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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I'm sure that most, of not all, of you folks think
this subject has been beaten to death, and it has--almost.
But--</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>After reading Jerry Budd's posting, and the
endorsement by Ron van Putte, I've been considering Jerry's postulate about our
airplanes not actually stalling the wing, for the factors he mentioned.
While it almost seems like heresy, both of these aforementioned well-known R/C
competitors are quite qualified to speak within the boundaries of this
subject.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Now, having taped many hours at the Nats, I have
been mulling over the subject of Jerry's posting, and I decided to put my
resultant DVD's on my TV, and just take a close look at these snap-rolls, which
I did. The TV is a large-screen (60") diagonal HD set, and when I replayed
these maneuvers, I got a surprising result. Appearances close-up indicated
visually to me that Jerry seemed to be spot-on correct, probably for just the
reasons mentioned by him; the airplanes seemed to be not even close to a stalled
condition. Realize that I had a huge advantage over the judges; I was
using from 20x to 30x (variable) magnification, and viewing on the large screen
with a very sharp picture was a further advantage. I also had time to play
and replay them at different speeds, which I did ad nauseum. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I was also impressed with how good the snaps looked
when filming; I could hear myself on the sound track saying things like
"impressive", "beautifully precise" and other superlatives, while I was filming,
and before I had a chance to inspect them with slow-motion.
Understand: they still looked good on the screen, but:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I found upon close inspection in slow motion many
examples of no discernable break, one example of a competitor using just a small
amount of up elevator before beginning rotation, then instantly relaxing
it. Many seemingly used no elevator at all, but used rudder, sometimes in
the roll direction, and at least one in the opposite direction of the
roll. One showed a very small amount of yaw at the end of the snap,
possiblly indicating a slight over-use of rudder; still no sign of
elevator. There was little or no noticeable "coning" as heretofore being a
qualifing factor in a snap. The rotation simply didn't show coning, in nearly
all cases. There were many different techniques used, and some used
seemingly different inputs in snaps for 45 deg. climbs, descending
lines, and level attitudes. Few of those I filmed seemed to use any
elevator at all. As a qualifier, all these contestants were Master's and
F.A.I., and, having a pretty good idea of who the high-risers were, I generally
filmed those who I felt would have a larger impact at the podium at the end of
the day. Not all the actors were the bright stars, though; I had a good
cross-section.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Having spent hours in this analysis, (just ask my
wife) I did come to one conclusion: even though these snaps looked
beautiful, and certainly must have pleased the judges, still and all they varied
from the rule book requirements, as I understand them.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Now, I could think of a few ways to achieve the
control combinations required: ATV, Flight Conditions, excessively large
control displacements, etc. Just as I was trying to think how it was
handled, I very fortunately read Brian Hebert's interview with Albert and A.C.
Glenn. Apparently, I was a giant step behind what is going on. (I'm
used to that.) I suggest that to complement this essay, you turn to the
interview in the new Model Aviation; it's an eye-opener and ties in
nicely.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I'm beginning to wonder if Lance van Nostrand's and
Dave Ramsey's statements concerning rules and maneuver descriptions shouldn't be
re-visited. Although judgement on that subject rightly will be resting
with other people than me..</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks for your patience, both of you out there who
aren't asleep. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm very deeply interested in
Pattern.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Bill Glaze</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>AMA 2221</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>NSRCA 2388</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>