Links to competition classes

S8E/P Rocket Glider

The P in this class stands for precision landing. These big radio controlled gliders boost up to 1,000 feet on a long burn E motor (40 Newton Seconds). During the launch the pilot must keep them vertical, with no loops and no use of the lifting surfaces in a spiral boost. They must then glide around for exactly six minutes and then land on the center of a target. Points are lost for every second before or after six minute and for every meter away from the center of the target. If you land more than 10 metres from the target there are no landing points for the flight.

There are three rounds in a event and competitors fly in groups of typically five or more. They rotate the groupings so everyone flies against all the other competitors. The best score in the group will get 1,000 points with all the other competitors in the group getting a percentage of 1,000. The formula used is

[Competitors score] / [group winners score] x 1000

After three rounds the top five competitors with the best cumulative score take part in a final round. The score from this round is added to the cumulative score and the winner has the highest score.

This is one of the most popular events in major championships. Mike Francies, the chairman of FAIR, won the world championship in 2004 and took the bronze medal in 2006. The british team models are very advanced made from composite materials with advanced aero foil sections on the wings and an inverted V tail. Their flying characteristics are among the best in the world