RCM&E / Greenacres June 2014 fly-in - chat thread

[reg shaw]

No need to apologise Andy, this years event was very busy and I can't even begin to imagine how much hassle it was to stage! I think the important thing with this thread is for us all to be constructive to help things be even better for next year.

Ian.

[Andy Muckley]

Yes Ian can't agree more. As my school report's used to say "tries hard could do better" and don't forget it's fun you know

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

I would echo Ians sentiment

Perfect weather and a large crowd, tough job for you lads, and very well done

A few minor tweaks yes, apologies no.

John

[Chris Barlow]

Posted by Andy Muckley on 24/06/2014 21:09:30:

Yes Ian can't agree more. As my school report's used to say "tries hard could do better" and don't forget it's fun you know

And it was! AWESOME FUN!

Being my first visit to another club I can't really contribute to suggestions next year but from my seat 1 hour or so slots for aircraft types & styles would be good as would a "countdown" box for the starting area for all i.c and electric!

An additional thought but the aircraft type slots could be seperated by guest and special feature slots of 10 mins or so like the fleas, Hellena, Dawn Patrol, jets or even scale helis?

[Martin McIntosh]

Hi Andy, this has now become a major `must go to` event and I think that overall you coped very well with the overwhelming number of participants.

Maybe the newcomers slot could be limited to three. I brought along a club mate who has never flown in front of the public before but he found the flight line a bit crowded for his liking and a little intimidating. He thoroughly enjoyed the weekend though and will be back next year.

As someone said earlier, let`s not turn this into a trade show.

I know that you cannot charge an admission fee but toilet facilities for this number of people are rather lacking so maybe a `pay as you pee` option could be considered.

[Andy Muckley]

Hi Chris if the turn out next year is on par to this year's we will have to do something but without upsetting anyone, which is hard on it's own. As Lindsey said we can't let it be a victim of it's own success. Have we created a beast?

Another thing that was spouted about, was 7/8 0r m0re up at a time dependent on type and size?

[Andy Muckley]

Hi Martin good point about the loo's will bring that up mate

[Morgan Goule]

Going to drag dad down tommorow night, the facilities definatley need improving , looks like some good points will be raised tommorow

Morgan

[Erfolg]

Martin

I do not think flying in front of an audience matters at all, to newcomers, certainly not for me, having only just obtained my "A" cert.

What disconcerted me was flying at the same time as some of the bigger, much faster and aerobatic models, in the same air space. I picked my slot to miss them, on Saturday this was easily possible.

I will admit to keeping things simple, only looping and rolling, then on the far side of the circuit, Maybe the occasional loop or roll when past the end of the flight line.

There was one time when I was disconcerted, when a plane was prop hanging in front of me, caught my eye, then panic as it appeared to momentarily go horizontal towards me, then it was gone.

My only regret is that I came away with 4 Lipos still full.

Perhaps I did wonder if I should aim higher with my build quality, but so far have convinced myself, it will crash at some point, stay real.

The organisers really did do an excellent job, gently organising the flight line.

The one thing that did take me aback was Wiltshire Flyer, who introduced himself. I could not help but notice that Wiltshire Flyers is a club. Whilst busy trying to work out if this was a person or a club, before making sense of the situation, he was gone.

[Martin McIntosh]

I think that a maximum of six is quite enough bar the mass build.

Erfolg,

Despite having flown in front of judges and the public many times, as I have said, I still shake at first but you soon get used to it. For a newcomer it is very daunting. I stood by my mate for his first flight to guide him then he was OK..

I am much more used to flying up and down with a manoeuvre each way but with several other models in the air I cannot do this so I flew high and in a rough circuit.

[Erfolg]

I do not remember suggesting that more than 6 was desirable?

I thought, I wrote that an audience/participants was not particularly daunting, as you are concentrating on your model.

[Slopetrashuk]

Gents. Firstly, what a brilliant weekend and well done to all involved in making it happen.

There were some issues on Saturday. I made some suggestions to the relevant people and on Sunday the whole situation was improved which was great to see.

I have flown in and organised model shows and fly ins for many years and all can learn some thing from one another especially where the organisers themselves may not be that experienced off their own patch.

The circuit of the day is a must and this on sunday resolved most of the problems of the Saturday. I agree a queue system would work well and the council toilets at the top of the field are both minging and becoming quite dangerous underfoot with rotting floors. A few portaloos might be good.

I don't like to see kids retrieving models under any circumstances when other aircraft are flying. We should stop this. It doesn't look good and is not 'seen to be safe.'

It would be nice to have a few more 'show' type slots to break things up a little and group certain models together and perhaps a slot for the editors and columnists to show what they can do. At least this way we all get to witness Graham Ashby actually flying something!

Marshals in the pilots box should stand behind the pilots, not alongside or in front of them. On the last flight on Sunday my telemetry was showing massive frame losses compared to my other flights as people kept walking right in front of my transmitter as they milled about in the pilots box. Also, in my experience one marshall should 'lead' and OK every take off or landing while the others assist with the queueing or flying order. Worth some consideration I would have thought.

Agreed, lets not turn this into a trade show, but also lets recognise that not everybody is interested in Dawn Patrols, Flying Fleas or replica engines that sound nice - but instead much prefer prop hanging and 3D in close proximity to the floor. These pilots tend to err at the younger end of our age span and have largely no interest in full size aviation or how realistic a model looks. Dont clip the kids wings just cos you're not big on 3D. These guys are magazine readers and forumites too.

