Beeding Bowl - Sunday 17th December 2023.

As I get older I find it more and more difficult to get the motivation to get out of bed and go slope soaring, especially on a cold, damp Sunday morning in mid December. Roll on next year's Spring and Summer seasons. The main reason for this morning's outing was for me to meet a potential Club member called Tim who I had arranged to meet up with at Beeding Bowl. He told me that he was an experienced model flyer of electric powered models but has not done any sloping for some time. So with that in mind it was up and out, today was most certainly a "layers" day regarding the winter clothing.

Group Photograph

I was the last to arrive at the slope, I was surprised that such a large number of Club members had turned up. In total, gathered around the windsock were eight fellow flyers plus me. This equates to almost a quarter of the Club. An awesome turn out on a fairly dismal day.

Aviation was being committed by Club members who, all to a man were struggling with the atmospheric conditions. I was quickly briefed not to fly over the left hand side of the bowl and to fly high. Launching my model into the air I noticed what they meant about the conditions. The windsock showed that the breeze was on the slope but the lift was most marginal and at times the models just dropped out of the air. This happened to some of our most experienced model flyers so I did not feel too bad when it happened to me. Looking out towards Lancing College all I could see were grey clouds, at least it remained dry for our session this morning. It was good to see so many of our regular flyers out but also some of our newer members were on the slope. This included Mike H who joined the Club earlier this year in Feb and he brought along his SAS Wildthing to fly. 

Mike H - Wildthing

Our Club Chair and Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) and thoroughly nice bloke, Rob S was present with the Club trainer, again an SAS Wildthing as he was expecting to provide some instruction for Tim. However, Tim only required limited assistance from Rob before he was away with his own Wildthing. All was going well until after landing it was noticed that a control horn was broken rendering the model unfit to fly until repairs are undertaken.

Robin S was flying his rather impressive Chris Foss Phase 5. I have been so impressed by Robin's build that I too have purchased a Phase 5 plan from the legend that is Chris Foss and also acquired a set of CNC cut wing ribs to assist in the building. It's another of my many future projects. Robin's other model for today was a Wildthing.

Phase 5

I think one of the best looking models on display today, including the Phase 5 was the Hawk belonging to Paul H. This aircraft not only looks good on the ground but also flies very well and looks very impressive in the air. He also had a RCRCM Mini Vec but I did not witness that model flying. 

Most of the models today were versions of "Flying Wings" Russel H had two nice models, one being a Wingbat and the other a Xeno. Despites the conditions they both flew very well. 

Wings

Nick V who is a most experienced flyer and I consider him to be my personal instructor flew his Wildthing but he also had a normal looking glider that he called a "Bullet" apparently it looks like a bullet. His other name for it was "Bitza" that means it's a bit of this and a bit of something else.

Nick V's Models

Poor old Kevin M was doing really well until he decided to enter a spot landing competition. The number of competitors was one, just Kevin. The idea of having the landing area right in the middle of the glider park did seem a bit odd. True to form his approach could be described as unusual, faster than probably necessary and his Wildthing went in nose first like a rocket, most impressive. Kevin also brought along his Starlet but that stayed in the protective bags today. This part of the slope will always now be known as "Kevin's Divot"

Kevin M's Models

Impact Point

Kevin's Spot landing site

Another one of our regular flyers is Martin J who flew two models today one being his usual Wildthing and a rather nice Coyote. 

Coyote

As I sit here compiling this entry I can now reflect on the past year, we as a Club have maintained our numbers. A few members last year did not renew their memberships but this year I have had a number of new enquiries regarding Club membership with many of those joining this year. Last month we held our Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Haywards Heath and I was nicely surprised that 37% of Club members attended and many stayed for lunch afterwards. That, I feel is an indication of the way that the members are trying to support the Committee and the Club as a whole. A number of motions were passed that included the election of next year's Committee members and next year's subscription. I myself have assisted a fellow modeler in Melbourne, Australia in obtaining a Chris Foss Phase 5 plan and a Phase 6 kit. Rob S, as usual has been like a dynamo, leading our Club and his involvement with the BMFA SE Area Committee as well as his charity work for prostate cancer. Also, his work with the students at Warden Park School, Cuckfield. Although I am younger than him I do find it at times challenging to keep up with him. Well done Rob. We have flown at many sites across Sussex this past year including, Itford Hill, Devils Dyke, Wolstonbury Hill, Beeding Bowl, Mill Hill, Firle Beacon, Bopeep Hill and the "LongMan". The Club has held a model glider kit auction with half the proceeds going to charity. I was introduced to First Person View (FPV) by Nick V. A flat field training day was held and many members including myself learnt a lot from the more experienced flyers. I arranged a visit to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at Brighton City Airport to discuss model flying at Mill Hill. All in all a very good year but once again the weather was not kind to us but we hope next year will be more favorable.

