Curtis,

Thanks. I meant if there is any change in the scores with the dropped flight between Gary's 6 and 10 minutes cases.

It is strange (and likely stupid) idea but it just happened to me this weekend when I was flying alone for 3-4 minutes - do I want the other pilots to get a dropped flight from me? There is likely no way anyone can influence it, I just recalled that feeling when I saw your post.

Thanks,
Jan

Originally Posted by DingoII

Curtis,

Thanks. I meant if there is any change in the scores with the dropped flight between Gary's 6 and 10 minutes cases.

It is strange (and likely stupid) idea but it just happened to me this weekend when I was flying alone for 3-4 minutes - do I want the other pilots to get a dropped flight from me? There is likely no way anyone can influence it, I just recalled that feeling when I saw your post.

Thanks,
Jan

I edited the prior post for you Jan.

Curtis
Montana

Curtis,

Thank you. Then the final scoreboard really depends on the method of data processing. No objection from my side, I am just surprised .

Jan

The second contest is in the history books!

This was great fun! We had 11 contestants and perfect weather. Launches and landings went off perfectly.

The CD had us fly four rounds of 4,6,8 and 10 minutes. Then he had us drop the lowest score.
It's interesting to note that he was in second till we dropped the scores then his final placing was 3rd. Ooops.

For more information please see www.TailwindGliders.com/ALES.html

Curtis

Contest/Funtest Alert!

This Saturday Pilot's Meeting 9am sharp.

Weather forecast looks great!

Hope to see everyone there!
www.TailwindGliders.com/ALES.html

Curtis

Well, Hello All!

I brought two of my kids to this month's ALES contest and tasked my daughter to take some pictures. She did and she got some real nice ones! After a few rounds I had both of them timing for us

Was a good day of flying, visiting, and laughing-all good for the soul.

Personally, I just can't seem to maintain longer than 3 minute flights yet with my Cularis, but that is ok, as I love just getting out and flying. Just have to learn how to thermal.

Thanks to all for a great time, without further ado, here are the pics

Chip

Wow! What an awesome day!

The results are posted at www.TailwindGliders.com/ALES.html

The friendship, weather and flying was superb! We had a record attendance of 13 pilots! That's for our third monthly contest after introducing this flying format. Amazing!

The CD chose to fly a 3,5,7 and 10 minute round with three flight groups.

The reasoning with the short flight times is so we could run three flight groups and folks could get a break between flying and timing. Having only two groups really keeps you hopping. Also, with the shorter flight times it gives newer pilots a chance to get more familiar with their timings and landings. As we progress I believe we'll start flying longer tasks so that it really brings out true Man-on-Man soaring.

The three minute flight is actually to short, as it's really only 2 1/2 minutes after the 30 second climb. It's interesting to note, but I heard someone say they probably wouldn't be able to make the three minutes as it was too early in the morning. However, looking at the scores that's not the case. We had a couple folks fly over their time!

The five minute task came next and about halfway through the task I didn't think I was going to make my time as I found some big sink. With sink there is lift and I pushed the nose over and found the lift and easily made my time.

The 7 and 10 minute task I found quite easy once the lift was found, but there was huge sink so if you didn't have a big search pattern to find the lift you'd have found yourself on the ground early. I was really in the zone on the last two flights and those two flights combined I was three seconds off with two perfect landings! It sure felt good. Timers make a huge difference and their cadence on the countdown really help a lot!

Great things I noticed:
Jon Garber who placed 4th overall only learned to fly R/C early this Summer with an Easy Star! Congrats Jon!

Tom Roszko was from Arizona visiting and flew a borrowed Easy Star and did quite well in his first ever ALES contest.

George Decker flew in his first ALES contest and he commented on how much you really learn about yourself, your plane and mother nature. That's what it's all about! Quiet, relaxing and enjoying the beautiful Montana scenery while soaring!

This was so much fun we'll do it again on the 15th of October.

Curtis
Montana ALES

Weather is looking great for this Saturday, albeit a tad chilly to start.

The task, which is subject to change, is 5, 5, 10, 10, xx if we have time followed by a 10min flyoff of the top three pilots at the end.

See ya there!
Curtis

Would love seeing something like this put together in this area!!!!

Make yourself some 10m landing tapes, or do as we did, just use plastic frisbees as landing markers.Get a few guys together , have someone count down the 30 secs for the climb after you launch on command,and see who is last down. It soon becomes addictive. If you get the support, order 10 CAMS from Randy at a bargain price, and take it from there.You do not need a runway- or a large field-, we use a 6acre park.Landing tapes can be made from 1/4 inch nylon rope, not very fancy, but they work.I hope to hear you have started next spring. Good luck. Ken Gregory.

