A Spitfire over Firle Beacon - 31 March 2022

Arriving at the car park at Firle Beacon this morning I noticed that it was extremely cold and blustery. For those who use the W3W App the code for the car park is: Sounding,Party,Enough. My in-car temperature gauge showed only 2 degrees, what a difference from the nice weather experienced last Sunday at Wolstonbury Hill. I headed Eastwards to our usual launching spot and found Mark J, Scott T and Martin L already assembled and very cold. Mark had brought along his Cambrian Fun Fighter Spitfire which has been converted to PSS, more of the Spitfire later. He had also brought his Pzazz Mk2 glider for it’s maiden flight. Scotty had his trusty SAS Wildthing plus his Me163 Komet whilst Martin had come along to take photographs and get back into slope soaring after some time away. I of course had my SAS Wildthing.

Without doubt the star of the day was Mark’s Spitfire not only did it look amazing on the ground but it’s performance in the air was outstanding. Mark is our club’s 3D printing expert and so he had printed out a pilot and instrument panel along with realistic exhaust stacks.

Mark also flew the Pzazz but the conditions were not ideal as the air was extremely turbulent. Both Scotty and I managed to get our Wildthings away but we both had to really concentrate, and the landings were most challenging. The constant wind speed was about 21 mph plus gusts which caused me a major problem when trying to launch. After 3 failed attempts, which only resulted in the model flying backwards heading for the channel and France at a great rate of knots, I decided to call it a day. I think due to the cold and the high wind speed the others had the same thoughts. As we were packing up Robin A walked past. He was enjoying a walk and decided to come over and have a chat. Heading back to the car park we only just made it before the sleet and rain started. In Summary, a very cold and blustery morning but watching Mark’s Spitfire perform overhead warmed our hearts and we all had a good time. Hope for kinder weather for our next outing.

Sunday 27th March 2022 - Wolstonbury Hill Again due to the Wind Direction.

Upon leaving home yesterday for the slope it was a nice warm and sunny morning with clear skies, despite the clocks going forward. However, arriving at the Wolstonbury Hill lay-by it was a different story. Parking was tight as expected but it was also very cold, and the hill was covered in fog. I met Rob S, Martin J, and Kevin M and we started up the slope through the woods. For those who use the W3W App: Learns.Punctured.Tiger will get you to the lay-by. Initially, the wind was slight, Rob S confirmed this to be 13-14 mph, so just enough to keep Wildthings in the air. Models available for flying yesterday were: My Dream Flight Ahi and a Wildthing, Rob S brought along his Coyote, Martin J had his Eclipse, Kevin M his Wildthing and a Let 13.

As the morning progressed the sun finally came out and it ended up a very pleasant day, almost negating the need for a coat. I continued to practice my landings and comments were made by the group that I was doing more flying behind me rather than in front over the slope. Practice makes perfect, I do hope!! I did managed to detach the fin but stuck it back on to continue.

Once again for those who use W3W App: Banter.Asteroid.Comforted will take you to the top of the slope. We were joined by Scott T with his Wildthing and a Weasel, he has been very busy recently and it was very good to see him out on the slope again. After a few flights he was back in the swing and enjoying the day. He really enjoyed the morning’s flying without incident. Martin J experienced what he called a heavy launch, meaning straight after launching the model struck the ground and the wing detached from the fuselage. Minor damage was caused but the glider was unflyable.

Gordon S and Kevin B arrived on the slope. Gordon brought his own Wildthing and Kevin B had a drastically modified Middle Phase. Poor Kevin M suffered a loss of lift and his Wildthing disappeared out of sight down the slope. Getting closer to the edge of the slope the model could be seen on top of a tree surrounded by brambles and gorse. Off he went to recover his model with help from Rob and Kevin B,  some time later a rather bloodied Kevin re-appeared with his Wildthing. Luckily, he had some plasters with him to stop the bleeding to his fingers. Not many of us can say that they have bled for their hobby. Not long after I experienced the same fate as my Wildthing fell out of the sky. Down the slope I went and found my glider sitting on top of some brambles, this is the first time in a few years that I have had to recover a model from the bottom of a slope.

Up flying again with 4 Wildthings, Kevin M decided to crash into my glider, but no damage was done to either model. Gordon S was flying his own Wildthing rather than the Club Trainer this time under the supervision of Rob S. Conditions by now had greatly improved and Gordon was doing rather well. It is expected that Gordon S will only need a few more supervised sessions with Rob S before being assessed as fit to fly solo. Well done, Gordon, not long now before you will be flying on your own.

Kevin B had an exceptionally good flight, I say flight because his modified Middle Phase only flew once and landed on one of the many “Tussocks” and caused some damage to the tail feathers. The grassy knoll will always be known as “Kevin’s Tussock”.

In Summary, once again a great morning of model flying despite the gloomy start. 7 club members took part in the morning’s activities and as usual they were all great company.

Skylarks over Wolstonbury Hill – Sunday 20 March 2022

Probably the warmest day of the year so far, one could be forgiven for believing that Spring had already sprung. Kevin M, Nick V and I met at the lay by at the far end of the lane. We found the going a bit tough as the path through the wood was still rather muddy and several trees had come down during the recent storms. Once out of the wooded area and now with visibility of the top of the hill we could see a lone flyer enjoying the Spring sunshine. After a good 20 minutes of walking, we arrived at the top and discovered that the lone flyer was indeed our own Robin A with his 1.9 M Mefisto, this being his local slope to fly from. Obviously, the conditions were flyable. However, when Kevin and I tried to get our SAS Wildthings aloft but we found that the 10 MPH wind was not sufficient to keep them in the air and after launching they just flopped back down to earth.

