Not my building- yet but the molds for my smaller 'Falcon' model are finally ready and I hope going into use for the prototype. It does feel at this has taken a while through the winter months but I'm sure it will be worth it.
You know that I'll post some pictures as soon as the first wings are pulled out of these but for now.....
It's always great to see different colour schemes chosen for Models. Juan has sent a couple of pictures of his Harrier, after safely arriving in South America. While he's waiting for the radio gear to arrive I know that the model has been well looked over by a very happy flyer. Some crisp molding!
I' not sure how your lock down projects are coming on but mine has been slower than I hoped. The Harrier has proved to be popular and the winter cold for making molds. Its been great to hear about the other Harriers being built in various workshops- but I want my own toy to build now!
All good things come to those who wait and the final 2.5m wing negatives have been baking this week. I hope that there will be a model to show in the next week or 2, in the mean time....
Driving up to the slope for a Boxing Day morning thrash, you can't avoid the reflections on 2020. Just heading out at all on Boxing Day made me realise how much more motivated I am to fly at the moment. Being part of the Harrier's development has certainly re-ignited my passion for flying.
The tail is one of the most obvious places where the Harrier has developed compared to previous models. Both enclosed horns but also the thick wing section that delivers powerful and positive control.
Around 6 months after I started to fly my first Pike WR I realised that it had been the only model I had flown- simply because in just about every condition I flew in, it was my best model. The Harrier feels like it has repeated this process 20 years later. I don't think I can remember the last time I flew my Willow SOR, Opus XL or trusty Merlin (watch out for a few models for sale)
The Harrier has achieved its design goal of being fast and the most fun to fly of any model I can remember.
More time on the slopes has been a great opportunity to chat with some old friends and make new ones- in 2020 that's not a bad achievement!
No company today but my first mission was to maiden the combination of the first prototype wings and a production fuselage and tail. These are getting less and less eventful as my settings become more set. With a good (cold) breeze blowing she had 600g of ballast in to start with, this soon felt light but it was fun to see the different turn styles that work with a lighter model- you never know when you might get a thermal come through on a light wind comp day.
Each flight was always longer than planned- I was just having too much fun, either playing with racing turns or just throwing her about and trying to bend those wings at the bottom of dives. I'm not sure what the near future holds for racing, after 20 years of racing I have to admit to having twitchy fingers in wanting to get a few races done and see what the Harrier can do for a race rusty me!
The Harrier has not come close to biting or flicking. Leaving the hill I had that happy feeling again you get from a really good session. I can't wait for 2021 to come and get things going again.
After a year like no other, I thought this picture summed things up
Hope to see many of you on the slopes next year!
Amidst a weekend of
mad news it was great to get out and have a few hours on the Slope. It looked like I wasn’t the only one who
thought the same thing, it’s been a long time since I saw so many sports flyers
in the Summer, never mind a chilly December day, the size of the pits made
social distancing easy and the cold wind made face coverings very welcome.
I was continue to take
2 Harriers to the hill and end up only flying 1. Flying the Harrier almost exclusively since June
has made me very familiar with and confident in the Harrier. We did have a go at a video of my flying (in
what turned out to be the worst lift of the day)- Not quite the standard of
those lovely vids from the US and Europe that I seem to spend my time watching.
Ignoring the range of
Baudis Beauties and the always impressive Shinto, it was genuinely great to see
the number of built, rather than assembled models. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen to many
Chris Foss kits- proof that a model design does not stop flying well just
because it is older.
I also got the chance
to see the new Jim Hammond 2.5m model (sorry no pic). An interesting design concept of ‘thin and
pointy’ from fuselage to wing. The owner was certainly happy with the built
quality, which had been flick tested into the hill the last time out. Perhaps I am just used to bigger heavier models
but it did feel light, despite this it covers a good amount of sky. The slightly nervous owner was keeping the
turns wide and sweeping this time out.
It could have been the
car heater but I have a huge smile on my face all the way home.
Piggy backing on an order of my own, I was able to have my first sight of a production Harrier. Boxed up really nicely and arriving in 9 days after shipping through Fed Ex.
At the time of writing,the Fed ex price of a delivery to the UK is around 170USD.
The import cost came to just £28 to clear the box. Bringing the total cost of the model to less than 600gbp to the door. I can't think of better value available.
The Harrier was very nicely packaged.- Much neater that my garage at the moment!
The finish, weight and quality of the model felt excellent. I was able to drop the model off to a very happy flyer on my next day out to Whitesheet.
A cold day on the hill but with my own Harrier feeling more and more familiar it was nice to carve it around in different feeling air.
