[NSRCA-discussion] Landings and Takeoffs

[rcmaster199 at aol.com]

Many moons ago, it happened to me too. I'll frame it for youse:

Left to right TO, engine idling, last round on Saturday, around 7 PM, 
in too hot Texas
Called TO and advanced throttle
Model immediately veered right coming towards me and Judges' stand
So I gave left rudder and model veered even more to the right
I chopped throttle but still crashed into the Judges' tent scattering 
all. Thank God nobody hurt: my ego got bruised a bit but was all.

What happened? I actually gave right rudder..... No excuses....really 
and truly I nearly dumb thumbed the crate into a near disaster

BUT I SWORE I gave it left rudder. Fatigue plays strange tricks 
sometimes especially in heat and when you are also battling for 1st 
position with a couple others who are closely matched, even if you are 
30 years old. Lesson learned

John Fuqua is right about no scores on TO or Landings. I would have 
aborted and regrouped. As it turned out I didn't need the round anyway 
and found myself wishing I never started it.

Are TO and Landing aerobatic maneuvers?? Nope!!! They are required 
elements but not aerobatic. It up to us whether we score them or not. I 
say "KNOT". Did I win?? I was too shook up to remember and besides who 
cares.

MattK

-----Original Message-----
From: J N Hiller <jnhiller at earthlink.net>
To: bob at toprudder.com; General pattern discussion 
<nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
Sent: Mon, 2 Mar 2009 3:13 pm0D
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Landings and Takeoffs

You make a
good argument for dropping takeoff and landing scoring. I have aborted 
landings
more than once.

Jim

 

-----Original
Message-----

From:
nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org
[mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org]On Behalf Of Bob 
Richards

Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 10:28
AM

To: General pattern discussion

Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion]
Landings and Takeoffs

 




  I'll say it here,
   JMHO. I personally don't think takeoffs and landings should be 
judged. These
   are the maneuvers that put the plane closest to the 
pilots/judges/spectators.
  I've seen some bad takeoffs and landing approaches pushed to dangerous
   situations when they would probably have been aborted had they not 
been
   scored maneuvers. At the very least, the airplane is at risk. At the 
most,
  people are at risk. I've had one plane fly behind my head at the Nats
   (between myself, my caller, and the judges) during a landing when the 
plane
   got away from the pilot during one such occurance. I've also seen a 
plane
   slam into a person in the pits at full throttle, just after lifting 
off the
   ground, when the plane first veered away from the pits and the pilot 
forced
   the takeoff by kicking rudder to get it back on the runway. At no 
point did
   he
 back off the throttle. In most situations such as this, anyone 
would have
   aborted and started over, but because they are being judged they keep 
on
  pushing a bad situation.
   
  And, no, niether
   situation involved someone in the Sportsman or Intermediate classes. 
These
  were both contestants that had flown pattern for several years.
   
  I thank god they
  don't judge takeoffs and landings in IMAC.
   
  JM2CW
   
  Bob R.




  --- On Mon, 3/2/09, George W.Kennie &lt;geobet4 at verizon.net&gt;
  wrote:


  I don't feel the same way as John on the landing
  maneuver being relegated to a non-skill element.
   
  All aerobatic maneuvers that we perform competitively require
   that we demonstrate to a judge that we have developed some precise 
degree of
   control over the airframe under our command. To achieve this control 
further
   requires intense concentration on the part of the pilot. I would 
offer that
   there are many airborne maneuvers where the degree of concentration 
required
   by the pilot are significantly lower than that required to bring the 
airframe
   back into contact with terra firma and demonstrate complete and 
confident
  control. This is a skill that is worthy of reward in my viewpoint.
   
  G. 
   
   





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