The following clarifications/interpretations/processes will be implemented at the 2011 F3J Team Selects Event: Location – IRKS Flying Field, 2250 Adamson Road Cocoa, FL
1. The event will be conducted over 3 days in Cocoa FL October 28th, 29th and 30th.
2. Access to this field is limited and instructions for your access via the main gate will be emailed to all pilots prior to the contest. Please make sure you print those instructions and bring them with you.
3. Models will be checked in at the field on Oct 27th - Thursday afternoon beginning noon until 4:30. Please make sure all models intended to be flown over the three days are submitted at that time for identification marking. As there are a lot of models to mark please do not delay in presenting your models.
4. Winches will be checked on Oct 27th Thursday afternoon beginning noon at the field. All winches being used at the contest must have adjustable resistance for the purpose of calibration and must be tested by the organizers. Please have your winches available for testing at the field early in the afternoon.
5. The pilots meeting will be held at the field on Thursday afternoon October 27th at 5:00pm sharp.
6. Another short pilot’s meeting will occur on Friday Oct 28th at 8:15am at the field. First flight at 8:30am. The am pilots meeting will be brief and used only for clarification questions and points the CD Phil Renaud desires to make. The goal is to ask any clarification questions to the organizer gordon@gatorf3b.com or thomas@mksservosusa.com or jimmonaco@earthlink.net via email prior to the event.
7. Flight line and lanes will be setup on Thursday 27th. Lanes will be chosen randomly prior to the event.
8. Teams must be set up on their assigned lanes prior to 8:30AM on Friday 28th.
9. There will be no downsizing. This means no fly-off on Sunday. All pilots will compete all three days.
10. There will be one throw out round applied after six complete 10 minute rounds have been flown. If there are at least 5 15 minute rounds completed there will be an additional throwout. One will apply for the 10 minute rounds and one will apply for the 15 minute rounds.
11. 10 minute rounds will be flown on day one and day two, with no rounds starting after 5:00pm. The goal is 5-6 rounds on each day.
12. 15 min rounds will be flown on day three - Sunday, with no round starting after 2:30 pm.
13. All other FAI - F3J rules shall be in effect.
14. Official timers will be allocated for each team and these timers may change during the day.
15. The current FAI rules regarding line crosses and cuts during launch will be followed. Crossed lines on the ground prior to a launch WILL be considered as a hindrance and cause for re-flight, but only if the lines are crossed when the pilot is hooked up and ready to launch, and the CD or his designated line judge is notified immediately. Cut lines during a launch will be considered a cause for a re-flight provided the cut was witnessed and / or brought to the immediate attention of a contest official and the contestant did not waive his right to a re-flight by continuing with his launch and/or flight. Airplane collision with another competitor's line is cause for re-flight. Pilot airplane collision with another competitor’s line is cause for re-flight if observed by a contest official. Crossing of lines without a cut is NOT cause for re-flight.
16. If a pilot lands out of the landing zone and chooses to re-fly, they must mark the spot of the resting place of the nose of the plane before retrieving it for the next flight. If the spot is NOT marked and the pilot chooses not to make the re-flight, then the round is ZEROED! This prevents pilots/helpers from retrieving planes that may have landed outside the 75m landing requirement from obscuring the actual landing spot and then not re-launching and expecting to get their time from the initial flight. The pilot may leave the plane at its resting spot and use an alternate for the next flight, or place a marker. The CD will determine if a measurement is needed at the end of the round.
17. An early launch is considered an attempt. The pilot must immediately land and re-launch within the working time.
18. Pilots granted a re-flight for any reason will be positioned in a flight group using the following priorities:
a) In an incomplete group, or in a complete group on additional launching/landing spots; (note that the groups will be full so this will be unlikely.)
b) If this is not achievable, then in a new group of several (minimum 4) re-flyers;
c) If those were not achievable the original group(s) for the pilots will be re-flown.
19. Sound
a) We will have 1 speaker for every 2 flight stations placed along the flight line - there should be no appreciable delay in the sound to any team.
b) NOTE: THE BEGINNING OF ALL HORNS INDICATE THE TIME! If you are landing, and not on the ground at the beginning of the horn - then you are late! If you are launching and the plane leaves your hand prior to the start of the horn - then you are early and must land and re-launch.
20. All flight announcement timing will be backed up by a manual watch. In the event of a timing system announcement failure after the launch signal, the signals will be generated manually using the backup watch and the PA system. In this case you will only get the 2 minute warning and the horn at the end of the slot. If the PA system fails such that the launch, 2 minute warning or end horn cannot be heard, we will re-fly the group.
21. Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated. You need to follow both the letter and intent of the rules. Intentional unsportsmanlike conduct will result in either the disqualification of a flight or from the contest based on the gravity of the conduct.
