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Would it be more advantageous to build a flyer at minimum mass (without any dimes), or to carry several dimes, almost doubling the mass, but giving a 2.5x time multiplier?

andrew lorino wrote:Would it be more advantageous to build a flyer at minimum mass (without any dimes), or to carry several dimes, almost doubling the mass, but giving a 2.5x time multiplier?

If I understand your question correctly, then it all depends on YOUR model and plane. Try both. Fly your plane without dimes, at minimum mass. Then attack dimes and compare the times achieved (with the multiplier). Are you getting larger times with or without the dimes? Testing is really the only way to know for sure.

Dimes vs no dimes. It is significantly more difficult to get good times with the dimes which doubles the weight which approximately doubles the speed that the plane must fly. This makes the angle of incidence. decalage angle, rubber width and prop pitch/shape critical. Solve one part and it changes one or more of the others. Lots of flight time needed.
You might want to try only one dime. It will be less critical.
I had one good flight with 3 dimes, but unfortunately something was wrong and it did not want to turn. Many crashes, so the plane is getting sloppy loose.
Our HS students will start with the basic plane and when they get good, they will try for adding dimes.
6 students with 6 of the same kit planes, so it will be easier to try several things.

For what it's worth, we generally try to make doing the bonus slightly more rewarding than damaging to the final score. With a relatively slim margin, the hope is to provide teams that have already mastered the basics of flying with some sort of additional challenge while not giving them an easy way to blow the other teams out of the water.
So, my suggestion on the bonus is to try it out! Especially if you feel you've maxed out on non-payload carrying models. If it doesn't work, if you aren't getting a higher overall score (you should be able to compare through your notebook!) or you aren't making any progress, it isn't a huge sacrifice to go back to non-bonus planes.

retired1 wrote:<SNIP>Our HS students will start with the basic plane and when they get good, they will try for adding dimes.
<SNIP>

Let me strongly endorse that comment! The dimes are only available as a bonus at States and Nationals. Until you have a State/National competitive plane (around 3 minutes) without the bonus, don't waste your time! Without the skills and data you will develop in that process, you will have little chance of succeeding with the added weight. Weight is a killer in these events, destroys airplanes fast and makes them MUCH harder to trim.

Now, if you are already able to fly state and national winning/placing times, we can start to talk about how to succeed with the added weight.

Oh, comment on the original question. It is ALWAYS better to build your plane to minimum mass. Weight is NOT your friend. A plane trimmed to carry the dimes well should weigh the same (without the dimes) as one that never attempted to carry the dimes.

Jeff Anderson
Livonia, MI