SEN 2383
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- Category: Archive 2018
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Table of Contents – SEN 2383
- Vintage Wake and Coupe ?
- Fab Feb background Information
Vintage Wake and Coupe ?
From: Bernard Guest
Hi All,
Some of you have probably seen my little poll on Facebook re. flying wakes and coupes of the golden age (1957 to the early 80s) ….I have always loved the look of these older ships: Bob White's famous Twin Fin wake and Beau Coupe, or Baker Bond’s Woomera, and many more, you know what I am talking about … you get that same feeling when you are looking back through your stack of model mags while sitting on the throne. A nostalgic longing to fly one just for the hell of it. So what we gonna do about this? We don’t need new events really, and heck, we have trouble as it is attracting flyers etc. to any FF event. Also we always hear folks decry the modern expense and general complexity of the modern FAI ships and offer this as a reason to stay away for the FAI flight line.
So, my idea is to allow folks to dust off these old ships (or build a new one) and bring em to any FAI meet to fly in the rounds, alongside the modern carbon wonder machines. Fly any wake of any post 56 era to the rules of its particular era (40 gram era model flies with 40 grams of rubber, 35 with 35 etc. etc.). You fly in the same rounds as the modern ships alongside the F1B hotshots but you are competing for the "golden age FAI” trophy (supplied by me).
What is that you say? "We had that a few years back, it was the Zaic event for the older ships and had almost no entries”. "Why would we wanna add this new event?”….well I suspect the problem with the Zaic event was that the rubber was limited to 30g. Golden era ships were designed to fly with more rubber which means they have longer fuselages and would therefore require a motor cross section reduction and ballasting to get the CG correct. Not impossible but we all know that these ships are not in their element on a light, skinny motor, and who wants to fly on a light motor anyway? We wanna see what our baby can do! right?. This is basically what sort of diminished my enthusiasm back when the Zaic event was in the mix.
What do you all think? waste of time? don’t bother? Let me know.
Bernard
Editorial Correction
The Zaic award run at the Kiwi Cup was not an event for older airplanes. It was an award for F1ABC airplanes that conformed to the current rules but had limited technology. For example F1B – No VP prop, No start delay , max of 2 functions plus d/t. This approach is successful in some countries but has limited appeal at our event. This is probably because a number of the people interested in flying with with reduced technology were not interested in the travel trip to CA to take part in the event. In other countries where travel distances are shorter reduced technology events are popular in glider events, at the Kiwi more Zaic awards went for rubber events.
Fab Feb background Information
The Lost Hills flying site is familiar to many FAI Free Flight Sportsmen from all over the world. But here is some information that you may find useful.
Accommodation
There are 2 motels at the Lost Hills I-5 exit. They are Motel 6 and Days Inn. Typically these fill up during the Fab Feb times. The nearest towns with accommodation to Lost Hills are Wasco and Delano to the East and Buttonwillow to the south. The I-5 is the main highway from both the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas
People camp on the field there are toilet facilities but not washing. There are showers at the Truck stop and campground in Lost Hills.
Quite a number of local people camp at the field in Motor Hones, Trailers, Caravans, camper, 5th Wheels and all kind of RVs. Some international visitors rent RVs for the contest. Because Fab Feb is in the off-season RV rental is cheap and close to the price of rental car with a motel.
If you have not booked your accommodation you should do so.
On Field Transportation
From time to time people have asked us for help in renting a motor cycle. We have not been able to find a suitable source. If a reader has a suggestion or motor cycles to rent let us know! Some visitors borrow a bike from a local flying friend.
The safest on field transportation is renting a golf cart. They can be rented from
All Carts
1636 S Union Avenue
Bakersfield
CA 93307-4146
Phone: (661) 836-9800
All Carts do not have a web site so you must phone them. They offer a number of choices with 2 or 4 seats. One of the most popular looks like a little truck with 2 seats and a flat truck bed that is ideal for carrying your equipment. They will deliver the cart to the field. They know about our site and what we do. You could easily share with another sportsman.
Some of the more athletic have bought a low priced bicycle from a place like Wal-Mart in Wasco.
Food
Our plan is to have a food truck on the field most flying days where you can buy lunch.
You can buy food for lunch at some of the convenience stores at Lost Hills, in particular the markets in the town of Lost Hills rather than at the Freeway or a super market in Wasco.
There are a number fast and semi-fast food restaurants at the Lost Hills Freeway exit and Gabby’s Restaurant in the town of Lost Hills. There are other restaurants in Wasco, Buttonwillow, Bakersfield, Coalinga and Delano.
We are planning to have a special evening at Gabby’s on the Thursday night when they will stay open later. This is a Mexican Restaurant with good food and a friendly atmosphere.
For those looking for extra entertainment and competitive challenges you can take part in the order-your-meal-all-in-one-request-without-the waitress-having-to-come-back-to-you at Denny’s. I give you fair warning that this competition was devised by Chris Edge and Mike Fantham and Chris aka EoB will be there to explain the finer points of the rules. (For those who have not dined at Denny’s in the USA, the land of the multiple choice, you will understand once you have been there)
Weather
We will not make the mistake of predicting the weather. It is possible for the temperature to drop to freezing at night but this is quite rare. It is also possible to be very sunny to the point where you might need sun block. California is still in a 5+ year drought so there is only limited vegetation on the field.
Trees
We have a good working relationship with our faming neighbors at Lost Hills and it is essential that we maintain that. We can go into the trees to retrieve our models but cannot drive between the trees or over the irrigation equipment. The contest organizer has poles to help you get a model out of the trees, you can borrow these. You will be given very detailed instructions about this when you arrive at the field. Failure to follow these instructions is an immediate RED CARD (to use a common sporting term) and exclusion from the contests.
To avoid the trees it is likely that if there is even a hint of a northerly wind the flight line will be moved to the road about 2 km north of the camping area.
Ladies Tea Party
For a number of years now the local ladies have organized a tea party or social event for all the visiting ladies. All ladies, competitors, helpers, supporters,…. are most welcome. The Tea Party is held on the Tuesday. This is a day with no competition flying. It is an excellent opportunity for ladies to socialize and meet people that you might not be able to during competition days. Many lasting friendships have been formed. Unless there is some problem with the weather the event is on the field in a sheltered space. The dress is informal, appropriate for being on the field. The visitors are guests so it is not necessary to bring anything or pay for the tea party.
Bakersfield
The city of Bakersfield is about 40 miles from Lost Hills. It is the 9th largest city in California and the 63rd in the USA. The population is over 370,000, and it has all the services and shops that you expect from a city of that size.