She's all finished and ready to go........

Time for some Wisel covering

Took me ages to decide what colour covering to finish the Wisel off with.

Follow the online build blog - Click Here:

Still a lot of work to be done but shouldn't be too long before it gets airborne.

The Wisel is coming along quickly

After making a major gaff with the Wisels wing ribs I decided to go onto the fuselage. The build steps are easy to follow (even for my old brain) and the end result is a super strong fuselage.

Here is my Wisel fuselage next to my newly built Leprechaun fuselage. Just a little size difference!

Wisel Light S Kit from Dane-RC

After spending a very enjoyable two months building my Leprechaun 2 it was time to start thinking about what's next to build. My friend Michael at Dane-Rc who creates these wonderful kits kindly sent me one of his latest designs a Wisel Light S kit to build.

There has been some interest around this pocket rocket glider that we have another 4 kits winging there way to Tony, Scotty, John and Nick.
Michael has already created a superb set of building instructions but I will be doing another build blog to compliment his and to show others my attempt at building the Wisel Light S.
The model comes with various options including putting an electric motor up front and using a foldable prop of having it as a conventional glider.

Here are a few of the videos from builders of the Wisel.

So here a link to my Wisel Light S Build Blog

Leprechaun 2 built and ready for its maiden

Finally, after 2 months of building my Leprechaun 2 from Dane-RC is finally finished.

Will try and post some video from her first flight.

Hirwaun Common Winter Soaring in South Wales

I met up with Ian for some light wind slope soaring at Hirwaun Common in South Wales.

The first video is of my Ascot which performs well in light conditions. Drop a bit of thermalling flap and she will float around all day.

Here is Ian's Nan shadow that really does float on nothing. The wind was around 3 - 4 mph but directly onto the slope.

Hiraun Common is located directly above the Tower Colliary at Rhigos, South Wales. The slope is mega with a huge landing area behind for those perfectly controlled landings. Big thanks to Steve (A470 Soaring) for first showing me this site.

Started covering the Lrepchaun 2

Most of the building and RC installation is complete, so the next job is covering. I spent a fortune of a 10m roll of transparent orange and a few pother rolls of coloured Profilm / Oracoat.

The transparent orange goes on well but one issue you I have is that any overlap of film goes from a lovely honey colour to a solid orange colour. Unfortunately, you do have to have overlaps in many places. The fuselage and tail plane now look like a camouflage orange finish.
Time to cover the wings next.

Slope A Tests (Round 1)

Well done to John, Rob P, Mark and Nick for all passing your BMFA Slope 'A' tests today.

The lift was variable and although the wind was blowing well the lift was patchy on occasions and it was quite turbulent close to the slope.  Landing was quite a challenge too as the landing area was still in lift.

Well done guys and thank you very much to Kevin from all of us for your time and patience!

Leprechaun 2 Glider starting to take shape

The first fitting of both Leprechaun 2 wings.

The ailerons, elevator and rudder are built but there are a few snagging issues I have yet to overcome.

A Leprechaun wing is born

Over the last few days I started to put together the right wing. A little more complicated than I thought but I've given a good shot.

 

It is a thing of beauty (in my mind anyway).

Feel free to watch the journey so far on my 'Leprechaun 2 Glider Build'

Leprechaun glider fuselage and tail plane nearly built

The build so far can be seen here : Leprechaun 2 build

Leprechaun V2 Glider Build Continues

Over the last week I have been building my Leprechaun V2 from Dane-Rc. My first impressions is that its a quality kit. The laser cut parts are in general have been produced to a high standard. The balsa quality is good and the plan is clear and accurate.
The fuselage (7' long) is mostly built with the rudder and fin is gluing on the bench.

CLICK HERE to view the build journey to date

Leprechaun 2 Build Starts

Having just received my latest build project from Dane RC the Leprechaun 2 glider, I have created a new build page which you can view the build as it progresses.

The model is a modern version of an old design. This version comes with ailerons and I am hoping to fit electric airbrakes if possible like others have done.

