Perpetual Motion ...

Swiss Peter is exploring VTPR and is pushing the limits thanks to his Light Le Fish and Big Fish. Very soon we will need to rename VTPR by Underground VTPR !

Perpetual Motion II from surfimp on Vimeo.

Complete review of the Pocket Radar (In french)

The complete review in french of the Pocket Radar, as published in Modèle Magzine few monthes ago is now available here.

Good reading !

Complete review of the Go Pro HD (In french)

The complete review in french of the Go Pro HD, as published in Modèle Magzine is now available here.
Good reading !

Jonathan Livingston Seagull ... but RC !

Here is a very interresting video about the SmartBird project, taken during the TEDGlobal 2011 conference in Edhinburg (Scotland). One of the project initiator, Markus Fischer, presents and explains how this robot, flying like a seagull, is working.

The video is showing the internal structure of the Smartbird, the cinematic and a very impressive demo above the audience !

More information can be found here.

Company website

iVol 2 G16 from Baltic-Seagull under testing ...

I received few days ago an interresting transmitter for review. This transmitter is made in Germany, is Jeti inside, which means it is fully compatible with Jeti Duplex receivers, integrates the Jeti Box.

It provides 16 channels, is also compatible with opensource firmware like RCOPEN24 or rCOS and the more interresting is programmable via a PC





You can download the flyer here.
company website

I'm currently learning the programming philosophy, playing with the software and trying some model programmation.

I will come back quickly on it and propose a review in several parts.

Stay tuned !

VTPR: Another great video from Steve Lange

With 2 to 3m/s of wind, this great video from Steve Lange (slopeaerobatics.com) desmontrates the aerobatic capabilities of light VTPR planes, with lots of actions such as patrol flying, flips, inverted flips, etc ...



Cruising at Ellwood from surfimp on Vimeo.

F3K Eurotour in Romans sur Isère (France)

This morning, I went to the F3K eurotour contest in Romans sur Isère. The weather was not too windy (up to 20km/h of wind), but the conditions were changing a lot between each group and even within the working time of the tasks.

Here are the pictures I took:






https://picasaweb.google.com/pierre.rondel/EurotourF3KRomansSurIsere

Some F3F Practice

Well today, I went to Corps, despite a very cold, windy, and possibly rainy weather. It was between 10 and 12° on the slope, with 20 to 30 km/h of wind, perfectly oriented.

The first difficulty was to find the way to avoid traffic jam because of the "Tour de France" against the clock  race that was around Grenoble, forbidding the access to the club slope.

therefore, I thought I would find somebody else on the slope in Corps, but absolutely nobody. Only one car on the car park, my car, nobody walking around, no modellers. Too freezy ;) !

At the beginning of the afternoon, The clouds were at the top of the slope or few meter above, but then they cleared and the sun appeared.

I had a very good session with my vampire. I played witht he fine tuning to see if I could find a better snap flap settings, but returned to the one I published which seems to be the most appropriated.

I flew with 450 gr of ballast most of the afternoon.

Tomorrow will be the same so I will return and take my D60 and try some DS there.

New F3B speed world record in 12.73s !!!

A new F3B speed world record in 12.73s has been flown at the Eurotour contest of Winterthur in Switzerland by Hans Peter Golz (Germany) flying a Target.

Hans is the Team manager of the F3B german team for the WC in China.

Previous record was hold by Martin Weberschock (Germany) in 12.93s

Thierry Martinet, a talented comic strip writer

Today, I wanted to talk about a friend of mine, who is a talented comic strip writer. His name is Thierry Martinet. Thierry is the guy who introduced the use of the vinyl covering on our RC sailplane, as he was working as graphist and designer and was using a lot this material. With the help of Gérard Prat, he developed the covering technic, selected the most appropriated vynil quality, created superb color design using a large vynil cutting machine. Based on their experience, some manufacturers like Tangent Modelltechnic are now using this material for their product line. You can read an article he wrote with Gérard, a long time ago which I translated before to publish it in QFI. The article can be found here.


For example, this 4m ASW15 is covered with Vinyl and the decoration was made for me by Thierry. 10 years after, this ASW15 is still flying and the vinyl and decoration is in perfect condition.

But Thierry's passion is the cartoon and illustration, and Thierry returned to it and worked on different project. For example, he created a cartoon festival in his city, Bellegarde, near Geneva. He also work for a french specialized magazine called "Le Fana de l'aviation"

The current big project Thierry worked on, is the story of Charles Nungesser, a famous french pilot of the first world war, who tried to cross the atlantic ocean only 15 days before Lindbergh. Currently there is an expedition near Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon to try to find the "white bird", the plane of Nungesser and his copilot Coli. This comic book is based on a scenario from Thierry Bourcy.

