Happy New Year Everyone

I personally had a great 2016 and I hope all my soaring buddies did too. I hope you enjoy your new years eve celebrations and lets hope 2017 brings us lots of good flying and good health.
Enjoy all and hope to see a load of you when we go flying on Monday!

Onboard the Expro yesterday at the Bwlch

Kloudrider - finished

Finally found enough energy to get off the sofa and finish the Kloudrider. The basic build went together very quickly but the canopy, radio and covering really slowed me down but its finally done. I guess early radio and servos weighed quite a bit more than today's, I had to add 150g of air gun pellets in a plastic bag to get the balance right, the wing was mounted slightly further back than designed but it still need lead in the nose. The overall weight is 1.2kg which puts it about 100g over weight but considering the amount of extra ply and balsa addd I'm not unhappy, a fair bit of glue was used too.
Overall its a very easy plane to build (apart from the canopy) and they are still available on ebay as a short kit.

Light wind up at The Bwlch

Such a beautiful day up in the valleys of South Wales. Joined by Steve & Phil and enjoyed a few hours soaring in 4 - 6 mph at the back of the Wrecker. Here's my Xpro cruising the light lift.

Windless on Firle

Hi everyone. 

Well I had a pleasant hour or so on Firle yesterday morning. The forecast light N'ly was not really in evidence - what wind there was came from the NE. 

I had planned to take the Algebra down - she'll fly in as little as 4 kts of breeze - but even the light weather performance of that plane would not have sufficed for sustained flight. Fortunately I took my trusty old Cularis with me as a backup.

The Cularis has been a real "curate's egg" - parts of it have been very good! The build was simple, but some of you may know the Cularis' weak point seems to be the automatic conenction of the wing servos using servo plugs mounted in the wing roots, with their other halves mounted in corresponding locations in the fuselage.

This arrangement worked great for the first dozen or so flights but I soon began to experience problems with getting a reliable connection.

This has eventually been solved by installing over-long extension leads in the wings (which required some drastic surgery) and just connecting things up in the usual fashion. It's a bit fiddly since the extra length of lead, once connected, needs to be pulled back through the wing as it's offered up and connected to the fuse. This necessitated the cutting-out of recesses in the bottom of the wings to accomodate the slack.

Anyway, back to the point. The Cularis is now reliable to fly and although the performance has doubtlessly been affected by the hacking about of the wings, she still goes well emough for my skill level - and looks nice and 'scaley' into the bargain.

There was no real slope lift yesterday, but I detected a little thermal activity further out from the slope. This was very weak and not present close to the slope (the north face of which was in shadow) but definitely there. 

So, an opportunity to practice my themalling again.

Perhaps a more skillful pilot could have stayed up - but at least I was able to reduce my rate of descent on occasion! 

It was a very quiet day - a few dog-walkers and horse-riders, one or two people out walking, but I met no other rc flyers. There were a few hopeful paragliders sitting around on the hill in the place the rc flyers usually use, but no-one took flight while I was there.

Anyway, a pleasant way to spend an hour on the bank holiday!

As some of you will know, I've moved to Pevensey Bay - which is a bit of a hike from our flat field in Hassocks, so sadly I'll be leaving Slope Soaring Sussex when my membership runs out at the end of the year. However, I'll be joining the East Sussex Soaring Association, who seem like a friendly bunch.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all, especially Rob and Paul - but to all of you really -  for the companionship, help, advice and encouragement over the last 18 months. My first steps in slope soaring were made easier, more fun and more educational because of your input.

I have no doubt we'll meet up on the slopes regularly and I'll try to keep giving you news of slope soaring on 'the other side' - especially if Rob and Paul allow me to keep posting here! 

Cheers all - Happy New Year and may you have everything you wish yourself in 2017. 

Roger :-)

Off to the Valley's

Sorry about the lack of communication lately. Computer issues kept me away.

We had a good time on Christmas Eve with Jim, Mark and Kevin joining me up on Itford Hill. The wind being just about perfect for the slope. Lots of flying done and fun had by everyone, well it is Christmas!

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas day and gorged yourself stupid on food, I know I did,

Just packing the car as I am off to the beautiful South Wales for a few days. Models going in as I am hoping to meet up with the guys down there for some festive flying. Be back on New Years Eve.

I see Roger might be going out flying today. It looks a cold one!

Anyway, enjoy your time off and see you all soon.

Paul

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Paul and Rob wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.



Hi all, just to say thank you for your continuing support and friendship throughout this last year, we both appreciate it very much. See you all very soon at the AGM on 21st January.



West Wings Aurora, review part 2

... the two-tone Solartex finish turned out to look rather seasonal!

Merry Christmas and happy flying in 2017
Russell H

PSS Event in southern England?

Hi all

For those of you who know me from my occasional trips down south, flying with Paul, Ian and a few others, you will know I fly PSS models as well as all the other types, and A470Soaring have hosted two successful PSSA events over the last two years at the Bwlch, and we shall be hosting another in May 2017.

The PSSA are keen to run an event on a suitable slope in the south of England, with a club keen to host such an event.

These events are, "fly for fun", with no competition to organise. Guys just turn up with all manor of PSS models, built from foam or balsa mostly, to fly, chat and have a few laughs along the way over the course of a weekend.

Is this something Slope Soaring Sussex would be interested in hosting?

If so, you can either contact me or Phil Cooke at webmaster@pssaonline.co.uk .

As well as Mays PSS event, A470Soaring are hosting Bwlchfest 2017, a slope glider festival for all types of glider over the weekend of 10th/11th June. There has already been a lot of interest from the UK, Germany and Slovenia, with a representative from the German modelling magazine, Aufwind already booked to attend.

This looks like being the largest slope event for 2017 in the UK and it would be great to see a few of you guys come and take part.

Keep your eyes peeled on line and in the modelling press for event details. Better still, keep an eye on my A470Soaring blog, as this will be the prime source of information.

And finally, let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year from all of us here in S Wales and I hope to see you again once some warmer, spring like weather begins to show.

