Steve Meyer wrote:
Where we going with this thread?
Well a good launch is the first part. You also get to do speed and distance which is typically what decides the contest instead our favorite topic, landings. Man on man flight strategy in distance is a whole other world. Models can gain altitude in lift with ballast and without circling!
F3B has done a nice job of creating an equal launch environment. A big part of F3B is getting a good launch. Many people would not be able to launch properly from an F3B winch. If you can't launch well from a standard TD winch you will have a problem with an F3B winch.
And most people would not be able to afford an F3B winch or keep replacing the Monofilament line on it that other people would abuse. (I can hear the whiners now complaining about the cost.)
F3b winch from F3x - $725, Definitely below the cost of the typical cost of a moldie. Maybe $150 more than the cost of a bagged model. And at most, twice the price of an electric motor/controller/battery that all the potential sailplane pilots who happen to fly electric use. These winches last forever. F3b winches typically have ball bearings and support the drum on both ends and run at lower currents.
The only reason mono gets expensive on F3b flying is the need to push the line diameter to the minimum you can get away with. Plus you have the option to relaunch. If you use 180 or 210 lb-test mono on an F3b winch, it will last a long time on grass. And if you use heavy line, it can be tied. Mono is a pain to get in the US because we don't use it.
This winch setup seems to work everywhere else in the world, and even in Europe.
The solution: Closely matched winches, man on man. That's a contest.
Sounds like F3b to me. Plus you don't have to argue about skegs ;:)
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