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sciencegreek wrote:Is that time with a helicopter with this year's specs???

I would not be surprised by a handful of teams going over 4 minutes this year (either with or without the bonus)

I wasn't sure where to post it, but I have some questions about the flight log requirements.

Firstly, when they say motor size, what exactly are you supposed to measure?

Also, how do you measure torque?

Thanks so much to anyone who can help!

purplepenguin wrote:I wasn't sure where to post it, but I have some questions about the flight log requirements.

Firstly, when they say motor size, what exactly are you supposed to measure?

Also, how do you measure torque?

Thanks so much to anyone who can help!

Since there aren't any details on motor size, it can be any metric you like. Many people use the width of the rubber motor, but other common measurements can include mass and/or length.

You measure torque with a torque meter. A torque meter is a simple torsion spring (just a straight piece of music wire) with a hook and dial indicator on the end. You can purchase them from a few different sources (such as www.f1d.biz) or build one from a wire and some brackets (you can find directions here: http://www.indoorspecialties.com/index1 ... l&ourl=D33 )

purplepenguin wrote:I wasn't sure where to post it, but I have some questions about the flight log requirements.

Firstly, when they say motor size, what exactly are you supposed to measure?

Also, how do you measure torque?

Thanks so much to anyone who can help!

Motor size is often measured as the width of the rubber. For example, you may have 3/32 and 1/16. These are very common starting points for members. If you don't understand what I mean, just ask.

Torque is measured using a torque meter. You can build one on your own (I'll post the instructions on how to build one when I find them on my computer somewhere). They often consist of a hook, a metal wire, and a dial. You hook the rubber on, and how much the metal wire twists will give you a relative measure of torque.

When trimming your helicopter for flight, the most useful measurements are rubber width, rubber winds, and torque. Although torque is a little more difficult to measure, I would definitely recommend recording it on your flight log.

Edit: Looks like chalker beat me to it... Oh well

purplepenguin wrote:I wasn't sure where to post it, but I have some questions about the flight log requirements.

Firstly, when they say motor size, what exactly are you supposed to measure?

Also, how do you measure torque?

Thanks so much to anyone who can help!

i would agree with those two above me, except I measure rubber in terms of weight for 1 of my criteria and again with the width. By size, from last years weight limit of 2 grams, that made more sense than this one.

Is anyone incorporating metal wiring for their helicopter design, outside of maybe the hook for the rubber?

We have our first invitational coming up what would be a solid time in your guys opinion we want to be in the top ten I am expecting two minutes at the worst but Im not sure if that will be good enough.

Kovu wrote:We have our first invitational coming up what would be a solid time in your guys opinion we want to be in the top ten I am expecting two minutes at the worst but Im not sure if that will be good enough.

i think for a first invite, or even invites in general, hitting 2 minutes is very good. better than most will do. certainly scores better than those who didn't do it last year.

Keep in mind 2 minutes last year in most states was a medal- so I think your fine for the first invite

But then again it is Ohio we are talking about… but still 2 minutes is very good already.

Kovu wrote:We have our first invitational coming up what would be a solid time in your guys opinion we want to be in the top ten I am expecting two minutes at the worst but Im not sure if that will be good enough.

Is your first invitational Northmont?

If so, you have 1 less team to worry about (Northmont always does well at Helicopters but doesn't take medals at their own competition).
The top teams (based on last year and in no particular order) will likely be West Liberty, Mentor, and Solon. I would expect the top time to be in the 3 minute range and the others to be a little less.
6th place should end up ~ 2:00

Yea northmont is our first invitationals it would be nice for a small town team to do well.