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Give me some numbers please.

Old 10-09-2002, 06:36 PM
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1Jimbo
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Default Give me some numbers please.

1.)How many combat planes have you totaled this year, Jan 1st to now?
2.)How many rounds did it take to crash those planes?
3.)How many would have been an acceptable number of planes to total?
.
1.)This year I have totaled two completely and one about 75%. So, about 3 planes.
2.)I flew about 50 rounds of combat.
3.)This year was a good year for me. To total 4 planes a year would be an acceptable number.
*Last year was REAL bad year. Totaled about 10 planes. We build them better know.
Old 10-09-2002, 08:03 PM
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Default Give me some numbers please.

1.)How many combat planes have you totaled this year, Jan 1st to now?
None "totaled". But, I have had to replace 1 Open C wing and 1 Scale wing as well as repair minor damage to two Scale wings. On the same note, I managed to break an OS.25FX case (midair impact damage) in Scale too.

2.)How many rounds did it take to crash those planes?
33 rounds so far (5 rounds of NSCC, 9 rounds of RCCA Open C, 19 rounds of 2610 Scale).

3.)How many would have been an acceptable number of planes to total?
None is a good number to total for me! But, I'm always working on getting to the Holy Grail of "NO Repairs at all".

D
Old 10-09-2002, 09:40 PM
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1Jimbo
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Default Give me some numbers please.

"None is a good number" I have to say I agree with you there.
BUT, you didn't answer the question and I really would like to know where you draw the line.
Old 10-10-2002, 01:09 AM
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Demon
 
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Default Give me some numbers please.

Originally posted by 1Jimbo
BUT, you didn't answer the question and I really would like to know where you draw the line.
Fair enough question Jimbo. But, I'm not so sure that I'd be able to draw the line anywhere. And, I never really thought of it quite that way before.

Just a guess, but if I lost more than 3 planes at each and every contest for the first half of the season, I'd be unable to keep pace due to the lack of time available to me for building replacements. But, as soon as my available time permitted me to build just one suitable plane, I'd be back on the flightline at the next contest.

I dunno, I guess I always approched the issue from a "how do I avoid spending ALL of my available time building" standpoint instead of a "what amount of sustained losses would be unacceptable" standpoint.

That's just me though. I'm very interested in reading what others have to say on the subject.

D
Old 10-10-2002, 03:28 AM
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Icarus-RCU
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Default Give me some numbers please.

To paraphrase a good line from the Star Trek Generations movie, "Time [Building] is the fire in which we burn."
Old 10-10-2002, 06:43 PM
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slamson
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Default Give me some numbers please.

first i would like to seperate open from scale because of very different results.

second, i would have to include non competition damage, i.e. mid-airs with billy or the others i practice with.

in scale i have totalled 3 complete airplanes, and 5 wings. that is in 23 rounds and no practice combat.

in open i have lost no fuselages (i love the flat bats), and about 7 wings in about 37 rounds of competition and about 100 rounds of practice. by far i have lost more in practice than in competition but that could be attributed to the larger number of rounds in practice or that i fly practice with billy and we always seem to hit each other.


how many would it take before i wouldn't build anymore? i'd probably already be there if i hadn't found the black flat bat. if i had been totalling fuses and gear i would probably be out of it financially.

with the numbers in scale i should probably pack it in and just do open but i just can't say no to a round of combat. luckily for me we don't have many scale events so have plenty of build time between.

btw the numbers in open are all wings and they are not armored at all. they have packing tape over blue foam. no hi-tech anything. if i put 8 hours in each wing i might also have packed it in.

steve "slam" lamson
Old 10-10-2002, 08:55 PM
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aseaholm
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Default Totaled airframes

1.)How many combat planes have you totaled this year, Jan 1st to now?

OPEN: 3 totaled wings, 2 totaled fuselage (built 4 new fuselages this season and retrofit the 4 from last year). I have stacks of fixer upper wings that I plan to start donating to local pilots. The G10 fuselages are very tough and easily fixed.
SCALE: 2 totaled wings, 1 totaled fuselage. The WARBIRD’s kevlar and glass fuses are very tough

2.)How many rounds did it take to crash those planes?

OPEN: Close to 100 rounds of competitive B & C including Houston and local non-point events.
SCALE: 44 rounds of 2610 and 1 round of OPEN C with a scale ship.

3.)How many would have been an acceptable number of planes to total?

I’ve spent about 1/3 the time in the shop building MY airplanes this season. I would say 3 totaled airfames for a 2 day contest on a consistent basis would be more then acceptable.
Old 10-10-2002, 10:17 PM
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Post Hole
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Default Give me some numbers please.

.)How many combat planes have you totaled this year, Jan 1st to now?
One, a SPAD Debut in practice with Micster before my first combat match. I defined totaled as needing new wing, new fuse, receiver, 2 stripped servos (plastic gears replaced with metal) and a broken carb mount on my OS .25FX. I was rebuilt in time to fly the match the following weekend.

