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[Steve Edwards]

cplr


lots of other flights here as well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjVDLE1UlE8

Onda flight


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXDX39s0dCA

[Ashley Hoyland]

Wednesday 12.08.2015 - I am sat on the main site adjacent to FL1.  Kevin is assembling his models now ready for a 09:06 flight, Keith is flying at 10:06 and Matt later this afternoon and is out at Hinwil practicing.

There is no wind and the sun disk will be used again this morning until around 11am.

After three preliminary rounds I can say the effort from the GBR pilots did not stop when they packed their cars in the UK almost a week ago.  They have practiced at every opportunity and on occasions more than maybe necessary.  Getting the balance right for each pilot is so important.

I have watched a lot of flights and I have by no means seen everybody fly.  You may think that is strange but pilots turn up shortly (may be one hour) before their flight time, fly and then pack up and go, and if they are not flying around the same time as our team then we don't see them, and half the pilots are on the other flight line anyway.

In my opinion there is one pilot who stands out above the rest, he makes the odd mistake, but his flying is 'purposeful' at a 160 metres out, constant speed and no obvious change in engine noise throughout the flight.  His third flight was a delight to watch.

There is then a group of pilots and GBR included who are flying well and if you watch the odd manoeuvres it is hard to pick up any real problems, they all look good, but then sit and watch the whole flight very critically and you start to see where improvements can be made.  With a two year break between World Championships I have forgotten just how precise the flight has to be, particularly when there is little wind and I wonder how different the top 30 places might have been if there had been a 15 mph wind blowing.

A slight deviation from the line in a roll combination or a hesitant entry into a spin can make the difference, and those 2 or 3 degree over and under rolls stand out.  Pick a flight line a little too far out or vary the base height or the distance out just a little and points are eroded.  A pilots ranking can appear to be harsh but there are a lot of good pilots, as you would expect, and that odd point lost can make a big difference to the ranking. 

Thursday - Now the preliminary rounds are over there is naturally some disappointment around but I would like to thank our pilots for the cooperation and congratulate them on their efforts.  To Adrian for his support and also Sally and Helen and Kath. It would have been a lot harder out here for me without you. It was good to see Steve Burgess, Stuart Mellor and Brian Hoare.

[Gareth Gordon]

Morning,


Thank you for all the update and photos fellas, it's great to feel a part of the event and like a true saddo I have even found myself watching the live score updates a couple of times this week.

Just watched the CPLR clip and notice there is no smoke trail from the YS! Wondering if this is down to atmospheric conditions or simply a conscious effort by CPLR/ YS to remove the visable line a YS leaves when competing against electric....any thoughts?


A quick peak on the YS website showed that they have developed a YS185 CDi Zero designed to run on Zero nitro, sounds good, do we know what CPLR was using.

[Mike Wood]

Ditto Gareth

Thanks for all the updates.

[Mark Wilcockson]

Well done guys

[Bill Michie]

Well done to all the Team. It is difficult for the rest of us to comprehend the amount of work, cost, dedication & sacrifice to compete at this level, especially without major or widespread financial support & while holding down full-time jobs.
A great effort by all, enjoy the rest of the Worlds & have a safe trip home!

Best Regards, Bill

[Stuart Mellor]

Photo attached of Keith, Adrian & Ashley. It was soooo hot - I don't know how they did it...Mad dogs & English Men?
Not sure if Adrian's shorts helped or hindered Keith's scores.........

Also, Wolfgang Matt in his 25th! and last Champs. New Kunzit, obviously based on Citrine, but thinner and more tapered wings for snaps. Said he would continue modelling & designing since the bi planes offered new challenges & there was always something to improve.

[Ashley Hoyland]

Gareth

I did ask BPLR what engine CPLR was using and after a conversation in French with CPLR, BPLR confirmed it was a 185, but no further information was given so I believe it is a 185 Cdi on normal content fuel.

I don't think CPLR will be concerned about a smoke trail, but I do think it is the atmospheric conditions which make a difference as I have seen a smoke trail behind Christophe's model.

