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It is disappointing but understandable that many glider competitions are being cancelled due to the current situation. It is my intention to run F5J competitions at Little Bentley if possible. I believe with a little adjustment to how we do things on the flying field we can maintain a good level of safe separation between ourselves that has minimal to no impact on the actual contest and its result. Here are some of the procedures that we could put in place: Hand washing facilities on field - bring your own towel, bring your own hand wash even. Park well spaced apart - Little Bentley is enormous we can easily park 2 car widths from the next person. Greetings and banter can be had still be done from 3m, no need to be closer. Be totally self sufficient, we all have our own clocks, pens and paper. One person sets the field up, one person sets up the timing equipment, a single person uses the scoring computer - more work for said person but sacrifices have to be made Pilot's briefing can be online the evening before the contest, any extra instructions can be given over PA system. Timing and scoring - no score cards, that's what you bring your own paper or notepad for. Timers stand 2-3m from their pilot, spots would be put further apart to give even more space than normal. Fittest people would go to furthest spots, mid-fit to middle, less able, scorer, timer to nearest spots. Pilot would measure their landing bonus and read launch height while timer keeps their 2-3m distance. Timers give scorer the data while maintaining 2-3m from scoring tent - barrier easily set up with red/white tape and cones or something. Getting to and from your car (pits), the flight line and the scoring tent - look around and choose your moment to walk with as much distance from the person in front as you want. Time between slots could be extended if required. Pilots will launch their own models. No prize giving, results announced over PA system - prize for winner, a bottle of hand-sanitiser. Reverse field and timing system setup - same people that set it up, break it down. No one has to touch anything of anybody else's at all, all day. All the above is relatively easy for us flying F5J, it may be different for other disciplines. I would plan to have a second 'meerkat' PA system reminding everyone to 'mind the gap' every couple of minutes until we're sick of hearing it and have got the message. All this might be academic if we get totally locked down, the current advice is here - Guidance on social distancing - most things at this moment are avoid - I would add to that, avoid reading the newspapers, watching or listening to too much tv or radio news and definitely avoid all anti-social media - except the funny stuff. Cities are the real problem, out here in the countryside we're fine - with reasonable precautions. If you use public transport - stop. If you have contact with children or students - try not to. If you do either of these things, or have contact with people that do these things, then probable best if you do self-isolate. I've given this reasonable thought, hopefully we can still enjoy our competition flying (even if it counts for nought towards BARCS or even BMFA leagues). We could be on for a summer of beautiful thermal flying weather, lets enjoy it instead of being cowed at home TonyM Male ✔ Over 60 ✔ Underlying medical condition ✔ Suppressed immune system ✔ Reducing my activities ✔ Overly worried - still ✘
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PROGLIDE - Home Built Composite F5J 3.8m Glider - Update
ThermalBoy posted a topic in Electric Soaring and F5J
It's been over a year since I (Colin Paddon) and Kevin Beale first posted details of our home built and designed 3.8m composite F5J glider, PROGLIDE. The original article can be found at this link: https://www.barcs.co.uk/f5j/articles-events-and-reports/articles/proglide-homebuilt-f5j-soarer/ This update brings us up to date with the project. It’s all very well designing and building your own competition plane but its not worth a lot if it turns out to be lacking in performance compared to the professionally manufactured gliders that it will be flying against. There seems to be a general misconception that home built F5J competition gliders are in some way inferior to the professional commercial offerings in terms of their flying performance. Straight away lets dispel this myth. The prototype PROGLIDE in its first full year of competition use won three UK F5J league competitions and finished 2nd in the 2016 National UK F5J league with an overall score of 99.06%. Myth dispelled. The only downside of designing and producing your own composite F5J plane is the time and effort it takes to do. If we paid ourselves 50p per hour for all the time we have put into this project we still wouldn’t be able to afford to buy them! It’s a complete labour of love in every way but the sense of achievement makes it all worthwhile. A quick look at the web gallery that accompanies this article will give you some idea of the time and effort that has gone into achieving our original goal which was that it must be economical to build, use techniques that anyone with reasonable building skills can learn/do and most importantly have as good a flight performance as the commercial offerings. Achieving the 100% perfect finish compared to the hollow moulded professionally produced planes was not a high priority. We were only interested in its flight performance and were happy to accept a good finish as opposed to a perfect one. During the development period we worked in parallel on different areas of design/construction. For example I decided that I wanted to be able to split the fuselage in half for ease of air transport which meant that the elevator and rudder servo’s were both enclosed within the tailplane mount pod with the boom being secured to the Fuselage Pod spigot by two carbon tubes that could be removed and the boom slid off. Ditto the fin/rudder assembly. Kevin worked on optimising his layout with the servos under the wing at first followed later by the elevator servo in the tailplane pod and the rudder servo under the wing. For his Fin/Rudder he went along a similar route that the Nan Xplorers use. Finding easy to do home build solutions to problems took time, effort and testing. One of the things that several people asked us about was how we made the wing joiners. In the end it was so simple that I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it before. Buy yourself from HobbyKing a protruded 10x10mm square section carbon rod which comes with a 8mm dia hole all the way through it. Cut into required joiner lengths and angle the two inner end faces to the required angle. Roll up 40mm of unicarbon tows to achieve a tight fit inside the hole, wet out fully with epoxy and slide it half way into one half of the joiner and then the other. Put balsa caps down the hole so that it just very slightly compresses the central wet unicarbon and keeps them centrally located within the length of the joiner and then clamp into required position and allow to set. Result, pair of carbon joiners that weigh 23g total. The plane would be destroyed before the wing joiners broke. This technique wouldn’t be strong enough for F3J planes but more than adequate for our lesser stressed F5J models. Quick, cheap and foolproof with the ability to create any angle of joiners you require. Kevin went a different route by using straight solid round carbon rod which allowed him in our normal wing section to get the required dihedral tip angle he wanted. All this problem solving sounds as if it was a PITA, and at times it felt that way, but in reality we both enjoyed finding home build solutions to these challenges. The first two Proglide’s produced used cheap fibreglass cloth on the flying surfaces which enabled us to learn the required composite skills knowing that when it goes wrong (it will BTW!) that it hadn’t cost the earth in materials. However, the aim was always to eventually use Carboline which is a fantastic cloth but it’s not without good reason that it’s called “Black Gold”, its very expensive but gives a strength to weight ratio that is unbeatable for our purpose. The early fibreglass skinned versions of PROGLIDE achieved RTF weights of between 1450-1580g, ie still reasonably light for a full house 3.8m electric plane. With each new plane we tried different lay-up’s, build techniques and incorporated various detail design changes along the way. Lots of time was expended in producing test pieces during this period to prove the viability of what we were doing. We had failures along the way on pieces that we felt sure would work