The fourth and last Montana ALES competition was completed in blustery, chilly Montana weather!

The morning of the contest I woke up with the shingles about to be blown off of the house but a few hours later amazingly enough the wind calmed down. So I loaded up the truck and headed out to the field and started setting up. We changed the start time of the contest from 9am to 10am as the sun doesn't come up till 8am this time of year.

At the start of the contest the temperature was in the upper 40's, 5-10mph winds and cloudy skies. It was the first day of hunting season and there was a little gunfire in the area but nothing close to our flying field. At the end of the contest the sun would pop out here and there but the winds were a pretty steady 15mph.

As the CD I chose to have a 5,5,10 and 10 minute tasks. It was very difficult to make the five minutes and no one made either of the 10 minute tasks. Landings were challenging but folks did a wonderful job at getting some landing points throughout the day. It was a great learning experience for us all to fly in these challenging conditions.

At the end of the contest I had planned to have a flyoff of the top three pilots but I decided at the last minute to have an All Up/Last Down round. The sun had come out and seven of us launched and had a wonderful time flying in together. This was the only time two of us made 10 minutes, just barely.

The Results are available at www.TailwindGliders.com/ALES.html

I'd like to thank everyone who came out this season to fly in the ALES glider contests. I've had a fabulous glider flying season because of all the smiles I've seen!

Curtis
Montana ALES Pioneer

Originally Posted by AC5FF

Would love seeing something like this put together in this area!!!!

Ken is absolutely right. Here is what what I did to get ALES competition rolling in Montana. I put the word out that I was going to hold a clinic and explain the different types of glider contests. It was ground breaking for everyone in attendance as only one other person had ever seen or flown in a thermal duration contest. So I explained the different types of contests and models used and the different scoring methods. Then I put on a one flight demo of how the launches/landings were accomplished.
Then we held an impromptu contest without CAM's! We launched and talked pilots up or down in altitude till we thought they were the same height then started the timers. We used baseball hats as landing spots and marked off by steps how far away from the hat they were. It was a very crude way to hold a contest of sorts, but it got the point across as to what a glider contest was all about.
Folks showed so much interest I took orders for CAM's and sold almost 15 of them. So then the next month the CAM's were here and we have now held four contests in a row!

So the old saying hold true "Build it and they will Come".

It's really been an awesome glider flying season for me thanks to everyone who has participated.

All the best from Montana
Curtis

Here's some ALES plane suggestions.

eSupra
http://www.kennedycomposites.com/suprae.htm
wing area 1052sq in.
wing loading 9.5oz sq/ft

Pulsar
http://www.espritmodel.com/pulsar-32e-arf.aspx
wing area 1080 sq in.
wing loading 8.5oz sq/ft

Prelude 98.5" span
http://www.espritmodel.com/prelude-25e-f5jales-arf.aspx
wing area 715 sq in.
wing loading 8.5-10oz sq/ft

Grafas 120” span
http://www.espritmodel.com/grafas-31e-f5jales-arf.aspx
wing area 1090 sq in.
wing loading 11oz sq/ft

Gracia 120” span V-Tail
http://www.espritmodel.com/gracia-31e-f5jales-arf.aspx
wing area 1090 sq in.
wing loading 11oz sq/ft

Oracle 93” span Made in America 
http://www.polecataero.com/oracle-93...plane-for-ales
wing area 685 sq in.
wing loading 8oz sq/ft

Avia 98.5” span V-Tail
http://www.espritmodel.com/avia-25e-f5jales-arf.aspx
wing area 715 sq in.
wing loading 10 oz sq/ft

Curtis
I'm ready for Spring!

Hello folks!

I hope your winter ALES planes are coming along. There's going to be some great planes this year! I've flown one of them already, seen another and hear of yet one more that will be purchased soon. Of course I've been busy in my shop too!

Here's the calendar for the upcoming season.
http://tailwindgliders.com/ALES.html

We plan on having an end of year overall club winner. The top five contests will be scored for your season total.

There is also a two day event in July.

Hope to see you there!

Curtis

This is going to be a great season of relaxed glider flying, i.e. competition.

The rumors I'm hearing is that folks have been busy whiddling away in their workshops this winter.

I hear rumors of the following models that will be flown this year:

- eSupra by me
- eSupra with a Legend fuselage
- Oracle 93
- Prelude
- John E aka Supra Destroyer!
- Another scratchbuilt project from the depths of Jim's workshop

These are all very competitive models for ALES competition.

I'm sure there are others but these are the one's I'm aware of.

See you guys on the last day of March, weather permitting.

Curtis