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Category: Archive 2009
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table of contents - SEN 1333

 

  1. Apologies
  2. EC2010
  3. Even more USA Finals Stuff

 

 

Apologies

 

To those outside the USA for an overdose of USA Selection stuff.

 

 

EC 2010

Hi,

EC 2010 will be end of july 2010 at Istanbul FF Cup Field. (Unofficialy).

It will annonced in 2 week.

You can find field information. www.turkey-ff.info


Even more US Team stuff

 

From The Editor

I would like to know which way the various TSC Delegates voted?  Seeing the delegates are representing the particpant I do not believe this should be a secret ballot?

 

.. so if any of the delgates read SEN - how di you vote?  .. and if you don't read SEN you probably should not be a FAI Free Flight team selection delegate?

 

 From Roger Coleman

FAI at Muncie??? Damn fools can drive another nail into the Free Flight coffin... just watch the ranks shrink until you're buying a single trophy for events nobody flies anymore. NUFF SAID!!!
Roger Coleman  

 

From Walt Ghio

Hello,

The replies to my first e-mail have been very low for such an important subject.  I guess most of you just want to sit on the sidelines and see what happens.  The way I look at this you need to voice your opinion.  Not on the field at the next contest, which I know a lot of you will do, but using your keyboard and put down your feelings and let the rest of us read them.

I would like to point out that no flight in a World Champs has been less than three minutes.  Most World Champs fields are of good quality and their is no issues with the flight time.  History shows that you do not get three days of excellent weather at the Muncie site and we will end up using less than a three minute max.  Is this a good way to pick a team that will have to fly for three minutes at a World Champs?  I would also like to point out the last time we had a finals this area of the United States the contest was completed in California eight months later.  I believe we will have a good chance of this happening again.  But then the Muncie contest director will just lower the max time to two minutes so we can finish the contest on his turf.  Again, this is lowering the quality of the program.  We need to fly for three minutes and each flyer must have a fare chance of completing the required flights.  Not by the luck of the draw as to where he / or she  ends up on the long flight line which dictates where your model lands down wind.

To address Dave Edmonson's remark about the "desert" I know of only one USA site that would prepare you for the first round of this years World Champs.  That is Taft at 8 am to 9 am.  No other field in the USA has the conditions that we had.  Also, contestants come to the NATS because of the extra American Cup points that are collected from the NATS contest, not the field.

We can go on and on about the good points and bad points about the Muncie site.   It will come down to a vote of the flyers.  Reading George Batiuks comments on the SCAT web site it looks like our committee had already taken a vote.  Did they make contact with the flyers from their district before they did the voting or did they just vote what their own personal views are?  It would be interesting to know.  For sure, I was never asked.  I understand some of them are calling around to flyers trying to get them to vote for Muncie.  I also understand that one of our committee members says that Lost Hills is too easy.  I fly a lot at Lost Hills and never find it easy.


Walt Ghio 

 

 

From The Leaper

Hi all,
 
Just got home from Denver/RMC ten day trip, which is why I am just now
responding to this discussion.
 
In short, Muncie Finals...NO...for at least all the reasons discussed.
 
And Ken is right on about boycott not being a functional method or
solution to bring about change.
I think the recent programs have been working fairly well as far as
selection of quality teams.  Still, I would prefer more flights...
 
That said, I have decided to stand down from entering the next finals,
simply because my time has past by.  Young bucks need to rise up now
and older ones fade away...  
Regards, Lee Hines

From Randy Secor

Hi All,
As many of you know I have been involved with the Jr. Program with my sons Tyler and Cody for the last seven years and have traveled to 3 Jr. WC and Open WC in Croatia...I helped two friends at the last finals in two different events.
With all that said Lost Hills is not an easy place to fly it takes alot of skill to do well...the one thing about Lost Hills is it is about flying...not
how lucking you are if you miss landing in a tree or hitting a barn....
All the World Champ sites I have been to: France, Germany, Kiev & Croatia have been good fields with alot more space than Muncie.
Even with bad weather 3 min maxes were flown and chasing was not a problem.
We have also flown at Muncie...love the grass...hate the chasing and the possibility of my airplane getting smashed up in the side of a barn, headstone or tree....
At the 2005 Nats in Muncie F1P & F1C had a flyoff on a very nice calm late afternoon.... Norm Poti's F1C model got smashed up flying into side of a barn...Anthony Ferrario hit a tree and cut his flight time short, Cody was lucky and was 50' into the corn and won...
I think until a better flying site can be found Lost Hills is the best choice right now for the finals..
Randy Secor
 

 From Ben in Wyoming!

Now I have been out of the game for over the year, but I still read every SEN that comes my way. First of all, I have referred to the actual flying field at Muncie as "Freeflight Heaven" and it truly is. Where else can you tow on nicely mowed grass, ride your motorcycle on nicely mowed grass, and then do a baseball slide when said motorcycle slips on the wet nicely mowed grass? Answer? NO WHERE. However, if the field is heaven..off the field is hell. The beans, corn, rivers, powerlines, wind, and grizzly bears(woops..sorry thats whats outside my window..but they might as well be in Muncie) create a very difficult chase. Again I love the field, I love the people who put on the contests there, and I absolutely love camping on the field. But I can say that I would never even think for a second about competing in the most intense competition in FAI in Muncie, Indiana. Call me west coast whiner/biased/traveling challanged...whatever you want to, but Lost Hills really is the best choice for a finals...virtually unlimited chasing, a strong club(muncie of course has one as well) and experienced finals staff. Last thing I need to address...someone made mention about flying on a field you might be flying on in Europe..very true, but I can tell you that even though I might have to fight off a Grizzly bear or a Moose someday, I sure aint asking Bullwinkle or Yogi to step outside for some rough and tumble. There is plenty of space out here in Wyoming, I'll put together my proposal for a 2012 finals in the meadows of Teton Village, Wyoming. But until then. Fly Max Win!

 

Benjamin Pierce Coussens

PS:I miss you guys!!!

 

From Ken Bauer

I was trying to stay quiet but can't hold back one comment.
 
The idea that Muncie is similar to smaller fields encountered at the world champs is simply not true.  I've attended the last 3 world champs and 2 of the last 3 Jr world champs and every one of these fields was several times bigger than Muncie at least.  Further we should not be selecting team members based on their retrieval skills because this has nothing to do with the actual world champs where all retrieval for US team members is done by an expert group of downwind helpers.  All the flyer has to do is fly.
 
One of the criticisms of our one shot finals selection contest is that there is a significant lottery effect because almost anything can happen in just one contest.  The only way to minimize the lottery or luck factor is to hold the contest in an environment where the competitor skill plays the largest role and the random field effects are reduced.  I love the Muncie grass but this field obviously increases the luck factor.
 
I would love to travel to the east and fly on a field the same size as any of the recent world champs.  Maybe we will find one some day.
 
Thanks, Ken

...................
Roger Morrell

 

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