WingBAT 48

Typical November weather outside today so it's time retreat to the workshop and work on my fifth glider model from the Stan Yeo stable.

Another 48" flying wing, but of traditional balsa and spruce construction instead of the usual EPP foam. I modified the all-sheet wing construction slightly, cutting 'windows' to reveal the ribs and adding rigidity with spruce spars in place of the 6mm sq. balsa spacers.

Stan accidently sent me the wing plan from the WingBAT 48E electric version with wing-mounted servos, which looked intriguingly 'normal' for a flying wing design. I called Stan and wondered whether to use this layout and install the servos in the wings, but he assured me that servos in the fuselage were much more aerodynamic and sent the correct plan in the next post.

There's precious little space to swing a servo arm in the compact fuselage, so I opted for a tandem arrangement as shown.

It is still too wet to venture out, so I'll see if I can find that old bit of translucent Solartex I was saving for a rainy day...

...and a couple of weeks later, here is the finished model:

Notice the weather has changed from too wet to too cold for flying; but fine for photography.

It's not quite PSS, but there's more than a whiff of the de Havilland 108 "Swallow" about it.

The centre of gravity is spot on with a 1200mAh square AA Ni-MH at the front. The all up weight is about 605g, which is 75g less than that shown on the plan, in spite of the Solartex wing covering.

The WingBAT 48 is reputed to be an excellent flyer as well as being one of the best looking tailless gliders around in my opinion. Roll on springtime...

Happy sandings

Russell H

Last Chance for the North Easterly, 1st September 2022

I have not been able to come on the recent club outings to the South Downs, but I didn't want to miss the chance to fly in the warm dry NE wind while it lasted (there were heavy showers later). So I packed the car and drove two miles to the bottom of Wolstonbury Hill then proceeded to climb up to my favourite spot.

The forecast predicted wind speeds of about 13mph with gusts over 20mph - a bit too blustery for my liking. But having made the effort to get there, and allowing myself 10 minutes to catch my breath, I had to give it a go.

There followed numerous five-minute sorties of adrenalin-pumping flying action, or wind-wrestling as I call it, as the elements and I debated the question of whether my models were flying forwards or blowing backwards. I am pleased to report that my models generally dominated the argument, only requiring one rescue mission when the Tomahawk landed on the wrong side of the barbed wire fence behind me.

Happy Landings

Russell H

Great Morning at Itford Hill 19 Aug 22

 Hi Everyone,

This morning we decided to meet at Itford Hill. The forecast was for Westerly wind but on arrival it appeared to be WSW , however it still created great lift.

I met George K and Martin J at the car park and we walked up together. Later we were joined by Robin S, Mark J, Gordon S, Bob C, David K and Paul H so it was a great turnout.

The lift wasn't always working and when it did work it was slightly to the South but the Wildthings went well at times and not at others. There was a total of 6 Wildthings today and at times they were all airborn together which makes a great sight. 

We had a great selection of models - Carrera and Wildthing brought by Martin J

I brought my Alula inherited from Paul H, George had his Wildthing, Robin had his Bird of Time and Phase 5, Mark had his Wildthing and an Irwin, Gordon had a Wildthing and Soarceror, Bob had a Wildthing, David had a new Wildthing and Paul had his SOAS wing.

All models except the Phase 5 and the Irwin saw action today and the flying was really good at times, especially for Robin's Bird of Time which was so aerodynamic and Robin's landings were textbook !

Gordon , George and Bob all flew their Wildthings very well and George was practicing landings. Bob and George have flown power models before so they were progressing very quickly. David managed to get a new Wildthing from Alan Head recently and he too has flown power and gliders before so he made great progress today.

Paul had his very light SOAS and that was flying brilliantly, it's a pretty impressive model. 

Martin flew his Wildthing and despite bringing the Carrera he didn't get it out of the box today.

Mark was flying his Wildthing and was also giving trimming advice and help to the others during the session.

