FF Rules Proposals

[Anonymous]

There have been several proposals for free flight event changes and additions. One of them to resurrect old time A-1 towline glider. The proponent has been the Denver club. Attached are my opinions about adding more towline glider events in a letter to Don DeLoach:

Note to Don DeLoach, subject: Model Events (A-1 old rule models)

Hi Don

I like to fly any event, but obviously won’t take up electric powered free flight.

Bring out those old A-1s and fly them in the Classic towline event. Who says you have to be state of the art in every event you fly? If you have those models and are not competing with them, it probably means you are not flying the Classic towline event?

I know the progressive max thing is bad for small fields. Maybe in Mulvihill and towline glider you should be required to half your motor weight on each flyoff flight, or half your towline length on each progressive flight and keep the max at 2 minutes.

We fly on a ½ mile x ½ mile field, but are lucky with surrounding field for overflights. We have had several contests this year where we were lucky enough to keep the majority of the flights on the field.

Tim Batiuk has flown his little A-1 glider to a full cycle of maxes, 2, 3, and 4, but admits that it was really hard to see high up in a thermal at 4 minutes. We fly Classic towline here at all 2 minute maxes. We have also started to fly Mulvi at 2, 3, and 3 maxes. It is ridiculous at the NATS to be flying such long flights in these events when it means you are going off the field into corn. And what do you prove when you need to fly 12 flights at the NATS to win a power event? Maybe 3 maxes should qualify a person for a dawn fly off the next day?

The point is that we have enough events already, and don’t need classic power events, and 6 different flavors of towline glider events to keep everyone happy. There are only a few of us nuts anywhere in the country who will go to a 1 day contest and try to fly 5 events. And then we find at the end of the day that we were the only entrant, or one of a few who even flew that event. I have a hard enough time going to the NATS to figure out which 4 events I am going to enter each day.

I took the old A-1 that I designed and flew back in 1958, recovered it, and lost it on flight #2 in 2002. So bring out those old A-1s and use them, and use them until they are gone, and then build something new. There are plenty of towline glider events to keep me happy, and we only have a few of us in this area that can even show up to fly the classic event.

So this weekend if the weather is not too bad, we will have our MMAC turkey shoot, with all events combined, to see who can come up with the longest string of maxes. I will be flying my classic gliders of which I have over 6 of, 2 new lightweight A-2 size, one old 60s model built in 2002, 1 A-1 classic, and 4 1970 straight tow models, and one new A-2 14.5 ounce. Now if I start flying my F1As, I have another 3 at the moment, with variations being planned for this winter.

I also have about 8 power models either waiting to be trimmed or completed. What would possibly be the reason that one would need more events? I really don’t care if these power models fly in NOS, Classic, AMA, or FAI, some of them qualify for all of the events.

But the fun thing is to show up and have fun flying them!!

I wish I could get to some of the Denver contests, but it is as long of a drive as Muncie. Maybe when I retire again.

How many guys do you have in your area who fly 5 events at a one day meet?

It might be interesting to only have the events at a contest that were pre-registered with 5 entrants??

I am also trying to get our MMAC club members to agree to a “Mini-Model Contest” for P-30, embryo, ¼ NOS, PeeWee 30, and 020 Replica, along with HLG, and CLG. That is next weeks club discussion, along with 2006 schedule and cutting back on events.

When I organized a Dawn Towline Glider event at the NATS, there were only 6 of us who showed up to fly at 6:15 AM. Maybe more will show up in 2006?

In short, what we really need are more modelers showing up to fly fewer events, and trimming back the National Cup Events.

Best regards and have fun flying
Dave Edmonson

[JLorbiecki]

Hi Dave!!

I looked hard and heavy at the progressive max for the NATS. I listened to many folks on it and the progressive deal worked out the best. If you are going to go off the field, why not only make it for a few flights than having a marathon of, just for laughs, lets say 4 minutes. The latest mulvihill will almost do 4 on just the motor run! With 4 minutes (or whatever it is) you are going to go off possibly on every flight and need to do it more.

Too much performance and too small a field. Maybe we need to limit the performance but how do ya do that? I know, specifiy every model must have a 7″ prop!! That would make them big motors not so good…

It is a hard question but I think we did the best thing possible and it seemed to work…

Thanks again for the bunt mechanisms. All are installed and ready to go!!

[DAN BERRY]

A couple of years ago, at a meet, I met a guy (name withheld) who told me ” There are two kinds of guys here, Free Flighters and Rubber Fliers, and they’re not the same.”
This was not meant as a disparaging remark. His point being that the SERIOUS rubber flier knows that he’s going off the field and accepts all aspects of same. I fly some rubber, but will park the planes when conditions become a retrieval issue.
I don’t have an answer to alleviate the problem, however, I tend to agree with Mr Mattes that IT IS a problem. Our planes will outfly fields that were available 30-40 years ago. 3 maxes and an unlimited dawn flyoff are not an answer. If it were, we wouldn’t need to spend the day at the field, but simply eliminate the 3 maxes and shoot it out, then go home. Or stay and fly FAC scale and have more fun than duration guys.
By the way, not all the ” guys ” at the field are male. To name 2, Connie and Amanda are honorary guys.

John, you did a wonderful job at the NATS. You should try to avoid missing any more meetings or you’ll get indentured again.

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