Happy flying
Steve

Christmas Eve Flying

So the big day is nearly upon us but I would like to squeeze just one more flying session in before Christmas day.
The weather looks ok and its currently showing W at 15mph at 9.00am on Saturday morning, so that's Itford Hill.
I'm up for a few hours of flying before blobbing out in front of the box. I will be off to Wales for three days so this might be my last flying session this year.
Any else coming out to play?

Kamco Kloudr

Kamco Kloudrider review

I recently bought this as a short kit from eBay, the parts have been in storage for around 30 years as the model was originally designed back in the 70s. The kit was £45 and the cost of additional stock balsa was around another £25. Comes with freshly printed full size plans and canopy. With the recent spell of low wind I decided to get this built and have thoroughly enjoyed the build process so far, as ive only built one or two balsa planes around 15 years ago and recently a middle phase, im certainly no expert but its gone together very well with no real drama.

The wings go together very quickly with only balsa spars, you need to buy some 4mm ID metal tubing for the wing joiners and 8 SWG piano wire joiners. 8 SWG is a smidgen bigger than 4mm so I ended up running a 4.1mm drill down the tube. They seem like a nice thin section wing with good rigidity and resist twist. Total wingspan is 97 inches.

The fuselage seems very basic and boxy, made from balsa sides with ply doubles front and back. I added a fair bit of extra balsa and ply around the nose and wing mounting area. The canopy is a little disappointing and I feel it wont be long before im replacing it with a much stronger solid balsa one with an access hatch to the servos. Talking of servos, standard ones only just sit low enough to avoid the arms from touching the underside of the canopy, once the clevis is fitted im sure that will rub. I plan to finish the model in orange and white 

Overall im very happy the design and like the look of it a lot, chances are the wind will pick up now and will have to wait for a balmy sunny day

Bob

Blaster 2 DLG for sale

Anyone of you guys Interested in buying a Blaster 2. Its a super DLG and flies on just a wisp of lift. Gets good height with a good throw and will do for the flat as well as the smallest of slopes. 1500mm wingspan and weighs virtually nothing.

Watch the video above and you will see a video of it flying yesterday. Dead easy to fly but you will be getting a top quality model. Not a cheap DLG but a good quality one. Can sell ready to fly as it has a Spektrum RX installed as well as a Smart Lipo. For those who don't know what a smart Lipo is then its a lipo that can be charged using most other Lipo's so can be charged at the field if needed. These aren't cheap either. Comes with protective wing bags as well.

All in all a very nice set up. Hoping to move on to a newer version of the Blaster family as I want to do more of the DLG flying as its so much fun and is a real challenge.
Call or email me for details - 07834 859018 or paul.hampshire@shelf-space.co.uk

Micro Slope Soaring

After yesterday's slope soaring of a small slope behind Devils Dyke I was searching for other videos of gliders flying tiny slopes. Here is a 2.7m glider flying a 600mm / 2' rise on the beach. Amazing how clean air gets pushed up over the smallest object.

Blaster DLG on the small hill behind Devils Dyke main slope

Long shot DLG on a tiny slope behind Devils Dyke main slope

Flying above the fog

What an amazing day. Set off from home in dense fog and this remained the same until nearly at Devils Dyke. When I arrived and met up with Ian and Rob the Downs were just starting to poke through the fog making little islands in the fog.

We all walked along the main bowl and over into the field behind. There you will find a very shallow bowl beyond the next field. The wind was blowing just enough and together with the sun that helped with some week thermals we managed to get in a few hours soaring with the DLG's. Rob unfortunately didn't have a good day and retired early but Ian and myself carried on till 1.00pm.
Superb views with the fog mainly staying over on the main slope but it did once creep up on us from behind.....

On the way back we both soared a small hump about 10ft high in the very gentle 3 - 5 mph breeze (if you could call it that).
Here are some more pics from the day.

Well worth the effort as at home it has been languishing in dull misty conditions all day.

A New Model From Kevin Beale

Hi All,
Kevin asked me to post this up for him -
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is my new slope model. My own design and build.

It uses my wings from my fast electric 2m model on a new fuselage and back end.
To make it took lots of work -

Made the wings on a special jig with carbon and glass on the inside of the 1.5 balsa skins and carbon spar. The fuselage pod is from a modified mould I made and was actualy a test I was doing on layups. Commercial carbon boom and sheet balsa fin and tailplane. All covered in solafilm. Total flying weight is 1kg.

I took it to the fields for a few hand launches to check all was well and is now ready for it's slope maiden.

May need a bit more wind than this weekend for the first flight.

Also have a model bag free to anyone that wants it, see picture.

Kevin Beale
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If anyone wants this bag, please leave Kevin a comment below and some way of him contacting you.

A Hobby King DLG is Born

Hi All,
I have finally built my HK DLG, after it was sitting in my workshop for just over a year and after seeing Ian's brilliant DLG flying last weekend, I just had to get mine put together.
I have got the trusty old Libelle which flies very well and my little Zulu, which didn't fly last weekend because the wind / lift was too light even for that. So, I decided that the HK DLG needed to see the light of day.
It was fiddly putting it together because when I first got it the wing was damaged so they sent me a new one, but originally the servos were factory fitted, so I had to put new servos in the new wing because I preferred to use my own, but with tiny holes for the wires, I had to cut the servo wires, thread them through and then re-solder them together ! The rest was the usual fiddly, small DLG stuff - the instructions were no use at all, but I just made it up as I went along.

Anyway, I'm hoping to test it in the next day or so and then I hope to use it this weekend in the light conditions.
If it works well, I will have the Libelle to sell if anyone wants a very reliable and useable DLG.
Here is the Libelle - now converted to right-hand launch of course...

Rob

BMFA 2017 Renewals

Hi All,
For all of you who have renewed your insurance through us for 2017, the BMFA paperwork arrived to me this morning. I have signed it and now posted it on to each of you at your home address.
I used second class post because at this time of year everything gets delivered pretty fast, so I'm hopeful you'll all get the papers this week sometime.
Best regards and many thanks to those who renewed through us once again....

Rob Stanley
Hon. Sec.

