Thanks Jim, I appreciate the feedback. A couple of you Chicago guys
were nice enough to share your wisdom. After seeing Rich Burnowski
conquer the wind on a couple of occasions I respect the Chicago guys!
I was hoping for a "smoking gun" that would be the solution to all
my problems...... Perhaps it would be easier to just buy a
Supra? (That's a joke, son.) :-)
Rick
At 10:33 PM 2/9/2006, James V. Bacus wrote:
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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