Postal contest round 1

I must admit I was not really all fired up to fly in the first round of the postal contest. Firstly it is really a thermal/winch launch contest so you are competing against F3J planes, not a problem if you also fly a F3J plane but since I decided to concentrate on F5J it left me at a slight disadvantage. A F5J planes carries the additional weight of a motor and battery but more importantly it suffers from drag induced by the folded prop.

But it is still good practice and it is possible to beat the F3J guys especially if there is some lift about. The main reason I almost did not fly was the pain I am still suffering from my back.

Anyway, I was there when the guys started flying so I thought I would fly one round, it was fun so I ended up flying all 5 rounds.

My score was not impressive but then again I was flying more for fun than to score high, and fun I had! Even though it was very cloudy there were still lots of lift about, other than the first round that I only managed just over 5 minutes all the other rounds were maxed. The lack of concentration showed in my landings, most were relatively close to the spot but my times were 10 to 20 seconds early most rounds. I need some more landing practice to get the time within 2-3 seconds.

A cloudy dawn at SGC

Ready for the first round

Some of the other competitors preparing their planes.

That is me on the right returning after a round, eSupra in hand

Hopefully I will feel better and be more competitive for the next round of the postals in 3 months.