Gary Hodson wrote:
> Are some of you suggesting that a "Kit" does not meet your personal
>definition of BOM? Personally, it meets my definition of BOM, as
>long as all the parts are separate in the kit. Nothing pre-assembled.
Agreed 100%
Ok, let's roll back a little. A couple months ago, I flew against a very skilled flier on this list who was using a Treger hub. His times with said hub did not equal what I was getting with my own hub, which does not even feature adjustment screws. I did not win that day, but I was also flying a 3rd string model while coaching my wife. But that does not change the fact that said flier did not see any increase in his flight times over those made with his own hubs.
Why do I say all this? Well it's simply this: the Treger hub is not the threat we believe it to be. It is optimized for Treger's flying style in the sites he frequents. When you take it into a Cat I site, it's totally out of its zone. I suspect it would be ok in a Cat IV site, but not Cat I or II.
VP hubs are the only area where I think we're seeing a serious implication in the BOM issue, and I don't think they're that big of a deal. In particular, no records have been set using non-BOM hubs (Treger's world records fit this description too, since, after all, they're HIS hubs). I really do not think that Treger's hub has anything at all to do with his two-time title. A hub which operates essentially as a two-position VP (I've seen this in person) is not optimal, and that's how Treger's hub operates. Folks would do much better to have a look at his pitch distribution and how he avoids blade tuck with his super-low pitch settings. I'm telling you, that's where his flight times are coming from, not from his hub.
At a minimum VP kits should be allowed, and as much as it sticks into our sensibilities, I don't think there is any significant threat from letting people use completely bought VP hubs, though if someone can demonstrate that this opens the door to vacuum bagged wing structures or something of that nature (assuming that's even physically possible), I might change my mind.
The people who win F1D contests in the future will be those who have a good grasp of stability and optimal control theory, because the nature of VP and airspeed trimming is where the secrets of F1D lie. I don't claim to be anywhere near the competitive ranks of F1D, but my understanding of those subjects has transformed my F1D program and is single-handedly the reason my flight times in Cat I have gone from 15 minutes into the 20's.
Good flying,
Joshua Finn
Received on Thu Oct 25 2012 - 05:39:24 CEST
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