It will also be animated and have sound added so as to create a single 50 X 1 minute audiovisual tool broadcast on the websites of newspapers, partner sites and Ipad application. Here is the teaser:



The Iron Angel - Teaser par Ange_de_Fer


Thierry is also a RC glider pilot, despite he has too few free time to go to the slope.

Video: Slope flying and aerobatics in Corps

Here is the video taken the 2nd of July in corps (France) featuring Roland Stuck with his 5 meter ASW15 and Gérard Prat with his 4m Air 100, doing some aerobatics

F3F Eurotour of Caussols

I just come back from the F3F Eurotour contest in Caussols near Cannes (French Riviera). We were 22 pilots from 5 countries. The competition was over 3 days. On Friday, after the registration, and the briefing, we started around midday, when the wind was steadily established. We completed 8 round with wind between 6 to 8 m/s. Conditions were relatively stable. We got some thermal, but without huge time difference. The second day was more promising, according to the weather forecast. Unfortunately, after another consistent round, the wind started to shift to the south west. The next round (10th) has been however completed but with some strong crosswind.







The organisation then decided to move to the south west slope. Everybody was very exited because the conditions would be much better. In fact the sea breeze and the weather wind were fighting giving crosswind from the left with time to time, when the thermal was poping, straight wind with killing conditions.

We did 3 more rounds in these lotery conditions, and to be honest it has been a true carnage in term of points. Some lucky pilots went through without damage, some others has good times and few bad times, and the rest got only bad times. This is my case. Despite no mistake, good flying stategy, I couldn't play with top pilots, getting systematically 10s to 20s less flights. What a shame. Yves Tirand, flying a Vampire, got the best time of the week-end with a blastering 35.77s in a huge thermal

Last day was forecasting some rain. Hopefully the rain came only around 3pm, giving plenty of time to do more rounds on the south west slope. The slaughter continued for me and some other pilots like Stefan Holbfer with again very changing conditions. I again got crosswind and poor air in each of these 3 rounds and couldn't fight to recover in the ranking.

This is probably the most fustrating competition I did since I fly F3F, and also my lowest score in such important competition. I cannot blame myself because except a cut at round 1, I didn't do any mistake. But this is F3F !

On the podium, in first place you find Matthieu who really flew great during all the competition, and fortunately for him was not affected by the poor air. This explain the point difference with the second pilot, Lukas Gaubatz at only 951 pts over 17 rounds !!! In Third position, Alexis Marechal who alternated the good and the bad, to finally placed not too bad with 950pts.

A very big thanks to the organizer (Paul Eytan, Allan and the rest of the team, small team but pretty efficient. Paul Eytan, Eric, Pascal, Gilles and Jean Marie) for this smoothly ran contest. Prize giving and drink happened at the Observatory Guardian Tower as the rain was falling, as announced. Then was the time to take the road and go back home.

You can also find some pictures from Tomas Winkler here: Picasa Album

JETI to release a new 2.4Ghz Duplex EX

Jeti is announcing a new 2.4 system called Duplex EX (EX standing for extended) with extended telemetry capabilities and 2 new receivers with are compatible with both Duplex and Duplex EX systems. The EX version will be propose with different HF modules TG, TU, TF, etc ...

The new receivers with respectively 9 and 11 channels will have connectors on the 2 sides in order to minimize the size. The R11 is EPC, that is to say with a dedicated plug for the power. Availability date is a July according to the table below which will give you also the charateritics.

Source: Topmodel.fr

Video: Ultimate VTPR in California

I just receive 2 links from Steve Lange (slopeaerobatics.com) about videos demonstrating what can be achieved with an Ultra light "MasSwissFish" at only 470gr, and a Big Fish at 685gr. Both are made from EPP and laminated film. They are derivated from the original "Le Fish".

Both video are just incredible. Given that the cam is a GoPRO HD with a fish eye lens, you can imagine how close Steve and Peter fly. What is also very interresting is the low speed, and the hability to do rolls and loops at that speed.

Enjoy !

Aerial Pictures: Larmor, Penerf, Britanny

This is the place where I stayed for a week.

Penerf is as peaceful Village as ever and teeming with marine life to the rhythm of the tides and waves. In bygone days, the port of Pénerf was a hive of economic activity. The port of Damgan is referred to as long ago as 1483.

Pernerf is also know for oyster farming which got well-established reputation: it is attractive and has a subtle flavour, bursting with taste and vitality.

