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Old 01-28-2015, 10:35 PM
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blackshire blackshire is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ironnerd
STATIC JUDGING!!! I would not have thought of that! Awesome. But we'll need to work up some judging criterion.

Just off the top of my head, I would go with a "Lifting Body Biathlon"
1: Static Judging
2: Flight Duration

Maybe make it a "Grass Roots" competition where we just build them and fly them at our sectional launches for a couple of years, then present to NAR.

For a more "Extreme" event, we make it a Triathlon
1: Time to build a flyable X-24/HL-20/X-RV at the event starting with just parts.
2: Static Judging
3: Flight Duration
(Yes, I've gone barking mad, but we do need some fun events)

I agree on the Squirrel Works X-RV . Also "Official" Scans of the shrouds for X-24 and HL-20 need to be posted on the NAR contest flight web site - assuming we can get permission from the owners of the designs.

To be honest, it's pretty hard to mess up an X-24/HL-20. It's MUCH easier to buy the X-RV kit than it is to build from scratch, so that $10 kit saves you some time and frustration. Also, building from scratch does not save very much money over the X-RV. One thing to keep in mind is that above "B" impulse, one needs to consider some enhanced structure to prevent the dreaded fold-n-burn.

As an aside Doug, I agree on the Comanche 3. VERY cool to build and REALLY cool to fly, but it will bite you. I have seen a lot of them do the dirt dive.
Those sound like workable rules. Also, this could have application beyond the NAR. A challenging small-field/breezy-day boost-glider event such as this would also be useful in the world of FAI international flying, where their sailplane-like B/Gs can be grounded in conditions in which lifting bodies could safely--and effectively--fly. The fact that lifting bodies are low L/D gliders is no slight against them, nor would it detract from the excitement of competition, because every 0.1 second of flight duration for a model rocket lifting body is a hard-earned 0.1 second!
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