I am finally going to shut up about USIC.
When I first entered the Minidome this year, the ceiling looked much higher than I remembered. And at the top, it looked much tighter. I felt a little queasy in the stomach as I anticipated that time when I would have to fly my model high up and challenge the ceiling.
But my anxiety was premature. In truth, there is a lot of airspace at the top. I flew my models near the top on almost every flight, and I had only one hang up during the entire five days. One model hit the scoreboard wires, and was lucky to escape. A few other flights had light touches on the bottom of the main beam. These flights are mostly safe. All other flights were "no touch."
Defined by the speaker cluster to the east and the scoreboard to the west, the flyable airspace is something like 124' wide by 250 long'. The beams are 106' high in the middle and probably 100' high at the 250' boundary. In essence, the open air space is 124' x 250' x 100' high. If you fly in this space, you are free from obstacles. This is a lot of airspace.
There is drift, however, and this cannot be avoided at all time. When there is drift and your model heads towards an obstacle, your best option is to steer the model away. The main obstacle is the scoreboard and the wires from which it hangs. You won't be able to steer successfully on your first try. With practice, you eventually get better. This year, I had about five successful steers and one unsuccessful.
On the last two days while flying my Limited Penny Plane, I flew the model nearly every time to the top louvers. Of the six flights, one required multiple steers away from the scoreboard. All the others came straight down. Flying in a restricted airspace 62' wide that's bordered by two of the beams, these flights were nevertheless uneventful. Pick the right moments when the East-West drift is low to challenge the ceiling. You also cannot challenge the top with every model. I don't fly my EZB all the way to the top because it cruises for a very long time. At the top, it may be in danger for up to 15 minutes, whereas the LPP might only be in danger for 5 minutes.
All in all, the Minidome at ETSU is an incredible site. The air is consistent and fair, and the drift is generally small. The safe, no-touch airspace is large. Of course, it would be even better if the scoreboard were absent, but that's history. If you fly a smart game, you can minimize the chance of a hang up. Study the conditions, get your launch torque right, and you can fly long and safe.
-Kang
Received on Wed Jun 06 2012 - 17:37:07 CEST
This archive was generated by Yannick on Sat Dec 14 2019 - 19:13:47 CET