SEN 1504

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Category: Archive 2011
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Table of Contents - SEN 1504

  1. FF is Xtreme
  2. SCAT Annual
  3. A sea-change in F1A
  4. Disparitiy in F1A
  5. 20 somethings
  6. Babenko Parts for sale
  7. Fab Feb Fotos
  8. F1B Gear for sale

FF is Xtreme sport

Roger,
 
In response to the SEN 1503 note about training regimen for F1A flyers
in general, the esteemed Taft resident known as PA has been known to
state that Free Flight is an Xtreme Sport!
 
Tell that to your "Falling off the bike" triathlete friends! :-)
 
Leeper 



			        SCAT ANNUAL
		   March 26 & 27, 2011 at Lost Hills Field, CA

AMERICAS CUP & NATIONAL CUP Contest                   Sanction No.11-0216


Saturday, March 26: F1A, F1B, F1C & F1P[7 sec eng run/FAI rules]
Seven 18dfb0df7cee95c90f2b17077a270457 one hour rounds start @ 8AM with extended max times
F1A:  210 sec, F1B: 240 sec, F1C: 300 sec, F1P: 210 sec
Remaining rounds maxes are 180 sec.  Flyoff Schedule TBA

Sunday, March 27: F1G, F1H, F1J [5 sec motor run] & F1Q, start @ 9AM
Five 2007-03-12 22:18:15 45 minute rds will be flown: 120 sec maxes.  FO TBA
F1Q Rules: 5 rds, 15 sec motor run, 180 sec maxes.  FO TBA
F1Q FO rules: motor run drops 5 sec/FO to 5 sec minimum, all to 180 sec max

National Cup Events:
Saturday: Hand Launch Glider & Nostalgia Wakefield,  8AM-5PM
Sunday: Catapult Glider & Classic Towline Glider,  8AM-4PM
Special Event: Vintage FAI Power per 2010 Ghio rules, 5 flts, 180 sec maxes

Entry Fees: $20 for first FIA,B,C,G,H,P event, $10 for second FAI event
Other events: $10 for first event, $5/each added non-FAI event
All-In Fee of $35 to fly your little hearts out!
AMA age Juniors: $5/event, or All-In Fee of $10

AMA & Lost Hills Field Assn memberships are MANDATORY.
We will be glad to sign you up at field for either.

Trophies awarded for 1-2-3 places in F1A,B,C,G & H events.
First place trophies for other events.
Due to recent low entry levels, F1J, P & Q awards will be sent post-contest. 
Three Junior Hi-Time Trophies: Glider, Rubber & Power.
Nos-Wake winner receives Perpetual trophy
Trophies for first places in all other events.      

Notes: No Moto-flapping, per 2011 Team Program rule 4.A.7.
RDT allowed all events.

Contest Director                      Contest Organizer
Lee Hines                             Jim Parker
376 Magnolia St			      9534 Ruffner Ave
Costa Mesa, CA 92627		      North Hills, CA 91343
[949]645-4850		      [818]892-4110
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.	      This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A sea-change in F1A competition

Hi Roger,

Please post this in SEN

Thoughts on the recent Lost Hills FAI contests and a sea-change in F1A competition 

The recent back to back International FAI contests were wonderful, challenging, and great fun. The weather was variable and challenging with with just about every type of weather during  the week short of hail and snow. The competitions were fierce as well and the organizers did a great job making everything flow well and keep the events on time. It is always nice to see our international friends and a mingling of ideas.In general the model platforms were pretty much what we are used with some current tinkering and tweaks to get another second or two on their score. 

However there are now changes in the technology used in F1A gliders that are fundamentally altering the competitive landscape. In the last few years there have been steady improvement in performance. I don’t have any stats on this but the I would guess that there has been a 30% gain over the prior “conventional” F1A electronic models due from full flappers and ultra strong wings and a airflow with a new thicker profile. It is amazing to see the height gains over “conventional” F1A models and it is certainly a game changer. Most of us F1A flyers are using “conventional electronic”s models of the one or two servo genre, and in the cost realm around of $2,500 with all the accessories included. They are nice high performance models and allows us to be “competitive” with our other sportsmen. $2,500 is a big chunk for those of us who are moving into the “retired” category (that means cranky, crotchety and a bit nutty, you have to be a little nutty to even want to do this sport) maybe eccentric as well (I am not naming names, partly because I can’t remember them!). 

So now we have these new flapper / high tech models that cost upward of $4,500 with all the accessories. And if you are really serious you will have two of them along with your stable of thermal models. Add it all up and you are looking at a serious investment..  It is self evident is that there is no way to truly compete with this new generation of new F1A models compared with the last “bunting” generation (that is what most of have in their stable of models). It seems a game breaker in my opinion. What we are going to see is a two tiered kind of contest with the “haves” (having the new technology and the “have nots”, using the old paradigm). We are quickly going to a situation with two tiers of flyers each vying for the same trophy. Needless to say that the “old tech” is not going to be a winning strategy. I say all this in all seriousness as this change has put me in the position of deciding of which fork I am going to take in my glider flying. It won’t take many contests to see that is futile to be able to really compete with this split technology problem. It won’t take very long for us “have nots” do not wanting to be pissing in the wind trying to win a losing game. Miracles happen so there might be a few winners from the have nots but they will they be few and far in my opinion.

