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

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ED SLOBAD MEMORIAL ROG UNLIMITED CONTEST

Since it is open to any rubber powered model that can ROG this is always one of the more interesting contests of the year. You never know what kind of model that people will bring. There were designed for the job models, P-18s with landing gear, Legal Eagles, and even an Embryo.

Bill Watson and Jim Leuken brought designed for the job models. Bill flew away with it, to no one’s surprise. Jim got some tough competition from the Legal Eagle and P-18 fliers. There wasn’t a dull moment with models in the air right to the end. This was a fitting end to the OFFC ‘s 2019 year.

At the meeting, the contest schedule for 2020 was finalized. We’re short CDs for three contests but we can Shanghai members as needed. OFFC members will get the contest schedule with the 2020 directory. The contest for January is Minnow on January 29th.

The contest results were: (Best single flight)

1.Bill Watson..........Own Design...........186.0 seconds
2.Paul Avery...........Legal Eagle...........111.0
3.Don Butman.........P-18....................97.0
4.Jim Leuken..........Own Design............88.0
5.Howard Littman.....Legal Eagle............83.0
6.Joe Whiting..........Legal Eagle............76.0

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At today's O.F.F.C. meeting the 2020 Directory and Contest Calendars were distributed. The Contest Calendar is as follows:

• Date Event CD Name
• Jan 29.......Minnow........................Bill Watson
• Feb 26 ......Delta Dart (Built on Site)....Dave Gee
• Mar 25.......Embryo........................Will Woods
• Apr 29........No-Cal........................TBS*
• May 27.......Dime Scale...................Joe Whiting
• June 10......Outdoor Spot-Time..........Dave and Ralph
• Jun 24.......A-6.............................Howard Littman
• Jul 29....... Peanut Scale..................Dave Gee
• Aug 26...... RTP Rubber Speed...........Jim Leuken
• Sep 30.......Legal Eagle...................TBS*
• ]Oct 28......One Design....................Bill and Dave
• Nov 25.......P-18............................Paul Avery
• Dec 30,,,,,,,R.O.G. Unlimited.............Ed Slobad (FBTG)

CD will issue rules for each meet, possibly with customized requirements. No griping!
Dissenters invited to volunteer as a CD next year.

Other unlisted events are possible. Anyone requesting another event will be CD for that event

TBS* indicates that the CD for this event will be shanghaied from the membership.

There was quite a bit of discussion about the RTP speed event. It looks like there will two classes, Unlimited and Racing Plane Profile Scale. The profile scale event will be No-Cal models but with all sheet construction allowed. Another possible rule for the profile scale class is to have all models use the 5 inch, Guillow's, red prop.

We shall see...

The Minnow contest is next week.

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On January 29 the OFFC Minnow contest was held at Stonehurst. Five contestants participated. Some of the models were new builds and some had been flying for over a decade.

The results were:

• 1. Bill Watson...............................206 seconds
  2. Don Butman..............................120
  3. Will Woods...............................106
  4. Howard Littman...........................77
  5. Don Martin.................................45

Bill Watson was CD.

I would have put the group picture on this post but we can’t seem to get it off Barry Daugherty’s phone..

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On the morning of February 26th the OFFC once again held one of the most popular and fun contest events on its schedule, the Delta Dart Build on Site contest. Our esteemed Black Sheep Squadron President, Dave Gee, provided the materials and building boards for the mad scramble to build the models in the hour before the contest.

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Of course, when Dave prints up the plans/skins for Delta Darts he can’t resist having a bit of fun with the markings! The contest was for the total of the best two attempts so there was a constant trimming effort during the contest and the times got better as the contest went on. The end of the contest was the traditional Delta Dart mass launch.

The results were:

1. Bill Watson.....................82.0 Seconds
2. Don Butman....................77.3
3. Dave Gee.......................73.6
4. Barry Daugherty................66.6
5. Howard Littman................58.9
6. Will Woods......................53.9
7. Don Smith.......................33.7
8. Kurt Young........................9.8

The mass launch winner was Dave Gee.

Announcing the results and awarding prizes

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The happy competitors

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OFFC meetings and contests are postponed until further notice due to the virus situation. The park gyms and all other available venues are closed. The building season has been extended.

KF

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Yippee! The O.F.F.C. contest schedule resumes this month with the Predicted Time/Spot Landing contest. This is our only outdoor contest of the year and will be held, as usual, on the grass at the Stonehurst Recreation Center. The date is Wednesday, June 17. The contest starts at 8:30 AM and runs until the wind blows us out. (That's usually about 11:00 AM.) Face covering and social distancing required.

