Steve Houghton 1 Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 The wind has been fab , it's the rain that's stopped me flying , so I'm hoping to get some flying in this weekend. At least the rain has meant I've been able to do some building Steve A470soaring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap Posted January 13, 2016 Author Share Posted January 13, 2016 Hi Steve - you lot got a great site. WoW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Houghton 1 Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Hi Peter - we are very lucky slope wise with about 11 slopes in all for us to fly within an hours drive of my home. Our worst wind direction is south and south east, but generally most of the slopes are over 1000' high with BIG air, and only bad weather stopping us from flying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Etheridge 1 Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 In anticipation of low wind strengths next time out I have retrieved the old Micro Mold Sprite from the loft. I have given it a good clean and have straightened out the piano wire wing joiners which had bent in the past due to bungee launches. It does fly well but of course lacks ailerons and flaps which makes landing sometimes tricky. I bought it on the same day I bought my Futaba M4 27 mhz radio from a model shop that was located at Crown Point Upper Norwood over 30 years ago. It has flown at Colley Hill, Mill Hill, Castle Hill, Warlingham, South Norwood Sewage Farm site, Croydon Airport and Broughton Gifford Common so it is quite battered and scruffy. The radio has tested OK and a glued minor repair to the nose is just setting. I must remove all traces of the plane before my wife returns home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap Posted January 14, 2016 Author Share Posted January 14, 2016 Hi Mike. Is this the one you flew at Detling and the wings were visually springing up and down or was it Minster Cliffs - can't quite remember where but seem to remember the spring on the wing joiners... Might be a good idea to renew them as with fatigue they could fail and that would be that... Still a nice looking model - wouldn't take much to add an elevator for better control... Trying to get a list of people who are interested in doing this - posted on the Blog - lets see how many are! Regards Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Etheridge 1 Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Yes Pete it's the same plane I flew last at Detling when it refused to turn on landing. The wings do flap a bit and they do tend to separate slightly in flight. They are held in position by a rubber band that is stretched from curtain hooks fixed on the wings end ribs, The two piano wire wing links are quite substantial and I found great difficulty in straightening them in a large vice today. The plane has always been the same from new and the wings no different and they certainly have not left the fuselage at any time, although they do bend upwards on a bungee launch. That said it does glide nicely from a bungee. It did cause (I caused) a bit of a stir at Devils Dyke with the plane once on landing. It has an all moving tailplane rather than an elevator Pete. I suppose it would be possible to add ailerons but of course the dihedral would need to be reduced.---not worthwhile! It's a bit of a shame but other than Croydon Airport and Broughton Gifford Common there seems to be nowhere I can use the bungee and nobody at the Barton's club is able to tow gliders up as far as I know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 Few of us went to Detling in Kent and had a good time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Houghton 1 Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Now this is what you do when it's too windy to fly anything else. Mind you, I wouldn't fly anything else anyway, I have gliders for all wind conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 I like your Moth Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 Hi Steve. Enjoyed watching the video - fantastic lift site. I have to say that both my foam slope soaring planes fly like a brick if you try to test fly them on a calm day over flat land however they transform from an ugly bug to a beautiful butterfly once you get them on the hill. Amazing side of the hobby many overlook. Great video and I am sure many here enjoy the thread. Regards Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Houghton 1 Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 The Moth flies great Mark, once you've got her set up properly. I'm still tweaking the COG to get the best performance. I didn't fit a ballast tube, so considering the 25 - 30 mph wind speed, and it only weighs 1lb 5oz, it flew very well. I also flew my 60" Polecat, which is like the M60, and that was really ripping up the sky, like it had a big motor up front. So I fly that when I have wind speed above 20 mph and the Moth for less wind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 Yet another day blow off from our flying field - so yet again we went slope soaring and had fun... