[NSRCA-discussion] Weight

[Matthew Frederick]

The rules should drive technology used, not the other way around.  
Otherwise we go back to the fantasy contests where you fly when you  
feel like it, judge yourself, and everyone gets a trophy. Changing the  
rules to accomadate such a small amount of people sets a bad  
precedent. Convince me pattern participation would increase 50% due to  
a rules change and I'll be on board.

Matt

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 3, 2009, at 11:59 AM, <verne at twmi.rr.com> wrote:

> Yes, the goal is to make it cheaper. What I'm trying to do is take  
> the weight of the batteries out of the equation just like fuel is.  
> With rare exception, cheaper batteries equals more weight. The  
> reason for including a mah restriction (probably 6000mah as rated by  
> the mfg) is to keep things under control and avoid someone taking  
> advantage with larger batteries. What I'm hearing out of my district  
> is guys wanting to try electric and getting scared off with the high  
> cost of kits, batteries, and motors that will make weight. I'm well  
> aware that the Prestige, Spark, Integral, and a few others can make  
> weight with the right batteries and motor. I'm also aware of what  
> that costs. My goal is to make it possible for someone to build a  
> Black Magic without the building skills of Zen that'll make weight  
> with an Axi and Zippy packs.
>
> Verne
>
>
> ---- Dave <DaveL322 at comcast.net> wrote:
>> Verne,
>>
>> If you goal is to make pattern cheaper, I'm all for that (and the  
>> most
>> expensive setup right now is a YS CDI setup), but I can't see how a  
>> proposal
>> based on your description can effectively accomplish that.
>>
>> Is the goal to reduce cost of the electric (which I can argue is  
>> cheaper
>> than glow at the top levels of each) or to make electric and glow  
>> airplanes
>> have the same cost for equal performance?  As electric technology  
>> rapidly
>> advances, any proposal based on current day planes will be obsolete  
>> by the
>> time it in place.
>>
>> Limits on pack mah will certainly add to the complexity of tech  
>> inspections
>> of planes....to say nothing of the fact that all "20C" lipos do not  
>> weigh
>> the same thing, and all batteries of a marked capacity are not the  
>> same
>> either - the door will be wide open for "creative" labeling of mah  
>> capacity
>> on batteries.
>>
>> Just as there are examples of overweight glow planes (I do hope you  
>> are
>> getting weights on glow planes as well during your surveys???),  
>> there are
>> overweight examples of electrics - neither should be accommodated  
>> by a
>> change in the rules.  Each competitor should evaluate the rules,  
>> and prepare
>> to compete with whatever setup best suits there budget, time,  
>> resources, and
>> is within the RULES.
>>
>> Electric may cost more upfront, but it is rapidly getting cheaper  
>> (and glow
>> is getting more expensive).  The big hurdle for electric right now  
>> is that
>> all the costs are upfront, making it expensive to enter.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Dave
>>
>> -----Original Message-----