SEN- January 30 2000
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News and Reports 2000 - First half
SCAT Electronic News 30 Jan 2000
"SCAT - 40 Years of FAI Free Flight Competition"
Table of Contents
=================
SCAT 40th Snippets - Editor
CUFFMAC Schedule- Saunderson
Empire State FF Champs - Goodnow
Steel wire source ? - Hines
CUFFMAC Addition - Thorkilsen
Lock those surfaces - full throttle ahead! - Schlosberg
BlackMagic [and Red too] Timer news
SCAT 40th Snippets
==================
We had our 40th banquet last Saturday with a good turnout. 2 of
the original 9 members are still active - Bill Hartill who organized
the affair and Bob Wiehle our treasurer. We had 3 other the original members
and two widows. One founder, Don Hutchison was off skiing! Shirley
Turner came all the way from Texas to see her friends again. Mary Steckel
had a much easier trip as she still lives close by.
There was goodly collection of artifacts, photos, slides and Jim Trego's
home movies. It was good to see photos of old friends and comment
on how fashions [in airplanes, hair and clothes !] have changed.
Hartill had a good selection from the
many World Champs he has attended. There was a photos from the farewell party
as SCAT sent it's first USA Team member , Bob Wiehle off to fly
A/2 in the 50's. In one of the slides of the 60's there was Bob Tymchek -
wearing a red and black check shirt - the same one as you wear today Bob?
To futher research Brokenspar's decade affair - Bob Wiehle commented
that when he makes a flight this year he will have flown in 9 decades -
his first flight being in 1927. Frank Zaic first flew a few years before
that but still in the 20s. I guess we will have to get Frank something
to fly this millenium.
We had hoped to have the new SCAT t-Shirt there but lastminute
production problems held it up - It will be at the Isaacson and the
Maxmen. Hot rumor is that art work by Vlad Andryukov is worth and extra
27 seconds in the 10 minute flyoff round - provided of course
you are wearing the shirt and it's clean!
CUFFMAC Schedule
================
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I opened up the contest calendar by clicking on "California 2000 Schedule"
but it has a heading that says "1999"
Is it the 2000 schedule?
Thanks
Anthony Saunderson
Seattle, Washington
[ That was a typo - it is the 2000 Scedule and has been fixed ]
Empire State FF Champs
======================
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Please include" Empire State Free Flight Champs" in your contest list. It's
held at Genesso N.Y. August 18,19,20, 2000 We have something for everyone
AMA+nostalgia+oldtime+ FAI
Thermals: Brooks Goodnow your "humble " CD
Steel wire source ?
=================
Author : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Roger, I would like to connect with someone who knows
where I can buy steel stranded wire that is solderable.
Preferably .3 mm diameter, wrapped 7 strands of .1mm.
I bought some from Gerd Aringer while in Czecho and am
running out. If someone in Euroland could bring some=20
to Feb comps at Lost Hills, let me know, please.
Thanks, Lee
CUFFMAC Addition
================
Author : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Roger,
The San Valeers nostalgia annual is on the 21 and 22 of Oct at lost hills
along with the other clubs the same weekend.
Thermals,
Terry
[A full 'pretty' Web Version of the Cuffmac calendar is available on
the SCAT Web site www.aeromodel.com/scat then select the contest
calendar - We try to keep this up to date and post
electronic contest flyers there]
Lock those surfaces - full throttle ahead!
==========================================
Author : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The January AMA magazine brought a crop of new proposal that would effe
AMA power
events. Ken Phair suggests creating a parallel set of power events 1/2A to D called "Sport
Power", which are defined by having locked surfaces (stab, wings and rudder). Bob Stalick
suggests separating record keeping for the locked surface events he called Limited, to differentiate
it from the Unlimited events. Another proposal, by Richard Covalt, suggests to impose the locked
surfaces on the 1/2A to D events, leaving F1C and F1J as the FAI high-tech events. Richard also
proposes limiting the wing aspect ratio to at most 8, to encourage the production of balsa kits,
which, in his opinion, will revive interest in the events (the full proposal is available from the
AMA.).
Why should the AMA events evolve towards locked surfaces anyway? I am afraid that the real
reason is a fear of being overwhelmed by high-tech moving-surface models,
or FAI-like models
for short. Incidently, the FAI-models evolved under very tight weigh, area and power restrictions,
as well as being flown almost exclusively in Europe. The ability to preprogram all surfaces makes
trimming and flying incredibly easy, as noted by Paul Crowley.
I was told that locked-surface power models are trimmed for their cork-screw climb by a rudder
tab, and engine down/side thrust and the glide circle by tilting the stab. The models transitions by
flopping over into glide, helped a high pylon and large stabs. Personally, I am a bit skeptical that
tilting the stab is climb-neutral, but using an auto-rudder would simplify trimming immensely -
without affecting performance. Unfortunately, under a locked-surface-clause modifying the glide
radius requires shimming or sanding the stab mount, easily disturbing the
decalage.
Limiting the wing's aspect ratio to under eight has the unintended side effect of discourage the
usage of D-shells - which allow much stiffer and higher aspect balsa and
wood wings. A higher
aspect ratio of 10 would leave the door open to future design developments.
The key feature of FAI power models is their power-to-glide-transition or
bunt. Elimination of
bunts can be attained in terms of limiting timer functions. If up to three timer functions (or "lines")
were allowed: (1) engine and (2) DT, the "free" function could be used to
operate an auto rudder
or even attain zero decalage during the climb, but no bunt. The former allows easier trimming, the
latter would increasing performance while keeping the model simple. DT off the timer or a fuse
are equivalent, so models fuses would be allowed two timer functions.
Personally I think that defining AMA power classes as non-high-tech events is legitimate.
Duplicating the events or record keeping have a strong diluting effect.
It would be a mistake to
over-restrict the AMA events into fixed surfaces corner. A more flexible
approach is called for
and limiting timer functionality is just one possibility.
Aram Schlosberg
BlackMagic [and Red too] Timer news
===================================
We did some further testing this weekend with Ken Bauer's RDT. For
the first time I flew it in an F1B and was able to D/T it from the
top of the climb and some distance down wind. The weather was really
too calm and without sufficent Thermal activity to test the radio range
properly. The less than 2 gram unit is fine for F1B [testing flights
only of course !!] . Ken still has some fine tuning to do so the production
models are a little ways away. Expect to see some of the prototypes
around at the Maxmen International. I did not subject the unit to the
toughest Free Flight operational test i.e. I did not break a motor.
Bob White has commented that this is about enough to move him out of
the Luddite camp. Speaking of the Luddites, I was presented with a
Team Luddite shirt - in Gothisscript of course. Maybe I'll wear it
when I fly my Gollywock.
We do now have in stock the 1.5 mm JST wire to wire locking connectors
that are so popular in Indoor R/C and very good
for electronic timer applications.
...................
Roger Morrell
