SEN 1963

Table of Contents - SEN 1963

  1. Roy's Request 
  2. F1 or F Frank?
  3. 2015 Rules reminder
  4. Crows
  5. Dinos

Roy's Request for Fab Feb

Hi Roger.

Re all the rules talk.

Over the next few weeks there will be many FAI flyers, from many different countries in Lost Hills. It seems to me it would be a good idea to have a meeting of those flyers that are affected by any rule change. 

If the flyers don’t want any changes, the powers to be can be informed to that effect.

If flyers want some changes, we could break up into three groups, A, B, & C. so not to get bogged down with other classes problems.  We could concentrate on our own class issues. Each group could then come back with the results. This should give an overall view of what we, the flyers want.

Would it be possible for you or some one, to arrange a venue where this could take place in Lost Hills or Wasco? Naturally this would have to be on one of the free days.

Roy Summersby.


Please feel free to put this in SEN if you wish.


Editor's comment - we would like to know if others are interested in this ....



Formula 1 or Formula Frank?

From time to time there are comparisons between the FAI Free Flight World Champs classes F1ABC and the automobile Formula 1.  While is this true in the sense that both might represent to top level of technical and competition achievement in their respective categories there are some significant differences

Other than the obvious cost and commercial differences a major difference is that anyone who is interested cam participate in the F1ABC events, provided they are physically able to fly the 7 rounds plus fly off.  In automobile Formula one it would be total unheard of for someone the age of the F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone competing on the track with the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Fernando Alonso et al, but at the last World Champs there was a Well Known Canadian F1A sportsmen who is in the same age bracket as Bernie and he made it into the top 10, not a bad achievement, beating his fellow countryman and this year’s World Cup Winner. Similarly in F1 Auto you could not appear with last year’s model car, fortunately our F1ABC rules don’t change that often and you can take part with a simpler model a few years old.

One of the appeals of F1ABC is that you can go out and fly in a World Cup event with the best of them.  You don’t even have to go through a team selection process.  So if you want to fly with Jama, Per, Shlomi, Aviv, Roland, Jim or Mike  or the like you just need to enter, show up and make those flights, who knows this is Free Fight
Frank Zaic was a member of SCAT and supported FAI and all Free Flight activities.  Frank was a real gentleman who encouraged all to take part.  To that end at the Kiwi World Cup that is hosted on the Ike Winter Classic we offer special Zaic Awards for those to take part with a simpler F1ABC airplane that conforms to the current rules.  From memory 2 of the previous winners in the F1B category are Carroll Allen and Larry Norvall.   See the flyer for the rules or http://www.faifreeflight.org/images/stories/contests/ZaicAwards.pdf

This year we have 3 very special awards for this category – we have metal litho pages from the original printing of the famous Zaic Year books.  These are in a 2 sided display so both sides can be seen. So get out and take part.



2015 Rules Change reminder


From,  Peter Brooks


At the FAI Southwest Regionals on Jan. 17 most flyers were bewildered when I told them of the new 2015 timing rule to round up the flight time if the watch shows .5 seconds. This means of course that a 179.50 seconds flight is now a 180 second Max.  

This is the actual FAI Sporting Code rule in the Section 4B - General Rules for International Contests, effective Jan. 1, 2015:

B.13.6. The time recorded is the mean of the times registered by the timekeepers, rounded to the nearest whole

number of seconds to the resulting mean time (0.5 second rounded up to the second above) unless the

difference between the times registered shows evidence of an error in the timing, in which case the

organiser will determine, with the FAI Jury, which time will be registered as the official time or what action

should be taken.

Crow Dept
From Bernard Guest
 
Hi Roger…so I will now proceed to eat some crow…grudgingly.
My facebook comment that referred to comments in SEN did sound a bit arrogant…ok maybe it sounded a lot arrogant. I apologize to all who read it for my tone (I can get a bit carried away sometimes). I do however stand by the general idea that it is the people directly affected by a rule change that should have a strong say in the nature of a change. That said, I am NOT saying, as our most respected and revered editor suggested, that people who can’t or won’t participate should not get a chance to present ideas (even misguided ones), I just feel that when someone who is not going to compete does have an idea to present, it is good form to let the readership know that they will not be out on the field actually competing under any rule changes that might come about as a result of their opinions and ideas.

So there you have it. Hope this clarifies my position. If anyone feels the need to punch me please hit me on my right side as I need my left side for athletic DPR F1B launches while we still have them.

Bernard

editor's comment
Bernard - In spite of being a F1B sportsman of slightly confused nationality (you or me ?), you still have a pretty low arrogance quoitient. And you can always say "Tony made me do it ".    It is very hard to get the right balance in a very open forum like FB or even a moderated one like SEN. But as always your participation is very much appreciated and you did a great job in getting the FB  "BFMA proposal discussion" going.

Dino dept

Hello fellow dinos.
Thanks to Bernard and Damjan. Agree totally. I wish someone would define the problem all these rule proposals are trying to fix. Is it small fields? Well, some events shouldn't be flown there. Is it technology? Well, that has actually made flying all these events easier. So what are we trying to achieve? If we need to cut down how many people in flyoffs there are simply fixes. Add a little weight to F1b and you will end contest going for 7 mi. Flight. Power. Reduce motor run half second or add weight. F1a just make launch window 10 minutes or its attempt. I love watching those launches. Cut the max wind speed down to 6 meters/ sec. Most problems solved. Thermals and a breeze can make even big fields small. But will someone please address problem we are trying to fix.
And please don't use the last WC and so many on flyoff as reason. The inversion layer during power day made it almost impossible to not make a max.. If model got 200+ feet it maxed and dt about that height. At least that is what I was told. So lets not tear apart our fun sport with ill advised modifications that maybe done in a more logical way without having to throw our stuff away and start over.  Let us ol' boys play with our toys..
Thermals,  
MichaelAchterberg 

Ps.. I think coupes are way over powered and should have 5 gr. motors. They get too high in thermals and always go off the field. There u go Tony.. Hehehehee

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