Peter Garsden Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Hear hear. Big round of applause for Squadron Leader Cooke, and Flight Lieutenant Jones (something tells me I am pulling rank herei or have I got all the roles wrong?) Had a jolly good time this year even though my friends take the p*** out of me for wearing anoraks - they have no idea what fun can be gleaned from researching the exact cockpit for a P51D Mustang which I am doing now. Just wish I was nearly as patient as all you Scale Afficiandos. Still, getting there thanks to the incredibly high standards set by Messrs Cooke and Jones. Long may it continue and looking forward to next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Yes a very enjoyable group to join, which I did this year, I had a jolly good time at the event's I attended this year. Thanks Phil for organising these events and meetings, I'm looking forward to 2015. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 The PSSA can confirm the following event dates for the 2015 season, more details can be found on the PSSA website Events Page **LINK** but to summarise here are the 4 weekends we've agreed. Fingers crossed for another good season! PSSA Fly-In 1 – GREAT ORME – April 11th/12th 2015 PSSA Fly-In 2 – GREAT ORME – June 13/14th 2015 PSSA Fly-In 3 – LLEYN MAC – August 8th/9th 2015 PSSA Fly-In 4 – GREAT ORME – October 10th/11th 2015 Edited By Phil Cooke on 11/01/2015 23:42:43 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Meade Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 more! more! more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Houghton 1 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 All these PSS events seem to be up in N Wales. Has anyone ever thought of flying in different areas of the country to try and promote PSS? There are plenty of other great venues, some just as good as the Orme. Steve A470soaring.blogspot.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Meade Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I'll come if you organise one at the Bwlch or Rhossilli Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Adams Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I will second Steve's comment. Nothing in the south of England either. Looked at building a Provost last year, but decided against due to the distance to travel to an event (600 miles round trip). Will have a go stirring up the locals to see if I can get a few of us interested in holding an event in the south. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Houghton Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Great line-up, Phil. Dates added to my diary. I just need to get building now! Regarding Steve's comment, I would be game for other venues, although it would be more work for our busy organisation team. It would be great to see a collection of Steve Houghtons at a PSSA meet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Meade Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I know the Ivinghoe Soaring Association sometimes run an event too if that helps anyone. I'm game for wherever and will travel to as many as possible. Have van, will travel! But admit would be nice tand have some on the south coast or similar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Houghton 1 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I don't have any PSS birds, but my mate Phil is getting into it, ordering a Mark Kettle Vulcan I believe. The other guys I fly with say it isn't their cup of tea, they prefer F3F/sport type planes, but then when I told them Andy Meade was visiting the area a few weeks back, some didn't know what PSS was. This is why I say that maybe it needs promoting more by flying in different areas. Steve A470soaring.blogspot.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Jarvis Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Why not come to another beautiful part of the country. http://www.nsla.me.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 It's a very good point you make Steve, I am conscious of this and we have discussed organising events ourselves elsewhere in the country. We would love to be able to do this confidently - and as you say increase the spread of PSS events nationwide - but it's not that easy... Ill try and explain. Other gliding clubs do run PSS events and PSSA members are invited to fly at some of those - as visitors to the club. When invitations are released like this, that clubs event IS listed on the PSSA site and would be listed here. But this happens a lot less frequently now than in years gone by. In the 90's and early 2000's our events listing would have been much more varied and better populated - with annual events being hosted at the Sheffield club (Callow Bank), North Yorkshire Moors (Hole of Horcum), Ribble Valley (Pendle Hill), Clwyd SA (Moel Famau), West Mendips (Crook Peak), Northumberland (Thrunton Woods) to name but a few... these days, there just doesn't appear to be as much club level interest in running these PSS events. So what happened? In my opinion - 2 factors I think. The developments and cost reductions we enjoyed in ARTF, electric flight and EDF especially, caused us to suffer a general demise in PSS interest. Before these developments, PSS was the only realistic way of operating a scale jet or multi engine type on a budget, without the complexity and cost of ducted fans or multi I/C engines and their inherent dependency on a decent site. Suddenly there were easier ways to own and fly a scale jet or multi engine aircraft - you didn't need to scratch build and you didn't need to travel and climb up hills - you could achieve it at your local club or even in the local park before work if you so wished. We lost a lot of keen members to EDF. As it became a less popular aspect of gliding it would appear a number of the clubs no longer ran dedicated PSS events, and those remaining members still slightly interested in the sport may well scratch that itch by being members of our national Association as well as members of their club. Another factor is the travel, and (until recently when fuel prices have dropped back towards £1/litre) the ever increasing cost of getting to the hill, sometimes for no reward. PSS is highly weather dependant - yes all slope soarers need lift, but our models are at their best in 20mph winds+ on a hill with decent topography. Some days you may be blessed with the wind but on certain sites where there is only one flyable slope that is no good to you unless the wind is in the right direction. I can recall numerous events in the past where we have travelled to such a slope on invitation by a club and the wind direction was not quite right for their one slope, or the event has been cancelled based on the forecast wind direction. Now consider the Orme, and the Lleyn Peninsula. Both sites offer huge coastal slopes