SEN 2257
- Lost Hills weather flash
- Use of altimeters in fly-offs ***!
- BEE PREPARED FOR BEES
- Invitation to Fabulous F1H Team Challenge 2017
Lost Hills weather flash
I visited Lost Hills yesterday to put my trailer on the field. I was not the first ! that honor goes to Brian and Janna VanNest (+ Chloe of course) followed by the Mitchells from Oz. I did leave Igor Vivchar on the field in my trailer. I will be back tomorrow.
The road was a little slippery but notably the Mitchells were able to take their regular RV in.
Even in the short period I was on the field the entrance road dried out a little. The rain in the Lost Hills area was less than the recent rain in Los Angeles
So people need to take care when entering the field and if you are not familiar with the field do not enter in the dark.
There may be some rain on Friday and the forecast for the rest of the contest is good weather. So for the first event we may need to be flexible with the schedule and even use the alternate day. We may move the sign up off the field on the Friday if the conditions are not good.
Use of altimeters in fly-offs – (special award for non-Fab Feb item)
From:Bernhard Schwendemann
Use of altimeters in fly-offs
The proposal of the Netherlands to use voluntary the data of altimeters in
case of disputes about the flight-time in fly-off seams to solve some issue
in timing. But there are some significant disadvantages in view of the logic
of the timing-rules, the pressure to increase the equipment in the models,
the possibilities to cheat, the basic legal requirements for aeromodelling
and the organisation of the fly-off.
the logic of the timing-rules
Imagine a standard situation in a fly-off: two flyers start more or less at
the same time, the models fly in parallel and downwind they disappear behind
a group of trees and do not appear again. The time keepers count to ten when
the models disappear, at “10” they stop timing, subtract the 10 secs and
note the final time. Now, one of the two flyers has an altimeter installed
in his model. He will demonstrate the measured data to the contest director
and according to the proposed rule he would get the longer flight time on
his score card. His timekeeper made his job in a perfect way and fully in
line with the rule. Despite this, the time he recorded will be discarded.
Not very logic! Furthermore the flyer without an installed altimeter will
have a clear disadvantage, as he will be second only. Thus the altimeter
would be a clear advantage in the competition and it would be not really
“voluntary” to use one. There would be a clear pressure to install one.
possibilities to cheat and to dispute
The use of an altimeter would be not really 100% under control. The
time-base might be manipulated in a small percentage – giving an “advantage”
in full flight time but not to be detected during the “signature process”.
Also there might be possibilities to manipulate the “flight” behaviour out
of sight. Of course, there are several possibilities to cheat in a free
flight competition, but this proposal would increase the possibilities and
thus it should be avoided. Additionally there might be disputes with the
contest director and the jury about the interpretation of the data to
determine the flight time on the altimeter.
basic legal requirements for aeromodelling
In your common understanding free flight is performed within the visibility
of the model. And legal requirement for aeromodelling is clearly to be
within the range of visibility. As the use of altimeters would give a flight
time result even without being in sight, the contest director would be
encouraged to conduct a fly-off even in poor visibility or in a wind
direction with obstacles.
organisation of the fly-off
Today a fly-off is conducted like that: when a flight is finished, the
timekeepers inform the contest director about the time. Short after the last
flight is finished, the contest director has all the necessary information
to announce the result or to start to organise a further fly-off.
The proposed solution to go automatically to the next fly-off in the case of
a dispute is not very satisfying. The competitor will have to make a flight
without knowing if it will count, the organiser will have to provide a
starting position and may-be time-keepers, the other competitors do not know
if the results of the concerned flyer will count at the end, the organizer
or the jury will have additional workload after the competition. Imaging
there will be two flyers in the fly-off, one with a clear result and one
with a dispute – and the claim will be not accepted at the end. The
not-concerned flyer would be unhappy to make a flight without any need. And
there will be 30 min (plus the time of evaluation) at the end of the
competition, were no clear results will be available.
Bernhard Schwendemann
best regards
Bernhard
BEE PREPARED FOR BEES
Please READ the following and be prepared to share the field with some bees.
It isn’t something we like and the LHFFMAA has made every effort to distance the bees from headquarters and flying areas, but it is essential that we are good neighbors to the tree farmers and their bees. The bees are just as uncomfortable with us as we are with them, but they are a critical part of the pollination process for the trees in the surrounding orchards. Taking some basic precautions will go a long way to minimizing bee stings from happening. See CD or Headquarters if you need attention for a sting. In case of emergency always call 911.
DON’T GO ON THE ATTACK
If you start swatting at a passing bee, he is going to get mad and try to sting you. Remain calm and either move away slowly or stay put until the bee moves away.
WEAR LIGHT COLORED, NEUTRAL CLOTHING
If you don’t want a bee to confuse you with a pollen filled flower, avoid wearing bright colors.
Stick to clothes in tan, cream and white so you’ll easily be able to see when a dark insect lands on you.
COVER UP
Nothing deters a stinger like a layer of clothing. Wear long sleeved shirts and pants, socks and closed toe shoes. If you have long hair, pull it back and up. Bees think of hair as a ladder that will lead them to a banquet of exposed skin.
TRASH & FOOD
There is nothing like the smell of something rotten to attract bees. Make sure your trash is neatly contained in a place away from where you want to be. Keep doors & windows on all vehicles including RV’s, closed whenever possible. Open and handle outdoor containers with caution.
SUGARY DRINKS
Bees love soft drinks, sweet tea and lemonade almost as much as you do. Avoid these drinks when outdoors. If you have to have that sugary fix, drink from an open glass or container so you can see a bee before you take a sip. Keep all containers tightly sealed and look carefully before you drink from a can.
Invitation to Fabulous F1H Team Challenge 2017
We got this last minute request to add this to the event schedule. Nor sure If I understand it properly but no doubt Mr Edge will explain.
Hi F1H competitor at Lost Hills,
you are all invited to take part as Team at the FABULOUS F1H Team Challenge
2017 Invitation to Fabulous F1H Team Challenge.
Rules:
– basic ranking are best 2 out of 3 contests: IKE Winter classic, Max Men and VSM
– independent of overtime in round 1 will be counted the 5 flights with Maxtime 120 sec = 600 sec
– as tiebreaker VSM contest according the VSM rules will be taken
Team set up:
– National team existing of 3 F1H flyer
– If no 3 of a country available, mixed teams are also possible
– Team has to be build before 1st round of IKE Winter classic
Your to do:
– Confirm your team according the proposal in added file to Chris Edge before 1st round of IKE
– Go 3 times out, fly and win!
Ranking list and Example:
in added file F1H Team Challenge will be the proposal of teams and on sheet 2 an example of calculation ! (we did not get sheet 2)
Coordinator in Lost Hills will be Chris Edge and Gary Madelin!
Ansgar Nüttgens
vsmfreeflight@gmail.com
SEN Status
Our new web site is online with archives of SEN going back to 1997 plus many items about FAI Free Flight. It can be found at http://sen.faifreeflight.org
Existing SEN subscribers can update their preferences by following the update your preferences link at the bottom of this page.
New users can sign up at this link http://eepurl.com/crOnvj
or at the SEN website
Reminder :Fab Feb online entry form is available at:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdQ-RhMmBjKprZZ8H91lK_Ucjqhn_2BDOek1TXpSwivQ0qvkw/viewform#start=invite
It lets you sign up for all the FAI events at the Kiwi Cup, Ike Winter Classic, North American Cup, California Cup and The MaxMen International. Held at Lost Hills from 11 to 20 February 2017.
All the latest information can be found at http://sen.faifreeflight.org/index.php/fab-feb-information
…………..
Roger Morrell