Not a breath of wind!

Rob and John met at Ditchling car park at 9am as planned closely followed by me.  Paul’s forecast was spot on and there wasn’t a breath of wind, not even a murmur from the Christmas Day sprouts!

When I arrived Rob and John were heading off 100 yards or so from the carpark end of the east slope. When I joined them they had already carried out a glide test of John’s new Hobbyking DLG which was obviously successful as Rob was launching the model so that John could do some initial trimming.  John had done an excellent job setting up the glider and very little adjustment was required. We were all very impressed with the glide of his new model and he made the launches look effortless too.

Rob had his old DLG and left the maiden of the Loola for another day.  I had my (Paul’s) Libelle and Whipet (not dog!).  As well as flying the Libelle I had a little fly of my Whipet and with John’s help trimming the elevator had very good flight times as it floated around. Not bad for a £50 investment!

We all had a very good hour or so practicing our launches, circling round and landing as tidily as possible.  We also managed to have a few good catches on landing.

Rob suggested that we had a little competition of who could stay aloft the longest.  I came last which wasn’t the fault of the Libelle but more to do with my wimpy launches.  Rob and John were pretty close and extended their flight times with a little bit of flap. 

Nice to see Rob W who came up with his lovely dog for a walk and to see what we were up to.  Rob we have the club wing and transmitter, come out and fly with us and get some stick time!

It was a very good session despite the lack of wind and gave us plenty of opportunity to practice launching and landing. I certainly have the bug for DLG now. It is great fun and anyone that has never tried it should give it a go!

Cheers

Scotty

Christmas Eve at Ditchling Beacon

Hi All,
Today we met at 09:00 Ditchling Beacon to try the forecasted NE , but it turned out to be more ENE and very light indeed. However, not to be put off, I had taken my Zulu and Ninja, Paul had his Zulu, Ninja and Ascot, Scotty had his Weasel and Libelle, Ian A had his Shadow and John M had his new 46" Wildthing .
Paul and I were first to arrive and we crossed the road and flew our Zulus, which went pretty well considering the lift wasn't really on the hill, but nevertheless we managed some pretty reasonable flights with bouts of landing when the lift died completely. Scotty arrived and flew his Weasel which went much better than our Zulus getting some pretty good height and distance out from the hill. Paul also flew the Weasel and we managed to get some good video footage of this 'close to the hill' flying which are on our whats App group - also see videos below from Paul's phone ----
Next to arrive was John M with his new 46 Wildthing, he realised it wouldn't be a good maiden flight but between me and him, we got it trimmed and flying pretty straight and level (might need a little bit more nose weight). We continued with these models until Scotty decided to get his Libelle from the car. That flew very well and we all had a quite a lot of flying with it thanks to Scotty's kindness.
At  10:00 Ian A joined us with his lovely yellow Shadow which he launched into the very light wind but it flew brilliantly for a very long time (here's a few pics ….we also got video of this too …. ),

Paul went back to the car and out came his Ascot and that too went extremely well (not sure I would be able to keep it in the air though ), after some long flights Paul and Ian made brilliant landings and at 11:00 we decided to call it a day.
The weather was cold but virtually still, but there were a lot of people with kids, dogs, bikes, etc..... as predicted.
Altogether I think it was a brilliant session and most successful despite there not being any combat this time as the Ninjas remained in the cars.
Thanks to all who came today

Have a happy xmas

Rob

Foamy Party

Paul, Ian, Tony and myself met at the parking area at 9.30.  We were joined shortly after by Mark.  Paul said that it would be nice to have a pre-Christmas combat session, Paul & Ian made their old Ninja’s flight ready, Tony had his repaired Wildthing on which he had done a fantastic repair and it flew really well. I had my Wildthing, Mamba and new Komet.  Unfortunately, the Komet had a dodgy servo and I didn’t fly it.

Most of the session we were either trying to knock each other’s foamies out of the sky or stay in the air when the wind dropped.  Paul and Ian scored plenty of hits including Paul practicing spot landings with my downed Wildthing as the spot.  I did manage a few hits including a clash with Tony’s Wildthing which resulted in both ending up on the ground, sorry Tony glad there was no damage!

The only damage was Paul’s Ninja losing a wing tip and my Mamba suffering a broken control horn.

Mark had a good flying session, although without foamie.  He managed to thread his glider through the melee of foamies often at high speed!

Ian and I ended up at the pub for a debriefing, the others had taxi or shopping duties to take care of.

