Summer's here! Who's been flying?

[MikeS]

Went down the club with my trainer, P40 and daughter. I had asked Jessica If she could come down and take some photos of the action, she has just finished her A level photography at college. The day turned out hot and calm so great fly conditions . I had a dead stick with my trainer at around 16ft of the ground, one member shouted " you will never get that down " but it floated on, did a turn and landed no problems on the strip. Well here's some Jessica's work.

My P40 and BH Stuka

Colins 100" Piper Cub

Coins Piper Cub

My 40 size Trainer

My H9 P40B attempting a Farnborough Pass

More P40B

 

Sbach 342

Think this was a Sukhoi

Hectors Biplane

 

 

 

Edited By MikeS on 13/06/2014 07:01:36

[Hangar 9 nut]

Great pictures love the puffsof smoke in picture no3 the Cub !

[David Ashby - Moderator]

Well done Jessica.

[David Ashby - Moderator]

I went to have a look at the river at the bottom of out patch yesterday, it's not quite what it was in January!

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Nice Cub Mike, love the Sukhoi in Will Curtiss's Honda colours

John

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

I had a very pleasant evening last night. Got there about 3:45, stayed until about 7:00. My daughter accompanied me as well - it must be the weather Mike! The weather was excellent, a beautiful summer's evening, bright blue sky, warm. While there was quite a stiff breeze, about 15mph or so, it was a very well behaved wind, nice and steady and straight down the strip. But through it all there was just daughter and I, everyone else watching the World cup perhaps?

I had 4 flights with my beloved Sbach 342, lots of fun trying to keep the verticals vertical in the wind! Then another 4 with the newly converted Chipmunk. I've added some additional right and down thrust to that and it has certainly improved the handling, not least on the ground during take off. Now she's just needs careful handling, before she was a bit of a "madam" to hold straight!

So, all in all, a very pleasant and successful evening!

BEB

[Erfolg]

Yes, I have been waiting for this. Its is Summer!

Have I been down to the patch, well, yes. Have I enjoyed it, yes!

I do normally go what ever the weather, as long as I can get there. Even though this year I am suffering light symptoms of Hay Fever.

It is not all flying at our field though, some essential maintenance work takes place, as nature attempts a take over of the field. Our club management organises us in keeping the grasses, thistles, nettles and brambles at bay. I expect this to be a continuing theme for the weeks to come. The grass runway area has now been cut back to an acceptable length, as previously, many models struggled against the eye level grass, ok, a slight exaggeration.

As for the models, well our clubs models are not the fine scale models of the heading photographs, although there are many every day flying scale models. In my case on Wednesday I flew my Parkzone Albatross and Stinson Reliant models. Others fly Big Spacewalkers, Lancaster, Airbus Military Transporter, NA Mustang and so on.

Today i will be taking my Clean Sweep, Nobler, Ta 152H and probably my trainer.

The most welcome feature of the recent weather is not the sun, but an abatement of the wind strength. Heres hoping this continues.

I have my sunscreen ready, from last year, so will it be of any use?

Edited By Erfolg on 13/06/2014 12:10:03

[Pete B]

Terry came up yesterday, clutching a box of delicious fresh fruit tartlets from his local patisserie but it didn't divert us from our primary aim - to get some flying in- well, not for too long, anyway!

His E-Flite Cub, VMAR Fournier RF4 and Phoenix 2000 all got an airing, as did my VMAR Fournier, P2k and Phoenix Tiger Moth, which looked so good in its yellow scheme, drifting sedately across the blue sky.

A still from some pretty lousy video of Terry's Cub:

Tail-chasing with the Fournier pair (Mobius screen-grabs):

A maiden of a new model was rather shorter than expected but more on that elsewhere in due course...

The 32C sun finally took its toll, however and our shady breaks for cool drinks eventually exceeded our excursions onto the patch..... but we're acclimatising

Pete

[Terry Walters]

Well you managed to scrape some pics together then Pete! My feet still feel hot! Phew! Wanted to fly this pm off my new mown grass but as soon as the thought entered my head the wind got gusty and now thunder is rumbling off to the East. All I could manage in the upstairs workshop was charging up some lipos!! 28C in the shade still. + and still sweating!

