Good Morning! Looking at what people are choosing to do with the new F3J rules.. I think the safest tow would be a straight out tow.. I don't believe the tow will have the energy of the conventional tow method.. But with the new lighter weight ships out, They would do a bit better with a weaker tow. There will be more time spent on the line, hence lower flight times. So who cares!! All pilots will be on the same page! The only problem I see is the creative tow tactic's. There is the opposite tow, where the is an anchor man that runs twords the glider. and the pulley man who runs away from the glider.. This can be a problem if something lets loose. According to the rules in our contest coming up in the rockies.. The CD states that if you should do this type of tow, a saftey harness will be attached to each towing device to the tow man. I don't believe this was ever allowed in the original F3J tow rules. It stated hand tow..Hold it with your hand!!! You couldn't use a harness of any kind! Well who is to decide that if we do use the saftey strap. That the tow men aren't useing this strap to actually tow?? Or will there be a certain amount of slack in the saftey strap?? Will we trip over this slack?? I see this to be a kind of Charlie Foxtrot!!!!! F3J is very competative ! Pilots are going to push the limits to get into the hunt! Or on the team! Or win the worlds! This could be where a saftey issue could be a problem.. Trying a new method. Not a proven one! If the new rules should stay in effect.. I would have to vote for only one tow. Straight out! This is safe and its the same for everyone. As was the original rule! There were no tricks other than just good tow men! I will agree with the Germans.. This is insane as far as I am concerned.. There are sports that go on each and every day that involve injuries. This sport is not a dangerous sport!!! If a protest should happen I would support it! Thermals Shmermals!!!!!!!!!! The next thing we are going to say is that we understand women!!!!! Thermals are a product of mother nature! And as we all know Mother nature is very hard to figure out. Oh??? Maybe because she is a woman?? hahahha I don't believe they rotate.. I have studied birds of pray for 16 years. They don't have a preference in left or right. I see birds change direction more than we do. I see some pilots get into a thermal and once we are locked in, they tend to just keep it in the same turn... Birds on the other hand move around much more. I have flown full scale gliders for 14 years.. One flight I hooked a thermal , and took it up several thousand feet..I was above a ranch that was burning a pile of brush.. This smoke and smell stayed with me for several thousand feet.. I decided I couldn't handle it anymore.. I ran to another thermal, When looking back the smoke from this fire was just a straight plume rising upwards. It wasn't rotating! Just rising like smoke from a cigarette in an ashtray.. One gentleman was talking about a down wind turn in a thermal.. Once your in a thermal, I don't belive there is a downwind.. But it could be a sink turn..Flying half in lift. half in sink! Charlie RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
