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.