well but turned out not to be of the standard we were seeking. Amongst the various failures though we managed to have some light bulb moments which were always welcomed! One such moment came when we started to investigate how to achieve repeatable 100% success with shaped inflation bladders in the moulding of the fuselage pod in order to minimise the weight. After quite a few failures it turned out that a fine tipped soldering iron and Recycled black rubbish bags (yes really) worked brilliantly. The variable air pressure for this task was handled by a £50 EBay airbrush compressor which had a small air reservoir tank. After trying various layups, like most of the professional manufacturers, we have now settled on using all carbon for the fuse pods. Another light bulb moment came in regard to hinging the flying surfaces. At first we used silicon hinges which did work but were relatively heavy and difficult to get perfect every time. We later moved to using Diamond tape for the hinge along with Microfibre tape on the inner faces of the foam. (Microfibre tape sticks like the proverbial to raw pink foam). This resulted in strong, lightweight quick to apply, field serviceable (if required) hinges that were very free in their movement. They have turned out to be every bit as good as silicon hinges and in many respects far better. After building a few Proglides we felt confident enough to move onto using Carboline. We also decided at this point that we would again take advantage of having two of us involved. Kevin’s first Carboline PROGLIDE was to use our normal wing section whilst mine was going to use one of the new F5J Syner ultra-thin wing sections. We had hoped to use a friend’s CNC foam cutter for this new prototype wing but unfortunately he moved house just at the wrong time and we all know how much time they take up to get sorted out. So, yet more wing /spar templates to make! Using such a thin wing section on a 3.8m wing brought with it a host of new structural problems to overcome and additionally neither of us was totally convinced that these Ultra-Thin wing sections were the right way to go for F5J. Kevin progressed quickly on his first Carboline build as we now knew exactly how and what to do. He made no attempt to get this plane down to be a super lightweight and used standard sized servo’s with a heavy motor/ESC/battery in the fit out. Even so the finished RTF weight came in at just under 1440g. He estimated that had he used lightweight equipment the finished RTF weight would have been easily under 1300g. The project was moving in the right direction. After flying it Kevin liked his PROGLIDE so much that he immediately decided to press on and make a full on lightweight Carboline version. This ultra lightweight PROGLIDE, which he seemed to put together in record time, came in at 1280g. It fly’s superbly. Meanwhile, it took me a while to iron out the new structural issues raised when building a 3.8m solid core ultra-lightweight thin section wing. Eventually though we were ready to proceed with the build. Did it go smoothly, of course not! Due to a stupid error on my part during the bagging up of the centre panel, I managed to ruin the entire panel. It was an expensive and time consuming mistake to make. After the required amount of San Miguel I decided to build a new centre section straight away. I took this “opportunity” to try a different approach with the spar structure. The rest of the build thankfully went without a hitch. The plane RTF came in at 1245g using lightweight radio gear, 1000mah 3S Hv Lipo and a 85g direct drive motor. All that was needed now was to test fly it to see if it performed as well as we hoped it would. Following several test flying sessions we can report that its flight performance has exceeded all expectations. All preconceived negative thoughts on whether ultra-thin wing sections would work well for F5J have been dispelled. In light of the successful flight testing of the first thin wing PROGLIDE we have decided to build a heavier windy weather version using the same thin wing section. In the meantime the Carboline Ultra light just tested can be ballasted to 1550g AUW which hopefully will be capable of handling a decent amount of wind (yet to be tested). But as we all know, here in the UK there’s times when you just need a heavy plane. For those that are interested in weights here they are. Part Finished Weight With Gear Installed Weight Carbon Fuse Pod 89g 135g Boom & Tailplane Mount 35g 55g Centre Panel 263g 333g Left Wing Tip 128g 150g Right Wing Tip 130g 152g Elevator 33g 35g Fin/Rudder/Tube 24g 24g Prop/Spinner/Motor 113g ESC 50g Other installed equipment 78g Total AU RTF Weight 1245g In terms of airframe material costs, the fibreglass skinned versions come in at around £100-£130 and Carboline versions at £200-£250. Labour cost….well let’s not go there! Overall, somewhat cheaper for an equivalent commercially produced 3.8m F5J model at this kind of weight! So what next? We are confident that we can further reduce the overall weight with minor detail changes, improved lay-ups etc, but recognise that we are getting close to what can realistically be achieved in this regard with home building. A picture really does say a thousand words, so if you are interested in seeing how the PROGLIDE is constructed, the photo web gallery that accompanies this write up shows all. If you have any specific questions about the plane or its construction please feel free to ask on this thread. Colin Paddon/Kevin Beale View full f5j article event or report
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PROGLIDE - Home Built Composite F5J 3.8m Glider - Update
ThermalBoy posted a F5J article event or Report in Articles
It's been over a year since I (Colin Paddon) and Kevin Beale first posted details of our home built and designed 3.8m composite F5J glider, PROGLIDE. This update brings us up to date with the project. It’s all very well designing and building your own competition plane but its not worth a lot if it turns out to be lacking in performance compared to the professionally manufactured gliders that it will be flying against. There seems to be a general misconception that home built F5J competition gliders are in some way inferior to the professional commercial offerings in terms of their flying performance. Straight away lets dispel this myth. The prototype PROGLIDE in its first full year of competition use won three UK F5J league competitions and finished 2nd in the 2016 National UK F5J league with an overall score of 99.06%. Myth dispelled. The only downside of designing and producing your own composite F5J plane is the time and effort it takes to do. If we paid ourselves 50p per hour for all the time we have put into this project we still wouldn’t be able to afford to buy them! It’s a complete labour of love in every way but the sense of achievement makes it all worthwhile. A quick look at the web gallery that accompanies this article will give you some idea of the time and effort that has gone into achieving our original goal which was that it must be economical to build, use techniques that anyone with reasonable building skills can learn/do and most importantly have as good a flight performance as the commercial offerings. Achieving the 100% perfect finish compared to the hollow moulded professionally produced planes was not a high priority. We were only interested in its flight performance and were happy to accept a good finish as opposed to a perfect one. During the development period we worked in parallel on different areas of design/construction. For example I decided that I wanted to be able to split the fuselage in half for ease of air transport which meant that the elevator and rudder servo’s were both enclosed within the tailplane mount pod with the boom being secured to the Fuselage Pod spigot by two carbon tubes that could be removed and the boom slid off. Ditto the fin/rudder assembly. Kevin worked on optimising his layout with the servos under the wing at first followed later by the elevator servo in the tailplane pod and the rudder servo under the wing. For his Fin/Rudder he went along a similar route that the Nan Xplorers use. Finding easy to do home build solutions to problems took time, effort and testing. One of the things that several people asked us about was how we made the wing joiners. In the end it was so simple that I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it before. Buy yourself from HobbyKing a protruded 10x10mm square section carbon rod which comes with a 8mm dia hole all the way through it. Cut into required joiner lengths and angle the two inner end faces to the required angle. Roll up 40mm of unicarbon tows to