"Dead-Stick" Challenge!

[BlockerAviation]

The Dead Stick Landing Challenge!​

The dead stick landing challenge is an awesome challenge that my club and I really enjoy. The goal of this challenge is to stay in the air the longest without the motor on (hence the name dead stick). The challenge starts like this, the contestants line up with their airplanes and when the signal is given they through or take off their airplanes and have ten seconds to gain as much altitude as they can. Once the ten seconds have run out they must turn their motors off and try to stay in the air the longest. The last one down wins! As you can already tell, winning this challenge has as much to do with the airplane as it has to do with the skill of the pilot. This means you have to chose/build an airplane that glides well and learn its characteristics.

Rules(Up to Date)!​

One good thing about this game is that there are next to no rules or limitations on what you can do! The only rules are...

1. You can only run the motor for the first ten seconds of your time.
2. The time starts when the plane leaves the ground or your hand, and ends when it touches the ground.
3. Once you turn off the motor you can't turn it back on.
4. Longest flight time wins.
5. The airplane that is used must have a motor/engine.
6. The wingspan of your airplane can not exceed 115% of the length of the fuselage of your airplane.
7. The flight must be done on relatively flat land (so no steep slopes or cliffs).
8. Have fun!

If we get enough contestants I'll consider getting a prize for the winner, and entries should be a video of your flight (with a stop watch if you can) and are due by Jan 15. Feel free to build an airplane specific to this challenge. Finally if you find any loopholes or explodes in my rules feel free to use them and have fun!

 

[flyingkelpie]

Wait...does the area that you take off have to be flat?

 

[BlockerAviation]

Wait...does the area that you take off have to be flat?

It's up to you! You can throw your airplane if you want, too!

 

[BlockerAviation]

Wait...does the area that you take off have to be flat?

I'll even accept a catapult launch! Like I said there are very few rules!

 

[flyingkelpie]

Hmmmm! I'll get thinking!

 

[BlockerAviation]

Hmmmm! I'll get thinking!

I can't wait to see what people are going to come up with!

 

[Monte.C]

I'm liking the looks of this challenge! Complete freedom of design, to satisfy a specific purpose.

Well, actually a two step mission.

 

[Monte.C]

But wait just one minute. Do I understand this correctly?
You present the challenge just as you're completing the winning entry??!

 

[Piotrsko]

Um,,, there's a bunch of us slopers that have hours long flights, probably ditto for the DLG, and motorgliders, you bar just got really high.

 

[Monte.C]

Um,,, there's a bunch of us slopers that have hours long flights, probably ditto for the DLG, and motorgliders, you bar just got really high.

 

[BlockerAviation]

Um,,, there's a bunch of us slopers that have hours long flights, probably ditto for the DLG, and motorgliders, you bar just got really high.

Dang, didn't think about that! Feel free to do it! It still takes skill to slope so I'll allow it.

 

[LitterBug]

I am coverting an old .049 "Texaco" plane to electric power. similar principle in that you flew as long as you could. idea was to get as much altitude before running out of gas, flying the longest after running out of gas, and landing closest to a marker.

http://www.modelflyingnz.org/docs/comprules/S04-Vintage.pdf

 

[BlockerAviation]

I am coverting an old .049 "Texaco" plane to electric power. similar principle in that you flew as long as you could. idea was to get as much altitude before running out of gas, flying the longest after running out of gas, and landing closest to a marker.

http://www.modelflyingnz.org/docs/comprules/S04-Vintage.pdf

I have built similar to that too. It's an electric free flight called the mut. It's a competition glider for the e36 class.

 

[Monte.C]

If we really wanted to go crazy on this we could say the wingspan can be no greater than 1.X times the airplane length.
That would force mostly new builds specific to the challenge, but I guess it wouldn't work here. It makes it sound more like a university semester project/challenge.

 

[mdcerdan]

Well, for me and all the people down the equator is summer so we have thermal activity. Actually today was so strong I could be in the air until sun go down, easily beating all of you guys.
Put some restriction on wing loading or something like that.

 

[BlockerAviation]

Well, for me and all the people down the equator is summer so we have thermal activity. Actually today was so strong I could be in the air until sun go down, easily beating all of you guys.
Put some restriction on wing loading or something like that.

That's a good idea, I think if we use Monte.c's and your ideas it might solve this loophole. I'll start drafting up a new rule.

 

[mdcerdan]

Limit of wing area will be an alternative. It will rule out large motor gliders off the challenge.

 

[Monte.C]

Well, for me and all the people down the equator is summer so we have thermal activity. Actually today was so strong I could be in the air until sun go down, easily beating all of you guys.
Put some restriction on wing loading or something like that.

That's a good idea, I think if we use Monte.c's and your ideas it might solve this loophole. I'll start drafting up a new rule.

Yeah that's what I mean. But maybe forget about wing loading. If you restrict WS over length then the only freedom to increase wing is with a long chord (if you want.) That might make for some interesting designs.
The only problem there is that the slope guy on Youtube flies some pretty crazy things, including the Lazy Bee - short WS, long chord...

 

[Monte.C]

Yeah that's what I mean. But maybe forget about wing loading. If you restrict WS over length then the only freedom to increase wing is with a long chord (if you want.) That might make for some interesting designs.
The only problem there is that the slope guy on Youtube flies some pretty crazy things, including the Lazy Bee - short WS, long chord...

OH wait - that might be ok because you only have 10 seconds to go up. A fat Lazy Bee can't get very far very fast in a vertical direction.
It's just that the challenge won't work unless you can tweak the parameters to exclude sailplanes & slope soarers.
Oh hey: maybe the submittal vid has to be done on reasonably flat land.

 

[BlockerAviation]

OH wait - that might be ok because you only have 10 seconds to go up. A fat Lazy Bee can't get very far very fast in a vertical direction.
It's just that the challenge won't work unless you can tweak the parameters to exclude sailplanes & slope soarers.
Oh hey: maybe the submittal vid has to be done on reasonably flat land.

I think my rules covered most of the loopholes. The up to date rules are on my first post!