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 Peter thank Paul for a great video and music. Edited By Mark Kettle 1 on 07/02/2016 22:32:10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 Steve it's great when you get them 'on step' - set up, we have some PMP FastBak's when ballasted it's like having a .40 ic up front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 Hi Mark. I did the video but now Paul also grabs my camera and does some filming as well which is great because generally I was never in a video because I was filming it. Much better to have two cameramen. After all when I crashed out - he filmed me so I got him back when he went down the other side of the fence - now thats what you call co-operation between friends. That all aside its great to have someone else do some filming but at least I get to edit and pick out the music! Glad you liked it. Regards Peter and not forgetting Paul... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kettle 1 Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 Peter your group always have fun from the videos I've seen at your slope days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 Hi Mark. I have to say it is the group who make it fun - I just try and capture a bit of it on video. Our club has a great flying field site but as a lot are at the moment its waterlogged and when the wind blows its no point being fed up with it so I email around and generate some interest to go slope soaring. We now have 9 possibles who can go, some only weekdays and some only weekends but by co-ordinating with the weather forecast we get as many going as we can. I have to say its great fun as long as you wrap up well and don't get cold. I posted the original video here on the RCM&E site for others to see what they could be missing and I hope its generated a few Zagi / Wildthing sales and perhaps get a few more onto the slopes to enjoy themselves. I also post the video on our club blog site so other members can see the fun their missing out on too. Regards Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap Posted February 8, 2016 Author Share Posted February 8, 2016 Anyone flying in Storm Imogen today I wonder! - 102 mph at the Isle of Wight Needles I understand... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Houghton 1 Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 I wasn't able to fly at all this weekend, it just rained, and rained, and rained in S Wales So I got on with repairing the wing damage to my Thermal Instinct F5J. It's all done now and just awaiting some calm, warmer weather to go thermal soaring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap Posted February 8, 2016 Author Share Posted February 8, 2016 Hi Steve. What you relate is what a lot have had and its been hard this year. I hope we can all look forward to some better dryer weather in the not too distant future but I suspect it will take some time for the whole north of the planet to get back to normal - if there is a normal now. Either way our group is enjoying both the wind and the clam days. Regards Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Houghton 1 Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 I shall be flying on Sunday at one of my favourite slopes in S Wales, the NE facing Fochriw. This is a park & fly site, with the ridge only about 40 meters from the cars, and with a chance of snow showers, that may be very handy. The forecast is for 15 - 20 mph, but because of the cold, I think I'm just going to take a selection of foamies, that way I haven't got the fiddly V or T tails to attach, wing mounting screws or multi-plugs on the glass models, which with cold fingers could be a pain. Hopefully I'll get some video to share. Steve A470soaring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 Hi Steve. Look forward to your video - hopefully you won't get too much snow. Flew in a snow shower once and it was so biting plus we almost lost our planes when the squal hit as we almost lost sight of them just before we quickly landed (nice word for quick crash to get them down pronto). Have a good time. Regards peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 Hi Steve. Look forward to your video - hopefully you won't get too much snow. Flew in a snow shower once and it was so biting plus we almost lost our planes when the squal hit as we almost lost sight of them just before we quickly landed (nice word for quick crash to get them down pronto). Have a good time. Regards peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Houghton 1 Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 It was a bit flippin cold on top of that hill yesterday, but most of the guys turned out. There were a couple of new models on show as well. A Needle 124 which had its maiden flight. However, the owner had his tranny phase switch on the wrong setting, so all his controls were on max throws, which made elevator in particular very twitchy, as you'll see in the video. The new Pitbull didn't fly as the COG was about 10mm out. I would have video'd more of the action, but my fingers were freezing whenever I removed my gloves, and it was too cold to wear my hat cam. Location: Fochriw, S Wales Wind: 20 - 25mph north easterly Temperature: 1°C in the car, much less with the wind chill Steve A470soaring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETER BRUCE - Eastchurch Gap Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 Hi Steve. Your group enjoyed themselves I see and the new gliders flew well. We were rained off and the wind direction was wrong here for the local cliffs so fingers crossed for next week. Ended up making wing bags to protect the wings on my two biplanes so the day was not all lost. Thanks for posting the video for all to see. Regards Peter😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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