2.)How many rounds did it take to crash those planes?
None, it happened during practice before my first match... there we were, chasing each other merrily around the sunny Arizona sky when we turned toward each other at opposite ends of the box. Closing speed somewhere on the big side of 100mph, my Debut and his TufFlight Predator. We got closer and came into each others field of view and pulled up at the same time. SMACK! I could have flown out of it but my battery popped out of the single tie-wrap and tape I used to hold it in and came unplugged. The plane nosed over and went in the dirt at full throttle. Mic was able to dead stick the Predator in with minimal damage. Lesson learned, 2 tie wraps on every component, and plenty of slack in the wires so a little movement does not unplug them.

3.)How many would have been an acceptable number of planes to total?
I figgered that one per match would be ok, as I am using SPAD planes and can build one in an evening. This is for Open B. Scale, I would like to keep the (JKA) Zero around for as long as possible. NERF/SSC? Yup, I want to do that too and if I can keep it down to a couple of airframes per season I would be flush with joy. As an aside, my first combat match I was mid-aired again and my tail feathers were mostly plucked, but I finished the round and landed. I replaced the tailfeathers with a set from an A plane that we had ready and flew the rest of the match, 5 rounds. Micster took first with a Predator and I took second with the Debut in Open B.

Old 10-10-2002, 10:54 PM
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Tattoo
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Default Give me some numbers please.

1.)How many combat planes have you totaled this year, Jan 1st to now?

7

2.)How many rounds did it take to crash those planes?

72

3.)How many would have been an acceptable number of planes to total?

2 years ago I totalled 18 planes and 14 last year and didn't quit, so this has been a very good year. If you're a true combat pilot who loves this sport, the correct answer would be "however many it takes to finish the season" ...I will have to admit it's does get old losing planes, and that's why I'm thinking of concentrating more on A class next year.
Old 10-11-2002, 12:27 AM
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gunfighter
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Default Give me some numbers please.

How many planes have you lost?

"C" - 1 fuse

"B" - 6 fuse (all teal flat bats) + 1 wing (dogfighter)
+ 3 "sickle" coro flying wings

How many rounds?

"C" 5 rounds + practice
"B" 52 rounds + practice

How many would be acceptable?
I can build and stuff 3 complete flat bat's in one day at a cost of about $20.00. I'll keep building as long as I have FUN!!!

If I was building foam planes at $50 - 60.00 each, that number would be significantly lower!

As long as I have fun and can be somewhat competative, I'll keep building and flying!
Old 10-12-2002, 12:16 PM
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tinsink
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Default Give me some numbers please.

Hey Demon,

Where do you fly combat near Ledyard? I'm flying out of Milford
and I just got an 1/12 ME-109 from Sportsman Aviation. I put the landing gear on and a Magnum .15 in it and I ROG it after getting help on how to set it up from this web site. The other guys in the club don't know how I can keep up with it because it is so fast. I have never seen 1/12 scale combat but I'm interested in seeing it after reading some of these posts. I can't imagine flying one of these planes on a .25 at full speed. No wonder you combat guys talk in terms of acceptable losses!
Old 10-12-2002, 12:32 PM
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Default Give me some numbers please.

Originally posted by tinsink
Hey Demon,
Where do you fly combat near Ledyard?
Well, the combat contests in the area this year have been in Salem CT, Ellington CT, Hadley MA, Hudson NH and Merrimack NH.

There's a good one (and the last one for the season) coming up in Hudson, NH on Saturday October 26th that will feature Open B and 2610 Scale. Don't forget to bring your '109!

More details on the contest can be found here:
http://www.rccombat.com/forum/topic....event%3F%21%3F

Hope to see you there!
D
Old 10-12-2002, 04:00 PM
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Ten-Man
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Default Give me some numbers please.

1.) I have totaled 2 bats 1 teal and 1 black flatbat. After totaling the teal bat I went to the black bat and have had none lost in combat. The one I did crash was a full power dive in practice about 120 mph straight down. Nothing would have survived that. Oh yeah 1 "A" class plane also. With the fuses I have destroyed 2 wings. But I have built about 8 wings and they all have tape and glue on them somewhere. They look like patchwork quilts.

2.)about 75 rounds of competitve b and c and a few rounds of "A".

3.)If I had the time to build them I would build as many as it took to stay in the air and grab some tail. There is no end to my addiction.
Old 10-13-2002, 12:18 PM
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Default Give me some numbers please.

Jimbo,
Have flown 60 RCCA Open B rounds - 3 Open B planes, 8 Open B wings, retired Bat Tricks (4) after switching to Bandits.

Have flown 36 rounds of Scale - 4 planes totaled - two Fulmars, one FW TA152, one Boeing XF8B, retired twin Hornet and twin FW189

Here is report:
In Houston - no planes lost.
In West Palm Beach - one open, two scale lost
In Dixie Nats - one open totaled, change after this to Bandits
At Richmond - two Open wings
At Ashland City - one open wing
At Hilltop - one open wing
At Nats - one Open Plane, one more Open Wing, One Scale
At Sharpes, FL - one Open wing
At Louisville - one Open Wing
At Waverly - one Open Wing, One Scale Plane
Old 10-13-2002, 02:43 PM
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1Jimbo
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Default Give me some numbers please.

