F3F improvement - Have a plan !

F3F Improvement - Have a plan!

By Craig Toutolmin

There comes a time when you decide that you are going to focus on improving your results in F3F competitions. How to go about this improvement process seems straight forward at first, but the deeper you get into this activity the more complicated things become. By breaking down F3F into its basic elements and practicing these elements, you can develop a solid skill foundation from which to build. These well-practiced basics will become habit in the competitive environment and will allow you to focus on the next level of attention... the flight plan. With solid basics and good tactical decisions in your flight you will fly more consistent and closer to the minimum time possible in every round.

F3F Basics

The basic skills of F3F require the pilot to fly back and forth in the lift band and to know where the turns are located. The next step is to shorten the pattern and feel the rhythm of the course. Without the advent of a F3F pill, mastering these basics will take some time on the hill.

1) Fly your plane back and forth making turns at good turning spots without worrying about the length of the course. Gaining and maintaining energy during the flight is the primary goal after learning the limits of your plane. Work with CG, ballast along with snap-flap, elevator and aileron throws to dial in your plane to a basic set-up. At first, focus on staying smooth, staying in the lift band, pulling efficient turns and leveling your wings accurately after each turn. Use your radio to smooth yourself out if necessary. Feel the plane pop in the turns when conditions are good. Know when the plane gets grippy. All planes get grippy eventually — given enough lift and speed. Feel thermals move in and out of the course. Recognize and respond to thermals entering and exiting the course. Find the limits of your plane. Over-pull turns to feel the airflow separate from the top of the wing. Learn the stall habits of your plane in upwind and down wind turns. Know if snap-flap has a stabilizing or destabilizing effect on your plane. Spend a lot of time at this stage initially and revisit it constantly.

2) Shorten your flight pattern so that it fits the 100M-course (measured). Anticipate (roll prior to the turn plane) each turn while continuing to fly smoothly and accurately. Have a friend beep one of the turns by blowing a whistle, clapping, yelling etc. Finish turns with the plane aimed directly to an ideal point on the other end of the course. Release the elevator smoothly to send the plane down this line to its intended target. The location of this target can vary with conditions and this will be described in more detail below. Have the friend beep the other turn once you have the first one dialed. You will find yourself getting into a rhythm. This rhythm will gently change as the conditions improve or decline, but maintaining a rhythm is the key to repeatable turn accuracy in F3F. This step takes a lot of time. Go back to the first step if the F3F pattern becomes erratic or confused. Be patient, observant and enjoy the process.

3) Good tactical decisions before and during the flight can minimize the negative effects on rhythm. Lets take a look at some of the options.

Constructing a Flight Pattern

Knowing where the turns are and establishing a rhythm are the basics of F3F. The next step is to construct a flight pattern that perfectly suits your plane for the conditions. To do this you will need to have a very good feel for when the airflow separates from the top of the wing. This separation occurs when you over-pull a turn. This was described to me by Joe Wurts as the upper surface of the wing separating when being over-pulled for the conditions. The obvious case is when the tail visibly sags at the end of the turn. This is a huge energy scrubbing condition. The visualization of separation helps me focus on the condition. Adjust the angles of entry — one being the angle created by the bottom of the wing and the turn plane, and the other being the bank angle with reference to the slope of the hill— into the turn to maximize the plane's turning ability without separation.

Light Conditions

In general, lighter conditions require a shallower entry angle into the turn plane, a bank angle perpendicular to the slope and a round turn started high up on the course. The shallow entry angle will minimize the amount of energy scrubbed off in the turn and minimize the amplitude of a bunt. The perpendicular bank angle will allow room for a bunt. Starting the turn high up on the course (close to the pole on some hills) will allow you to finish in the narrower lift band supplied by light conditions. A rounded turn will carry more speed. The pattern resembles a banked eight.

Moderate Conditions

In moderate conditions a little climb move should be used before the turn. The climb move is a very important tool. Most importantly, it gives you a quick, last fraction of a second assessment of the air prior to the turn. Your response to this assessment will be the appropriate entry angles. A strong response to the climb input means the entry angles can be more aggressive ? steeper angle into the turn plane and more roll- because you are in stronger lift. Watching your plane through the flat could have tipped you off to a good turn, but a lot of times thermal or gust influence can come in from the side of the course. A poor response to the climb input is usually confirmation of what you anticipated after watching your plane fly through the flat. If you did not see it coming through the flat, this will definitely convince you to use a light lift turn with gentle angles. The difference in response to the climb inputs for the turns will tell you the trend of the round. Again, in general, if they both increaseÉlift is increasing evenly. If one is increasing... lift is to that side. If one is increasing and the other decreasing... the wind is beginning to cross.

