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F1E Free Flight Slope Soaring.


Adrian18sz

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Just now, Adrian18sz said:

Anyone doing this can tell me about the kits. Are they for sale?

Adrian.

 

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Marc RC pilot

Wow! Never realised ff slope soaring was even possible... Amazing stuff Adrian. Mesmerising to watch them react to the lift/wind...👍  😃

I presume that front fin on top front of fuz is a keel of sorts to keep model pointing into wind?

 

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25 minutes ago, Marc RC pilot said:

Wow! Never realised ff slope soaring was even possible... Amazing stuff Adrian. Mesmerising to watch them react to the lift/wind...👍  😃

I presume that front fin on top front of fuz is a keel of sorts to keep model pointing into wind?

 

Maybe. I would love to give it a go.

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I’ve been aware of this for a couple of years now, but I haven’t taken the plunge because it seems as demanding and competitive as F3F (my current usual class) and not popular outside the middle of Europe (Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Rumania). As far as I can tell the class is not sufficiently popular in Britain for kits to be profitable, and I haven’t been able to find any plans. There is an undated account of a British event at https://sites.google.com/site/northernmodelflyer/glider-page. (Well, the author does say it took place on the 1st June!) it attracted 6 pilots. My guess is that this event is especially rewarding in places where the weather is not the sort we get in Britain.

There is a detailed description of the workings of the models and the competitions at https://www.dmfv.aero/files/CIAM-Flyer-5-2015-print-1.pdf. There is a suggestion here that any free-flight glider could be equipped with the magnetic steering device, but that a model designed specifically for F1E would be better. There’s a bit about the USA here: https://www.modelaviation.com/fabulous-february-2016.


The rudder at the front is a magnetic steering device which keeps the model pointing in a preset direction relative to magnetic north. The Aeromodeller Annual for 1957 has details of how to build one, but my guess is there is some enterprising soul somewhere in the world who makes and sells them.

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The ideal is to trim the model to match the wind speed and have it just 'hover' over the slope.  On a calmer day, the model must fly forwards to avoid stalling but, after a period penetrating into wind, a preset timing mechanism can put it into a steady circle to let it drift back towards the launch point before another period of straight flight is started.  Any inputs have to be pre-programmed - no pilot inputs are allowed after release.

I have never tried the class but I have seen it flown.  Competitors will have a variety of models to cope with different wind speeds.  The more wind, the heavier the wing loading.  Pitch trim can provide fine flying speed adjustment too.

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Wow, that's well amazing!

I remember launching a freeflight glider in Zimbabwe with my name and telephone number and a reward offer posted. Launched it, and it got away in a thermal, and was gone. Got a call a day or two later and it had landed about 10km away, and I duly cycled over and picked up the glider and gave the 14yo $10. He was about the same age as me and was fascinated.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 03/10/2021 at 10:36, Marc RC pilot said:

Wow! Never realised ff slope soaring was even possible... Amazing stuff Adrian. Mesmerising to watch them react to the lift/wind...👍  😃

I presume that front fin on top front of fuz is a keel of sorts to keep model pointing into wind?

 

Just in case nobody answered this one, no the 'fin' on the front doesn't keep the model pointing into wind, it keeps the model heading in the direction that the pilot sets. Simplifying it, if the magnetic compass that this front rudder is mounted on detects a change in the bearing ie it is turning away from the setting, then the rudder reacts to turn the model back to the set heading. 

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  • 3 months later...

It is also flown in the USA, and the main event occured at Lost Hills this past week. The F1E event took place a couple of days ago and was won by Per Findahl of Sweden. Ian Keynes from Great Britain  also flew and came (I think) 7th, a long way to go but Ian is chairman (or something like that) of the FAI free flight committee.

Mike Fantham also goes along to the FF events in the USA and you can find his reports further back in this Free Flight topic.

Peter

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I'm not there this

2 hours ago, PeterT said:

…. Mike Fantham also goes along to the FF events in the USA and you can find his reports further back in this Free Flight topic.

I'm not there this time - Nephew's Wedding (and Covid)….

Per Findahl was CD at the 2019 F3K World Championships, has flown F3K for Sweden, Managed their junior F3K team and been F1A World Champion twice!

He is winning most of the glider contests in California at this series of contests as well.  What a sportsman!

Edited by mikef
championships corrected to World Championships
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