Itford Hill Wave Flying -Topped out at 670ft (204m)

What a morning flying! Soft and nearly no lift early on then bumped into strong lift in the valley which changed our day around. Thanks to Rob, Andrew and Ian for coming along. What a beautiful day for mid December.......

Watch in HD for the best quality video.

Bwlchfest 2017 - A little teaser

Hi guys, I hope you may be interested in the following.

So I had this idea about holding a slope soaring event at the Bwlch, S Wales for next summer and I created the following teaser of a video and popped it on YouTube and various Facebook groups, and the response has been amazing.

The idea is that like minded glider guiders come along to The Bwlch for a weekend of informal flying on a "Fly for Fun" basis.

It doesn't matter if you fly foamies, crunchies, mouldies, F3F, scale, PSS, aerobats or sport models, all are welcome.

A preliminary date of June 10th/11th looks likely, and from the feedback I have received already, A European contingent from Germany, Austria and Slovenia are already making plans to attend this event, including a guy I know from Germany who writes for a aeromodelling magazine there called, Aufwind. So this could become a truly international event.

I will look into organising this event in more detail once the Christmas and New Year festivities are over and finalise the date.

Watch this space.

BMFA Renewal Update

Hi All,
Thanks to your prompt responses to our emails, I have now sent off to the BMFA all our renewal paperwork for next year.
Hopefully, those of you who are country members will renew your own membership before the end of December so as to remain insured for next year. Some of our members are insured through other clubs and will therefore be covered through those.

I hope that the paperwork will come back to me fairly quickly so that I can send you all your BMFA cover-notes by the end of the year.

On another topic, I had a couple of successful meetings with our field landlord over the last two weekends and can announce that we have retained the use of the field for another year. This is dependant upon planning permission for the adjoining fields but even if it gets the go-ahead, we should still be okay to fly for most of this year. I will monitor the situation with the landlord throughout the year. I have agreed to pay him monthly so that we can stop paying if we are restricted in any way by development, etc... Hopefully we can make more use of the field this year if the weather allows us ?


I would also like to welcome Ian Dunlop as our newest recruit to the club. Ian has been flying with us for a number of years as a country member of BMFA and has decided to join us this year. We are pleased to welcome Ian into the club.



Finally , we will soon be announcing the date for an AGM to be held in January, please try to come along if possible - last year we had 99% attendance which is excellent.

See you all soon,

Rob Stanley
Hon. Sec.

West Wings Aurora, review part 1

Thinking ahead to balmy summer days of light-wind soaring I thought I'd offer a progress report on my rendition of this lightweight beginners' kit from West Wings.
Of course I didn't follow the plan/instructions to the letter because I wanted to 'improve' the model.
When I bought the kit I was really looking for something like the Graupner Dandy, an example of which I flew 40 years ago when a colleague of my father's gave me a lesson atop Mount Caburn; as I recall the flight ended abruptly and messily. The Dandy Mk III is currently available but only in ARTF format for £140, so for a more authentic nostalgic experience I opted for the Aurora kit and will take inspiration from the Dandy's colour scheme when I cover it.
Like all West Wings models it's a well engineered kit, the components are neatly cut and fit together perfectly. However, it is very light and feels in need of some localised reinforcement.
I added extra balsa to the inside corners of the fuselage for strength and to allow for more rounding-off with the razor plane. I also put a layer of glass cloth on the inside-front-half of the fuselage and at the tail end where the fin and tailplane are glued on. Having never liked the odour or messiness of two-part epoxy or polyester resin I tried water-based floor varnish to bind the glass instead – it seems to be equally effective and I washed the brush under the tap!
The Graupner Dandy is the same size as the Aurora, but the wings are separable, which is handy. So, in an attempt to create a 'rucksack-able' model, I made a two-piece wing by gluing 1/4 x 1/8inch full-length spruce spars into the ribs, then cut a wing joiner out of an aluminium/ply sandwich to slide between the spars.
Some careful cutting and ironing of red and white Solartex should create a pleasing two-tone finish...

Cheers

Russell H

Dont stand so close to me.......

A cloudy old day up on Ditchling Beacon today. Ian A, Bob P, Jim, Will and I all got plenty of flying in. I flew my Willow 2. Which on the first landing met up with the fence as I didn't realise that I was actually behind the fence - DOH! Luckily I was almost down when the collision happened. Had a few more flights and eventually managed to get some on board footage using a suction mount and my RunCam 2 camera.

Need to move the camera round a bit as the wide angle lens distorts the nose a bit but the quality of the video was surprisingly good for a dull old November day.
Ian flew his big mouldy, M60 and the horrible little red brick and impressed us all with just the perfect landing at the end with his big heavy old mouldy. Jim got on well today and was demonstrating some smooth flying and continues to improve. Will flew his foamy Jart which he was flinging around the sky like a mad man. he worked with Ian to really improve his landings. Bob, seemed to have a load of models today which he worked his way through during the morning and showed some real skill today.
Oh yes - why the title 'Don't stand so close to me' well this was what seemed to happen when I stood next to someone on the hill there model would do strange things and possibly crash! We put this down to my lead underpants getting in the way of the signal. Ian, Will and Jim will all corroborate this story.

Not a bad day for late November.

BMFA Fees for 2017 Remain Unchanged

Hi All,
Great news from the BMFA today, following their meeting on 19th November, they have announced the 2017 fees as below from their web site - - 
--------------------------------------------------------
The Society Annual General Meeting held on Saturday 19th November, has agreed the subscriptions for 2017 which will remain at the same level as for 2016.
BMFA Subscriptions for 2017 are as follows.
(Apply from 1st December 2016)
Seniors £33
Juniors £17
Family Senior £33
Family Partner £22
Family Junior £13

----------------------------------------------------------

I will be sending members an email asking about renewal in the next day or two and detailing how to proceed.

Rob Stanley - Hon. Sec.

