[NSRCA-discussion] NATS 2012

[Ronald Van Putte]

Weighing airplanes is a nightmare.  

The first is a scale/calibration nightmare.  John Fuqua and I tried using the new AMA scales to weigh batteries at the F3A WC and the scales were unbelievably inaccurate, even with the calibration weights.

The second nightmare is how you weigh the airplanes.  Do you weigh the airplane and batteries together or separate?  All the potential batteries?  How do you mark airplanes and batteries so you know the real total airplane weight?  How do you catch "sticker switchers"?

Where do you weigh airplanes coming off the flightline?  You need to have a structure which will keep the sometimes brutal Indiana wind out.  If you keep the wind out, how do you keep it cool enough to enable the weighers to survive in the structure where outside it's 90 degrees plus and 90 percent plus relative humidity?

I'v e been a Nats event director and I feel that sufficient weighing should be done to guarantee that no pilot with a heavy airplane gets a trophy.

Ron Van Putte
 
On Dec 13, 2011, at 11:07 AM, John Gayer wrote:

> Keep in mind that the weight rule is not applied at any local contests, only at the Nats.
> 
> Let's consider the Nats for a moment and assume the attendance is 100 spread out equally in four classes(not exactly the case but close enough)
> 
> Intermediate- Already gets a weight allowance and I didn't hear any complaints at the Nats so 100- 25 = 75
> Advanced- Already gets a weight allowance. Again I heard no complaints so  75 - 25 = 50
> F3A- we have no control over the application of weight rules for FAI particularly in a team selection year so 50 -25 = 25
> Masters- This is the only class that has to adhere to 5000  grams under AMA rules. Most Masters pilots that go to the Nats are flying top of the line aircraft that do make weight anyway. I'm sure there are a few(less than a handful) nationally that did not go to the Nats because their plane would not make weight. Perhaps there is also a handful who did go that ONLY spent the money to make weight  so (25-20 = 5 )+ 5 =10
> 
> So we should change or ignore the rules at the Nats for a few Masters pilots that might not go to the Nats next year rather than spend the money to get their airplane to make weight? I don't think so. 
> Perhaps Arch is a bit overboard with wanting to check every plane after every flight but weighing every plane at least once and checking the stickers after each flight seems very reasonable to me. In any case he has established very early that weighins will be done and has a plan in place on how to accomplish it. Much better than this past Nats where we told to make weight and then not checked at all.
> 
> John
> 
> 
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