Harley; A comparison of seconds on zoom won't be as meaningful as you had hoped. There are too many variables not the least of which are launch conditions. I had a memorable launch several years ago at an SC2 contest where two competitors timed me with an eight second zoom. However, that was off a strong winch into a strong thermal with a 10 knot headwind. Typical well executed TD launches see zooms of four to five seconds whereas launches on mono with a heavily loaded F3B glider seem to last forever by comparison. If you really want to optimize your launch including the zoom, the LoLo which Jim Bacus recommended or other similar products are invaluable. With sufficient resolution selected, you can actually identify the alititude where the zoom began and the eventual level off altitude with almost perfect accuracy. Comparisons of different launch/zoom techniques then becomes very revealing. Try a little more camber, a little more tension, a steeper throw, a quicker ping, a steeper zoom angle, etc. and see the difference expressed in feet of eventual launch altitude. Down load this information after a series of launches and you'll know what works best for you and your glider.
BTW, one of the reasons the Icon is so highly thought of is that it launches superbly. I can't verify this through personal experience as I've never launched/flown an Icon. However, I've seen many middle of the pack pilots get great launches with an Icon. In fact, if you read between the lines, one of the reasons the Icon has so many rabid loyalists is because it helps to make the average pilot perform better. Since great launches are routinely achieved with the Icon being flown by average pilots, I assume it's somewhat forgiving of launch set-ups and techniques. This is one indication of a well designed glider. Did I just say you can buy your way to the top by flying an Icon? Hmmm. Unfortunately it's not that simple. You can possibly improve your contest scores with more consistent placings, but probably not all the way to the top. That takes natural ability, years of experience, thoughtful practice, dedication, commitment, etc. For that matter, I wish I'd have been flying an Icon during the last round at Visalia. I may have finished third instead of 23rd. Nah, probably not! Fred Fred ----- Original Message ----- From: "Harley Michaelis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2004 12:39 PM Subject: [RCSE] Number of seconds in the zoom??? > At the recent Northwest Soaring Society Tournament, I was watching launches > and counting the seconds between release and leveling out. 4 seconds was > typical and Les Grammer with an Icon Icon was getting 5, but at a relatively > shallow angle. > > For those of you who feel they zoom well, have you counted seconds in that > segment of the launch and if so, what amount of time are you actually > zooming? > > > RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. > > RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off.