A light wind day at Mill Hill

I was expecting a light breeze and when I got up to Mill Hill I wasn't disappointed. Ian A and Ian D were already there and ready to go. I rigged the Expro mouldy (light wind thermal soarer) and started the day with a number of flights of just cruising around from thermal to thermal. Ian A was doing the same with his Shadow. Then joined by Scott and Graham. Ian D and Will spent a good while flying of the lower shelf with there light foamies. We were also joined by Kevin B. Twice in a week Kevin, watch it or you will get yourself a bad name!
The wind picked up briefly and Graham and Ian flew the heavier mouldies and Scott flew his Dragon with just a little help with the landings. Spent some time going through the landing options with Scott. Rain was looming bit we carried on through the hail and soft lift. Had a spell with my Weasel which loved the light conditions which was more can than be said for our M60's (fully loaded) and Will's Jart.
With virtually no wind / lift we called it a day and left.
Was worth the effort with everyone managing to get some good flying practice in given the lighter conditions. A good effort shown by Ian D, Will and Scott in a some what challenging session.
Roll on the next one!!

A misty morning at the Dyke

A little video from our slope soaring session last Sunday.

Part 3 - Planning Ahead

Right, now we have acquired the skills to put the glider where we want it in the sky and can manage to maintain controlled level turns its time to start looking at our landings.

To me all landings start with PLANNING and for me this starts before you even launch your glider off the slope. So many times I see people walk up to the slope switch the model on and launch without much consideration for any other model flyer on the slope or the conditions that are around them.

Model Pre-Flight Checks

I know it sounds strange but don't get this bit right or you may not be able to attempt any sort of landing. Please check and confirm:

• Battery power good in both the model and transmitter
• Transmitter switched on to the right model
• Range check if you are doing a maiden or if you have any concerns over connectivity
• Controls move in the direction they should.
• Model fit for flight. i.e. nothing falling off. no sticking control surfaces etc..........
• If its sunny - do you need sunglasses.
• Cold weather - wearing suitable clothing
• Is your model suitable for the conditions in front of you. i.e. too windy, not enough lift etc.....
• Flying with suitable BMFA Insurance

Flying Site Checks

Another one that seems very obvious but it all worth mentioning.

• If its a new site then go and talk with any of the local fliers. Find out where it's good to fly and where its advised not to fly. How good the lift is, Where to land etc.
• Site rules - Any restrictions on height. Some sites are run by a specific club and open to members only. Many sites you will share the sky with Paragliders / Hang gliders which have always have the right of way. Where do they take off / land. Go and talk to then if needed.  
• Even if you fly at the same site week after week the conditions will change from day to day or even hour to hour. The wind strength effects both the lift and just as importantly the sink (curl over) generally situated behind the slope. Its just a consideration you need to have thought about before you get flying
• Landing area - every flying site will have a different type of landing area which may require a different type of approach and circuit. Some sites you land on the side of the slope, some have large flat tops and others have limited amount of space to touch down on. Take time to understand what's available and if possible watch others how they land on the slope. Get an idea before you get into the air where you want your model to land. Don't leave the decision until you are making your final turn.
• When landing will you have any issues with walkers, horses or obstacles on approach i.e tree's, fences etc.

Make these decisions now and hopefully you will not get any nasty surprises as you move onto your landings.

Checks done and we have launched our model, so its on to Part 4

Grab yourself a warming bargain!

Mountain Warehouse are offering a complete Ski package for just £79.99 inc delivery.

• Ski Jacket
• Ski Pants
• Beanie Hat
• Gloves
• Socks

Saving £104.96 on regular prices.

Helping you to stay warm up on the slopes!

If you are Interested then here's the LINK

Nicely Flown

Hangar 9 ASW 20

This made me chuckle!!

Sunday 13th November - Devils Dyke

When we arrived the Dyke we were greeted to a beautiful site of the cloud streaming UP the slope.

The wind was a good strength and NNW as forecast. We had a good turn out today despite some of the regulars being out of action. There was me (funny that) Will, Ian D, Jim, Bob, Graham, Bernie and Kevin.
We all enjoyed ourselves floating around in and out of the cloud early on but it brightened up to give a very nice November day on the slopes. Tried out some of my Landing Instruction which I hope went down ok?
Here are some of the guys out today:

Ian D

Graham

Bob

Will

Jim

Thanks to all who attended, especially nice to see Bernie and Kevin out on the slopes.

'Landing Briefings'

Hi all. as you may well have already read but I am attempting to put my idea's and thoughts down on paper to help share a little of my knowledge which I hope will in turn help others. I'm no expert but I have spent many hours trying to improve and have found certain things have helped me overcome some of the obstacles that I can see some of you are struggling with today.
I will try and post something each week if at all possible. Breaking down the landing side of flying down into manageable size chunks. Nothing is written into stone and its just advice so take from it what you can.
Some off you more experienced guys might have different idea's from myself and I would love to hear your suggestions and have your input as we all have slightly different ways of flying, so please share your idea's and tell me if you think there is a better way of doing something.
That's the great thing about our sport, everyday is different and we all do things in a slightly different way but nobody id necessarily wrong. Lets use this blog / 'Landing Briefings' page to share our experiences as we have all either got to overcome the many challenges of landings or we continue to strive to get better!

Look at the top left hand side of the blog's front page under 'Landing briefings' to view each new chapter as it is written.

Feel free to comment or email me your idea's / suggestions and I will post your comments up on the blog to share with everyone. It would be great to hear from the guys who are at the early stages of landings. Please share your experiences and thoughts.

It's sharing that makes this blog work and encourage people back to read more. I need your help guys!!!

email: paul.hampshire@shelf-space.co.uk

Landing Brifing Notes - Part 1

Don't be in a hurry to attempt those landings - learn the basics first!

Its taken me many years to get to a point where I can land an RC glider roughly where I planned to land it but saying that it still goes wrong at times. I want to share the thought processes which I use when landing an RC glider on the slope. I am no expert and every time I land I hopefully gain a little bit more understanding on how and why things have happened and this helps me to build experience and confidence with the glider I am flying and the slope that I am flying from.

Like with anything in life we need to learn how to do something. We learn through repetition and we learn through mistakes along the way and unfortunately there will be many mistakes made but the main thing is that we learn what and why things went wrong and try to get it better the next time.
These days you can choose from a wide range of EPP foam flying wings slope soaring gliders. These are relatively cheap to buy and simple to build. They offer stable flight and a good base to start out when learning the basics of RC soaring.

