L.O.F.T. (League of Flight by Thermal)

2012 Loft #1 Scores

Denny — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 01:03:08 +0000

I have archived the 2011 scores and the 2012 Loft 1 scores are posted. Let me know if you see a problem.

Denny

LOFT 2012 Season Brochure Now Available

Darwin — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:11:05 +0000

Hey Guys:

Just dropped off the 2012 season brochures for LOFT at Phil’s today. I have 12 more for handing out to the membership. The PDF file for the brochure is available by clicking the link below.

LOFT brocure 2012

OVSS Fall Round Up

Denny — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 01:58:30 +0000

Scores are posted in the Scores page. Thanks everyone who came and helped or flew! Couldn’t have done it without you!

ALES #4

Denny — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:32:31 +0000

ALES #4 is in the books. Wonderful flying day, lots of up air with some strong sink thrown in. Scores are posted. Don’t have any results from #2 or #3 since no one supplied them to me. Would have gone for my hour flight with the radian but didn’t have 2 witnesses who were LSF 2 it was that nice after the contest ended. Unfortunately Jack and Dave crashed their planes while launching in separate incidents.

Loft 6 Scores posted

Denny — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:56:20 +0000

Loft 6 2 meter and woody scores have been updated.

Loft 4 Results

Denny — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:20:35 +0000

Loft 4 results are posted

ALES #1

Denny — Wed, 25 May 2011 11:27:07 +0000

I have posed the results from ALES #1. Look under our Scores page. Sounds like a lot of fun! Wish I could have flown.

OVSS #1 Bob Steele Memorial

Denny — Sun, 08 May 2011 12:42:59 +0000

Bob Steele is coming up May 14 and 15 in Muncie at the AMA soaring site. We will be flying Sportsman and Expert class, with a top prize for the highest scoring woody also. Pilots meeting is at 9:30 Saturday and 9:00 Sunday. $20 per day / $30 for both days.

Scores are posted on the current scores page

2011 LOFT Brochure Completed

Darwin — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:01:55 +0000

I know it’s a bit late, but the new LOFT brochure for 2011 is now available!

LOFT_2011_brochure_dist

Feel free to download and spread it around. I’ll be printing up copies to take to Phil’s later.

Flying for Fun, March 25, 2011

Darwin — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 03:11:10 +0000

Challenger Launch

On the way home this afternoon from doing some shopping with my youngest daughter, she said “Dad, there’s a sailplane flying over at the LOFT field.” I looked through the windshield and, sure enough, I caught sight of an oversized bird circling around the IVY Tech campus.

“That’s Ray’s Challenger. It’s a big one. Twelve foot wingspan.”

Approach

Erin made appreciative noises and kept heading for home. As soon as she put the car into park in the driveway, though, I told her “Give me the keys. I’m going flying.”

I threw four planes, three transmitters, and my camera into the car (I even remembered to grab my sunglasses) and then hot-footed out to the field to cadge a ride up Ray’s winch line for my Dove.

The lift was spotty at best and the temperatures weren’t very friendly, but the sun was warm and the winds were light.

Ray launched several more times after I arrived. Each time the chute spiraled down practically on itself, leaving the winch line in little spirals on the ground. The Challenger sure is smooth in the air and seems to linger in ground effect forever on approach. Pretty bird.

I managed to balance the Dove a little better on one flight, although it doesn’t seem to like rudder turns and will drop its nose into a stall when I try. I borked it a bit on landing and separated the fin skin from the bellcrank, so back to the shop to fix that.

I also managed flights on my Flipper (re-motored with a 2850 brushless and 1800 mAh LiPo pack, and a folding prop), my Push-E Cat V5 (fitted with a folding prop), and my new design flat-foam Positron II delta wing. Neither of the folding props folded, which annoys me. There seems to be an issue with enabling the brake circuits on both speed controls or something. Ergo, neither one behaved like a proper sailplane. The Positron II actually flew an entire flight. The launch was a hairy affair and I figured out that I had the rudder reversed, but I actually got this sorted out until the very end when I lost orientation in the sun and “flopped” it into the grass with minimal damage. I’m calling it a good first flight.

I didn’t take any pictures of my stuff, but I got several of Ray’s Challenger. I’ve posted the link on the gallery page as usual.