I concentrated on training Gordon with his Wildthing and he was flying very well. Later he got me to fly the Soarceror a couple of times and after trimming it flew very well, I don't normally like Rudder/ Elevator models but this one is pretty responsive....

All told it was a great morning's flying and thanks to everyone who came along...

Rob

Blustery Itford Sunday 31 July 2022

 I met Martin L and Kevin M in the lay-by at the bottom of Itford Hill at around 8.45.  I was a little late as looking at the forecast first thing the wind was going to be a bit stronger than anticipated, I changed the models I was going to take. We took the dog leg walk up to the top of the hill and were flying by 9.15 after a leisurely walk and chat.

Then a nice chap called Colin from Surrey arrived with two moulded gliders.  

We were then joined by Mark, J Robin A and Rob P shortly followed by Nick V who took the hard man route up the side of the hill!

The wind strengthened and became more blustery throughout the morning which made the flying more tricky however there was lots of lift. I am not aware of any damaged models and everyone had plenty of stick time.

Well done to Martin L who flew my Wildthing using the buddy box and did very well given the conditions and having done very little slope flying before. 

The Wildthings were definitely the model of the day as there were four on the hill and as Martin L , Kevin M and I left, another flier was coming up the hill with a very colourful Wildthing.

Talking to people Itford seems to be a bit like Marmite but it is a forgiving slope when conditions are not their best and when things don’t quiet go to plan, even if it is a bit of a trek. 

It was great to see everyone and a nice morning with plenty of flying.

Scotty

A few of the models out this morning…

10 Go Soaring at Beeding Bowl – Sunday 24 July 2022

What an outstanding turn out from the Club membership this morning, it must be a record. As usual the views and the scenery were outstanding.

Rising early and expecting to be the first to arrive at the slope I was astonished to find the Club Chair (Rob S) already there supervising one of our newer members to the Club, Mike G. Rob S was armed with the Club trainer (SAS Wildthing) with the buddy boxes just in case a member needed some instruction.

Mike G was flying his modified SAS Wildthing, normal wings but with a replacement fuselage. He also used today as an opportunity to enjoy the field out to our right when he and Rob went to retrieve his errant glider. Martin J was away with his SAS Wildthing and then Kevin M arrived bearing his West Wings Aurora, a modified Lidl glider and a SAS Wildthing his Let 13 was not available for flying today as it was designated into the “Pending” box after it’s last outing.

So, expecting to be the first to arrive I was well down the list. Today I brought along my trusty SAS Wildthing and a Dreamflight Ahi.

Nick V our newly appointed club instructor arrived with his Middle Phase along with Robin S with his Aztec glider.

At one point flying was a bit hit and miss, yes there was a good wind registering 12mph but this had the tendency to drop causing a number of landings away from the launch point. One of our most recent joiners, Bob C produced a FMS Easy Trainer but quickly realized the weather conditions were incompatible and then he displayed his SAS Wildthing which looked like a Wildthing but was different. This particular glider was one of the first to be produced and had the battery hatch located on the top of the fuselage unlike the modern versions. Rob flew it for Bob and trimmed it the best he could but it was a little difficult to fly. Bob also tried his hand with it but agreed with Rob that there was a problem with too much weight in the nose. Bob will take it home and re-build it. Rob then gave Bob a number of flights on the club Wildthing which Bob found very much easier to fly.

Scotty T, our Club Treasurer was next to appear on the slope with his Dreamflight Ahi and Weasel produced from the same hangar and his SAS Wildthing. Paul H arrived with a very unusual glider called a SOAS and his Middle Phase.

As I mentioned earlier flying was challenging and several times today the gliders just fell to earth, resulting in a small walk to retrieve them. I had a good time with the SAS Widthing including clipping a bush when coming across the top of the slope prior to landing. Nick V took me to one side to give me some instruction on right hand circuits and landings using the club equipment, I am very grateful to him for giving his time to me this morning. Thank you very much Nick. 

Scott had some very good flights with his Wildthing and then tried the Ahi which flew very well considering the rather choppy conditions. 

At some points there were 4 or 5 Wildthings in the air at one time along with Robin's Aztec.