Before we get to the landing stage of RC slope soaring we need to get the fundamentals right first. We need to have gained sufficient experience and stick time out in the lift in front of the hill. Don't be in a rush to learn to land. Learn to control your glider and when you start flying in a proactive manner rather than a reactive one then that's the point that we can start to look at our landings.  Now what do I mean by reactive and proactive flying?

When we first start out someone else generally gets your model established up in the lift and in most cases you will crab back and forth trying to keep the model in front off you and turning away from the hill. To win this part of the battle you need to learn the basic stick inputs to keep the model in the air and to keep in the lift. This type of flying I like to refer to as reactive. With time and as your experience and confidence grows you will start thinking ahead. moving the model around the sky and putting the model where you want and at the height you want to fly at and this is what I call proactive flying. You have the control and experience to fly the model confidently on the slope. You're reactions start to become automatic in situations that before would have caused the model to loose control. A little bit like when you start to learn how to drive. You have to get the feet working together with your hands of the steering wheel and look at the road plus change gear. At the beginning its all a bit much to take in but with time and practice it starts to become easier and you then start doing these difficult things subconsciously and without to much thought. This is where you need to be before attempting your landing as being in control will take away just one off the difficult elements you need to worry about when trying to bring your model back to earth.

When you are feeling reasonably in control of your flying in the air and you feel confident having the model flying where you want it and at a fairly constant attitude / speed then it might be time to try and think about those landings.

Now move onto Part 2 of our briefing notes........

Keeping warm while up on the slope

A major problem with our sport is how to keep your fingers, feet and face warm and protected from the biting wind chill while trying to enjoy yourself up on the slope.

The big problem for me is keeping my fingers warm. I personally can't fly in gloves. I loose the sensitivity between my thumb and forefinger. So what's the answer??

Above is a fairly cheap transmitter glove. Lightweight and easy access for your hands getting to the transmitter inside. The clear plastic top gives you good visibility through to the transmitter and its screen. I have flown with one of these over the last winter. Plenty of room to sit your fingers on top of the sticks and I must say it kept my fingers nice and toasty. If you fly with a mitt / glove then you will need someone else to launch your model which is no real big problem unless you are a solo flyer.

I purchased mine through Hobby King but make sure you are buying this from the UK warehouse as you don't want a shock paying for transatlantic postage - Click Here to view.........

How about heated fingerless gloves. I haven't flown with these but it seems like an option to me.

These are available from Heat Packs UK. You simply insert a heat pack into the back of the glove and they say it should keep warm for up to 10 hours. Keeps your fingers free to feel the sticks and switches. Click Here to view........
What about your feet? A good set of thermal boots should be worn but for me the standing around sometimes leaves me with cold feet / toes. I found this on eBay and have placed my order for a set of these electric heated socks. Powered by two AA batteries.

Apparently heats up within a minute but will have to wait and see until I get to wear them up on the slope. Click Here to view.........

A must for me is my faithful old balaclava. Keeps the ears and neck warm. Any exposed skin will soon get chilled by the cold wind. Cover up with a good warm balaclava.

Last but not least is a set of ski goggles. The strong wind blowing you in your face will make your eyes water without some sort of protection. These placed over the top of your balaclava will give you complete protection.

Finally How do you keep your body warm and free from chilly winds finding its way into those exposed area's. I swear by my Salopettes which are both windproof and thermal. Didn't cost a fortune but means I can wear a good thermal winter coat over the top and it keeps the wind out and my legs warm.

Its worth investing in some decent warm gear to keep you toasty on the slope. Nothing worse than freezing your bits off just because you haven't dressed to match the weather conditions.

Please let us all know if you have found something that keeps you warm up on the slope.

We all would like to Improve, right?

Landing Clinic

 

I think most of us would agree that the landing part of our hobby seems to create the most stress and worry of most peoples flying today.

You learn the basics of control and then you master the launch but the landings seem to be different every time and if we are lucky we manage to land somewhere near where we wanted or if not so lucky end up in a long walk or even a broken model.

I have been flying for many years and I still get it wrong and get caught out by the curl over (sink) the wind gradient or one of the many other factors that can catch us out when trying to land.

I was always taught that you should practice your landings and not just make one attempt when your hands are frozen or you have to go home.

So, I would like to offer my services with the help of others to demonstrate, discuss, help, re-assure, mentor what ever word best sums up an offer to improve your landings.

I'm no expert but until an expert appears on our doorstep myself and Ian A aim to help improve those landings which will hopefully improve your understanding and enjoyment of flying RC gliders.

We can buddy you up to one of our transmitters to be with you on the sticks. We can talk you round the circuit but I think everyone of us should take a few moments before each flight and think about your landing before you throw your model off.

Pre-flight checks - Inspect you're model out before you chuck it off. Do all the controls move in the direction they should? Do you have enough battery charge within the model to fly safely, Wind strength, site conditions, landing area, other hazards. All these and probably more should be taken into consideration before you launch your model. If you are not sure then don't launch and ask for some advice / assistance.

Lets make this hobby safe and enjoyable guys.

Please let me know if you would be interested in joining in on a 'Landing Clinic' below in the remarks section. We need to keep improving and pushing ourselves but we need to do this safely!!

 

I have spoken with Ian and we will aim to start these landing clinics this Sunday if at all possible with a de-brief down the pub afterwards to discuss any issues / progress over a pint and a sarnie (if you wish).

My idea is that we have a chat / briefing with those who want to listen before we / you take to the skies. It's not mandatory and its being offered with improvement in mind. Mine as well as yours.

With understanding will come more enjoyment!



First of the frost bite days..........

Today was one of those mega cold but mega beautiful days that I love. Frozen puddles when I arrived up at Devils Dyke and not the strongest of breezes. Met up with Rob and Andrew closely followed by many others.
The views were just staggering.

