National Free Flight Society

SEN 2373

  1. Frederic Explains
  2. How do you finish a contest ?
  3. Waiting time limit and starting poles
  4. FAI Web Site

Frederic Explains

From: Frederic Aberlenc
Dear Wolfgang Gerlach
I will answer to your comments in last SEN:

1-Because the rules are not observed in some other competitons (F1E WCH in Turda, Junior ECH in Prilep, …), it is not necessary to respect them in BERN. Sorry Wolfgang, but I have never seen such bad arguments…We can kill every day with such arguments!!!

2-You explain that you had no time to fly F1Q and to be in the Jury in the same time. I understand better why it was not possible to meet the Jury during the contest. I tried to make an official protest during the contest but was not able to find the Jury. I understand why now!!!

3-You explain that I protest because I made only 80 second on a 2 mn max (I repeat it because you are so happy to publish it)… No Wolfgang I don’t protest for me, I already know that I am a bad flyer. I just protest because I love Free Flight and Free Flight needs clear rules.

So to summarise what you have to do next time:

1-Respect the FAI rules or explain on the registration documents your local rules in advance.

2-We pay 50 Euros for this contest which is the most expensive contest in the world. For this price we would like to have a reachable Jury, not flying during the competition.

Best regards and see you next time in Bern… Frederic

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Frederic ABERLENC

How do you finish a contest ?

From:Chris Edge
Via the use of Roger’s fine organ I would like to make a couple of
comments on the EuroFly controversy.

Whether or not the ‘long max’ last round for those that were clean was
pre-announced as a local rule or not, the point many have missed is that
it didn’t work to break the tie. The fact is that the thermal doesn’t
know the contest is due to end by a specified time and hence flying a
long max always risks a tied score, as happened in F1A.

So wouldn’t it be better if we collectively had a discussion on methods
that could complete a contest when circumstances conspire against a CD ?
There are ways to do it but I suspect most wouldn’t like the idea of,
say, including all DT times post-max as a combined FO score. Perhaps
others out there can some up with some neat ideas to post here.

What doesn’t work from direct experience is having restricted working
times within a longer round time. Some may remember a central European
contest flown in the ’80s where (if I remember correctly) a 10 minute
working time was stated. You gave the local timekeeper a strip off your
score sheet and if you hadn’t launched your model within the period it
was an attempt (note attempt, not a re-fly). The problem was the local
timekeepers didn’t speak any other language like English or Scottish and
were friends of local flyers, so 10 minutes became 15 or 20 minutes for
some and I for one didn’t attend again. Simply such rules are fraught
with opportunities for non-sportsman like behaviour and are not worthy
of consideration.

EoB

Waiting time limit and starting poles

From: Klaus Salzer

Those of us who fly F1E use a very simple system to prevent a “pole sitter” to punish his collegues:

There are no fixed pole assignments.
There is a starting area with a couple of timer positions, and if you want to fly you come to the gate and get the next free timekeeper assigned. Once a timekeeper is assigned a time limit may apply. If there is a waiting line you may leave the line any time and go to the end.

Read “line” instead of “area” and it would work for A-B-C-Q as well. May need a modification for B (winding stooge,…), but that could be solved, i.e., extending the limit for the winding (or not – see fly-off!), or coming with a wound rubber to the gate.

As long as people are forced to fly from a pre-determined pole there is always the problem of people waiting too long and robbing others of their time to fly.

Regards from Austria with season’s greetings

Klaus

FAI Web site

If you have not been to the FAI Web site recently, you need to check it out at http://www.fai.org
The site has been completely revamped. One of the features is that it provides automatic support for mobile devices.  There is a page that talks about this work in progress.
https://www.fai.org/news/fai-launches-new-website
Of course if you want to go straight to the CIAM Aeromodelling section follow this link
https://www.fai.org/sport/aeromodelling  This has a section on the World Cups, including Free Flight of course.