|
RE: Oxai Shark by Bryan Hebert
Bryan, does your response mean that the same airframe can be built as either EP or glow, or did you mean there will be both an EP and glow version? Thanks, Keith
Posted on: 10/30/2009 10:48 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9216608
RE: Oxai Shark by Bryan Hebert
Beautiful! I noticed that the one pictured on the site was a YS version, but the "Motor" stated on the Oxai web site is a Hacker C50. Does the production version have different openings in the motor compartment (specifically on top) for easy access to batteries? Keith B
Posted on: 10/30/2009 6:57 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9216041
RE: Cajun Nationals Crowley, LA. Oct 24 & 25
Jon, Lance and I will be there. Looking forward to it! Keith B
Posted on: 10/22/2009 8:40 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9194574
RE: post some pictures of your pattern plane!!
Nice job Glen. It's fun to watch that ever evolving Glen Watson color scheme. Quite different that a few years back but still clearly the GW look! [:D] Keith B
Posted on: 10/18/2009 8:47 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9183773
RE: Pincher or Thumber
[quote]ORIGINAL: Taurus Flyer Oh I forget one, safety, double security, what about a broken strap? Cees [/quote] Hee hee, that's funny, a broken strap. Maybe in Australian Rules full contact Pattern. [:D] Actually using a strap is probably safer. Just this summer I saw a guy without a strap have his transmitter slip out of his hands! He uses a strap now. [;)] Keith B
Posted on: 10/14/2009 1:32 AM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9171759
RE: Velcro for battery packs
Yoav, I almost hate to post this because I caught grief for my detailed Velcro sleuthing [:)], but I had the same question a while back which resulted in the following thread: [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5349544]www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5349544[/link] Post #13 has the real details, but the entire thread is worth a read. Keith B
Posted on: 9/24/2009 1:02 AM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9119590
RE: post some pictures of your pattern plane!!
Steve, that's a beautiful plane and paint scheme!
Posted on: 9/21/2009 11:07 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9114107
RE: A Step Change in Judging - Improvement through technology
Earl, That’s a very interesting point regarding F2D. Common sense tells us it’s important to have an auto shut-off, but no one accomplished it until they were required to. This reflects my feeling of where we are with Pattern and is why I titled the thread a “Step Change� in Judging. I believe there are ways to improve our judging process but we’re just sitting around accepting the status quo and complaining about “why� it can’t be improved. As Earl says, we’ve got plenty of talent to improve things and once we come up with solutions they will eventually float to the top. Many other sports, such as the Fencing example I used, have employed technology in a way that preserved the spirit of the competition but dramatically improved the accuracy, ease, and satisfaction of scoring and participation in general. Can you imagine the controversy at the Beijing Olympics when Michael Phelps touched the wall if no one had bothered to develop electronic timekeeping equipment? Surely we can come up with real ways to improve. Keith
Posted on: 9/12/2009 1:58 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9089635
RE: A Step Change in Judging - Improvement through technology
[quote]ORIGINAL: rwlewis Maybe a $200 Carbon Fiber stick with lithium nanotube powered LED's that weighs 0.00025 grams would work? [/quote] Oh my gosh, you guys are slaying me here!!! LOL Can we equip the Carbon Fiber stick with a laser distance finder and a woop woop woop sound if the plane exceeds 175 meters? BTW, very intresting point on the analog clicker device. Keith
Posted on: 9/12/2009 1:59 AM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9088740
RE: A Step Change in Judging - Improvement through technology
Glen, I don't need anything to smoke after reading your post, I'm freaking rolling on the floor! That's about the most complex darn suggestion ever; I can just see judges trying to figure that out. LOL [:D] Keith
Posted on: 9/12/2009 12:14 AM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9088567
RE: A Step Change in Judging - Improvement through technology
