R is for Rocket Results

Results

Points

Subject: Revised results and contest notes


Greetings ASTREoids,

   I was laying in bed this morning thinking about returning
egglofters, and Mark's unreturned B/G flight, when it dawned
on me that Mark's flight was covered by Rule 10.4 (good buddy :).
So Mark's flight has been ruled returned and placed.

   Also, I was thinking some more about my second B/G attempt
(the one that stuck on the rod) and have decided to rule that as
an official flight DQ'ed for safety reasons.  While I appreciate
the generous spin we tried to put on the flight and the rule, I
think this is right.  If it had been a larger model that had caught
on the clips and carried the rod (further), I think you would have
agreed that it had "left the launcher" -- and the fact that it only went
a foot or so doesn't change that it had indeed "left the launcher".

   Two points on flight card data:

* Timing data should be recorded for all flights (Rule 11.6).  Even if
a DQ is not overturned, the time data may be a helpful memory
cue when trying to recall that particular flight at a later date.

* All contest flights must have an engine check before flight and
have it recorded on the flight card.  We had one card with no
engine listed, I assume it was checked but not written down.
The best way to do this is to have the engine visible at check-in
(either flight-ready or simply inserting and securing the engine
after check-in).  Second, an option often at some smaller, less-
formal meets (like ours), is to bring the engine up before checking
in the model.  If you do this it really helps to have the flight card
available (if it is a first flight in an event), so the RSO can
note it at the time.  Also, don't expect to see such an
accomodation at RAMTEC (or at least not without waiting in
line and having your engine marked).  The third alternative is
to opt to have the engine checked post-flight.  Alex was doing
this a lot and, trust me buddy, the first time you lose a model
that has to be returned for an engine check and get no credit
for the flight, you'll be sorry.  (OTOH, one event which this
is useful for is eggloft, since you *must* return each flight,
no matter what.  Eric and I can tell you about that... ;)

   One last suggestion is for all of us to sit down and read
through our Pink Books (that includes me).  The next time
we have a flight like Mark's B/G (unreturnable but visible
from the range), I want to hear a chorus of "but whadda
bout Rule 10.4!?!"  :)

-- Jeff