achieve a tight fit inside the hole, wet out fully with epoxy and slide it half way into one half of the joiner and then the other. Put balsa caps down the hole so that it just very slightly compresses the central wet unicarbon and keeps them centrally located within the length of the joiner and then clamp into required position and allow to set. Result, pair of carbon joiners that weigh 23g total. The plane would be destroyed before the wing joiners broke. This technique wouldn’t be strong enough for F3J planes but more than adequate for our lesser stressed F5J models. Quick, cheap and foolproof with the ability to create any angle of joiners you require. Kevin went a different route by using straight solid round carbon rod which allowed him in our normal wing section to get the required dihedral tip angle he wanted. All this problem solving sounds as if it was a PITA, and at times it felt that way, but in reality we both enjoyed finding home build solutions to these challenges. The first two Proglide’s produced used cheap fibreglass cloth on the flying surfaces which enabled us to learn the required composite skills knowing that when it goes wrong (it will BTW!) that it hadn’t cost the earth in materials. However, the aim was always to eventually use Carboline which is a fantastic cloth but it’s not without good reason that it’s called “Black Gold”, its very expensive but gives a strength to weight ratio that is unbeatable for our purpose. The early fibreglass skinned versions of PROGLIDE achieved RTF weights of between 1450-1580g, ie still reasonably light for a full house 3.8m electric plane. With each new plane we tried different lay-up’s, build techniques and incorporated various detail design changes along the way. Lots of time was expended in producing test pieces during this period to prove the viability of what we were doing. We had failures along the way on pieces that we felt sure would work well but turned out not to be of the standard we were seeking. Amongst the various failures though we managed to have some light bulb moments which were always welcomed! One such moment came when we started to investigate how to achieve repeatable 100% success with shaped inflation bladders in the moulding of the fuselage pod in order to minimise the weight. After quite a few failures it turned out that a fine tipped soldering iron and Recycled black rubbish bags (yes really) worked brilliantly. The variable air pressure for this task was handled by a £50 EBay airbrush compressor which had a small air reservoir tank. After trying various layups, like most of the professional manufacturers, we have now settled on using all carbon for the fuse pods. Another light bulb moment came in regard to hinging the flying surfaces. At first we used silicon hinges which did work but were relatively heavy and difficult to get perfect every time. We later moved to using Diamond tape for the hinge along with Microfibre tape on the inner faces of the foam. (Microfibre tape sticks like the proverbial to raw pink foam). This resulted in strong, lightweight quick to apply, field serviceable (if required) hinges that were very free in their movement. They have turned out to be every bit as good as silicon hinges and in many respects far better. After building a few Proglides we felt confident enough to move onto using Carboline. We also decided at this point that we would again take advantage of having two of us involved. Kevin’s first Carboline PROGLIDE was to use our normal wing section whilst mine was going to use one of the new F5J Syner ultra-thin wing sections. We had hoped to use a friend’s CNC foam cutter for this new prototype wing but unfortunately he moved house just at the wrong time and we all know how much time they take up to get sorted out. So, yet more wing /spar templates to make! Using such a thin wing section on a 3.8m wing brought with it a host of new structural problems to overcome and additionally neither of us was totally convinced that these Ultra-Thin wing sections were the right way to go for F5J. Kevin progressed quickly on his first Carboline build as we now knew exactly how and what to do. He made no attempt to get this plane down to be a super lightweight and used standard sized servo’s with a heavy motor/ESC/battery in the fit out. Even so the finished RTF weight came in at just under 1440g. He estimated that had he used lightweight equipment the finished RTF weight would have been easily under 1300g. The project was moving in the right direction. After flying it Kevin liked his PROGLIDE so much that he immediately decided to press on and make a full on lightweight Carboline version. This ultra lightweight PROGLIDE, which he seemed to put together in record time, came in at 1280g. It fly’s superbly. Meanwhile, it took me a while to iron out the new structural issues raised when building a 3.8m solid core ultra-lightweight thin section wing. Eventually though we were ready to proceed with the build. Did it go smoothly, of course not! Due to a stupid error on my part during the bagging up of the centre panel, I managed to ruin the entire panel. It was an expensive and time consuming mistake to make. After the required amount of San Miguel I decided to build a new centre section straight away. I took this “opportunity” to try a different approach with the spar structure. The rest of the build thankfully went without a hitch. The plane RTF came in at 1245g using lightweight radio gear, 1000mah 3S Hv Lipo and a 85g direct drive motor. All that was needed now was to test fly it to see if it performed as well as we hoped it would. Following several test flying sessions we can report that its flight performance has exceeded all expectations. All preconceived negative thoughts on whether ultra-thin wing sections would work well for F5J have been dispelled. In light of the successful flight testing of the first thin wing PROGLIDE we have decided to build a heavier windy weather version using the same thin wing section. In the meantime the Carboline Ultra light just tested can be ballasted to 1550g AUW which hopefully will be capable of handling a decent amount of wind (yet to be tested). But as we all know, here in the UK there’s times when you just need a heavy plane. For those that are interested in weights here they are. table.tableizer-table { font-size: 12px; border: 1px solid #CCC; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; } .tableizer-table td { padding: 4px; margin: 3px; border: 1px solid #CCC; } .tableizer-table th { background-color: #104E8B; color: #FFF; font-weight: bold; padding: 10px; } Part Finished Weight With Gear Installed Weight Carbon Fuse Pod 89g 135g Boom & Tailplane Mount 35g 55g Centre Panel 263g 333g Left Wing Tip 128g 150g Right Wing Tip 130g 152g Elevator 33g 35g Fin/Rudder/Tube 24g 24g Prop/Spinner/Motor 113g ESC 50g Other installed equipment 78g Total AU RTF Weight 1245g In terms of airframe material costs, the fibreglass skinned versions come in at around £100-£130 and Carboline versions at £200-£250. Labour cost….well let’s not go there! Overall, somewhat cheaper for an equivalent commercially produced 3.8m F5J model at this kind of weight! So what next? We are confident that we can further reduce the overall weight with minor detail changes, improved lay-ups etc, but recognise that we are getting close to what can realistically be achieved in this regard with home building. A picture really does say a thousand words, so if you are interested in seeing how the PROGLIDE is constructed, the photo web gallery that accompanies this write up shows all. If you have any specific questions about the plane or its construction please feel free to ask on this thread. Colin Paddon/Kevin Beale -
BMFA F5J - Lt. Bentley, Essex - Sun 6th Oct 2019 - cancelled
tonym posted a topic in Electric Soaring and F5J
