# How do tippler competitions work?



## Revolution Lofts (Aug 7, 2008)

Hello everyone!

I've had tipplers for 10 years now but I've never taken the time to find out how tippler / high flier competitions work.

Since the birds are trained to fly at their individual lofts, does a judge time every participants birds separately in consecutive days? 

I would assume everyone wouldn't be able to take their birds to one location, and everyone releases their birds and see whose birds fly the longest since they could get lost because of getting released at an unfamiliar place? 

I'm trying to start a tippler/high flier club in my area and really need this information in order to get some competitions going once the club is formed.

Any help will be great! 

Thank you 

- Gurbir


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

I think the judge goes to each person at a time and times the birds. It'd be easier with an electronic clock like we use in racing.


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## AZCorbin (Feb 28, 2011)

Well there are two answers. In the days of old they would go to one one loft for however long it took.
Now a days most clubs are spread so far that they play by the honesty policy.
TMK the majority of Tippler fanciers fly for pleasure. The FTS competes along with the CTC up north.
They may have only 3 competition days a year.
Its dying as a sport.
I have never heard of a high flyer comp? Perhaps in the middle east?

An old time tipple fancier who died a few years back wrote a whole lot on tipplers, rollers and competition tumblers. The three of Those he said were all bred of highflyers from India. He claims the only way to tell the three apart is in the sky.
Point is, it's great reading. Though I don't agree with all his ways.
Jack Prescott is his name. Jack.Tipplers.com


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## Revolution Lofts (Aug 7, 2008)

Well in India and Pakistan, a lot of the fanciers have their high fliers trained to fly portable. They either use a long stick, with a base at the top, covered in bright cloth such as orange or yellow, or I have even seen some of the guys use their turbans. The birds are trained to eat on top of the portable's and when they see the colour, they come down.


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## Print Tippler (May 18, 2011)

Well, not everyone in the club competes with there birds. That's the first thing to understand. People who don't have the birds up to they don't waste someone's else's time. Also a lot of people may just go off the honor system and say what there time was. But if a judge is to be present they must get there before the birds are let out which is normally before sunrise and check the bands then have the birds released. They must then watch the birds all day, they must appear atleast every hour. The judge can go to the bathroom and eat for a short time or go out to eat quickly with the person at his own discretion. The birds may not be scared and the judge is allowed to permit who goes near the loft. He may or may not allow it. You could be able to go in and clean or do whatever if they are up high. The judge has a sheet where he rights down time of release, day, location, birds, weather, wind conditions, etc. There may be a new judge called in during a long fly. 22 hours of watching Tippler may be a little much for one person to do. Even 16 or 18 hours is a long time to spend at someone's loft watching there birds literally all day. The owner must call the birds down and they must drop within the hour and en the bands are checked. The judge also has the right to go anywhere he feels is best for him to judge your birds. Like on your roof but there's even cases where they have gotten up and driven around. There's a lot more that go into it. All the records are set on the long day and the days surrounding them.


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## Chilangz (Apr 3, 2008)

Here is how it happens in Bangalore, India.

Before I start.... we fly Indian Tumblers - Tipplers with tumbling abilities....

The season will be just for 2 months, typically June-July. The competitor enrolls for the competition and date is fixed for each competitor.
The Competition starts at 7 AM in the morning. The judges from the club comes in and the Competition begins.
Before the bird is let to fly, we have pigeon stand on which 10 birds have to be placed. These birds have to stay on the platform during the entire Competition.
The bird is released within 1 Km from the loft (time is noted) and then they monitor the timings. The same exercise is repeated for each Competitor. The highest timing bird at the end of the season wins.
Couple of rules involved.
1. The bird should tumble atleast once before the judge, else its disqualified.
2. The bird should pass the loft every one hour, else its disqualified.
3. The bird should land on the platform where 10 others are placed. If the birds lands on any other place, its disqualified.
4. The bird should fly alone. If it pairs up with another bird during flight for more than 15 mins, its disqualified.