Despite my previous sarcastic post the clicker is worth discussing and potentially prototyping. For it to work we'd have to figure out a good way to keep the judge from accidently clicking scores for the wrong maneuver, this is what worries me. Maybe a combo of an ear-bud and a clicker with the ear-bud announcing each maneuver as you press the "next maneuver" button. Of course, if the pilot is flying fast and tight he could potentially outrun the voice on the device that is announcing maneuvers. This idea is definitely worth playing with, just a lot of issues to work out. Regarding the gracefulness, I wouldn't see this any different than counting down in one's head. If you were to mentally deduct extra points without the clicker then simply hit the clicker a couple of extra times. Shoot, it might be fun as a pilot to throw away a round just to see if you could cause the judges thumb cramps! Keith
Posted on: 9/11/2009 8:27 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9087969
RE: A Step Change in Judging - Improvement through technology
I hope the clickers are quiet; it could be unnerving as a pilot to hear click, click, click... [;)] Imagine you're a judge and the guy next to you starts going to town on his clicker but you're not sure what he sees. This could cause a bit of a herd mentality. He's clicking so I must be missing something... uh, click, click, click. In addition to hiding the pilots, as was stated in other posts, we'll need to hide judges from each other too. Is it time to enter the Matrix yet? [:D] Keith
Posted on: 9/11/2009 8:12 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9087924
RE: A Step Change in Judging - Improvement through technology
Chad, it's great to hear that a judge ranking system is used, but in its current form could force compliance with ignoring errors such as distance and illegal snaps. If no one else downgrades for distance or twinkle roles then the one that does looks bad. Why not remove that from the judges' role? Keith Black
Posted on: 9/9/2009 11:27 AM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9081473
RE: A Step Change in Judging - Improvement through technology
Regarding distance violation I think this is a huge issue because it’s rarely enforced and exceeding the distance limit provides a big advantage (bigger box, harder to see errors, maneuvers can be bigger). The real killer is that judges simply don’t know for sure what distance the plane is at. This makes one extremely hesitant to downgrade a maneuver, especially for a popular name pilot. As a pilot you have to consider should you take a chance and fly too far out so you’re not at a disadvantage or do you try and keep it close and suffer closer scrutiny? The pilot shouldn’t have to think about this. What would be nice is if we had a separate judge record distance violations on each maneuver (as Rusty indicated, but preferably electronically), this would automatically deduct points in the scoring program. The regular judges wouldn’t have to worry about distance but would only judge on geometry and gracefulness. Keith Black
Posted on: 9/9/2009 11:15 AM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9081448
RE: A Step Change in Judging - Improvement through technology
[quote]ORIGINAL: can773 How will a computer grade smoothness and gracefulness? Part of pattern is the presentation, I think having a computer grading system will take away from the pilots opportunity to earn points over his competitors through his style. It will get pretty boring if its only about the ''perfect'' geometry. [/quote] Chad, We can leave the human factor but provide technological assistance to help him on black and white issues. Keith
Posted on: 9/9/2009 10:49 AM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9081390
RE: A Step Change in Judging - Improvement through technology
[quote]ORIGINAL: Aresti-RCU I think we should learn from the football (soccer) regulations. The have discussed for years to add or not to add technology to the sport (such as chips inside the soccer ball to confirm it crossed the goal, video-assisted referees, etc.) and the finally decided the spirit of the sport is to keep the same. After all we are humans playing a human game prone to mistakes and controversies. But this is part of the game. Technology would ruin it. As for F3A, I don't know how much technology can help. After all a loop is not perfectly round. It just looks perfectly round from the pilot's (and judge's) point of view. Imagine a how a perfect vertical 8 would look in a gps trace! The top loops would be bigger than the bottom one just to keep the simmetry from the pilot's fixed point of view... [/quote] Aresti-RCU, That's an interesting perspective, I was not aware of the football (soccer) technology discussions. My counter to this argument would be that at least football employs line judges whose job it is to follow the action up and down the field so they had a good perspective of when the ball crosses the bounderies and goal line. They also employed a net so they would know if the ball went inside or outside of the goal, which otherwise is difficult to tell. In pattern, at most fields, it's impractical to have judges positioned where they can see the