The forecast has not improved so I'm calling the competition off. Here's hoping for more settled weather for the Team Trials. Venue is Little Bentley Polo Club, Rectory Road, Essex, CO7 8SN. Camping on the field Saturday night, pub 1/4 mile up the road, loo on site (hopefully, got to check). Your model must have an approved height limiting/data logging device (AMRT) which must be able to show the max height your model goes to during its motor run time plus 10 seconds after your motor is shut off. The limiting function must be set to allow maximum 30seconds motor run time, and the height limiting function must either be disabled or set to 300m. Motor restart is permitted at any time during flight for safety reasons, but will result in a zero score for that round. Two classes of model can be entered, either Open or 2Metre but only one entry permitted. Prizes awarded on the day and points scored will go towards the National League. The competition will be run to BMFA Local Rules, 6 rounds will be flown if conditions permit and there will not be a flyoff. Entry fee £10.00 (BMFA requirement) payable on the day. Proof of BMFA membership (card is sufficient) required. Timing on the day may vary, and all/any help to set up the field will be appreciated. But the plan is as usual, book in from 9am. First flight around 10am. Ray Gadenne - Open - BMFA 052822 Peter Ley - Open - BMFA 187230 Peter Mitchell - Open - BMFA33859 Graham Wicks - Open - BMFA 052827 Tony Merritt - 2m - BMFA 142327 Peter Sherliker - Open - BMFA 212036 Brian Austin - Open - BMFA 057851 Steve Knowles - Open - BMFA 70799 Simon Conran - 2M - BMFA 195226 Paul Wainwright - Open - BMFA 047845 New roundabout and gap closures. The new roundabout is in use now, so coming from up from the A12 you will now take the second exit, probably signposted Lt. Bentley. The gap across the A120 at Pelhams Corner (the road going through Little Bromley past my house) is now closed, if coming from Ipswich via the A137 you now turn left at the mini-roundabout by the Jet petrol station (sign posted Clacton), right at the crossroads after about a mile, a couple of miles to the roundabout on the A120 by the water tower at Horsley Cross. 3rd exit on to the A120 then left to Lt. Bentley and you're back on the normal route. A very basic map
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CANCELLED - Tonbridge F5J Comp 22 September 2019
ThermalBoy posted a topic in Electric Soaring and F5J
COMPETITION CANCELLED ---- COMPETITION CANCELLED ---- COMPETITION CANCELLED Cancellatiion of this comp will come as no surprise to you all with the weather forecast for Sunday 22nd September being particularly grim with Rain/Thunderstorms forecast. This after weeks of perfectly flyable weather. This is the third Tonbridge Club F5J comp that has had to be cancelled in succession due to adverse weather conditions. Because of this the organisers would now like to solicit your thoughts/opinion as to whether in future we should consider changing over to the Saturday/Sunday format whereby the day the comp is held on can be either the Saturday or Sunday depending on weather with preference being given to Sunday if both days are flyable. This hopefully would mean there is less chance of having to cancel a comp due to bad weather on a single day. If this format were to be adopted it would simply mean that you would have to indicate when entering which day(s) you were able to fly on. Could you please take a few minutes to post on this thread your thoughts/opinion on possibly moving over to this format. Thank you. Tonbridge club are hosting a BMFA League F5J competition at Leigh Park Farm, Nr Tonbridge, Kent on Sunday 22nd Septmber 2019. All are welcome with plenty of help available on the day for newcomers. For those flyers that paid for entry of our weather disrupted F5J comp on 16 June 2019, entry to this competition is FREE. We would ask though that you please re-enter on this thread so that we know who will be attending. Directions to the field can be found here: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Leigh+Park+Farm/@51.2091254,0.19327,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x47df4fda3f5fd36d:0xfd76d04136677dd9?hl=en The competition will be run to F5J rules with UK variations as published by the BMFA. The main points for BMFA F5J comps are: - Either Open or 2m may be flown, not both. - Motor restart may be used (results in a zero flight score), and therefore you need only to use your eSoaring switch BUT you must reset the (200m) height limit to 300m this can often be done easily by using a reader, otherwise use a computer. - As in eSoaring, you must provide a reader, so that your timekeeper can check your launch height immediately after landing. - Minimum of 4 rounds to be flown but usually 6 rounds are flown. No fly-off's. Entry fee £10.00 (BMFA requirement) payable on the day. * See Above Proof of insurance (BMFA membership card is sufficient) required Closing date for entries is 6.00pm Friday 20th September 2019 In the event that there is any doubt as to whether the event will be run due to forecasted inclement weather, a final decision will be posted on this thread by no later than 4pm on Saturday 21st September. We look forward to seeing you on the field. Book in from 9am. First flight’s 10.00am Colin/Graham Please enter this competition by posting here on this thread: 1) Your name 2) Class being entered - i.e. OPEN or 2 METRE 3) Preferred Frequency if on 35Mhz. 4) BMFA Number Entry list to date: 1. Graham Wicks, Open, 2.4, BMFA 052827 2. Colin Boorman, Open 2.4, BMFA 027713 3. Kevin Beale, Open, 2.4, BMFA 040788 4. Colin Paddon, Open, 2.4, BMFA 073473 5. Ian Nicholls, OPEN 2.4GHz BMFA 39293 6. Rob Love, Open, 2.4GHz, BMFA TBA 7. Ray Gadene, Open, 2.4, BMFA 0528224 8. Eddy Small, Open, 2.4GHz, BMFA 063558 9. Keith Fisher, Open, 2.4, BMFA 060851 10. Brian Austin, Open, 2.4, BMFA 57851 11. Derek Potter, Open, 2.4 Ghz, BMFA tba 12. Colin Lucas, Open, 2.4, BMFA tba 13. Ian Duff, Open, 2.4ghz, BMFA 018894 14. Terry Stuckey, Open, 2.4, BMFA tba 15. Gary Matthews, Open, 2.4, BMFA 032611 16. Peter Mitchell, Open, 2.4 BMFA33859 17. Richard Harris, Open 2,4 BMFA 085832 18. Steve Knowles, Open, 2.4, BMFA 7079 19. Mike Connell, Open. 2.4, BMFA 155649 20. John Hovell, Open, 2.4, BMFA 40572 21. Peter Sherliker, Open 2.4, BMFA 212036 22. Alan Twine, Opn, 2.4, BMFA 067979 23. Eamon Keating, Open, 2.4GhZ, BMFA 192268 24. Bob Hope, Open,2.4, tba 25. Phil Ramsey, Open, 2.4Ghz, BMFA tba 26. Al Lipscombe, Open, 2.4 GHz, S067235 27. Bob Ryan, Open, BMFA no. 76538 28. Tony Merritt, 2M, 2.4, BMFA 142327 29. Mike Raybone, Open, 2.4, BMFA 51420 30. Peter Allen, Open, 2.4, BMFA tba 31. Chas Dunster, OPen, 2.4, BMFA tba -
ALTIS v4+ WARNING - cable issue!!! AerobTec WARNING - cable issue!!! Dear customers, based on several reports received from some of you in August this year we discovered that some of the devices have an issue with the input or output cables caused by our cable supplier. It seems some of the cables have incorrect crimping of the wire which was not discovered during the quality check, since the devices behaved normally and there was no suspicion about it. The crimping issue might lead to interrupted of some of the connections on the way between the receiver and ESC which might have its consequences. Therefore it is recommended to pay appropriate attention to it. We identified that the affected devices are Altis v4+ delivered mostly in the first half of 2019 and the serial numbers are from the range 464912388 to 498073604. It is not excluded that some other devices are affected as well – you can check also other devices. We had also one report on Device Terminal cable affected by this but at the moment there is no further indication if it is a single case or if it is related to the same issue. It is recommended to check the cables according to following: • Test the device in plane on ground • Plug Altis between the receiver and ESC • Run the motor • Move the cable near connector in order to detect possible disconnection of the cable. • Other check consists of trying to pull the cable from its housing (disconnected from plane). Hold the housing and pull the cable with a moderate force. You can also try it separately with all three wires entering the housing. If the wires are loosen easily, you probably have one of the affected devices. If you detected that your device is affected by the problem or you have doubts about it feel free to contact us and send the device for replacement or repair for free. If you decide to repair it yourself, please contact us and let us know about your case. We are now in contact with the cable manufacturer so the issue does not occur again and we will extend the quality check during manufacturing steps. We would like to apology for the inconveniences caused by the mentioned issue and we believe you will stay loyal to our products. https://www.facebook.com/AerobTec/ info@aerobtec.com