It was also pleasing to see some flyers' partners on the slope this morning (both Paul and Bob brought their wives along) to either watch the flying or take a short stroll across the top of the bowl . 

It was awesome to have every Club Committee member out flying today. A massive thank you to all who made such a great and enjoyable morning with loads of socializing taking place. 

See you all again soon.

Beeding Bowl Wednesday 20th July 2022

By the time I arrived at the car park Rob S and George K were actively flying despite very marginal conditions. Rob was in a supervisory capacity and George was flying his own SAS Wildthing. Rob had also brought along his Alula, but conditions were not good. The Alula did fly in the light conditions but Rob decided that he needed to add some ballast for the next flight.

Kevin M was just ahead of me heading towards the slope with his SAS Wildthing, Let 13 and his modified Lidle’s glider. I as usual took my SAS Wildthing.

The conditions early on were not good, despite being promised good winds in the forecast actual wind was light, somewhere between 6-8 MPH. Next to arrive was Mike G with a Middle Phase and a very nice version of a SAS Wildthing 46 inch. This had the original wings but with a home-made fuselage. Mike asked Rob to try out the Wildthing derivative and after some trimming it flew really well.

Martin Jones brought his SAS Wildthing and a Carrera glider. We also welcomed a potential club member Allen S who was provided details of the Club. Last to arrive was Robin A with his scratch built wing and his rather lovely red and yellow Micro Lunak.

To be fair flying at the start of the day was poor as light winds and poor lift resulted in limited airtime.

Robin A managed to get some good flying time in with his Lunak. However, as a social gathering it was great to catch up with the other club members present. As the morning developed the wind and lift picked up and conditions became flyable. I was impressed by my landings this morning.

Poor old Kevin’s Let 13 did not fare well today and suffered several hard landings, not too sure if that model will ever fly again. Prior to flying he tried a test of the electric motor and I watched as the spinner came off, followed by the propellor.

Unfortunately, I had to depart but understand that flying continued. Is that not always the way when you need to depart the slope and the conditions improve. In summary, not a great day’s flying but improved later but enjoyed very good company.

Flat Field Flying Saturday 16th July 22

 Hi Everyone,

Today we decided to go to the flat field for some thermal flying. Our problem was that it was due to get very hot later in the day so we arrived at 08:80 - 09:30 which meant that we didn't get much thermal activity so early in the day.

                                  4 of us staying in the shade to avoid the heat

I (Rob) arrived first and was soon joined by Nick V, Tony C, Paul H and Robin A.

We didn't have the bungee and I decided not to bother with the winch equipment for just a short session so we relied on DLG or electric power to launch our models.

I brought my Loola DLG and JP Pretty electric glider, Nick V brought his Nebula 2000e electric glider, Whisper and Artemis xxl , Paul had his Phoenix 2400 electric glider with onboard video camera and Robin had his Thermic Dream electric glider and a DLG.

Tony had come without any models because he just wanted to attend the field to be sociable.

All the models flew pretty well, I hadn't flown my Pretty for about 8 or 9 years but it wasn't as good as I remembered it and wouldn't really stay aloft without a stronger wind. My Loola DLG was much better but I couldn't catch any real thermals.

Paul's Phoenix flew very well and because of it's 2.4 mtr span, it was able to stay aloft for some considerable time - here's a video which Paul took from his onboard camera.

Link to Paul's Video

Nick flew his Rudder/Elevator Nebula and that too stayed aloft pretty well but needed a little more thermal activity to help it stay up. We spent some time helping Nick set up his unflown Artemis and then decided not to test-glide it due to the conditions at the field.

Robin flew both his models - the Thermic Dream is one which he got from John M (I sold it to John some time ago), the motor isn't over powerful but it did get the model aloft and once airborn it stayed up very well. Robin's DLG went about the same as mine - launching was good but there was no real thermal activity so it wouldn't gain height.

Nevertheless we all agreed that we had a good morning's flying despite the DLGs being disappointing.

