13-07-2013, 01:10 AM
Yes, we're Parramatta Radio Control Aircraft Club, but I met up with Mickey T out at the NSW FF Scale Championships last weekend and it was way more interesting than I'd expected it would be.
There was quite a variety of flying machines on display, because a couple of other delayed competition events were also rolled into the weekend. There were tiny little nitro and diesel machines, all the way up to .40-sized models.
One of the classes that I didn't know much about was F1C gliders - these things have powerful 2-stroke nitro/glo powered motors and roar to altitude almost vertically for a set number of seconds, before switching off (under the control of a timer) and beginning their endurance pattern. Really very intricate and technical stuff, constructed from high-end materials. Mick sent me some photographs of some assemblies manufactured in the Ukraine, as examples. You can just see the top of the motor head in the first shot, with the glo-plug protruding and there are no mufflers at all. The exhaust is vented out the angled CF tube - these machines absolutely scream ...
I've got to admit, that I completely underestimated this entire field of aeromodelling - it's challenging in that you've got to ensure the configuration and trim is just perfect, before lobbing it whereupon you can do nothing but watch!
There was quite a variety of flying machines on display, because a couple of other delayed competition events were also rolled into the weekend. There were tiny little nitro and diesel machines, all the way up to .40-sized models.
One of the classes that I didn't know much about was F1C gliders - these things have powerful 2-stroke nitro/glo powered motors and roar to altitude almost vertically for a set number of seconds, before switching off (under the control of a timer) and beginning their endurance pattern. Really very intricate and technical stuff, constructed from high-end materials. Mick sent me some photographs of some assemblies manufactured in the Ukraine, as examples. You can just see the top of the motor head in the first shot, with the glo-plug protruding and there are no mufflers at all. The exhaust is vented out the angled CF tube - these machines absolutely scream ...
I've got to admit, that I completely underestimated this entire field of aeromodelling - it's challenging in that you've got to ensure the configuration and trim is just perfect, before lobbing it whereupon you can do nothing but watch!
Steve Murray
