Riding a smooth crest

A great chance to fly the crest today. Launching off this slope can be the most difficult part of the experience but I'm on a bit of a mission to force myself to do it.  

  I've put a wyvern together that was a paint seconds to partly convince myself that hitting the slope on launching wouldn't be too bad. The problem I have is that this Wyvern is flying so nicely. I'm confident that although I'll do some experiments through the winter I have some stock settings that feel very easy. A CG slightly forward and reduced flap waffling is providing a great model.

  In my thumbs the Wyvern's set up seems to push me towards 3 settings.

 1 sport flying where the aim is to do everything as quickly and sharply as possible, often at the expense of raw speed

2, my version of f3f practice, where it seems easy to spot where the bases should be and smoothly carry what feels like loads of speed around smooth turns.

3, at a race, I aim for state 2 but seem so tempted to turn things up to get sport turning.

  Today, state 2 felt very, very easy to fly!

Saker with 2nds paint job

I've been contacted to let me know that there's is a double carbon saker with a seconds hinge line cut. There are no structural or mechanical issues but the standards set now means this model is available for £700.

The wyverns make everything better!

  It might not have been the strongest lift but there is something special about a day with nothing more to think about but the lift coming through and the settings on the model.

 The wyvern is a model that flys big lift with low ballast better than any other model I have flown. Being able to fly though the weaker air in between the thermals and rip up the edge is just great.

  Going to Wales to fly is a luxury but it does mean that I wasn't returning to my bag to clean the mess of a club members Jack Russel between flights.

Another Wyvern flying

 

  The weekend didn't have much wind but there was enough to get another Wyvern maidened.  Fellow F3F pilot Graeme was the happy pilot.  Being happy with the fit annd finish is one thing (he is) but seeing a pilot with a huge smile on his face as he flys one of your models is a fantastic feeling.

  It wasn't long before he was picking up thermal lift and converting that to screaming passes and square loops.  A fun day in very light conditions.

Not alone on the crest!

 Being able to slip away for a short notice thrash on the crest is definitely a luxury.  What I wasn't expecting was to bump into fellow flier William and his Freestyler.

 Although the wind never really got up, there was enough for fun between the thermals when the fun really started!

 As William got to grips with the Freestyler I was putting my Wyvern through it's paces in the compression. I think we were both concentrating more than a day at work!

Time on the slopes

 The last few weeks have seen me spending much more time on the slopes than usual. The Wyvern showed just how competitive it was at the Welsh open, especially on those days when the times are in the 40-50 second ranges. Faster than this and my thumbs let me down.

  Today was on the VR98 slope, beautiful sunshine out with the slopedogs- what's not to like. The lighter weight wings on the Wyvern has allowed me to reduce the aileron to flap mix and maintain roll rate. 

What a day on the Crest!

 

  I seem to have made a habit of catching the good lift on the day before comps this year.  With 2 weeks to go to the Welsh open, the chance of a day on the Crest was just too good to resist.  My first model to launch was the original Wyvern, I had intended to switch to the Saker once I had some help launching.  I started off without much ballast in the Wyvern but as my confidence in the air increased I added more weight.

  The Wyvern felt so stable and consistent in the air.  I found myself coming closer and closer to the edge into the compression and hearing the wing come through the strongest lift as the energy built.  It really should not have been so easy to be ripping up the slope like this! It felt a simple process to keep on carving all day.

  Les and Andy were flying their new MambaS models and were having just as much fun, as was Mike Evans and his freestyler but it was the carving style of the Mamba that really caught my eye!

  Great day and good to know that the models can go that fast before my thumbs become my downfall on race day!