All in all a very enjoyable fun session and we all agreed that we haven’t had such a fun session in ages!

Cheers guys

Scotty

BMFA 2019 A Full House

Hi All,
Just an update on the BMFA renewals for next year.
Every member of our club (that's 28 of us) has renewed their BMFA either with us or with their 'primary' club and everyone has indicated that they will re-join our club next year.
I am very pleased that everyone is going to renew their SSS membership and have told those who have asked that we haven't decided on next year's subs until we hold the AGM in January when we will decide what it will be, like we did for last year (which was £10).
I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support throughout 2018 (and previous years) and wish you all a happy Christmas and prosperous new year.
Looking forward to another successful year for the club...

Rob Stanley
Hon. Sec.

Rain Stopped Play

Just a few of us out yesterday for a quick session up on the Long Man. Myself and Ian where first up there together with a group of locals flying a selection of models in very light lift.
I flew my Ascot which cruised around nicely and Ian flew his Europhia. The fun really started when Ian maidened his Ninja he bought from Rob. I had my Ninja and we spent fifteen minutes trying to knock each other out of the sky. The light lift made our combat session very interesting.
We were joined by Mark and Robin who cracked on and got some flying in. Sorry guys for not having a lot to say up on the slope as my combat flying was making me really concentrate plus each time I crashed I had to go and walk a while to collect my model.
Looking upwind we could see some heavy showers moving towards us. Myself and Ian scooped up our models and scuttled off to the car and got a little wet by the time we got to the car park.

BMFA Renewal - Only 2 weeks left

Hi All,
Just to remind those of you who haven't already renewed your BMFA insurance for 2019, it's time for you to do so before it runs out.
Just log into the new BMFA 'Go' system with your username (email address) and click on 'forgot password' and they will send you a temporary password for you to use. You can then choose a new password for yourself and check all your details are correct - after that just go to 'membership' and hit 'renew' it's very easy...…

I have been talking to Stuart Willis from BMFA and he says that there are many people who are re-applying to join BMFA despite already being members because they have misread the instructions - that creates two problems -
1. you get a duplicate record and a new BMFA number
2. BMFA then have to delete one of your entries (usually the second one) to reset you back to original.

They have transferred every member from the old system to the 'Go' system, so just log on using your email address and you will be recognised already.

If anyone wants help, please call me or email me or What's App me and I will help you out...….

Best regards
Rob Stanley

Itford Hill Sunday 9th Dec

Hi All,
Last Sunday, we decided to try Itford Hill as the forecast was strong WNW winds.
The forecast was accurate and Itford W slope was working pretty well, but it was choppy and gusting about 25 mph (thanks Tony for the anemometer).
There was a good turn out with Paul, Ian A, Rob, Tony C and Scotty with Robin who came as a spectator !
Paul and Ian had their M60s and Ian also had his little Komet, Rob had the Ninja, Tony had the Wildthing and Scott brought his Valenta Dragon (very brave).
Ian launched his Komet and despite it's tiny size and lack of weight it flew brilliantly as ever along with the M60 from Paul and the Ninja from Rob. Tony spent the time practicing his landings slightly away from the main bunch and was doing very well in the difficult conditions until he announced that his Wildthing had suffered a hard landing - in fact the fuselage was snapped right through in front of the wing !
Scott set up the Dragon and after a good flight with Paul's help, he asked Paul to land it which he did with is usual skill !
Paul and Ian decided to try to get the air speed record and took their models way up into the wind and then dived them across the hill in front of us at amazing speed - maybe 90 - 100 mph ? Who knows how fast - maybe we need a speed gun ?
After 2 hours the cold got the better of us all and we decided to call it a day.
It was such a great session and we all had fun (even Tony who has since fixed the Wildthing with Uhu POR  and glass tape).
There are some videos but I don't know how to load them up - (doh!)

Rob

It's time to renew your BMFA Membership - A must for all club members

Hi All,

The time has come for the BMFA renewals for 2019.

This year the cost is £38 and there is also a new system in place called ‘Go’, which I emailed you about a little while ago.

Under this new system the responsibility for renewal switches from the club to the individual, so there is no way that we can renew your insurance for you as it relies on you using the ‘Go’ system and renewing online using their payment system.

This means that you now have to log on to the ‘Go’ system, set up a password and then you can administer your own details and renewal.

I have been using the ‘Go’ system for quite some time and it is very easy to use and it all works very well.

