The FAI Ballooning commission (CIA) bureau

The FAI International Appeals Tribunal has decided to retroactively cancel task 23 of the 6th FAI Junior World Hot Air Balloon Championship due to significant changes made to the task via WhatsApp, which unfairly affected some pilots. The Tribunal found that these changes, including a last-minute alteration in the goal's altitude and task type, did not give all competitors an equal opportunity to succeed. As a result, the event results will be updated, individual classifications reconsidered, and medals re-awarded accordingly.

The FAI Ballooning commission (CIA) bureau

Written Complaint by Pilot 44 Joey Seymour regarding task 39

In order to most clearly tell you the nature of this complaint, I want to also explain what this complaint is NOT about so that you we do not get distracted discussing tangential points.

• This complain is NOT about having enough time to adjust to task data changes or if it was fair based on who had launched and not launched.

• This complaint is NOT about safety concerns. If it was about safety concerns the event director should have followed rule 8.2. and CIA Competition Operations Handbook 2.7.1 to cancel the task.

• This complaint is NOT about my personal score or any other competitors score on this “task”. I actually did relatively well and made it in the MMA on this task. All my compatriots did well on this “task”

• This complaint is NOT about if WhatsApp is an acceptable method of communicating anything, including task data before, after, or during a flight window.

• This complains is not about how significant or insignificant we subjectively think the task changes were. This complaint is not about whether we agree the changes impacted my execution or ability to achieve the best result.

I hope that the response to this complaint does not try and reference any of the points above.

What is this complaint about then?

This complains is requesting that Task 39 be cancelled due to invalidation from Event Director rules infringements.

This complaint is about the ambiguity of the general briefing context and discussion around the expected use of WhatsApp / any other communication channels. My complaint is that the expected use that pilots were allegedly agreeing to via complicit silence was apparently that task data can be changed without the use of supplemental briefings and/or when launch period is open and balloons are possibly in flight. If I had known that was the expected use I would have certainly objected, and per the complaints and protests documented in this competition for task 23 it appears other competitors would also not have accepted that intended use of the communication channel.

This complaint is about how it could not possibly have been expected for pilots to be agreeing to receive task data changes in a flight window (after launch period opens). They could be expected to receive coordinates moving as that was explicitly stated that target teams could use WhatsApp to move coordinates. But other task data was not explicitly mentioned. There is NO PRECEDENT (at least no successful one), there is NO PROCEDURE, and there is NO RULE, that permits the transmission of changes to task data without the use of a briefing or supplemental briefing. (other than the general briefing mentioned coordinates before the launch window opens). There is no way we can expect WhatsApp message replies such as: “pilot #XX ok” to constitute the pilot signatures referred to in rule 8.9. Furthermore, we cannot expect to use the same message thread to give all pilots proper notice and time to get all there questions answered - Especially a mere 1-3 minutes before or after a launch period opens when pilots are busy preparing or executing flights.

This complaint is about the ambiguity and confusion caused by incomplete, inaccurate, deleted, edited, and hard to find (i.e. scrolling up the thread) messages from ED or Assistant ED. This is the exact reason we have rules around 8.9 and task data changes should be given only in a supplemental briefing.

This complaint is about the precedent being set if you do not cancel task 39. What is different to what happened today then if in a future event after I take off the event director texts me significant changes to a task? There is no answer to where do we draw the line because this is not something that the rules expected should ever occur. There is NO PRECEDENT, NO PROCEDURE, and NO RULES that support such task data changes that happened with task 39 changing a MDD to a GBM without a supplemental briefing. I don’t even want to argue if the changes occurred at 5:57 when the first text was sent or after 6:00 when there was more clarity and less inaccurate more complete messages sent. It is a moot point – who cares if it was before or after launch window opened. It was right around that time and practically makes no difference. I repeat per rule 8.9 There is NO PRECEDENT, NO PROCEDURE, and NO RULES that support such task data changes without a supplemental briefing or all pilot/crew member signatures.

Here is my full complaint I was typing but wanted to inform with the complaint earlier

Begin forwarded message:

From: Ben Raven

Subject: Complaint Task 39

Date: 2023 August 26 09:36:04 CEST

To: augisk@gmail.com

Good morning Event Director,

I would like to make a formal complaint about task 39 in line with the rules.

