Is anyone besides me interested in some Glider activity at FF 2015. I'm bringing my Radian and my Photon motor gliders. I'm kind of hoping for some informal ALES action but just having some fun and learning from others is just fine. I may get motivated and buy a cheap DLG to play with. Chime in if theres any interest. See you all there.
Gliders at FF 2015?
- Thread starter abieex
- Start date
At FF 2014 there were several people flying gliders. I was even throwing the alula dlg around in the mornings. There were alot of UMX radians. They were everywhere.
If you aren't doing DLG or motorgliders, you can probably get someone to tow you up, but high starts are not really an option, just to crowded, probably.
If you aren't doing DLG or motorgliders, you can probably get someone to tow you up, but high starts are not really an option, just to crowded, probably.
Speaking of which . . . I pitched an idea at last Nall that fell apart mostly due to time:
Glider Combat.
Simple 2-3 channel conversions of the sub-$10 chuck gliders (Airhog Titans or similar), drug skyward by dueling high-starts -- all up, last down, but full open combat, done in rounds sized by the number of highstarts. Biggest issue was running out of time . . .
. . . but there's plenty of time between now and FTFF . . . thoughts?
I really enjoy anything completely destructive! I may install a variometer/altimeter in my Radian. Once we're off we should be able to stay higher than everyone else. I could see the glider version of the tiny trainer as our combat bird. Probably no high starts so we may need the motor glider set-up. I am all over this Dan!!
If we set this up early-ish on Friday or Saturday we'd have enough people present, but the lines wouldn't be crowded yet. I don't see why we couldn't set up a pair or triplet of highstarts or upstarts on one line at the end. Hafta get clearance to do it, and get a few of the really big rubber bands loaned for the project, but I think the high-start tiny trainer would be perfect.
High start would prevent people from cheating as they chase each other down . . . otherwise, it's just combat with clean airframes
Then again with three in the air I can see two chasing each other gloriously and the third staying out of the way, milking the flight for the boring win . . .
I REALLY like slope combat, forces everyone to stay close so you get lots of contact. How many shop fans would it take to simulate a slope in a flat field
um, Josh, we're going to have to commandeer the flappy dudes . . . and we'll need 30 more with power, if you don't mind.
joker24458
Member
I would bring my DLG to FF15, but where would I launch? I don't want to be standing out in the line of fire as planes are doing low buzzes and landings (and crashes).
rcspaceflight
creator of virtual planes
The only RC event I went to someone I was talking to was flying is powered glider, trying to do glider stuff. He was told he could stay up high and then power back up high when he got low into the area everyone else was flying. But he stopped because he said other people kept flying up near him. So he couldn't really fly it like a glider because other people would get in the way.
I'm not saying that would happen at FF. But... as the saying goes, don't take anything to a flying event you absolutely want to take home in one piece. DLGs tend to be expensive, would you really be okay with someone crashing into it and breaking it?
I'm not saying that would happen at FF. But... as the saying goes, don't take anything to a flying event you absolutely want to take home in one piece. DLGs tend to be expensive, would you really be okay with someone crashing into it and breaking it?
I'll be bringing my radian with me
I would bring my DLG to FF15, but where would I launch? I don't want to be standing out in the line of fire as planes are doing low buzzes and landings (and crashes).
My DLG flinging was early in the morning and late in the evening...when it wasn't as crowded. There were a couple of us, we would just stand at the fence line and take a few steps onto the field and fling the plane up, then retreat back to the line.
It would certaintly take a bit of organization, but a mass highstart, combat type of thing sounds like a great time. Are there enough pilots with gliders (willing to charge headfirst into...whomever) to make this an approachable subject with josh et.al?
For a glider gaggle? that's no problem. Build up interest here, and there's bound to be others who brought theirs along.
For Glider combat? That takes prep, but it's doable.
