July 26, 2024: RC Soaring F5J Team Selects

By Mike Bergerson

“Working time will begin in five minutes.” That's the automated call at 8 a.m. from the scoring program … and so begins three days of hardcore competition by some of the best F5J pilots in the country. It's amazing how much carbon you can gather in one place!

All four corners of the country are represented as well, with pilots from Southern California, Washington, Florida, and Maine, with dozens more in between. F5J is simply a timed event with pilots flying in a 10-minute window with a scored landing. Launch at the starting buzzer and be on the ground before the final buzzer; otherwise, you forfeit landing points. Landing points are earned by landing on an incremented landing tape with a maximum of 50 landing points awarded. You launch at the buzzer and time starts when the sailplane leaves the pilot’s hand. This takes a second, so the actual maximum possible time is 9:59. Every pilot is striving for that 9:59-minute flight and 50-point landing. 

What is the great equalizer? You are penalized half of a point for every meter of altitude up to 200 meters. Two-hundred meters and over is a 3-point penalty per meter. Your electronic altimeter allows a 30-second motor run, giving the pilot time to search about for a low-level thermal or zoom up to a higher altitude from which to search. A motor restart during the 10-minute window results in a zero score.

The competition will be striving for consistency overall. Flyoffs scheduled to occur on the third day have been removed in favor of that consistency, so that everyone is able to fly more rounds. Morning weather conditions rarely favor sailplane pilots. This morning was no exception, with cooler temperatures and damp conditions. Thermals are scarce in those conditions, and it can be pretty rough to make your 10-minute flight. Pilots break out their lightest airplanes and take them up as high as they dare then float out all the time they can squeeze and get that 50-point landing. 

There were six rounds with six flight groups each round. The automated timer kept the contest moving smoothly. Contest Director Norm Poti managed it all, keeping glitches and problems to a minimum. He had a great group of volunteers that made scoring landings easy for the pilots. It was hot out there by midday. There were no breaks due to the long waits between the individual pilots' flights. Plenty of break time! 

The air was fantastic if your read was correct. The thermals were popping all afternoon, and it was not unusual to see half a dozen gliders circling furiously downwind. There were those who lost their lift too far out and had to motor up to save their sailplane, resulting in a zero score. 5J is a low-launch contest. The pilots want to keep those penalty points to a minimum to maximize their score. In many instances, the low-level saves were epic, and the failures for those taking risks were heartbreaking.

An F5J launch at the 2024 US F5J Team Selects. All aspects had directing audio.

All totaled, we flew 36 completed rounds and one reflight round. I'm aware of only one midair the entire day; considering that most of the flights were fast-moving furballs, I'm surprised there weren't more, but that's still one too many. No one wants to lose an expensive model. 

At the end of the day, Steven Wilcox Jr. is in first place, with Justin Rizor and Jeff Duval in second and third place, respectively. With two more days of flying, the spots can change drastically. Consistency will show and push those pilots to the top of the list … at least that's the plan! 

A big shoutout to the folks making this happen on the ground. Thank you, guys! 

Blue Skies!

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