Here is Ian's SAS Start Jet looking West to Truleigh Hill and beyond. We moved a few times as the wind wasn't really on any of the slopes but we finally ended up on the main slope as there were none of our paraglider friends (which makes a big change).
There were seven of our group up on the hill including me, Rob, Andrew, Ian A, Ian D, Bob P and Ray L plus a load more from the Brighton club. We also bumped into our friend Richard Wade who bought my Pik and Rob's SAS Apache (which he flew today).
Rob spent some time teaching Ray L the rudiments of flying with the Scooter and a buddy TX system, but a broken servo put an end to the session - Ray did OK and will be back for more soon. Andrew, Ian D and Bob all flew their various foamies with Ian D trying his new 60" Wildthing which went very well. Andrew had some issues with his Sky Cruise whereby the motor (which was disabled) kept starting up in flight so that needs investigating and Bob had his newly re-covered Wildthing which looked very smart indeed with artwork made from his laser cutter..
 Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves with Rob finally getting his hands on his Mini Vec which he flew very well until the ground jumped up and grabbed his model which ended a very smooth flying display - Well done Rob (no harm came to the Mini Vec, but Rob's pride was dented !). I had various flights with my Aresti which I am pleased to say is becoming easier with time. I find that confidence can be an issue and if the nerves kick in the confidence wanes. But by keep bashing on at it and understanding your models little quirks you will get better and find things slot into place over time.

I did see some very nice flying from our boys up there today as they managed to get loads of stick time which again builds confidence and control.
Myself and Ian a kept retiring back to the warmth of the car. A swift cup of tea and back out into the cold. By the end the sky was awash with various models foamies, mouldies, 1/4 scale Pirat and the odd full size glider chugging through.
Thanks to all who came and made it a very good mornings flying.

For Sale

Richter Weasel - 36" - RTF

Never flown. All new build including metal geared servos, Nimh battery and Spektrum receiver.

£120.00

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Moth - 48" - RTF

Never flown. All new build including Hitec metal geared servos, eneloop Nimh battery and Spektrum receiver.

£150.00

 

 Contact Tim - t.hampshire@tiscali.co.uk

29th and 30th October

Hi All,
I have been looking forward to getting some flying with my new mouldies and some other models I acquired from Bob P who was downsizing his collection. Unfortunately, the forecast for this coming weekend currently gives very light winds  - with Saturday giving 5 MPH SE and Sunday 8 MPH ENE to E. There won't be much in the way of temperature to help with thermal soaring at the field either so watch the ShoutBox in case something changes.....


I am therefore currently not planning to fly this weekend unless something dramatic changes with the weather.




Please let us know if you intend to go somewhere - I have got the Traceur, Libelle and Zulu all of which will fly in light winds but I know from experience that more than 5 MPH is required!!!

Update From BMFA on the EASA Proposals to Restrict Model Aircraft

Hi All,
I just got this update from the BMFA.
It seems that EASA are actually listening to us and other RC aircraft bodies -


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Looks like EASA has got the message.


A big thanks needs to go out to Dave Phipps BMFA Chief Executive for the amount of work he is doing to protect out hobby. 





The rulemaking team at EASA have asked me to notify members that the deadline for feedback on the Prototype Rules was 15th October. We understand that they are still receiving dozens of emails per day, mainly from the U.K! Thank you to all those members who provided constructive feedback.


The formal feedback response submitted to EASA on behalf of FAI & Europe Air Sports has been published here: http://www.fai.org/news/42436-eas-fai-response-easa-unmanned-aircraft


The level of response from the model flying community (especially from the UK) has taken EASA by surprise and they now concede publicly that the Protoype Rules do not adequately address the needs of established model flyers. In an effort to resolve this situation, EASA have now announced the formation of a small 'Expert Group' which will include representation from the European model flying community. EASA hope that working with the 'Expert Group' will allow them to refine their proposals and incorporate amendments which will make the regulations more acceptable. It is envisaged that the 'Expert Group' will provide their input over the course of four meetings at EASA's headquarters in Cologne.


The four proposed amendments to the Basic Regulation prepared by Europe Air Sports and submitted to the European Parliament were deferred from the October meeting of the TRAN Committee. There were over 1000 amendments proposed in all, with 50-100 of them relating to unmanned aircraft. Key MEP's have been in discussion and have been working to 'distill' the amendments down to a more manageable number. They have developed a proposed 'compromise' amendment which stops short of removing model flying from EASA's competence altogether which is disappointing. However, the proposed 'compromise' would add a statement on model flying to the 'Recital' of the Basic Regulation which would be legally binding and would serve to compel EASA to develop regulations which would allow model flying to continue to operate as it does currently. If the 'compromise' is adopted, the amendments proposed by Europe Air Sports will fall. The vote on the amendments is likely to take place on the 10th November.


The timescale for the publication of EASA's formal regulations for feedback is now slipping and is now scheduled for the end of March 2017 rather than before the end of 2016 as originally intended.


In an initiative lead by Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the UK, a number of model flying associations are meeting in Friedrichshafen on the 28th October to embark on the process of forming the European Model Flying Union (EMFU) to co-ordinate efforts to defend the rights of the 500,000+ model flyers throughout Europe. EASA have already confirmed their agreement to meet with representatives from the EMFU in the near future.
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Rob Stanley
Hon. Sec.

Wireless Trainer Mode Set-up

Hi All,
Following my sessions with Jim and Ray lately, I decided to set up my transmitter to work in wireless trainer mode, so I can take control and hand control of a model during training. It was surprisingly easy and I used my old Dx6i DSM2 transmitter as the 'slave' and my Dx9 as the 'Master'. It's simply a case of 'binding' the 'Master' to a model, then enter 'wireless trainer mode' and 'bind' the slave transmitter to the 'master'. Hey presto, I'm now set up to be able to help members who are training / learning without having to grab their transmitter to regain control.
I should have done this a long time ago ! ......




