SEN 2296

1. End of Rumor – new GPS tracker
2. GPS – SEN 2295
3. Pre- CIAM Meeting comments

End of Rumor – new GPS tracker
From: ffelectronics
Hi Roger,
This is to quit the ‘rumors’ of the last few days and confirm that I am going to release a new product named Pyxis, the new GPS model tracker from ffelectronics.

I plan to publish information and pictures by the end of month, and officially release the product in mid May.

Thanks
Massimo

GPS – SEN 2295
From: Frédéric ABERLENC

Optimal tracking provides a 4.8 grams GPS beacon for free flight. It is widely used today by the free flight community.

It is completely timer independent. Please visit http://www.optimaltracking.com for more information.
Frederic ABERLENC

Pre- CIAM meeting  Comments
From Damjan Zulic

I wasn’t even gonna comment on those but I really couldn’t refrain myself.

I will focus on the F1C category. As it seems this category has become popular for everybody to prove that they try to stay active in the competition. I don’t know why but nobody wants or doesn’t care to »cut in the F1A« category where there are much more differences between super high tech models and the »classics« which are only 5-10 years old.

Most contradictory proposition to me is the Y proposition(page 38) given by Belgium for which I don’t even remember when was the last time they even had any competitor in F1C category. The suggestion is to terminate the second flight if the first one is under 20 seconds with the idea that competitors would build better and safer models. If that is the case, why don’t they terminate the second flight in F1A category if the towline can’t be released or a part of the models falls off. This would also force competitors to make better and safer models.

Termination of the 20 second rule due to start line speculations??? Come one people why don’t we then forbid electronic timers on the FF models? Or at least the ban on electronic steering of the direction and wings and mounting and use of an altimeter and GPS. All of this equipment enables to program the flight in correlation of the thermal conditions. And this case is much more in contrast with the »free flight« principals vs the option to enable RDT after a fail start and hope the flight would be less than 20 seconds.

We have been signing the petition to bring back 5 sec engine run rule. Why is there another rule for different time of engine run for different models. Classic 5 seconds vs 4 sec for the folder & flapper models? Why don’t you then suggest the same changes in F1A category. I suggest a 80 m towline for the classic models without flapps so I could be in competition with the LDA models and flappers.

I assume the 1sec difference was given by heart without any tests. Has any of you even made some detailed tests of altitude in case of 4sec, 4,5sec and 5sec engine runs? I made those tests 2 years ago and an equal time would be 4,6sec for folders & flappers vs the 5sec engine run for classics model climb wise and 4,5sec vs 5sec if we additionally consider a slightly better planing of the folder.

Now for the mandatory engine stops. This absolutely requires an electronic timer even though we all know that the majority of crashes in the past years have occured because of an electronic timers due to the poor quality of servo (they are too sensitive for the engine vibrations). Why demand the use of electronics if we make those models with the use of it more dangerous than they were before?

Editor’s comment – the statement “  Come one people why don’t we then forbid electronic timers on the FF models? Or at least the ban on electronic steering of the direction and wings and mounting and use of an altimeter and GPS. All of this equipment enables to program the flight in correlation of the thermal conditions”

The use of closed loop feed back systems – i.e. those that . All of this equipment enables to program the flight in correlation of the thermal conditions.”   Are forbidden in Free Flight models so they are already excluded .. GPS lets us find our models and Altimeter measure some aspects of performance, brag about how high we got or both.

From the Sporting Code

B.1.2.1 Category F1 – Free Flight a) This is a flight during which there exists no physical connection between the model aircraft and the competitor or his helper. Radio control functions are allowed only when specifically stated in the rules for the relevant class. Closed loop control systems with active sensors and operating aerodynamic flight controls or moving mass are not allowed, unless allowed in the class rules.
(Something I could not restrain myself on.)