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This is a 'BARTLETTS LEAGUE’ qualifier to be held on the SADMAC flying field (Sittingbourne & District Model Aircraft Club Kent see map below) The usual 3 classes of model can be flown, Open, 2Mtr and 100” (up to 2.6mtr allowed), and each can score points in their own Bartletts league. Please note that models must comply with BARCS class restrictions if you wish to also score in the appropriate BARCS Leagues. 2 entries allowed per pilot, but each entry must be with different class models. AMRT (Height limiter) CAN be set to any height up to 300mtrs, but MUST be set with a maximum motor run time of 30sec. Scoring as per F5J, i.e. a penalty of 3 points per metre but for launching over 175 metres BARCS rules allow one re-launch in a Group, and for an emergency re start if necessary. N.B. a re-launch will be counted as a scoring flight. Motor re-start will result in a zero score for that Group. Entry £5.00 payable on the day. Please register your entry in this thread, I'll be the CD using GliderScore. Any cancellation will be advised by Saturday 2pm at the latest on this post. ENTRANTS all Open 2.4 unless otherwise stated Nick Jackson Eddy Small Ian Nicholls Mike Connell Bob Ryan Garry Matthews Alan Twine Keith Fisher Richard Harris John Postle Alan Harris 100" Pete Mitchell Mike Hodgkiss Brian Martin 100" David Yale Brian Austin Terry Letchford Bob Hope John Moyler Steve Knowles
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Competition 28th is off. Sorry to disappoint - explanation below There will be an F5J competition Sunday 28 July at Bartletts Field, Rettendon, Essex. 9-45 briefing for 10am start, please. Scores will count for the BMFA League but this will be a relaxed competition suitable for new as well as experienced competitors, with plenty of help available for newcomers. The competition will be run to F5J rules with UK variations as published by the BMFA. The main points for BMFA F5J comps are: - Either Open or 2m may be flown, not both. - Motor restart may be used (results in a zero flight score), and therefore non-FAI firmware set to at least 300m may be used. - Your timekeeper must be able to check your launch height immediately after landing (so you need a reader if not displayed on your height limiter). - The hope is to fly 6 rounds - minimum of 4 . No fly-offs. Entry fee £10.00 (BMFA requirement) payable on the day. Proof of insurance (BMFA membership card is sufficient) required Please sign up on this thread or by emailing me: whitstable.nick@outlook.com (I'm guesting as CD). Please include your BMFA number. Entries will be assumed to be Open 2.4GHz unless you tell me different. Closing date for entries is 6.00pm Friday 26 July 2019. If there's any doubt about the weather, a decision on whether the contest goes ahead will be posted here by 3pm Saturday 27 July. Registrations as of 26 July: Brian Austin Mike Connell Ray Gadenne John Hovell Nick Jackson Steve Knowles Peter Ley Garry Matthews Tony Merritt Peter Mitchell Ian Nicholls Eddy Small Randy Taylor Paul Wainwright
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This is a 'BARTLETTS LEAGUE’ qualifier to be held on the EQFA's new 'Bartletts Farm' field . The usual 3 classes of model can be flown, Open, 2Mtr and 100” (up to 2.6mtr allowed), and each can score points in their own Bartletts league. Please note that models must comply with BARCS class restrictions if you wish to also score in the appropriate BARCS Leagues. 2 entries allowed per pilot, but each entry must be with different class models. AMRT (Height limiter) CAN be set to any height up to 300mtrs, but MUST be set with a maximum motor run time of 30sec. Scoring as per F5J, i.e. a penalty of 3 points per metre but for launching over 175 metres BARCS rules allow one re- launch in a slot, and for an emergency re start if necessary. N.B. a re-launch will be counted as a scoring flight. Motor re-start will result in a zero score for that slot. Entry £5.00 payable on the day. Please register your entry in this thread, all will be assumed to on 2.4 unless advised. I'm the guest CD! Brian Austin Open Nick Jackson Open Alan Twine Open Bob Ryan Open Derek Collings Open Ray Gadenne Open Garry Matthews Open Pete Mitchell Open Ian Nicholls Open Eddy Small Open Randy Taylor Open Tony Merritt 2m Steve Knowles Open
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COMP IS ON Tonbridge BMFA F5J Comp Sunday 16.6.19
ThermalBoy posted a topic in Electric Soaring and F5J
COMPETITION IS ON Tonbridge club are hosting a BMFA League F5J competition at Leigh Park Farm, Nr Tonbridge, Kent on Sunday 16th June 2019. We will be running a relaxed competition for both existing competition flyers and new pilots alike. All are welcome with plenty of help available on the day for newcomers. Directions to the field can be found here: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Leigh+Park+Farm/@51.2091254,0.19327,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x47df4fda3f5fd36d:0xfd76d04136677dd9?hl=en The competition will be run to F5J rules with UK variations as published by the BMFA. The main points for BMFA F5J comps are: - Either Open or 2m may be flown, not both. - Motor restart may be used (results in a zero flight score), and therefore you need only to use your eSoaring switch BUT you must reset the (200m) height limit to 300m this can often be done easily by using a reader, otherwise use a computer. - As in eSoaring, you must provide a reader, so that your timekeeper can check your launch height immediately after landing. - Minimum of 4 rounds to be flown but usually 6 rounds are flown. No fly-off's Entry fee £10.00 (BMFA requirement) payable on the day. Proof of insurance (BMFA membership card is sufficient) required Closing date for entries is 6.00pm Friday 14th June 2019 In the event that there is any doubt as to whether the event will be run due to forecasted inclement weather, a final decision will be posted on this thread by no later than 3pm on Saturday 15th June. We look forward to seeing you on the field. Book in from 9am. First flight’s 10.00am Colin/Graham Please enter this competition by posting here on this thread: 1) Your name 2) Class being entered - i.e. OPEN or 2 METRE 3) Preferred Frequency if on 35Mhz. 4) BMFA Number Entry list to date: 1. Graham Wicks, Open, 2.4, BMFA 052827 2. Colin Boorman, Open 2.4, BMFA 027713 3. Kevin Beale, Open, 2.4, BMFA 040788 4. Colin Paddon, Open, 2.4, BMFA 073473 5. Ian Nicholls, OPEN 2.4GHz BMFA 39293 6. Jim Hathaway, Open Class, 2.4Ghz, BMFA 186348 7. Bob Hope, Open,2.4, tba 8. Eamon Keating, Open, 2.4GhZ, BMFA 192268 9. Phil Ramsey, Open, 2.4Ghz, BMFA tba 10. Ian Duff, Open, 2.4ghz, BMFA 018894 11. Gary Matthews, Open, 2.4, BMFA 032611 12. Mike Connell, Open. 2.4, BMFA 155649 13. Alan Twine, open, 2.4, BMFA 067979 14. Derek Potter, Open, 2.4 Ghz, BMFA tba 15. Richard Harris, Open 2,4 BMFA 085832 16. John Barrow, Open, 2.4GHz, BMFA 071788 17. Terry Stuckey, Open, 2.4, BMFA tba 18. Colin Lucas, Open, 2.4, BMFA tba 19. Steve Knowles, Open, 2.4, BMFA 7079 20. Peter Sherliker, Open, 2.4, BMFA tba 21. Eddy Small, Open, 2.4GHz, BMFA 063558. 22. Nick Jackson, Open, 2.4GHz, 123273 23. Peter Mitchell, Open, 2.4 BMFA33859 24. Keith Fisher, Open, 2.4, BMFA 060851 25. John Hovell, Open, 2.4, BMFA 40572 26. Tony Merritt - 2M , BMFA 142327 27. Randy Taylor, Open, 2.4, BMFA 165603 28. Brian Austin, Open, 2.4, 057851 29. Peter Allen, Open, 2.4, BMFA tba 30. Chas Dunster, OPen, 2.4, BMFA tba 31. Mike Raybone, Open, 2.4, BMFA 51420 32. Ray Gadene, Open, 2.4, BMFA 0528224 -
PROGLIDE BF For anyone thats interested here are a few pics and some brief details of the latest version of the Proglide that Kevin Beale and I (Colin Paddon) have been developing/building over the past 3-4years. We try to do something slightly different with each new Proglide we build in order to learn from it and so it is with my latest one. This is my 3.8m windy weather BIG FLAP (BF) version that is built with a strong layup/spar and our new slimmed down fuselage pod and boom. I've used a lot of 3D printed parts in this one. I was hoping for a finished RTF weight of around 1500-1600g with provision for 500g of ballast. That idea went out the window when the RTF weight including the 1000mah 4 Cell Lipo came in at 1325g RTF. Im not really sure why its so light after all the additional strengthening I put into it but it is. I think we're just getting a little better on the lay-up's with each one we build. Found out late in the day that with our new fuse pod I could only get a single ballast tube into the fuse so at the moment I'm limited to adding 350g of ballast. Need to look at this again some time. There may be a way to increase this. Everywhere we looked for info on the Synergy section that we now use (which has proven itself to be a stellar performer in a wide range of conditions), indicated that a big flap version shouldnt really work but I fancied giving it a go. It's the kind of thing you can do when a complete wing only costs you £170 in materials. Its the large amount of manhours to build a plane like this that is the real hidden cost. If it doesnt work though, just build a different one! So how does it perform. Well its early days but so far I'm extremly pleased with its performance. It placed first in its debut competition having only had one test flight before hand. The BIG FLAPS definately seem to add another dimension to its performance particulary when scratching in light lift. I wont know what its like in wind until we go to a windy comp. So sometime soon no doubt! One slight issue is that I now know for sure that if you go with big flaps you'd better have a big elevator to compensate for it when using crow. Its not a major issue but do I need to re-design the tailplane to help with this. So what next? Im seeing an awful lot of Eurotour F5J pilots flying big V Tails on their planes so I'll probably try that which as I have removable booms on all my Proglides shouldnt be a major job. Colin