She comes with a 2665mm wingspan and a fuselage length of 2165mm with an estimated weight of 2100 - 2300gr and a wing area of 1.14m2

If you would like to view my progress then click here!

PSSA 2020 Mass Build - North American F-86 Sabre

John Marchant is kindly documenting his PSSA F-86 Sabre Build for all to share his build journey.

To view the progress of John's model - CLICK HERE

North American F-86 Sabre  - Mass Build 2020

So, haven't built a model for a fair number of years but . this Sabre caught my eye. I needed something to do whilst away for work during the week on my narrow boat. This should be a bit of a challenge as space is very, very limited.

First things first. I built a building board, timber frame with ply on one side for rigidity and plaster board on the face so I can stick pins in. Cut the plan to fit the smaller build board to give myself a little wiggle room.

The wing is built on a sub frame to ensure correct dihedral and washout. These were pre cut as part of the short kit but all slots were undersize and had to be sanded out so they would fit. the who;e assembly is then like an accordian and needs to be pinned down to maintain the correct alignment over the plan.

I used scrap balsa glued to the frame and then pinned down to do this.

Bottom wing skins are then added. I have pinned the skins down between each ribs to hold the shape whilst the glue dries. I have left these a few mm oversize so I can sand down to the false leading and trailing edges when fitted. Rib and spar positions now need to be drawn onto the wing skin.

All of the wing ribs need to be sanded on the leading and trailing edges to follow the angle of the swept wing. The spar slots also need to be angled in the same way. They can now be glued down over the bottom spar. False leading and trailing edges have been left oversize to cut back and sand when dry.

Top spars and webbing now in place and holes cut for servos (small square ply plates can be seen in bottom left of picture). I will fix the servos to these plates and then screw into hardwood rails around the holes in the wing. Remembered to now cut the spars for the servo extensions. Next job is to sand the profiles on false leading and trailing edges and then sheet the top wing surface.
Thanks John. Really looking forward to seeing how your build develops.

A great morning floating around up on Itford's North bowl

Yesterday morning John, Scotty, Robin and (new member) Gino made the climb up to the Northern bowl at Itford. The wind was very light but the slope was bathed in warm September sun light and it was a real pleasure just to be 'chillin' on the slope.
John brought along his new DLG which went very well. It has a fantastic colour scheme that makes it very visible to see in the air. Robin had his mini DLG as well as his Alula. Robin is getting loads of flying with his mini DLG and it was flying well for him.
Scotty had his vintage 'Cloud Rider' and his Ahi. Both Scotty and I enjoyed flying his vintage rudder / elevator glider but you really should wipe that dust off the wings Scotty!
I flew just one model, my big old Sapphire. Its' second outing since it's build and this flight was going to be in thermals rather than slope lift. The Sapphire really impressed me with its ability to float around on minimal lift. It may be slow to turn but boy can it float!
Here is a video showing the Sapphire doing what it does well.

As I mentioned above, we have a new member in Gino. Unfortunately, Gino has had rather light conditions on the two times he has joined us up on the slope. I don't think it will be long before he gets to enjoy a good blow and some cold fingers.

Peter Goldsmith Sapphire Maiden at Firle Beacon

Sorry it's been a while since I last posted on our great blog. I have been building a Peter Goldsmith Sapphire for a few months now and as you may have seem I had various issues with the kit along the way but with the help from RC Europe and Peter himself I finally got it built and maidened yesterday at Firle Beacon.

The model is very light as it has a basic balsa skeletal framework. The rudder / elevator controls and the big dihedral wing makes it a stable flier.

It was a little windier than I would have chosen but the Sapphire glider dealt with the bumps and knocks very well. I did find the lack of build instructions and guidance a big issue but it did make me have to find solutions to problems that will stand me in good stead for other builds.