Rob

An Awesome Morning at Beeding Bowl Saturday 2 July 2022.

This morning 8 club members, yes 8, were present on the slope with a wide variety of models. Today on the hill were Rob S (Chair), Tony C (Secretary), Scott T (Treasurer), George K, Robin S, Russell H, Martin J and Richard W. Beeding Bowl is located slightly north of our usual Mill Hill site and sits outside the Flight Restriction Zone (FRZ) and is a pleasure to fly from. The only disadvantage is the small car park, so arriving early usually guarantees a parking spot. The views this morning were absolutely stunning especially looking South West towards Lancing College.

I as usual took along my SAS Wildthing and met up with George K who had his newly acquired SAS Wildthing. Robin S attended with a SAS Wildthing but also had an Aztec which was out of the Alan Head stable, apparently this model was once owned by Alan and it was a pre-production glider that was not put into production, so it’s a true one of a kind. Rob S was armed with the Club trainer (also a SAS Wildthing) and his Alula which he inherited from Paul H. Russell H flew his traditional wing called a Tomahawk. The initial 10 seconds after hand launching are very interesting and needs some confidence and flying skills to get the model into the lift but once it’s up it’s a great flyer. Martin J by chance also had a SAS Wildthing. As did Scott T who also brought along his Me 163 Komet. Richard W also had a SAS Wildthing but also a Dream Flight Ahi and a Kulbutin that was fitted with a gyro. In all we had 7 SAS Wildthings available this morning for flying, unfortunately we did not get them all flying at the same time but maybe we will have another opportunity in the future. Rob S tried the Alula but found it very twitchy in the strong and blustery conditions, but was at least able to trim it ready for another less windy day.

Without doubt the highlight of the day was the air combat phase when Richard W flying his SAS Wildthing managed to knock out of the sky Scotty’s lovely red Me 163 Komet. The Komet went into a flat spin very much like the scene out of the Top Gun 1 film. Luckily no major damage was caused to either model. In summary, a good morning flying with all attendees gaining further experience and stick time but best of all was the great company of fellow club members with no significant damage to any models.

Meeting of Potential Members at Beeding Bowl – Friday 1 July 2022

Today’s choice of slope was decided to be Beeding Bowl, as this was because of several reasons, the main one being that it is located outside the Shoreham FRZ. So, to introduce new members to flying models and provide trial flights it is a lot more pleasant as we are not influenced by full size aircraft consistently landing at Shoreham airport. By the time I arrived flying was well underway, one of the potential members, David K had already arrived and had been welcomed by the other club members. I was able to provide him with a brief of how the Club functions and he also had some quality stick time on the Club Trainer. On the slope today were Rob S our Club Chair and Chief Instructor, Gordon S who continues to impress and is now building his confidence. Although today he flew the Club trainer, he has flown his own models in the past and has some very nice vintage models awaiting to be flown. My SAS Wildthing flew better today as the wind speed was more than 12 MPH. Our second potential member Bob C arrived on the bowl and managed to get some stick time. Both David and Bob were assessed as confident model flyers but would probably benefit from some approach and landing practice with Rob. George K was also on the slope today but still requires some more practice with Rob before being able to fly solo. Over the last few months there has been some discussion of the effects of interference between mobile phones and our transmitters. To this end we have decide to try to keep our mobile phones with our kit rather than kept in our pockets when we are flying. I would be grateful to have any views that you may have on this issue. Once again, our thanks go to Rob S who provided the instruction for today. Around midday we all decide to pack up and go home. A great day had by all with great company.