At the very end of pernerf peninsula is the "Tour des Anglais": It was some time before this building that stands alone on the Damgan skyline was accepted on the historic monuments register.
On 22 October 1977, the Tour de Pénerf was finally included in the Historic Monuments register. After this date, the building work and research on the building continued.
Restored and limewashed, it remains an important landmark as a fixed and very visible object on the coast serving as a navigational aid for shipping. It is believed the Tower was built between 1442 and 1450 under the reign of François I, with the objective of protecting the coastlineSituated right next to the port, the chapel is well worth visiting.

Larmor is an hamlet between Damgan and Penerf. It has been renovated over the year, and a wood stove has been created at the middle of the square. You can see it on the pictures. Once a year, a fest is organized, and bread or pizza are cooked in the oven.

(source: http://www.ot-damgan.co.uk/home/to-discover-damgan/penerf.aspx)

MKS DS6125e tested with Servormances

Olivier Segouin (aero@glide) tested the brand new DS 6125e which is a glider version of the DS95. The results are again very good. This is a fast and precise servos that is similar in term of perfomances than the DS6125-H or  DS6125-mini, faster than the DS6125-glider.

With a usable torque of 1.5 and 1.8 (6v), this servos can be used at the ailerons without any problem, but my point of view, because of its form factor (12mmx23mmx27.3mm), this servos will be the killer servos for a V-tail on a F3X, freeing some space on the servos tray in the nose.

As I'm very statisfied with the DS95 on my Vampire, I will use this new DS6125e on my next competition F3F plane.

More to come.

Aerial Pictures: Kervoyal, Britanny

Kervoyal is the place where I fly slope soaring on very small dunes, facing south west when I'm in holidays in the area (where I was born a long time ago). The height you can climb is not high, but you can however enjoy some aerobatics and flights with seagulls. the Weasel and Alula, or other small foamies are the perfect airframes to fly there.

Kervoyal is a charming little village and small beach sheltered from the west wind... Kervoyal is one of Damgan's most prized locations.




At the other end of the port of Pénerf, christened “The pearl”, Kervoyal is an inlet oriented towards the mouth of the Vilaine river. Here you will find the last surviving beach huts facing the ocean, and the last remaining vestiges of the start of the 20th century. Kervoyal is a paradise for tourists but also for the local fauna and flora. The site has been on the "Natura 2000" conservation list since 2001.

(source: http://www.ot-damgan.co.uk)

The day I took the pictures, I wanted first to fly my Weasel, but the crosswind made me change my plan and fly the EZglider PRO instead.

Aerial Pictures: Fort Penthièvre, Quiberon, Britanny

During my stay in Britanny, I had the opportunity to fly my EZglider with the GO Pro and catch some aerial pictures. Here is the first serie. It has been taken in Quiberon, a very popular place in the south of Britanny.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiberon

I stopped at Fort Penthievre, a fortress located at the base of the Quiberon peninsula. This fortress was allowing to control the access to the peninsula. Most importantly, it overlooks the 15 km or so of the Penthièvre beach, which is suitable for landing.

Several forces had indeed landed there over the centuries: the Dutch in 1674 and the English in 1746. It was the pillaging of the peninsula by the latter which raised awareness of the vulnerability of its defences.

In 1747 the construction of a fort was approved. This was to take the form of an enormous bastion built on a rocky promontory, blocking the only access to the peninsula. At this point, the lagoon bar was only a few dozen metres wide.
During the Revolution, Fort Penthièvre would become a battleground of violent confrontations: 6,500 royalists, landed from the English fleet, seized it in an attack on 27 June 1795. It was recaptured by General Hoche's troops on 20 July.
Left more or less abandoned, Fort Penthièvre was modernised and reinforced from 1800 onwards, under the impetus of the engineer General Marescot and on the orders of Bonaparte.
In 1917 the fort was used as a prison for German soldiers. They carried out resurfacing work on the road.
In 1933, it was entrusted to the navy and then fell into disuse.






During the Second World War, it was occupied by the Germans and incorporated into the Atlantic wall. It housed various blockhouses, but was mainly used by the infantry.
In July 1944, 59 resistance fighters were tortured and buried alive there. A pillar mounted on a Cross of Lorraine stands there in memory of them.

Nowadays, Fort Penthièvre is a training base for the land army (i.e French Marines, based in Vannes, 3 RIMA).

(source: http://www.cheminsdememoire.gouv.fr)

Tailplane story part 4 (by Thierry Platon)

Thierry Platon

Here is the 4th part of the technical article written by Thierry Platon (Article in French). this time Thierry focuses on horizontal tailplanes, adapted airfoils, asymetricla airfoils, etc ...

