Indoor Flying with the O.F.F.C.

The lighter side of things
kittyfritters
Posts: 241
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:13 pm

Re: Indoor Flying with the O.F.F.C.

Postby kittyfritters » Fri Sep 21, 2018 5:04 pm

We did not have an O.F.F.C. meeting this week. Don, our president, could not contact any of the three venues we have on the phone to confirm availability. We are still searching for a venue for next week's Unlimited Scale contest. Panorama is unsuitable being the smallest venue we fly in since some of the indoor scale ships have 30 inch wing spans and do not turn that tight, and it has a really fierce air conditioning system that we cannot shut off for the contest. The floor replacement at Stonehurst is progressing slower than predicted and painting the markings on the new floor may still be in progress next week. We have not yet heard if Branford will be available. We have approached the CD, Bill Watson, with the possibility of having the contest outdoors at Stonehurst or postponing it again. Will post the decision by Tuesday.
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kittyfritters
Posts: 241
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:13 pm

Re: Indoor Flying with the O.F.F.C.

Postby kittyfritters » Mon Sep 24, 2018 10:26 pm

Per Don Martin, President, and Bill Watson, CD,

The Unlimited Scale Contest will be held Wednesday, Sept. 26, 9:00 AM, outdoors, at Stonehurst.

Don called the park staff and they will turn the sprinklers off Tuesday and Wednesday morning so that the field will be dry for us.

Don't be too enthusiastic about what you bring to fly...its outdoors, but the field is a bit smaller than the Grassy Knoll.

KF
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kittyfritters
Posts: 241
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:13 pm

Re: Indoor Flying with the O.F.F.C.

Postby kittyfritters » Sat Nov 10, 2018 5:46 am

OK, I did compete in the Unlimited Scale contest on September 26th, but did so badly that I was embarrassed to post about it. For continuity's sake I may as well get it over with.

The contest was, indeed, held outdoors at Stonehurst. It really was a beautiful morning, clear, and only a slight breeze. The wind held off until 11:00 AM. Eight people flew but there were 13 models. Amazingly enough, Bill Watson brought only one entry. Dave Gee brought a Dumas T-34 and a Clipped Wing Monocoupe. Barry Dougherty brought a Piper Cub as did Bill Watson and Don Butman who brought two and a peanut Pilatus Porter. Don Smith had a Comet Porterfield. Don Martin showed up with a Guillow's Cessna 180 and Hugh Lnaghans ahd an Aeronca Champ. I had nothing new to fly my SE5 being framed but uncovered (I did start the covering at the AMA EXPO but that's a post of another thread.) so I took a couple of my Beaver prototypes and a Pilatus Porter prototype down from the ceiling and put fresh rubber in them.

The strange thing was that with all the experience there and good weather everyone was having trouble getting anything to fly. It was nearly the end of the session when models started flying. Scale judging was a Mooney linup

The results were:

    1. Dave Gee Monocoupe 101.2 seconds (includesl 16 scale points)
    2. Don Smith Porterfield 96.1 seconds (10 points)
    3. Bill Watson Piper Cub 62.0 seconds (14 points)
    4. Don Butman Pilatus Porter 59.7 seconds (6 points)
    5. Barry Daugherty Piper Cub 46.8 seconds (15 points)
    6. Don Martin Cessna 180 46.1 seconds (12 points)
    7. Howard Littman Beaver (U-6B) 38.7 seconds (8 points)
    8. Hugh Langhans Aeronca 36.8 seconds (4 points)


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My Porter and one of my Beavers ended up cartwheeling in and tearing their wings off. Should have left them on the ceiling. Six years ago, when they were built, I could get a minute out of them. Oh, Well!

I did not go to the Mini-Stick contest on October 31. It was Halloween and I had to put up the decorations before the Trick-or-Treating started. No one gave me any pictures or any times.
The results were:

    1. Bill Watson
    2. Bill Watson (With so few entries the CD decided to let both of his count.)
    3. Jim Leuken
    4.Bud Matthews
    5.Don Butman

The next contest, No-Cal Scale, will be on November 28. With the Pearl Harbor No-Cal contest coming up on December 7 I expect that there will be many Pearl Harbor models at this contest.
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kittyfritters
Posts: 241
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:13 pm

Re: Indoor Flying with the O.F.F.C.

Postby kittyfritters » Sat Dec 15, 2018 9:37 pm

Time to catch up with the year. When we last left our intrepid fliers they were getting ready for the No-Cal Scale contest at the end of November. The usual location, Stonehurst Rec Center gym, was available. After the one hour meeting the contest commenced.

