FxRES September 2023 F3L/F5L Monthly Duration Challenge

[martynk]

Please make sure that you are posting in the correct month..  

This has been uploaded early as I will be on holiday from Sunday 20/8, coming back mid September. Please keep posting, I'll have my LT with me and I'll update the tables providing I can get either WiFi or a decent 4G signal. 

FxRES Monthly Postal Rules

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

1. a bungee-launched F3L 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 F5L 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 or F5L as appropriate.

You may self-time your own flights

Flight times begin when the tow-line falls from the tow-hook  for F3L or in the case of a F5L 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 -25 points, 2nd - 22points, 3rd - 20 points, 4th to 22nd, 19 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 best/latest monthly 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  

[Andy Shutt]

Medina RES - Dishforth Airfield - Time Claimed 9 minutes. (460 M decent in less than one minute)

Launched the model, quick circuit and straight in to a column of lift, circled and gained height at a steady rate and then realized the model was getting rather small and the lift was pulling it away and towards a major road so I decided to get out of the lift, not as easy as I thought, spoiler out and eased in a light down elevator, just as I started to loose height the dreaded sound of flutter, the elevator had fluttered and in doing so the pull cable came loose and so the elevator went to full down on the spring. Tried to fight it but gave up in the end, the model plummeted earthwards but it was in the airfield, the model hit the grass some distance away so it was off to the car to get the bin liner. On getting to the model I was pleasantly surprised that it was in one piece, the boom had come loose but no real structural damage so very lucky !!

So although the time is not great I bet I will never be beaten on such a fast decent, 460 M to 0 M is less than a minute.

[Andy Shutt]

Purito E - Dishforth Airfield - Time Claimed 15 Minutes

The second flight on that battery connection is the flight claimed, the flight before was just up and down, no lift, then the second flight I found lift from the top of the power run, pushed the model out this time and managed to stay in the lift. This was not a bad flight to say that the model has only been out today for the first flights so quite happy with the model.

[Paul Wellacott]

Purito F5 - 03/09/23 - Dishforth Airfield - 30:36 mins

well, that was a day ! made all the better for Flying with Mike Harris, Andy Nelson and Andy Shutt. it was 20 min flight after 20 min flight !

its been a very lean 2 months for me, what with the weather, work, and family commitments I haven't posted a score since June, so today was a real tonic.

this flight was one of those 'ready to land' flights, picked up a bit of lift back at launch height at 15 mins and off we go again! 382m max and down wind stopped play but it was a boomer for sure.

[AnthonyB]

Model cRESt : 02/09/23 : 34:56 : Edisford Bridge.

Down to the club for the first time in months. The 700g model went into the car and the just under 400g one, more to show the lads.

When there, no wind, other than a tiny bit pointing to lift. So out came the lighter.

Launched straight into sink, then a tiny bit of lift, then sink, then lift. The aim was then not to have a 2min flight. Finally found something that got me up more than the tiny ones.

As the flight went on, each peak was lower than the last – certainly not boomers. Just when I was going up well, one of the Paragliders decided he liked the air I was in, so I headed away.

I think I still have the wrong software (having re-installed), because it is not showing from where I switched on, just from where I started the motor.

Anyway It registered most of the flight.

Here is the start, then I chopped off the motor part, to get the time.

The last part was the most “fun” …. I wanted to go up again and the flight gods did not want me to. So the last bit was good. Then the Altis got bored and switched itself off – Again !

And the little beauty whot dun it.

 

[martynk]

A great start - well done all.

     

[Graham Lorimer]

Purito F5 - 03/09/23 - Fishmeadow - 57:52 mins

A very nice day for 2 meter flying, a one hour flight was looking possible until cloud cover dropped the temperature very suddenly, and the lift disappeared.

A lot of time spent with the spoilers deployed to prevent too much height, very blue sky and not good visibility most of the time.

Graham

[andyharrold]

Was the champ flying today?

[Graham Lorimer]

Hi Andy

He was going to fly, but I stood on his wing to give the rest of us a chance this month!

 

GL

[cirrusRC]

Medina | F5 RES | 3rd September 2023 |   2hr 13 minutes 1 second     (new personal record).

Good flying weather on a weekend! First time in too long.      Very light wind and HOT!    Quite a few kites out today.

Lift was tricky low down,   first hour was very straight forward as stayed up high.   Flew in and out of lift and used the spoiler to keep around 300 meters.   Hazy patches but not the best visibility.

