October 24
Basic Carrier, and Class 1
As we are a noise sensitive site we must comply with the clubs general noise level regulations. Please ensure you have a, working, effective, silencer and be prepared to take steps to reduce the levels if asked. It's a beautiful site and we don't wish to loose it, be sensible and we can all have fun.
Location of the site can be found here Google Map link Driving North along Bunkers Hill, the site entrance is to the left side and set back from the road, just past the Gumley Road turn on the right, . Look for the white sign on the gate with red lettering.
Please close the gate after entering the drive, as there are sheep in the field. Please park in the Carpark and find us first. Models can be transported to the appropriate circle by car but have to pass close to the RC flight line so introduce yourself to the CL Contest Director (Andy Green) first.
The Club has toilet facilities, both male and female, and club house with cooking/ washing facilities and a fridge.
As there is ample notice of this event, ANY interested CL fliers are welcome to come and look around, or fly if accompanied by an existing club member.
We have two control line circles one flat and one that slopes a bit. On the day there will be practice deck available, should it be needed, on another piece of the field.
For details on any of the above contact:
Andy Green
Mobile. 07768 230664
or
Zoe Quilter
Competition results will be available from this website as soon as they are known
This is our first attempt at a hosting a Carrier Comp so please help us make it a success. Thank you. We look forward to seeing you all.
Peter Catlow
The Control Line group of the Leicester MAC is a small, but enthusiastic group. On most Sundays there will be four or five members at the site enjoying flying their models, such as Aerobatic, Racing, Carrier Deck or Combat planes.
At
present we have an established grass circle, which sadly for serious
Stunt fliers,
slopes quite a bit, however we also have a recently finished second
level
circle, which is now usable.We run regular Club racing competitions for fun, see article by Zoe below. We do not have enough interested members to hold true team race events, so they are very simple and any member is welcome to enter; we can even provide a model if you feel the urge to have a go.
Control Line fliers, of any standard, are welcome to join us, and are sure to find the support they need to make the most out of this great branch of aeromodelling!
LMAC CL Team Race Events
Zoe Quilter
As
this is the only event we run on a regular basis, so it's worth giving
an insight into the rules. These races are a bit of a misnomer, a more
accurate description may be Time Trials. The reason being that we don't
have
enough willing people available to organise anything approaching true
team racing.The races are run on the first Sunday of each month.
There are three classes (which bear only a passing resemblance to true team race, past or present). The rules have evolved to be as inclusive and simple as possible to encourage anyone to have a go.
1) Race run over 100 laps, with one compulsory pit stop.
2) Line length is actual line length, not centre to centre, to keep things simple.
3) Class 1/2A - any model - line length 12.8m (42') - any engine up to 1.6cc (.10)
(The aim of 1/2A is to encourage beginners as the pilot flies and pits his/her own model) 13/04/10 This rule has now been deprecated to the following as no beginners were taking up the offer?
Owner of the model pits, any competent pilot flies the model. Owner can still pit and fly if they wish.
4) Class A - any model - line length 16.8m (52') - any engine up to 3.5cc (.21)
Owner of the model pits, any competent pilot flies the model. Owner can still pit and fly if they wish.
5) Class OPEN - any model - line length 16.8m (52') - any engine up to 6.5cc (.40)
Owner of the model pits, any competent pilot flies the model. Owner can still pit and fly if they wish.
A speed event
Any model up to 2.5cc (0.15)
Line
length 12.8m (42ft) This allows any of our 1/2A teamrace models to be
entered as they are, with no need for different lines.
No time limit on engine starting, take as long as you want.
Timed over 10 laps from when the model passes the timekeeper for the
first time.
Three attempts allowed, best speed to count.
Now for the sting in the tail *Grin*
Winner is the model with the closest to the average of all the entries
speeds. This should give everyone a chance.
We can provide a model for anyone wanting to have a go.
Non
club members can be signed in as a guest if you wish to visit and see
our facilities. Valid BMFA insurance required and and general club rules
apply.
These were the results:
Name
Time
Difference
Position
Ken Stanley
29.59
1.95 1
Andy Green
35.18 -3.64
2
Zoe Quilter
27.84 3.7
3
Bob Stanley
25.10 6.44
4
Phil Clarke
40.00
-8.46 5
Ade Key 9
laps no
score
Average
31.54
Bragging rights to Bob Stanley for fastest flight of the day.