Rob

Weds 19 Oct Devils Dyke

Hi All,
We all met up this morning at Devils Dyke car park as arranged.
There was me, Ian A, Ian D, Graham U, Jim H and Ray Lamb who might join the club after trying some flying.
The wind was a little Westerly to begin with but there was plenty of lift albeit blustery near the hillside. We were constantly aware of the hang-gliders to our right and sometimes above us, but usually too high to worry us. However, it would be better if they stuck to their agreed airspace once in a while !
We all brought a selection of models to fly and everyone took home the same number of glider parts they arrived with, for a change.
Ian D has joined us again after a long time off over the summer when he takes his classic car (hot rod ?) all over the place to car shows, etc... but slotted straight back into the routine with a lot of great flights. Ian also very kindly lent me his Wildthing, allowing me to give Ray some instruction on his first flights at slope soaring. Ray did well for a complete beginner. Keep your nerve Ray !
I spent some time helping Jim H with his landing technique, but we're still working on it together and will crack it soon.


The others had a pretty un-eventful session and after 2 hours we all decided it was time to leave except for Ian D who stayed on.
I know Graham U took some video, so he might upload some to go with this post .....

Catch up with you all soon

I will be leaving you in Rob's very capable hands for a few weeks while I go and check out the soaring sites in Barbados. It a tough job but as the club's chairman I thought I had to lead by example and step up to the challenge. I hope you guys get in some decent soaring while I'm away and for those who can post on the blog - please do.........
See you all in November !!!!

Millfield Wave Flight

Great video of Craig flying his DG800 in wave over the Scottish borders.

Update on EASA Proposals To Regulate Unmanned Aircraft

Hi All,
There has been an update from the BMFA regarding the EASA proposal to restrict unmanned aircraft. It would seem that there has been some movement by EASA and they are now beginning to understand that they can't (or shouldn't) lump every unmanned aircraft into a single category.
The update can be found here on the BMFA website -

https://www.bmfa.org/Portals/0/xNews/uploads/2016/10/11/EAS%20&%20FAI%20Statement%20on%20the%20EASA%20Prototype%20Rules%20for%20Unmanned%20Aircraft%20-%2004-10-2016%20V2.pdf

Regards
Rob Stanley
Hon. Sec.

Returning Club Member

Hi All,
I'm sure most of you remember Will Attfield, who was a member during 2015, but for personal reasons had to 'suspend' membership for a while.
Well our friend Will has now come back to join us and has been along to the last 2 weekend flying sessions, so some of you will have met (or re-met) him recently.
I'm sure you will all join me in welcoming Will back to the club.

Rob

New Member of the Club

Hi All,
I wanted to let you all know that we have yet another new member  - his name is Peter Norton and some of you met him on Sunday up at the Beacon.
Peter is an old friend of Paul, Tim and mine from Mid Sussex Fliers and he has now decided to also become a member of our club.
He lives in Danehill so is local like the bulk of us.
Peter has a lot of flying experience of gliders and power models, and I'm sure you will all join me in welcoming Peter to the club.

Rob Stanley
Hon. Sec.

Big Turnout for Ditchling 9/10/16

Hi All,
We had a bumper turnout this morning at Ditchling Beacon to take advantage of the great NE wind.
Paul, Ian A, Will and I all met at 08:30 and walked East across the road and along the ridge until we got to the second bowl where we felt the lift was working better.

We were soon joined by Bob P who also showed the way for a potential new member Ray Lamb.
Next to arrive was Graham U followed by our old friend from Mid Sussex Fliers Peter Norton.
I cannot remember all the details of who flew which models, there was a lot going on , but here is what I saw happening -
Paul and Ian flew their M60s and I flew my Moth, we found that the lift was minimal close to the hill, but further out it was working really well.
Paul let Will fly his trusty Ninja and we were all impressed with Will's skill, despite a year off ! His landings were getting very good towards the end.
I set up my Impulse 2 and after a check-out I launched for Paul to fly / trim. I then took over and loved it but asked Paul to land for me despite it being programmed by Tim for crow braking, etc... I just didn't feel on top of my game. Thanks Paul, next time I will do it all on my own (I hope).
Paul launched his enormous scale K18 which flew with great authority - it looked so majestic up where it belongs. On landing, one of the air brakes got stuck up, so it was tending to rotate a little, but Paul managed to get it down safely. Subsequent flights proved to be trouble free.

Graham launched his yellow carbon-fibre mouldie (name has gone for now), but he quickly shouted 'no signal' and with that, the model was turned into more pieces than he came with. On collecting it, Graham tested the rx and all worked fine !!! I don't know if it will be repaired. Graham then reverted to flying his HK Ridge Ryder - great fun for £30.
Ian A launched his big mouldie that he acquired from Will and it looked truly brilliant in the hands of an expert. I hope to be able to fly that well some day.
Peter Norton brought 2 models that he said hadn't flown for many years, but they looked immaculate (as all his models do) and they flew really well. Peter hadn't flown sloping for many years but he got it all right on the day, except for one hard landing which left the v-tail model needing the tail to be secured a bit better.
Bob P flew his Wildthing and from what I saw he was doing a great job of it. I don't remember if he had any other models today (sorry Bob).
As we were almost stopping for the day, we were joined by new member Rob P with his son James. They flew a Wildthing for James on the buddy lead and a beautiful black carbon-fibre 'rocket' for Rob (again I can't remember the name, but it looked fantastic).

Sorry if I forgot anyone or anything, but there was so much going on that I'm sure I missed loads.
If anyone wants to add their own additions to this, please feel free.
Paul will upload some video later today / tomorrow I think.

Many thanks to all of you for making this a day to remember - great fun..

Rob

We need your help!!!

The BMFA have asked us (clubs) to forward this to all our members to bring to their attention the fact that EASA are going to restrict all model flying by clumping them all together under the Unmanned Vehicle category. This legislation is really aimed at multi-copters, but will cover everything unless we do something to stop it....... read below from BMFA ...
Rob Stanley.
From BMFA ----------------------------------


As you will have read in the latest BMFA news the European Law Makers want to bring in Strict control over what they call drones, unfortunately the are having a hard time differentiating between Multi Rotor/Quads and the type of craft flown by the majority of us, so the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) are classing all unmanned aircraft (UAs) as drones.

These new rulings will affect us all and despite the fact that we are actually leaving the Common Market the will still be in affect once we finally leave the EU.

