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- A Restricted Ludditte
- Timer for Electric Power Models
- Stonehenge Reminder
A Restricted Ludditte
Martin Dilly This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Our aim, surely, is to get more people involved in flying models that give them a realistic chance of getting a place on their national teams at World and Continental Championships. That means overcoming the impression that such models are too complex or too expensive or beyond their building skills. What will still be needed from team members, whatever they fly, is a lot of commitment and probably quite a lot of financial outlay.
Having seen the pointless UK proposals (it's not even 'FAI Lite', as the models proposed would all be illegal on a team) I’ve been pondering a way to avoid creating a new set of classes that are not actually eligible for the World Championships, while at the same time giving those who think the current technology is beyond them a reasonable chance of competing for a team place. To that extent the UK FF technical committee's proposals are useful, though made, as far as I'm aware, without any consulation either with those who fly FAI or, maybe more importantly, with those who currently don't; they've got us thinking.
Some people have suggested that the number of today’s flyers who would give up if there was a ban on current advanced technology models might be outweighed by the number of people taking up a new FAI low technology class. The last thing we want is for any of today’s FAI flyers to give up, so I hope we can rule that one out. However,I think there’s a way of having our cake and eating it.
What we need, certainly in the UK, is more people flying models that can give them a chance of a team place. We need more FAI contests, maybe on sites shared with other FF disciplines. In the UK the BMFA has a budget for training, coaching, performance and excellence; this needs to be used for all would-be FAI flyers, not just for our teams.
What we don’t need is yet more classes to distract people from flying models that can get them a place on the Championships team. We don't need specification changes that make existing flyers give up.
A Solution
Suppose future Championships required each three-person team to have at least one member flying restricted technology models only. We should keep it simple to administer by prohibiting only folders, flappers, geared engines, v.p. props and bunters. Otherwise identical to F1A, B and C. As something of a luddite I’m tempted to include electronics in that list, but suspect that the clockwork mechanisms we use now for timers won’t be made for much longer.
Advantages to this are that it doesn't restrict development, but does give those preferring a less complex approach the opportunity of a team place and Championships experience. Their score would be as vital to the team result as that of those using today's technology. It would help to reduce the 'FAI versus the rest' dichotomy that exists in some nations, interestingly almost only in the English-speaking nations.
It might require an additional award for those flying restricted technology, and would give flapper/folder/geared engine/v.p.prop/bunt users two chances of a team place rather than the present three.
How is it that France, Germany and the former Warsaw Pact nations still have active juniors in FAI? In the USA it seems to be a case of a few enthusiastic mentors and personal benefactors. What do other countries do? How are juniors and newcomers encouraged?
As far as I know, there's not a single book in English on FF at anything beyond the very basic level, apart from the excellent Ron Williams Building & Flying Indoor Model Airplanes. We are a secret society. There are dozens on every aspect of RC, including at least three on gas turbines! Specialist publications like the NFFS Symposium Report and the BMFA Free Flight Forum Report (2010 edition out in May...) are fine, but they are largely preaching to the choir. FAI free flight needs to be far more visible and far more accessible.
A final, possibly minor, point was made to me recently by one of the columnists for a British magazine. The nomenclature is off-putting. F1B, F3A, F2D and so on sound unfriendly and inaccessible to people not yet flying FAI. They give no idea of what model is involved.
Timer for Electric Power Models
I want to inform all interested fliers of AMA Electric B know that Larry Bagalini is able to supply a timer that is capable of being programmed in second intervals for motor run an DT. I didn't know, until I talked to Larry today, that he had a timer to supply this finite set of functions. I've been very concerned with the safety issue of flying AMA Electric B without a timer such as this. I was not willing to subject myself and others to the danger of flying these models while testing them without a positive control method, as we have in our gas models, for motor cut off and DT. Larry has just such a product available.
Editorial Comment
Normally when someone makes a comment about Electronic timers I do not comment because of my involvement in Magic Timers.
But here I do not understand what problem Larry's new timer is solving? While the timers that I'm the most familiar with are for FAI models all provide a fine level of adjustment for most function. While different timers work differently an are set using a number of different techniques but can be set to sub second accuracy for functions like motor runs. For example Magic Timers can be set to two decimal places of seconds so a very fine degree of adjustment can be obtained. While I'm not familiar with the detail of other electronics timers the M&K and Sidus timers also offer a fine degree of adjustment.
Stonehenge Reminder
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Roger Morrell