This weekend was i think my 4th fly in at Greenacres and I will certainly be back for the August event. The local lads are great, are receptive to constructive comments and simply work their nuts off. That alone is hard to find in any model club and we are all endebted.

Thanks again lads.

Andy Ellison

[Slopetrashuk]

Oops. Forgot one thing. Still no prize for best junior pilot? C'mon......

Andy

[Martin McIntosh]

Andy E., I certainly agree with the marshalling bit. The flight line is overcrowded with pilots and marshals standing shoulder to shoulder and should be spread out much further. You would not do this at your local field would you?

The 3D constantly hovering bit is a different story. I wish that I could do that sort of stuff but it is very much out of place at this sort of event when it stops everyday flyers from just doing their thing and soon becomes very boring. Clever but not at all realistic.

[Slopetrashuk]

Well, i'm sure that the kids would say that they too were everyday fliers and were prevented from doing their thing by mass builds and solo slots for an average jet!

Last year the best visiting pilot won for exactly that sort of flight. This year we had Liam prophanging in a solo slot while riding a unicycle.

I think you might need to re-evaluate what an everyday flier is these days.

I used to watch prettner flying pattern at sandown park and go back to my own patch to try and emulate him.

Nowadays the kids are watching Daniel Holman, Somenzini and the EXFC champions, Red Bull air racers and vectored thrust jets. They go home and copy them. Dont know a kid on our patch who can hook up a thermal well or sideslip a tiger moth for toffee but heck can they stickbang!

Its just 'different' and they have as much right to be there as anybody else.

Remember, It doesnt matter what you fly - As long as you fly!

Andy

[Martin McIntosh]

Fine, but not when it stops everyone else from `doing their thing` except in a solo slot.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Posted by Andy Muckley on 24/06/2014 22:01:07:

Hi Martin good point about the loo's will bring that up mate

You would get help from BMFA with the costs Andy

John

[Slopetrashuk]

Posted by Martin McIntosh on 25/06/2014 00:01:58:

Fine, but not when it stops everyone else from `doing their thing` except in a solo slot.

What if they were up first? Should they stop doing their thing so you can do your's?

 

Edited By Slopetrashuk on 25/06/2014 00:18:59

[Lindsay Todd]

I guess with this being a general fly in the answer is yes, you fly in an appropriate manner to those around you with mutual respect. There are many skilled 3D pilots young and old but not all adopt the style to suit the situation and prop hanging in front of a varied and often inexperienced group of pilots, particularly at events such as this is intimidating so moderation should be considered. If every 3D pilot was given a solo slot then very few others would get a look in, that is surely not what this event is about. Grouping of type would seem a logical answer and avoid frustrations, I am the last person who wants to restrict the 'young dudes' but it simply does not mix with the 'average' pilot very well. That's simply my opinion.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

I was impressed by lots of stuff, the Flying Fleas were great, Helena sounded and flew fantastic, the best though was the Avro 504, absolutely superb. Nice cup of tea at chuck wagon as well

John

[Tony Bennett]

i was one of the nervouse nellies and only flew the once on sat evening when the flight line quietened down.

even then there were people prop hanging in the middle of the runway, which is fine.

but if you call a landing it would be nice if they moved out of the way rather than just carry on doing their thing in the middle.

fantastic show and i will be back with something nicer next time

[David Davis]

Further to my last post concerning the Boomerang which was flying at the same time as the Flying Fleas and the English Electric Wren, I have been informed that this model did not crash on the runway.

The model which I saw was either a different Boomerang or another sort of model which I misidentified as a Boomerang.

[ceejay]

Its another big BIG thankyou from me for what was an ace weekend,

yes there were a few "issues" but nothing to spoil the fun and nothing i,m sure the team wont address for the next one, the prop hangers / trad flyers debate will allways be brung up (good english eh!) the 3D model and style of flying is here to stay, and yes it is good and yes the yoot!! of today are the ones to carry modeling forward, a simple solution is to try to "theme" the day with say 20 or 30 min times zones!! i hesitate to call them slots, whereby you know what is going to be flown, so 3D, helis, small scale, large scale, warbirds and jets etc, this way we can all watch and appreciate what others do and know what we are likely to encounter at a particular time, works for our scale day in sept/oct, if you are new to larger groups flying take a spotter with you, experience of flying in very large groups with Dawn Patrol is made much easier with our spotters, you could divide the zones with the demo/trade groups for 10 mins these could be your novice, very large scale, team or individual slots, i do agree the loo thing needs a serious bit of thinking, must be a two pinter disscusion in the pup tonight!! and if you go for the "pay to pee" option i have a good slogan for you " Bob a Jobbie"

unfortunately i cant make the August flyin so have fun and sacrifice a few more virgins/goats or whatever you did to the weather gods this time

chris

[Erfolg]

I believe one of the great strengths and success of the Green acres event, is that it is a fly in.

It is not a 3d show, nor scale. or large model event.

It is an ordinary modellers get together. No competition.

[Bob Cotsford]

on the question of the 3D and circuit flyers mixing together, not being a 3D flyer myself - can they not fly 3D a bit further out? The far side of the landing area for example? That way they could hover and harrier to their hearts content while leaving room for take-offs, landings, low passes and circuit flyers to pass in front of them.

I would have liked to fly my clumsy attempts at aerobatics and did squeeze in the odd cuban, loop and stall turn whenever I got enough clear airspace but at a fly-in we do all have to compromise unless it's split into rigid slots, which then results in less available airtime due to the changeover periods, and arguments about which group gets the most slots.