Scoring System
Hayward Air Rally Scoring System
The Rally competition is scored primarily on fuel and time (navigation). The use of digital instrumentation to measure fuel flow and navigate offers a performance advantage in this scoring system. This advantage is allowed, but is offset by scoring factors when the digital instrumentation is used.
Note: most recent change effective 2020: Digital Class time multiplier changed from 3x to 1.5x. Digital Class fuel multiplier changed from 2x to 1.5x. Full list of scoring rule changes here.
Entry Classes:
The Rally recognizes two different classes of entries:
- Analog
- Digital
Each entrant may select Analog or Digital for each of:
- Navigation
- Fuel
On the score sheet, each entry selects either Analog or Digital for each of Navigation and Fuel:
| Navigation | ||
| Fuel | Digital | Analog |
The same selections must be made for every day of the Rally. Classes may not be changed for different days.
All entrants in all classes compete for the same set of prizes and trophies. There are scoring differences between the classes which are noted below by class name.
The Digital Classes allow the use of electronic instrumentation such as GPS or other digital navigation aids and the use of digital fuel flow and totalizers. If it's installed in the aircraft you can use it! Handheld GPS is also allowed, if you are registered in the Digital Class.
The rally classes will be determined by the pilot's choice of equipment s/he will use during the rally as follows:
| Class | Digital | Analog |
| Navigation | ||
| Fuel | Electronic fuel flow and/or totalizers are permitted. |
Analog instrumentation only. Electronic fuel flow or totalizers are not permitted. |
- All iPads have WiFi and Bluetooth
- Even a WiFi-only iPad can easily talk to an external device (Stratus, DUAL, BadElf, etc.) over WiFi or Bluetooth
- Only the iPads with cellular capability (activated or not) have built-in GPS
- You can't really not use the GPS portion of a wifi device such as a Stratus and just get weather out of it - the (Foreflight in particular, the only thing that works with a Stratus) software shows all of the data, all of the time. There is an Off switch on the software to not use the Stratus GPS data. We use the honor system for this sort of thing. However, if you want to use an iPad+Stratus, you will need to be in Digital Class.
If you want to use a WiFi-only iPad and NO other device (Stratus, BadElf, etc.) then they have an electronic replacement for a paper chart. ANY other addition (even a cellular-capable iPad) or device puts you into Digital Class.
Scoring
To allow all entrants to compete for the same awards and trophies, regardless of entry class, the committee conducted a detailed analysis of prior rally scores to determine an appropriate scoring offset for each class. For each class there is an offset (starting or base number of points) and scoring scale for time and fuel. The premise is that that the more (electronic) help the pilot has, the bigger the offset. We want to reward pilot skills more than the pilot's ability to punch numbers into the equipment. We believe that each of these classes can place in the 1st - 4th positions. But, as you add equipment it is more difficult to do so.
| Analog: | Time: | 1 point per second error from estimate |
| Fuel: | 3 points per 0.1% error from estimate | |
| A Rally flown with no errors would get a score of 0. | ||
Digital: |
Time: | 1.5 points per second error from estimate |
| Fuel: | 1.5 x (3 points per 0.1% error from estimate) | |
| A Rally flown with no errors would get a score of 0 |
For those looking carefully at the scoring rules to decide which class
to enter, consider the following. Over the last 10 years of
scoring data, the average winning score was about 30 points. Now
that we've taken away the bonus points, that would be more like 70
points (40 points added back in).
Don't be afraid of entering in the Digital Class!
Each rally team will be required to specify their rally class at aircraft impound, prior to receiving the Rally Book containing the course information.
This is a summary of the changes being implemented. The official rules governing the rally have been updated with these changes.
The scoring system has changed a bit over the many years this rally has been flown. A brief summary of those changes may be found here.
The winning aircraft will be determined by the following formula:
1. Time errors will accumulate at the rate of:
Analog: one point for each second off estimate
Digital: 1.5 points for each second off estimate
2. Fuel errors will accumulate at the rate of:
Analog: three points for each 1/10th of a percent off estimate
Digital: 1.5 x (three points for each 1/10th of a percent off estimate)
3. Penalty points will be assessed for failure to pass and identify any and all checkpoints designated by the committee.
4. Penalty points may be assessed at the discretion of the committee for offenses such as: violation of TCA (Class B Airspace), illegible rally numbers or flight practices resulting in hazards to other aircraft.
5. Time, fuel, and penalty error points will be added, with the lowest total points being considered the winner.
Time will be calculated from take-off signal (to be explained in the pilots handbook) at Hayward to the airborne timing point near Redding and from the take-off signal at Redding to the airborne timing point near Bend.
No "time-off" will be given by the tower. Every pilot is responsible for their own time off. Pilots are advised to consider taxi time to all points, plus fuel consumed between passing the airborne timing point and landing.
Scoring Example - An entrant declares the following pre-flight estimates for each flight leg:- Estimates:
- Leg 1- 2hr 00min 00sec and 18.0 gallons fuel.
- Leg 2- 2hr 15min 00sec and 20.0 gallons fuel.
- Actual Performance:
- The actual enroute times and fuel burn for this hypothetical example were:
- Leg 1 - 01:59:30 with 17.5 gallons, and
- Leg 2 - 02:16:00 with 20.5 gallons.
- One mandatory checkpoint was missed on the second leg.
- Time Scoring:
- Traditional Class:
- Leg 1 is 30 seconds early for 30 points
- Leg 2 is 60 seconds late for 60 points
- Digital Class:
- Leg 1 is 30 seconds early for (1.5*30) = 45 points
- Leg 2 is 60 seconds late for (1.5*60) = 90 points
- Fuel Scoring:
- Traditional:
- Leg 1 is 0.5 gallons (2.8%) over-estimate error, worth 83 points.
- Leg 2 is 0.5 gallons (2.5%) under-estimate error, worth 75 points.
- Digital:
- Leg 1 is 0.5 gallons (2.8%) over-estimate error, worth (1.5*83) = 125 points.
- Leg 2 is 0.5 gallons (2.5%) under-estimate error, worth (1.5*75) = 113 points.
- Checkpoints:
- One mandatory checkpoint missed on second leg is 250 point
- Leg Scores:
- Traditional Class:
- Total Leg 1 (30 for time) + (83 for fuel) ) = 113 points
- Total Leg 2 (60 for time) + (75 for fuel) + (250 for missed mandatory checkpoint) = 385 points
- Digital Class:
- Total Leg 1 (45 for time) + (125 for fuel) ) = 170 points
- Total Leg 2 (90 for time) + (113 for fuel) + (250 for missed mandatory checkpoint) = 453 points
- Final Score:
- Total Cumulative Score for a analog (Navigation and Fuel) Class (113+385) entrant: 498 points
- Total Cumulative Score for a Digital (Navigation and Fuel) Class (170+453) entrant: 623 points
All aircraft scores are then ranked in order of penalty points accumulated.
This is a partial excerpt from the official rally rules and regulations. Complete rules may be found here.
Note: Bonus Check Points
Bonus checkpoints are back starting in 2014! A bonus checkpoint may be a standard visual checkpoint with a multiple choice question. It may also be a latitude/longitude (potentially with no visually identifying marks) that must be approached within a specific maximum distance. It may also be an airborne timing point that must be arrived at at a predicted time. Other possible bonus types are at the discretion of the course designer and are described in the Rally Book.