What can we do, as Dave Phipps put in the article we can contact our MP’s MEP’s and EASA and urge then not to proceed with this. Something along the lines of: I would suggest you express serious concern over this Prototype Regulation, highlight the good safety record of model aircraft operation under the control of the BMFA in collaboration with the CAA and that "traditional" model aircraft operation be clearly separated from "Drone" operation which is very different. Express your confidence in the BMFA (with the CAA) regulating Model aircraft operation safely wihin the UK.

MP find at: http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/

Also sign the Petition Block or change the EASA Commission Regulation on Unmanned Aircraft Operations at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/168112

We don’t have long as they vote next month so become a keyboard warrior and get Emailing,

Stuart Willis

South East Area Chairman, Council Delegate and BMFA member.

Libelle at the beach...

Soaring last week near Hayling Island ferry.

Our social tomorrow evening

Just a reminder that our social will be held tomorrow evening et The Ardingly Inn (Street Lane, Ardingly RH17 6UA) starting around 7.00pm but don't worry if you are a little late (better late than never!!). As I understand some of you are late getting back from work.
Would be nice to see as many of you as possible. Food available in the pub.
See you tomorrow..................................

Soaring Butser Hill, Hampshire.

 SWesterly is not the best direction for Butser. Tried the bowl which was very rough and not much lift fortunately electric power assist  is permitted. This is the first vid of the Proxima11, showed up the chattering flap servo! Decided to try opposite side of the hill with Orange Thing, which didn`t have so much blow and was smoother, still needed a little assist.  Butser Hill works best in a Northerly. It`s  been forty years since I entered an MVSA pylon race and was hoping to fly the same Mijet but the conditions were not suitable for the few days I was in the area.

Sunday 2nd Oct Devils Dyke

Hi All,
After deliberating over where to fly given the changing wind forecasts, we decided to go to the Dyke early this morning. We pretty much all arrived at the same time - 08:30.
There was Paul, Ian A, Jim, Rob, Andrew and Graham U. Paul had also picked up our old friend Will Attfield on his way to the hill.
The wind was stronger than I expected but certainly enough for us all to fly our models, however we were in the midst of an invasion of hang-gliders and para-gliders, who luckily stayed within their agreed area so they didn't affect us much.
Without going into too much detail about who brought which model, here's what I can remember from the morning's flying -
Paul brought his Ninja so that Will could have a go at refreshing his flying skills after a year off, which he did with remarkable skill, he also had a flight of Ian's mouldie (don't know which one) and that too looked very skilful - well done Will, it's like you never left !
Andrew brought his Brio so that he could do the final setting up which he accomplished with a lot of help and advice from Graham U, who was invaluable. After it was deemed RTF, Paul took it up and had a couple of flights during which some other minor setup issues were ironed-out. Very brave of Paul but after all he IS our leader !
I brought the Fusion 60 which I had recovered from the cliffs at Newhaven and that flew brilliantly - Andrew also had quite a long session with it, preferring to fly foam rather than mouldie on this occasion.
Ian A had a 'new' M60 from Tim H and that was doing brilliantly , he then moved on to his mouldie (not sure which one), which he let Will fly for a while - that was both kind and brave !! Ian flew with his usual skill and made perfect landings as ever.
Graham U had 2 of his mouldies - the Proxima 2 and another - both flew very well as Graham is an accomplished mouldie flier and spends a lot of time flying and practicing with these models - it certainly shows - practice makes perfect.
Jim had brought a Wildthing 60 which he bought to replace the lost Spectre. After Ian trimmed it for him, Jim was left to practice flying and landing. I gave Jim some ideas about his landings and by the end he made a brilliant controlled landing, rather than tending to land too far behind the hill -  I hope Jim didn't mind my interfering.

We were also joined by a number of other local fliers including Rob Creasey who I have met a number of times on various hills - he was flying a Blade today. Rob is one of our area Chief Examiners.

Altogether we all had a great time and as usual when we left, Graham U was still in the air - I hope it all went well for him ?

Regards
Rob

Good candidate for PSS?

Just came across this a/c online - the Curtiss C46 commando - a bit chubby but I kinda like it...

Sunday Morning Flying

UPDATE: Wind looks like it's going to be NW now which means Ditchling won't work. Let's change venue to Devils Dyke and hope the early stronger winds keeps some of the paragliders on the deck. Get there early! If anything changes from above then I will edit this post. Keep an eye on the blog........

Looking at the weather for Sunday morning its forecast to be a NNW wind around 10knts and getting lighter as the day progresses. Speaking with Ian we agreed that the West side of Ditchling Beacon could be a good place to fly as it works in a NNW direction.
Because of the wind decreasing throughout the morning and the trouble we sometimes have parking at the Beacon I suggest we meet up around 9.00am and wander through the gate to fly.
Anyone else coming to join us?

Come along to our first ever social.

Thanks for the positive response regarding an evening get together (social).
I enjoyed my drink and the food at The Ardingly Inn when we went there for our AGM so why don't we meet there again as some of you know where it is.
I propose we meet on Thursday next week (6th October) around 7.00 - 7.30pm. Not too late for food and plenty of time for some healthy banter.
Please let me know in the comments section of this post if you can make it. I can give the pub a heads up on numbers. If this works out then maybe we can make it a regular thing at least through the winter nights.
Here is a link to the location of the pub - The Ardingly Inn Map Address: Street Lane, Ardingly RH17 6UA
Thanks again and I hope to see some of you next Thursday evening.

Fusion is Recovered From Newhaven

Hi All,
I managed to get to Newhaven this morning to retrieve my lost Fusion - well it wasn't 'lost' just hard to get at ! I took some tree-felling rope and some long-handled clippers to help me - plus of course my wife and Edward the dog. We ran the rope down the slope where Ian and I had decided would be a good place and then my wife held onto one end while I shinned down the short steep slope.

Here's a picture my wife took of the rope disappearing over the edge - I was on the other end !

Once I was down, it was easy to traverse the hill after cutting my way through the brambles and low trees. I managed to reach the Fusion after about 30 metres and then it was a clear path back to the rope. Once I got back up I could see that the Fusion was fine, but the battery was flat.
When I got home I replaced the battery and cleaned up the model ready for the next flight !!!!