The VMAR RF4 does look good in the air doesn't it. Have we got the last flying ones? Anyone else out there still flying one and repairing it regularly?

Good afternoon tho' wasn't it Pete!

Terry

[MikeS]

John. Yes the cub is very nice and alas not mine. It has a Saito 150 I believe and Colin who owns flies it very well.

Mike

[Erfolg]

I will have to try and take some pictures of our patch, it does make all the difference.

I have been to our field, flown, had a bath, prepared dinner.

So how did it go? Initially I was the only one. Yet before I had checked out my venerable trainer, I was startled out of my deliberations, coming close to dropping to the ground in shock. A member who I did not know. he had come with a electric helicopter, as usual exhibiting a lot of precision engineering. It was explained how it was a rebuild, using a full kit that another had started but not completed and a machine he had already but damaged.

I flew my trainer, just to get my hand in, nothing much to say.

Then the helicopter took of on a test, proving flight. At first a hover, then rotating in one direction, then the other, Then forward and so on, pretty soon, the model was looping, inverted flight, end over end, all pretty impressive stuff. What really impressed was the structured progressive manoeuvres and the precision of the flying.

As it was his lunch hour and he had to go back to work, he changed lipos twice. Who could not be impressed with such flying. My joke, or i thought a joke, of, well you will soon be ready for your "A" test, got the response, I have my "B", but have not flown for over 9 months. For some it is like riding a bike it would seem.

I then flew my Clean sweep and discovered I had a ceased wheel, now dealt with, this made the take offs a challenge.

Flying my Ta 152, revealed that the motor mounting screws are catching the spinner, yet to sort this one out.

Finally another member turned up a flew a Tiger Moth,

At this point I had to go home.

A good couple of hours though, hay fever or no hay fever.

[Pete B]

Posted by Erfolg on 13/06/2014 16:47:45:

Who could not be impressed with such flying. My joke, or i thought a joke, of, well you will soon be ready for your "A" test, got the response, I have my "B", but have not flown for over 9 months. For some it is like riding a bike it would seem.

Sounds like an incipient 'sense of humour failure' there, Erf. I wonder if it's generic in heli pilots?- they always seem to be concentrating so hard....

Pete

[Terry Walters]

Don't worry Erfolg it's a 'cyclical' thing known as GAD - General Anxiety Autorotational Disorder! I would be much to anxious to consider flying a heli so respect to those do - especially beautiful scale ones flown in a scale manner"!

Terry

[Kevin Fairgrieve]

Two flights yesterday with the Magician. It was way to warm with the sun bouncing off the concrete..

Sat for a long time yarning with the old people. Oh to be retired and able to fly every day.

Kev

[John Privett]

Posted by Erfolg on 13/06/2014 16:47:45:

I then flew my Clean sweep and discovered I had a ceased wheel,

Now that had me scratching my head for a while! Ceased? As in ceased-to-be? So what is it now if it''s ceased being a wheel?

And then the penny dropped - spelling mistakes I can usually work out, but when the spelling mistake makes it a different word I tend to get stuck in the train of thought associated with that 'wrong' word!

I assume you meant a seized wheel!

 

[EDIT - Oops,  just had to correct some of my own spooling mistekes...]

 

Edited By John Privett on 13/06/2014 21:00:40

[Martin Whybrow]

Down to our strip today after leaving work at 2:00; beatiful afternoon, just a light breeze pretty much dead along the strip and no one else there. I haven't flown since autumn last year as a result of the weather then a house move this year and all the other work (i.e. decorating) that also entailed. Only took the Wot 4 today, first flight was fun as it was constantly trying to turn left; brought it down, decided I needed a tweak on both aileron linkages; next flight was much better. Got 5 flights in altogether before leaving, got the feel of it back very quickly after 8 - 9 months off.