Something that I have learnt from this mornings activities is that is not all about the flying. It's actually all about a group of like minded "Chaps" with a common interest who are all good friends that can share a joke. Any subject can be discussed and comments made regarding model building and flying techniques can be made by all irrespective of experience and considered answers given in return. I feel privileged to be the Club Secretary of such a small friendly flying club.

On that note, I wish all Club members a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, this also includes all our readers of this blog both within the UK and overseas. 

Happy Landings to you all.

Club AGM - Nov 25th 12:00

 Hi Everyone,
This is an announcement to remind you all that we are holding our Annual General Meeting on Saturday 25th November at 12:00 .
The venue this year will be the Harvester Restaurant, Beechurst Gardens, Butlers Green Road, Haywards Heath, RH16 4BB.
We have booked enough spaces and would encourage all members to consider coming along to participate and to raise any questions or issues with the Committee (please email questions in advance to the  Club Secretary )
The meeting will last 1.5 hours and we will then be staying for lunch after the meeting, but this part is optional for anyone who wants to get away straight after the meeting.

The Club will pay for the 1st round of drinks , but any further drinks or food will be at your own expense.

Rob Stanley (Chair)

 

Saturday Morning 7th October 2023 at Beeding Bowl.

Due to the expected South West wind forecast it was decided to meet up at Beeding Bowl which is situated about 2 miles North of Mill Hill. Rob S the Club Chair was the first to arrive at the slope with the Club trainer and buddy box as we were expecting a potential new club member called Mark to turn up. Rob also had his Coyote glider but unfortunately during the pre-flight checks Rob noticed that the canopy was insecure and did not want to loose it during flight. 

I arrived with my Wildthing and Rob and I spent sometime having a chat while waiting for other club members to arrive. We then decided to go to the ridge and set up the windsock and made a few exploratory flights. Although, there was a stiff breeze coming up the bowl there was not a lot of lift available but the air mass was very smooth indeed. During one of Rob's flights he was accompanied by a rather inquisitive crow that would not leave his Wildthing alone and followed it around the bowl. Fortunately, it must have become bored as it re-joined its flock and moved away.

Rob in Formation with a Crow.

Scotty our Club Treasurer turned up with his Dreamflight Ahi and Weasel. He also admitted to me that in his car he had his Chris Foss Middle Phase which he would like to fly when the conditions were right. Come on Scotty "What could possibly go wrong". Only joking mate.

Scotty's Models.

It was good to see Richard W on the slope today along with a Wildthing and a Chris Foss Phase 6. His Wildthing is equipped with a gyroscope and with his excellent flying ability gave us an impressive display of how to control a Wildthing. Unfortunately, the prevailing condition were not sufficient for his Phase 6 so he re-located down the road to Mill Hill.

Richard's Phase 6.

Rob P was on the slope with his rather nice Ridge Runt. Apparently, according to Rob it weighs a little more than it should. This became evident whilst on finals to land when it just nosed in and had a very heavy landing causing a rather large crack near the nose. Rob said it was a very heavy landing for a very heavy Ridge Runt. I do expect Rob will repair the model in due course.

Despite it being early October it was surprisingly warm with a little breeze. I was surprised to see Nick V approaching the slope just wearing shorts and a tee shirt. Thinking about this later I then remembered that he once worked for the postal service, so probably wears shorts all year round. Nick brought along his Wildthing and another glider which he called "Abit" or something like that. Apparently, it's built from a bit of one glider and a bit of another, so it could be justifiably called a Hybrid.

Nick's "Abit" Glider.

Another Wildthing appeared owned by Martin J, he also brought along his Blob. The non flyers who were at this time standing behind the active flyers noticed that Martin was now attempting to land his Wildthing. We all watched as the model got closer and closer to him before he had to employ some fancy footwork to prevent being taken out by his own glider. The consensus of opinion was that he should be entered into "Strictly" doing the Foxtrot. Well done Martin.

Mike G had thought of everything as he most importantly brought along a chair so he could relax and watch the flying. His model of the day was a rather nice modified Wildthing. He also gave us a really good brief on the maiden flight of his Tony Nijhuis TSR2, which unfortunately ended up in a tree, requiring the services of a Tree Surgeon to facilitate its recovery.

