INTERNATIONAL TIPPLER FLY (ITF) RULES
Starting the season of 2012, fliers may choose from either day of the fly weekend to fly their kits.
ARTICLE I. - PREREQUISITES
- 1) a kit of English Tipplers (minimum 3, maximum 20)
- 2) a referee (older than 15 years of age, not related to the
competitor, reads and understands the 'International Tippler Flys'
rules before the competition starts. The competitor needs only one
referee)
- 3) a clock or wrist watch (the referees shall keep a check and put
their watches to GMT plus or minus depending on their time zone)
- 4) the rules may be translated into foreign languages, the English
version prevails. The English original of these rules is posted on the
'International Tippler Flys' web pages
- 5) the ITF fly dates will be announced one the 'International Tippler Flys' website.
ARTICLE II. - BEFORE LIBERATION
- 1) participant creates his account (a one time task), logs in, and signs up for the event at
ITF Events page.
- 2) the referee must be present on the premises to check the
competition pigeon rings for intactness and he verifies the ring
numbers with numbers given in the timesheet. The rings must be of the
size that cannot be taken off from the leg. He uses a worksheet that is available at the ITF website, and all the information from the worksheet
must be copied to the online report after the fly.
- 3) the competitor will inform the referee of the means he uses to
drop his kit and this information will be entered in the online report as well.
ARTICLE III. - LIBERATION
- 1) the kit is to be liberated at the exact official daybreak hour
and minute. The liberation time will be automatically calculated for each participant and will be available on
'International Tippler Flys' web pages in the list of participants.
- 2) the liberation may be postponed by maximum of 60 minutes - for
instance, due to the weather or a hunting bird of prey - and the exact
hour and minute of the liberation will be entered in the online result report.
- 3) the competition kit may be thrown up in the air by hand. In the
event that the kit, or any of the competition birds, does not take to
wings, inducing the bird(s) to fly (frightening) is permitted only for
the first five minutes after the liberation
ARTICLE IV. - FLY
- 1) at no time may the competition kit be left without the
supervision of a referee. Replacement referees may be used. At the
change of the referees, the time of the replacement itself and the
replacement referee's contacts will be entered in the worksheet and later reported online in the “brief description” column.
- 2) the supervision will be carried out from a position most
suitable for observing the birds for both the referee and the
competitor
- 3) any competing birds raking away from the sight of the referee
any time during the first hour, they shall be allowed the remaining
portion of the first two hours but should they come in sight at any
time during the second hour then go away again only one hour will be
allowed from the time they go and not more than one hour shall be
allowed. This applies to one or more of the competitors
- 4) after the first two hours of the contest, all the competing
tipplers must be seen at least once every 60 minutes even in the event
that the kit splits
- 5) the time when the kit rakes away from the sight will be recorded
only if it exceeds the duration of 45 minutes
- 6) competitors will be given an allowance for raptor attacks only
when witnessed by the referee. Any birds taken or damaged will be
discounted. Any birds chased will be subject to the 60 minutes rule and
two such attacks will be allowed within the rules. A minimum of 3 birds
must be flown and dropped within the stipulations of these rules
- 7) the time must be taken when the first bird of the competition
kit drops without being induced
- 8) when the competitor decides to drop his kit, he informs the
referee of his intention, gives the dropping signal and, at the moment
of the signal, the referee takes time
- 9) if the signal is given during the daylight hours and the kit
drops, it (or individual bird/s) is allowed to take on the wing again
but all competing birds must be back and under control for the ring
check within 60 minutes after the official dark time. The official dark time
will be automatically calculated for each participant and will be available on 'International
Tippler Flys' web pages in the list of participants.
- 10) birds dropping more than 75 yards from the loft will be
disqualified. This does not include droppers or birds hit by raptors as
allowed within these rules
- 11) any competitor's birds dropping within 75 yards of the loft are
within the rules. If the competitor cannot get them in, he shall be
allowed to fetch them off the place where they are roosting
- 12) when a kit of birds flies without fault beyond official dark
time (the official dark
time will be automatically calculated for each participant and will be available on the
'International Tippler Flys' web pages in the list of participants)
and is still flying together without fault until a signal to drop is
given, one hour only is allowed to have them down and under control in
the cage or loft. If a kit of birds are not flying together after
official dark time they are termed as being split meaning that ALL the
kit cannot be seen in one view. The split time must be entered on the
fly sheet by referee and the competitor is allowed only one hour to
have his birds down and under control in the cage or loft. Competitors
will be allowed to fly the kit in official dark with the loft area lit
if he wishes to do so. The referee must be informed of the signal to
drop prior to the start of the competition. In the event that the light
is used, once it goes on it must stay on until at least the time when
the dropping signal is given
- 13) should the referee engaged see just reason for the
disqualification he must acquaint the owner of the kit where possible
before leaving the premises. If a referee suspects that a kit is not
performing within the rules and thinks there may be a cause for
disqualification but cannot positively identify any one of the kit he
must stay at his place of refereeing until one hour after the event
before making his final decision. If a referee takes the time of a kit
he is refereeing he must not leave until the kit have been induced into
the loft and the ring numbers checked
- 14) any person deliberately frightening or causing to be frightened
any competing birds to achieve longer time before time has been taken
shall thereby cause the competitor to be subject to disqualification.
Frightening birds which have dropped in bounds, their time having been
taken, to be got back onto the wing before being induced into the loft
is allowed
- 15) during the course of the day, the referee uses the timesheet to
record changes in the weather, raptor attacks, and other relevant
information that may be helpful to others to assess the fly conditions
in foreign countries. These notes will be entered in the online result report
in the “brief description” column.
- 16) if a non competing pigeon settles on a competitors loft on
competition day, the competitor is allowed to get the bird into his
loft but only in the presence of his referee. No droppers to be used or
the time will be taken
ARTICLE V. - AFTER THE FLY
- 1) when the competing birds are under control, the referee checks
the ring numbers and the intactness of the rings
- 2) the competitor uses the referees notes to prepare his online report
ARTICLE VI - SENDING, COLLATING, AND PUBLISHING THE RESULTS
- 1) each competitor fills out his online automated time sheet available on the 'International
Tippler Flys' web pages. The results will be automatically collated as they come in and
will be available to public within a week after the event.
- 2) there will be two types of the fly classification:
- a) the longest time on the wing
- b) flying in the dark percentage
- 3) the longest time on the wing is used to determine the winner of
the competition
- 4) each ITF participant can download or print his commemorative diploma from the 'International Tippler Flys' web pages. The diploma will be available after the results have been collated and published.
ARTICLE VII. - MISCELLANEOUS
- 1) honor system (no referee) is permitted in the 'International
Tippler Flys' and, in the event this system is used, the competitor
assumes the responsibilities of the referee. The times flown under the
honor system will be listed in accordance to the duration of the flight
- 2) any unsportsmanlike conduct on the part of the competitor or of
the referee shall result in a two year ban from ITF
- 3) the ITF organizers encourage all
individual tippler clubs/unions to send their representatives to check
the course of the local competition and report, in written, any
suspicious cases for the consideration of the ITF organizers
- 4) the official language used in the rules and the timesheet is
English. Volunteers are welcome to prepare bilingual versions
- 5) if in doubt interpreting these rules, contact you local area
ITF representative
Compiled by Davey Warrener and Frank Otta
Based on input from the participants.