Bang Lou ! That's a lot of wings to lose. How many were from T-Bones? What are you using for spars and LE? How long does it take you to build a wing?
Old 10-13-2002, 03:37 PM
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Lou Melancon
 
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Default Give me some numbers please.

Jimbo,
I think that number of wings is about average for the folks I fly with.

Dr Evil, Ben, Tina, Mike Fuller, Rick, Andy, Neal, AJ, Billy, Slam, Ron, John, Smack, Skull, etc probably get between 6 and 8 rounds per wing. You saw what happened when you flew against them in Houston, your stuff was grounded by damage but theirs kept going. Early in the year AJ's stuff was way out front of the rest of us, but we caught up.

They build in two to three nights, once you have the cores. Two glass rods for spars, polypropylene rod for LE, either ripstop or yupo for covering.

Most of the throw away wings were damaged by prop cuts. Wing to Wing hits don't normally destroy a wing the way we are building them now. The Bandit fuses that I have lost have been to hits where the engine of the opponent hit a servo or the tail knocking the plane down and cutting through the plastic fuse.

Some of these wings could have been repaired but the flight characteristics would not have been as good as a new one so I just trashed them.

Incidentally after over 30 rounds of SSC/NERF I'm still using the prototype Bandito.
Old 10-13-2002, 06:16 PM
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Default Give me some numbers please.

Lou, that appears to be the beauty of .15SSC (Nerf.)

We've learned in B how to make stuff more durable. Now, with .15 Nerf, we can use that knowledge to spend time flying instead of building/repairing. Some call this progress

Cajun
Old 10-13-2002, 10:57 PM
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1Jimbo
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Default Give me some numbers please.

No Lou I didn't have any midairs in Houston. I was grounded from engine failure. I'm sure my wings are not as strong as the ones ya'll are flying. I'm still using white foam that's why I asked.
Old 10-13-2002, 11:03 PM
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1Jimbo
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Default Give me some numbers please.

Yea Cajun, that's the beauty of .25gp ssc combat. That fat epp foam wing and that slow engine will keep damage to a minimum and fun to a maximum.
Old 10-14-2002, 01:43 AM
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tinsink
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Default Give me some numbers please.

Demon,

Thanks for the info on the N.H. contest. Unfortunately I can't make it that weekend. Maybe I'll go to a CT or MA contest next year. I don't think I would be very competitve with the 109 anyway. It looks real nice but its all balsa and I heard you need a foam plane for combat. I'm gonna try my hand at scratch building a combat plane- some type that no one has ever done before, you know , so the judges can't say it doesn't resemble a real plane.

Rich
Old 10-14-2002, 03:23 AM
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Default Give me some numbers please.

1: 2 totaled, 1 extra fuse destroyed, and about 6 wings on open planes. =3 fuses, 8 wings + plus took out about 5 planes with that. 2 totalled.

2: About 36 points rounds, and 30 or so play times.

3: I think this is an acceptable number.
Old 10-23-2002, 05:09 PM
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Default Give me some numbers please.

1) Nothing. I haven't totaled out anything this year.

2) 64 rounds of combat.

3) hard to tell.

Ok, now for the rest of the story. I've taken my share of hard hits, and broken my share of stuff, but since I don't have a ton of cash, I repair rather than replace if at all possible. I am running about 1 mid-air every 3 or 4 rounds, about half of them are of the "Oooh that hurt" variety.

I've had to make all kinds of repairs, including totally stripping 3 wings, gluing the foam back together with probond and re-covering. One older Skull Bandit wing had a the leading edge broken in 3 or 4 places, TE broken in 4 or 5, foam cut all the way though by a prop in one place, broken from TE to spar in another, and the fiberglass spars loose in the groove for about 1/3 the span. Spliced in new wood, put probond in cuts, cut out crushed foam and spliced in scrap then sanded smooth, then re-ripstopped. Took a while, but the wing is still active as my #3 B class wing.

I also had an A class stock Battle Floyd basically get cut in half. Some probond, CA, and packing tape, and it's back to active status.

Right now, two of my A class wings have broken balsa wood spars (what was I thinking?). I have a contest this weekend. I'll be splicing in some new spar material and/or carbon fiber and slapping on some tape.

If I'd had the time or money to total out stuff what was really broken, I'd have to guess that I'd be at between 7 and 9 wings and 3 fuses.

I now have the parts for a foam cutter. Once I get that worked out, I'll be building more wings faster and cheaper, and expect to toss more in the garbage, including most of my current wings.

Oh, another guy around here had a blue foam and wood wing get cut clean in half. He flew the same wing the next contest, and got it cut in half again, at a different point on the wing. He repaired it again, and I expect to see it this weekend too. Foam repaired with probond is pretty strong, and not that heavy if you do it carefully.

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