Mike's Modified Wildthing.

As a Club we are very aware of our surroundings and are conscious of the effect that model aircraft can have on passing horses. Once we see riders approaching we either land or position the model as far away as possible. While Rob was allowing Mark to get some stick time some riders appeared and Rob decided to land but the model ended up in a bush. The riders were most appreciative but stated it was not necessary to always land in the bushes.

More Models in the Glider Park.

On the last flight of the day we had a mass launch by the members still on the hill. I followed Scotty's Weasel and unfortunately we had a coming together. Although his battery pack was jettisoned along with the cover he was seen to actively try to control the model despite having no control. Both models landed safely and all part of the Weasel were recovered. I am happy to confirm that the Weasel only suffered superficial damage and Scotty is still friends with me.

My Wildthing and a Club Windsock.

In summary, a rather nice morning's flying with many of our Club members being present. Most members went home with undamaged models but some have repairs to perform before our next outing.

 

Great conditions for PSS at Long Man

 I met Robin Ad at the priory car park at 9.30 and we car shared to park at the usual Long  Man car park as parking is limited.  We also met Paul Hi and the three of us walked up to the slope together.

When we arrived at the slope there were already several fliers from other clubs with their models from various types along with some very good looking PSS models. Robin took his Bugatti and I took my ME163 which Raymond the organiser said he could see what aircraft it was meant to be so it passed the test to participate in the competition. Up to that point I had not realised that it was a competition and Robin and I had inadvertently entered!

The wind was pretty much directly onto the slope and slightly stronger than the forecast indicated but generally smooth conditions.

Robin flew first and his model flew very well and although the Bugatti can sometimes be a handful to fly, the conditions suited it well and Robin made it look very scale like.  The flight was ended with a very good landing from Robin towards the left hand side of the bowl on the limited landing area.

I then few my ME163 which I have flown many times however I have never really thought about trying to fly scale rather than flying it as another foam wing.  This was a refreshing change and I really enjoyed the challenge. My flight was ended  with landing by flying across the bowl and then turning into wind at the last second.

We were later visited by Kevin B who took a break from walking the downs.

Robin and I had a most enjoyable morning, good conditions, great flying and a great slope to fly from and nice to see Paul Hi and Kevin B. To top a great morning Robin was awarded second place in the competition and I was awarded third having both been beaten by a Lancaster… well done Robin!

Sunday 10th September 2023 - Flat Earth Society Meeting at the Flat Field.

Once again an amazing number of club members turned out at the flat field site this morning, in fact it was a 1/4 of the entire Club Membership. To be fair the weather was not great, it was very humid with no wind and only the occasional breeze coming through.

Car Park.

Glider Park.

On a personal note, I do not, as yet own an electrically powered thermal glider or a bungee equipped one and I was using this mornings flying as research to what types of gliders are available for a future purchase.

By the time I arrived at the field many of the members where in the process of building and assembling their aircraft. There was a large selection of gliders to look at.

The Club Chair, Rob S took on the role as the Field "Supervisor" for the morning. As an experienced flyer he was able to provide much guidance to the less experienced flyers amongst us, myself included. He was also in charge of bungee launching.

Robin S brought along his Friendly F5J 3.6 meter glider and also his Cirrus Prelude 1 (CPI) 3 meter glider. I consider Robin to be very knowledge regarding gliders and he provided me with some sage advice on the different aspects of powered gliders from thermal types to hot ships. I am now in a far better position to decide which type to choose. My only problem now is that there is too much choice.

Robin S in Full Launch Mode.

Scotty T, was there with his repaired Elektro Junior S glider. Apparently, the previous tail section damage was caused by a faulty servo which melted the foam. He was a little reluctant at first to fly it but with some strong encouragement from Club members he decided to give it a go, under the supervision of Nick V he had an enjoyable flight but erring on the side of caution allowed Nick to land the glider for him.

Scotty T.

