How to get prepared for a contest?

[Paul Taylor]

Well I learned a few things at my first contest. One thing that I learned is to make sure you have a good battery to start the engine. Also I had to scramble to get Ryan ready and then hurry back and get my plane ready. I must say I was plum tuckered out by the end of the contest.
I need to get a process.


What is yours?

[Zuriel Armstrong]

Paul,

I usually have all of my stuff working right up to my first official flight.  That's when the engine goes lean and the thing flies for 9.5 minutes.

Seriously, assuming your equipment is working properly, get into a routine.  How you take your plane to the circle.  What are you going to need in the circle.  Have the plane fueled.  Prime the engine. Signaling the judges.  When I practice I use the same routine as when I fly in a contest.  You will just have to watch others and develop a routine of your own.  Most fliers keep this routine very simple and only take a glow driver, chicken stick and a tach to the circle with them.

If you will take your Twister out and get to know the engine and how to start it.  How much prime does it take to get it ready.  Get comfortable with your equipment and the flights at a contest will have much less "stress".

[Bill Little]

Hi Paul,

I fuel my plane when the previous flyer does his Hourglass.   Then I have whoever is launching me to grab the handle, and I walk out the lines with a paper towel and alcohol just to make suer they are not twisted.  Then I am ready to pick up the plane when the engine quits on the flight that is up.  When the other pilot and his helper start off the circle, I am coming on to it.

I have two nicad glow starters in my pocket (one in the back pocket) a chicken stick if necessary, and also a tach if needed.  The paper towel should still be in my back pocket, so that I can walk out the lines when the engine starts.  That way I know the clips are not tangled and the lines are not snagged on anything.

Just have the starting sequence for your engine down so that no surprises happen.  The extra glow starter is for the engine if it doesn't fire in three or so flips.  I really work to get the one flip start, and something has gone wrong if it doesn't start in at least three.  So I have time for a new nicad,before I have to take an attempt.

I guess the preparation starts with the flight kit.  I have about all th esmall tools you could imagine in there.  Small screwdriver set, allen T wrenches, needle nose vise grips as well as regular needle nose pliers, dikes, combination wrenches in the sizes that fit the prop nuts, hemostats, X-Acto knives (with covers) and any other small tool that I might ever consider needing.  That all stays in the pits.  The big box has all the flying lines in big zip lock bags with handles attached, extra fuel tubing and such plus an extra fuel syringe.

I find that I just go to my plane when I'm about third in line and set there and watch and think about the flight I have to do.  Go over the manuevers and such, look at the streamer and see if it's changing much, and relax.

You will get your own routine after a few contests, and the fun will come a lot easier!

Bill <><

[Louis Rankin]

Paul,

Come over and start flying with Jim and I some more.  Watch our routines, and then develop them to your style.  Then, practice, practice, practice.  Don't worry, you will be ready for next season.  Oh, and throw away that bulky battery thingy and get yourself a compact glow starter.  Keep two of them charged up in your pocket at the contest.  Learn to hand start, but if you must use an electric starter, get a compact self contained one that does not need to be pluged in to a bulky flight box.  Take notice, the only equipment you need at the circle are your glow starter and finger, or chicken stick.

Also, make up a set of lines and handles for each of your models.  Swaping back and forth at the contest between differnt models and flights can cause problems.  As I said, lets get together soon and Jim and can critique your first contest experience and get you on the right track.

By the way, I was tickled to death to see you and Ryan at the contest.  I am glad you enjoyed yourselfs.

[Steve Scott]

Things which have happened to me at contests:

Decided to change to a different handle and never took a practice flight with it.  Hey, the model, engine and prop were all proven combinations and everything was working just fine.  Only that the new handle had a MUCH narrower line spacing than the old one.  Nearly dumped it on the wingover, the insides went over my head and I did lose it going into inverted.

Broke my last prop of a given size on my first landing.  Naturally, I didn't bring any spares.

Forgot my lines.

Forgot the line connectors.

Forgot my starting battery.

Oh yeah, for an R/C fun fly we packed everything up and headed to the field - only to find I had left the TX on the kitchen table.   

[Dennis Moritz]

Fly your contest plane and only that plane for the weekend or week before (if you're retired). A good engine will start quick unless there's a problem. Know the starting drill that works for your engine. If you're engine runs a tad lean on the ground and gets fat and happy in the air know it. (Common for profiles.) After the engine warms for 15-20 seconds or so it hits operating temperature. Make sure your needle is set for that. Should not have to fiddle with needle on the line. Get to know your engine well. A temperature shift and a humidity shift can sometimes require a slightly different needle setting. Try and figure this out ahead of time. If necessary start your engine and dial it in before you hit the pits, if possible.

Watch where people are locating their shapes. Clues to wind location, which may differ from the perceived wind direction as you control your plane at the center of circle. Trees, thermals, the weird wind. A tree line near the circle will often effect wind big time. Get used to wind buffeting and surprises in wind direction. You have to fly with the wind you've got. If you're first up (this also goes for any flight, since wind can shift) observe how the speed of your plane shifts as it makes way around the circle. Speeding up of course means the plane is flying with the wind etc. That's where the wind is for your plane. Conditions may also differ somewhat between the bottom of the circle and the top. Wind surprises will happen. Keep cool. Adjust. Don't sweat a bad shape because of a wind gust. Try to get the entrance and exit point correct, even when the shape is not so good. Check with how the judges are ruling on pattern points. In some local contests a maneuver is not recorded towards pattern points, unless all sections of the maneuver are attempted and a facsimile is completed. This differs from the old rule of awarding minimum points for a maneuver (and pattern points) if the maneuver is attempted.

I like the intense focus of competition. It's fun. As long as I do well, judging that against my skill level as well as the competition, I think it a good outing. Learning from mistakes also is fun. So I replay the contest and make notes to  myself. So far every contest I've entered (maybe 20) has been great, at the end of the day.

Don't get hung up on the judges. They will vary. Often it's useful to check the score sheets. Sometimes they leave little notes about a shape. Can be good information.

For me competing is part of the sport of CL flying. Part of the pleasure.

[David Hoover]

Paul,

In my fairly short (6 or 7 seasons) and spotty (one contest last year, none the previous and only one so far this year) I've found that the key for me to have a good contest experience, and that has nothing to do with how I place, is to control everything that is within my control because so much is beyond my control - especially the way I fly.  Soooo, I know the starting characteristics of my engine cold and I can guarantee a start in 1 - 3 flips.  I time the duration of every flight, including contest flights, so I know how much fuel the engine consumes under different conditions and needle settings so I never have an over run.  You have to hang onto those pattern points because there are just too many other places in the pattern to lose points.  Make sure that you have all the gear with you that you'll reasonably need.  I generally pack the van the night before then look everything over in the morning before pulling out of the drive way - it gives me a chance to make up for any senior moment I may have had the night before.  There are two things I don't pack the night before - my lunch and my glow driver.  The lunch gets made fresh that morning and the glow driver is on the charger until just before i leave so I know that it's fresh too.  Then it's just a matter of going out and doing what you do best and working hard on what isn't your best and having the time of your life.

Best, Hoovie

Life is simple.  Eat.  Sleep.  Fly.