ideal for PSS flying - and a range of slopes are available to us very locally. The Orme flies all wind directions bar SE. On the Lleyn, we have access to slopes catering of ALL wind directions all within easy reach of the meet point in Llanbedrog. So as an event organiser, setting these dates months in advance with no idea what the weather will be doing at the required time, these sites give me maximum potential for a successful event. You get maximum lift for the forecast wind speed and you mitigate the risk of unknown direction by having numerous slopes to hand. This has been proven to calm peoples concerns about the costs of travel, so we get maximum attendance as a result. And on the coastal sites the models operate at their very best, the air is 'clean' and the lift is strong - so even a 12mph wind would enable us to fly pretty well (you wouldn't fly PSS in a 12mph wind at Sheffield - the hill is just not steep enough) So with that all in mind, what about other sites? It's about lack of familiarity if I'm being honest. If a local flyer or club committee could help me confirm answers to a number of questions I would have regarding a new site, and we identified another decent slope which could ideally fly more than one direction to build that level of contingency I'm after, I would be very interested in helping organise other events for the PSSA elsewhere around the UK. Take something as simple as PARKING for example. On a good day we could attract 40 modellers travelling from all parts of the UK. Would this new chosen site be able to cope with this influx of visitors? Steve please don't think me negative, I'm far from that, and Im really keen to see PSSA run events elsewhere in the UK - but I cant do it alone. I hope you can appreciate some of the reasons why we find it easy to plan and host successful events on the coastal sites of N Wales. If you know of other sites where there are opportunities we can explore and there are contacts we could work with, do please let me know I would be very interested to talk to you on that. And if any PSSA members reading this post know of a suitable site where they fly and would be prepared to help organise an event local to them with the knowledge and contacts they have established I would be most interested and keen to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Houghton 1 Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Hi Phil. Take a look at page 2 of my blog, a470soaring.blogspot.co.uk and see the area in S Wales I'm sure you have heard about called the Bwlch it has parking, 1000' high slopes with flying available in all wind directions and much better landing zones than the Orme many F3F comps are held there each year and many visitors from around the world come to fly there Andy Meade recently paid us a visit but unfortunately we weren't blessed with good strength winds that weekend. I'd be happy to answer any and all questions and could help with any organisation from this end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted January 13, 2015 Author Share Posted January 13, 2015 Sounds fantastic Steve - I will check out your blog and look into the flying site further, I am familiar with the name but have never actually flown it. We really are keen to extend the spread of events as stated. Any help you can lend will be invaluable to us during those first steps in embedding a new event into our annual calendar. Ill be in touch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FWAL Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Here's a Bwlch apetiser. My 1st venture into PSS a 56" ME 109 on the Ice Cream slope and in the background is the Crest, Wrecker and VR98 slopes. Myself Mark and Marcel had a very good mornings flying once the wind settled in a favourable direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Meade Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Lovely And when the wind isn't blowing, you can go for a spirited drive through the twisties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Meade Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Anyone fancy a BBQ at the June meet? Are they allowed on the Orme? Should be pretty safe if we did it on the hard standing area. Just thinking of a practice run ahead of a bigger one in the anniversary year next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly P Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Only 2 I might make this year - I'm working in June, and away in October..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Yes I fancy that if it's allowed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Gents I dont want to sound negative, believe me - I like the idea and only Homer loves a good BBQ more than I do, but the problem is who brings all the hardware up? I know when I travel to the Orme for a weekend my car is chocked full with models and supporting gear - personally I would struggle to fit even a small BBQ in - I know other modeller's cars are the same. We could each bring a couple of disposable ones up with us and arrange then on mass for a decent grouped cooking area... suppose that would work... First things first Ill check with the local ranger or council that the idea isnt totally frowned upon - maybe Timbo could advise better here? Would be a nice way to end a full days flying for sure - will mean also we can fly on and not have to rush back to the hotel for the group meal when (very often that time of day) the flying conditions are at their very best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Meade Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Don't know if you've noticed but I drive a 2.5 tonne van lol Don't forget that bacon sarnies always available for brekkie too Edited By Andy Meade on 20/01/2015 13:32:46 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Cooke Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 hehe yes we noticed Andy I just think it will be full of A-10, Viggen, JP, Phantom, Mitchell, MiG 29, Me 262 and not a barby big enough to cater for a group of 20 or so... does the disposable BBQ tray option not 'relish your burger'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Meade Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Yes it does chap, I'd go for that Should be able to fit a few in. I don't think the Viggen can come flying as the same time as the A10 unfortunately! Well, not if I have wife and dogs with me anyway. I like the sound of a more social meet on the slope itself! Let's hope the wardens say yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly P Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 My Father in Law runs a Hog-roast business, part time, almost as a hobby. I might be able to see if he can spare some time for next year?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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