The Zero Lift Axis (ZLA) - page 3

Tell them what you see! When you see the aeroplane is deviating from accurate vertical or 45° ZLA, you need a way to describe what is happening that the other judges understand, and will also be clear to the pilot when he reads your comments on his judging sheets.

For 45° lines the usual convention is to use Steep if the attitude is more vertical than it should be, or Shallow if it is more horizontal.   In vertical lines if the aeroplane is tending toward erect flight then call it Positive up or down, or if it's tending toward inverted flight then call it Negative up or down.

When there's a wind of any kind, the observed flight path when the aeroplane is flying any other lines than purely horizontal ones (ie. in vertical and 45° lines) will be angled from perpendicular to the horizon by some amount. You can hold your finger up to mark the beginning of the upward / downward line or use your peripheral vision to keep track of the flight path in relation to visible 'fixed' ground features, and you'll recognise this quite easily.

However, the effect of this wind and/or 'crooked' CGT must be completely ignored by the judge, who should only evaluate the accuracy of the aeroplane's attitude - in other words, judge only the ZLA.