Hurrah! Spring's finally here, how much flying are you getting in?

[Andy Ennis]

Perfect flying weather today (I have been told!).

Shame I had to spend the day in bed...........

I HATE NIGHT SHIFTS!!!

[Ian Jones]

Had a great day yesterday sharing my flying slots between running in an SC46 in my T40 which is coming on very nicely and flat field soaring an ST DG1000.

The SC has been in my garage for 4 or 5 years unused (how did that happen!) and though I had given it a drink oil way back then I was a bit concerned that the bearings may have rusted but all was fine.

On two of the DG1000 flights I couldn't find much lift but two others had to be stopped because they went on so long my thumbs got fatigued.

A really enjoyable afternoon out.

[ben goodfellow 1]

well i finaly managed to get my su 29 140 e up the weather was perfect and only 3 of us at the field did all my lipos and had to home , really have to get big battrey or jenny for my field charger, also managed an hours slope soaring on the sand dune a half a mile fro home , so all in all a good weekend

[David Ashby - Moderator]

Yes, a few more days like yesterday please. Seven hours at the patch and I didn't start to feel cold once! Lots of maiden flights by club members and lots of big petrol aerobats doing their thing.

Edited By David Ashby - RCME on 08/04/2013 19:07:52

[GrumpyGnome]

Back to normal yesterday and today in Halifax - cold and windy

[David Ashby - Moderator]

I managed a few early morning sorties this weekend GG, are you still out at the crack of sparrows?

[Martyn K]

I was also out on Saturday afternoon, the best days flying for several months. It was absolutely mint.

I took 4 with me - the Delta-a, modified Webbit, the Curare 25 and the new Acro-Wot which got maidened.

The only damage was a broken prop on the undercarriageless Webbit, I think I had a total of 12 flights with the 4 models. The only sad thing was that I forgot my camera and I also couldn't repeat the day on Sunday as it was my wedding anniversary.

I really can't wait for the next time..

Martyn

[GrumpyGnome]

Hi Davd,

yep still up and out at silly o'clock. Saturday and Sunday I was in the air before 6:15 - just as dawn arrived.

Happily though, since the local bye-laws regarding dog walking have changed, they seem to arrive later so I can squeeze in about 90 minutes Or maybe they're more sensible and stay in bed as it's rather chilly at that time of the morning !

GG

[J Moyler]

Well I had a good day flying on Sunday - I did try and post from my ipad but it woulod not let me. All ready for tomorrow as well. Lets hope the weather is better this year.

Regards

JM

[Jon Laughton]

A great day at the field last Saturday - five of us enjoying the sun and light winds. Nearly an hour in the air over five flights: jusy wish I could have repeated it on Sunday but other commitments got in the way!

Hoping for some more tomorrow even it will be a little cloudy...

FIngers crossed for a good spring

Jon

Edited By Jon Laughton on 09/04/2013 15:53:53

[Steve Houghton 1]

Big Phil and myself went out on Sunday to try a slope not flown before, (by us). Winds were a bit light to begin with so we stuck to the trusty old Wildthing and Weasel until the breeze picked up again and we were able to chuck the mouldies up, (Banana & Whisper). We managed a couple of hours until our fingers were turning blue and going numb and trundled back down the mountain. I have to say that at the car park the temperature was a lot warmer than on the top of the mountain.

Steve

A470Soaring.blogspot.com

[GrumpyGnome]

Nice and calm today but my work diary limits my time - managed three on the UMX Sbach before work though. Quite warm too.................

GG

[Jon Laughton]

Another four sorties today.....cannot remember when I flew on two days in the same week! Whats happening?

[MikeS]

So far nothing yet. Just been so cold I gave up trying. Planning on a stint on Monday & Tuesday if the weather holds.

There was a few members down the club yesterday that I saw on the way home from work, if we had not been going to cinema and a meal I would have gone down. Oh well roll on Monday.

Good to see everyone getting out and good photos.

Mike

[David Davis]

Lost my Super Sixty yesterday. A wire broke in the transmitter and the model flew away. It was last seen over 1000 metres away going down into or behind a wood. Two search parties failed to locate it. I had built it for last year's Greenacres event. Full details in the "Keil Kraft Super Sixty" post. My fault for using a nine year-old transmitter and PPM receiver. I know it was only a three channel vintage model which I'd only flown on a dozen occasions but I feel very upset at losing it.

[GrumpyGnome]

That's a shame - really nice looking 'plane. Commiserations.

Had to forego an early morning sortie today - needed to come in and get ahead so I can leave at lunchtime and take son to orthodontists.