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I installed a new Altis4+ and new YGE 35 VLT ESC in my Explorer. Both had the firmware updated - just in case - and tested. The Altis was set for eSoaring rules, i.e. permit emergency motor restart. Every time I tried to restart the motor nothing happened. Power down and I could fly again. I tested with a RC Multi - fine, no problem restarting the YGE VLT in flight. Correct operation was verified by a friend using the Altis with another YGE (non VLT) - that worked fine, so the Altis programming is not at fault, but nor is the YGE VLT because it works fine with the RC Multi. For some reason it is the combination of Altis4+ and YGE VLT that does not permit restart. The combination is fine for a single launch. My radio is Graupner MC32 & MZ32, neither has ever given me problems with motor start with other gliders. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Bert
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CANCELLED - Tonbridge F5J Comp 28 October 2018
ThermalBoy posted a topic in Electric Soaring and F5J
COMP CANCELLED After reviewing the weather forecasts from various web sites, we have reluctantly decided to cancel this competition. Tonbridge club are hosting a BMFA League F5J competition at Leigh Park Farm, Nr Tonbridge, Kent on Sunday 28th October 2018. We will be running a relaxed and fun competition for both existing competition flyers and new pilots alike. All are welcome with plenty of help available on the day for F5J newbie's. Directions to the field can be found here: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Leigh+Park+Farm/@51.2091254,0.19327,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x47df4fda3f5fd36d:0xfd76d04136677dd9?hl=en The competition will be run to F5J rules with UK variations as published by the BMFA. Copy of the full rules can be found here: http://bmfa.org/DesktopModules/Bring2mind/DMX/Download.aspx?Command=Core_Download&EntryId=2443&language=en-GB&PortalId=0&TabId=219 The main points for BMFA F5J comps are: - Either Open or 2m may be flown, not both. - Motor restart may be used (results in a zero flight score), and therefore you need only to use your eSoaring switch BUT you must reset the (200m) height limit to 300m this can often be done easily by using a reader, otherwise use a computer. - As in eSoaring, you must provide a reader, so that your timekeeper can check your launch height immediately after landing. - Minimum of 4 rounds to be flown. - CD will announce whether or not a Fly-Off will be flown before the start. Entry fee £10.00 (BMFA requirement) payable on the day. Proof of insurance (BMFA membership card is sufficient) required Closing date for entries is 6.00pm Friday 26th October 2018 In the event that there is any doubt as to whether the event will be run due to forecasted inclement weather, a final decision will be posted on the BARCS website no later than 3pm on Saturday 27th October. We look forward to welcoming you. Book in from 9am. First flight’s at 10am prompt. Colin/Graham Please enter this competition by posting here on this thread: 1) Your name 2) Class being entered - i.e. OPEN or 2 METRE 3) Preferred Frequency if on 35Mhz. 4) BMFA Number Entry list to date: 1. Graham Wicks, Open, 2.4, BMFA 052827 2. Colin Boorman, Open 2.4, BMFA 027713 3. Kevin Beale, Open, 2.4, BMFA 040788 4. Colin Paddon, Open, 2.4, BMFA 073473 5. Nick Jackson, Open, BMFA 123273 6. Chas Dunster, Open, 2.4, BMFA tba 7. Eddy Small, Open, 2.4GHz, BMFA 063558 8. Eamon Keating, Open, 2.4GhZ, BMFA 192268 9. Bob Ryan, Open, BMFA no. 76538 10. Peter Mitchell, Open, 2.4, BMFA 33859 11. Ian Duff, Open, 2.4ghz, BMFA 018894 12. Al Lipscombe, Open, 2.4 GHz, S067235 13. Phil Ramsey, Open, 2.4Ghz, BMFA tba 14. Derek Potter, Open, 2.4 Ghz, BMFA tba 15. Steve Knowles, Open, 2.4, BMFA 70799 16. Colin Lucas, Open, 2.4, BMFA tba 17. Alan Twine, open, 2.4, BMFA 067979 18. Nick Jackson, Open, 2.4, BMFA 123273 19. Peter Allen, Open, 2.4, BMFA tba 20. Bob Hope, Open, 2.4, BMFA tba
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Bartletts 200 League 2018. Sept 16th (original planned for Sept 9th) will be held at the SADMAC Field (Sittingbourne & District Model Aircraft Club Kent see map below) organised by Kent Interclub - CD Ian Nicholls Please let me know by 6pm latest on Friday 14th Sept. if you wish to enter to enable the team to get everything ready for Sunday. Please book in from 0900, pilots briefing will be at 0945 and start at 1000 prompt to allow 6 rounds to be flown. Rules unchanged, 3 classes of model can be flown, Open, 2Mtr and 100” (up to 2.6mtr allowed), and each score points in their own league. 2 entries allowed, but must be with different class models. Height limiter set to any height up to 200mtrs, and motor run time of 30sec. Penalty for launching over 200mtrs, but no bonus for launching below 200mtrs. Entry £5.00 per class, payable on the day. Please register your entry here Ian Nicholls Open Eamon Keating Open Peter Mitchell Open Mike Connell Open Brian Austin Open Eddy Small Open Garry Matthews Open Nick Jackson Open Alan Twine Open Gordon Loomes Open David Yale Open Ray Gadenne Open Randy Taylor Open Tony Wood Open John Postle Open Brian Martin Open Keith Benton Open Possible David Phillips Open Just to confirm the competition will run as proposed and the field (along the track behind the farmhouse) will be sign posted after 0830. I will be doing the matrix tomorrow morning so please let me know if you aren't able to fly for any reason (I don't need to know why!) by 10am Lunch will be 20 + minutes after Round 3 of 6 at 12:15. There will be 3 Group per round so we will finish earlier than normal. Thanks Ian
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Towner Trophy F5J Competition - Sunday 2 September 2018 ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY 6PM FRIDAY 31st Reminder Entrants can designate a helper when registering, or email whitstable.nick@outlook.com to designate a helper if already registered A BMFA League F5J competition to be held at *Sutton Valence Nr Maidstone, Kent. * field location may vary so please check this thread/site for directions before Saturday 1st September. Field location will be alternatives of Forsham Lane or Heniker Lane follow signs with " A Glider" nearest post code is ME17 3AU see map attached The competition will be run to F5J rules with UK variations as published by the BMFA. Two classes of model can be entered, either Open or 2Metre but only one entry permitted. Your model must have an approved height limiting/data logging device (AMRT) which must be able to show the max height your model goes to during its motor run time plus 10 seconds after your motor is shut off. The limiting function must be set to allow maximum 30seconds motor run time, and the height limiting function must either be disabled or set to 300m. Motor restart is permitted at any time during flight for safety reasons, but will result in a zero score for that round. 6 rounds will be flown if conditions permit. Lowest Round score will be dropped after 5 rounds and there will NOT be a flyoff Entry fee £10.00 (BMFA requirement) payable on the day. Proof of BMFA membership (card is sufficient) required. Book in from 9am. First flight 10am. Trophy and prizes will be awarded on the day and points scored will go towards the National League. Please enter this competition by posting here or email the CD colin.boorman@btinternet.com ENTRIES (state model Class and if not 2.4) Colin Boorman Open Nick Jackson Open Ian Nicholls Open Eddy Small Open Mike Connell Open Kevin Beale Open Colin Paddon Open Brian Austin Open Alan Twine Open Peter Mitchell Open Richard Harris Open Keith Fisher Open Garry Matthews Open Ray Gadenne Open Tony Wood Open John Barrow Open Jim Hathaway Open Mike Hodgkiss Open Phil Ramsey Open Bob Hope Open Steve Knowles Open Rob Love Open