22. Safety Zones - The safety zones will consist of the launch corridor, the Officials Tent, the pit/spectator areas and the parking area.
a) Contact with an object within the defined safety area (including the launch corridor) will be penalized by deduction of 300 points from the competitor’s final score.) Contact with a person within the defined safety area (including the launch corridor) will be penalized by deduction of 1000 points from the competitor’s final score.
c) For each attempt only one penalty can be given, If a person is contacted within the defined safety area and during the same attempt an object is touched, the 1000 points penalty is applied.
e) Penalties shall be listed on the score sheet of the round in which the infringement(s) occurred.
f) If necessary the organizer may define a part of the airspace as safety space. In such a case he must appoint at least one official who observes the border (vertical plane) by a sighting device. This official must warn the pilot if his glider crosses the border. If the glider doesn’t leave the safety space immediately a penalty of 300 points is given.
23. Prep Time - we will be trying to speed the contest up by reducing the prep time. We will be running a continuous loop of announcements. There is a 45 second delay at the end of a flight group, followed by a 2 minute prep time. (By running 2 minute prep times, we will get one complete extra round in per day.)
24. Pilot may have two callers with him during the flight.
25. F3B winches will be used with monofilament air lines and braided ground lines with the turnarounds staked no further than 150 meters. (Please read the F3B Winches section below for details.) There will be a line with lane markers on the field to indicate appropriate turnaround position. Place the turnarounds in line with the lane numbers.
26. All stakes/spikes/nails or similar things that are punched into the ground MUST have orange flagging on them to ensure removal. These things do bad things to the mowers and cutters, and we don’t want to leave the field in poor condition with metal stakes for the IRKS Club members to deal with!
27. Lines may be checked, the CD may choose more checks at his discretion. Tow mono lines will be checked in-place using a 150 meter steel cable and a fishing scale marked with a 2kg pull. If a line measures long, the previous flight in that lane will be scored 0. If any lines seem abnormally long, the CD may ask that the line be measured.
28. Field orientation will be launching to the North or South, most likely to the North. Teams should set up winches or launch position on the number. You must launch within the launch corridor. Launch corridor is also a safety zone.
F3B Winches
Launch Rule
Standardized F3B winches will be used for launching at the US F3J Team Selection using the following rules:
1. Two winches will be allowed per launch lane.
2. The turnarounds will be positioned no more than 150 meters upwind from the upwind edge of the launch corridor.
3. The winches will be positioned on the upwind edge of the launch corridor.
4. The ground line will be braided nylon twine with a minimum breaking strength of 290 lbs¹.
5. The air line will consist of monofilament as given in the F3J rules. The max length will be limited to 150 meters under a 2kg load.
6. Line length test: The airline will be tested by verifying that the parachute end of the airline cannot be pulled into the upwind edge of the launch corridor with a 2 kg load. For the test to be valid the air line must be straight and perpendicular to the launch corridor and the connection of the airline and braided ground line must be in contact with the turnaround pulley.
7. The rules as given in the FAI sporting code for F3B winches under section 5.3.2.2 will be used with the following exception: Each four man team will be limited to 4 batteries (modified from 6 in rule 5.3.2.2.s). The batteries cannot have more than 515 CCA according to SAE J537, 30s Test (30s/7.2V at 0 °F)². Winch compliance testing will be performed according to the rules provided in section 5.3.2.2. All winches will be tested and marked prior to the start of the contest. Winches will be randomly tested during the event. In the event that the winch is not compliant, the flight prior to the test will be assessed a 1000 pt penalty per rule 5.3.2.2.p. The full rules can be found here http://www.fai.org/aeromodelling/system/files/SC4_Vol_F3_Soaring_11_Rev_1.pdf
Note: How the monofilament is connected to the braided ground line is left to the discretion of the competitor. It is expected that they will use a method that is safe and tested to their satisfaction.
¹ available from http://www.memphisnet.net/product/2255/twine_whitebraidedseine
² The contest organizers have arranged a battery rental program for the Deka DP24M battery (515 CCA). Details of the rental program have been provided by the event organizers. These batteries are slightly above the 500 CCA limit specified in the F3B rules. This battery (instead of a 500 CCA battery) was selected by the rental company because they are confident they will be able to sell the batteries after the contest.
The exact batteries for rent at the contest (Deka DP24M) are also available for purchase prior to the contest from our supplier: Battery Power Florida (352) 314-9001
http://www.batterypowerfl.com/deka-marine.cfm
http://www.cbcbattery.com/deka-marine.cfm
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|328|51495|306219&id=1158274
Below are links to examples of other legal batteries:
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/SSB0/24DCM.oap?keyword=marine+battery&pt=N0056&ppt=C1980
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/SSB0/27DCM.oap?keyword=marine+battery&pt=N0056&ppt=C1980
http://www.batteriesexpressinc.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6_127&products_id=315
http://www.easternmarineoutlet.com/DEKA-12V-Marine-Master-DC24-Deep-Cycle-Battery/