We'd need to gather gear, set simple rules and have enough interest from here it's worth advertising elsewhere (we're near that critical mass now). The average pilot who just shows up would need to prepare an airframe ahead of time -- not hard, but not spur of the moment -- so they would need to know about it in time . . . and a day's warning might be enough. Something that is announced and talked up Friday, the pilot can pick up a tiny trainer and build in a few hours, and be ready for Saturday morning.
Now is about the right time to start. I'm gonna put up the official/unofficial NASBWACC '15 trash talking thread in a week or two and the glider combat should be about the same, timing wise.
My only concern (and will likely be the pushback) is "too many events". That may not be a concern voiced, but it's something we'll need to consider. Every event we have dilutes others, and shuts down a line or two, usually during prime time. IMO, I think this one is okay, so long as it's a morning event while the lines are just warming up. On Saturday, that's likely even before the pilot's meeting (admittedly, that's late morning).
All that being said, I vote "If you build it, they will come"
For Glider combat? That takes prep, but it's doable.
We'd need to gather gear, set simple rules and have enough interest from here it's worth advertising elsewhere (we're near that critical mass now). The average pilot who just shows up would need to prepare an airframe ahead of time -- not hard, but not spur of the moment -- so they would need to know about it in time . . . and a day's warning might be enough. Something that is announced and talked up Friday, the pilot can pick up a tiny trainer and build in a few hours, and be ready for Saturday morning.
Now is about the right time to start. I'm gonna put up the official/unofficial NASBWACC '15 trash talking thread in a week or two and the glider combat should be about the same, timing wise.
My only concern (and will likely be the pushback) is "too many events". That may not be a concern voiced, but it's something we'll need to consider. Every event we have dilutes others, and shuts down a line or two, usually during prime time. IMO, I think this one is okay, so long as it's a morning event while the lines are just warming up. On Saturday, that's likely even before the pilot's meeting (admittedly, that's late morning).
All that being said, I vote "If you build it, they will come"
I'll try bringing an nnDLG if it's finished before FTFF. I'd rather like to see the glider combat Dan alluded to, but there would have to be a lot of high starts or lots of pilots willing to risk their tow plane.
Love glider combat idea and I'll participate in whatever form it takes. My thought on my motorgliders was to put them up from the flight line then step back to my chair and let someone else fly from that position. My Radian will stay in the air longer than I want to hog up a flight line position and I can easily stay up and out of the way. Any thoughts on this?
We've had issue with this out on my club field -- a bit overblown in that setting (IMO), but as things get more crowded . . .
One of the reasons pilots stand on the line is it's easier to cross-communicate if the other pilots are within a few dozen feet or so of each other. On our club field, some people, when no one is around will pop their plane into the air then sit and fly -- no big deal, until they repeat that habit on a club day when the field is busy and no one knows who's flying *THAT* plane, and no way to ensure you're communicating with them. I'd say from a pilot-to-pilot communication standpoint, that might not be the safest thing to do in a large crowd.
Had it happen last night when two planes in the air magically became 3. Somebody decided to throw a trainer plane in the air from the side field reserved for control line -- I've got no issue with the guy flying, no issue with the CL section ACTUALLY getting used, but he *could* have driven the extra 200' over to the main field and the extra plane in the airspace wouldn't have been a surprise. We'd have happily stayed out of his way and vice versa, but the surprise was unwelcome.
In the same respect, you're up above everybody and staying there, but you can't stay there forever. When you re-enter the flight pattern the people flying that line should already know you're in the area by your presence on the line, not the speck of a plane flying above them.
(now at night, do you *think* I'm not going to pull out my night glider and lawn chair and putter around the sky for 45 min or so? all depends on how crowded the airspace is)
I get it Dan. Time to rattle the Monkey Man and see if we can come up with a glider flight line. Maybe down towards the entrance. I heard we were going to use a new exit this year so maybe in that area. Folks won't like glider guys using a spot for 45 minutes and I don't blame them. Im sure it can be worked out and you do have valid safety points.
