At 04:01 PM 6/1/2001, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>Hey Jim,
>
>To be honest, it's a boring Friday afternoon and I'm just jumping into the
>discussion for fun... :)
This is anything but fun for me. I wish the rules hadn't changed. I wish
the new rules were easy to understand for everyone.
>Your welcome for the chilled one, thanks for the round one tow.
>
>Personal opinions on the turnaround towing configuration....
>
>I think it is safer (if a proper anchoring device is used) than the human
>anchor/one man pulley tow option, but I feel it is less safe than the two man
>straight line tow.
I agree with you.
> >From general observation and experience, the straight two man tow
> provides a
>higher launch height than your turnaround pulley configuration.
So you were not concerned that we had some sort of unfair advantage.
>Now, just so you know....I admit that I could be inclined to file a protest
>of your anchored pulley system. I understand & respect your interpretation
>of the rules, but I don't agree w/ it. I believe that when, not if but when,
>a formal protest is filed at an F3j event, the anchored pulley will be judged
>to be in violation of the rules. Why? As lots of people have already
>stated, the new rules were enacted as a reaction to an accident involving a
>groundstake, hence the ban.
We are all trying to deal with a bad rule change here. The guys I fly with
are trying to deal with it within the current rules, it's not easy, but I
think we have found a safe, above average launch technique that meets the
definition of the rule book. It would be easier to use common sense, place
a redundancy spike on the main spike, and be done with it... but we have
been advised by the AMA to follow the new rules.
Remember up above, we agree the turnaround launch is safer than the other
launch methods requiring two man tows and a pulley. Also, I don't think
you will say we had an unfair advantage.
So what would be your motivating factor behind the protest?
Would you rather see me use a more dangerous technique to be competitive?
Or perhaps you would like me to hire some professional athletes to tow for
me with a direct tow to be competitive? (Believe me, I have the resources
to do such, and have actually considered it over the past few days since
the contest)
>For the record, sure I'm gonna practice launching w/ the turnaround, along w/
>some other variants, cuz my hunch about turnaround legality might pan out to
>be wrong...who knows.
>
>Too bad the four man tows are nowhere near the realm of legality, they're
>lots of fun on both ends of the line....
Big time fun, I want to do that again. I thought I had all of that launch
with my Icon, but Mike L. said I left some on the table because the pulley
broke the line, not the launch tension! 8-)
Always fun to talk and fly with you,
Jim
Downers Grove, IL
Member of Chicago SOAR club
ICQ 6997780 R/C Soaring Page at http://www.mcs.net/~bacuslab/soaring.html
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