Videos
Semi-Final Results
USA has 3 pilots in the top ten
- A Jesky 2nd
- J Shulman 5th
- P Collison 9th
- J SZCZUR 14th (junior defender)
Team results
Individual results
Juniors
A couple of weeks ago I was practicing alone at my primary club field with my EPIC Evo. On the vertical downline after the spin I noticed the canopy was missing. The plane seemed to handle normally thru the sequence so I had no idea when it may have come dislodged. The canopy was fastened with a quick-release latch which I strongly dislike using. My other 2M planes are configured with a single 4-40 bolt to secure their canopies. We fly over a cow/horse pasture that has greenery 2-3ft tall. I walked the fenceline separating the runway from the pasture looking for the canopy with no luck.
That evening I messaged Marcelo of CA Model about my lost canopy and if a replacement was possible. He replied yes and had one made and shipped to me within a week. The replacement was raw requiring it to be fitted to fuse and painted. This time I replaced the quick-release latch with my preferred configuration of a single screw in the front, dowel pins in the rear with 1/64 plywood donuts to help with alignment to the fuse sides.
The Evo is ready to fly again. Many thanks to CA Model for the quick turnaround on the replacement canopy. I also would like to thank Wings West RC for providing the paint. I've used their products on past projects. They offer paint in Monokote or Ultracote matching colors in small quantities that come ready to spray either in a rattle can or from a spray system.
Replacement canopy in black...I like this updated version better. Should provide additional visibility
Unfortunately, due to a family commitment, I missed the 2023 inaugural D6 pattern event hosted by my home club (Space City RC) held April 29th-30th. The event had challenging weather conditions, as I understand there was a 30mph gusting crosswind Saturday. The pilots voted not to fly Saturday. However, 17 pilots, 10 of which were Masters stuck around to fly 3 rounds on Sunday.
The second event of the season was held by the Jetero RC club in Huffman Tx. which is ~45 miles from my house. The 99 toll road makes the drive very easy by having only 1 stop light and 1 stop sign between my home and Jetero with a 70MPH speed limit most of the way. Keeping a close eye on the weather forecast the week leading up to the event, it appeared there would be a North wind during the event which means flying a right-to-left sequence. The winds were blowing from the NE and the West the days before the event. Fortunately, I belong to multiple RC Clubs with different runway orientations in NW Houston which enables me to take advantage of the different wind directions for practicing right-to-left sequences prior to the event. Feeling confident with the week's practice I charged batteries and packed the 2008 Honda Odyssey van Friday evening.
The first round kicked off around 10:30am which is commonplace due to the sun's position. Four rounds were flown on Saturday in 10-12mph NE quartering winds. I was successful in winning all four rounds. The CD planned to fly just a single round on Sunday. Since two flight lines were being used, combined with a close encounter with another pilot on Saturday, I elected not to fly on Sunday and judge a round of FAI F and be a caller for fellow competitors.
The Epilogue continues to feel locked and performs flawlessly. It handled the conditions with precision. The smaller Canilsier wing I'm using has really tamed the rudder response down making top rudder application and line corrections more manageable and consistent. I have a BJ Craft Anthem currently under construction. Based on reviews from several Antham owners it should perform equally as well if not better than the Epilogue.
Caught a break in the weather today, and logged a few practice flights on the Epilogue plus a few on the Epic + at Bomberfield. The Epic was brought out after sitting in storage for many months cause it's been promised for sale to a good friend. Due to his busy schedule, we’ve not been able to get together. Today we met at Bomberfield, Monaville Tx to fly it to ensure it meets his expectations.
The Epic is equipped with digital Futaba gear, a Hacker C50 Comp 14xl in-runner, and a D3 controller spinning an APC Carbon 21x13.5. This power configuration is outstanding and hard to beat in my opinion. Throttle management and braking are easy due to the C50’s torque and the D3's responsiveness. The last 2m my buddy owned/flew was a Vanquish with a Hi-max outrunner with a Castle HV80. My buddy was very impressed with Epic’s overall flight performance compared to Vanquish. The flight characteristics and capabilities exceeded his expectations.
The second smaller Canalizer purchased from AJ Aircraft for the 2m Acuity was configured and fitted to the Epilogue. I’ve logged 9 flights since last Saturday and like the Invitation tests, I am very pleased with the results. Unlike the Invitation, the Epilogue had no mix for knife-edge, the smaller canalizer did not impact knife-edge other than requiring a bit more thruput to sustain level horizontal knife-edge flight. But like the Invitation, it did improve input controllability of point and half rolls on 45-degree lines as well as the reverse knife-edge maneuver. Like the Invitation, there is a noticeable change for the better in elevator control when pulling/pushing radii.
Following the canalizer test with the Invitation, I reached out to BJ for his thoughts and input. He confirmed my results that a smaller canalizer reduces the rudder's overall effectiveness. BJ also commented his goal is to produce a design to meet the global demands of the F3A F and unknown sequences where rudder authority is needed. My test proved to me for AMA as well as FAI P-Sequence the smaller canalizer tames the rudder authority down but is still more than capable of performing rollers that have crept into AMA Masters as well as FAI P-sequences.
Epilogue Before
Logged approx. 3 dozen flights or so on the Invitation with the smaller Canilizer from AJ Aircraft. At first, I had to work thru a couple of unexpected trim/behavior changes.
After
Comparison
My BJ Craft Invitation is a solid performer. Updates and tweaks made recently have really improved small elements of its flight traits. One aspect I would like to alter is rudder behavior. Like most, I gravitate to the latest designs and trends. Widgets like canilizers, fences, fins, etc enhance fly performance for FAI competitors, these widgets can add challenges to lessor experienced pilots who fly in AMA classes in flight trimming, and learning rudder control. With the current canilizer adding a bit too much rudder during rolling elements and or knife edge very easily sends the plane offline.
The invitation's canilizer wing is approx 2x the size of the one on the Two Epics I own. In response to a recent FB post I made about wanting to try a smaller canilizer on the Invitation, A. Jesky mentioned he tried a smaller one on his Element which toned down rudder sensitivity which is what I'm after. He also pointed me to the one available thru AJ Aircraft designed for the 2m Acuity. Since they are $20 each I ordered two, one for the invitation and the other for the Epilogue if testing goes well with the Invitation.
Pics showing the size comparison, color change mounted ready to fly. Now all I need is good flying weather.
Performed final checks of my recently completed Bridi Sun Fli IV.
Recent weather in SE Texas has been fabulous for pattern flying. Besides the mild temps and light winds, the air density has been great for confirming flight trim, CG, and radio setups. With Power, airframes and equipment do not show wear as fast as when I flew YS shakers. This has enabled me to retain for a longer period a small fleet of very capable ready-to-fly planes such as an Epic plus, Epic Evo, Invitation G2, an Epilogue.
This winter I plan to experiment with a smaller T-can wing in an attempt to reduce rudder sensitivity and overall authority. I ordered from AJ Aircraft the T-can used on the 2m Acuity. for testing. If the results are positive I'll construct a more permanent version from scratch
Invitation G2
Last week I broke out the ASB from its shipping crate. This is not a build in the typical sense. This is a true ARF. I was able to prescribe the motor and radio equipment I planned to use. The airframe came fully prepped for what I prescribed. They even included all the necessary hardware plus some really nice preconfigured pushrods with ball bearing connectors. Even the landing gear was fully rigged with wheels and pants in place ready to mount to the fuse. I’m making slow progress but everything fits and goes together like it should.
Here’s a small sample of what’s been done to date.
Hacker C54 installation
