View Poll Results: A poll
No, but I enjoy watching or helping at contests
0
0%
Voters: 17. You may not vote on this poll
Do you fly in thermal duration contests?
06-20-2006, 05:16 AM
#1
Do you fly in thermal duration contests?
Do you fly in thermal duration contests?
If so, why?
If not, why not?
I fly in the club contests and I will fly in the ESL events that are held at our field, but I have not done any traveling to fly .... yet. I want to upgrade my equipment before I get into it at that level, but I find contest flying fun. I don't have to win to have a good time, but I like to challenge myself. Besides these are great guys and I enjoy flying with them.
Our club has monthly TD contests, weather permitting. We have a 2 meter class and an unlimited class. While we score them with typical tasks of 6-10 minutes and award landing points, the contests are more fun than competition. They do help people improve their flying. They have certainly helped me.
We also have a monthly Limited Motor Run Event that includes electric sailplanes and parkflyers. Pretty much anyone can fly. Again, the atmosphere is more about fun and improving skills than winning. We do a 2 minute motor run, followed by a 4 TD task, then points for landing in the circle. I use my Aerobird for this event. The long motor run elimiinates any incentive to build hot planes for this event. You could be competitive with a GWS Tiger Moth if you can learn to thermal it.
We also sponsor several regional events in cooperation with the Eastern Soaring League. www.flyesl.com These bring in excellent pilots from other clubs up and down the East coast of the US, and sometimes from further away.
What is great about these ESL events is that people who would never compete at this level get to fly with the best of the best. It is a wonderful learning experience. It is also a lot of fun.
We have a two day ESL event at our field this weekend. If you are in the area, please come to watch or participate.
[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4406875/tm.htm]Eastern Soaring League Contest June 24/25 - Syosset NY[/link]
So, tell us about your contest participation, or why you avoid them.
If so, why?
If not, why not?
I fly in the club contests and I will fly in the ESL events that are held at our field, but I have not done any traveling to fly .... yet. I want to upgrade my equipment before I get into it at that level, but I find contest flying fun. I don't have to win to have a good time, but I like to challenge myself. Besides these are great guys and I enjoy flying with them.
Our club has monthly TD contests, weather permitting. We have a 2 meter class and an unlimited class. While we score them with typical tasks of 6-10 minutes and award landing points, the contests are more fun than competition. They do help people improve their flying. They have certainly helped me.
We also have a monthly Limited Motor Run Event that includes electric sailplanes and parkflyers. Pretty much anyone can fly. Again, the atmosphere is more about fun and improving skills than winning. We do a 2 minute motor run, followed by a 4 TD task, then points for landing in the circle. I use my Aerobird for this event. The long motor run elimiinates any incentive to build hot planes for this event. You could be competitive with a GWS Tiger Moth if you can learn to thermal it.
We also sponsor several regional events in cooperation with the Eastern Soaring League. www.flyesl.com These bring in excellent pilots from other clubs up and down the East coast of the US, and sometimes from further away.
What is great about these ESL events is that people who would never compete at this level get to fly with the best of the best. It is a wonderful learning experience. It is also a lot of fun.
We have a two day ESL event at our field this weekend. If you are in the area, please come to watch or participate.
[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4406875/tm.htm]Eastern Soaring League Contest June 24/25 - Syosset NY[/link]
So, tell us about your contest participation, or why you avoid them.
06-20-2006, 10:07 AM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Sandy,
UT
Posts: 805
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Do you fly in thermal duration contests?
I have been back in the whole rc arena about a year and a half now. I flew for about 6 years 25 years ago and the bug re-bit. I finally have settled on Sailplanes and started my LSF program.
Did level one in about 2 weeks and now working on level 2 so the contests are just now coming into play.
I did my first and only contest in the club about a month ago and was flying my ARF Bird Of Time. I used my high start as I am a little leery of winching that plane. I hit all three landings but I could not make my time on all three flights.
Came in dead last.
Had a blast!
Since then I have "invested" in two highly winchable planes that should at least make me competative with some of the local boys. But we also have some mega high end composite planes that I can frankly never hope to compete with without dropping a couple of grand, which isn't in the budget.
I will continue to compete for the LSF requirements but I won't go whole hog into it unless someone dies and leaves me a ton of money (not likely) or someone just hands me a nice Composite (not expected).
I had a great time that day even considering the dismal finish, it is something that I think everyone should try just for the great time that there is to be had.
Tom
Did level one in about 2 weeks and now working on level 2 so the contests are just now coming into play.
I did my first and only contest in the club about a month ago and was flying my ARF Bird Of Time. I used my high start as I am a little leery of winching that plane. I hit all three landings but I could not make my time on all three flights.
Came in dead last.
Had a blast!
Since then I have "invested" in two highly winchable planes that should at least make me competative with some of the local boys. But we also have some mega high end composite planes that I can frankly never hope to compete with without dropping a couple of grand, which isn't in the budget.
I will continue to compete for the LSF requirements but I won't go whole hog into it unless someone dies and leaves me a ton of money (not likely) or someone just hands me a nice Composite (not expected).
I had a great time that day even considering the dismal finish, it is something that I think everyone should try just for the great time that there is to be had.
Tom
