International Shiphandling Championship - U going?

[dougpine]

I'd like to think I've got a fighting chance! I'd also like to think I'm a better shiphandler than simulator operator. Just maybe I'll find out...

[JDay]

DP Challenge? What is that, a porno?

[Capt_Anonymous]

-snip-

[camthrop]

If only I was licensed. NMI is minutes away from my house.

[dougpine]

No response yet from NMI to my questions. I think perhaps they're in over their heads.

[Robert]

Yeah, with a contest with that big of a buy in, you would have expected a lot more specifics about it. Seems like they are flying by the seat of their pants on this one and I can't imagine a lot of people being interested in putting up $1200 with such limited infomation.

[dougpine]

I just got an email from Bob Glover at NMI. He's working up answers to the questions. I'll post them when I get them.

[jdcavo]

I agree on the value of the simulator operator, but you forgot to include the importance of a well designed and planned simulation exercise. The best simulator operator in the world isn't going to salvage a poorly planned (or unplanned) simulation. The exercise needs to have identified training/assessment objectives, and be finely focused to accomplish those objectives without distractions. The exercise developer must resist the temptation to intoroduce extraneous crisses, traffic, emergencies, etc. I attend a lot of conferences where there is often a facility tour that includes a visit to the simulator. They always show us ships on fire, ships sinking, helicopters buzzing the ship, submarines surfacing in front of our ship, and always, always put in enough sea motion to make everyone sea sick. I usually ask "what would you ever use any of this for?"

[dougpine]

You're correct, Jim. Their stated desire to use the TEAS rules feature of the NTPro software requires carefully designed and built exercises. I look forward to what NMI comes back with in response to my questions.
At PMI we roll out the bells and whistles, fire, explosions, Force 10 weather, etc for tours. For serious training I always work to keep it as realistic as possible, with respect to both exercise design and simulator operation. When my students forget they're in a simulator, I know I've achieved that goal.

[dougpine]

Received today from NMI. I've asked if this constitutes their anwer to my list of questions:

================================================== ====================
<font face=""luxi-sans-1"" size="2]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "luxi-sans-1";]Capt Pine</span></font>
<font face=""luxi-sans-1"" size="2]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "luxi-sans-1";]Thank you for your interest about NMI&rdquo;s International ShipHandling Championship.</span></font>

<font face=""luxi-sans-1"" size="2]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "luxi-sans-1";]Our mission and goal with this contest is to bring to light to the general public the high degree of shiphandling skills that happen everyday in ports around the USA. We all know that we handle vessels in all kinds of extreme situations on a daily basis and yet rarely do we get recognized for this professional skill, only when that rare occasion occurs, when an accident happens, that such negative press occurs. Our goal is to have a contest that brings together professional mariners who wish to participate in a unique contest that any person in the maritime industry has a fair and equitable chance to win, no matter if they are a pilot, tug captain, ship captain or simulator instructor. This is about having a contest of individual shiphandling skills and not BRM, Pilot/ship Master interaction etc, not that these skills are any less important in the overall skill set of shiphandling. Therefore the simulations are based on testing those skills and will be short in nature (10-20 mins). We are looking for the best OVERALL SHIP/VESSEL handler. We are taking every measure possible to have a fair and balanced contest by bringing in professional mariners to judge the event and to establish the proper simulations using a TRANSAS knowledge base of marine professionals.</span></font><font face=""luxi-sans-1"" size="2]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "luxi-sans-1";] </span></font><font face=""luxi-sans-1"" size="2]<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "luxi-sans-1";]We welcome input and suggestions to make this event a fun and fair challenge for all. In that light, if you would consider being a judge for the event, we would be happy to discuss this with you.</span></font>

[Shellback7]

Doug, I think you scared them..Better to have you as a judge, than a competitor ..
I wonder how much that judgeship is worth? Senate seats fetch a healthy sum in Illinois I hear.

[Capt_Anonymous]

30k, perhaps?

:-p

[stevewhite]

I have attended several simulators for various training. The extreme conditions have their purposes. The training that I have been through, the conditions change as the student handles each step. The purpose is to take you to a level that you can't handle. The better the student, the more extreme the conditions become. At the point you loose control you know your limitations and hopefully have learned something new. If you can handle every situation the instructor throws at you, you don't learn anything new. It's when you fail that you learn what you don't know.

In each simulation that I have taken part in, you believed it was real. I would attend a well planned simulator course every year if I could.

I am also a pilot, (airplane) in order to get insurance for any turbine plane and most pressurized planes, you have to attend a week of simulator training every year. It's not required by the FAA, it's required by the insurance companies.