 

 

 To see the complete Sapphire Build - CLICK HERE

The most epic days flying in The Gower

During my weeks holiday in Wales last week, I was fortunate to go flying on a few occasions.
The first time was flying at Ian's house with his Blaster 3.5 DLG. Ian had recently had his paddock cut and the grass being bailed for hay. This area lends itself perfectly for some DLG soaring. It was great fun flying there and early on was very easy to get away. Ian's dog loved chasing his model as long as you got there before the dog.
Our second meet was up on 'The Bwlch' with Ian and Nick. The wind was very light but on Ian's advice I left my light wind soarer in the car and dragged the Ascot and my big Carbonara up to Mickeys. It was a real challenge to stay airborne with virtually no slope lift but with soft thermals drifting through.
The real fun was when we met up at Rhossili in a good Westerly breeze. It was blowing around 30mph with a cloudless blue sky. It's a bit of a trek up onto the top especially when you have your hands full with an M60, Valenta Carbonara and a TX box.
The lift was stonking! Silky smooth and awesome.
Ian had a good selection of models which included his Jedi, M60 and his Jart. Nick brought along his brand new Graecalis ready for its maiden.

Nick started of the flying session not with his model but strapped into a tandem hang glider. He disappeared for about an hour while me and Ian flew our big mouldies and raced our M60's.

After a few hours of maximum fun and enjoyment it was time for me to walk back down to meet my family patiently waiting at the café near the car park.
Nick was maidening his Greacalis when unfortunately he had a midair with a foamy Blaze. The foamy was destroyed but Nicks new glider was badly damaged.

If anyone is visiting South Wales and specifically the Gower then don't miss an opportunity to go flying at Rhossili. In my opinion this slope is the best in the UK!

Warden Park Academy 'Enrichment' Days 8 - 9 Jul 19

Following  the  successful  enrichment  day at Warden Park Academy in Cuckfield in 2018 by BMFA SE Chairman Stuart Willis, Rob S and Graham U  we were asked to run the same course this year but because of the demand from the students it had to be split over 2 days with approximately 20 per day.  With the number last year at 19 it was quite hard work keeping control of the groups so we decided that we needed another BMFA member to help us out this year, so Rob enlisted the help of Scott.
 We started the first day with 4 BMFA members, 1 teacher and a classroom assistant and 22 students and the second day was 4 BMFA members, 1 teacher and a one-to-one helper for one of the students plus 13 other students.

The agenda for this year was much as last time, the idea was to build and fly the BMFA Dart – one per student. Stuart Willis opened the day by explaining what we were going to do and then he went on to explain the functions of the BMFA and the basic different types of aircraft we fly. We had examples of different models on display for the students to see including a large IC plane, an EDF jet, an electric heli, a couple of multirotors and a glider. Stuart also explained about the different types of power source and passed round some electric motors for the class to see. He reminded the class that a rubber band was also a motor and that’s what we would be using on the day for the BMFA Darts. Following on Stuart explained the health and safety aspects especially with respect to the scalpels and the glue plus there was a short video about the origins of aircraft.

We then each took a group of 4 or 5 students and started on the Darts, with only a 20 minute break during the morning, by 12:00 they were pretty much all complete except for the props and rubber motors. During the lunch break we checked every model and made sure everything was ready for flying in the afternoon. After their lunch, the students put on the props and rubber motors and we were ready.

Stuart had made a modification to the Darts for this year, by 3D printing a wing support for the leading edge. This gave much better gluing capability for the dihedral and great support for the wing during flight, whereby we had far fewer wings folding up during flight than last year.

The flying was organized into small groups test gliding indoors to sort out their trim and C of G, followed by outdoor flying for the rest of the afternoon on the playing fields.  Every model was a success in that it flew well and the students were all very happy that their efforts had resulted in such a great little model.

At the end of the flying the students were shown another video and then took part in a short ‘quiz’ based on what they should have learned during the day. Finally Stuart gave out 3 certificates to the students we considered had made the most of the opportunity during the day with the ‘gold’ certificate also receiving a VMC Pilot kit to build.

