nonstoprc

My Feedback: (90)

Here is the flight box at 150m flight line at my field. The extended center line stops at 190m. I was surprised how close that 150m line is.

Seems fly slow is the key, if the objective is to hit the 150m line![img][/img]

Mastertech

My Feedback: (31)

How long is that runway? How wide is that runway?

Looking at the vans in the parkinglot I'm guessing the runway is 30-40' wide? If so then I don't see how that red line is 525 feet away. Maybe 200-250.

nonstoprc

My Feedback: (90)

The 150m mark is measured in Google Earth via the ruler tool, double checked with two other units (miles and km). It should be accurate, unless there is a bug in Goole Earth.

I do not know exact width of the runway.

Thanks for bringing up the point.

bjr_93tz

Those blue things aren't vans, and google Earth reckons the strip is 60 ft wide and 600ft long.

Non-stoprc, if you're being charged more than $25/year to join that club with such poor facilities, you're being ripped off...[&o][&o][&o]

My club's at:
27°40'30.60"S
151°54'48.48"E

UKpatternflyer

Hi Alejandro,

Sorry for the delay, I thought I'd posted a reply to you but can't see it anywhere...?

In a word, yes, I originally tried the 21 x 10 but found my speed variation was quite large as I struggled with throttle management with the now much larger braking from that prop. The 20.5 x 10 seems to be a bit easier to handle, gives great noise without the over revving you get with fine pitch props, and good braking for stuff like the sq. loop with half rolls. Its a shame both props weigh so much as I'm struggling withn the weight limit with my Axiome + using this prop.

Best wishes

Keith

apereira

Hello Keith,

Sent you a PM.

Regards

2Sunny

Thanks Don I missed you guys big time. The weather was so perfect I kept whining in my head "I wish I was in VA, I wish I was in VA", but Grace ran her personal best, and I like to think it was 'cuz "Dad" was cheering her on.


Anyways, it's funny how Joseph was the one pilot I thought of that actually flies 150. I remember watching him fly at the Nats in 2011 and thinking how crisp, close, and well defined his maneuvers were, and how that presented wholly unlike anything anyone else was doing.

The question is do you think there is a realistic way to encourage flying closer to the 150-175 box without too much hassle and is it worth it?


Thanks for taking a look at the issue!




Joe

danamania

As a new intermediate contestant (2 contests after VA this weekend), I have been attempting to fly a little slower and closer in than I had when I was flying 401 earlier this season. The feedback on my flights was mixed. While slower gave me more time in the box, which got smaller when flying closer in, some observers encouraged me to fly faster next time.

rcpattern

My Feedback: (45)

Dana,

I have a slightly different opinion on the subject. Each year, when I start practicing, I tend to fly MUCH further out until I really learn the sequence and get comfortable with the corrections and such. As the year goes on, I tend to keep moving it in. Usually by mid June I'm still around 175-180, but I'm closer than the 200+ or so I started at. This year, at the NATS was by FAR the closest I have ever flown in and from everyone I talked to, I was somewhere between 150 and 175, even in the winds. I think the key is to start a little further out and then as you get comfortable with the sequence then you can start working your way in closer as your time needed to react is much less because you know what to expect. I believe it is very hard to learn a sequence when flying in really close. Much easier to start further out and give yourself some time and then start bringing it in.

Arch

MTK

Archie,

Weren't you the ED at the 2012 Nats too? A little belated but congrats on your Masters Champioship. I've been out of touch until the last couple weeks

rcpattern

My Feedback: (45)

Matt,

Yes, I was. Actually being the ED I believe helped as I had zero time to worry about the flying part of it. Flying was actually 10 minutes at a time that no one could bother me and was relaxing...lol. For whatever reason I agreed to do it again next year as well. I guess I'm not very smart,

Arch

danamania

Thanks Arch, I will try this!

cchariandy

I think Chad mentioned in one of the earlier posts...it's more about how busy you are in the sequence than just going more slowly. At 150m you should not have any time to "think" about corrections or the next maneuver. At 175m there should be a second or two here and there.

Work on reducing the time that you spend "settling down" for the next maneuver. That usually means cleaner, more accurate exits...fly the plane on the downlines getting set up for whatever comes next so that you exit and you're ready right away.

I checked the distance my son (Ethan) was flying at this weekend and he was inside 175m all of the time...and he flies really fast. However he smoothly transitions from one to next manuever so it doesnt look rushed. I fly at about the same distance but started using more brake on the downlines for that extra second here and there.

I flew after AC at the NATs and was always amazed by how smooth and flowing his sequence looks at the speed he flies...but never rushed and inside 175m. I was actually encouraged to fly a little quicker.

Now...if you're flying WOT you will never fit the sequence into the 175m box...you will still have to back off the throttle.

Colin.

danamania

Yes, Chad's post has been on my mind all weekend!  I am going to put that together your observations & comments Colin as well Don's & Arch's above to rethink my approach to 402. I know I have made some progress with throttle management and presenting a more constant speed so I will be solving for baseline distance/altitude and duration/transition between maneuvers over the months before the next contest season. These other ways to think about flying the schedule are really helpful to me as I am trying to be thoughtful and purposeful about the months of practice ahead.

bjr_93tz

An odd thing I picked up from my motorcycle racing days that I apply to my pattern flying is NOT to break the schedule/track up into different parts.

It was so much easier mentally on one track to attack turn 1 and turn 2, get around the hairpin then attack the next two left handers, however the two hairpins were costing me time because I wasn't attacking them as well (relatively). It sounds silly but you have to race the whole track. Even the straight sections between corners is hard work if you want to make good time.

The last element of one maneuver, the joining line, and the first element of the next maneuver is IMHO part of the whole schedule and I try to fly it as such. My goal from takeoff to landing approach is to make the whole flight look like one controlled fluid sequence, not just a set of manuevers joined together like a patchwork quilt. I'll probably never achieve that but it's a goal.

cmoulder

LOL!

At the field pictured above by 2Sunny, all we have is a small grass strip, a little shack for the mower and a porta-potty, and that's it!

cmoulder

Arch, more belated kudos for a well-run Nats and glad you're back next year.

It was my first Nats so I don't have anthing to compare it to, but I must say that Bobby Stout and Leslie Hochhalter (sp??) ran a tight ship on Site 4 while Tara was quietly working virtually non-stop all day in the scoring trailer.

Many thanks to all the selfless individuals on your great team.

Anthony-RCU

My Feedback: (2)

Why not set the poles at 175m? Anything past is a downgrade anything inside is fine and no need to try to estimate what is too far.
Of course not possible at some sites but would definitely help judging.
Thought of this a while ago but never got a chance to post.

pvogel

Google maps has the distance measurement tool which does measurements quite nicely as well:

pvogel

Of course, with Google earth you can draw the box as a polygon, move it up to a comfortable altitude (say, 10-20m) extend the sides down to the ground and then drop down to ground level to see what your flight line would look like at that altitude, I know I was surprised by how high 10m looks from ground angle relative to the hills in the background.

Peter+

underdw

My Feedback: (2)

I meant to comment when this thread was fresh, but forgot to share my pipe dream:

Seems to me that with the GPS and altitude logging capability of the Eagle Tree logger, we're not too far off from having automated judging. All we need is a wings level sensor and perhaps a little better spatial resolution. Then a few lines of code to process the downloaded data!
I'd buy even a crude such system - if only just for practice.

Dan

Rendegade

You and I, we think the same.