The second hour was much tougher,  had to work really hard from 60 mins to 90 mins to get back to 400 meters.    Big patches of sink and slow climbs.    At 2 hours my transmitter congratulated me and the 2:30 looked doable,  but the lift was taking me into the sun and my arms were getting heavy holding the TX high - switching away from the sun I hit sink.     Had a strong read and headed in that direction but never found the lift - just more sink.    Needed a lie down after that one.

[StraightEdge]

Superb achievement!

[Paul Wellacott]

10 hours ago, cirrusRC said:

Medina | F5 RES | 3rd September 2023 |   2hr 13 minutes 1 second     (new personal record).

Good flying weather on a weekend! First time in too long.      Very light wind and HOT!    Quite a few kites out today.

Lift was tricky low down,   first hour was very straight forward as stayed up high.   Flew in and out of lift and used the spoiler to keep around 300 meters.   Hazy patches but not the best visibility.

The second hour was much tougher,  had to work really hard from 60 mins to 90 mins to get back to 400 meters.    Big patches of sink and slow climbs.    At 2 hours my transmitter congratulated me and the 2:30 looked doable,  but the lift was taking me into the sun and my arms were getting heavy holding the TX high - switching away from the sun I hit sink.     Had a strong read and headed in that direction but never found the lift - just more sink.    Needed a lie down after that one.

You the man …..

[Stewart Walker]

Bramhall, F5-RES, Fresh, 12mins 5 secs

[SteveH]

Fish Meadow. 06/09/23. Purito E. Flight claimed 66mins 39 secs.

Hot and sunny conditions this morning at Fish Meadow but difficult flying conditions as the lift was quite difficult to find and work.

Visibility was also poor with a very milky sky.

The last 5 mins I spent below 10M hoping I would get away again but the lift just disappeared. 

[Andy Shutt]

Purito E - Towton Battlefield - 35.5 Minutes

Got to the field at 16:00 Hrs, the sky was very hazy but constant, nothing really visible 3 flights were just up and down, then on this flight I found some narrow lift and tried to stay in it but it was moving away from the flying field, stuggled to get any real height so turned back to the field, on the way the model got bounced around so turned around and again just stayed with the lift, topping at 426m, with the hazy sky it was difficult to see the model so spoilers out and a decent to around 200m, after a few minutes the air turned cold, flew the model to see if there was anything but nothing strong enough to get me back up. So flight time of 35.5 minutes.  

 

[Richard Newsham]

PuRES V2 : F3 : 8th Sept '23 : 56mins 36secs

Harden Moor, 13:15 to 17:30, Wind S and W - 0 - 2 mph

What a lovely thermic afternoon.  Started with a 22min then 56min then 34min then it whittled its way to nothing. Just like that the lift went. Could hardly believe how it just went with the sun still fairly high up and cracking the flags but nothing compared to how the lift was.

This is the 56min flight. Since watching the CirrusRC thermal save on YouTube I have wanted to do one too.  Well today at 5m off the ground it happened.  What a thrill when you coax something up and away when you think it's going to be on the deck.  Used the spoiler a couple of times just to manage the height.  You hit the point of no more lift and think why did I do that for.  Also during the flight the wind shifted direction by 90 degrees and I didn't realize.  I have a small stick with cassette tape on (my thermal locator). I thought I was flying into a thermal that never happened.  I could have sworn there should have been a thermal but just sink.  Another lesson learnt.

My 34min flight.  I played around with my thermal circles.  Just searching the lift out to see if I was actually in the center.  It made a big difference just shifting across a little and watching the model.  They can be quite a large diameter the thermals and being in the sweet spot might just take a bit of moving about to find it.

Richard

 

 

Edited September 8, 2023 by Richard Newsham
Aug changed to Sept

[StraightEdge]

Great flight(s) Richard, and your descriptions are well illustrated in the graphs.

Also an object-lesson in ground-sign information only carrying up so far...!

[martynk]

I certainly missed out on a cracking day last Wednesday. Well done all and some superb scores. Back home on Saturday, cant wait for the wind and rain that I am sure will greet me ..  

 

Let me know of any errors or omissions, these catch ups tend to simmer the grey matter

 

 

[Richard Newsham]

7 minutes ago, martynk said:

I certainly missed out on a cracking day last Wednesday. Well done all and some superb scores. Back home on Saturday, cant wait for the wind and rain that I am sure will greet me ..  

 

Let me know of any errors or omissions, these catch ups tend to simmer the grey matter

 

 

Richard Newsham - F3L not F5L

[martynk]

Thanks Richard..  Corrected