This is an earlier experiment. Read the amendments below before treating its findings as current.
The question
The map's no-link cases had no wind, the link cases a 5 m/s wind. Were comparisons fair, and what does wind do?
What was tested
The no-link cases flown again in wind, plus still-air link cases, a 10 m/s wind, and the 3× craft's fastest trips re-measured.
What was found then
Wind cut losses: without an emergency craft, 80 were lost in still air and 16 in a 10 m/s wind, with more trips completed. In the 5 m/s wind with no link, the rules were worse for the others at 1.5× (30 % more losses) and 3× (29 % more time very close). In still air the 2× link loss excess did not reappear (1 of 15 with the rules, 4 of 15 without), nor at 10 m/s. The 3× reference time had a small constant error: the fastest trips beat set speed plus tailwind by 3–5 %.
What we learned later
The protection from wind held for this wind direction only; with wind from the opposite side, losses rose.
research/design/prio_wind_dir_record.md
These fixed-wing grid runs involve an emergency craft that dives far below its planned height.
research/design/prio_1s_mech_record.md
What changed
nothing (fields for exporting trip times added to the test tools)
Numbers and source references
- 35 / 45 / 60 / 20
- runs in the four sub-stepsresearch/design/prio_wind_record.md; research/design/prio_link_wind0_record.md; research/design/prio_wind_axis_record.md; research/design/prio_speed_excess_record.md
- 4.5 m/s
- tailwind component on the route at 5 m/sresearch/design/prio_wind_record.md
- 80 / 42 / 16
- ordinary losses with no emergency craft, no link, still air / 5 / 10 m/sresearch/design/prio_wind_axis_record.md
- 29 307 → 42 282 → 50 385
- completed grid laps, still air / 5 / 10 m/sresearch/design/prio_wind_axis_record.md
- ×1.30 / ×1.29
- package vs without priority at 5 m/s no link: losses at 1.5×, deep close-approach time at 3×research/design/prio_wind_record.md
- 1 of 15 vs 4 of 15
- emergency craft lost in still air at 2× on a link, package vs without priorityresearch/design/prio_link_wind0_record.md
- 3–5 %
- fastest-lap excess over demanded speed plus tailwind at 3×research/design/prio_speed_excess_record.md