For those who have never seen it, the rules are:

The contest is for any rubber powered, free flight model that can ROT (Rise Off Table) from a card table. (Several card tables are provided to move the contest along.)

The minimum flight time for an official flight is 15 seconds.

A contestant may have five official flights for each category.



For Spot Landing:

A flag is planted out in the center of the field. A 50 foot tape measure is attached to the flag pole. The contestant may position the card table anywhere in the field to launch the model. The model must land within 50 feet of the flag. The tape is used to measure the distance to the flag pole from the part of the model that is closest to the flag.

The winner is the contestant whose model lands closest to the flag pole.

For Predicted Time:

The contestant must announce the duration of the flight which is written into the timing sheet BEFORE launching the model.

The card table may be positioned anywhere in the field to launch the model.

The contestant must get a clear, visual response from a timer indicating that his model is being timed before launching the model. (Usually, this is the timer raising the stop watch while looking at the contestant.)

The timing is to the nearest tenth of a second from the model being released until it touches the ground.

The winner is the contestant whose model flight duration is closest to the time predicted.

Now, this sounds like there is a lot of luck involved and this is true for models that win the spot landing contest by touching the pole and those that get exact times in the predicted time event. (Both have happened!) But, this is a club for older modelers who know how to get a model dialed in and there are usually models that consistently get withing five feet of the pole and it's not unusual for three to five contestants to have flights within one second of their predicted time. (I once flew within 0.4 seconds of my predicted time and finished third!)

Results next week.

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Due to several issues I was not able to attend the Predicted Time/Spot Landing contest at Stonehurst Rec Center last Wednesday. I have passed on the report from Dave Gee that appears in the July Black Sheep Exhibition Squadron newsletter.

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The OFFC is back in business! Contest results:
Spot-Time
1st Hugh Langhans
2nd Dave Gee
3rd Don Butman
Spot-landing
1st Dave Gee
2nd Bill Watson
3rd Don Butman

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I got up at 6:30 this morning intending to go to the OFFC meeting and flying session (outdoors and with masks) but my wife had some gardening to do and she needed assistance. I didn't get to Stonehurst until 10 which was a bit iffy since the high temperature was predicted to be 107 (F of course). When I got there only two other fliers were still there, one flying cat gliders and the other a small electric RC foamy. The breeze was coming up but I set up my table and chair under the trees anyway. The other two fliers decided to retreat to home and air conditioning. When they left the breeze stopped. Clear sky and dead air, what a perfect day to fly.

Anticipating a breeze would come up by my late arrival I only brought my simplified models because they have good penetration. I decided to fly the Double Trouble and it flew beautifully getting a few one minute flights on about 800 turns and just heavy enough to dump the thermals. I sat down at my table to set up my Plain Plane when I started to sweat a bit. I checked my phone which will tell me temperature and humidity. 92 degrees and 50% humidity...Humm? I Googled Heat Index Calculator on my phone and entered the figures. That gave a heat index of 102 (F)...in the shade!...dangerous for someone my age. I packed up and made my own retreat to home and air conditioning.

KF

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Yes, the contest that even Covid couldn't stop will happen again this year.

The O.F.F.C Spot-Landing/Spot Time contest will be held, on the field at the Stonehurst Rec Center,9901 Dronfield Ave, Sun Valley, CA on Wednesday, June 16 at 8:00 AM. The rules are the same as last year, any rubber powered model that can take off from a card table, 15 second minimum flight, spot landing and predicted flight time tasks.

Task 1: Land as close as possible to the flag planted at center of field.
Task 2: Fly as close as possible to the duration you predict/guess before each flight
• Pilots may use any rubber-powered FF model aircraft which can make an unassisted takeoff. No gadgetry.
• Must R.O.T. from tabletop (card tables are provided).
• Minimum flight time is 15 seconds.
• 4 attempts on each task.
• Tasks may be flown separately or together on the same flight.
• Flights under 15 seconds do not count as an attempt.
• Pilot is responsible for making sure each flight score is recorded.
• CD is Dave Gee 818-383-7651

KF

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The Spot/Time contest went on as scheduled. I didn't compete since I had a doctor's appointment but Dave Gee gave me the results.

Spot-time (Closest to predicted time)

1 Dave Gee 0.4 seconds
2 Bill Watson 0.55 seconds
3 Don Butman 1.39 seconds

Spot-landing (Closest to flag)

1 Don Butman 14 feet
2 Barry Daugherty 16 feet
3 Bill Watson 25 feet