Larry Loucka’s Record Setting F1L
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Open F1L Cat III Record West Baden, IN
Rubber Specifications: 16 ½”, 0.062”, 0.045oz, 10/97 Tan II
Winding: Wound to 2275 turns, backed off 110 turns and landed with 80 turns.
Average RPMs: 106
Construction note: Prop blades grain is parallel to the spar.
Flight notes: On the previous flight, the model hung up on the plastic surrounding the saucer, and during retrieval the left hand wing tip was broken and a hole was put in the center section of the wing. The record flight was launched five minutes before the contest was over. There was no time to test fly after repairs. Again, the model played tag with the bottom of the saucer and the plastic on the opposite side from where it had hung up before. It did not touch the girder work. Only one pole steer was required to miss a chair before landing.
19:39 is my personal best in F1L. The design of the model is about the same as a paper-covered EZB my son and I built in the early 1980s. It weighed 0.050oz, but was a good, reliable flyer. My F1L is a little over 0.042oz.
I would recommend that anyone starting out in F1L read the “Serendipity” EZB article by Nolin that was published in the AMA magazine about 20 years ago. It was a very good run down of EZB trim.
~Larry Loucka
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