Marginal wind conditions at Mill Hill – Thursday 30 June 2022

A small group of club members met at Mill Hill this morning. Although the wind was not great, I used my wind measurement tool to check wind speed only to find it was around 7.6 MPH. Not great for my SAS Wildthing which needs at least 12 MPH. The focus of todays meeting was to assess the flying ability of one of our newest club members, George K who has not flown for some time. George had arranged to purchase a SAS Wildthing from another club member Richard W. In preparation for this Rob S our club instructor launched the Club SAS Wildthing and passed control over to George who despite a long lay off from flying model aircraft did remarkably well. Richard W arrived later at the slope with the used SAS Wildthing and Richard and Rob set about it to configure it to George’s requirements. We were also very pleased to see Graham W on the slope with his SAS Wildthing 60 which flew remarkably well considering the conditions. I have commented on this issue before that the SAS Wildthing with a shorter wing chord does not fly well in lower wind conditions compared with the Wildthings with the greater wing chords. In summary, a disappointing day for me due to the prevailing wind but a good day for George who by the end of the session now had ownership of a SAS Wildthing but also some stick time on the Club trainer. Graham W enjoyed his time on the hill and our thanks go to Rob S who provided the instruction during the session. All in all not a bad day with good company.

Great Day at the Field 22nd June 2022

 

Hi everyone, on Wednesday 22nd June we had arranged for a field day in order to familiarise members with the functions and techniques for using the winch and bungees. The day was very well attended as follows -

Mark V, Robin S, Bernie J, Kevin B, Gordon S, Nick G, Kevin M and Rob S....

Bernie and Kevin B were on-hand to teach us the proper technique for launching with either the winch or bungee and we all had a go. Once we were in the air, both Kevin B and Bernie gave us hints and advice about staying up there by catching thermals and techniques for choosing the right landing spot and approach.

Rob brought the club Osprey and launched it using the club bungee (it was decided that the winch might be just too powerful for the Osprey). The model flew pretty well for its maiden flight and is now available for members to make use of either with the bungee or the slope. Rob also had the club Phoenix electric glider but it wasn't used on the day.

                                           Club Osprey and Robin's Bird of Time

Other members brought a variety of models (mostly mouldies)  additionally Robin brought along his Bird of Time, Kevin brought his Aurora and Gordon had his Middle Phase too.

Both Kevin B and Bernie used the winch and bungee in such a way as to instruct us on the best way to maintain tension on the line and how to get the line detached from the model at the right time.

After a number of successful launches from the winch, etc..  several members decided to swop to their electric fuselages and use the motor to launch their models. 

All models were initially test-glided at the field before being allowed on the winch / bungee.

Kevin's Aurora and Gordon's Middle Phase were test launched for their maiden flights and both flew pretty well, but it was decided that both Gordon and Kevin needed to familiarise with their models on the slope before using them at the field.

              Mark and Robin concentrating on their models which had gone into the stratosphere !!

Altogether we had a wonderful morning , everyone enjoyed their time and we are especially grateful to Kevin B and Bernie for the time they gave us to help us improve our technique.

Best regards

Rob 

Fun on the Black Mountain

I'm sorry that this flying is not in Sussex but it is in the South (South Wales) but I wanted to share another flying session from a different mountain in Wales.

Again met up with Ian with his Euphoria and his scratch plan built Chapter 2. Here are a few videos from todays flying.

South of England Show - Ardingly Friday10th June 2022

Today, both Rob S and I attended the South of England Show held at Ardingly, West Sussex. Not only were we representing the BMFA but also Slope Soaring Sussex. When I arrived at the stand, I found Rob unpacking BMFA documentation and items to give away and other items to sell including basic gliders.

BMFA members attending today also included Stuart Willis (Chair BMFA SE Area) and Marc Perry, chair of the Concord Club near Dartford. Several models were brought along for demonstration purposes that included a Mk9 Scale Spitfire, SAS Wildthing, Dream flight Alula, Mini Q glider, balsa-built Riot, an electric glider and a drone.

Although footfall was low early morning it improved as the day progressed. There was some interest shown in the flight simulator by the younger element of the crowd and several ex-flyers came to the stand to reminisce about their flying history. During the afternoon interest picked up as the footfall increased. Several BMFA and club leaflets were handed out during the day to potential members.

In summary, a very good day but the weekend might be much better as more younger adults will be attending the show. Both Rob and I managed to get sunburnt, and we enjoyed eating out that included a bacon roll for breakfast followed by an Angus cheeseburger for lunch while watching the show jumping in the main arena. I must admit probably not the healthiest of diets.

