SCAT Electronic News 27 October 1999
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SCAT Electronic News 27 October 1999
"SCAT - 40 Year's of FAI Free Flight Competition"
Table of Contents
=================
Skyscrpers Annual - Schlosberg
Hidden Valley Airplanes - Pelatowski
RDT Last word from me - Wegner
Flyoffs or Demolition Derbies - Schlosberg
WC 2001 Details - Montes
Wright II flyer (Vin fiz) - Matlock
Skyscrpers Annual
=================
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The Brooklyn Skyscraper's Annual, an American Cup, will be held over
November 13-14 at the Higgs farm, Ingleside, Maryland The farm is about 10
miles southeast of Chestertown, on the east side of the Chesapeak Bay.
(In a large map, it would be approximately east of Baltimore).
The mini events are held on saturday between 8 AM and 2 PM. The Major FAI
events will have five rounds on saturday, beginning at 10 AP and two early
on Sunday morning. Attendance is generally good in terms of eastern
contests.
The Higgs farm overs a large flat area. In mid November some of the fields
will just be planed with winter wheat. The farm and the surrounding area
have a number of drainage canals, similar to the ones at palm bay. Around
the perimeter there are wooded areas which should be avoided if possible.
Most fliers stay at the court yard Inn which is "dumpy" but the closest to
the field (410) 778 2755. Another motel, the Foxley Manor, is in
Chestertown itself (410) 778 3200. The Comfort Inn in Chester Town is the
most expensive (410) 810 0555. If you need fliers, please e-mail me a
request. To speed things up I could fax the flier to you (sorry, I don't
have a scanner). Finally, please monitor weather forecasts, to avoid two
back-to-back stormy days.
Hope to meet you out there!
Hidden Valley Airplanes
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I would like to know if anyone has noticed how many national TV ads now have
model airplanes in them. It started with a small indoor plane flying among
redwood trees for Hidden Valley ranch dressing. Then there is a Min-van ad
with a model plane flying around the outside of the vehicle. Just today I saw
an ad for a Jeep with a strange cloaked figure running thru a large field and
suddenly a model plane appears in his hand. I wonder if the same ad agency is
responsible. Does anyone have any info on these ads? It is great to have
this kind of exposure for our hobby. Larry Pelatowski - Connecticut
RDT Last word from me
=====================
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We all want to be known as "Sportsmen" but we all whine because It's too
much work.
Anybody want to buy two BlackMagic Timers, 2 HS50 servos and all hook up
wires and cables?
Flyoffs or Demolition Derbies
=============================
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The Levotto flyoffs at Lost Hills begin soon after the seventh round and
as the weather was hot and calm, stratospheric 11-13 minute flyoffs were
attained, rendering mechanical timers useless. The wind picked up during
the Wakefield 13-minute-flyoff, blowing models over route 46, two miles t
o the south. Retrieval entailed team efforts well into the dark - as in
the case of Al Brush, whose model landed 21 miles away, north of Buttomwi
llow on highway 58.
[Editors comment Aram .. the weather was fine when the round started -
If it had been blowing when the round started no one
would have made more than 3-4 minutes as the thermal activity
went away and I have flown in those conditions]
Such spectacular flyoffs are a good spectator sport, particularly without
functioning timers. They are not much different from a demolition derby:
there is an excitement of finding/choosing a patch of good air; timing t
he model over such long eye-straining periods; retrieving the models in t
ime - particularly without a backup. Unfortunately, such spectacles are l
imited to large fields like Lost Hills and Palm Bay.
[In this event neither timing nor retrival was a problem
for the entire contest except the last F1B round]
But once a model is in a thermal, is there any significant difference of
being in it for five or thirteen minutes (if it can still be tracked)? Wh
y are flyoff times incremented automatically beyond the limits of mechani
cal timers - granting a decisive advantage to the electronic generation -
way above still air performance? Incrementation makes sense within the
domain of still air performance. In my opinion, flyoff maxes should be c
apped at about minute above the best still air performance, corresponding
to 5 minutes for Nordics, 7-8 minutes for Wakefield and 6-7 minutes and
Power.