Not to be discouraged by this I had brought along my Dream Flight Ahi and Kevin had his converted Lidl’s chuck glider. Nick V had brought his Middle Phase and a Tiny Seagull glider. The conditions were perfect for the Tiny Seagull which performed as well as Robin’s Mefisto. Poor old Kevin’s Lidl’s glider suffered some damage, and we understand that some carbon rods may be required.

Nick V’s Middle Phase did not fly as the conditions were marginal at the very least and Robin has some success with his Micro Lunak which still continues to impress. I was doing well with the Ahi performing several good landings and once landing in Sheep Poo.

All went well until I landed nose first and cracked the fuselage side, nothing that a tube of glue will not fix. With some damaged models we decided to return home for lunch. On way down the hill we were accompanied by the delightful sound of the Skylarks flying above us.

In Summary, a really nice day with even better company. However, some repairs to be undertaken before the next outing.

Re-location of 2 Outstanding Members of Slope Soaring Sussex to Wales

I am sure that I speak for the entire membership of Slope Soaring Sussex. I would like to say a big thank you to Paul H who is re-locating to Wales next month. Since 2014 he has given outstanding service to the Club. He was a co-founder and has steered the Club through his leadership to what it is today with over 40 members. Paul was responsible for training, organizing most of the flying and almost all of the Blog content and videos. Paul's contribution cannot be understated therefore for his outstanding contribution to the Club he has been awarded Lifetime Honorary Member Status by the Club Committee. We all wish him and his family all the very best for their new future in Wales and we are all looking forward to a flying visit to Wales sometime in the future.

Although Ian A re-located sometime ago to Wales his outstanding service to the Club must not go unrecognised. Ian joined the Club a little later after it was formed but his contribution was again a very valuable one. Ian was a club instructor and the "Safety Officer", responsible for ensuring good flying practices at all times. Ian was very patient as an instructor and helped many of us improve our flying skills as did Paul. The Committee unanimously endorsed the motion to make Ian a Lifetime Honorary Member for his outstanding contribution to the Club.

Once again we as a club wish Paul and Ian and their families all the very best for the future. See you guys soon.

Lost / Found Glider - Colley Hill

There is a radio controlled glider standing against the fence alongside the North Downs Way at Colley Hill. It looks as if it was removed from private land and placed there in the last day or so. I have no other information.

Rob in Australia

This is a message to Rob in Australia regarding a Chris Foss Phase 6. Can you please contact me directly using my e-mail details so that I can reply to your question? My details can be found in the “Join our Club” section, under Club Secretary Tony Crawford. Many thanks.

With a Northerly blow it must be Firle Beacon - Saturday 5th March 2022

A small number of sturdy, well wrapped up club members ventured out to Firle Beacon yesterday morning. With a Northerly wind in early March it comes with the chill, and I can confirm that it was very cold on top of the slope. 

I met Rob S and Gordon S who had arrived earlier and had already completed several training flights, Gordon S managed to get some good stick time yesterday in challenging weather conditions and he continues to improve and gain confidence in handling the Club SAS Wildthing. We all look forward to seeing him flying his own models soon. 

Also present was Kevin M who had brought along his Let 13 and Wildthing. The wind was a lot stronger than we had expected so it was not appropriate for his Let 13 or indeed my Dream Flight Ahi. I had also brought along my Wildthing to practice even more landings. 

One of the reasons for this morning’s outing was to meet several potential members who had contacted me recently expressing an interest in slope soaring. I am pleased to say that they made the effort to attend despite the very cold conditions, I did point out that flying off Firle Beacon on a summer’s day is one of the most pleasurable experiences to be had. Better weather to come. 

We were pleased to see Graham H again with his son on the slope yesterday and several other potential club members such as Paul H with his Chris Foss Middle Phase, unfortunately today’s weather conditions were not ideal for flight. 

Nick V had a Wildthing and a Middle Phase, as our instructor/club chair was busy with another potential club member I supervised Nick for his initial flight with his SAS Wildthing and as expected he was more than capable of handling an RC glider and was deemed to be able to fly solo. Later in the day he managed to park his Middle Phase into a rather nice bush on landing. 

Roger L brought along a flying wing which needs some attention, Rob S tried to trim the aircraft with some difficulty. However, it did get airborn and proved to be a real twitchy handful, so it needs more expo and the C of G moving forward. More work required before its next flight. 

Charlie, a friend of Nick V brought along a very nice glider however, during his pre-flight checks noticed a flutter of a control surface and rightly decided not to fly on safety grounds. 

I did manage to have several good landings; all credit goes to Rob S for his past instruction. 

Poor Kevin’s Wildthing experienced a loose fin once again but with extra tape was flyable, he will be reviewing the fixings before next flight. 

In summary, a very cold day but I would like to thank all club members for attending and I would also like to say a big thank you to all the potential club members who braved the cold and politely listened to me droning on about how the Club functions.