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The weekend was a big surprise- I left LA in heavy rain on Sat morning, thinking there would be no flying, hoping the improved road would in fact be passable and I’d take care of some Finals business and enjoy some fellowship. Once up I got north on I5, I encountered only light showers and few pockets of fog. Arrived 7:30, set-up and test flew the long model I had problem with in Eloy. The model was not circling or launching well, then, knowing better, flying near the cars, let go of the line and it snagged and donked the model. I used a short model and did the 3:30 min. Drift was into the sticky mud to the north. Most choose to walk through the sticky mud, there was a bit of grumbling and lots of muddy shoes across the field. The line was moved to the south west area and the rain and wind started. Jon D and sat in a car until they called the contest at noon. Back at Motel 6, I repaired the long model and did some “cifern” on the palm pilot looking at some older programs and made some large rudder and wing wiggler adjustments.
Sunday morning I thought it would be repeat of Saturday so I flew a short model and made a bad a launch (like the FO in Eloy against Peter) and did 3:01. Weather stayed calm– test flew the long and it it looked better– over the next 5 official flights I got it towing and launching again. Last regular round we fly 5 min so the 1st FO was 7 min. Only one of the nine dropped. 9 minute FO, I towed up and it felt firm, did two circles and launched– slight stall on top. Rene checked it out, he made a good launch but drifted more south and the air was not there. Stamof and Diez tangled– perhaps preventing them from launching in my air. My model drifted back over the line more west. I did not see Kolog launch his flapper, he was gliding just up wind of my model. I flapped with my sweat shirt and did 6:53– at the line I enjoyed the win for a few minutes until Kimmo, who launched his short Eagleson airfoil model near the end of the round to near 100 meter, did 9 sec more. So the results are: 1st Eagleson short model, 2nd M&K standard Long and 3rd Flapper. The buzz is: will the new airfoil make the flapper obsolete. Of course this is a single data point with the grand daddy of variables, lift or lack of lift. This is good for F1A, open ups new avenues of strategy and development. Hopefully the weather will be good for the Max men and we’ll get another data point.
Thermals, JIM
Jim
We have this F1B saying – that the thermal does not know what the torque meter said. .. So putting the model in good air beats everything.
While I’m very sympathetic to someone who damages his model … and it would not be correct to say I was pleased but I always wonder why you F1A guys have to tow on potentially dangerous parts of the field, close to other sportsmen and ground equipment, as after tangling with Hector, Victor fell over after backing into a motor cycle that was right next to the F1C models getting lined up for the next flight.
Roger
per the Texas philosopher and song writer Jerry Jeff Walker, ” P*ssin’ in the wind, betting on a losing friend, making the same mistakes we swear we’ll never make again” JIM
Roger / Jim,
Seems like Eloy has the best field layout for
keeping F1A away from crossing other sportsman on the field.
I have a ongoing discussion with Mr. Parker about this safety issue..
It is only a matter of when a F1C and a towline will come together…Don’t know about the towline, but I saw an F1C on the way up hit a Wakefield at Max Men a few years ago. It went WHAP!, and, as I remember, it sheared the Wakes wing in half and didn’t even slow down.
Others reading here may have a more accurate recollection.
Cheers!Midair collisions are not the issue, I feel
There have been flightline incidents at Geneseo meetings in the past which have caused general antipathy towards some FAI flyers.
In general, disregarding the AMA – directed flightline position downwind of the parking line, towing gliders through the parking area and attendant people and equipment, not least releasing an F1C from behind a car which then impacted and disintegrated literally inches from a person winding at model at his stooge. On this occasion the F1C ‘flyer’ picked up his pieces without comment or the courtesy of inquiring if the near-victim had been hurt in any way … no interest whatsoever .. which led to a sharp exchange of words in which several participated.
One should stress that one does not condemn FAI flyers in general based upon the actions of a very few to seemed to think that safety and field regulations did not apply to them, but FAI and other flightlines have been kept well apart at subsequent events
What a great shame we didn’t get to fly in the wind and rain. You guys are woosies (technical term), even moving flying position when bike tyres are getting a bit dirty ! Just because we couldn’t see models maxing due to poor visibility, just because cars were getting bogged down on the entrance road and just because RVs were floating away should be no reason to stop an event.
Seriously, a big thank you to the organisers of all the Lost Hills events and those who personally helped this Brit in his often pathetic attempts at flying.
CHE
I see, CHE, from the Maxmen results that your glider flying was far from pathetic in both F1A and H.
Judging by the times, the conditions must have been OK.John
CHE, was it the actual green grass or the new Denny’s menu that boosted you and resulted in the sterling MM performance?
I trust that you did not eat any of the magic mushrooms that were growing on the field? It is rumoured that these mushroon let you visualize the thermals, although I must say that will known F1B sportsman Ranger Al cautions about the consumption of field fungi.
On a related item did the do drug tests after the max bunt contest during the Pan Am ?
magic man
Ah yes, the green grass. Remarkable (see attachment). No witches this year I’m afraid.
CHE
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