F3B Technicalities
ONE CAN HARDLY say that F3B has become more popular in the United States since the last RC Soaring World Championships in 1987. Yet interest in what happens at the F3B Champs runs high among Sailplaners who know that some of the cutting-edge F3B technology can and does filter down to nearly all levels of RC Soaring. As the first F3B World Champs to implement the new limited-power winch motor rules, the 1989 meet, held near Paris, France, may have excited more than usual curiosity among the RC Soaring fraternity. The emphasis in this article is on a review of a number of technical aspects observed at the 1989 contest.
RC: Soaring
MANY Glider-guiders flew in this year's Nats Soaring events-a total of 425 for the six official events. That number-425-represents contestants who actually flew in the Nats and does not include no-shows. The 1990 Nats marks the first year three new Soaring classes were flown as official events: Hand Launch, Sportsman F3B, and Sport Scale (new rules). The site was Lincoln High School in Vincennes, IN. First thoughts of a school grounds for a Soaring site bring to mind all kinds of obstacles with which to contend. Not so at Vincennes, as the field was adequate in size, relatively clear, and actually had grass on it.
'91 All American Nationals: RC Sailplanes
BIGGIE: The AMA Nationals remains the biggie of American Soaring contests. Nowhere else will you find as many diverse Soaring events combined with large contestant entries. The Nationals is traditionally a come-one-come-all contest with entry available to any AMA member. Nationals Soaring is sort of a big party combined with the selection of National Soaring Champions. The 1991 rendition offered no fewer than six official events: F3B, Sport Scale, Sailplane, Hand Launch Sailplane, Two-Meter Duration, Standard Class Duration, and Unlimited Class Duration.
Radio Control Nationals: Soaring
TOGETHERNESS: The 1992 Nationals was the first time that all events-including soaring-were held at the same site. In the radio control events, this was accomplished by splitting the frequencies and by time sharing. This scheme had advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side, it was possible to visit other events easily, and soaring seemed to be more a part of the overall Nationals. On the negative side, fewer frequencies were available for soaring, and the events were spread over a longer time span. If a competitor wished to enter all soaring events, it was necessary to be onsite for eight days.
Callisto '82
T-tail gives the model a dinstinctive look while in flight. A wide speed range for the model is achieved by a combination of light wing loading and low overall drag.
