Thanks for bringing this idea up Brockflying!
I too have been thinking a lot lately about the problems with judged competitions.
With RC aerobatics, it would seem that the technology might exist to use positional and inertial sensors in each plane to collect data during a flight.
I hadn't thought about iPhones - interesting idea, but I suspect the resolution, accuracy, and number of axes aren't adequate.
In my dream embodiment, the sensor unit (light, small and cheap of course
) record position in 3 translational and 1 rotational (roll) degrees of freedom. Inertial degrees of freedom in 3 rotational axis might also be needed/desirable to help judge roll rates, snaps, etc.
I suspect GPS might not provide accurate enough positional info - so a triangular array of local transmitters would be set up (and somehow calibrated) on the perimeter of the flight area.
Data would be downloaded after a flight and loaded into a program that analyzes the flight and matches it to the idealized figures that were attempted. A sophisticated algorithm would fit flight data to the figures and apply the downgrade rules that we all know and love. Perhaps some figures would score positive numbers!
I think possible, but probably not an easy app that somebody could whip out. Hard to see a profit opportunity for a commercial venture.... but if they were only a few hundred bucks, guys might buy their own for practice?
Dan