I will be attending my first fun-fly this weekend. Our club only has a few "events" that they compete in. What are some events that your clubs compete in? Are there any events that a trainer could compete in?




Thanks for any responses.

10 times Loop Touch and Go
5 times Loop Roll and Touch and Go
5 times going under the Limbo touch and go.

Be careful with the last one rumor is that Limbo poles move when you are trying to go between them,

Heard that they actually grab planes,

I attendent my first fun fly this year with my trainer, been flying 1.5 month by that time, and I hit the Limbo pole.

Make sure tat you have a good angle in seeing the pole and where the plane is going.

Good Luck and have fun.

Balloon Pop is a good event for all experience levels. Pinpoint landings would be another good event for all experience levels.

Good luck...

Get a few empty sodas cans, put them on the 'runway' and do a little bowling. Whomever knocks down more cans, wins.

Bomb drop - piece of dowel attached vertically to plane with rubber bands. Toilet paper tube or similar over it, climb and roll or loop over the target to drop it.

Climb & glide - pilot gets 30 seconds to climb as high as possible. Must kill the engine then glide as long as possible while dead stick. Longest glide time wins the event; can get bonus points for landing closest to a mark.

Bowling - plastic pins and a plastic ball attached to plane on a long string (25 foot). Fly down the runway and knock down pins. It's MUCH harder than you might think. (Just be sure to tie the string ahead of the CG.)

Almost any event can be done with a trainer. In fact, depending on the events, we've had trainers beat fun-fly type planes.
Dennis-

I like the ETA Event (Estimated Time of Arrival) You take off, then, you are allowed 2 laps of the field, and you say "Now" (Or Start, or Go, whatever) and you have 1 minute to land (With power) but you may not look at your watch (or any kind of timer) Whoever lands closest to 60 seconds wins.

Take them (bowling idea) same soda pop cans, and arrange then down teh runway in a 'slalom course' and have a slalom race. Planes leaving the ground are disqualified.. Knocking one over= 1 second penalty...

Rubber band a cup (styrofoam coffe cup, with a popcicle stick stuck through it) to the fuse of teh plane, fille the cup with a known qty of bean. Pilot must take off, one loop, and return. Pilot who returns with most beans [in his cup] wins.

Most bounces in a landing...

All pilots get 2oz of fuel, and the longest flight wins..

Start teh pilots at one end of teh runway. Ready.. set go! the pilots run to grab their radios (placed ona table at teh other end of teh feild / pits / etc..) then run to their planes, and must get them started, then the first plane in the air wins..


On a side note.. Some pilots have been upset because one participant will use his extra for the loops and 'precision' flying, and then grab a trainer for the 'floating' events, then grab the park flyer for the limbo contest... Try to limint the pilots to one plane for all events.. Also, divide teh catagories into appropriate skill levels. the seasoned 3D flyer will always beat the 1st season 'newbie'..

There's the old fasion taxi races. Take the wings off the trainers, cover the opening with cardboard or something, and set up a race course on the runway. An oval is ok, but a solem makes it exciting.

I think this one is my favorite at our club fun fly's:

Each Pilot draws an envelope before the flight, then he has to climb to altitude in a certain amount of time (i.e. 60 seconds), he then kills the engine....a helper then opens the envelope for him, and it has a specific time on it (each envelope is different) and he has to try to keep the plane aloft for that time....person that lands the closest to his drawn time is the winner.

AHem...ground racing at a fun F L Y ?

I rather like those 60 second fly and land events. My last one was 62 seconds

My favorite event is "aerobatic lotto" where maneuvers are drawn from a can and you have say 90 seconds to do as many as possible.

those are all great. haha ive never heard about half of those. i like the beans in the cup and the balloon pop. but be careful, if you miss the balloon, keep going. dont do a split-s 10 feet from the ground to get back at the balloon. i did just that. it took me 15 minutes to replace the pinion gear (the plane was electric) and glue the tail back on. thank god for 5 minute epoxy and epp foam

Yes, don't do split-s, do a 1/2 Cuban 8 and pull out before you hit the ground. YOu should be right in line with the balloons. (1/2 Cuban-8 is a 5/8 loop and a 1/2 roll).

Don't knock the ground 'slalom race' it's harder than you'd expect!!

I remeber being the guy who launched the balloons for the ballon pop. being on the other side of teh flight line (other side of teh field!) You get a different perspective. I was amazed that the two SEs going after the balloon were actually about 5-10 feet in front of it! The pilot's depth persception was off, like all of us..

Oh, and when you buy the ballons for the event; I usually go to the local 'party store' and have them filled right there. Tell them to leave off the ribbons, as the typical ribbons are very strong, and will foul a prop causing a dead stick.

Get some with ribbons for the kiddies!

