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Category: Archive 2009

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1. Northwest FAI Challenge
2. Keep Q Simple, please
3. Vintage FAI Survey

 NORTHWEST FAI CHALLENGE

 THE SAME WEEKEND AS THE TANGENT CLASSIC &

SCHEDULE:        5 ROUNDS F1 G H J & Q

                             7 ROUNDS F1 A B C & P

F1 GHJ&Q        SATURDAY AUG 22nd 1 Hour & 30 MINUTE ROUNDS  BEGINNING AT 7:30AM. FLY OFFS TO FOLLOW (additional round time to fly both mini contests)

F1 ABC&P         SUNDAY AUG 23rd ONE HOUR ROUNDS ON THE HOUR BEGINNING AT 8AM. FLY OFFS TO FOLLOW

All contestants & family are invited to a Saturday Spaghetti Feed at the Grells Farm SPONSERED BY

                    THE WILLAMETTE MODELER CLUB

Contestants must adhere to field/retrieval rules or face Disqualification from the meet.

Roger,

The recent comments on the change in F1Q have prompted me to respond. Though I do not yet have an F1Q I was involved in the initial development of the current F1Q rules and have in the past flown FF electrics of various sizes.

It was inevitable that we would come to this point. The technology was way ahead of the free flight community when the rules were written, and now we have begun to catch up. I think all of those in the early discussions were aware that the existing rules were only a beginning, and would be changed as soon as people started to fly the event.

What bothers me about most of the proposed solutions is there complexity, particularly for those processing models at the contest. My view since the beginning (Aram can confirm this) was to model the event on F1G, in that the model specifications provide a level environment while affording many possible motor / airframe configurations and simple processing at contests. I advised then (and now) a voltage restriction (count cells at the CD table), a motor run restriction, and maybe a minimum weight. In the end the vote went to battery weight rather than voltage.

Complex electronic restrictors are impossible to enforce, and though we are a trustworthy bunch, and are rarely checked on every parameter, I think this is to much to ask of any CD at any contest. Likewise I think it is a burden for the modeler and the CD to weigh and calculate motor/battery/airframe weighs a a percentage of overall weight. Wing loading restrictions homogenize designs and force modelers to pursue advanced technologies (compare F1B to F1G). Subclasses are also the wrong move. We need only look at the number of 1/2A gas "subclasses" to see that this dilutes the strength of the event. And please do not even murmur disparaging words about auto-surfaces. The Albuquerque rules are easier to verify, we might simply stipulate "direct drive" motors only. Still I think this step is not YET necessary.

Right now we need to do what the "framers" thought we would do at this point, and that is to reduce the motor run, maybe to 10 seconds. Once we get down to seven seconds, then contemplate the Albuquerque plan. After that it will be time to create a Vintage F1Q class for the duffers.

I marvel at the simplicity and success of the F1G rules. F1G have gone unchanged, even undiscussed since its beginning, yet participation is high, and both the models and the modelers are still a very diverse group. Even though F1B is a much older event, it has had two airframe / motor weight changes, further changes are often discussed, and a vintage class has been created since coupe became F1G. I think we need look for elegant simplicity in whatever we do to address the evolution of F1Q so it does not suffer the volatility of the other F1 events.

Ross Jahnke

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