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Change of venue due to shooting club event at Bartletts Farm - now to be held at Little Bentley Polo Club, Rectory Road, Little Bentley, Essex, CO7 8SN. Your model must have an approved height limiting/data logging device (AMRT) which must be able to show the max height your model goes to during its motor run time plus 10 seconds after your motor is shut off. The limiting function must be set to allow maximum 30seconds motor run time, and the height limiting function must either be disabled or set to 300m. Motor restart is permitted at any time during flight for safety reasons, but will result in a zero score for that round. Two classes of model can be entered, either Open or 2Metre but only one entry permitted. Prizes awarded on the day and points scored will go towards the National League. The competition will be run to BMFA Local Rules, 6 rounds will be flown if conditions permit and there will not be a flyoff. Entry fee £10.00 (BMFA requirement) payable on the day. Proof of BMFA membership (card is sufficient) required. Timing on the day may vary, and all/any help to set up the field will be appreciated. But the plan is as usual, book in from 9am. First flight around 10am. Tony Merritt - BMFA 142327 - 2m Simon Conran - BMFA 195226 - 2m Paul Wainwright - BMFA 047845 - Open David Jowers - BMFA 043983 - 2m Steve Knowles - BMFA 70799 - Open Graham Wicks - BMFA 052827 - Open Randy Taylor - BMFA 165603 - Open Brian Austin - BMFA 57851 - Open John Hovell - BMFA 40572 - Open Please post your entries on this thread by 6pm on Saturday 11th August along with your BMFA number and model class
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Venue is Little Bentley Polo Club, Rectory Road, Essex, CO7 8SN. Your model must have an approved height limiting/data logging device (AMRT) which must be able to show the max height your model goes to during its motor run time plus 10 seconds after your motor is shut off. The limiting function must be set to allow maximum 30seconds motor run time, and the height limiting function must either be disabled or set to 300m. Motor restart is permitted at any time during flight for safety reasons, but will result in a zero score for that round. Two classes of model can be entered, either Open or 2Metre but only one entry permitted. Prizes awarded on the day and points scored will go towards the National League. The competition will be run to BMFA Local Rules, 6 rounds will be flown if conditions permit and there will not be a flyoff. Entry fee £10.00 (BMFA requirement) payable on the day. Proof of BMFA membership (card is sufficient) required. Timing on the day may vary, and all/any help to set up the field will be appreciated. But the plan is as usual, book in from 9am. First flight around 10am. Tony Merritt - BMFA 142327 - 2m Eamon Keating - BMFA 192268 - Open Peter Ley - BMFA 187230 - Open Garry Matthews - BMFA 032611 - Open Brian Austin - BMFA 57851 - Open Simon Thornton - BMFA 069287 - Open Graham Wicks - BMFA 052827 - Open Colin Paddon - BMFA 073473 - Open Randy Taylor - BMFA 165603 - Open Simon Conran - BMFA 195226 - 2m Alan Twine - BMFA 067979 - Open Steve Knowles - BMFA 70799 - Open Paul Wainwright - BMFA 047845 - Open Julian Benz - BMFA 208785 - Open Peter Mitchell - BMFA 33859 - Open Kevin Beale - BMFA 40788 - Open Please post your entries on this thread by 6pm on Saturday 28th July along with your BMFA number and model class
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Another excellent looking F5J model coming soon - maiden today at Vitoria, Spain. Designer Jorge Medina (Tecnoepoxy). RTF weight 1300g, 4m span: Simon
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The event is a ‘Bartletts League’ qualifier and will be run at Bartletts Farm, on our new field which is located at the top end of the entrance lane, NOT the ‘old’ field on the r/h side of the lane. Our land owner has now given us permission to drive on the grassed area ( which is about to be cut) assuming that the ground is hard enough to take vehicles without damage. We will know on the day, but it should mean we can drive and park along the appropriate side of the field and fly from the back of our cars. Please do not drive on the grassed area until a decision is taken regarding wind direction etc. The usual 3 classes of model can be flown, Open, 2Mtr and 100” (up to 2.6mtr allowed), and each can score points in their own Bartletts league. Please note that models must comply with BARCS class restrictions if you wish to also score in the appropriate BARCS Leagues. 2 entries allowed per pilot, but each entry must be with different class models. AMRT (Height limiter) CAN be set to any height up to 300mtrs, but MUST be set with a maximum motor run time of 30sec. Scoring as per F5J, i.e. a penalty of 3 points per metre for launching over 200mtrs, BUT no bonus for launching below 200mtrs. And don’t forget, not only can you re start your motor in an emergency (which cancels that flight score) but you get one re launch in a slot if you find it necessary Entry £5.00 payable on the day. Please register your entry in this thread, all will be assumed to on 2.4 unless advised Peter Ley Open Eamon Keating Open Brian Austin Open Garry Matthews Open Nick Jackson Open Eddy Small Open Paul Wainwright Open Paul Wainwright 2 M Mike Connell Open Ian Nicholls Open Tony Merritt 2 M Allan Twine Open Randy Taylor Open John Hovell Open Graham Wicks Open Steve Knowles Open
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Entry is now open for Interglide 2018. The event will take place over the weekend 23rd - 24th June at the same location as last year. Full details together with online and postal entry is available on the Interglide website. Entry has been open two days and already there are 9 pilots from France entered. https://www.interglide.co.uk/ Report from the 2017 event can be seen here https://www.interglide.co.uk/2017-results
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RESULTS Results below. Pics to follow. COMP REPORT One word describes this comp….Challenging! The usual Tonbridge comp team arrived early at Leigh Park Farm’s acres of freshly mown grass to set the field up. Fortunately no cow patties were to be seen anywhere but the ground was rock hard. It was of course raining when we arrived but the weather forecast was for it to stop fairly quickly and it did. The wind however was forecast to start off at around 11mph but to continue to rise throughout the day which turned out to be the case. After a lot of late pull-outs we ended up with 26 competitors of whom 24 actually flew. We were pleased to see and welcome one of the top German F5J flyers, Julian Benz, to the comp adding some mainland European interest to the day. The morning was certainly the easier part of the day in terms of flying conditions but even then some slots were not flown out. Average launch heights ranged between 150 -180 meters but there were a few massive height launches that still failed to fly the slot out such was the level of difficulty in reading the air. Conditions were extremely challenging throughout the day with some slots enjoying good lift but many had equal measure of widespread sink. A wrong read of the air often resulting in an early landing. After lunch, the wind continued to gain significantly in strength and at times was very turbulent if you strayed too close to the trees. Reading the air became difficult to say the least. A fair number of slots in the afternoon were not flown out . In terms of what models were flown, no one model /design seemed to be dominant. All the usual moulded models, Xplorers, Shadows, Optimists, Infinity’s, Pikes et al were being flown . Of note were two very nice looking (new to us) Xplorer V Tail versions that Julian Benz flew. Super looking planes. We finished the day around 5pm having flown 6 rounds with a 45 minute lunch break. My thanks must go to Eamon’s daughter Portia who kindly took the scores in for us all day long. Full results can be found below. On a personal note it was very pleasing for both Kevin and I to again see our home built/designed Proglide succeed against a very competitive field of flyers/models. Brian Austin also flew his own designed/homebuilt model throughout the day. It’s always great to see home built models competing but I’m somewhat biased on this! My thanks to Graham, Kevin and Colin B for getting out of bed early to help set the field up and run the comp. We look forward to seeing you all again at the Tonbridge September F5J comp. Colin Paddon - CD Tonbridge F5J Competition - Sunday 17 June 2018 Tonbridge club are hosting a BMFA League F5J competition at Leigh Park Farm, Nr Tonbridge, Kent on Sunday 17 June 2018. We will be running a relaxed and fun competition for both existing competition flyers and new