I like to move the Cg forward a tad in the wind.
Walter
----- Original Message -----
From: "James V. Bacus" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <soaring@airage.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2006 7:33 PM
Subject: Re: [RCSE] Wind Question - Not for Sport Fliers
At 02:56 PM 2/9/2006, Rick Eckel wrote:
I'm heading for a contest this weekend and it looks like it is going to be
a howler. Nice weather but wind to 20+ mph. I have flown in this many
times but I've never gotten the knack for making my time in these
conditions. Others do, so there must be a technique or trick. I'm
looking for guidance. Should I ballast? (duh.)
Yes, and you will need to practice with it in these conditions for it to
be effective.
Should I move the CG?
No.
Should I fly reflexed for the whole flight?
No.
Would it be better to fly a shorter wing span or a longer wing span?
I'd fly the same model I always do...
What's the wisdom from those who relish these conditions?
You have to realize everything is happening faster, the thermals are going
to be traveling fast down wind. You have to be careful to keep your
flying speed up, each thermal turn into the wind is going to slow your
model down faster than you are used to, and likewise in the downwind turn
you need to keep the model flying and not just coasting/floating in the
wind. This might appear as very aggressive (not smooth) flying when you
first see it.
You have to adjust your thinking to returning in a head wind, your height
gain to getting back to the field ratio is different.
Also, you can work tree lines, ridges, etc. in the wind very effectively
depending on the field. You don't always have to rely on thermal lift in
these conditions.
Jim
Downers Grove, IL
Member of the Chicago SOAR club, and Team JR
AMA 592537 LSF 7560 Level IV R/C Soaring blog at www.jimbacus.net
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