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Beginners to F3k comps


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Hi guys,

My intention was to start entering a few comps with my model and did come along to enter the one round but went out with a mechanical, timed for a few of you that day and had a blast, learnt loads and everyone was super friendly.

But, I'm not sure comps are for me, I may enter again next year now after more practice but I was interested to hear your thoughts on total beginners entering.

Now I know we need to get more people into the sport etc etc, but for me, just flying for fun and even if I'm at a comp, I'm there more for a fun day, but some of you are there taking it a lot more serious and obviously the top 3 is it go on to make the UK team. So personally I feel a little in the way as a beginner at these comps and part of me actually thinks we shouldn't be flying in the same group as the top runners. What if we damaged their model with a mid air or just generally got in the way? We could ruin their chances of making the top spots?

What you top guys honestly think? Do you think we should not be placed in the same groups or work a way so beginners are not flying in the same rounds as you guys? 

I'm just thinking out loud while at work and wondering if I'm gonna have another go at the comps next year so ignore me if I'm talking rubbish haha 

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Hi Mark

You will benefit more from attending f3k competitions than if you fly alone. You will learn much faster among us than if you are alone. 

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That I totally agree, but what worries me is being a beginner and placing in the same group as someone running top of the league, flying for the top spot to make the WC team. 

Are we not getting in the way, what IF we did get in the way, those guys wouldn't be too happy with us I'm sure. 

I guess if we had more entrants then there could be more groups with the less experienced being in one group and the top guys in another? 

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If you don't want to enter comps don't. 

You can't fly less experienced in one group and best pilots in another unless you have an A / B league because the lower down pilots will get higher scores than if they had to fly against the better pilots.  Most people don't want to fly in a b league generally, in my opinion.  I'm a beginner in f3k and I'd rather fly against the best pilots.

It's also an extra work load on the CD who has to produce all the scoring cards. And the comp would take longer.

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You will be not on the way of a top pilot. The top pilot has an idea where to fly before he has his model launched. We all try to protect others models and midairs occur from time to time but that is not a result from inconsiderate flying. Just think about the moment when you fly and a top pilot times for you. How valuable is the information you can get from him. What is the quantity of that information and for what sort of period you have got it. Compare that with flying alone. 

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Hi Mark, We all had a first comp', and the same concerns I'm sure. The main difference between the top runner and the newbie is experience, and as you found out, everyone is keen to help, we've all been there, and where could you get better experience shared? Come along in your own time, be good to see you again.

Simon.

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Yeah mate ill be back again I'm sure, just unfortunate I can't make many of the dates left now this year. And had a bit of a clear out on models and gear due to tight funds. 

Just daft worries and thinking out loud about these things. I never thought about the points so thanks for pointing that out. 

But totally agree on how much you learn, even just timing that one round I entered I went home with a ton of new knowledge. 

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Hi Mark,

I had similar thoughts to you but went for it anyway! Last weekend was my first, would have liked to have done better but not upset about my final score. It was a great day and learnt lots.

My thought process was ' if I get in the way of one of the top flyers, they should have enough experience to avoid me... After all, it is less crowded than international comps. The other thought was, they launch far higher than me so are flying in different air and travel much further; so virtually no chance of collisions. (it was interesting to note that the only collisions at Bath were between the guys in the top half of the scores).

How about Twywell bank holiday monday? Quite close for both of us. However, as Simon said ' come along in your own time'.

Hope to see you again.

Best regards, Neil

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I understand where you are coming from but if you do enter a few comps you will look back at this post and think I can't believe I wrote that. 

I do not regard myself as s top f3k pilot but have flown f3b at a high level.  We all want to support new pilots.  If there is an accident this is part of the sport.  It is very rare for a beginner to get in the way.  Normal they lanuch lower and later.  In my early days of f3k I would lanuch after everyone else's to keep out of the way but more importantly to see what was going on and where the lift was.  The truth is you are more likely to get an incident between pilots of the same level as they fly in the same air at the same time.

And rember don't worry too much about your score or what others are doing,. Fly against the conditions on the day,. Fly to improve your own results, if you do this as a beginner you will be rewarded from flying in comps, the learning cure will be steep and your results WILL improve.  Before long the new beginners will be asking for your advice.

Now get back to work to pay for some more models.

 

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Mike, to me you're one of the top guys.

Yeah most likely a silly post but lots of worries and i'm naturally a really nervous person.