My first post from the beautiful valleys of Wales - A perfect flying day in June

Hello all.

Just when you thought you had got rid off me and that's the last you would ever here from me again, I am back flying and sharing the love of RC glider flying.

For those that don't know I have left the sunny climbs of Sussex and moved to a lovely house near Swansea. I'm about an hour away from both 'The Bwlch' and a little nearer to Rhossili. Best of all I'm under an hour away from my old mate Ian Ashdown who lives near Llandovery.

Well I met up with Ian yesterday on a gloriously sunny day but with a SE - E wind which just like in Sussex it isn't the best wind direction for slope soaring. So Ian suggested a slope near Lampeter that he had not flown from so off we trotted to go slope hunting. It  involved some very narrow country lanes but we were greeted with a really nice open slope with parking and the most amazing view for probably 40 miles or so.

We didn't take many models with Ian bringing along hos scratch built 1981 design Boomerang and his NAN Shadow and I had my trusty old steed, the Ascot.

Below are a number of videos that we took from my phone that hopefully will give you a good taste of the amazing flying opportunities in Wales and the fantastic vista's up here.

Ian's Scratch built Boomerang

After the slope fun had finished we drove back to Ian's smallholding and enjoyed some DLG flying from his field and in a not to favorable wind conditions we both managed to climb away for some more flying to cap off a most wonderful days flying here in Wales. 

Beautiful Beeding Bowl – Thursday 19 May 2022

After a night of electrical storms and rain showers I awoke to a very dull and dreary morning. Checking my weather App, it showed that the weather system was moving away fast. Come midday the weather was glorious, clear blue skies and nice and sunny with a good wind.

I met Kevin M on the slope who was already getting ready to fly. Today he had his SAS Wildthing, Let 13 and an FMS Easy Trainer. I as usual took my SAS Wildthing. I was also there to meet a potential member called George. Flying commenced and I must admit the weather and flying conditions were fantastic. Probably the best days flying so far this year. Hardly any non-involved persons to consider and ample lift. Personally, I have not flown for a while and was a bit rusty. This resulted in me going back to far and landing out in the field behind.

Robin A turned up with his scratch-built wing and his red and yellow Micro Lunak. This glider is truly amazing, seems to be able to fly in any wind conditions. However, after a great flight Robin managed to park the glider in a bush. I don’t feel so bad now as Robin, who I consider a most experienced flyer ended up in a bush which for me is a regular event, even today. Kevin flew his Let 13 very well on several occasions including having some excellent landings. However, he managed to damage the Let 13 upon a landing, nothing a tube of glue won’t fix.

In summary, a fantastic flying day. I had some excellent landings as did Robin. Poor old Kevin returned home with some damaged gliders, but he enjoyed the day and will be ready for our next outing. I would like to thank both Kevin and Robin for their company this afternoon, I enjoyed the afternoon immensely.

Glider Identification Required

Hello all, I have had a request from a fellow flyer who is trying to indentify a model glider. Below is a description of the glider and I have attached a number of photographs. He is also looking for any information regarding the initial set up. Many thanks Tony. Looks like a thermal rather than slope but as I’m keen to get into slope soaring I thought it would be a good starting point in very light winds. It has a fibreglass fuselage and built up under cambered wings the tips appear to be thin ABS plastic Its measurements are more akin to inches rather than metric so could be quite old. It also has 2 snake outers glued in fuselage that serve the v tail. Its 6’ wingspan 3’ fuselage. The wing chord is 7 and half inch at root tapering to 5 and a quarter inch at tip. The wing is polyhedral and the purple section has the control surfaces so should I use these as ailerons and set the tail up as elevator only or conventional v tail and wing flaps ( I’ve read differing info using ailerons on polyhedral wing ). The inside of the canopy has a logo ‘KMK Model’ that I’ve googled but so far no luck. Hoping someone recognises the glider and can give advice on initial setup. Thanking you again for any info. Best Regards John