FxRES January 2024 2m F3L/F5L Monthly Duration Challenge

[martynk]

Happy New Year!

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 F5L 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. Separate entries (best flight in each) will be recorded for those who fly both F3L and F5L.

Please enter your best/latest monthly scores below in the following format...

ON THE FIRST LINE OF YOUR POST

Model Name : Class (F3L or F5L) : Date of flight : Time Claimed

Any text or commentary or images please add afterwards.  Thanks  

 

Note: A separate mini league will be maintained for the F3L scores in addition to the combined F3L/F5L league.

 

[AnthonyB]

cREst : F5L : 3/1/24 : 3:19sec.

Walked down road this morning – Gulls on all lamp posts and in fields. Very low cloud and drizzle.

There would be zero lift.

At 14:30 I was doing tasks in garden and there were bits of blue in the sky.

Pot of tea and a quick charge. Out by 15:15 and the blue had gone and heavy dark cloud was moving back in.

About 2mins into the flight the rain started and that was that.

Nice launch though. Got dip at 50m. So 7m over 60m.

Oh, and, about 500m away a large “V” of Geese went flying past. One large “V” and a small one to the rear.

[martynk]

Happy New Year and well done. First score for 2024..  

     

[cirrusRC]

Sat 6th Jan 2024 | Medina | F5 RES | 9 mins 17 seconds

Field a mud bath.   8mph, sunny spells and cold.     Plenty of lift, evident by the number of red kites at altitude.   Completely out classed by the experts as very difficult to get into the lift and stay in it.

Best chance was when 6 kites passed over me into lift.  Launched and chased them but only just managed to hook it up.   Disappeared downwind far too quickly.    Burnt all the height to get back to the field.

[martynk]

Well done David. Updated table.

 

[Richard Newsham]

PuRES : F3L : 12th Jan 2023 : 12m31s : Harden Moor

Wind 0mph predominantly but with the occasional leap to around 4mph I'd say. WNW. Time 13:00 to about 14:30.  The wind got up after 14:30 so I flew my Evolution Models Fusion 2 instead.

A leaden sky. Cold. Not a chance of any thermals I thought but the practice would be good. 

Well I was wrong about the thermals.  And the air seemed supportive of a PuRES glider, sometimes.

I did land out of the strip enjoying the main thermal of the afternoon. I enjoyed it too much and couldn't get back.  I'll take that. See 269s flight.  

Bit of a disclaimer. Now Harden Moor is on the top of a hill but the strip is around 200m from the gentle slope edge of the moor in this wind direction.  I flew down wind where the moor undulates.  I don't believe, taking into account the wind speed, I had slope lift.  I am conscious of this when I submit my times but it's the only real place where I can fly F3L.  If I feel there is slope lift aiding and abetting then I don't include the time.  The air was slightly buoyant and the PuRES on the graph, was in thermal lift. This I was thrilled about because it was cold and no sun.  Just goes to show what a day like that can bring.

regards

Richard

 

 

Edited January 12, 2024 by Richard Newsham
text change

[AnthonyB]

Great flight Richard. Yesterday I was watching some migrating Redwings and Gold Finch in my garden (to the South). To the North was a group of gulls, one or two of which would take off and fly about.

One Gull, just the one, found some lift and started to circle and very slowly it started to rise. As it came past the house, you could see its wings were totally outstretched and with a slight anhedral. It continued southward and upward. At 400m away it may have got to 200m. The whole process taking about 10mins, to drift 600m. So that was 2 or 3mph breeze.

Had I been 600m down wind, I don't think I would have made it back either.

We are not that far apart and yet I would have said the air was moving from very slightly East of North to West of South.

These duration things are best performed in very very low wind conditions (to stay with lift) – Slope lift is absolutely minimal at 2-3mph.

How sad that we should feel we need to explain ourselves !

I might have been challenging your time, except I did not see another gull go up or do very much. But I did have other tasks to do after that.

 

[Richard Newsham]

Around the Keighley area there are very few flat areas to fly. The Aire valley has a canal, river, train line and bypass in it. Amongst all that the place is littered with pylons and telegraph poles. The valleys feeding into the Aire valley are populated or deep valleys with little flatness in between. Once I've finished my Purito-E, to fly from a flat field may become easier, if though and it's a big if, the land owner allows you to fly. I have tried 2 places and both have said no. So Harden Moor it is.

I was really surprised yesterday, given the conditions that there were thermals about. I've never even considered looking for thermals in January before, never had previous reason to before flying FxRES. Obviously not boomers like in July. It was a case, given the weather conditions, is it thermal lift or is it slope lift. There is a chance there maybe a tiny bit mixed in. It's definitely easier to tell the difference between the two in the warmer months. 

Richard. 

[martynk]

Well done Richard

The way it came down doesn't look like slope lift..

     

     

[cirrusRC]

19th Jan | F5 - Medina | 13 min 37 seconds

2 Degrees,  Blue bird day (sunny and no clouds),  wind 7-8 mph straight over the no fly zone.       Gloves and hand warmers.

3 flights around the 10 minute mark.   2 were scratching around with low level lift,  the best one I got away but the no fly zone killed any chance of a good flight.

Looking forward to some warmer weather!

[martynk]

An excellent flight David. Well done.

 

     

[AnthonyB]

cREst : F5L : 30/1/24 : 9:20 sec.

This changes nothing except that the previous one was 3mins.

Was outside working and realised there was no wind. Off with the Lumberjack gear and on with the pilots uniform.

At 6mins I thought “We're up and away here – now for 15mins.”

In the real world, it was getting too near the main road 300yds away and moving rapidly away.

One bounce coming back and I would lose more height getting back than I was gaining.......... So there you go.

One of my best ever launches though, dipping from 50 to 55m.

 

[martynk]

Thanks Anthony

 

 

[Hydeflyer]

Posting a huge 2 min 30. AMAC Bredbury field. f5L Eli. 30/01/24. Hoping for better things now I have a bigger field to fly in. Just need a bit of warm weather and a model that works properly! Still having motor vibration problems. Need to rebuild the nose with a more secure motor mount.

[martynk]

Nice one