As a bonus to a comparison table between 24 tailplane sections, Thierry is publishing 2 new TP sections dedicated for tailplanes.

1.  4th part of the article
2. Comparison table
3. F3F tailplane airfoil coordinates
4. 60 inches tailplane airfoil coordinates

Ambrosia F3X from Miro Model

Polish, which one ?

Recently was a discussion on BARCS forum regarding the polishing of the Alliaj HM with use an acrylic paint, so is affected by solvents.

I remember at the Viking Race 2010, Greg Dakin (UK) had a very shiny Alliaj HM. He had polished it and to be honest, the result was superb.

Greg recommend a particular polish called "Autoglym Super Resin Polish". I found it at my supermarket (E. Leclerc) at a good price: 9 Euros for 325 cl.

According to Greg, the resin polish seems to improve and harden the surface (paint).

How to proceed ? Use two soft cotton cloths, one to apply the resin and one to polish. Ideally, you need two to three coats, applyin each coat and left to dry, before polishing. The resin is also really good for polishing out light scratches on clear moulded canopies too

The key benefit compared to other polish is that the resin polish does not scratch the surface.

Of course the Super Resin Polish is not only for the Alliaj HM, but will work on all painted surface.

Thanks Greg for this finding !

I will let you know the result on My Alliaj HM with pictures to compare before and after.

Stay tuned !

New Flying Session at corps

With the beginning of the summer holidays, lots of people met to the slope of L'Alpe-Le colombier near Corps (70 south to Grenoble). This was the opportunity to see big sailplanes, aerobatics sailplanes, foamies. A good afternoon with superb flying conditions.

Here are the picture taken Saturday. OF course I'm going back again today :) !

SlopeAerobatics.com Video Contest

SlopeAerobatics.com is pleased to announce that the SlopeAerobatics.com Video Contest is back for 2011! This contest is open to anyone from anywhere, worldwide – we want to see the best slope aerobatics flying the world has to offer!

As in 2007 and 2008, there will be prizes for the top finishers – details forthcoming!

Rules are simple:

1. Post a short video (3 minutes maximum) of your VERY BEST slope aerobatics footage as a reply to the official 2011 SlopeAerobatics.com Video Contest thread on RCGroups.com. You don’t have a lot of time, so cut, chop, slice, winnow, bansai and chisel your footage till you have the cream of the crop, best of the best, “Top Gun” footage, and then post that.

2. As needed, you are allowed to change your entry up until the deadline, but only one entry per person. “Person” being defined as the person posting the video, which may or may not be the same person (or persons) that are flying in the video.

3. Any kind of non-motorized glider is welcome.

4. All submissions must be posted to the official thread by no later than midnight Pacific time November 1, 2011.

5. Winners will be chosen by the readership of RCGroups.com, who will vote for their favorite videos in a voting thread setup for the purpose. Prizes will be awarded to top finishers, those details are being worked out and will be posted here once they are available.

Deadline for entries is November 1st, 2011 at Midnight Pacific

Can’t wait – this year should be the BEST EVER!!

Steve
SlopeAerobatics.com

Pike Precision is released

Samba Model released the Pike Precision, and published very interesting and detailed information about the plane, designed by Philip Kolb, Benjamin Rodax and Johannes Dillinger.

source: http://www.f3j.com

Information published are really impressive. The Pike Precision has been developped for F3B and F3F, starting with a measure campaign with onboard loggers, flying F3B anf F3F tasks.

source: http://www.f3j.com

The aerodynamic design o fthe Pike Precision wanted to combine high capabilities in speed/distance F3B task, and what they call smooth flying in F3F (Does it means Energy management turn ? no idea).

Shape of the wing is approaching elliptical lift distribution and has 9 different sections along the wing. the tailplane use a symetrical airfoil, for low drag.

For F3F, The Pike F3F is deisgned to carry up to 2 kg of ballast in the wings without move of the CG to reach a flying weight of ~4.9 kg !!!

Structural design has been studied by Johannes Dillinger, and aeroelasticity has been considered to ensure that the aerodynamic design is not affected by the possible deformation in flight of the structure.

source: http://www.f3j.com

I invite you to read this paper with is really very interresting and show that the Pike Precision will be an impressive plane for competition.

For its first participation to a competition (Donovaly cup), the Pike Precision finished 4th which is very promising.

We will follow up the Pike Precision closely in the coming months !

Pictures of the Donovaly Cup here