[NSRCA-discussion] Why we really NEED to score the TO/Landing (was: If you don't score by therules....don'tadvertise a rulebook event)

[Fred Huber]

I probably would have been lynched if I applied my idea of "fair" to scoring the 0 or 10 takeoffs/landings.  If you can't give it an intermediate number... then you have to pick where to change from 10 to 0.  The generally applied choice was... it wasn't worth a 0 in a 0 through 10 scoreing... it got 10.

What I wanted to do (but didn't because it would have been inconsistant with ALL others) was to base the line on the class being flown...  Sportsman if it rated lower than a 5... 0. (because I couldn't give it a 4)  Intermediate break would have been 6.  I didn't judge higher... but Advanced would have broke at 7, Masters at 8.. and FAI 9. (2 mistakes on FAI takeoff would have Zeroed takeoff or landing)

The consensus was basicly.. don't break the plane and get it on the runway made a 10.  Nothing smooth or graceful required.

I saw a few close calls even with the 0 or 10 scoring of takeoffs and landings... under the extremely lenient system of assigning the 10's.  Make the contestants earn every point on thier takeoffs and landings... they'll have to practice them and you SHOULD see less incidents because the pilots should be more competent at the maneuvers.

I've been known to burn full tanks of fuel doing take-off... 1/2 cuban.. touch-n-go.. 1/2 reverse cuban, touch-n-go... stall turn... touch-n-go...  (note that half these touches are downwind...) Thats what it took for me to learn how to bring a plane home in one piece.

A smooth graceful landing is a safe landing (and I like seeing a well executed 3-point with a taildragger)  And ability to track straight on the runway for takeoff despite adverse wind, to make a "scale appearing" takeoff is smooth, graceful and safe. (and deserves to get a better score than slapping the throttle to the firewall and leaping to 6 ft ASAP to minimize judging time)  

Takeoff and landing are where smooth and graceful REALLY count.

Slapping the throttle to the firewall actually makes the takeoff harder anyway... as evidenced by the scale P-51's at big bird events.  You will often see one of them doing that and paying with major damage to the model for trying it.  EVERY big bird event I have ever gone to... 1 to 3 models damaged or destroyed by slapping the throttle rather than smoothly accellerating.  And you can't get the pilot to admit it was his fault.. "Crosswind gust got me"  "Musta been a glitch".....  You can't fix your bad habits if you won't admit them... same guy next year, another P-51, and another ground loop.

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: mike mueller 
  To: NSRCA Mailing List 
  Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2006 12:35 PM
  Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] If you don't score by therules....don'tadvertise a rulebook event


   I think that the run and gun TO method is sometimes a matter of safety. If you have a heavy crosswind at your back it's best to get the plane running in a straight direction as soon as possible. With taildraggers liking to weather vein as they do. When we were scoring TO's on a 1 to 10 I saw a lot more close calls with the guys on the upwind flight lines. I do agree that the landings with trike gears were spectacular. Mike

  Richard Strickland <richard.s at allied-callaway.com> wrote: 

      Cigarette butts(filters) used to make excellent wheel chocks.  It was almost automatic to pick one up on the way out to set the plane down and stick it in front of the nose wheel...  Saved time...  About the time I sort of got my act together on TOs and landings, they quit scoring them(or I moved up and they didn't score them)--CRS disease again...sigh...   With trikes, the cool deal was to lift the nose wheel, roll along for awhile as the airplane gently lifted off.  Landing was to wheel on the mains and gently lower the nose-OR hold it off for a while.  Seems like Steve Helms did some of the prettiest ones....

      With conventional gear, pretty TOs and landings are a little more difficult to do well, but I tend to think a guy that can run it right down the centerline, roll it on and off smoothly OUGHT to have an edge.  I know this has been suggested before--but a guy who does lovely TOs and landings WILL make a better initial impression and the judges will EXPECT a better flight.  The 'gun and go' guys are shooting themselves in the foot.

      RS
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