SCAT is hosting the 2010 FAI FF Finals at Lost Hills, Sept 24 thru 28. Participants have received  Finals Bulletin 1 and 2 in the Team Selection Newsletters. 

We are now seeking timer help. While the Finals  is a flier-timer format, there is a need for a few additional timers. The greatest need is for Sat. and Mon, Sept 25 and 27.  We would greatly appreciate timer help.  There are  several options and incentives: 

A) Volunteers,those who will time without compensation other than our thanks and the enjoyment of being on the front line in all the action

B) Paid timers, get $100 day, requires timing all rounds during a day (14 rounds plus fly-offs), payment in cash at the end of the flying day.

C) Same as B) but donate the $100 to the Jr Team fund

D) Fill-in timers, available to the Timer Administrator to fill-in as needed-- mostly during the first rounds, last and flyoff rounds. Those timing 7  rounds get a Sierra Cup Banquet  (Sat, Oct 2 )ticket, 14 rounds or more 2 banquet tickets.

The timer incentives are open to all,  our foreign fliers are welcome also. The incentives are on a first ask, first receive basis.  Please contact me by email, let me know what days you can time and which option you like.

I've gotten several requests for which days the events fly. This is set by and is in the 2011 Team Selection Program. For this Finals the days are:

Sept 25, Sat: F1B & C,   F1A fliers time

Sept 26, Sun: F1C & A,  F1B fliers time

Sept 27, Mon: F1A & B,  F1C fliers time

First round will start at 7:30.  30 minutes rounds with a ten minute time gap to the next event's start time.

Full round times and pole positions will be given to the competitors during processing on Fri (Oct 24)

Thermals, JIM

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On Sat, 2010-08-21 at 08:32 -0500, Chuck Markos wrote:

> The current American Airlines size maximum is 62 inches 
> (length + width + height).  That restriction is slightly 
> more than I would need for safe packing of my current F1A
> airplanes.  The box that I had used for several years
> measusres 72 inches. I would be interested to hear from
> others about their experience. 
>

I've used a number of model boxes over the years with varying levels of
success and damage. Fortunately, the damage has all been to the box
rather than its contents, so I must have been lucky.

The best box I used was the last, though it was one of the most
expensive. I bought an ABS golf bag case and fitted it out to hold
models by fitting it out on the inside:
- an alloy U extrusion along both sides of the bottom half just below
  the rim and made a 'toast rack' that clips across it to hold the
  fuselages, secured with a brass tube through the joiner holes. Making
  the toast rack 150-200 mwide and putting sponge plastic strips across
  it will help to stop the fuselages thrashing about when the baggage
  guys start playing catch with it.

- the empty case was quite floppy, but the rails and toast rack plus a
  second clip-in cross brace at the other end made it surprisingly
  rigid. With the following mods it became rigid enough to sit on.

- I put the toast rack toward one end and used ply to build storage for
  tools, winches etc into the other end of the lid. This storage has a
  lockable lid to stop the contents from leaping out and doing damage
  when sliding down the carousel or in the hands of frisky baggage
  guys.

- the bottom half was lined with stiff foam sheet (a cut-up 6mm [1/4"]
  camping carry mat). The wings go here, along with a foam covered
  balsa box for the stabs.

- I used two padlocks to keep the box closed, exactly as a golfer
  would. 

- I could carry 4 models in this case - three fit easily but getting the
  fourth in, an M&K short electronic model, needed a bit of care. I'm
  unsure whether you could get a very long wing into this type of case
  so take your longest wings, or at least a tape measure, with you when
  you go to look at one.

I was careful to make as little change as possible to the outside on the
grounds that airlines are very familiar with carrying gold bags in these
things and so it would be A Good Thing if they thought my model box was
just another model box. It worked: I had no problems at all when I used
it on my last visit to Lost Hills.

I'd be surprised of these exceed the airlines 62" limit, but it would be
wise to ask before buying.

==============
My next best box was made from 6mm foam board. That is 1/4" foam with
cardboard on each side. I used piano hinge screwed to wood strips to
hinge the lid. The wings and tails live in the bottom with the fuselages
on their sides in a tray that fits completely across the interior at
hinge level: the tray adds a lot of rigidity: its held in place by
doublers above and below it on all four sides. These make the long side
opposite the hinge strong enough to mount a recessed handle.

The foam board is easy to work with modelling tools and to assemble with
PVA. Then the corners were rounded off with a sanding block and finished
with 100 gsm twill weave glass cloth and epoxy, one layer on the inside
and two on the outside. This left the corners a bit vulnerable, so I
added 50mm (2") glass tape along all edges. This box is nice and light
to carry and strong enough for anything up to and including air travel,
though I was always wary of what a determined baggage guy could do to
it, and always arranged special handling for it. 
 

Martin

And from France

So sorry about Reid and Jack. We will miss them.
About model box size, we experiment exactly the same with Air France: only one
checked luggage less than 158 cm and less than 23 kg. That means that we have to
pay an extra charge of 50 + 75 Euros !!! can be a great problem to go to World
Cup contests.

Bernard Boutillier