The AMA's "Competition Regulations" (The Rule-Book) pages 190-192 contains many '705' Fun -- Fly events. there are all kinds of tasks, for timed events and for mission tasks.

What these rules really do is to provide the basic ideas for innovation and dreaming up your own nightmare -- er -- uh -- I mean event / tasks.

There are so many events that can be done with trainers. I frequently advise recently soloed persons to retain the trainer. It will serve as a good landing practice machine when one is needed and will usually perform well in Club Fun-Fly events.

Here is a good variation of the climb and glide that any trainer can do well.

TWO task flight: Flight time is ONE minute.

Task one; Time starts when model moves. Pilot has one minute until landing. At 30 seconds, the timer calls for Idle power. Pilot cannot use throttle again. (No deadstick so as not to lose models -- better to lose an event score than a plane)
The task is to touchdown at 60 seconds with a points deduction for each second +/- variation.
Task two; The landing area is marked for points, squares or bulls-eye markings and the timed touchdown is also a spot landing.

Trying to get the spot AT the time without use of throttle can be a tough decision for a pilot. Trainers do well in this event.

Another good Trainer event with 2 tasks:
Out and Back Race with either Musical Chair landings or Spot Landings.

Set up field with two lines 100 ft +/- apart. 3-4 aircraft at a time. Aircraft spaced on Line 1, move or be released at a Flag Drop. 15 seconds and a horn or loud yell by starter signals return. All time FULL Throttle. 2nd line is where all models must be in air. (No real rich draggers) Models scored by order of return.
Race Starter will judge that all models maintain outbound at not above his perceived 25* angle. No high climbers.

2nd Task: Either Spot landing event or a musical chair landings.

Starter calls for landings individually or at horn/Yell, a musical chair landings, scored by order of touchdown. NOT FOR FAINT OF HEART

MORE Fun-Flys are needed at all clubs. Adds spice. Good Luck.

I'm not dissing the slalom race, and I'm sure it is challenging. But it's a fun FLY, not a fun drive

True, but it does give novice almost-pilots something to compete in, and a pretty good chance to beat the "old hands", too.

Is a musical chairs landing what I think it is? Everyone landing at once, last one to touch down loses out? Sounds like fun

Just participated in my first fun fly in years, and had a blast.

I was in novice since Ive just started flying again, and here are the novice events:

1) taxi/race around 2 cones, then back to the start line, kill engine w/ radio. Timed event.

2) 7-11, pilot (with plane running and waiting) starts rolling dice until he rolls a 7 (time starts on first dice roll). Once he rolls 7, he takes off and another pilot rolls the dice, trying for an 11. Once he hits 11 the pilot with the plane lands, time stops when wheels hit ground.

3) Roops. Plane takes off, time of 60 seconds starts when wheels leave ground. Pilot completes "Roops" (1 roll, followed by 1 loop). Pilot with most "Roops" in alloted time wins.

That was it. Pretty fun, simple, and for me, heart pounding since I havent done this stuff in years!

Other events from other classes that I remember:

1) Loops 'contest' - pilot, with plane waiting rolls one die (dice). What ever the number is, multiply by 5 and the pilot must take off and do that many loops. (yes, this past weekend everyone seemed to hit 6, and have to do 30 loops!) Time starts when the pilot makes first roll, time stops after pilot completes loops and lands. (wheels hit ground).

2) Dixie Death - pilot takes off, does 3 loops, 3 rolls up, 3 spins down, and lands. Timed event.

3) touch-n-goes for time - do a certain number of touch-n-goes in a certain time. This event can go two ways, 1) either you have time X to do Y touch-n-goes, or 2) you have to do X touch-n-goes, who ever is faster wins.

4) "closest landing" - pilot takes off and then lands. There is a spot painted on the ground, who ever stops their plane closest to that spot wins. Usually people will designate to a specific spot on the plane, such as the spinner.

5) 'bomb drop' - pilot must drop some kind of bomb (back when I use to do this it was usually a steel washer with a piece of ribbon attached), closest to target wins.

thats just the tip of the ice berg though!!!!!!

clay

Musical landings sounds hard on airplanes

Then there's "Poker".

Lay out ribbons or painted lines across the runway about 8 to 10 feet apart. You'll need six lines.

Between the first two lines is 10, between the next two lines is Jack, then Queen, King and Ace.

Pilots have 5 touch and goes to create the highest hand they can. If your engine quits you're done. Aborted touch downs don't count.

It's a relatively easy event, and can be done very well with a trainer by a fairly new flyer.
Dennis-

I remembered another funny one:

Pilot starts plane, and sets it ready to take off. Then pilot must eat 1 cookie completely (the stickiest, gooiest cookies are the best), then the pilot must wistle. After that he can take off. While in the air he has to eat another cookie, once gone he can land. Timed event.

clay

For the whistling one, it's best to eat soda crackers. Hard to whistle after eating salt