SEN 2011

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SEN 2011 - Table of Contents

Photos from Oz
F1C Rules - Zulic
There is an opportunity there ...
F1C Rules - Dixon
Sick Rules Dude

Photos from Narrandera and West Wyalong

Some of Malcolm Campbell's excellent photos of this year's Australian World Cup and supporting events

https://www.flickr.com/photos/motor-racing-photography/sets/72157652421718205

F1C rules.....

From:     Damjan Zulic

I actually have a feeling that those changes that have been made for the F1C category were accepted by people who don't compete in this category or doesn't even know it. I am sure that the accepted suggestions were never tested in the field. After the rule change I am starting to realize that the goals that some suggestors have been standing behind that those changes would cheapen the materials and other financials for this category were just some empty words, an absolute bluff. The accepted changes did nothing else but made those classic models with the direct drive gear non suitable for competitions of the highest rank. The solution I think would work would be for the classic models with a direct drive gear to allow an 0.5 seconds longer performance time ratio in appose to folders, flappers and all the geared engines as how Randy Secor suggested. This would bring back a lot of competitors who in current time isn't in the position to buy an actual folder or flapper. I tested and made quite a lot of comparison starts with 4 and 4,5 seconds run with a classic direct drive model, classic geared model and a classic flapper. In 4 seconds engine rune folder achieve around 55-60% of the current height and the classic model achieved around 65-70% of the current height as appose to the folder of the lower altitude.
Current change in the rules will definetly and drasticly decrease the number of F1C competitors.
The only one who can be satisfied with all those changes are the developers and makers of all those new hi-tech models and makers of the electronic timers. But maybe that was their purpose in rule changes all along?
In terms of safety demand for the RDT and radio engine stop sistem, it is perfectly visible that the suggestion was suggested and accepted by people who have no idea about engineering and conditions in F1C category. If a mechanical timer can misfire so can the electronic timer or servomotor. You should ask Gabor Zsengeller, Zeljko Grepl, Giorgio Venuti and probably many others about a good way to smash model with electronic timer . They all had electronic timers with RDT but due to the technical difficulties it didn't help them not to smash the models and the engine kept running all the way to the ground. Who and how will be checking the engine stop system before the start on the ground??
With all respect to the Roger Morell suggestion that the »stand alone« system by Airtec, Sidus, Babenko is useful….It might be useful for the RDT but only after 6 or 7 seconds when the disc rotates to tha phase of planning. That is usually to late for 100% achieveing total safety. For turning the engine off we would need another servo with another transmitter and the stabilizer would still be in the phase of climbing…..Everything else is to this moment just to complicated and unreliable for a rule. The fact is that to fit all those new rules we have to buy electronic timers which still don't guarantee more safety and posibillity for an timely shut down of the engine and the RDT…..as it was already written the cost is around 2000 € for 4 models….and we can throw the old stand alone models and RDT sistem in the garbage…But I am sure that the guys at CIAM already know everything I stated….or do they?

Damjan

p.s.
(Sorry for my not the best english....)

There's an opportunity here

From:     Daniel Tracy

Hello Roger and flyers,

“The model airplane Free Flight Outdoor World Championships for 2015 are being held in Mongolia.”

This is a most exotic sounding caption. There's an opportunity here, when hearing these words, for any reasonable, imaginative and well connected journalist. It immediately creates a great curiosity. A professional public relations set could amplify just how astounding and audacious this revelation actually is. The venue is a hook that could easily bolster awareness of F1’s, as well as all free flight’s, actual existence (read: increased awareness, enrollment and then participation). It could even be construed as headline news.

It is easy to characterize all maybe 2000+ SEN readers (world wide) as an odd lot - some would even call them a bunch of obscure esoterics - but then again, they’ll be sending their best from all over the world to compete outdoors on the upper plainer steppes of -- MONGOLIA.

Who does that?

Not the world's golfers who don't know where the flying field is even when they're standing on it. Not the tennis players who can spend a lifetime of afternoons in rhythmic, back-and-forth boredom. Not Olympic swimmers who demand absolutely every identical race heat be observed by all Earth inhabitants.

If you are sincere about giving your "sport" a participation lift, then you might collectively conjure some worthwhile and timely public relations. This approaching venue is a fine opportunity for that and it’s occurring high up on the far side of the Earth in July. Maybe the “inspired” leadership of the US NFFS already has ‘World Champs PR’ on their line-up of near term projects. I’ve always wondered, how far is their vision?

“What exactly is ‘Free Flight’ anyway?” Start with that poetry.

Professional public relations means that it’s going to cost some money...

Recall that LIFE is just all that crap between flights.

dt


Relatively new to F1C - F1C rules

From:     Simon Dixon

F1C rules

Whilst being an experienced free flighter in the UK I am relatively new to F1C. I now have several models some direct drive built by myself and some geared Verbitski models from the late Stafford Screen's estate all now retro fitted with RDT but with mechanical timers. Having won a world cup event and narrowly missing the British team for Mongolia I feel I am competitive, at least in the UK. I can honestly say that F1C is now my favoured class, the geared models especially being a pleasure to fly although they certainly won't do 10 minutes without helpful air.

The 5 flight rule doesn't worry me as we tend to use this format in the UK and I feel it works ok, especially on a breezy day.

I am glad flappers and folders haven't been banned as I think its a class that should encourage development and push the limits (although I can't see me building or buying one), however the 4 second engine run troubles me somewhat I think this will be the end for anyone wanting to fly a fixed wing / direct drive model, a more sensible rule would be similar to our combined power class rules in the UK where the more systems a model has the shorter the run - this works very well and has certainly increased participation in the class with no one type of model dominating , so for F1C - 5 sec for direct drive / fixed wing models, 4.5 sec for geared / fixed wing models and 4 sec for direct drive or geared flappers and folders would seem fairer to me and maybe we might hang onto our flyers ?

However the radio engine cut rule for me is a real problem, yes I know its for safety reasons, but what it effectively means is anyone with mechanical timers in their models has to now upgrade to electronic. Pretty sure this will put a stop to more people flying F1C than it will enourage new flyers or even keep the ones we have.

Lets hope the powers that be have a rethink and listen to what the flyers are saying on this site. By the way I had nothing to do with the UK proposals on rule changes a few months ago !

Simon Dixon

Sick Rules Dude !

It's interesting that no one has come forward to tell us how great the new F1C rules are. Someone came up with the proposal and it was past so there has to be a few guys that feel it's a good idea. It would be good for at least one of them to come forward and explain the reasoning behind the new rule along with the benefits. I'm sure Roger would be more than happy to leave your name off the posting if that helps.

Jim Lueken

Editorial comment - for the non-native English speaker and maybe a set of those too - with word sick when used in colloquial English by the young means great - when used by the "mature" means ... well sick.

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Roger Morrell