Design Contest?
 

Have you guys done any design contests in the past few years? The last one I recall was a "Design Nontest", but I don't remember how many planes were finished..

Nope, no contests since the last one you hosted.
The ratio of completed projects to promised projects was down right depressing, anyway.
I'd like to have a payload competition for both geared and direct drive engines. Limited to plain bearing .049 to.051 engines. It might inspire some "outsiders" to take part...?

Well, I'm open to whatever most people are interested in.

I was thinking that the other day after Bipe Flyer returned.... it has been awhile for a design contest. I would say keep it simple and have it be general: someone can do a scale, sport, etc.

I will have to look up the rules from when we first started back in the 2003-2004 timeframe.

Brian

Hi All,
I'm In !:cool:
How about, encouraging the score, devided by a pilot's age?:)

I know we have the Talent.:cool:
S.M.A.L.L. Rules work for me.
Pick a small engine class, build it.:)
Think of the Challenge, WooHoo!
Of that better 1/2A plane...

The 'tick/tock' starts, everytime an LST gets started !

Take care,
Have fun,
Dave'crosscheck'Fallowfield
Maac 6437
Unabashed Combat Team

I think we need to keep it fairly simple and general. I liked idea of the fun, no competition, feel the "nontest", but without the pressure of competition people don't seem to get their planes finished.

I'm ready. I got in one contest. Finishing it was no problem. It just didn't fly because it had to many design flaws in it.
I guess it was just one flaw, but that was enough.

I would like to give it another try.

I found the old contest entries and put them back on my website in case anyone wants to see them. There were some pretty impressive designs.

Unfortunately I've lost most of the images and videos for the 2004 contest. I am trying to find and replace them.

http://www.donatelli.net/contest/

Bipeflyer - Thanks for posting the prior contests from way back when... lots of fun memories.

I am thinking a design contest where everyone can vote on their favorite entries, no prizes or money.

What we are after is the creativity, craftmanship and comradery.

This is a great way to encourage fellow modelers to design their own design (or their 100th) if they would not otherwise.

The build threads are also a great medium to ask questions and share ideas as each build progresses.

Also thinking the contest should have a rule that a flight should be made by an entry by contest closing date.

Av8rsodt

I bumped into bmatthews at an event for another sport we're both involved in. We discussed getting the design contest going again.

Should there be a engine type requirement - would help to hone down the designs based on a given power range.
Most folks have cox .049 engines laying around- Reedies and der TD's :rolleyes:

Pond Skipper - I agree... narrowing it down will help. I can't remember what the rules stated last time around.

Brian

I think it was .061 and under. I'll look it up later.

Sounds good to me, I can't see any need to limit it to merely cox engines when there are som many other engines to use.

There is also a dedicated cox forum where they have similar competitions, no need to compete with that here.

CL is all they seem to want to do there on the Cox forum.

The idea was bring in more folks as most have Cox engines laying around replaced by something more powerful. Secondly by limiting power the plane design would have to be well thought out to function and perform as intended or as design proportions will allow.
A .061 will compensate a miss calculated or dirty or bad design like slapping a brushless motor on the front would. Of course if its just about type and looks then function need not be rated.

Here is the complete list of rules for previous years.

"The only restriction is that the plane must be powered by an engine no larger than 1cc."

None of the voting has ever been done based on performance. The emphasis has been on creativity and execution. It's been a purely aesthetic design exercise. You could open it up to .10s and .15s and it would not "handicap" the .049 entries as far as I'm concerned. You might see more entries and this is what should be emphasized.

I agree with CP. The more the merrier. It's about encouraging scratch building.

2 Channel Cox powered Fun Fly event with a one design aircraft flown at the next SMALL (2016). Imagine full throttle Limbo! YEA!

I agree, too. With the move to electrics, the number of pure 1/2A flyers has decreased considerably. Secondly, this forum has been open to .15 sized planes and down because these models have no other real home in RCU.

I'd like to do something really weird this year.
I mean, weirder than usual.
I mean like, epically weird.
So weird that Ozzy Osbourne unfriends me.

Combatpigg... you crack me up. Made me laugh while pn break st work.

I agree... this is about encouraging scratchbuilding.

I think .15 or smaller would be just fine.

Brian

If we allow electric power we need to set a power limit, so how about 300W, which is roughly the power of an OS .15 FP.?

Was or would multi-engine be allowed?

Absolutely.