Bill,
The reason it became that way was to "equalize" the event. The first
time I flew Nocal in the "USIC" in the Niagara Falls convention center
there was no weight limit on indoor nocal. Models were in the 3 gram
range and people like me, Larry Loucka and my dad could do about 5
minutes in no-cal and I think my dad was the first to break 5 minutes
with a nocal back then (about 1984 ish). There was then a fear that the
indoor "experts" would ruin the Nocal class so then a weight minimum was
added, some places flew 5gram and others flew 7 gram. USIC came out to
6.2 as it was double a pennyplane weight. What then happened was to get
the max flight times people looked for lower aspect ratio models to
build. My dad and I flew Cassutt racers and Loucka built a Hosler Fury.
The two models were pretty evenly matched at most sites but at USIC the
Hosler could get about 10-20 seconds more consistently. I think my dads
highest Cassut time was 7:52, I was about 7:20 and the Hosler could
break 8 minutes so we both built Hoslers. So the weight equalizing rule
really turned the event into a one design contest if you want to
compete. Smaller models suffer from higher wing loading and simply will
not do the time.
Reducing the min weight (or removing it) actually allows for more model
choice freedom because a large model like a Hosler Fury cannot be built
under 5 grams with current FAC rules as Gampi tissue is now banned.
Esaki tissue must be used and the Hosler has so much tissue that just
the tissue weighs ~2.5 grams. So the long big models will still have to
weigh more than a smaller model like a Lacey or Cessna Cardinal but a
Cardinal has much less wing area and even at the light overall weight
the smaller wing makes the flight times close. At the Kent indoor
contest this year my Cardinal which is about 2 grams will do about 6
minutes and the 6.2 gram Hoser Fury will do about 6 minutes as well in
the same site. My dad built a Lacey this year and his is about 3.2
grams and does about 6 minutes as well. So we are all doing about the
same flight time but my Cardinal has the smallest wing and lightest
weight, the Lacey is a little heavier but a bigger wing, and the Hosler
is the biggest wing but also the heaviest but the wing loadings are all
fairly close so all three can compete together with vast model types and
weight differences.
I still have my no-cal tips on the web if anyone is interested.
http://indoorfreeflight.com/nocaltips.htm
Don S.
> I don't have a dog in this hunt but I wonder how it got this way and
> how anyone would go about changing it. Who would be in charge?
>
> On 6/5/2012 12:45 PM, Don Slusarczyk wrote:
>
Received on Tue Jun 05 2012 - 15:35:44 CEST