Couple of other members did turn up, one put his Wot 4 in after a couple of minutes, the other, a new membar, struggled to get the ailerons working correctly on his trainer, I couldn't fathom out his Graupner radio's settings, so he ended up going home without flying.

[Terry Walters]

Just flown the Fun Cub out of my garden against a beautiful evening sky. I'd stolen the Rx out of it some months back to put in my replacement P2K as that Rx's antenna had got damaged. Got a new antenna and fitted to the old Rx put a new remote Rx on, range tested and off for a fun flight. Forgotten what it was like! Too easy but fun!

Too hot to build today.

Terry

[Erfolg]

I am elated, I have just returned from the field, with two models intact and they flew.

The last time out, this model crashed after about 30 metres, Enough distance to convince me who had launched it, that it was a goer. Only to see the shocked faces on my test pilot and assembled onlookers. The model was fixed, the changes suggested with my pilot incorporated.

Today, I launched the model, did not look away, as the model rose into the sky, then turned left, then right. Then at a suitable height my pilot, started the button pushing, the set emitting a series of beeps and twerps. I was treated to a spectacle of rolls, loops, inverted flight, screaming low passes, barely walking low passes.

On landing the necessary changes needed to produce a good true flying and responsive model were discussed and noted. Yet all, in all, an excellent outcome.

Next up was my Me 109. this has never flown successfully, a whole series of builder incompetence being the root cause. It has seen extensive work to correct a whole series of issues. Two not trivial. The first, the wing has been rebuilt with washout, in the original format, there was none. The second issue was the tailplane to wing incidence. Again this was reset, involving a lot of work.

Today was different, again, my intransigent model decided to surrender, to my pilot and soared confidently into the sky. No longer afraid of flight, rolling and looping, in the characteristic manner of a WW2 fighter. I was elated and remain so. After some 30 years from being built, it flies. Again there are a small number of issues, a bit of nose weight, motor side thrust and a vibration issue to address. I can now finish her, the new upper skins need repainting, as with the tailplane mounting and tailplane braces.

Did I fly, well i did, just my Nobler, rather conservatively, I did not want to ruin a perfect flying session. Particularly as I arrived when a model had crashed, shredding the wing. Examination and discussion, seemed to point at a brown out and lack of range issue. Not being a Spektrum user, much of what is said and the implications pass over my head. Although it does seem to me it needs to go back to the agents if possible fora check out, if at all possible.

[..]

Had the day of yesterday & spent 8 hours at the club , it was great !

We have been very busy at work for the last 3 months so a day sat in a field in the middle of nowhere was just what the Dr ordered.

I maiden'd my Katana & flew it a day.

[Terry Walters]

A very gusty but sunny afternoon at the club - 3 flights with the P2K - all exciting - soaring without a slope!! You don't have to exercise to get the heart rate.

Tomorrow manning static display at the local aerodrome where there will be a 'display' for the 80th anniversary of the aerodrome. Might get to see a real Dewoitine!

Terry

[Stephen Jones]

I am On call Yet again, good weather

[Jack Banner]

Weather was a bit variable today but cleared up in the afternoon. We even managed to get the BBQ going!

[Chuck Plains]

No car at the moment. Even so, I managed to come up with a makeshift way to carry a Bixler on my back and cycle approx 6 miles to where I probably won't endanger the public. Did that a few times, but haven't flown for a month or so.

[Bob Cotsford]

Me too Stephen, but I stil went up the field, for what it was worth:

Pity we're banned from flying on our own

So a couple of hours setting engines up on the ground and comparing props ready for noise tests - then I got called out from work just to make my day.

Edited By Bob Cotsford on 14/06/2014 21:40:44

[Stephen Jones]

I get so fed up at times i can sit around all day and nothing , But as soon as i pick up a paint brush or get half way through something the phone goes and so do i .

i have a wall that is a constant reminder not the start something you can not finish .

so now i don't bother

Steve ,