SCAT Electroninc News May 27 , 1998
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- Category: Archive 1998
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SCAT Electroninc News May 27 , 1998
Remember .... !!!!!
SCAT Banco Contest Sat June 6 [and Sun June 7 if needed]
==================
Lost Hills
First Round starts at 7:30 am
multiple entry permitted.
Check with Pierre Brun for details ...
In addition to the CASH Award already announced for the contest
there will be two additional awards sponsored by SCAT Electronic News,
Aeromodel Dot Com and Black Magic Timers..
These awards are for Juniors and non ranked FAI flyers.
Your chance to get on the leading edge..
A Blackmagic Timer, servo and battery will be given to the Junior
who has the highest time [Juniors having participated ina World Championship
or Junior World Championship excluded]
A Blackmagic Timer, servo and battery will be given to the highest
scoring non-ranked FAI flyer [i.e one who has not participated in a World
Champiomship, Won a World
Cup event or the America's Cup... Full Details available
from Roger Morrell]
The same person will not be given for both awards. The in the event of any
confusion , ambiguity, lack of sportmanship, etc the decision of the
President of Aeromodel Dot Com will be final.
Remember with Blackmagic Timers some assembly is required and the programming
device is not included.
If the award winner is faint hearted and does not want to join the
Barbarians at the Gate an alternative $50 cash award is available.
1999 World Champs.
-----------------
From John Malkin
We are now just a little over 12 months away from the
next W/C in Israel and I am becoming increasingly concerned at the
direction of the politics that are apparent in Israel.
We have a situation where the Palestinian's are requesting more
territory to live in and the Israeli's refusing to accept these requests -
despite constant pressure from overseas countries.
Almost every week we read of more terrorist/ reprisal attacks by
factions that are pro Israeli and likewise pro Palestinian and these
outbreaks are not diminishing, in fact if the reports are to be believed they
may escalate.
Just recently Israel celebrated its 50th anniversary , to which I
congratulate them, but this period of time has not been without a lot of
warfare. Some articles written in our NZ papers state that the Israel
people are aware of the ongoing problem but are powerless to do anything
against it , due it would appear to the intransigence of the Israel
Government.
Into this midst, we ,the aeromodellers of the world have cast these
next World Champs and it would appear as though they will go ahead
despite all of the above occurring. Is this really the right time to hold these
World Champs in Israel or should we rethink the position and resite them.
Whilst I did not attend the Yugoslavian World Champs in 1991, I was
selected for the NZ team , but opted out because of the problems that were
apparent to me prior to the event, and which subsequently caused a lot of
anguish with the visiting countries. This was a case in point where the
Authorities would have been able to either cancel the venue and maybe
reschedule it to another country near by but instead stood by, and allowed
the event to carry on.
Fortunately for all who attended, except for some delays and
discomfort, no incidents occurred, but it could so well have been different.
We now have a similar position which could have even more serious
repercussions, when we read of "suicide attacks".
My plea is to the FAI organizers of this meeting to please revisit the
decision and have consideration for all those who will be attending this
World Champs.
As an aside both my wife and I would dearly like to visit Israel but
we are of the opinion that to see the place as it is now, would not be as
pleasurable due to a lot of the uncertainities of seeing the whole country
without an armed guard standing by us.
John Malkin
Electronic Timers
-----------------
Author : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Matt wrote:
> I can assure you that this degree of artificial intelligence will not
exist
> in our life time. If you look around at the work that has been done by
> industry in artificial inelegance, what these people are afraid of is far
> beyond the capability of any system that exists today.
>
I agree with Matt's points in general, but not with this specific. To see
just what IS capable in small autonomous packages right now, check out
the Aerosonde program:
http://www.bom.gov.au/bmrc/meso/Project/Aerosonde/aerodev.html
There was also a very good article on the early days of this development
in Model Aviation a few years ago.
This stuff is too big for our models but does fit into an airframe based
originally on a 100" thermal soarer wing and is capable of 24 hour plus
autonomous operation controlled entirely from GPS navigation and an
entirely self-contained autopilot.