I have found a number of members whose email address held by BMFA was out of date, but I have corrected all but one who is an affiliate member.

I have set up every club member with your current details (email, address, etc….), but I cannot renew your BMFA for you.

Your ‘user name’ to access ‘Go’ will be your current email address (the one I have used in this email) and you have to then click on ‘Forgot Password’ so that they can send you a temporary password which you use once only and then change to your own one.

You can then renew your membership using this system.

After that, you are responsible for ensuring that your details are correct and up-to-date for the future.

For club members who are country members of BMFA or have another club as their primary club, you can still use ‘Go’ to renew, but your renewal will not affect our affiliation status with BMFA.

Below is a link to the BMFA instructions for using  ‘Go’ – https://bmfa.org/News/News-Page/ArticleID/2560/Introducing-the-new-BMFA-membership-portal-for-individuals-and-club-management-Now-live-for-renewals

This tells you exactly how to log on and everything else you need to know.As I am the club administrator I receive an email each time you renew your membership or change your details, so I will know that you have renewed your insurance and can then issue you a club membership card for next year.You have a deadline of end of December to renew otherwise YOU WILL NOT BE INSURED AND CANNOT CONTINUE AS A CLUB MEMBER (the BMFA stipulate that every member must be insured for the club to be affiliated to them).

Best regards

Rob Stanley

Hon Sec

Wolstonbury Hill Sunday 25th Nov

Hi All,
Today Paul and I decided to venture to Wolstonbury to see whether we could find some lift in the ENE - NE wind forecast.
We arrived at 10:00 and had messages from Nick G and John M that they would be there too. Luckily I had brought the club Spectre for just such an eventuality.
When Nick and John arrived we set off up the hill and Paul tried to fly from before the gate in the bowl there, but decided that beyond the gate would be better.
We set up just beyond the gate in a field of young bulls (bullocks I think), but they didn't bother us and we were soon joined by Robin A.
Paul brought his Highside and Ninja, I had my Ninja and Phase 6, Robin had his Lidl glider and home made wing, John M brought a 60" Wildthing and Nick had the club Spectre (he has a Wildthing waiting to be built).
We all started with the foamies except Paul who flew the Highside which was lovely to watch as it's so graceful. The foamies were all over the place weaving in and out of close proximity to each other - Paul joined in with his Ninja and we then had 4 foamies all in the same airspace at once - but no accidents. Robin flew the homemade wing with all these others and it was pretty busy as there was only a narrow area of lift today.
John and Nick were practicing their landings and doing very well and Rob set up the Phase 6 and Paul then flew it for a while - here's some video of Paul flying which I took.....

I then flew it for quite a long time but asked Paul to land it for me (chicken).

Our mate and fellow club member Bernie J turned up with his dog Harvey and stopped for a short chat. It was good to see Bernie again.

Everyone had a lot of flying and nothing got broken , so that's a result really !!

Weather was a bit cool and threatening at times, but as Paul said " It's winter !"

Rob

Elegant Simplicity

Back in 2016, in the quest for a simple lightweight and compact model, I built a West Wings Aurora. With a little ballast it flew very nicely and with my split-wing conversion it was very compact, the only drawback was its fragility; anything less than a perfect landing risked a session-ending fracture.
However, the Aurora proved the success of the overall concept, so this year I found a kit with a very similar specification but from a manufacturer with an established reputation for designing more rugged models. So after several months in the workshop I have some bare bones pictures of the Phoenix Model Products 'Snowy'.

1600mm span, approximately 870gms flying weight.

The wing design is in two halves with a steel rod and brass tubes included in the kit.

The structure is very traditional (and easily reparable) balsa, spruce and ply, although for ease of construction Stan Yeo (the designer) has stopped short of a full 'D' box leading edge, relying instead upon 10mm cap strips to maintain torsional stiffness.  

On the PMP website Stan describes this as a "slope trainer" and 40 years ago this kind of glider was what everyone learned to fly with. Generous dihedral offers innate stability and once it is aligned into the wind it will happily fly 'hands-off'. Of course the recommended slope trainer of today is made from carbon-fibre-reinforced foam and has the innate ability to bounce in the event of a hard landing. You pays your money and you takes your choice...