Is there anyone else looking at this issue as well? Maybe I am missing something? At this point the only idea I have come up is to know that we can’t compete seriously so we should have a good time and forget trying to compete. What else can be done to even up the competition? We don’t have enough flyers to have two glider categories. This is really a conundrum in my opinion. My motivation in flying glider is diminished for me under this new paradigm. I assume that F1H will go the same way and I say this in all seriousness.   

 I  believe that we are at a “sea change” in our tow line sport and if we are not careful we will quicken the demise of a balanced F1A  as we have known it. Please spend some time on this issue and see what comes up for you. Perhaps I have missed issues and that there simple work-arounds that will level the competition field. I hop to hear from my fellow glider flyers.

Jon Davis

Mac the Bigot






disparity of the F1A advances -

From Buzz Averill

    I have been flying in  DLG RC glider contests locally and regionally for several years and have been reasonably competitive. As we discussed yesterday, the same sort of performance jump has taken place in the DLG category. Principally the jump has been the result of the emergence of “Super Throwers” (my designation) These are the same guys I’ve been competing with for the past several years. During that time competitive models sold for $300-$500. In general these “better than average throwers could launch 10-20 ft higher than I could. In my case a typical launch would be 100-110 ft. The Super Thrower would typically launch would 120-125 ft
   During the last 12-18 months newer much stiffer models have become available in the $1000-$1500 price range. Using these newer/ stiffer models, these “Super Throwers” are now able to launch to 180-200 ft. (some launches have been reliably recorded as high as 210 ft) This phenomenon has resulted in the same sort of chasm you are describing in F1A.
   In the RC DLG class the only solution that seems to make sense is a “Sports Class” (how I hate that term) to allow us older, less athletic fliers to compete with others of like abilities and let the Super Throwers compete against others of like abilities.
    Now that DLG has reached FAI status, complete with teams, the Super Throwers are the only real competitors for the team or other top ranked contests.
   In the F1A class I don’t suppose there is any realistic hope of a reduction in cost of the new “Flappers” so it seems to me the only hope of leveling the model performance/cost factor is the development of the new Laminar flow airfoils into commercially viable airframes.
     It is fruitless to rail against technological advances. This will only lead to a proliferation of new “Classes” such as SAM, Nostalgia, etc, etc. Maybe this stratification is going to be the new order of competition as cost factors raise their ugly heads.
 
Buzz Averill - CD for our FAI team program






20 somethings

One item we forgot to mention - at the Americas Cup banquet we awarded the first 2 $100 prizes for F1 flyers in the 20-29 age group - Sarah for F1B and Austin for F1C for their performances in the AZM F1 events.  The next qualifing event is the SCAT Annual.






Babenko F1C parts for sale


I now have Artem Babenko F1C parts for sale. All items are brand new! 
 
Items available are as follows:
 
Stabilizers (4 dm2... 62 sq iches)..... fits Verbitski stab mounts as well
Rudders
Bunt mechanisms
Stab mounts............ same as Verbitski's
Stainless Steel/Grahphite wing wires
Miniture One Way Valves for fueling
Clockwork Timers
 
Email for availability and prices    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
Roger Simpson


Fab Feb Photos from Lost Hills

Hi all
 
Here's a link to my FlickR site containing 400 photos from Lost Hills.  There's about 30 mins viewing if you go through the lot.
 
 
 

Regards

 

Malcolm Campbell

 

F1B GEAR for SALE


Jan Somers (The Netherlands) has decided to quit F1B.

He will probably be flying F1Q or, more likely, F3K in the future.


Jan offers his COMPLETE F1B equipment for sale now, consisting of (a.o.):

- 5 F1B's with AA variable pitch props, Stefanchuck fuselages, wings (re-covered last year and in fact new) made by Burdov, Black Magic electronic timers with radio DT, fully trimmed and flying very well

- 1 extra AA variable prop unit (hardly used, kept as reserve unit)

- Spare AA prop blades

- Extra wings (new and used)

- Palm Pilot handhelds with cradles and cables (to program the timers)

- Multiplex LN-5014 charger for Lipo's, NIMH and NiCad

- Radio DT transmitter (Ken Bauer)

- 2 stooges (one old AA, one Rex Hinson)

- Blazevich rubber winder with electronic counter and torque meter

- Piserchio hooks (Stefanchuk), etc

- 4 Stefanchuk short half pipes for winding the rubber

- Radio beacons 148.200 Mhz (Ruyter)

- Writing thermistor design Doring/Hofsas, totally refurbisched by Anselmo Zeri (in fact the same one he used), with accessories

- Modelbox for 5 models (Aeroplastic Case)

- Modelbox for 3 models (Aeroplastic Case)

- Tan II rubber Mai 1998 and July 1997

- Tan SS Nov 2009

- Binoculars 10*42 in leather case

- Various spare parts for props, fuselages; Lipo's, Silicon Oil, Palm Pilots with cradles, etc, etc.


Selling (almost) the whole lot to one buyer would have Jan's preference and will go with an extra discount! But, of course, also selling in parts is possible.

If you are interested and/or would like to receive the available detailed information, please contact Jan at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.


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