SEN 3148
- I don’t like making it worser but if you must…
- Huge First Flyoffs
I don’t like making it worser but if you must…
From: Gary Pope
Hi Roger,
re Making it fly worse
I’d prefer to leave things as they are for F1, but if there is an unquenchable need to reduce performance then there are two very simple (and cheap) strands available ;
1. increase minimum weight (you nailed it Jeff E)
2. reduce available climb energy (towline length, weight of rubber, length of engine run)
3. small amount 1 and 2
Dave Ackery’s suggestion also makes good sense to me.
Having said that, I like things as they currently stand.
Cheers
Huge First Flyoffs
By Aram Schlosberg
Huge first flyoffs in large contests entail excessively long flyoff lines. Besides the logistical issue of manning all the poles with timers and pre-flight verification, the main issue is the line’s inherent LOCATIONAL uncertainty. Simply put, if one thermal bubble passes during the flyoff window, those in its path will outperform the rest. I asked a flier who won a large contest in Europe from which pole did he fly – the answer was from the last pole because of a late arrival.
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Lets think outside the box. Suppose the first flyoff is held in two SHIFTS by assigning two contestants to each pole. With a 7-minute flyoff window and a 6-minute max, the second flyoff shift could be flown within 15-20 minutes after commencing the first shift.
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Presuming the following:
1/ All model pre-processing of the two fliers on each pole is done before the first flyoff shift.
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2/ The flyers are divided into odd and even groups depending on the last digit in their FAI license. If both are odd or even, then by comparing the previous digit and so on. The decision on which group (odd or even) flies first is based on a coin toss after all the poles were manned and ready to go. (A-fliers will be given time to stretch out their lines before the flyoff window begins.)
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3/ Model retrieval can only begin after the last model in the second shift has landed. Retrieval time should allow least 30 minutes before darkness.
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A two-shift first flyoffs in very large contests reduces the line’s locational effect by half by increasing the uncertainty of flying 15-20 minutes apart. Since the pole and shift assignments are random, the outcome is completely fair – even in a case were all the fliers in one shift dropped and the other shift maxed.
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Flyoff in shifts allow more wiggle room to organizers. They are simpler to administer and easier to follow by spectators. ///
Editor’s Comment …
Another alternative is to hold all events at Narrandera in Australia or the Mongolian site where there is enough room for flight lines of unlimited length and excellent visibility, no villages, farms houses or trees of note.. You only have to worry about a few emus and kanagroos in Australia, some people might be worried about which side of the road to drive on, in Mongolia it’s about the horses. Lost Hills might work at a stretch..