Happy landings
Russell H

View from the hill

This was the view from Wolstonbury Hill on Sunday morning. You can almost 'see' that wintery north easterly wind.
I was wearing my new padded overalls from Dickies which kept me toasty - highly recommended.
Later on I flew my Ridge Runt over on the right hand side. The first flight was fine, on the second outing it threw a wobbly and decided to start a new career as a fence post! After a 20 years of active service I have laid it to rest in the loft, but as a favourite go-to model I may have to invest in the short kit off Ebay and recycle the usable parts.

Happy landings
Russell

Bringing Model Making to School

Hi All,
Just thought I would update you on the BMFA education initiative in our area -
In the summer (5th Aug) Triker, me and Stuart Willis (BMFA SE chairman) ran a 1 day BMFA education event at Warden Park academy in Cuckfield. There was a write-up about this in the BMFA newsletter which I did at the time.
Following that day Stuart asked me if I would join him at Warden Park on a regular basis to help teach the ''Plane Club'' after school sessions. I agreed to help out and Stuart and I started quite a few weeks ago at the beginning of this term - Stuart has been running these for a few years, but on a sporadic basis as his time wasn't always available, but with the two of us, it's possible to teach the kids every week regularly.
We started where Stuart had left off last school year for those who returned and with new models for any new kids. Primarily we're making BMFA models at the moment but will move on to other things in future. The children are very good and they listen to what we tell them , their models are coming along well (they're all on the Gyminnie Cricket at the moment).
At the lesson just before the half term break , we took their gliders onto the school fields and flew them for the whole hour - the kids were amazed to see their own work actually flying (and very well too). It was very rewarding to see them so keen and happy.
During the half term Stuart and I were asked to undergo a DBS check (that's the new CRB check), so we could teach the kids without a teacher present and both of us are now full members of staff at the academy with our own passes and IDs.
We intend to introduce them to r/c at some point but for now we'll keep plugging away at getting them to build their BMFA models.
It's very rewarding and the academy has asked us to run two further one-day courses next summer for 20 kids each day !  We have once again asked Triker to help us and he has agreed, so it's going to be a busy couple of days on July 8th and 9th next year.
I will update you from time-to-time.....

Rob Stanley

General Catch Up

Hello all

I really enjoyed the sloping session up on Wolstonbury Hill yesterday. We had a great turn out with lots of good flying. The lift was good and strong but a little bumpy at times. For me Wolstonbury is a great place to land. Lots of area behind with nice air to drop your model in safely. We had a few new members up there with Martin and Rob W. Martin sharing some good stick time with Scott on the buddy box. Martin did really well. Rob P showed us some decent landing and James did really well in the 28mph blow. James could well be the future of our sport and his flying is coming along really well.
I flew my 'Highside 2' balsa built glider, which did really well in the strong winds. Its a bit of a brick but very stable to fly and to land. Scotty suggested the 'Highside 2' could make a good 'mass build'. Not my suggestion - blame Scotty!

So if you are Interested (already shared within our WhatsApp group) here are the details.
While building mine, I took a load of pictures and created my own build log - http://slopesoaringsussex.blogspot.com/p/highside-glider-build.html
The plan came from a free plan in the November 2016 RCM&E

You can buy the magazine here for £5.99 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153266606567?ViewItem=&item=153266606567
Now when it comes to the material needed to make the kit then SLEC offer a complete wood kit: http://www.slecuk.com/balsa-wood/Highside-Glider-CNC-Pack-PRC001.html for £49.87 plus P & P.

As I have said, the 'Highside 2' glider is not very efficient (a brick - 55'' 1397mm wing span) but I found it an easy build if you work through the build in stages, as per the RCM&E write up. I got a real sense of achievement from the build and its always something that I enjoy flying. You don't always need to hack around with a mouldy. Sometimes it nice to enjoy something different. Anyway, If you are going to follow Scotty & Martin who I understand have already ordered their plans then please let me know and we could start another 'Mass Build' page for everyone who is building one to post their progress.

WhatsApp Club Group
Just a quick note about the WhatsApp group as we now have 19 club members joined to the group. I understand there are some that just don't like to be part of online group chat things (and that's perfectly fine) but if you don't have a modern smart phone then you can still join the group via your PC. I think the WhatsApp group will become very popular and you will be kept up to date in live time. ''Who's doing what and when'' in real time. 19 group members out of 28 club members is a very good result.