Lee Hines, in an e-mail after the Levotto contest, suggest flyoff capping
. If Nordics are capped at 5 minutes, the first flyoff could be 4 minutes
. Wakefield and Power could begin with a 5 minute flyoff and be capped at
7 minutes.
[ Ed's comment again ..
I see no reason for starting the Nordics at a lesser value than the
other classes and based on calm air times I see from Paker, Hines,
Zink and Brun it should be capped at at least 6 minutes as they
are all capable 5 in the AM ...]
A necessary condition for stratospheric flyoffs is to start them early.
Although the FAI rulebook is micro-detailed, recommending when to start t
racking a model with binoculars (after a minute) it is opaque about afte
rnoon flyoffs. They are to start "after" the regular contest (C.3.1.8.b)
. Two regular rounds are to be flown under "minimal wind and thermal cond
itions" (B.10.1) and a next day early morning flyoff should be flown "as
early as daylight and visibility permit" (3.1.8.C). Lee suggested startin
g the flyoffs two an a half hours before sunset, which is very reasonable
At the Levotto contest, many fliers tried in vain to persuade Juan to pos
tpone the flyoffs. Al Brush, in an e-mail, states that Juan was "rigid i
n compliance with his pre-printed contest schedule". Unfortunately, cont
est directors frequently adhere to the dogma that contest publications ar
e a binding legal contract. The only binding matter in a contest flier, i
n my humble opinion, is the starting time. Once all the fliers are assem
bled, any change can be made at a flier's meeting prior to the next round
or flyoff.
[Ed Comment -i I like a contest where the CD does not submitt to badgering
by the contestants - that's why I like Livotto's contests. There was no reason
to depart from the published schedule or FAI rules. The advanatge
of FAI events is that the eventualities are defined in the rules
as best we can, there is no question of 'local rules' that
tend to favor the local flyer. Juan should not be critized for the
way he ran the event - A rules chnage may be warranted but that
is another story]
One possible remedy is for the American Cup rules could require that a ju
ry be formed to deal with such issues. It is scary to think about the po
ssibility of someone getting hurt or lost in a night retrieval by not avo
iding risky flying conditions.
A second remedy could be to develop supplementary FAI rules. Many circums
tances are not covered by the rules, such as one relayed to me by Bob Sif
leet who participated in a Nordic flyoff in Turkey. A flier at the end o
f the line towed up immediately at the bell and proceeded to run across a
ll the open lines of the other fliers, causing great confusion. Bob thou
ght such tactics are not illegal under the FAI rules. My response was tha
t the Israelis have written supplementary rules which define an "unsports
manlike" behavior as grounds for being disqualified by a CD or a jury.
Aram Schlosberg
(In case you are wondering, a counter-tactic for line run-overs is to hol
d up you line and just bring the person's model down.)
WC 2001 Details
===============
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[Sergio, What's your full address ? I didn't
think that Hobart was that small or you
had sufficent notoriety that the Post Office whould
know you that well]
Point taken, Roger, and thanks for the additional comments re TV
coverage. My e-mail address is mentioned in the Web Page. Other
coordinates of Secretary of the Organizing Committee of the next World
FF Champs are :
Sergio Montes
37 Windsor Street
Kingston Beach, Tasmania
Australia 7050
e-mail : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
FAX : 61-03-62234611
Phone : 61-03-62262113/61-03-62296247
Indeed the idea of TV rights with very light, in-built TV cameras is a
very interesting one. The Formula One fraternity must have debated this
point extensively some 10-15 years ago. I am sure the technical and
legal ramifications must be quite complex. I would welcome comments and
experience on this point, as it might be a superb idea to incorporate
such advances in the next WC.
Sergio Montes
Wright II flyer (Vin fiz)
===========================
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Hey Roger
I'm interested in find and building a model of the Vin fiz, the
plane Cal Rodger flew across the U S in in 1911 (first guy across). Any
info you may have will be much appreciated. Thanx, Joe
(This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
......................
Roger Morrell
