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Some Thoughts on Competitions
I wish we could find a new word to replace "Competitions" as this word conjures up thoughts of the need to win. In reality only those who fly FAI can win, or be 2nd or 3rd or 4th as we in the lower classes should always recognise that there is someone who can fly better than we can, they are just in a higher class. In the lower classes we are really competing against ourselves to improve our flying, and this is what we should get across to new members. Flying at a domestic gathering of F3A flyers is no more than a way of assessing our improvement over the last time we flew in a organised way in front of experienced judges. Only you will know how well you have flown. No one else but you will remember what you did last time out.
The point I am trying to make here is that it matters not what model we fly, it is our performance and our flying ability that counts.
At one end of the scale I can remember a 19 year old modeller designing a model with blue foam wings covered in brown paper and Profilm, fixed undercarriage, balsa fuselage, fitting a twenty year old engine and winning the Intermediate class at the Nats. The airframe cost less than £40.
G - MACH - Redshift 60 XR ifm on O.D. soft mount - O.D pipe and header - 11 x 11 APC prop - fixed U/C
At the other end of the scale there are those flying in Masters who have never won a competition, but they have flown well enough to gain promotion points. Improving our flying and achieving promotion points is what it is all about, but if by chance we win a few competitions on the way it makes our journey home on those days feel pretty good. Yes we do have league tables for each class, so if competition is what we want, then this is the way we record it, and of course choose our trophy winners at the end of the year. Link to Competition Results
There are several none 2M models to choose from: Flair's Swallow, MacGregor's Explorer V90, and the Zen 120 are just four.
Darren with his Flair Leo and YS 110 using APC 13.5 X 10 prop. Exhaust system, Hatori 725 pipe with 726 header.
Futaba FF9 Super with R149DP PCM receiver.
All Futaba servos are used.
Ailerons S9001. Throttle S3003 Rudder S3305 Elevator 1 x S3050.
Alistair and Bill Michie share this two metre model - a home build of conventional balsa construction.
...... and this is what it is all about, your Contest Director signing your score sheet to say you have gained promotion points.
Kevin Caton at the GBR/CAA Championships, RAF Cottesmore end of September 2006, signing James Stephens score sheet.
or this
Presentation at the Association AGM
Stuart Mellor after campaigning in Masters for some time beat off all the opposition to become
Masters League Champion 2006
(Stuart's model is reviewed here)