Had my first flight from a grass strip

[richard cohen]

Well this weekend was our club BBQ and instead of being held on the airfield we held in at our grass field alternative site. Used only as a back up for when the airfield is closed i have never in 10 odd years flown from it. 40,000 sq ft of well mown grass overlooking the Wiltshire countryside, it is a lovely location. Well having spent an afternoon cooking/serving 90 or so members and families, i took myself over to the strip for a fly. Rather than rigging a biplane or strutted Cub, i took the Precendent T180 i am teaching my son on. With the 4stroke puttering away it jiggles out onto the strip and then gathering speed with some up held in to keep the tail down, it gently rises up into the blue. It was a bit windy, around 18-20mph with a few gusts but it meant landing approaches were slow and easy to place. Wafting around over this beautiful countryside, i couldn't help thinking that while i enjoy my bigger models and a long tarmac runway, there was a certain simple pleasure to be enjoyed with a slow high wing model and a small grass strip (certainly improves your final approach to avoid meeting the outfield !)

Roll on the next opportunity

Richard

[Codename-John]

Ive never flown from tarmac either, our patch is on a field in the sticks, the nearest I get to a solid runway is the small cricket strip on the school fields with my foam e, and thats only when the winds in that direction,

I suppose its a bit of a trade off, easier not to nose over on the black stuff, but does more damage if you do ? lol

[moorer]

Never been lucky enough to fly off Tarmac either,have to put up with moles,sheep and sheep poo!

[Alan Cantwell]

MUCH prefer a good grass strip, sounds like you have the best of both worlds though,

[Stephen Grigg]

Our strip is fairly limited and grass.Its 34 feet wide and 84 feet wide with trees down the opposite side to our pitts.You have to concentrate hard because Ive seen people visually loose ther model in the background vegetation and the perception is you have the correct line when in fact you to near the trees.People tel me if you can fly at our field you can fly anywhere but Ive not had the opportunity as yet.

[Todd Lojak]

We have a blacktop runway, and we keep an equal width strip of grass next to the blacktop mowed short to serve as a second runway. The grass serves as a easier runway to land on. We use the blacktop to take off with. Gains speed much faster.

[Jon Laughton]

Richard

Two strips and one of them an airfield!

What is your club called 'The Millionaires'?

We have a patch in a municipal park - we contend with trees all around, courting couples, flashers, wayward dogs and the dregs of society driving up and down on quad bikes or motorcross bikes...

My love of Greater Manunia keeps me there but I am jealous! Lucky you....