pilots alike. All are welcome with plenty of help available on the day for F5J newbie's. Directions to the field can be found here: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Leigh+Park+Farm/@51.2091254,0.19327,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x47df4fda3f5fd36d:0xfd76d04136677dd9?hl=en The competition will be run to F5J rules with UK variations as published by the BMFA. Copy of the full rules can be found here: http://bmfa.org/DesktopModules/Bring2mind/DMX/Download.aspx?Command=Core_Download&EntryId=2443&language=en-GB&PortalId=0&TabId=219 The main points for BMFA F5J comps are: - Either Open or 2m may be flown, not both. - Motor restart may be used (results in a zero flight score), and therefore you need only tuse your eSoaring switch BUT you must reset the (200m) height limit to 300m this can often be done easily by using a reader, otherwise use a computer. - As in eSoaring, you must provide a reader, so that your timekeeper can check your launch height immediately after landing. - Minimum of 4 rounds to be flown. - CD will announce whether or not a Fly-Off will be flown before the start. Entry fee £10.00 (BMFA requirement) payable on the day. Proof of insurance (BMFA membership card is sufficient) required Closing date for entries is 6.00pm Friday 15th June 2018 In the event that there is any doubt as to whether the event will be run due to forecasted inclement weather, a final decision will be posted on the BARCS website no later than 4pm on Saturday 16th June. We look forward to welcoming you on the field. Book in from 9am. First flight’s at 10am Colin/Graham Please enter this competition by posting here on this thread: 1) Your name 2) Class being entered - i.e. OPEN or 2 METRE 3) Preferred Frequency if on 35Mhz. 4) BMFA Number Entry list to date: 1. Graham Wicks, Open, 2.4, BMFA 052827 2. Colin Boorman, Open 2.4, BMFA 027713 3. Kevin Beale, Open, 2.4, BMFA 040788 4. Colin Paddon, Open, 2.4, BMFA 073473 5. Eamon Keating, Open, 2.4GhZ, BMFA 192268 6. Ian Nicholls, OPEN 2.4GHz BMFA 39293 7. Tony Merrit, 2M, 2.4 GHz, BMFA 142327 8. Phil Ramsey, Open, 2.4Ghz, BMFA tba 9. Bob Hope, Open, 2.4, BMFA tba 10. Alan Twine, open, 2.4, BMFA 067979 11. Terry Stuckey, Open, 2.4, BMFA tba 12. Colin Lucas, Open, 2.4, BMFA tba 13. Ray Gadene, Open, 2.4, BMFA 052822 14. Eddy Small Open 2.4GHz BMFA 063558 15. Peter Mitchell, Open, 2.4 BMFA33859 16. Simon Thornton, Open, 2.4, BMFA 069287 17. Al Lipscombe, Open, 2.4 GHz, S067235 18. Ian Duff, Open, 2.4ghz, BMFA 018894 19. Peter Allen, Open, 2.4, BMFA tba 20. Brian Austin, Open, 2.4, BMFA 057851 21. Simon Conran, 2M, 2.4, S 195226 22. Derek Potter, Open, 2.4 Ghz, BMFA tba 23. Rob Love, Open, 2.4 BMFA tba 24. Gary Matthews, Open, 2.4, BMFA 032611 25. Bob Ryan, Open, 2.4, BMFA 76538 26. Julian Benz, Open, 2.4, BMFA 208785 Tonbridge F5J Round Scores 17.6.2018.pdf Tonbridge F5J 17.6.18 Height Penalty.pdf Tonbridge F5J Landing Results 17.6.2018.pdf Tonbridge F5J 17.6.18 Flight Scores.pdf
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ENTRY CLOSED WITH 20 FLYERS Hot off the press Gentlemen, Our hosts NKN have a large gas BBQ and a 2 ring gas cooker with kettle for making a brew if any one wants to use themselves and bring there own they are welcome, or if enough interest they could take orders in the morning and pop along the local Asda and get what flyers want and then cook it for them! Please let me know of your interest in this? ALSO the adjacent Gun Club serves food including full English breakfast and has toilet facilities. Drive slowly to avoid POTHOLES on Joyce Green Lane The event is a ‘Bartletts League’ qualifier and will be run at North Kent Nomads (NKN) field (nearest post code DA1 5PN) as detailed on the attached location map. The usual 3 classes of model can be flown, Open, 2Mtr and 100” (up to 2.6mtr allowed), and each can score points in their own Bartletts league. Please note that models must comply with BARCS class restrictions if you wish to also score in the appropriate BARCS Leagues. 2 entries allowed per pilot, but each entry must be with different class models. AMRT (Height limiter) CAN be set to any height up to 300mtrs, but MUST be set with a maximum motor run time of 30sec. Scoring as per F5J, i.e. a penalty of 3 points per metre for launching over 200mtrs, BUT no bonus for launching below 200mtrs. And don’t forget, not only can you re start your motor in an emergency (which cancels that flight score) but you get one re launch in a slot if you find it necessary Entry £5.00 payable on the day. CD is Ian Nicholls (07760750298) and hosted by NKM Secretary Peter Bennett Please book in from 0900, pilots briefing will be at 0945 and start at 1000 to allow 6 rounds to be flown Please register your entry in this thread by 1800 on Friday 18th, all will be assumed to be on 2.4 unless advised Nick Jackson Eddy Small Tony Wood Ian Nicholls Michael Connell Keith Fisher Bob Hope David Yale Alan Twine Derek Collings Keith Benton John Postle Brian Martin Alan Harris Brian Austin John Hovell Peter Ley Garry Matthews Ray Gadenne Pete Mitchell
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F5J - Southern Area - 15th April 2018 - Lt. Bentley, Essex
tonym posted a topic in Electric Soaring and F5J
1st round in this year’s Southern Area BMFA F5J League Venue is Little Bentley Polo Club, Rectory Road, Essex, CO7 8SN. Your model must have an approved height limiting/data logging device (AMRT) which must be able to show the max height your model goes to during its motor run time plus 10 seconds after your motor is shut off. The limiting function must be set to allow maximum 30seconds motor run time, and the height limiting function must either be disabled or set to 300m. Motor restart is permitted at any time during flight for safety reasons, but will result in a zero score for that round. Two classes of model can be entered, either Open or 2Metre but only one entry permitted. Prizes awarded on the day and points scored will go towards the National League. The competition will be run to BMFA Local Rules, 6 rounds will be flown if conditions permit and there will not be a flyoff. Entry fee £10.00 (BMFA requirement) payable on the day. Proof of BMFA membership (card is sufficient) required. Timing on the day may vary, and all/any help to set up the field will be appreciated. But the plan is as usual, book in from 9am. First flight around 10am. Eamon Keating - BMFA 192268 - Open Ray Gadenne - BMFA 052822 - Open Graham Wicks - BMFA 052827 - Open Peter Ley - BMFA 187230 - Open Garry Matthews - BMFA 032611 - Open Peter Mitchell - BMFA 33859 - Open Tony Merritt - BMFA 142327 - 2m Randy Taylor - BMFA 165603 - Open Brian Austin - BMFA 57851 - Open Colin Boorman - BMFA 027713 - Open John Hovell - BMFA 40572 - Open Kevin Beale - BMFA 40788 - Open Simon Thornton - BMFA 069287 - Open David Jowers - BMFA 043983 - Open (maybe 2m if windy) Paul Wainwright - BMFA 047845 - Open or 2m (TBA) Julian Benz - FAI GER 3872 - Open Steve Knowles - BMFA 70799 - Open Richard Clouting - BMFA 77318 - 2m Please post your entries on this thread by 6pm on Saturday 14th April along with your BMFA number and model class. -
thermal Pre-Season F5J/ELG Sunday 25th March at Little Bentley Park
tonym posted a topic in Electric Soaring and F5J
In case others haven't seen Pete M's post below there will be a pre-season event at Little Bentley to prepare ourselves for the 2018 league onslaught :-) If enough pilots register we'll run slots and rounds otherwise we'll do the IRCMC all-up-last-down timed flight, landing target is near yourself, and no timer/helper. Register your interest and watch this space for a go, no-go on Saturday 24th March. If Sunday 25th March isn't good for flying will we roll forward to Sunday 1st April (go, no-go 31st March). If 1st April isn't good we'll roll forward to Easter Monday 2nd April (go, no-go on 1st April). If the 2nd is no good either we'll roll on to 8th April (go, no-go on 7th). The following Sunday (15th April) is the first F5J comp., a new thread will be started for that. Tony Tony Merritt - 2m Garry Matthews - Open Cliff Stone - Open Ray Gadenne - Open Paul Wainwright - 2m/Open Pete Mitchell - Open Randy Taylor - Open Richard Clouting - 2m David Jowers - 2m Simon Conran - 2m/Open John Hovell - Open Peter Ley - Open -
In the North West (Lancashire) there is no F5J or ALES or anything. I have been doing this sort of thing since last century and I would drive 300 miles for a comp. I would love to have something / anything near here - Finally, I have started a Facebook page ..... "Soaring North West" My hope is that like minded people could use it to actually get something moving.
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