Final League Standings for 2013

Final League Standings for 2013. A good year for weather generally, but we were unlucky on the F3B contest days. Models from memory. Each pilots best three scores from four count, as per the BMFA rules.

		Date	11-06-13	21-07-13	22-09-13	06-10-03
Rank	Name	Best 3 Scores	Round 3	Round 4	Round 6	Nationals	Model(s)
1	Steve Haley	3000	1000	1000	1000	1000	Fosa
2	Simon Haley	2859.127	899.988	940.598	943.875	974.654	Precious
3	Mike Challinor	2807.3	921.358	981.177	904.765	459.39	Fosa Lift
4	Bob Dickenson	2637.647	905.31	889.442	765.78	842.895	Fosa Lift/Estrella
5	Dave Worral	2633.751	0	778.599	918.956	936.196	Crossfire - elec
6	Mike Holtby	2580.452	837.95	852.483	890.019	0	Cobra
7	Tom Satinet	2566.536	0	916.16	918.637	731.739	Stinger/Tragi 704
8	Norman Quirk	2473.687	808.952	0	780.761	883.974	Vampire/Strega - elec
9	Clive Needham	2314.033	802.89	688.875	0	822.268	Dingo - Elec
10	John Whittle	2160.928	954.499	940.212	266.217	0	Ascot
11	Bill Haley	1668.761	0	531.62	455.409	681.732	Precious
12	Brian Johnson	1478.784	729.232	749.552	0	0	Ascot
13	Simon Jackson	790.446	0	0	790.446	0	Estrella
14	Phil Goddard	667.371	0	667.371	0	0	Ceres Lift

Oktoberfestpokal 1991

Seen on facebook - some British presence here I think! Certainly British number plate.

Photos from Chris Jubb

Chris Jubb kindly emailed me a load of pictures he has take down the years. Over 100 pics so grab a tea/coffee/beer/babycham. Click here for non flash devices. For PC users if you click the photos it will take you to larger versions you can scroll through with the arrow keys at your own pace.

Gyros in F3X

Gyros are starting to cause controversy in F3X circles. It seems some people think they are allowed in competition, but I think if you read the rules, they are not allowed.

e.g. from the FAI F3 rules: 1.3.3. Category F3 - Radio Controlled Flight This is a flight during which the model aircraft is manoeuvred by control surface(s) in attitude, direction and altitude by the flier on the ground using radio control

To my mind if a gyro moves a control surface it is against this rule. Planet soaring is worth reading, however I am still worried that previous CIAM discussions seem to allow gyros in spite of fairly clear cut rules.

I would highly recommend reading this article from Roman Vojtěch's excellent site - here Roman spends a day flying an f3b model with a gyro.

Someone has pointed out that 1.3.3 is a description rather than a definition. However:

According to paragraph (F3B Rules) 5.3.1.1: Definition of a Radio Controlled Glider: Model aircraft which is not provided with a propulsion device and in which lift is generated by aerodynamic forces acting on surfaces remaining fixed in flight, except control surfaces. Model aircraft with variable geometry or area must comply with the specification when the surfaces are in maximum and minimum extended mode. The model aircraft must be controlled by the competitor on the ground using radio control. Any variation of geometry or area must be actuated at distance by radio control.

This would appear to cover gyros as well (definitely being a definition), but from a recent CIAM meeting, it seems they are in favour of gyros. Apparently a more technical, more expensive system will encourace more entrants! I think we need to get this situation clarified properly. It seems a rule change is not on the cards due to an CIAM rule freeze. It feels a bit like FIFA at the moment.

Nationals Re-Run - Report

As the scheduled day for the nationals was washed out earlier in the year, Sunday (06/10/13) was used as reserve date to re-fly the contest. The weather was nearly as good as at the last contest, with temperatures easily in to the low 20s I would guess. Definitely not bad for an English October. We will have to find something else to moan about at this rate!

First off I will have to apologize for forgetting to take any pictures for this report. I will have to sack myself from my self appointed role as UK F3B reporter if I'm not careful! The contest didn't start on a good note with Mike Holtby's model (cobra) suffering a battery failure before the contest even began. We decided it was better to redo the contest matrix as Mike didn't have a backup model. Thanks to the jedi like computer skills of yours truly this didn't cause much of a delay and the contest started in good time.

Duration flying throughout the day was enjoyable and challenging at times. Despite what some people would have you believe there isn't much slope lift at the Wetlands site to get you out of trouble if the slot air turns bad. Looking at the score sheets only 8 out of 18 attempts by all pilots were "flown out". These weren't just scores by pilots lower down the rankings - the eventual winner of the contest scored a 6:44/100 in the final duration slot, although this did score 1000 points. Indeed only one person got to 8 minutes in the final two slots, which showed that the conditions became tricky towards the end of the day. For me the highlight of duration was Bob Dickenson's excellent read of a downwind thermal which he chased bravely and rode to a good height. He was followed to the thermal by Simon Haley, who in the end was the only pilot to fly out 10 minutes in both his rounds, and he scored a perfect 10:00/100 in round one.