F Q&A #2

Question:  We have a question about the configuration of the speedloader: Is
it possible to construct a speedloader that would not have a closed volume?

Answer: The speedloader can be open, with the closing side beingpart of the
airframe.  For example, the speedloader could be an open box which is
inserted into the airframe and the airframe hatch could"close" the
payload volume.

Question: Can we use different speedloaders at the same time.  Is it possible
to fly with three speedloaders each with adifferent capacity (for example 20,
30, and 50 balls).

Answer: You can have several different speedloaders ready to fly on different
flights of the same contest flight period.  You could then select which
loader to use for each flight.  All would have to be the same size and shape,
but would have different numbers of ballsloaded.

You could also have 2 loaders which are carried at the same time, provided
you always carry two loaders.  The 2 loaders could have different weights or
numbers of balls in them to allow balancing thepayloads about the cg.

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General Information Update:

Several teams have made changes to the team rosters.  If you have sent in a
change and have received a confirmation e-mail your change has been
registered.  I have not yet updated the members lists on the web site.  We
will update the web site lists once, probably in February, to reflect all
changes I have received by that time.

Many teams have inquired about the possibility of having guests attend the
fly-off.  We will be meeting with the Webster representatives right after the
new year, and will discuss what provisions can be made for outside visitors
at that time.  I also am working on if we can provide the ability to ship
aircraft direct to the contest site.  I should be able to provide answers to
these questions in earlyJanuary.

We have obtained a list of hotels in the area of the contest, and that
information is attached to this e-mail.  If arriving by air, you can fly in
to Ronald Regan (was National), Baltimore/Washington International, or Dullas
airports.  Be aware that Dullas is about an hour further from the contest
site than either of the other two airports.

For our foreign competitors, I'd like to make sure you are aware that you can
not rent a car (or truck) in the US without a credit card.  They will accept
cash for final payment, but will still require you to present a valid credit
card for you to pick up the vehicle.

We will be setting up a preliminary contest schedule for distributionafter
the new year.  In general, Friday 20 April will be for tech inspections and
test flights.  All teams are encouraged to plan their travel to attend the
Friday tech inspections so you are ready to fly on Saturday.  We will do tech
inspections on Saturday and Sunday, but that will delay your ability to fly
during the first rounds of the contest on Saturday.  Saturday and Sunday will
both be contest flight days.  We will normally fly between about 8 am and 5
pm each day, with the awards presentations after the flight period on Sunday.
 It is nominally a two hour drive from Webster back to the closer airports,
so if leaving on Sunday you should consider flightsleaving after 9pm.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

-Greg