Short Ascot or Ceres...?

What a bizarre position to be in... Only a couple of weeks ago I broke the UK record and got third fastest ever FAI legal time with my F3B Ascot yet there are two other planes - that I've never even had on a course - that are giving me a headache by flying in such a way that they are making strong bids to be my number one model. 

The F3B Ascot is without doubt a fantastic plane - it's almost impossible to describe how nice it is to fly.  I've never known anything so easy to fly at speed, and its natural acceleration and great turns result in it being at speed a lot of the time!  However the Short Ascot that arrived a few days ago feels better again; like the F3B version but even more responsive to lift and even more direct and harmonised controls.  I fitted out the wings in a day, plugged them on to the F3B fuselage and have enough hours on it to know it's absolutely top notch.  I'm sure it would be a very safe bet, and absolutely perfect for UK conditions. 

Then there's the Ceres... I've got about four hours on this plane now and there's no doubting it's got a lot of potential.  It cruises fast - possibly faster than the Ascot - and it turns well.   But at the moment, for me, the load on the pilot to get the turns right is considerably greater than the Ascot.  That's not to say you can't get a lot out of the Ceres using your natural technique but there's one particular style of turn that brings the Ceres alive, and if you could nail that every time you'd have something truly special at your finger tips.  So there's a risk attached, and it's only prudent to assume that risk will go up flying it in a big competition when the pressure's on. 

So what will I fly?  I suspect if it's brutal - UK type - conditions the Ascot makes sense; it's a known quantity that's never failed to deliver.  If the conditions are lighter and smoother the Ceres will be very tempting, but the next few days of practice will tell me for sure how much of a gamble that would be. 

To add to mix is the fact that, for very good reasons, I've always strongly advocated one model for all conditions.   Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Thanks again to BarkWeb for the webspace.