Firstly, the designated CD was not present. Kurt Young, who did not bring a model, "volunteered" to be the CD, record keeper and timer. The contest, for some reason (Remember, we're a bunch of old guys, @#%^ happens!), was not as well attended as one expects for a No-Cal contest with only five members bringing models. Some brought more than one, but the CD decided only the best flying model counted for scoring.

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The only new models were the Zero by Bill Watson and the Heinkel 119 by Dave Gee. Bill also brought a Fike which is usually a "sure thing" at a No-Cal contest. The Heinkel, by proportion and layout, and at just over 5 grams, looked like a sure thing but proved almost impossible to trim.

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Jim Leuken brought a Bucker Jungmeister being proxy flown for Dave Saks. Jim Leuken's gentle flying Bleriot pusher (A model of the first airplane Bleriot actually got to fly, although the No-Cal model can stay in the air longer than the real airplane.) has been at previous contests.

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Don Butman's PZL (Actually, he, being a bit OCD, brought two of them.) is an extremely reliable flier.

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I was going to bring my new F2A to fly and trim for the upcoming Pearl Harbor contest, but since I had not built it yet I patched up my much trashed, old P-36/Hawk 75 with Scotch Tape and tissue and flew it.

The results were:

1. Bill Watson Zero 191.4
2. Jim Leuken Bleriot 154.8
3. Don Butman PZL 133.2
4. Howard Littman P-36 71.6
5. Dave Saks Bucker 69.7
6. Dave Gee Heinkel 14.1

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The December contest is, as usual, the Ed Slobad Memorial R.O.G. Unlimited contest for any rubber powered model that will R.O.G. This can be very interesting since the Penny Planes with landing gear don't always win.
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kittyfritters
Posts: 241
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:13 pm

Re: Indoor Flying with the O.F.F.C.

Postby kittyfritters » Sat Dec 29, 2018 8:09 am

The December O.F.F.C. contest is ROG Unlimited. The CD is listed as Ed Slobod (FBTG). The FBTG stands from From Beyond The Grave since the contest is a memorial to Ed. The contest is for any rubber powered model airplane that will ROG. It was held on Boxing Day this year and was attended and due to timing and circumstances attracted five entries.

Bill Watson flew a model that he designed just for the contest. It was a small ROG with film covered wings and a rolled tube motor stick. His best two out of five flight score was 341.4 seconds! That’s 5 minutes and 69 seconds in the Stonehurst gym with the air conditioner/heater running. His best flight was a little over 4 minutes.

Joe Whiting came In second at 107.2 seconds flying an Embryo. I was third at 80.2 seconds flying an old Minnow with patched tissue and wings that had so many breaks that half the weight of the airframe was glue. Don Smith had an equally old Minnow. I had to leave early so I don’t know the significance of the notation on the timing sheet “STOMPED ON PLANE” in the third flight column in Don’s row. Winn Hammer got in some flights but could not get the model to ROG.

At this writing I have not received any photos from the contest.

The members have decided the schedule for 2019:
Month Model CD
January 30 Minnow Will Woods
February 27 Bostonian Hugh Langhans
March 27 Delta Dart (Build on Site) Dave Gee
April 24 Catapult Glider Howard Littman
May 29 Legal Eagle Bud Matthews
June 12 Outdoor Spot/Time Dave Gee
June 26 A-6 Jim Lueken
July 31 Dime Scale Joe Whiting
August 28 Phantom Flash Don Martin
September 25 One Design Dave Gee and Bill Watson
October 30 No Cal Don Butman
November 27 P-18 Barry Dougherty
December 18 R.O.G. Unlimited Ed Slobod (FBTG)

Don Martin has retired from the presidency of the group and Bill Watson has assumed the office.
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kittyfritters
Posts: 241
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:13 pm

Re: Indoor Flying with the O.F.F.C.

Postby kittyfritters » Sun Feb 03, 2019 2:20 am

The first O.F.F.C . contest of 2019 was for the old, reliable Minnows. On Wednesday, January 30 seven members battled for supremacy. It’s hard to get a really bad flight with a Minnow but getting great flights under a 24 foot ceiling that only has 22 feet of clear space (Yes, the dangling halogen lights are an improvement…Not!) takes real skill and some luck. Some of us were flying new ones built in the last two weeks and some old and patched.

