Why Hard Zeros matter: |
Every Judge
must decide for each figure whether it should be marked normally
(a mark from 10.0 down to 0.0, or a PZ) or given a Hard Zero. Where one or more
Judges give a Hard Zero for a figure the Chief Judge
must decide whether the Hard Zero should be given for
all judges, or for none - it must be one or the other. If
video is available it can be used to help make the
decision. This decision is recorded on the Flight
Summary Sheet, which provides the scorer with key information
about each figure in the flight. |
When the pilots marks are processed by the "FairPlay"
system, special attention is given to any figures that are
awarded a Hard Zero mark by one or more judges. The outcome
depends on whether the figure has been declared as "OK" (ie. not a
HZ) or as "CHZ" (a Confirmed Hard Zero) on the Flight Summary
Sheet. |
● |
Where the figure is declared on the Flight
Summary Sheet as "OK" then it follows that any Judge who has
given a HZ is in effect wrong. FairPlay will replace the Judge's
HZ with a 'Fitted Mark'. |
● |
Where the figure is declared on the Flight
Summary Sheet as "CHZ" (a Confirmed Hard Zero) then any Judge
who has given a PZ or 0.5 to 10.0 mark is similarly wrong, and a
'Fitted Mark' will be substituted. |
This clear separation of OK / markable figures from Hard Zero / non-markable
figures is a key part of the FairPlay system - the "was it?" / "wasn't it?" question must be
resolved by all Judges long before the scorer enters the Pilots
marks. Inevitably some judges will miss errors or think they see an error
where there really wasn't one, and some
will not. Errors
such as rolls being the 'Same direction' and not 'Opposite' or
perhaps a missed hesitation
can give rise to un-resolvable arguments - and the figure itself is
by then long since gone. If this happens the Chief Judge must
discuss it with all the Judges and decide whether the
mark should survive (OK) or be declared a CHZ, and that becomes
the final decision for for the figure. |
So - if you think that you see the 'wrong' figure
flown then follow your instinct and give it a Hard Zero, and
your scribe should record the reason. However be very careful to stick to the
mark 'zero' (yes - it is a score!) where you
simply run out of fingers during the deductions. This zero mark
is written as '0.0' on the score sheet to emphasize you mean a
numeric zero rather than a Hard Zero, for which you would write 'HZ'. |
Dont worry about having a Hard Zero
'overturned' by the Chief Judge, you may be the one that got it right (but
this time the pilot got away with it . . .). Every judge has
heard a pilot admit (usually long after the event) that they saw
a real mistake and the other judges got it wrong. The judgement of
aerobatic figures is a complex game played between expert Pilots
and expert Judges - need we say more? |
Remember that whilst you should
always give the pilot the
benefit of the doubt if you are unsure, it is still up to the
pilot to show you the expected figure. If, in your opinion,
the Pilot fails to do that then you must give your mark accordingly. |
The four most common major errors which
must get an 'HZ' are - |
|
Incorrect rolls (Same not
Opposite, In not Out, 2 point not 4 point etc.). |
|
Missing out part of a figure. |
|
Missing out a whole figure, and |
|
Flying in the wrong direction on
the "A" axis (or doing "A" axis figures on the "B" axis!). |
|
"Normal" major errors:
Where a figure is badly flown but still generally as specified
on the sequence diagram, the usual deduction of 1 mark per 5° of
error is all that is necessary. Where a mistake leads to a pilot
flying cross-box instead of on the "A" axis (or vice-versa) or
in the wrong direction on the "A" axis however, all
figures get a hard zero until and unless the unfortunate pilot
resolves the problem, as they will all start with a 90° or 180°
direction error. In such cases, if you can, you should continue with your comments
and put the marks the pilot would have got in brackets - then he
still benefits by seeing what he threw away. |