FxRES November 2022 2m F3L/F5-RES Monthly Duration Challenge

[martynk]

FxRES Monthly Postal Rules

This is a “for fun” challenge for UK based pilots. Anyone may enter with:

1. a bungee-launched F3L (F3-RES) specification glider using the reduced length Hi-Start. The reduced length Hi-Start bungee has a maximum of 10m of 6/4mm surgical tubing and 50m of static line (minimum 30lb breaking strain). Lighter/smaller/shorter bungee rubber may be used.

OR

2. an Electric motor launched F5-RES specification glider fitted with an Altitude Limiter set to 60m and a maximum motor run time of 20 seconds.

Object: Fly your F3L or F5-RES glider for as long as possible from a flat field. Each monthly challenge will commence on the 1st day of the Calendar month and  the person who's time is unbeaten at the end of the Calendar Month 'wins' and a new challenge will start. The annual challenge league will end on the 31st December of each year. A new annual challenge league will then commence on the 1st of January.

Rules:

Models must comply with the Model Specification rules for F3L (F3-RES) or F5-RES as appropriate.

You may self-time your own flights

Flight times begin when the tow-line falls from the tow-hook (for F3L/F3-RES) or in the case of a F5-RES glider when the motor stops.

The model must land in the launch field or (if there is no field boundary) within 150m of the launch position for times to count. There is no landing bonus.

If you are using a bungee launch (for this event or any other), then the launch line MUST be secured using a corkscrew dog tether or similar bungee stake to minimise the risk of injury caused by a loose stake.

Scores must be submitted on the relevant monthly postal event posting on the FxRES forum at www.barcs.co.uk/forums/   

Scoring flights must be submitted within 24 hours of the flight taking place.

A flight log graph from the Altitude limiter should also be submitted if entering with a F5-RES glider.

All scoring flights must start with a hand release from Ground Level with (if applicable), the motor running.

No flight information telemetry permitted except for Received signal strength and Receiver battery status.

Submitted scores will be amalgamated into an annual league. Points will be awarded as follows:  1st -15 points, 2nd - 12points, 3rd - 10points, 4th to 12th, 9 to 1 point respectively.

You may enter as many times as you wish using as many different models as you wish, but only your longest duration flight will count towards the league position.

Please enter your OCTOBER scores below in the following format...

ON THE FIRST LINE OF YOUR POST

Model Name : Class (F3 or F5) : Date of flight : Time Claimed

Any text or commentary or images please add afterwards.  Thanks  

[Hydeflyer]

Claiming 3 min 21 sec. f5RES Eli. 03/11/22. Newton, Hyde.

First try of a new field near home. Owned by Tameside  Council  and for "permitted recreational use". A good sized field adjacent to a golf course but very wet and with a few puddles of rainwater. Also used by many dog walkers! Managed 6 or 7 flights with a couple of 2 minutes+ and this one of 3.21. Temperature 13 deg with light sw breeze.

Unspectacular but I'm on the chart for November!

 

[AnthonyB]

Claiming 4min 19sec, F5RES BombaySL, 3/11/22.

Finally got to test fly my new super light version of Bombay Duck.

It looked just good enough, so charged battery. Wind fell even more when charged. Did 3 test flights and only had the Altis in to check climb rate.

Second flight it bounced so I circled out of instinct, and it actually rose.

For some stupid reason (common sense) I started with the nose heavy and each flight moved the battery back. It was only on flight 6 that it was OK.

With these wings (144g) it is heavier than the lightest ones which are 112g, so maybe it could have been better, had I flown at 300g.

Now someone will post with a 1 hour flight.......... Checking the logs, I did NOT fly through any lift.

Full flight........

 

Glide part........

 

[cirrusRC]

David 2 min 50 XRES 6 th Nov.

Another shocking forecast from BBC (wet and windy all day).  Met office consistently better.   Dry until 1 pm, wind around 10 mph.

Rescued a sheep stuck in the brambles, then started with DLG.  Air seemed ok.   XRES launched well but dropped like a brick in the sink and wind.  Had a couple of climb outs but the no fly zone killed my attempts.

Good to get a fix.   Rain and wind hit at 1pm.  By the time I got home, sun and no wind   

[martynk]

Apologies all

I started putting this post together last week... A complete failure of brain occurred.

 

[Hydeflyer]

Claiming 4min 04 secs. F5RES Eli 12/11/22. Seal Road Bramhall

The only decent flight out of 8. Quite breezy at 8mph. Got some modest lift at last but over the trees a long way downwind. Couldn't climb enough to risk staying so far away. Had to put the nose down and get back to the field. Just cleared the trees!. Phew!

[Phil Morrell]

 

2 min 52 secs, Electro Eagle, BATs site at Seal Rd Bramhall, very enjoyable afternoon, warm with a light Easterly breeze. Best of a bunch of around ten flights, struggled to get more than a couple of minutes but managed to squeeze some extra lift off the buildings in the adjacent tree nursery. At least it's a score and consistent with last month. Electro X - Dream is in build, this will be much lighter than the Eagle so should be able to get nearer 4 minutes!!

 

[SteveH]

Flight claimed 4 mins 29 seconds. Purito E. Fish Meadow. 13/11/22

6 launches and 4 minutes 29 secs flight time was the best. Bright warm sunshine but very little lift. 