Rob Stanley 

Flat Field Flying 6th July 2019

Today we decided to get some flat field flying , so we took our DLGs and electric models to the North Field.
When I arrived I found that the field had been reduced in size by about 50% with the far North part fenced off. When Paul arrived just after me, we started with our DLGs and waited to see what others thought when they got there. Once everyone arrived we decided that we would just stick to DLGs and stay in the new boundaries of the field.
Today there was Paul, Robin, Tony, Scotty and John M (and me) and we all had DLGs except for Tony who is still working on his Blaster 3.5.
This was my chance to maiden fly my new Loola - although I've had it for many months I hadn't had a chance to fly it. Paul suggested just a simple hand launch to test glide for trim and C of G and that was wise advice as I found the ailerons were reversed !! After sorting that out, I threw it normally (DLG) and the glide was fantastic, after help from Paul with trim, set-up for 'launch mode' and stuff, we had it flying very well - I even managed to catch a thermal for couple of occasion, but only a short while.
Paul had his Fireblade DLG and after just 1 throw he managed to stay up for about 20 minutes in a thermal - why can't I do that ? Paul continued to catch thermals and we had trouble seeing the model at times because it was so high.
Robin brought a DLG (can't think of the name) and it flew very well, the launches seemed to result in almost a loop but it certainly gained height and was gliding very well.
John's HK Raven was gliding very well, but like my HK 1.5 mtr DLG, it won't seem to catch the thermals or gain much height. Paul spent a lot of time with John, but they didn't manage to 'get it away' on a thermal.
Scotty had his Libelle and with Tony's help it too was gliding very well, but again didn't want to catch a thermal. Later in the session I noticed that the Libelle wings had come apart a little, so it was retired.
Paul spent a lot of time helping all of us to trim and set up our models and we are all very grateful for his help and guidance.
I also had my HK DLG and Paul had his older Blaster 2, which we both flew later in the session.
By far the best performance was by Paul's Fireblade and I was able on 3 occasions to catch thermals, but I couldn't get the glider to slow enough to stay in the uplift. Later we decided that I need to reduce the nose weight slightly (which I have now done)…

Altogether a very enjoyable and successful session by the 6 of us.

Thanks to all for coming (didn't get any pictures I'm afraid)

Rob

Chris Foss Phase 6 build/mods

Hi you may remember from earlier in the year I wrote a brief blog about my plans for a phase 6 build.
After a good few months later, I have managed to make a start and from following Paul's blog on his build and research into others, I have made a few changes to my original plan of action.

Since a lot of the build had been completed already, you'll find my blog is about the final build and mods I've made.

Stage 1: As you can see my wing was an early spec with the centre servo for the ailerons, here I've removed the trailing edge and  balsa rear facing strip with a knife and long steel rule.

Stage 2: Here I've glued on some new trailing edge balsa facing strip and marked out positions for my four servos in the underside of the wing to operate independent ailerons and flaps.
The positions were achieved from discussion with Paul regarding his phase 6 and based on the size of the flaps and ailerons from the phase 6 instructions for optional flaps. i.e the centre trailing edge is 3" wide, the flaps are 10.5", then the rest is aileron either side of the wing.

 Here you can see I've cut out all four servo holes. My choice of servo is the Savox SH-0255MG bought from servoshop.co.uk which I found at the best price.
My reason for my choice was first because I had purchased them for another model and didn't need them at present, but also due to them being in my opinion a high spec -  being digital, great torque and ball raced and £13.75 each.

 Stage 3: Using a knife and my steel rule I cut out runs for the servo cable to run in.

Stage 4: After research into other builds of the phase 6 with Flaps, I made the decision to install a 6mm carbon tube spar over the top of my servo cable for added strength.
This maybe an overkill and not need, but I thought I would give it a go
So the servo cable cut outs where cut a bit deeper, extension leads added to the outer servos and some heat shrink applied to the connections then sunk into the cut out, 5 min epoxy over the top and the 800mm carbon tube on top and held in place with weights.