This
was enjoyed by all, if anyone is interested we could make it a semi
regular event? email me on admin in this instance, or speak to me at
the field. Zoe
Quilter
Bitterfeld
World Cup Competition (Germany) 28
& 29 April 2007
Peter
Catlow
During a conversation with Rob Kitley at last year's World Championships in Spain, it was suggested that we should enter the Bitterfeld World Cup F2B event in 2007. As we are both learning German, it seemed a good way to get both flying and language experience. In the end Rob was unable to go to Germany for various reasons, including the birth of a new daughter, so I set off alone in my van for the 750 mile drive to East Germany. I have friends who live in Jena, 70 miles west of Bitterfeld, so the plan was to spend time with them, before and after the event, and make the trip into a weeks holiday.
Having arrived at the competition site (one tarmac and two grass circles) and set up my tent, it was time for a practice flight. This did not go well, as the White Knight staggered through the schedule with a rather slow engine run. However, some needle valve tweaking soon had the motor running better, but I decided to avoid further embarrassment and not have another practice flight. In any event, it was almost impossible to get into the circle, the Czechs and Slovaks do practice a lot!
This gave me the opportunity to see what was happening in the other circles, namely Speed, Team Race (F2C and F2F), Mini Team Race, Combat and Scale; something for everyone! There were competitors from 11 countries, with 24 in F2B, 41 in Combat and 7 to 10 entries in each of the other events. In addition, there was beer and sausage for sale on site!
The downside was that it was quite difficult to find out what was going on. The competition was fairly relaxed with no pull tests or compulsory safety straps in F2B and I only discovered, on Saturday morning, that I was flyer no. 2 (alphabetical order), when flyer no. 1 was half way through his schedule! Still, I didn't have time to panic and my flight was OK (by my standards) and my scores increased round by round as the weather got worse. By Sunday afternoon the wind was very strong, and the conditions very turbulent.
The competition standard was very high, any of the top 10 would probably win our Nationals and the next seven or eight were also good flyers. Down at my end of the competition, there was a good contest going on between the also rans, so I was quite happy to get in three scoring flights and finish 20th out of 24. The winner was Luc Dessaucy of Belgium with a Saito four stroke powered model, second was Alex Schrek of Slovakia and third Jiri Vejmola of the Czech Republic, both flying piped two strokes. Full results can be seen at http://moebi-f2-team.de
Was it worth the effort? It certainly was! The German competitors were incredibly friendly (most of them speak perfect English) and could not have been more helpful, so it was a great experience, I shall certainly enter more World Cup events in the future.
Control Line Models
An
Introduction
(Originally taken from the 2007
BMFA Nat's program)
Control Line flying has been around for much longer than people realise. It was certainly around in the 1940's, and is a never ending challenge to those that take it seriously. As technology evolves so do the models, power plants, and ways of flying them. It is far from an outdated form of model flying, and not quite as easy as it may look at first glance.
Many CL fliers fly just for fun and build models that give them pleasure in building and flying, without regard to the rules that regulate competition flying. However, competition flying gives an added dimension, and can improve technique and knowledge at a greatly accelerated pace. There are a great variety of classes and many sub divisions in control line competition. Please be aware that what follows are extremely brief descriptions of the basic categories to give a flavour of what goes on; the actual rules can sometimes be far more involved. Basic classes in each category, tend to be simplified versions of the rules proper to encourage newcomers.
Speed
Fly one at a time against stopwatches. The fastest model wins.
Pilots fly one at a time before judges, and describing specified shapes in the air.
Team
Racing
Three pilots fly together. Racing with pit stops for refuelling.
Scale
Miniature versions of full sized aircraft. Pilots fly one at a time
before judges
Carrier
Pilots fly one at a time, take off from a model
carrier deck, fly as fast as possible, as slow as possible, then
attempt to land back on the deck.
Combat
Two pilots fly together. Each model has a streamer tied to its tail and
each pilot tries to cut his opponent's streamer.
To start, if possible it's best to join a club, or work with an experienced control line flier, this way you will be able to progress quickly and have your many questions answered.
It is always wise to choose a model that is easy to build and repair in the beginning. Contact your local authority to find out what the regulations are about flying in local open spaces is wise' if you have no other options.
Flying control line models is not a dangerous sport if approached sensibly, but you will need to learn how to tackle starting an engine and setting up the flying session so that the risks are minimised. Learning with an experienced modeller will make this process much easier and more fun; and if nothing else, will help ensure that your model stays in one piece for longer!
A web site dedicated to Control Line well worth a visit, is:
Barton Model Flying Club, Control Line Forum
And my own site (shameless plug!) http://www.fuelsoaked.me.uk/ (Admin)