New Members (update)

Hi All,
I am delighted to announce that we have just secured three new members for our club.
We have Nick Goodman who has flown power models before but not gliders and he and I had a flying session with the trainer a couple of weeks ago and Nick can fly very well, he says that he needs to learn landings.
We also have Rob Walker who joined us yesterday, Rob is a member of SRFC but I don't know his previous experience. He is interested in DLG (which a few us have experience in) and sloping generally.
Finally we have Martin Link (a pal of Scotty) who came to Mt Caburn two weeks ago and has now joined us. Martin hasn't flown fixed wing models but is a drone pilot and is undergoing his CAA exams for commercial drone work....

I know you will join me in welcoming these new members to our growing club (28 members to-date)

Rob Stanley
Hon Sec

'WhatsApp' - I have created a 'Slope Soaring Sussex' group to keep in touch.

How about 'What'sApp'. I know other clubs have a 'WhatsApp' group and we can keep in touch via this. If you have the app on your phone then we can keep in contact and if anyone posts in 'WhatsApp' you will see the communication if you are within the group but this is only any good if everyone is in the group. 

https://www.whatsapp.com/

'Whatsapp' is free and messages sent between the group are secure and encrypted. If you download the app on your phone then let Paul know and he can invite you to join the group.

Update: Our 'Slope Soaring Sussex' WhatsApp group is up and running. If you want to be part of this live messaging service on your smart phone then download the 'WhatsApp' app on your mobile phone. Text me or email me your mobile number. I can then save it in my contacts and we can then add you to the group. It's an easy process and it means we can have the ability to share chats within the group or to contact members of the group 'live' as long as your mobile is on and share what ever you want with the group. So far we have 5 members in the group but it would be good to get anyone who wants to fly regularly and wants to be kept in the loop. Its free and up to you if you want to join in. Just let me know if I can help!

Well I got that wrong then!

Sorry guys for the weekend weather cock up!
My forecast of rain turned out to be lovely blue sky - Dohhh!
Must try harder next time...……….
A big sorry to Robin as he made it all the way up onto Caburn  only to find we weren't up there or maybe you were. Let me know?
It is always a very good idea to make one final check of the blog before you head of to the arranged meeting place just in case the plans have changed.
If you do intend to come along flying then let me know the day before and again if anything changes then I will ley you know.
What would be handy for our regulars is that I have a mobile number so I can send around a text message to those who said they are flying that day.
I have most mobile numbers but there are a few new members such as you Robin I don't have a mobile.
You can email me your mobile numbers just in case I don't have them. (paulhampshire2013@gmail.com) and then I can keep in touch.

Anybody Want To Fly This Weekend?

Well it's that time of the week again and my forecast feelers are out and on the hunt for some decent weather.
Looking at the forecast its not the best weekend of weather but then again we are in November.
The Met Office are showing a possible window of opportunity around Saturday lunchtime.
Wind forecast SW - SSW 20mph + with the possibility of some sun and the possibility of a shower.
Sunday looks like a wash out at this point.
So who would be up for some Saturday lunchtime flying?
Where to go? I really enjoyed Mount Caburn last week but it was a bit of a trudge up the hill. Mill Hill could be a possibility in a SW but not if its SSW. The cliffs if its SSW but some of you are already clenching your butt cheeks at the thought!
Lets make a call tomorrow PM shall we.
So let me know if you want to go out and play around Saturday lunchtime and if you have any preference where you want to fly.
Ian's already said no more Stingray flying at Mount Caburn as its too bloody heavy to lug up there and I totally agree with him on that one!

Saturday's Mount Caburn Flying Video's

Here are a few video's from the live Face Book video during our flying at Mount Caburn

Storming lift up on Mount Caburn

A very good turn out today for the long slog up onto Mount Caburn. Ian, Scott, Rob, Tony, Robin, Graham ans Scott’s friend Martin.

We lugged a huge selection of models up there and was greeted by a strong wind that Scott’s wind machine said it was 33mph. There was a few others already up there flying when we arrived.

I do really like Caburn as the view is just amazing but don’t bother making the long walk unless it’s forecast to be a blow as this place is usually packed with Paragliders. 

For me the flying was immense! Having both my M60 and the Greacalis to fly and both loving the breezy conditions. Myself and Ian did some M60 racing or was it M60 chasing? Steaming along just above hill top height.

A huge thank you to Martin Link for the superb pictures he took (above). He came along with Scott to see what this slope soaring is all about.

