Hey, Tim McCann has to make a living too!
Skegs Rule!
The landing area at the SW CLASSIC has been overseeded for the winter but it
is patchy. Skegs will be both helpful and numerous. My plane will be
bristling with skegs!!! Thanks Tim!
Garland Hanson
CASL
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Mike Stump <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2000 2:17 PM
Subject: Re: [RCSE] skegs on sailplanes
> Hi Daryl,
> I just read your comments on skegs,etc. and I agree with most of what you
> said. I am a ham and use ham frequencies, but I don't sandbag. I think
> called up flight order
> is something we should do at all our contests. We used to do this in our
> powered
> free flight planes. We also gave the pilots 3 minutes to get in the air.
> This makes things a little more equal all the way around.
> Best regards,
> Art
>
> > [Original Message]
> > From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > To: Mike Stump <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Date: 1/31/00 9:04:51 PM
> > Subject: Re: [RCSE] skegs on sailplanes
> >
> > Most of you know, I've flown all over the world. The rest of the world
> simply doesn't understand our way of TD flying and scoring.
> > The reality is that our tasks have evolved over the years to take into
> account the tiny little postage stamp flying fields we are
> > required to sometimes fly from. Most pilots from other countries would
> laugh histerically if they ever attended Visalia, and saw the
> > little clump of grass we are required to land on downwind every year.
Why
> is it like this? Real estate - it is at a premium, and we
> > are losing flying sites left and right. We're lucky to have the ones we
> have - especially in Southern California.
> >
> > I hate our landing tasks, and the value put on high landing points at a
> contest - but that's the way it is. Our TD contests are
> > about what happens when the plane hits the ground - not about what
> happens in the air. I think this is a shame, but there isn't
> > enough time in the day to hold a true thermal duration event - that Joe
> guy would just run out of batteries. Every one else would
> > follow him around the sky. There has to be a differentiator (Is that a
> word?) What will this be? Hmmm, landing?
> >
> > Now, skegs - again the reality of small sites, and poor flying skills.
> It's very easy for the purists to argue we don't need them.
> > "Sure, just learn how to land," they say. Yeah, right! If we eliminate
> skegs, do you really believe that all the soaring pilots who
> > already have trouble hitting the spot with skegs are going to go out and
> practice now? No, they won't. They're flying for fun. What
> > you've just created is making an unsafe pilot and situation MORE unsafe.
> Things happen in contests that don't normally happen during
> > fun flying. Everybody wants those landing points, and they're sure as
> heck not going to come up short. So, they're carrying energy -
> > LOTS of it. Oops, there goes my shins, your shins, and alot of leading
> edges.
> >
> > Our landing tape - Is it absurd? Probably. But it doesn't really matter.
> As long as everyone is landing on the same tape, it's
> > plenty fair. It's actually more fair than the FAI tapes. I like 1 point
> increments as opposed to 5 point increments. FAI tapes - You
> > could drop 5 points by simply being out 1/2". We're going to a contest
in
> Phoenix this weekend where it will be scored at 1 point
> > per inch away from the nail. Averaging 85's will win this contest.
Maybe
> even 80's. I do hope the purists leave their skegs at
> > home, and bring a lot planes! ;-) Or at least EPP LE's.
> >
> > So, how do we make contests more fair in the states? I don't have the
> answer to that. I do have a few ideas:
> >
> > 1. Eliminate sandbagging - called flight order. Give a guy 3 minutes(Or
a
> specified amount of time - field layout dependent) after
> > he's called to hook up to the winch. One of my pet peaves is the guys
who
> fly on ham bands to eliminate freq. conflicts, and sit on
> > the pin awaiting the lift cycles. This is an unfair advantage, and more
> importantly, is just a pussy move.
> > 2. When capable - try holding a man on man contest. Takes less time than
> you'd think. You don't have to wait for each flight group
> > to land prior to launching the next group. Can be accomplished with a
> little planning. Can also be done with only 2 - 3 winches, not
> > optimum, but can be done.
> > 3. Make the flight times challenging - this 3, 5, 7 crap is boring. Our
> planes have gotten so efficient, and the tasks haven't kept
> > up. Who cares if nobody makes their times? It's called Thermal Duration,
> isn't it? Shouldn't the guy who flies the longest get the
> > win?
> > 4. Make the landing tasks fair - no huge landing bonus equalling 1/3 or
> even 1/2 of the flight time for hitting a postage stamp.
> > That 1/2" in or out thing makes me crazy. Measure the darn things. Huge
> in or out doesn't make a contest more fair, it makes the
> > contest more dependent on your TIMER'S thumb.
> >
> > Do I think skegs should be banned? No. I do believe they make things
more
> safe for the majority of skill levels out there. Besides,
> > the biggest skeg is really the nose. You eliminate skegs, people will
> DORK for the win.
> >
> > Daryl - sorry to get on my soapbox - Perkins
> >
> >
> >
> > Mike Stump wrote:
> >
> > > Klaus,
> > >
> > > unlike F3B & J, the landing zones in the USA are much smaller... the
US
> TD
> > > landing circle deducts 1 point from 100 for every 4 inches away from
> > > center... what would still be 100 pts on an FAI tape could be 90 or
> even 89
> > > on a US circle (task L-4)..
> > >
> > > our runway landing is a strip 2-3" wide for 100 pts with 1 pt.
deducted
> for
> > > every inch away from the runway center zone...
> > >
> > > there is a difference regardless of the amount of control one has
> properly
> > > learned..
> > >
> > > At 09:11 AM 2/1/00 +1100, you wrote:
> > > >What are you saying here jerry? Don't go half shares with you in a
> full
> > > >size sailplane or don't go in the tandem seat with you :)
> > > >We don't use skegs in Australia. It is up to the pilots to learn to
fly
> > > >their sailplanes properly and compensate for the landings. Are skegs
> > > >allowed in the world champs F3J/F3B? Don't think so.
> > > >
> > > >Klaus Weiss
> > > >Australia
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >> Twice, when flying full size sailplanes, I wish I had the stopping
> power
> > > >of a
> > > >> skeg. First time I got stopped just before I hit the fence, and
the
> > > >second
> > > >> time I went thru it, totalling the glider and almost taking myself
> out in
> > > >the
> > > >> proscess.
> > > >RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send
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> > > >
> > > >
> > > Mike Stump
> > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > >
> > > RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send
"subscribe"
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> >
> > RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe"
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>
>
>
> --- Art McNamee
> --- [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> --- EarthLink: It's your Internet.
>
>
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