The reason the MIC haven't built anything like this while a small
Utah/Australian consortium succeeded has more to do with corporate
culture than technical capability. Back Cowley into a corner, give him a
beer or two and ask him about ERAST. He'll tell you about the stuff
Aerovironment has flying while the MIC big guns are still drooling on
their CAD workstations, spending sackfuls of Pentagon money and getting
nowhere.
Comment on Aerosonde project
-------------------------------
The specs for the Aerosonde project say that the avionics weighs just
under 3 kg. This does include a transmitter for returning some weather
results to base. That is 3000 grams against the weight of a F1B of
230 grams.
The Aerosonde is not truely autonomous as it include a GPS receiver so
gets external radio input. This input is not from the pilot and is
admittedly of a general nature but it helps it with it's
mission. It's not clear if this would excluded it from the current FAI
definition of Free Flight.
Electronic Timers and Radios
----------------------------
Up to this point the discussion on timers
has been centered [with the exception of Bill East's comments]
on autonomous devices. Although one of the important
features of the 'Danish' timer is the radio d/t option.
There are a number of different cases of on board timer/avionics etc
here that need to be dealt with separately. They include ..
A completely autonomous 'timer' that receives input from a clock and
various forces on the airplane.
A radio signally device [that might interface with the above timer or might
be completely independant] that permits the sportsman to stop the engine
and/or d/t the airplane. This is currently used on F1C airplanes.
A radio device that permits the free flight airplane to return to
'base' after the flight is complete. This could
be by conventional radio control or returning the airplane
to a predetermined compass or GPS bearing.
It appears to me that this use of radio has more implication for
the running of contests than the issues with autonomous
devices. For example, even with the current rules a contestant
using a walkie talkie could cause sufficent interferance to
stop a 'Danish' style timer from stopping the engine or d/t ing.
These timers have a 'pin' number that is private to the sportsman
to protect against someone else operating the engine cutout
or d/t by 'accident'. However this is not of any use if the signal is
completely drowned.
There is also talk of using a conventional r/c set to determine
the optimum trim of an airplane. If someone wants to do this
'back home' there is nothing to stop this. However if more than
one contestant was doing this just before the flyoff at a
major Free Flight event there is the possiblity
of accidents. The organizer of the event should not be
required to administer this !
Subject : RE: Restricted Nordic
--------------------------------
Author : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Bill Gieskieng wrote:
> How do the "real" Nordic types feel about such an apparent dilution of
> their event? Hostile? Patronizing? Indifferent? or encouraging? Give us
> some feedback, please. This is in the early tentative stage..
>
Personally, I think its a non-starter. You can buy circle tow systems ready
to install and cheap as well - I'm thinking of the German Schmidt hook,
lots of moulded plastic and costs under $20. Add a KSB and you're in
business. Bunt is not necessary unless you're keen, but eliminating circle
tow has several bad effects:
- it removes a lot of the fun from glider flying
- it makes towing much more physically demanding
- who says a straight tower will tow for less time than a circling flyer
anyway?
In the UK we fly F1A, F1H and Open Glider. Open is just that - anything
small enough to fit the legal definition of a free flight model is OK and it
can use any systems you want. The rules:
- 2500 sq. in max area. No minimum
- 7 Kg max weight. No minimum
- 50 m towline
- 3 flights of 3 min plus an unlimited flyoff
Back in the 60s this class gave rise to magnificent monsters like the
Celestial Horseman, Thermalist, and Leprechaun. The latter is 137" span
and an aspect ratio around 8. I've seen one flown - the day goes dark when
it's launched. Dick Twomey, its designer, was at last weekend's Nats, but I
digress. Nowadays the special open models have vanished. An F1A flies
much better, handles better on tow, and is MUCH easier to build and
transport.
Open is still the most popular glider class we have, due mainly to the
reduced number of flights, despite its domination by circle towed F1As.
Martin Gregorie
............................................
Roger Morrell
