Flight Log Parameters

[nxtscholar]

I was wondering what other parameters were people using in addition to the three given and required ones. I used the suggestions of turns remaining after launch and estimated height, but also added radius of circular flight.

Also, could someone clarify what "motor size before windup" exactly is?

[retired1]

That could be whatever is useful to you, weight or loop length with width. Match this with prop pitch to help find the optimum for time.

[jander14indoor]

Anything you can vary from flight to flight is a good thing to add to your parameters. The six with three required is a minimum. A successful team will have much more. Some additional to consider:
Wing and tail angle of attack (can be recorded in a number of ways, for convenience, I generally record the difference between the front and rear posts).
Motor torque, maximum, after backoff, and on landing.
Motor turns/winds at max, after backoff, and on landing.
Center of gravity location.
Amount of tilt for the rear stab.
Amount of bend between the motor stick and the tail boom.
Weather, outside and in. Sometimes outside temperatures or sunlight affect a rooms internal microclimate, especially with big spaces. What is the ventilation system doing?
Site parameters. Size of room horizontally and vertically.
Where did you launch from, what direction, why?
What did the plane do? Size of circle, constant or changing size. Did the circle stay in one place or drift. Time of climb to ceiling, if not to ceiling also max height reached. How long cruising at a constant height. How long to descend to the floor. Did you brush the ceiling/beams or manage to stay just below it.
Are you trying different model designs and prop designs, record that.
On a given design you should have recorded the angle of the prop shaft, should be down and left, but how much? How much left wing offset and left wing wash in?
And so on...

Motor size, unofficial answer of course.
As an event supervisor I'll accept almost anything that describes the size of the motor since the rules don't specify any more than that and I don't play the 'gotcha' game.
Useful info on motor size. Assuming you always use a 1.99 gm motor (and why wouldn't you?) either length or width pretty fully describes it. Both can't hurt, though one is sufficient since the motor thickness is fixed. Thickness is pretty fixed if you use Tan Sport or Super Sport. As above, you should never be penalized by recording MORE information than the minimum.

Jeff Anderson
Livonia, MI