boundaries. BTW, I'm not suggesting that all human judgment would be removed, just that we use technology to improve. One other thought, at the Worlds Cup if an official makes multiple bad calls (missing off-sides, ignoring fouls, etc.) it's captured from multiple angles and the official will be notified and held accountable. In pattern we have absolutely no evidence or record of how the judges performed at the World Championships. Given the limitations with video at that distance it's difficult, if not impossible, to review the video to get answers. Wouldn't it be nice when someone says competitors are flying 220 meters out we could say conclusively they are absolutely mistaken, or they are correct? In our sport we have no evidence. This simply leads to controversy and judges repeating mistakes over and over. Keith Black
Posted on: 9/9/2009 10:46 AM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9081387
RE: A Step Change in Judging - Improvement through technology
Vince, I'm all for the training and I think we've come a long way in that area. The problem is we open ourselves to huge controversy over items that could easily be answered with technology, such as distance. In my previous sport, Fencing, we used to have four judges stand around the competitors and raise their hand when they saw a touché. You’d be shocked how much controversy was removed once we got electronic scoring machines that detected the touches. We still have Directors that interpret the action and determine “right of way� when there is a double touché, but there is no longer any question as to “if� there was a touch. The other interesting thing is that human judges can be intimidated by top ranking competitors; it’s hard to intimidate electronics! [:)] So imagine if a top ranked pilot flies too far out and the deduction is non-discretionary, this alone would be a huge plus. Here’s another idea: - Provide a device that detects inertia forces to determine if a snap is truly a snap! Keith Black
Posted on: 9/8/2009 11:26 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9080501
RE: A Step Change in Judging - Improvement through technology
I have some initial suggestions. These things can already be done with some of the existing trajectory software, but I'm not sure how to implement them in real time. I do know however that the auto racing teams have this type of info in real-time. - Display the distance from flight line on a digital display that can be seen by judges and spectators. - Display an alert that indicates when the aircraft is outside of the flight box (left, right, and vertical). - Display an indicator of wings level. Personally I'd love to have these tools in real-time to help myself in practice! Keith Black
Posted on: 9/8/2009 10:20 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9080289
A Step Change in Judging - Improvement through technology
There has been a great deal of discussion over the years regarding judging and how we can improve accuracy and fairness. I’ve heard suggestions of using technology that range from the “ideal� full computer automated judging to simply using technology to help give basic feedback, such as distance from the flight line. When we look at other sports we see technology used in amazing ways to give feedback on performance. Given the brain power we spend thinking of high-tech ways to improve our aircraft I believe we as a community are amply capable of moving our judging into the 21st century. I would like to propose that we share ideas on where we would like to be with our judging in five years and what initial incremental steps we can begin taking first. It’s my impression that one thing that stalls these discussions is we begin thinking about the “ideal� technological solution and we get bogged down in how to “eat the whole elephant� in one sitting. As the saying goes, “How do you eat an elephant?�, “One bite at a time.� Please submit your ideas and let’s see if we can come up with some actions that can be given a trial run at some contests next year. We’ll never get anywhere if we don’t take the first step! Keith Black
Posted on: 9/8/2009 10:12 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9080253
RE: Pombal, Portugal - F3A WC Arial View
This gives you a pretty good idea when people are flying on Site 3 and flying over the road just HOW far out they are!!! Keith B
Posted on: 8/12/2009 1:18 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9010629
RE: Pombal, Portugal - F3A WC Arial View
Here's are views of the US AMA National Site in Muncie, Indiana. Pictured in order are Site 1 & 3, Site 1, Site 3. Keith B
Posted on: 8/12/2009 1:15 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9010623
RE: Pombal, Portugal - F3A WC Arial View