Mate i wish, just had a big sale to cut down on models and raise some much needed funds, i'm no longer a Vortex owner, although i do have a Snipe......

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I agree with what people have been saying above. Beginners are very welcome at comps as far as I'm concerned. A few years ago when I entered my first comp I was rubbish! I'd only been flying gliders (and fixed wing for that matter) for about 6 months. Think I scored around 50-60%. I was hooked, and then did exactly as Mike C suggests above - I aimed to get above 70%, then above 80% then 90% over time. 

I appreciated the fact that I was in the box with the best pilots and learning from them. I was only discussing this with Mike C at the weekend. Because we are fortunate to have some top pilots in the UK, the majority of time I've flown a comp round it's had someone in it with the ability to mix it with the best in the World. When I went to a bigger European comp, yes there were lots more pilots of that level, but I was used to being scored against (pasted by!) people that good, so yes there were more planes in the air, but there wasn't a step up in the level. 

If you can launch and fly your model under control and land it within about 20m of yourself you are, in my opinion, good enough to enter a comp. And if you want to get better at F3k there is no better way to do it than to enter competitions, whatever your starting level.

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Thanks Tony and the rest of you guys.

I did have a awesome time at that last comp even though i didn't get to fly, so will deffo be back, i just need to keep my nerves under control and not worry so damn much. And put in a bit more practice in the meantime as i haven't been out flying gliders all that much recently.

My flying should be fine then, i can launch and hand catch from the same position, finding some lift, well that's a whole different thing haha

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We all suffer from nerves it just shows in different ways.  I have seen world champions shaking on the sticks to the point that the model is also shaking in the air, I know a pilot who programmes his transmitter with a dead spot around the centre of the sticks to over come this problem.   I used to suffer badly when I started competitive flying but with time you learn to deal with it and it becomes part of the buzz. Use the nerves to focus the mine and keep you alert.

Now stop making excused and get your entery in for the next comp.

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The 'top pilots' do not have a monopoly or some sort of special right in our contests, nor do they want them, as far as I'm concerned. The primary goal is to have fun flying our gliders with others. Accidents happen and there are plenty of contests in the year to make up for things like that. It's your best 4 scores that count for the league and team placing. To be honest, points are far more likely to be lost due to self induced errors (like landing out 400m away!) than someone else getting in the way. Anyway, flying in internationals with 16 or so pilots in the box at the same time is a lot more hazardous than our local events. 

Running a B or novice/sport league has proved popular in other countries, but I don't think we have enough contestants to make it worthwhile. Most tend to prefer competing in the same league as everyone else anyway.  If we had a steady influx of new competitors each year, it would probably make sense to run a novice league, but unfortunately we don't. 

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  • 2 months later...

Those damn nerves of mine!

Well the rest of the season came and went and i didn't manage to get back, some i couldn't make and the rest called off thank to the Great British weather. 

My pair of Vortex have now gone and a Snipe is in. Suppose i'd best get some winter practice in for next year, been flying those silly fpv racing quads while my gliders collect dust.

Now, (like trying to keep up with Canon and their cameras) do i need one of those NXT things?.......

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3 hours ago, i_am_mark_evans said:

 

Now, (like trying to keep up with Canon and their cameras) do i need one of those NXT things?.......

Hi

You need four NXT models Mark. When you attend the world F3K championship you have to have spare models 😉

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  • 2 weeks later...

My ( " I've only 2 or 3 comps ") advice would be to:

learn to fly in a wind. You do not have to hand catch but getting  it back in to the box near where you are standing is a good start.

Learn to fly from a  field that is undulating and soggy underfoot.

Learn to launch/ fly wearing a pair of walking boots.

Enter the comps, the UK F3K guys are all nice guys and by lunchtime you can have a look at the score sheet. If there are guys below you, your target is to keep ahead of them and not chase MS etc.

 

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Cheers Andy, i think my flying is fine, i can QT and always fly back to my hand. I've also flown my B3.5 in some daft winds too, luckily went home with it still in one piece.

I did one round but ended up just timing for everyone as i had a servo issue at the start and only had one model with me.

My biggest worry when i wrote that post was just getting in anyone's way, i'm a pretty nervous person naturally so though thought of ruining anyone's round buy getting in the way was a issue for me. Even when i timed for Richard S i felt like it was gonna be my fault if he flew a bad round because i wasn't giving the info he needed whatever. Was my first time timing for anyone also. 

I'll be back next year, can't do any worse than i did this one haha.

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