Stage 5: The servo cutouts and wing centre servo hole was in filled with block and strips of balsa, purchased from one of those bargain bundles for about £3 from sussex-model-centre.co.uk  which  are a great saving for all those small jobs like this.
Now the wing just needs filling with light weight filler in places and sanding.

Stage 6: Here I removed the previously installed front fuselage top deck to check to see if the inside of the fuselage had been reinforced with fibre glass.
It had been, so I continued by adding in the extra balsa former ahead of the battery to aid in preventing its movement on a heavy landing, then further fibre glassed  the rest of the fuselage, back to behind the wing with lightweight fibreglass cloth and water based satin varnish.

Following this I reinstalled some new 3/8" balsa to the front top deck.

Stage 7: Here I continued by starting to shape the top deck and front top deck, add the 1/8" balsa infill  and ply facing plate behind the wing.
I continued to add the fin, which I had completed and added the extra fairing for a better look, I do like the way Chris Foss puts some great ideas into his designs, the back end of the fin just slots into the back of the fuselage aiding alignment and strength.

The Sapphire Build Continues

After a few weeks of frustration with many bits not matching the plan and things missing, I finally received a load of replacement parts that now seem correct from RC-Europe (thanks guys).
Now its time to start building again.
It is time to start the tail plane and elevator.

 

 

 

If you want to see the whole journey so far - Click Here!

A Lidl fun at Butts Brow!

I arrived a little late and was met in the carpark by Robin.  We took the 5 minute walk to where Mark and Tony were already flying along with 4 others.  It was an hours drive for Tony, there is dedication for you!

I had my Komet and repaired Mamba, Tony had his Wildthing, Mark had his newly built Lidl glider and another glider and Robin also had his newly built Lidl glider and his home built wing.

Everyone had a very good session and the conditions were good with a nice 12+ mph with a fairly smooth easterly.  Mark and Robin’s Lidl glider conversions flew very well with a small amount of ballast, well done to them.  Tony and I had fun chasing around the sky and practicing our landings.  At one point there were 8 models flying which certainly does mean that you have to concentrate a bit more.

Everyone went home without any damage to their models however at one point we were all looking for a phantom missing glider and it turned out that we were looking for Marks Lidl glider which he had and he thought we were looking for Robin’s Lidl glider!!

 

 

Did nobody tell the weather that it's June?

I met up with Ian up at the Bwlch in South Wales on Monday. We had planned to meet on the Tuesday but the weather forecast did not look great so the decision was made to meet up on the Monday after a long drive up from Sussex. On the way me and Ian where discussing the weather as he was sitting in low cloud and rain (It is Wales, Ian) but I was travelling along in sunshine. Anyway we met up at The Bwlch and of course it was pissing it down, so we just sat in the car chatting until finally the rain stopped and the cloud rose a little to just over the tops of the giant wind turbines.
We trudged up the slope and along the face of Mickeys where it was blowing around 35mph. It was still spitting with rain and the wind chill made it feel like 5 degrees and yes, this was in the middle of June.
I was annoyed as I had dragged my Merlow F3F along with me but when I went to rig her one of the wing pins had pushed it way into the wing and there was no way I could get it out up on the side of the hill. Back into the bag with that model. I only had one other model with me, my newly built Phase 5. Well no option there then - just chuck it off!

Ian had his M60 with him as well as his Jart. The M60 was the model for the conditions. It screamed around and punched its way through the rough conditions.

After about an hour of the very cold conditions and with my fingers aching with the wind chill we decided to give into the weather and scuttled off back to our cars.

The Bwlch never fails to impress me with the huge hills and superb lift but the weather on the day just wasn't the best. I'm back off their again next month for a week so I hope to meet up with Ian again plus me old mate Steve from A470 Soaring.