Kevin M was flying his Arora with great aplomb until he unfortunately landed out in an adjacent field. However, recovery was not that easy as Kevin disappeared behind the hedge row. Rob S remained in mobile phone contact with him and soon Kevin reported that the first obstacle to negotiate was a rather large, water filled ditch with a barbed wire fence on the other side of the ditch, then mobile phone communication was lost. Rob was concerned that Kevin had come to some harm and asked if I would  try to find him. Fortunately for us, his model glider was still visible to us looking on, so we could guess which route he might have taken. I followed Kevin's route and came across the aforementioned ditch and walked a bit further along the path. At this point I noticed Kevin had managed to get himself on to the other side of the ditch. After a cheery wave I returned to the flying field and reported back to Rob that I had seen Kevin and all is well. Further phone calls and lots of arm waving to Kevin giving him directions resulted in him recovering his model. A couple of interesting points were noticed during this event, one was that his orange glider was easy to see and that Kevin was wearing a red club polo shirt which made him very visible to see when he was in the hedgerow.

Kevin M's Glider.

Mark V was flying his Maxa 4 and Joy 2.5 meter glider and was enjoying the day. 2 very distinctive gliders.

Mark V's Gliders.

By the time I arrived Nick V was in the process of assembling a rather nice ASW28 scale glider. He came prepared with a picnic table along with a model aircraft stand, quite the professional aeromodeller. In addition he also had a Twin glider. It was great to have the entire Committee attending the session. I think Nick was a little confused between flights as I saw him fishing. By the size of the reel I dread to think of the size of the fish that he was attempting to catch but I can say he needs "to get a bigger boat". Having said that he Nick was awarded "Fisherman of the day".

ASW28

"I Need a Bigger Boat"

Paul H was at the field before me and had brought along a Phoenix 2400 and an Omei 2000 EP. He too enjoyed the mornings flying. The Phoenix 2400 is on my short list of a possible purchase and it was great to have a look at Paul's, we as a club also have one of these for members to fly.

Phoenix 2400.

Robin Ad, a regular attendee both on the slope and at the field had his Thermik Dream and a nice Malibu Pro DLG. 

Robin Ad's Thermik Dream.

Robin At who is one of our newest members was warmly welcomed by all. Always great to have new members joining us for a mornings flying. He was flying a Radian 2.6 (XL) and a very nice scratch built glider.

Radian 2.6 (XL).

Keith M another new member brought along a Radian Pro, a Thrush 1.6 and an Avia. 

Keith M's Glider Collection.

In summary, a fantastic mornings flying with even better company. All members went home with their undamaged models. High points of the day were Kevin M's recovery of his glider and Nick V discovered a new hobby of fishing for river monsters. He commented to us that "You should have see the one that got away". Now Nick is in the market for a rather large fishing pole that his orange reel can be fitted to and a much bigger boat!! All of us are looking forward to the next Club meeting.

I can also confirm that all Committee members have a Club windsock for use on the slopes.

Our thanks go to Paul H for some video taken on Sunday morning. I believe it was taken by his Phoenix 2400 glider.

Here's a video from Paul's Phoenix

https://photos.onedrive.com/share/DFA8E6216E5B5A7F!7284?cid=DFA8E6216E5B5A7F&resId=DFA8E6216E5B5A7F!7284&authkey=!ABV1wZYXxq3VH-U&ithint=video

 

Club Committee Visit to Brighton City Airport - Air Traffic Services - Sunday 27th Aug 2023.

Nick V and Scott T at Shoreham Airport.

Long before the dreaded Covid -19 pandemic struck I have been trying to arrange for a Club Committee visit to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower at Brighton City Airport formally known as Shoreham Airport. Fortunately, Nick V, Scotty T and I were able to have a tour around the tower and to meet the controllers yesterday afternoon. 

Tony C at Shoreham Airport.

We arrived early and took advantage of having a coffee on the patio of the Hummingbird Café. This gave us the chance to watch the departing light aircraft taking off and some others landing. At the pre determined time we made our way up the stairs to the access door to the tower. I would like to take this opportunity to thank both Bob and Leah who were our hosts for the visit and devoted time during a busy shift to show us around and explain their policies and procedures.

Obviously, one of the main reasons for the visit was to discuss model flying at Mill Hill which is within the Flight Restriction Zone (FRZ) of the airport. Adhering to current legislation we must make contact with ATC and politely inform them of our intentions to fly model aircraft on the hill. They are unable to give us exact permission to do so as they do not own the real estate around Mill Hill and we must also inform them when we have finished flying for the day. Their telephone number is: 01273 467377.

The controllers are very happy with the way that this telephone system works and both sides see no reason to change the protocols currently in place. They did ask for our Club's contact details so if a issue does arise in the future they would be able to talk to someone.  It has been decided that both the Club Chair, Rob S and I as Club Secretary would become the Point of Contact (POC) for our Club.

View of Mill Hill.

