F2C comments on "Rookies point of view"

Well said, I agree with most of your points- except where you class yourselves as rookies!!! You may be relative newcomers but your results confirm that you are definitely not rookies. As one of those pilots where old age and treachery is becoming of limited help in keeping up with you "rookies" perhaps you will permit me to make a few comments:-

Yes, we need to recognise when we are becoming a liability in the circle and then retire gracefully. However if we all retire together what kind of event will be left for you youngsters in the short term? The facts are that the average age of competitors is increasing--- we need to find a phased way through this issue, would you travel half way round the world to compete against a mere dozen other competitors?

You point out that sub 18 was not a problem for the semifinalists at WC2000, quite correct. The problems really occur in the heats where there is a geater disparity in the performance and abilities of the teams, this is the area of the contest that needs to be improved.

The "some people wanting to introduce 2 times average to reduce pilot aggressivity" are the same people who have sat in the jury tower at recent championships- perhaps they are looking at the situation from a wider perspective than the competitor. I still think that the idea of averaging the best 2 heats is worth a trial, the semifinals would remain a straight race with fastest single time qualifying for the final as now.

Yes, beginners need to do more to help themselves by gaining experience in other categories, it is not realistic to jump straight into F2C. There will however always remain a broad spectrum of experience and abilities in the heats at W/c's. The world is a very large place and Team racing will always be a minority sport, therefore many countries will never have the opportunity to take part in "real International contests" as we in Europe can.

Best regards, Derek Heaton

Before leaving this subject altogether, let me describe a suggestion offered by Rob Metkemeyer. This is only secondarily aimed at reducing speeds but would have an effect.

Rob is an audio engineer and has studied the sound propagated by control line models for many years. He made controlled sound measurements at the Dutch Nationals in 1999 with the following result for the F2C models. Measurements were made over hard surface at a 3 metre distance and are expressed in dB(A). The levels were: 98-103 on the non-exhaust side and 102-108 on the exhaust side measured 90 degrees to the model's longitudinal axis.

As you know, the FAI aim is to have all models at or below 96 dB(A). Rob thinks this would be achieved without change to the models and without a silencer (which would kill the event due to severe problems in heat control in his opinion) by changed standards of exhaust timing and propeller dimensions. Exhaust timing would be limited to 120-125 degrees (reduce lead), and propellers would require a minimum diameter of 170-175mm with a minimum width of 7-8mm at 80mm diameter. Both would be simple to check or measure although the propeller diameter would have to take the possibility of damage into consideration in some way.

Although these would have the effect of reducing speed, neither removes the importance of the model design and construction. Further, their principal aim is to avoid imposed noise requirements that would inevitably carry the burden of measurements at the field, the effect of settings etc etc.