Brendan M.
The October TD contest is done and it was actually pretty pleasant low winds and decent temps. We had a good group of fliers out today you can see who was there in the TD results thread. The day started out with my dad and I driving up to foley by the time we started getting into St Louis the fog was getting thick, I couldn’t see the Missouri River from the bridge going over 70 and it stuck around all the way to Foley. When I got there Bob G was parked on the junk grass on the field we usually fly off of and Bob W was there in his shinny new truck. My dad and I got our planes together I was going to fly the Volo SL and my dad was testing his recently finished Berkut Lite, after a couple flights I turned my differential down and took some of the down out of landing compensation which seemed to help me land better today and when I was done with that I gave my dad’s new Berkut a chuck and everything looked good a couple clicks of up and it was ready for its first powered flight which went well I’ll let him write about that.
Soon Bob called the pilots meeting and things were discussed and we were only flying RES and Unlimited since we didnt have enough pilots for 2m the conditions were improving and there was some light lift out there for round one I chucked the Volo up and went upwind for a change and found a little here and there but soon found myself in a bad spot I saw that a couple fliers were circling a little down wind of me so I went towards them I didnt really find much until about 40-50 feet and 4 minutes to go, I finally found some light workable lift and got some altitude and I sort of made my time, I think I did a 10:05 with an 87. Round 2 the air started to get good I found a nice piece of lift and worked it up and with about 1:30-2:00 minutes left I decided to try and thermal inverted and was met by a hawk who either though my plane was a mate or competition, it was actually a cool interaction we were both chasing each other the hawk had its talons out a couple times but not in a aggressive kind of way, all of a sudden my dad started the 30 second count down and I was nowhere near my final so I booked it down wind made my turn a little high pulled full flap and pushed the nose down and with the compensation where its at made the plane come in at a decent speed not to fast but not to slow I believe on this flight I managed a 9:50 something with a 90 landing…getting better.
Round 3 was much of the same you go up and then you come down when its time this round I managed a 10:01 with a 93 getting closer to that 100
Round 4 I had a read thanks to Dan G flying up wind and in a decent looking thermal, so I powered up and went up wind to join him. The lift today was good and at some points strong, sometimes I would just fly around in the lift not really circling. When it was time to come in I was a little behind and my dad was doing the count down when I landed I thought I was over by a second or two but I landed right at 10:00 with a 96 my best flight of the day.
I wish my write up was more exciting, but it was really and landing contest kind of day, there were some exciting moments, but I’ll let those pilots talk about it if the wish. Overall it was just a laid back day full of lift and good friends.
As Robert would say…you should have been there.
Wayne W.
With the times Brendan posted for Rounds 1, 3, & 4, plus the final total, I was able to compute Brendan’s time in Round 2.
I dropped the scores onto a blank scorecard side by side for comparison.
As you can see, this was neck and neck all day. Would have been very interesting if we had known the totals as we went along. How one handles pressure as the contest proceeds often figures into the outcome.
This one was very close, we just didn’t know HOW close!
Good job Brendan!
Cheers,Wayne
Paul L.
he old Pike Superior has a wing loading of 31.8 g/dm2. Quite a difference.
It also has an Aspect Ratio of only 16.4 compared to 19 for a Berkut, 19.7 for a Volo – makes a difference on induced drag (inversely proportional to AR).
I’d say except possibly for the last round my plane didn’t hold me back but my landing practice certainly did.
At least for me, the lift in the last round was a bit too light, though I also forgot to take her out of speed mode immediately after launch zoom.
Regardless, It was a nice day and I had a good time.
Paul Luebke
Mark M.
A Perfect Day for the Berkut Lite
By Mark M.
What a perfect day for flying. The cool, semi-overcast sky kept the sun from baking us, but there was still just enough warmth to trigger steady thermals. Lift was broad and consistent—you could simply cruise around without needing to circle much.
I brought along my new, untested Berkut Lite: 42 ounces of sleek carbon and foam. The tail runs X08 servos, and the wings are fitted with CHAServos using Tomas Liu mounts and hardware—really nice components throughout. The flaps use HV85h servos, the ailerons HV06h. Power comes from an XPower Lite motor and Summit 60 ESC, turning a 10×6 CN prop and spinner.
Before the contest, Brendan gave it a hand toss, and it flew beautifully right away. The next flight under power was just as good. Landing compensation was spot-on too—especially gratifying since I’d only eyeballed the settings.
Feeling confident, I decided to give it some airtime in the contest. Four flights, all with solid times, though the landings left room for improvement. Each one scored, but none were close to the center. The Berkut slows quickly, so I just need to get used to its approach behavior. Overall, I’m thrilled with the model—it’s a fantastic flyer and will only get better with a few more flights.
After packing up, Brendan and I headed to TJ Twiggs, where we ran into the Gills. It was great to relax, share some pizza, and recap the day.
All in all, a terrific day of flying—good weather, good company, and a promising new airplane in the fleet.
The results are in!
UNL
Wayne W 2759
Brendan M 2757
Mark M 2575
Dan G 2493
Dave Q 2438
Bob G 2289
Paul L 2007
Rich R 1527
RES
Dan G 2261
Bob G 2223
Bob W 1237