Brian, In the first picture look in the top right corner and you'll see a circle with an 'N' indicating north. Regarding the two flight lines, I really have no idea where the pilot will stand or how many flight lines they have. I just slapped a box overlay on this to get a perspective of what the flying area is. I wasn't trying to create anything official. [;)] Keith B
Posted on: 8/12/2009 1:03 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9010594
Pombal, Portugal - F3A WC Arial View
I thought you guys would enjoy seeing this. I went to the Pombal, Portugal flying site in Goggle Earth and drew a box overlay. The darker triangle is 150 meters out; the lighter is 175 meters out. According to the WC [link=http://www.fpam.pt/WCF3A09/Informations/airfield.php]web site[/link] the runway has been lengthened since the Google photo, but it's still quite good enough to give a good perspective. Keith B
Posted on: 8/12/2009 2:04 AM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9009630
RE: Best way to fix a flying mistake
Your action should be determined based on the degree of error. Let's take the double loop for example. If you notice after the second loop you're a little further out or at a different (but safe) altitude then just fly it smoothly to the end and adjust in the turn-around maneuver. On the other hand if you’re pointed away from the flight line headed to the next county make a sharp turn and get back to the proper distance before you lose the airplane! BTW, I'm not being sarcastic; I've seen numerous times where a pilot tried to keep flying the sequence 300+ meters away where the plane could barely be seen (and not just in Sportsman). First priority, keep the plane safe. Second priority, get good scores. Keith B
Posted on: 8/10/2009 8:50 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9006131
RE: Turnigy Sentilion 100Amp ESC
Earl, are you flying the Neu motor now? Every time I've used the HV-85 with a Hacker C50 standard or Competition I've gotten the rough start issue where for a moment it isn't sure which direction it wants to go...clack, clack, clack, back and forth before spinning. Is this resolved with a new firmware upgrade or is it not an issue on the Neu? Keith B
Posted on: 7/30/2009 12:49 AM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8975523
RE: USA AMA NSRCA Pattern Nats Muncie Indiana
Talk about hijacking a thread!!! This thread is called: [b]USA AMA NSRCA Pattern Nats Muncie Indiana[/b] Moderator, how about moving this discussion to the appropriate place, "Post all your "Crappola" here". At the very least start a thread on the "Weight Debate" so those of use interested in reflecting on the NATS don't have to read all of this nonsense? Keith B
Posted on: 7/25/2009 2:49 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8962963
RE: Designing a new pattern model
Holy smoke, until I read the comment on Post #2 I thought I was looking at a stock photo that you pulled from YS! Keith B
Posted on: 7/25/2009 2:40 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8962947
RE: USA AMA NSRCA Pattern Nats Muncie Indiana
Thanks Todd, keep the pics coming so those of us stuck at home and work can enjoy vicariously! Best of luck this year, hope to see you in the finals!!! Keith B
Posted on: 7/14/2009 1:49 AM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8931409
RE: Glow vs. Electric. Let the discussion begin.
2Sunny, The MOST important thing for Sportsman through Advanced (and even many of us Masters pilots) is LOTS AND LOTS of stick time. So, how do you accomplish this? The answer for me is very clear, 2-cycle glow (OS 1.60 or OS 1.40RX). With these setups you will fly and fly and fly with very little down time. When flying 2-cycle glow it's not unheard of to fly for 17 to 20 minutes on one flight (that's a lot of times through the Sportsman through Advanced sequences). Three flights gives you 45 min -1 hr in the air. To get the same on electric you need 6 batteries (or charge between flights) AND you have to get on the flight line six times rather than three. That being said, I fly electric, but flight time is my biggest complaint. I believe that my quick progress in the earlier classes was due to a lot of stick time and if I had it to do over again I'd go back to 2-cycle until I became proficient in the basics. FWIW, Keith B
Posted on: 7/2/2009 4:55 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8901519
RE: Thunder Power Prolite V2 5300 cycle life comparison
Great info Chad. Do you have any data at higher discharge rates (as would be seen flying)? I understand that comparing during flight varies so it’s not a precise comparison, but I wonder if the old pack would compare as well at the higher amps. Also, any chance you can post a pic of how you mount the batteries (and secure them together)? Thanks, Keith B
Posted on: 5/29/2009 7:51 PM by Author "KeithB"
in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8809868
| 
