It is great
to know that it is not only Club members who view this Blog but also many other
model aircraft enthusiasts outside of the Sussex area. As of April, I have
taken on the role of Secretary and will endeavor to routinely update this Blog.
My intention is… at least monthly and each time I meet up with other Club
members on a slope. I would like to take the opportunity now of giving an
update of what has occurred over the past 16 months or so.
Going back
in time to Christmas Day dinner in 2019, who could have foreseen what
restrictions were to be put in place within 3 months. Some individuals took on
the siege mentality that caused a shortage of toilet rolls, frozen foods, pet
food and flour to name only a few scarce items. I also add balsa wood to the
list as it seems most of it was going into the production of wind turbines in
China.
We were all
instructed to stay at home but to also go to work if we can but stay at home.
Only go outside your house once a day but for only 1 hour’s exercise. No 2
households could meet up. Granny could not be hugged. The roads were empty as
were all the pubs and restaurants. Luckily for me the Pinot Grigio wine supply was
still readily available, and it supported me well through the tribulations of the
Lockdowns. All non-essential shops were closed which for us included Sussex
Model Centre (SMC), I consider SMC to be essential, I am sure you all agree
with me. Despite obvious difficulties they continued to provided and excellent
on-line service as well as a click and collect service for us locals. Masks had to be worn in shops. Shame I did not
have any shares in hand sanitizer or Perspex shield companies.
As a result,
all slope soaring was curtailed unless anyone happened to have a decent slope
in their rear garden as you could only travel locally. Several of our members
used this time very wisely and have produced some magnificent “Lockdown” builds
which are now starting to be seen in the skies of Sussex. Some of the completed
builds have been shown on our very site. It is recommended that you take time
and have a read of their articles and there is lots of learning to be had.
As expected,
the “After School Club” at Warden Park School in Cuckfield had to be suspended
but this is to resume in the autumn term. Rob S has asked that if any other
Club members wish to assist and help with these sessions, can they please
contact him directly. Remember, these youngsters could be our future aircraft
engineers/designers or the next F35 pilots, they all need to be encouraged to
be the best that they can be.
A planned
outing in 2020 to Wales had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic hopefully
when it is possible for life to return to normal, we can re-instate this visit
if there is enough interest.
This Blog
has now been viewed some 462 thousand times since conception. The half a
million views will be the next big milestone. Credit for this must sit with
Paul H who has continuously published many build logs, interesting articles, and
all the excellent videos and more importantly, he has kept the Blog up to date.
Now that
“Freedom Day” approaches, whatever that means we are all looking forward to
getting out much more than in the past few months. The weather down here has
not been kind to us, resulting in almost no flying.
A change in
the Committee has taken place and as mentioned above I have taken over from
John M as Secretary, Rob S continues as Chairman and Scott T remains the
Treasurer.
We held a Committee
Meeting recently to discuss several agenda items and the future AGM which we
hope to hold later this year. We also welcomed a surge of new members over this
past year, and we have grown from 25 members in Feb 2020 to 37 in July 2021,
including one junior member.
This has
caused a massive surge in our training pipeline and due to the pandemic, a
backlog occurred. I am pleased to say that this is starting to ease slightly as
Rob S undertakes much of the ab initio training and when able to fly, the
student is passed down the training pipeline to our continuation flying
instructors such as the newly appointed Mark J who has taken to this new role
like a duck to water. Being a very experienced flyer himself, passes on
valuable instruction and advice to the nervous trainee. Being relatively new to
the hobby myself, I too have benefitted from his sage advice and guidance. A
big thank you goes out to all involved in our training program.
The polo
shirts have gone down very well with Club members, and I regularly get asked for
more. A further order will be placed soon but I need a minimum order of 5 or
more to make it viable. So, during the next AGM I will start a new order list.
Mark J has
taken the plunge and has invested in a 3D printer. He started with some small
projects first such as a WW2 pilot bust and cockpit detail for his Cambrian Fun
Fighter Spitfire. Being content with the results of these he has now produced a
fully 3D printed glider called a Phenix 5.
The
Committee are to review and update the Clubs Constitution and all policy
documents, hopefully being published on this site early next year. We hope to
have all documents encompassed within one single book available for all to view
on this Blog.
That’s
about all the news from Slope Soaring Sussex over the past 16 months. One of
our members said to me at the start of the pandemic “health matters more than
hobby” I totally agreed with him and am sure you do to. As we slowly emerge
from a post-pandemic world, it is hoped more members will venture out and join
us on the sunny slopes of Sussex in the future as the weather improves but in a
safe and comfortable way for everyone.
