Don
Thanks for the explanation! What I still can't figure out is how the rules
could be changed if people wanted to make a change.
(I'm not suggesting anything - just curious )
On Jun 5, 2012 6:36 PM, "Don Slusarczyk" <don_at_slusarczyk.com> wrote:
> **
>
>
> 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 - 16:18:02 CEST