 I was just waiting for the Big Bang as we got very close on several occasions.
Rob brought the club trainer and his Mini Vec which flew very well for a short while and then spiralled down to the ground. (Rob has since found that the right aileron detached from the wing in flight !!).The Mini Vec is now in the bin, but all the internals are ready for another model.
The club Spectre flew really well and Rob was able to hand it over to Scotty and Robin who both enjoyed it in the good lift. Martin had come to maybe have a go, but decided it was too gusty - maybe next time Martin ?? However, he did bring his lovely camera with him and got many hundreds of shots including video.
Graham had his large V-tail mouldie Calypso and it flew brilliantly, Graham was carving the sky up today performing every trick known !!
Tony flew his Wildthing and despite the rough and challenging conditions, he did extremely well and I know he enjoyed it immensely. Robin flew his own design flying wing, but it had a hard landing and it got badly broken. Robin is thinking of getting a Wildthing next......

I have lots of videos that need loading up but I need to be in work to do this, so I will do just a part post at the moment.

Mount Caburn Saturday 3rd Nov

Hi All,
As we don't often go to Caburn, here's a map for you to find it --

Caburn is a lovely smooth hill with easy landing areas and great views in all directions
See you tomorrow
Rob

BMFA Update on EASA Rules for Model Aircraft

It seems that there is good news from the BMFA about the impending introduction of new EASA rules designed to limit the use of drones and other models in order not to put people's lives in danger or to infringe their privacy... originally all model aircraft were going to be included, but Europe-wide model flying organisations have made representations at all levels and seem to have got the rules changed - see below for the BMFA update -

BMFA Update On EASA Rules

Hopefully this will allow us all to continue flying as now - I'm sure further updates will be forthcoming in due course.

Rob Stanley.

Ditchling Beacon Sunday 28th Oct

Hi All,
This morning, we met up at Ditchling Beacon car park at 08:30 - there was actually a bike race going on up the roadway, a time-trial event, but they didn't get in the way. The car park was reasonably full, but the 4 of us managed to park OK. I was joined by Jim H, Mark J and new prospect Nick G (Paul E had texted to say he couldn't come unfortunately)….
Having had a disastrous test flight last time with the club trainer and Paul E, I went to the Dyke Saturday morning and spent 30 minutes getting the  C of G right in preparation for today.

We crossed the road and the wind at the top of the Beacon was very strong and gusty - probably 20 - 30 mph, but I threw the Spectre anyway and after trimming a little down elevator it was going well.

I passed control to Nick G on the buddy box and he got straight into the swing again after a few years off and was flying horizontal 8s into the wind easily. I told him he could have a go at loops, rolls etc if he wanted and away he went ! No problems at all. I landed the Spectre in the rough conditions and after a short warm-up rest, we tried again, with Nick taking control from take-off this time. After a few minutes he lost all control and I was able to step in with the master tx and land it. We investigated the problem, but nothing was obvious, so away we went again only to have the same 'dead stick' situation. When I landed I range tested the model with both txs and all was OK , then we realised that Nick's tx glove had a metal reinforcement and that had cut the signal dead !
Nick then flew on his own with the master tx and attempted 4 landings - 3 of which he aborted and the last one was good. A great re-introduction to gliding for Nick and everything was intact at the end.
Meanwhile, Mark was helping Jim with his 60" Wildthing but it was looking like there were issues with the trim and possible C of G, but anyway a control horn snapped so Jim never got airborne (sorry Jim)…
Mark then flew his Blade which was brave in the conditions , but it went fine until his landing caught a wingtip and broke the tail-end.

Altogether, I think Nick and I had the better day of it, but I am most grateful to Mark for coming along to help Jim set up his model...
Many thanks to all who came...

Rob Stanley

Firle Fun

Tony and I met in the carpark at 9.30 and we decided to try the bowl on the west side of the road as suggested by Mark.  As we arrived it was evident that we would have plenty of company as there were already 5 or 6 fliers there from other clubs.  We were shortly joined by Robin and the three of us flew on and off for an hour and half or so.  

It was Tony’s first time at Firle but agreed it was a lovely site.  It has a huge landing area with good visibility and no objects to avoid but as we found out can get a little busy!

It was very cold and you couldn’t fly too long before your hands got too cold even wearing gloves but it was a lovely sunny morning and we had the benefit of a line of trees to hide behind whilst flying.  It was nice to see an eclectic range of models and even a decent sized self built Minimoa which looked very graceful.

There was a steady stream of newcomers and by the time we left there was a dozen or more there.  As we left we were buzzed by a full sized glider but it wasn’t a Kestrel… Ian??

