SEN 1241 2008

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Category: Archive 2008
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Table of Contents - SEN 1241 - 29 August 2008

 

  1.  It's all about October
  2. Baked Dust
  3. The model that was not to be

 

 

 It's all about October

From: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We have a new theme for this October in Lost Hills. It's all about October. The Livotto, Sierra Cup and finally the US Team Selection for our 2009 W/C Team will all be completed in about one week of competition. I'm looking forward to the week and hope for great weather. I would like to remind those attending Sierra Cup that I need entrys in before the event. I have to assign poles, make up cards and will be working with Finals organizers to help set the field for the event following so I will not have time to process field entries from the Gringos...just our friends from outside the America's Cup venue. Please enter now. Also remember the schedule is a little different this year. ABC goes first on Tuesday Oct 7, followed by Mini's on Wednesday Oct 8. F1P goes with F1C and a new event, Vintage FAI Power will go with Mini's on Wednesday. Walt Ghio is the event director for vintage so see him for entry fees and details. Look forward to seeing you, looks like a good turnout of our friends around the world and it will be a great tune up for the Finals with time to practice before Finals events. More annoncements to come.

Mike

 

 

Baked Dust ?

From: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Hi

I was at Lost Hill flying site many years ago and had an evnet with my car. The dust that settled on my auto "baked" on to the surface and I had go take it to a pro detailed to completely remove the surface contaminants. Has anyone else experienced this sort of problem? It's keeping me from returning to a otherwise great flying site. Thanks for your time and attention.

  . . . Arno

The Model that wasn't to be

From: Ken Bauer

Ever had a model that for whatever reason seemed like it was just not meant to be?  Here's quick story of one of my models that seemed to fit this category and just met its end in Oregon by litarally disappearing into thin air with a puff of smoke.

 
Back in 1997 I drew up plans for my ultimate F1A model which would be called "Dream On 2".  It was based on my original "Dream On" glider built in 1977 which was the best flying and most successful balsa airplane I ever built and also housed my very first electronic timer.  I had the wings panels built to my specs and gathered all the pieces to make the fuselage and stab.  This was the first ever "full house" F1A which had 4 servos in the nose pod and the first ever strain gage towhook.  Although the model glided well there were so many issues with the new towhook, a servo wing wiggler that did not work, and wing main panels that would twist on launch that it was never flown in a contest.  I did use it as the basis for many wild towhook experiments which I covered in a sympo article years ago, including attempts at controlling the circle tow rudder through various twangs and jerks, but this only proved that the traditional moving towhook works pretty good.
 
At one point I got the towhook working in more traditional fashion only to have the wings break on a hard launch busting the pod and tail as well.  I ended up having completely new main panels built to go with the original tips and I repaired the fuselage.  Still the model was never flown much because of the bad hook and wing wiggler, but the wings now seemed to be very stiff and launched very high.  Fast forward to Spring 2007 when I decided that these wings have enough potential that I should completely rebuild the nose pod to house a completely new system with new timer, towhook, servos, wing wiggler, RDT, etc, to match my other models.  In the process I painted the rebuilt front end candy apple blue to match the original Dream On.  The model was finally flying really well when one morning I was testing on my small field and the stab nicked my self launching rig on launch.  As I towed I knew the stab was not seated right when I foolishly thought to myself that I might as well try a launch anyway because if there is any problem I'll just press the RDT button and save it.  Big mistake.  I get off a great launch and the bunt comes in with all still looking good but of course the stab jams in the bunt/cruise position and the model goes straight into the ground as I'm frantically pushing the RDT button to no avail.  In seconds I realize my stupidity because RDT will have no effect when the stab is mechanically jammed.  So now I've got a broken wing tip and a broken pod and boom.  I repair and recover the tip and put the pod and boom together once more and redo the candy apple blue paint.  Things are straight enough that the model retrims quickly and is flying well again although doesn't get out of the box much due to backup status.
 
So now this last Friday in Oregon after dropping 5 seconds in the first round I decided to finally fly the Dream On 2 in a contest.  It works great maxing the remaining 6 rounds and behaving very well.  It even saves me one round when I launch too late and am sinking fast but the model turns on its wingtip, finds lift, and ends up DTing very high.  On Sunday I decide to fly it again in the second contest as the wind is blowing and it seems like a good exercise for my backup model, although I'm just starting to think this might be one of my better models.  In the third round I work pretty hard kiting and circling in the wind and get off a good launch but I missed the lift.  The model is trying to work the low ground lift and I'm watching it from the flight line as it is moving downwind fast.  Suddenly there is a pop, a flash of light, and a small plume of black smoke rising into the sky and I instantly realize what has happened.  Dream On 2 is no more.  Vaporized by power lines.  Electrocuted.  Carbon and aluminum don't mix with thosands of volts.  When I arrive on the scene Blake and Brian have found the only remaining pieces which are a good wingtip still attached to a barb-b-qued main panel with a melted wing wire, the outline of a stab, and a glob a carbon fiber and metal pieces which was my nosepod.
 
Oh well.  I guess this model just wasn't meant to be.  But of course all that know me are aware that I'm usually in church on Sundays and only make a few exceptions each year to fly on Sundays, so maybe God was sending me a message.  Good thing that F1A in the finals is not scheduled to fly on Sunday this year.
 
-Ken

 

Roger Morrell