In moderate conditions changes in lift can get stronger or lighter and still be within the legal limits of F3F. When stronger, it is important to know the threshold of when your plane becomes grippy. Knowing when your plane gets grippy will allow you to use more aggressive entry angles and use a more oval turn shape — minimizing time spent in the turns without scrubbing off speed. You will be able to maximize your elevator input without separating the wing. While using more aggressive entry angles the complete flight pattern shifts over the lift band.

As far as ballasting goes, I'm from the faction that will err toward the light side of ballasting. John McCurdy gave me this advice and it has proven to be the best F3F advice I have ever received. Over-ballasting hinders the climb out/start speed, can eliminate the climb move, delays the grippy transition, and makes it easier to over-pull a turn, causing the wing to separate. In moderate conditions when the lift is in a decreasing tend, and especially when there are multiple rounds per launch, over ballasting can cause a land-out.

Crossing Conditions

If crossing conditions develop in your run, try to stay high on the downwind legs and use a diving reversal for the down wind turn. Start your roll sooner on the downwind turn, as your plane will have less roll authority, and the amount of roll for the turn is usually much more than the upwind turn. If you need to take a chance on a cut, do it on the down wind turn. The wind will help your bunt if you cut. If you go long on the downwind turn you get to fight a headwind back to the turn plane. The time loss can be substantial. Never cut an upwind turn. The wind will fight the bunt recovery and it is rarely worth the risk since the upwind turn will redirect the plane quickly anyway. Cutting an upwind turn is brutal on time loss. If you are having trouble with the location of the upwind turn — take a couple steps towards the turn. In crossing conditions, the upwind turn can seem a lot farther away than the downwind turn. Conversely, the downwind turn can sneak up on you quickly. If the wind is crossing before your flight, be prepared with additional ballast, snap-flap, and a plan to reflex on the upwind leg.

Gusty Conditions

If the wind is straight in and gusty, add just enough ballast to dampen out the buffeting and increase the snap-flap with ballast. I add 1/4 oz of nose weight if I think pitch control will become a problem.

Strong Conditions

Aside from personal ballast preference, in strong conditions the plan is pretty simple; get into a rhythm for consistent turns and don't cut. In these conditions it is more important than ever to release the elevator correctly. Over-turning towards the hill from a banked turn will require a minimum of three inputs to get back on line. Reversals minimize this potential error unless you over roll. I use another tip from Joe in conditions when the plane is grippy... use reflex throughout the flight and set your snap-flap from the reflexed setting.

Climb Out

At this point in time, I'm of the opinion that if you are climbing, continue to do so for as long as you can. This plan can change with sites where thermals can move through quickly, but for my local sites the risk of entering with minimal start speed has not been worth the chance. I think that converting altitude to speed with a steep dive that levels out in the lift band is the best way to go, in all conditions.

Other Stuff

Blood sugar and hydration are incredibly important to good performance. I guarantee that you will make better decisions and execute better (especially in the late rounds when others are fading) with proper eating and hydration. Find a food that has a slow release of sugars like Power or Cliff bars. You don't want to get a sugar buzz only to take a nap fifteen minutes later. Water that is close to body temperature will be absorbed at a much higher rate than cold water, which will tend to go right through you.

A Word on Plane Set-Ups and Selection

Using factory or borrowed set-ups for your plane is only the starting point. Even if you happen to use similar stick movements to the test pilot, you will need to spend a considerable amount of time flying, observing and tuning your plane in various conditions to develop a set-up plan that works best for you and the plane. From this process you might find that your plane does not fit your flying style. Observe other planes in various conditions. Note how well they perform in light and challenging conditions. You might find that you need two or more planes to get the right feel and performance for the conditions, but I would recommend against this and choose a plane that performs well in all conditions. Keep it simple. It is no fluke that most the top pilots in the world fly one design. Observe the throws, roll rate, and grippyness of various planes in a variety of conditions. Also, note the ease of ballasting for each plane. Some planes are much more ballast critical than others, and this can complicate the set-up decision process tremendously. Some planes can be classified as grippy when unballasted but need to be ballasted to get them to fly fast, often ballasting them to the edge of grippyness. Ballasting to this grippyness threshold to get speed can prove defeating if the conditions lighten in your run.

The Bottom Line: Have fun and enjoy the process !!!