Unfortunately Tony and I had to leave 11ish as we had other commitments.  Sorry Mark, I passed you on the drive down through Firle!

I hope that those flying on Sunday morning have a good session.  Sorry Tony and I cannot make it but look forward to seeing you all soon.

Change of plans - Sorry Guys!

Sorry to do this to you guys but I have still got so much to do before I go to Wales on Sunday and I have builders due to start work on my house on Monday while I'm away, so that means I will have to miss flying tomorrow.
I can hear the cheering from here!
It will still be good at either Ditchling West or Firle or even possible the Long Man tomorrow.

On the plus side of things Rob is going out on Sunday morning is you decide to miss tomorrow morning.

So sorry as I hate letting you guys down but the filling, sanding and painting wont do itself plus pulling up carpets, dump runs etc etc  - what joy!

Look forward to catching up with you next weekend if at all possible.

The weekend ahead (27th - 28th October)

Here we are again looking at the forecasted weather for this weekend.

It's going to be cold. Unlike last weekend when I was up on the slope in my T shirt this weekend it will struggle to get above 5 or 6 degrees. Get that warm weather gear out of storage.

Saturday 27th - Sunny intervals NNW wind 19 - 30mph (forecasted on top of Ditchling Beacon)

Sunday 28th - Sunny Intervals (more sunshine) 25 - 40mph (forecasted on top of Ditchling Beacon)

I am off to Wales on Sunday morning for a few days and hope to get out Sunday PM or sometime on Monday with a model. Our mate 'Almost Welsh Steve' has given me some slope advice on where to go and fly.

So, Saturday AM is the only real chance I will have to fly with you guys this weekend. Ian has mentioned going to Firle with the big, heavy gliders as the landing area is huge, parking should be good and only a stroll to the slope. See post above...….

Rob is planning to go to Ditchling Beacon 08:30 Sunday to help Nick Goodman and Paul Everett fly the club trainer.... if he can sort out the C of G !

A beautiful day for mid October.

Just the four of us up on Itford Hill yesterday. I met Ian at my work and we set off for Itford with a selection of light wind gliders, as the forecast was for a very light westerly. We met up with Scotty and Tony and made the slog up the hill with arms full of models.
At the top of the Westerly slope we were met with a gentle on slope breeze. Not enough for Tony's Wild Thing but enough for Scotty's Libelle DLG and Weasel. Talking off a Weasel glider. Have you seen Tim has a brand new Weasel for sale, see the post below for a ready built, ready to go model perfect for those lighter wind days. Tony flew my Zulu and managed to float around fine. I flew all my models including the Ascot which went into sub orbit with some great thermals and as the wind got lighter I flew my Expro. Ian was doing a fine job with his Jedi and his electric thermal glider.

The wind then moved round from the North West. Picked up the whole lot and marched up to the NW bowl at the top. The wind had moved round into the bowl but still not much. We played for another hour or so. The DLG's came out again and myself and Ian enjoyed the challenge just to sty up. Thanks who came along to play.

Dream-Flight Weasel For Sale - Brand New - Ideal for those lighter wind days

Dream-Flight Weasel Trek - £125.00
Unflown - ready to fly.
Comes with recommended servos and battery.
Spektrum receiver.
Comes in storage/travel box.

Contact Tim t.hampshire@tiscali.co.uk

If you are interested and want to see a Weasel flying. Here is mine flying off the sand dunes in Wales

Light sunny conditions forecasted

Its midway through the week and as usual I start looking ahead at the weekend weather forecasts.

Currently both Saturday and Sunday look like very will enjoy light winds with some sunshine.

So based on these ever changing variables we could be flying our floaty gliders and DLG's (Rob - could be a chance for you to try out your new DLG).

If the wind is as light as they forecast than maybe we could go and try out some flat field flying as this could be the last opportunity this year.

Did anyone go and fly indoor yesterday with the Horsham club?

BMFA New Registration System

Hi All,
By now you should have found out that BMFA have got a new registration system called 'Go' (I have emailed all our members with details).
The 'Go' system has been populated with members' information from the previous BMFA website, so if your data was out of date it will still be out of date and it's up to you to correct it.

BMFA sent every member an email but many people won't ever get it because they have out of date email addresses on the BMFA system. If you didn't get the email inviting you to sign up to the new system, you have to call BMFA and ask them to correct your data for you and in future you will then get all communications.