GG

[cymaz]

Sorry to hear about the Super60. Last Saturday was the best for ages... 9 hours down the club. Boddo bi-stormer, glow converted Seagull E-Pioneer, Giles202. Lovely day and 2 new members hopefully. Wind down the strip, no numb fingers, NO WOOLY HAT!!!!!!!!

[LMA Dave]

Was out all weekend weather was great Saturday got a bit of sunburn, or was it windburn, anyway. Sunday was a bit more overcast and somewhat cooler, managed to get a couple of flights with my Sky120, boy it does fly well, but I am not sure whether it needs flaps it doesn’t half come in fast on landing. Also got some flying in with my adopted pup, (long story so another time), here is a shot of it taken by me and flown by a trusted member, none of the 120 am afraid, we didn’t get round to doing that.

However I was flying with this beauty, she was having her final shakedown before the show season starts.

Edited By LMA Dave on 11/04/2013 10:32:43

[David Davis]

Posted by cymaz on 11/04/2013 09:01:45:
glow converted Seagull E-Pioneer,

Love it!

[Lee Wilson]

A few pics from Winterton last Saturday.

 

Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 18/04/2013 22:51:03

[LMA Dave]

Very nice Lee, I always love coming over to your site, we will have to twist Dave Johnson’s arm a bit more and try and get down there soon; your grass strip is one of the best I have ever seen. But I have been very unlucky the last couple of year, the good old British weather has been against us, one year I lost the front locker door off my Caravan on the way back home with the gusting winds on the motorway, wishing all the luck with your up and coming show and I hope to see you all soon.

[Lee Wilson]

Hi Dave

thanks for the compliments and good wishes. Get twisting Mr Johnsons arm a bit more, we always enjoy having you guys at Winterton. Dave was talking about coming to fly at the show but I haven't heard back from him, will have to give him a ring.

Hopefully see you soon and here's to a dry, sunny and successful show season.

[David Ashby - Moderator]

Nice photos Dave and Lee

[John Laverick]

Just had the first outing this year, two flights with a Ripmax Mustang, not windy , not cold, not snowy or rainy, happy days. Anyone got a Ripmax Mustang? When there's no wind it takes half a K before the darn thing stops gliding!! not a good park flyer, but give her some space and it flys on rails. A real buzz after 4 months, top dollar

 

Edited By Pete B - Moderator on 12/04/2013 18:17:06

Edited By David Ashby - RCME on 12/04/2013 20:18:48

[Martyn K]

I saw the Weather Forecast for the weekend and decided that Saturday morning was going to be the best bet.. So... armed with the Curare 25 and the AcroWot I got to the field to be rudely awakened by a very strong cross wind..

I thought that the AcroWot would be the best bet. I had been tweaking it following the maiden flights the previous weekend and the result was too much expo on all channels makes for a horrible aeroplane to fly. Not helped by the model being thrown about by the turbulence.

Second flight, removed the expo on all channels - now too twitchy.

Third flight (just like the three bears) and it was just about right but still very turbulent. Anyway - I decided to practice big loops and try and use the rudder to keep it tracking properly. Not very successfully I hasten to add.

Anyway - about 6 minutes into the flight with the St61 going full bore into the apex of a loop, the elevator servo dies and drove in full down and locked. Ooo-err mother (or words to that effect).

Fortunately, I had plenty of height (about 250ft) but still a major problem on how I was going to get this down.

Plan A - kill the engine. At leat if it does hit the ground it will be slower.

Eventually the model stopped bunting and simply started to float down (probably less than 5mph). It actually "landed" upside down 2m off the strip with no structural damage except for a broken prop and broken hinges on the rudder. The canopy was unmarked.

My flying companion (known as Andy P - friend, mentor and heli-god) witnessed this and quite simply did not believe it - he said he would have been only slightly more impressed if I had landed knife edge (without damage). We realised that we could have actually caught it, I had landed the model much harder at the end of the first flight.

Looking back I now realise that having full down and no airspeed totally stalled the wing (inverted). The huge fin on the AcroWot caused the model to weather cock. The limited axial control to keep it level was due to the strong wind blowing over the wing - but it wasn't really flying.

Those who have flown free flight contest models would recognise this as a dethermalised state where the tailplane is tilted up (to about 60deg) to cause a massive stall to bring models down out of a thermal.

I have replaced the servo (a budget unit) - which was new to the model - life = approximately 30 minutes... and I need to fasten the rudder back on again. I'll have a look and see if I can find out what caused the servo failure.

Not sure if there is a lessons learned experience from this, there must be some somewhere, it took me most of Saturday afternoon to wind down after the experience, quite exciting.

Enjoy your spring.

 

Martyn

 

 

 

Edited By Martyn K on 15/04/2013 13:04:20