[NSRCA-discussion] Airplane Weight

[Jay Marshall]

Use a balance and calibrated weight, not a scale.

Jay Marshall

-----Original Message-----
From: NSRCA-discussion [mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org] On Behalf Of Ronald Van Putte via NSRCA-discussion
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2017 7:24 PM
To: General pattern discussion
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Airplane Weight

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Ron

> On Jan 27, 2017, at 6:17 PM, Curt Oberg via NSRCA-discussion <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org> wrote:
> 
> Time to lobby those that will vote for the next change of rules.  I 
> have officially proposed eliminating the weight restrictions for 
> Sportsman, Intermediate, and Advanced classes.  Logically, these lower 
> classes are stepping stones to Masters and FAI classes, classes where 
> the more serious and talented flyers migrate and eventually MIGHT 
> participate in International competitions where the 5000 gram limit is 
> accepted and undisputed.  I wonder how many flyers that have shown up 
> for an international competition failed to make weight?  Bottom line 
> is that the
> 5000 gram limit is an arbitrary weight that someone imposed a long time ago.
> What's wrong with raising it to 5500 grams or better yet, eliminating it
> altogether.    Considering the decline in pattern flying across the country,
> I believe that we should do everything we can to encourage the lower class
> flyers to participate, including at the NAT's.    These lower class flyers
> are generally NOT the ones with Contra drives, they may have APC props 
> and Gater products Flo Thru spinners instead of the Falcon carbon 
> fiber products.  Their battery packs are most likely not the ultra 
> light weight, twice as expensive battery packs that you will find in 
> the upper echelon classes.  They are the ones that might not grease in 
> every landing and have multiple weight increasing repairs to their 
> planes, a plane that might not make weight right out of the box in the 
> first place.  It doesn't take an Einstein to figure out that if you 
> don't have a teeming and active group of lower class pattern flyers, 
> it's only a matter of time when you will have no new entrants into the 
> Masters and FAI classes and when that occurs, will the last one out please turn off the lights.
> 
> Curt Oberg
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NSRCA-discussion 
> [mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org] On Behalf Of lucky 
> macy via NSRCA-discussion
> Sent: Friday, January 27, 2017 5:31 PM
> To: Ronald Van Putte; General pattern discussion
> Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Airplane Weight
> 
> Just get rid of the weight rule in the AMA classes and be done with it.
> Build the plane as light or heavy as you want.  AJ or Shulman could 
> still fly a 12 pound plane and beat probably 99% of folks on this list 
> no matter what you flew...just sayin
> 
> Not worth the debate in the AMA ckasses
> 
>> On Jan 27, 2017, at 5:03 PM, Ronald Van Putte via NSRCA-discussion
> <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Typo in second paragraph.  Should have been 5000gm, not 50000gm.  Sorry.
>> 
>> Ron
>> 
>>> On Jan 27, 2017, at 3:57 PM, Ronald Van Putte via NSRCA-discussion
> <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Something has been nagging me since the 2011 F3A World Championships.
> The decision was made, over the objections of the official weighers 
> (John Fuqua and me), that airplanes would be allowed to weigh 1% more 
> than the listed maximum weight of 50000gm, or 50gm.
>>> 
>>> The argument was that it "allowed for possible inconsistencies in
> measuring equipment".  We objected because we had purchased 
> calibration weights and had them verified by the Precision Measurement 
> Equipment Laboratory on Eglin AFB (at the cost of a sixpack of beer 
> per set of calibration weights).  That meant we knew exactly what the 
> airplanes weighed.
>>> 
>>> Now to the current situation.  Currently, AMA classes have a 1% 
>>> weight
> tolerance, or 50gm.  Suppose a contestant's model actually weighs 
> 5050gm, but the weighing equipment is in error by 25 grams.  So the 
> scales would measure the contestant's airplane at 5075gm.  Remember 
> that the 15 allowance is for "possible inconsistencies in measuring 
> equipment".  The contestant's airplane is "too heavy".
>>> 
>>> Something to think about.
>>> 
>>> Ron Van Putte
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> NSRCA-discussion mailing list
>>> NSRCA-discussion at lists.nsrca.org
>>> http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion
>> 
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