As pointed out by pilots in the morning briefing, the task was considered unsafe due to the wind speed and direction requiring a fast climb out from a congested target to avoid hitting buildings at the edge of the MMA. 

By changing the task to a Gordon Bennett Memorial, with the same coordinates, and scoring area, none of this risk was removed. I would go further to say that by removing the ability to score by loggermark, the task promoted unsafe flying, with balloons descending and ascending into a heavily congested target. I feel this task would have been safer if loggermark scoring had been applicable with a 2D scoring area up to 500ft. This would have created greater spacing between balloons. 

As it stands 20 balloons did not make the MMA with one balloon having ground contact. Personally, I had a balloon descend into me, and was unable to descend into the target due to the congestion below.

As per rule Rule 4.1.1: the event director responsible for the events safe running. I suggest that task 39 be cancelled in the interest of competitor fairness.

Kind regards,

Ben Raven
Pilot #42

Following the R8.1 I announce that the last competition flight is planned for Saturday MORNING.
Shortened time limits applied according to R5.6

PZ List:

PZ1 - Blue - Contest Area - 9000ft AMSL

PZ2 - Yellow 34U 35150/ 5931752, Military base, r=600m

PZ3- Red 34U 354222 / 5924210 - Power distribution area, r=600m with 1000ft AMSL altitude ceiling.

PZ4 - A1 motorway - altitude ceiling 600ft. AMSL

PZ2 and PZ3 in .wpt format. available to download below.

PZ4 track .plt file is available to download here: Link

Pdf file with penalties calculation method for Red PZ No. 4 (motorway) infringement is available to download below.

The motorway plt track file is available to download here:Link

Hi all,

During this event, we are going to use WhatsApp for the recall procedure, for spreading competition-related and public information, etc.

For this purpose, two WhatsApp groups were created:

SOCIAL | Balloon Junior World Championship | Grudziadz:

ED |  Balloon Junior World Championship | Grudziadz:

The SOCIAL group  is open to everyone and anyone can join it and share his pictures, videos, and messages or ask any questions regarding the event. The ED group is closed. Only the pilot, his crew chief, and officials can join this group. Most of the time, the ability to comment will be disabled in this group and only during the flight, and one hour before and after it, it will be possible to write comments, questions, and other important information for the flight. This group will also be used by the measurement team to report the corrected coordinates of the targets used in a particular flight if such corrections occur. We will also use this group to collect pilot landing messages and pilots' confirmations about receiving important messages.

Event Director

EVENT SCHEDULE

Map with important points:  Link

August 20 | Hotel Rudnik

12.00 - 20.00 check-in

17.00 - training flight

20.00 – 23.00 - refueling after training flight | Magazynowa 14

August 21

5.00 - training flight

8.00-11.00 – refuel after training flight | Magazynowa 14

8.00 - 14.00 - check-in | Hotel Rudnik

15.00 - General briefing | Hotel Rudnik

17.00 - Opening Ceremony | Water Gate in Grudziadz

19.00 - Afterparty - Google maps link

August 22-25 | Hotel Rudnik

4.45 - pre-breakfast

5.00 - flight briefing

8.00-11.00 - refueling

17.00 - flight briefing

20.00-23.00 - refueling

21.00 - integration events

August 26

5.00 - flight briefing

8.00-11.00 - refueling

16.00 closing ceremony

17.30 - to the last dancer | night party Hotel Rudnik

The Official Competition Map is available for download at the following link: 

.map Link

.ozf: Link

.rmap Link

Please read the legend located on the left side of the map.

Mandatory requirements for your mobile device:

1. The mobile device must be dedicated to competition and not used for daily activities, like phone calls, browsing, etc.

2. Android version is greater than 8 on your mobile device OR iOS version greater than iOS 13.2 on your mobile device

3. The Balloon Live App (the App) must have permission to access Storage and Location in the background

4. Device is stable with the App running for at least 2 hours

5. The App version is 2027 or greater on your device.

6. Account in https://watchmefly.net/ shall be created.

7. Log in to the app with https://watchmefly.net/ 

8. In-App payments must be set, and Balloon live token paid.

To use the App for the competition

You shall have a personal account on https://watchmefly.net/ or sign up if you have not yet.

HINT!

You can use the additional backup device for backup tracks with marks and declarations.

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