Cold, Wet, Windy and GREAT FUN

Hi All,
Yesterday (Sat 15th Jun) Paul, John, Tony, Scotty, Robin and I met at 13:30 at Mt Caburn to fly the SW wind. We walked up to the top in sunshine and it felt warm, the wind was increasing, so all promised to be good. By the time we got to the summit there was rain - a lot of rain, but Paul was determined to maiden his Phase 5, so he threw it into the wind. With a bit of elevator trim, it went very well and we were all inspired to fly our own models despite the weather, so John flew his Phase 6, I launched the Ninja, Scotty had his Wildthing, Tony had his too and Robin had his home-made wing.
We were all up in the rain, but it was great fun. Paul then launched his Phase 6 and between us there were always 3 or 4 models in the air at any time and sometimes 6 at once. After 20 minutes things cleared up and Paul re-launched the Phase 5. At one point I saw Tony landing a little bit behind the hill but all was fine, otherwise we all kept our models intact despite the blustery conditions. After about an hour, Scotty decided that he would try out his Blade and it was worth seeing because with Paul's help at times, the Blade flew wonderfully. That's a great model Scotty.
Altogether we had a great session, many thanks to all who came along to join in, very good fun...…

Ridge Runt - wrapped up

Success! My six year old daughter approves of the colour scheme.

It is partly based on Rob's choice of Solartex covering for his Coyote model. I took additional inspiration from the Diablo featured on the cover of the Radio Modeller, February 1977 issue, (the same image is used on the OuterZone web site).

The colours are reversed on the underside:

The 'Ridge Runt' graphic is a waterslide transfer created on a laptop and printed on an inkjet printer. The lessons learned here were that waterslide decals only work on a white background and spray varnish should only be applied in thin coats, but I can live with that.

For those who are interested, here is the internal layout:

The foam packing in the nose was subsequently replaced with Plasticine to achieve the correct C of G. I deliberately left a gap between the receiver and the elevator servo for removable ballast - Velcro straps will be fixed here to hold it. The plastic tube beside the elevator snake runs to the tail end and is for a 35mhz rx aerial, in case I ever need it.

 

Happy landings

 

Russell H

I've Got The Bug!

The production line continues...….

Go on take a look - CLICK HERE!

Phase 5 Covering Going Well

 

Nearly there now!

Phase 5 Build Update

Well progress is coming along a treat. Lots of shaping and gluing but It is looking a bit like a Phase 5.

Here is the full story so far...……..CLICK HERE

Itford Slope Racing

Had a great session earlier today up on Itford Hill. I met up with Ian D, Rob P and James, John M and Mark J. Ian was maidening his AHI which seemed very at home with the light. John was ripping up the sky with his Strega and later he put in some ballast as the lift improved. Rob P turned into a speed freak with his Erwin screaming around. I really enjoyed racing John with my Phase 6 and his Strega. I must say that there was not a huge amount in it. My poor little Phase 6 has never flown so fast. I think we all enjoyed getting some height and coming ''right to left'' across the slope in front of us as fast as the models would allow.
James did well flying his foamy and then moved on to fly his dads Erwin on the buddy. That Erwin goes well and Rob was putting it through its paces up there. It was really suited for the conditions there today.
Mark was flying a very fast flying wing as well as his blaster and I saw a Vector too.
As the wind was light initially I took the ballast out from my Merlow and she flew around a treat but no sooner as I took the ballast out I need to put the ballast back in as the wind and subsequently the lift improved nicely. A great day to practise those landings and I must say guys I saw some very good landings up there today!
I really enjoyed my flying today as it had been nearly a month since I had last flown and look forward to next weekend for some more slope action.

Phase 5 - Help Wanted !

Glued the bell crank assembly box today. It was nice and free when I dry fitted everything but now having glued it all together I think the bell crank is stiff. I think the ply sides are causing friction on the actual bell crank.

Now - Silly question coming...…..

Can you use a small amount of WD40 or an alternative lubricant that wont eat the ply / balsa now or in the future?

Here is where we currently are with the build of my Chris Foss Phase 5.

https://slopesoaringsussex.blogspot.com/p/chris-foss-phase-5-build-2019.html

UPDATE:

Tim removed the top section of balsa to see what was happening inside and this was enough to free up the bell crank mechanism inside. Just need to lightly glue a new section of balsa back in place.