[NSRCA-discussion] Competition question

[Jay Marshall]

Lance, I think if you only ran them 10 deg, rather than 90 deg, to each
other you might not even notice it, but it would be safer.
 
-----Original Message-----
From: nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org
[mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org] On Behalf Of Lance Van
Nostrand
Sent: Sunday, December 17, 2006 8:38 PM
To: NSRCA Mailing List
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Competition question
 
Solutions are hard to come by.  I attended the Kansas contest this year and
they have a unique situation where they can run the two flight lines almost
perpendicular to each other.  The pilot stations are about 50 yards apart,
but we pit between them and it isn't bad at all.  I expected the
interferance factor to be negligible, but that wasn't the case.  The two
flight planes were not independent.  They Kindof made a "tee", but the
overlap was only a little bit.  Anyway, two planes in the same corners of
the box traveling at right angles to each other felt a lot more dangerous
than planes that fly in formation. 
 
I think its like traveling down the highway with traffic changing lanes but
everyone is going the same way, vs being alone on the highway but having a
cross road where people occasionally drive straight across your path without
stopping.  
 
After this experience I began to think that the next best solution is to
keep the 2 lines parallel, but put one pilot station 10 yards behind the
other (but use the same runway).  This offsets the 150m plane so the better
the pilot the less the danger.
 
Thoughts?
-_Lance
 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Keith Black <mailto:tkeithblack at gmail.com>  
To: NSRCA Mailing List <mailto:nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>  
Sent: Sunday, December 17, 2006 12:30 AM
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Competition question
 
Years ago the list had a discussion on these percentages (check the
archives), then I had two mid-airs in the span of four contests. 
 
I'd say in the 4 1/2 years I've been going to contests about 50% of the
contests have had mid-airs, sometimes multiple mid-airs. Sometimes both
planes lost, sometimes planes were saved. To me that's a huge percentage.
When I leave a contest with no crashed/mid-aired planes these days I feel we
were very lucky. 
 
Still, if you asked me would I rather risk a mid-air or fly only three
flights I'd go with the mid-air risk to get in the six flights. After all,
we're here to fly, not for static displays.
 
Keith Black
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Adrien L <mailto:amad2terry at juno.com>  Terrenoire 
To: nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org 
Cc: nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org 
Sent: Saturday, December 16, 2006 6:48 PM
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Competition question
 
yes, the risk seems high, but I have been attending contests since 1984,
about 4 to 5 a year, and I can remember just 5 or 6 midairs, and 2 of them
were at the Nats. For several years our club had so many entrys that we ran
THREE flight lines, and never had a mid-air. Yes, it is terrible to lose one
of our treasures, but I don't think too many of us would be happy making our
weekend committment and getting to fly just 2 or 3 rounds. That would sure
deter me from traveling more than an hour or two. In reality, I think we
have a greater risk of loss just by sheer number of flights we put on in
flying practice. It might be interesting to see just what the odds are! How
many contests are held each year? How many rounds each contest? How many
mid-airs during the course of a season?
Then compare that to the average number of flights we get on each of our own
airframes before it's hidden number comes up!
 
Terry T.
 
 
 
On Sat, 16 Dec 2006 18:17:40 -0600 "R. LIPRIE" <RLIPRIE at centurytel.net>
writes:
Look I would like to ask.  Just out of own curiousness why do pattern
contest make two airplanes fly at the same time.
 
I may be wrong.  But it seems like it skyrockets the chances of a midair.
Just wanted to ask.
 
Matthew Liprie
 

  _____  

_______________________________________________
NSRCA-discussion mailing list
NSRCA-discussion at lists.nsrca.org
http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion

  _____  

_______________________________________________
NSRCA-discussion mailing list
NSRCA-discussion at lists.nsrca.org
http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.nsrca.org/pipermail/nsrca-discussion/attachments/20061218/9f751a4e/attachment.html