It was explained to us how the process works once we have informed ATC of our presence at Mill Hill. They have a pre-prepared "Flight Strip" which they place on the desk in front of them. This is used as an aide-memoir to remind incoming aircraft that we are actively flying model aircraft on the hill. When we inform them that flying has ceased for the day the "Flight Strip" is taken off the desk and stored until it is next needed. Please see the photograph below.  

Flight Strip used in the tower.

The controllers with the use of binoculars have very good visibility of us on the hill. Leah mentioned that when the sun catches the wings of our bigger models this can be clearly seen from the tower. I attach a few photographs that I took from the tower yesterday. For us it was a strange experience looking at Mill Hill rather than looking at the airport. From this vantage point Mill Hill looks a lot closer than the Airport does the other way around.

View from the tower.

We asked a question regarding the circuit pattern used by aircraft arriving into the airport from the North and the East. It was explained that aircraft using runway 20 established on an instrument approach would follow the line of the valley from the North, consequently this keeps a good degree of separation from us on the hill. However, aircraft in the left hand visual circuit, again using runway 20 would follow the published pattern that takes them slightly North of the car park on finals to land. Please see the diagram below.

Circuit pattern for runway 20.

Another question that we asked was about the height that we are permitted to fly at Mill Hill. Again we were shown a National Air Traffic Service (NATS) document which is widely available to all aircrew and pilots who intend to fly into Brighton City Airport. It is basically a set of briefing notes to make the pilot aware of important factors before arriving in the circuit, such as noise abatement areas and restricted areas not to overfly. If you look at item (d) on the list below it warns the pilot that "Caution, model aircraft fly adjacent to Runway 20 approach on the hills at approximately 1 NM from the threshold up to 450FT AMSL". 

This means that full scale aircraft will be in the circuit above us. As a rule of thumb the Mill Hill car park is around 280 feet above sea level lets say for ease 300 feet. Lets take off another 50 feet for a margin of error for us modelers and we have only 100 feet or so above us before we could infringe this height limit that is set by ATC. If the direction from ATC is not to fly above the tree line, that is what we must adhere to so that we maintain flight safety at all times. If at any time you witness any model flyer contravening this height limit either being a Club member or not please do explain to them the regulations that are in place on the hill.

The bottom line is you must not fly above 450 feet above sea level.

Warnings for Brighton City Airport (see item d).

The visit lasted about an hour and I for one found it very informative and constructive and to further the relationship between our Club and the controllers at the airport. At no time did we get the impression that our presence on Mill Hill was a burden or a hindrance to the staff in the tower.

As an aside I have now also managed to hand out two further Club windsocks. This makes three Committee members who are in possession of such. Two further issues will be made as soon as I meet up with Rob S and Kevin M. This should cover most of our flying events. 

In summary, a great afternoon in the tower and we found it extremely informative and constructive. 

 

Another Good Club Turn out at Beeding Bowl - 23 July 23

Due to the prevailing wind direction Beeding Bowl was selected as this morning's flying site. The weather forecast was not great with rain showers expected early on but getting brighter later in the morning. 

Beeding Bowl

By the time I arrived Rob S (Club Chair) was already out flying but quickly return to the comfort of his car as another rain shower came across the slope. Once this passed I joined Rob back out on the hill. Looking towards the west more heavy dark grey clouds were approaching. Rob was flying the Club trainer and I as usual brought along my Wildthing.

My Wildthing With the Mk2 Windsock

Mike G was next to arrive with his modified Wildthing and a rather natty camping chair due to the weather conditions he decided not to fly his model. Mike H brought his Venom but enjoyed some instruction from Rob using the Club trainer.

Mike G's Modified Wildthing.

Richard W produced a number of aircraft this morning including a rather nice Kulbutin, a Phase 6 and a Wildthing - they all have a gyro fitted. Robin S attended with his Aztec and also provided some instruction using a Wildthing.

Richard Just About to Launch.

Robin's Aztec

Just as the early arrivers were about to leave for lunch Paul H turned up. Apparently, a road he uses to get to Beeding Bowl was closed so he had to circumnavigate most of West Sussex to be able to join us, well done Paul for his perseverance. By the time we departed we had blue skies and the wind had settled to a steady 18-20mph.

Another reason for this morning was to meet up with a potential club member which then turned out to be 2 potential members, welcome to Robin and Ian.

In summary, 7 club members were out flying this morning. My thanks go to them all for their excellent company this morning and I am looking forward to getting out again soon.