----- Original Message ---- From: Darwin N. Barrie <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ...My concern is the launching equipment. With the current crop of moldies, line breaks and winch bogging and ultimate failure are becoming more prevelant.... ====================== I wonder about this too. The Pike Perfect is the current WC plane and the current Nats champ, at a bit over 140", and has apparently set a new benchmark that eclipses the 132" planes, which in turn pushed out the 3-meter (118") planes. It's all too easy to break the line with a PP, and line breaks will presumably be even more likely with 150" planes that have larger wing areas and can generate more pull.
The 2-man tow setup puts a practical limit on F3J, but apparently that limit is not fully compatible with the standard U.S. winch setup; that is, it seems that the F3J scheme can launch bigger planes than our typical winches like to handle. One imagines a nightmare scenario where the planes keep getting bigger, and eventually as clubs need to replace their launch gear, they'll turn to super-power Injoy or similar winches, and the cycle will repeat, and finally we'll be flying models 40% of full-scale like the gas-power boys.