I am pleased you are finding our reporting interesting and we will bring you more news as it happens.

Ashley

[Stuart Mellor]

Just to take upon Ashley's previous point about scores. Was only there for a few days - but from the flights I saw on the 'easy' line..... scores in general were lower than the UK. Typically a 'UK' flight of, say 450, would only score about 400 over there.

Because standards are so high  - and big mistakes are rare at this level - minor indiscretions have to be 'punished', probably more than in the Uk - otherwise most would be scoring 8 & 9's! To be fair to the judges though - even the top people were punished for obvious mistakes.

A giant scoreboard meant you could immediately see individual manoeuvres scores in real time. A really good feature.

Saw some anomalies though - like 4,7,7,8,8 for the same manoeuvre! Made me wonder what some judges are actually seeing. At other times - consistent scores across the board.

Was impressed by CPLR's set up  - the 185 purring away, sounding like electric at times & absolutely no disadvantage for not being electric - perhaps because he flew it like an electric model!

[Bob Rowland]

Well done guys.
I have loved your updates and you should feel very proud of your performances ( including all the Team management and support)


Best Regards
Bob

[Ken Moss]

Ashley
Excellent Photos from the Worlds just shows how big the organization and money has to be to put on an event like this keep taking more please.

[Ashley Hoyland]

Thanks Ken

Sort of running out of models to photograph but there are a few more photographs today.  Amazing how many visitors there are and the organisers never stand still long enough to count them.  We are looked after very well on site and nothing is too much trouble, they don't hide when they see me walking towards them either.

I addition to scribes we have estimated the number of helpers on site to be over 50.

Enjoy your flying if you are going out tomorrow and Sunday.

Best wishes

Ashley

[Kevin Caton]

Here are a few reflections and thoughts from me after a busy week.


There are lots of good pilots here - most of them are very good. I haven't seen any poor flights at all. We scored about the same relative to the top few as we normally do. This time there are more people who have squeezed in the gap.


Don't worry about the absolute scores - the judging is VERY critical, as it needs to be at this level.


In the UK we still need to concentrate on the basics - straight lines, round loops, constant baseline and depth. I've been saying this for 20 years.


We need to look harder at stall turns - a constant speed sharp pivot without the centre of gravity dropping. I've also been saying this for 20 years!


The availability of top quality aeroplanes and reliable propulsion systems has increased the number of people competing at world class level. It's not cheap but you can turn up at the field with the same setup as the World Champion.


We could do with more flying sites set up with an F3A box marked out. This helps to build the discipline of holding the line and keeping in the box.


The organisation and infrastructure here has been very good. Real time manoeuvre by manoeuvre scoring has made watching more interesting.


It has been pleasant flying in calm conditions, even if it has been on the warm side.


I enjoyed all four of my competition flights (even the one in the pouring rain on Sunday!) and I am happy to have flown as well as I can.


The support from the rest of our team and helpers has been excellent and I am very grateful to everyone for helping to ensure that I only had to worry about flying the plane.


I'm looking forward to the finals tomorrow. As usual it will be a fantastic display of flying skill. It may be cool and wet too, which will be a change!


I'm looking forward to the Nats then preparing for the new P-17 and F-17 schedules. In the meantime I'd also like to thank everyone who has posted here and have been following us for their support and encouragement and for the financial support through the GBRCAA and BMFA.


Kevin

[Steve Hunt]

As others have said, it's been great to read the reports, check out the photos and follow the results to see how you and others have been getting on - well done to you all, and thanks.

Enjoy the rest of your time there and we'll see you all at the Nationals.

Steve

[Yoda]

Just saw the first unknown and I am disappointed how easy it is. In my opinion the unknowns flown during the finals of the world championships should test the worlds best F3A pilots and their equipment to the absolute limit. What I'm looking at is a walk in the park, especially for those guys. Not impressed.

Thanks for the update Kevin. Would you do another WC if you made the team?