 

[Graham Lorimer]

Flight claimed 5 mins 20 seconds. Purito E. Fish Meadow. 13/11/22

7 launches and three flights over 4 minutes flight time, this was the best I could manage. Bright warm sunshine but very little lift. 

The little bounce at the end may prove to be very valuable, it was the best lift I encountered all day.

What I don't understand is the Motor on and Motor off annotations within the flight graph. Since losing a 25 minute flight in the summer by not disarming the motor after launch, and witnessing the prop spinning as I came in to land, I ALWAYS disarm the motor after launch as I start my timer on the transmitter, so that anomaly I can not explain.

Also I guess, if the motor was running, it would have gone up in a relatively straight climb, and not the jagged flight line that is showing on the graph.

 

[martynk]

Great stuff. This is warming up nicely for November

     

[Graham Lorimer]

Flight claimed 5 mins 48 seconds. Purito E. Fish Meadow. 19/11/22

21 launches and several flights over 4 minutes flight time, this was the best I could manage. Bright warm sunshine, almost zero wind but very little lift. 

Today was very much a day of simply finding the softest air possible and hanging on to it for as long as possible, there was zero chance of going upwards. I have almost forgotten what the Purito is like to fly in good lift.

The day came to an earlier end than planned, I was getting RSSI Critical warnings, and the RSSI dropped to 1 on two occasions, so that will need investigating.

Next time maybe.

 

Graham

[AnthonyB]

Time claimed – 7:06, between 14:00 and 15:00 19/11/22.

My lightest fuz and lightest wings have never flown together.

Today started very damp and overcast, but no wind at all – you just have to.

I clocked up a 5:43 flight, which was fantastic and it was a dream to fly.

That was it until a 5:48 popped up here (LOL). Actually it was the number of Gulls, Buzzards and kestrels all enjoying it after lunch.

There were some 20-30 gulls a good distance away, so launched and headed towards them (not that quickly) because the SX hangs badly and I had caught lever as I launched and lowered the throttle.

I did not make it to the gulls, but the air felt good. The wind (up in the air) is Southerly and I was going due North.

I circled in what seemed like good air until I bottled it and set off back.

Boy a bit of down trim (2 clicks) does harm performance.

Then just the gliding part :-

Then the landing bit to get exact time:-

[AnthonyB]

Here are this morning's flights :-

There is more than a little trimming in first couple.

 

And this afternoon :-

And here it is – all Superleggera @ <300g.

 

With the single aerial “park flyer” Rx – having been 3-400yards away !

 

[martynk]

Updated table

BMFA AGM today so guess what I was doing. Also very chilly here so if that's typical those flights are pretty good. Well done

 

[Stewart Walker]

F5-RES Fresh Bramhall 2 mins 35 secs

Managed 6 flights in dead air, just about to launch on the 7th and the ESC started a steady beep which meant it had lost signal and RSSI lost, checked all connections and still no joy, got it home, removed the case from the RX and all started working, new Rx required.

[Phil Morrell]

 

BATs club site at Seal Rd Bramhall, 3 min 3 seconds, Electro Eagle . A two hour session down at the BATs club site with Stew W and John P. Pleasant light wind conditions after a poor week of weather. This flight is the best of a bad bunch in dead air, could have been a little longer but was getting too close to the trees downwind. A slight improvement on last week, at least I have broke through the three minute barrier. 

 

[cirrusRC]

15 hours ago, AnthonyB said:

And here it is – all Superleggera @ <300g.

Nice Anthony, impressive wing loading.  Surprised you don't get gravitational wave lift from the moon! 

[cirrusRC]

X-RES | F3-RES | 18th November  | 9 minutes 7 seconds

On call shift was very quiet,   looked calm out so took the gamble to head to flying field (X-RES + mobile + laptop!).    On arrival (1pm) it was blowing over 10mph  grey and cold.

First launch I got away but was way down wind within 60 seconds,  just about made it back.        By the 3rd launch the weather had started to improve,  wind dropped and sun started to break through (blue sky was starting to open up).      4th launch (65 meters) I got a good read and started to climb out (it's been too long!),   the lift was quite strong but crazy narrow which made it very challenging to stay in it - any hesitation was punished.      I was joined by a feathered professional who stayed with me to 120 meters before we both fell out of the lift.     He tracked me all the way back to the field where we picked up some light lift.   He did a bit of flapping and then left me for dead.     I came down for a 9 minute flight which was very enjoyable.

Conditions were now very good.   7 mins into next flight,  my low battery RX alarm sounded  (after just 45 mins when normally lasts 2.5 hours).   Suspecting a binding flap servo causing major voltage sag but also suspect my Turnigy round cells are bound for the bin!   Can't get them any more so need to look for 1 cell replacements???

At this point my phone also pinged, so had to land.   Allowed me 30 mins of additional lipo charging.

By 2:20pm I'd finished my call,  the wind had dropped to nothing and sun was blazing but the lift had gone.   Even with the DLG it was too light,  so packed up.      An enjoyable / cheeky fly - the gamble paid off

[martynk]

Updated table

     

[cirrusRC]

10,000 steps and only a 5 minute flight.  No climb outs at all. 

Plenty of blue sky,  clouds bubbling up but sadly a street of black clouds blocked the sun all day.   Not enough ground heat to break free.

High pressure all week but looking grey and misty.   Good luck to those getting out.