Other countries did not have the Ford starter so went with individual winches rather than club winches but now we have a definition for that winch 23 milliohms of resistance between the starter and battery.
We are now pushing for an unbreakable line but now have models that can break most reasonable line. I find it rather absurd though that now we are spending more energy lifting the line rather than the plane.
So why are clubs sticking with the Ford longshaft convenience? I am surprised that some club has not come up with an alternative using diesel starting motors. Or are we someway saying this is enough.
I doubt that we have the courage to drop back to the quarter power of the F3B winch. It depends on all kinds of wrong things. Own my own winch? you must be crazy? Walk to retrieve? I am too old. Those are a few starters.
A conundrum?
Rick
Richard Hallett Pittsfield ME
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
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. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and AOL are generally NOT in text formatTom's analysis is, as they might say in JOE (jolly olde England), SPOT ON.
And this excellent observation from non other than our current LSF President.
Tom has the experience to define the "FIX" for this issue and has just done so.
I'll back his direction on this one.
Regards, Dave Corven. AMA 878 LSF 254
I've followed this thread with some interest ... as JB said, we've discussed this topic trekking back and forth from many contests in the van.
The advent of affordable molded models has done more to cause line problems than any other single facet of our chosen sport. Today's molded sailplanes are so strong that they can easily part 200# test winch line, almost at will. This is the primary reason we in the OVSS and AMA/LSF Nats have moved to the 290# test lines we use today. If there are no burns, abrasions, crappy knots, etc. it's unlikely that you will be able to break the line on purpose without damaging the model.
With aircraft of this magnitude of strength, the need for developing good winch technique has fallen by the wayside. In my early days in the sport, everyone flew open framework gasbags and a full pedal launch on our SIX volt winches would result in a Monokoted bag full of sticks. You learned to temper your foot or you learned to rebuild - fast!
Today's competition pilot doesn't need to develop any such technique, he can simply hook up, step on the pedal and GO! Poor winch technique is easy to spot, the smoke coming from the winch armature and excessive wing flex are sure indicators. Moderating the amount of energy in the line, motor and wings are all a part of launching technique that is all too lacking among many competition pilots who have skipped the early learning curves of winching built-up, more fragile models.
Examination of the line break often yields the answer to why the line parted, the aforementioned abrasions, poor knots, frozen turnaround pulleys ... equipment failures should result in a relight. The pilot that breaks the line as they push over into the zoom has no call for a relight, he got 90+% of the way up. The pilot who full pedal launches through a thermal on tow shouldn't get a relight, either, unless the equipment failed (and if he had proper technique, the line likely would have stayed intact).
Weak links ... tried in F3B a decade or more ago, the weak link was dropped quickly because the relative weakness of the link was actually seen to be a safety hazard as most links failed just out of the launcher's hand. Yes, the (rather large) relative difference between the line and the link had much to do with the problem, but what is the right differential? For a 100" RES or NOS vs a 3.9 meter Sharon?
Do we need devices on the winches to set torque or tension limits? Same issue as the weak link ... what's the right amount of torque and
is it the same for every model?
A seasoned pilot acting as the Launch Master can readily evaluate each launch and come to a likely first approximation as to cause for line failure on the spot ... subsequent investigation at the point of failure serves to validate whether the call was correct or not. I would guess that the Launch Master is going to be right the majority of the time.
Reserve one or two winches on the line for relights ... pilot calls the break, Launch Master either denies the relight request and the pilot continues the flight or confirms the relight and the pilot comes down IMMEDIATELY for relaunch. If the number of breaks exceeds the number of backup winches, call the group down and start over. I suggest if that many lines break in the same round there are either equipment issues or you're winching over desert scrub or through rose bushes.
Rather than look for a technological silver bullet, I propose that we, as a part of bringing newer flyers into the competition circuit, teach winch technique alongside air reading skills and spot landing practice. It will improve the quality of the pilots, it will improve equipment life, and it will allow more flying, which is really the whole point, isn't it?
IMHO,
Tom Kallevang Wheeling, IL LSF President & Webmaster LSF #303 Level V #103 AMA L292 SOAR (Chicago)
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