The results were:
1. Bill Watson 220.39 seconds
2. Pete Basone 145.00
3. Don Butman 132.00
4. Howard Littman 131.84
5. Don Smith 123.39
6. Don Martin 113.39
7. Wynn Hammer 52.19

The February contest will be Bostonians.
Attachments
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kittyfritters
Posts: 241
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:13 pm

Re: Indoor Flying with the O.F.F.C.

Postby kittyfritters » Sat Mar 02, 2019 11:29 pm

The second O.F.F.C. contest of the year, Bostonian, was held on February 27th. Hugh Langhans was the CD.

There was a mix of new and old reliable models. Bill Watson brought a new model that was not only a brilliant example of a built to the rules Bostonian but used innovative structural techniques. Other models, new or not, were proven designs. Bill also brought a Bostonian T-craft. I don't know which one he got his best flight with.

I flew my original Irish Jumping Bean but only got two flights with it. The first was under wound and too short. The second was over wound and made like a pinball between the lights hanging from the ceiling. I figured I had the winding dialed in but while putting in in the stooge to wind for my third flight I broke the wing tip and while trying to fix that broke the landing gear out of the fuselage. (I didn't start flying indoor until 2009 and don't have well developed motion control synergies for handling smaller, relatively delicate models. Have to work on this. Getting old ain't for sissies!) Oh, well, I have another Jumping Bean on the bench and I had to leave early anyway.

The results were:

1st Pete Basone. 105.7
2nd Joe Whiting. 104.6
3rd Bill Watson. 90.5
4th Don Butman. 80.3
5th Howard Littman. 61.5
6th Don Smith. 23.6
7th Wynn Hammer. N/A

The pictures are Pete Basone waiting his turn to fly, Bill Watson with his new model, Bill's Bostonian T-craft, the timing table with Kurt Young, Stan
Christopher, Hugh Langhans timing and John Veal watching. When I get the group picture I will post it.

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The next contest will be Build-On-Site Delta Dart. Materials supplied by CD but we can bring our own rubber. Should be interesting!
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kittyfritters
Posts: 241
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:13 pm

Re: Indoor Flying with the O.F.F.C.

Postby kittyfritters » Sat Mar 02, 2019 11:38 pm

OK, Hugh Langhans just sent me the group picture so here it is. The other pictures are Joe Whiting winding his model, and Don Butman checking on the time of his last flight.
Attachments
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kittyfritters
Posts: 241
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:13 pm

Re: Indoor Flying with the O.F.F.C.

Postby kittyfritters » Thu Mar 21, 2019 9:49 pm

Well, the Old Farts have done it again! There will be an off the schedule contest in August shoehorned between the Dime Scale and Phantom Flash contests. Jim Leuken came up with the idea and, according to club rules, since he came up with it, he has to be the CD for it. :lol:

The contest will be RUBBER PAYLOAD. Jim brought the proposed rules to the meeting, yesterday, and the group discussed it. In spite of (or maybe because of) Dave Gee's attempts at rule bending the group came up with only one change, the payload weight must be clay. Everyone seemed to be excited about the engineering challenge involved and there was a lively discussion about which approach to take for the contest.

RUBBER PAYLOAD RULES (Provisional)

1. Model may be any size with any structural materials.

2. Model may use any wood, plastic or paper prop.

3. Model must be powered with a single loop of 1/8", flat, tan sport rubber of any length.

4. The payload weight must be made of clay.

5. The payload weight must be removable for weighing.

6. Flying will be indoors.

7. Flights must be R.O.G.

8. The model must demonstrate a flight of at least 20 seconds without the payload.

9. The model must make a flight of at least 20 seconds with the payload to have an official flight.

10. The winner is the model that makes a flight of at least 20 seconds with the heaviest payload.

Bill Watson, who had been working with Jim on the proposed rules, came to the meeting with a model built to the rules as they stood before the change. It was an all balsa, ROG type, with a high aspect ratio, extreme camber, wing of about 24 inch span. It flew fairly well but looks as though it will need a larger prop to carry a significant load and longer landing gear to clear the larger prop. Many approaches to the problem were discussed from designing a new model to using a P-18 with landing gear and a payload holder. It will be interesting to see the different models that are built.

Think about it, what would your approach be?

KF
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kittyfritters
Posts: 241
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:13 pm

Re: Indoor Flying with the O.F.F.C.

Postby kittyfritters » Fri Mar 22, 2019 10:39 pm

Got an email from Jim. The rule about the flight without the weight will be eliminated. A waste of time at the contest and doesn't really prove anything.

KF
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