores recorded in March will count both for the current Winter Postal Series and for the new Annual Postal Series. That is, the same score will be entered in both competitions. A SECOND SET OF SCORES IN MARCH WILL NOT BE REQUIRED.

The rules for the new competition will be the same as those used currently with one exception. The best six of eight scores will count towards the final total.

The rules will be posted as usual in the announcement of the start of the new series.

Ian and Miike.