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## ND Cooper (Mar 4, 2008)

You would think that racing other types of Pigeons would become more of a dying sport, because of all of the Transportation costs!
I would think that I would spend less, on Gas, flying Tipplers From my own backyard!
I would think that Flying Tipplers would become the Next Best Pigeon Hobby!
Especially for Backyard Pigeon Hobbiests! 
Maybe a new set of rules/regulations might apply to make things easier for the backyard Pigeon Keeper?
Maybe a Whole New form of timed flying? Not so constant, but maybe over a course of days, weeks?
Something easy for the New Backyard Pigeon Flyer. 
Don't we exersize them every day anyways? Don't we?
Just a thought.


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## Revolution Lofts (Aug 7, 2008)

I believe if the tippler sport was given a bit of a jump start, it could do wonders! With all the risings costs of gas and what not, you could save a lot from flying from your own backyard. Plus you'd save a lot on feed since tipplers are half the size of racers, and most competition birds are mainly given wheat.


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## Chilangz (Apr 3, 2008)

Tipplers are lot easy to train and compete. Saves both energy and money.


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## Ken do_Mace (Mar 2, 2012)

I agree, they must change the rules and regulation.
I'd like also to have a competition that measure the height or altitude. The one who achieve high altitude is the winner.


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## Print Tippler (May 18, 2011)

No no no. English tipplers are bred for the longest time in the air. To do what you want they were have to be bred different. English tipplers are not high flyers. They were bred off them but they were never bred with the goal to achieve a real high height. The goal is to have the bird fly the longest. The Tippler rules seem pretty fair if you ask me. If you want to time your own bird and go off an honor system and not percribe to any set rule and say how long your birds stayed in the air thats fine. But if you want to be taken seriously someone other than yourself will have to watch the birds. The only other option would be GPS but that is an expense and there is no money involved in tipplers like racers.


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## ND Cooper (Mar 4, 2008)

Well, with modern technology (sp) maybe something could happen to change/ make easier, the competiveness between backyard flyers.
I do agree, that there must be some witness, to observe. That might be done with cameras? Live internet connections? (save gas?)
Tipplers are different from high flyers.
What do I know!


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## Chilangz (Apr 3, 2008)

Yes, technology might have been improved, but we here follow the same old method.
2 Judges visit us on the morning of the competition and at the end of the competition, sign off from the owner, witness along with those of the judges are taken and then later compiled into one.
Also here in Bangalore, its based on timing and not on altitude...


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## ND Cooper (Mar 4, 2008)

That's what I'm talking about!
Why 2?
How about cutting out the fat?
I don't think that this is ever going to be an Olympic sport (I maybe wrong), but why so tough on the regular flyers?
If something special occours, I'm sure the keeper will surely want to have it happen it again! I would!
Then, all kinds of judges can witness all they want.


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## Chilangz (Apr 3, 2008)

There will be 2 judges to ensure that there is transparency and judgement is fair.
It might get not into Olympic, but the competitions are very intense. People participate for personal glory & name. Hence we need to have strict rules. Remember that competitions are for experienced breeders and not for novices.

A Novice will have his mentor who teaches him all the skills and thus the entry to competitions are made.

But if you just have to fly them in the backyards, there are no rules and regulations..... its then flown only for personal interest.
Also you can group up among fellow backyard flyers and fly the birds without any rules...


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## ND Cooper (Mar 4, 2008)

I think that I just might be able to do without the Mentor, and still be very capable!
Again, if I have something Special, don't you think that I could graduate UP in Class to your level?
The point is, why not make it easier for entry level flyers?
Why is backyard flying considered No Rules?


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## kestrel (Mar 13, 2012)

I agree with Ken(from Saudi Arabia). For HF -the most important is the ceiling! It is easy to automaticly measure with laser view-finder.


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## Print Tippler (May 18, 2011)

Have you done this yourself or do you just think it will work?


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