The new system will allow members to renew annual insurance online for themselves, saving the club secretaries many hours of admin and postage - but to get a new membership card for BMFA, you will be sent a .pdf file for you to print.
Each member who renews will trigger a message to the club secretary to inform them that this member has renewed, thereby allowing the club to keep up to date records of members insurance.

Club subscriptions will still have to be paid in the normal way through the club bank account.

I will issue more information as time goes on, but in the meantime, please make sure you can access the 'Go' system via the following link (if you haven't already done so) -

https://bmfa.azolve.com 

Rob Stanley
Hon Sec

Slope Soaring Sussex - 300,000 page views

Our little old Slope Soaring Sussex blog has clocked up over 300,000 page views.
Thank you everyone for your continued support and long may it continue. As I have always said the blog is for everyone and not only club members. Anyone is welcome to contribute to the blog as long as its RC glider related. If you contact me then I can send you a link that will enable you to post on the blog.
Maybe you might be a newbie to the sport and you wish to share the learning journey with us all or you might be an experienced builder and want to create a build blog post and share the step by step build online. Really, the blog needs new blood to publish their experiences, thoughts and idea's.
So come guys, get in contact with me and get posting to our worldwide audience.
We have to date posted 996 posts using our blog and 1000 posts is just around the corner. Lets fill it up with interesting posts that will keep people returning to our soaring blog regularly.
My email address is paulhampshire2013@gmail.com.

Ditchling Beacon Sunday Oct 7th

Hi All,
Today was forecast as a good N blow, so we had decided to fly at Ditchling Beacon West side.
I had arranged to arrive early to meet a prospective new member Paul Everett and together we walked to the normal site, but there was very little wind. I explained the controls on the club Spectre to Paul and how the transmitter works and also explained that I had to 'trim' the model after its rebuild. However, no amount of trimming would get it to fly level - there was just too much nose weight and even adding some tail weight didn't help - it just got heavier !
Luckily by that time, Paul H, Ian and Tony C had arrived and Paul H and I tried in vain to trim the Spectre but it was decided to leave it.
Paul H had his Ascot and massive Graecalis, Ian had the M60 and Jedi and Tony has his Wildthing and Tim's old Phase 6 with flaps (almost unflown).

Tony's Phase 6

However, because of the light wind conditions it was proving a difficult job to get most models away - Tony's Wildthing wasn't co-operating at all but Tony got some hill climbing experience recovering it ! Paul launched his Ascot (the old Will Attfield model) and it flew well, but the conditions weren't perfect. Ian flew his M60 , but after a couple of very short excursions and hillside landings, he put it away in favour of the Jedi which was brilliant as the wind had increased a bit. Paul H decided the Graecalis would stay in it's carry case - very wise... and I left the Ninja and heavy Phase 6 in the car as the wind was not enough for them.

Lidl Robin's DLG

We were joined by Scott and Robin with various models and Rob P who had his trusty Erwin.
Scott had his Wildthing and Blade, Robin had the 'Lidl robin' and a lovely small DLG.
Robin flew the DLG a number of times and it seemed to be doing very well unless the wind got too strong in which case he had to land and fly the 'lidl robin' was did a great job.
Rob P flew his Erwin a number of times and had some good flights and great landings.
Later, Paul helped Tony fly the Phase 6 which seemed to gain amazing height and the flaps worked brilliantly on landing - I think Tony enjoyed his first flights with it.
Paul E,  Scott and I were unable to fly (Scott and I had heavy models), but Paul H let us all have a go on the Ascot and Paul E had his maiden flight on it !!  - Many thanks Paul H for your faith (or stupidity)..

Rob P's Erwin

Paul H flew the Ascot amazingly well and had some brilliant landings.
Ian by then had the Jedi in the air and it too was flying brilliantly - Ian even let me have a go (which I enjoyed very much) - thanks Ian.
Throughout the whole 3 hours Scott was taking some great shots with his new camera and 300mm lens, so I hope he'll load up some of them here.

In all there were 8 of us and we all had a flight of something even if it wasn't one of our own models.

Paul E and I left at 11:30 but the others were getting ready to come away (I think) ?

Thanks to everyone for a lovely morning.

Rob

A few shots of the models flying this morning.

Ian's Baudis Jed

My Ascott

As Rob said above pretty much everyone flew Paul's Ascot and it was having so much fun it gave a little wave as it came into land...