Stormy maiden

 Nope, not a row at home but between the current storms the new Saker I have just completed was taken out.  Stiff, strong and stable the Saker was soon scooting round the sky.  A few landings and tweaks were made and indeed more ballast progressively added.  I think the production Sakers are around 300g lighter than the first one- this is the weight of one of the ballast slugs I use.

  The one other pilota daft enough to be out commented on just how set the Saker looks in the air.

  A shower forced me back to the car and the opportunity to change to a loaded Falcon- well you have to have some fun don't you!  

  Too cold and wet for pictures but a huge smile on my way home and that's definitely a great way to ed the year.  Home to see you on a slope on 2023!

Last thrash before christmas

  Between the showers the chance to get out and thrash the falcon was not going to be turned down.

  I've been playing with different CG settings in different conditions. By replacing the front slug and and block as bellow- this made a positive difference to EM style turns in the 10-13mps conditions. Have a play yourself. 

  Slope dog andd me have probably had more time on slopes this year than recent years- I'm pretty sure she's still enjoying it!  Time on the sticks has always brought a smile to my face, the models have been a joy to fly in just about all conditions. 

See you in 2023!

 

Some Winter madness

    For the second time in a month, the race I was hoping to get to was cancelled and I've found myself on the slope flying.  A couple of weeks ago it was on Whitesheet's north slope and yesterday I was with friends on the back of the wrecker.  It s didn't take too long to remember that there's no such thing as bad weather- just the wrong clothing (I really hope Santa brings me some new boots!).

  It was conditions that I would normally head to Mickies and avoid the back of the wrecker- where I have consistently performed badly in races.  As I moved the Saker between different lines on the slope to find the fastest I was really glad that I had taken the plunge and flown.

  Flying with other pilots doing similar runs and aims is always a great opportunity to chat about what is working and everyone get better and faster.  With all the obvious observations that open turns maintained and helped to build speed, the Saker felt as if there was a step at which EM just feels so easy and natural.

  Walking across snow covers grass is never fun and my landings left something to be desired, twice I managed too spear the Saker into the ground with some very positive approaches.  Each time there was no more damage than wiping away the dirt.

  A cold but fun day with some excellent company.

 

A tail of 2 AGMs

In recent years I have become involved with a number of different clubs.  As I sat through my second AGM of the month it occurred to me what fundamentally different attitudes prevailed between the clubs. 

  One club reported a growing membership, recognition in the community and a number of notable successes, the other most certainly did not.  One was a flying club the other not.

  As I entered the flying club AGM I was created with a room dominated with a homogenous group of older white men, I am still not clear who the committee even was. The topics were discussed in an echo chamber of almost identical views and narrow outlooks.  I was left with the impression that any variance from 'this is what we do and everyone else is wrong' was instantly frowned upon.

  The second AGM was for my son’s old cricket club.  At first glance, the chair and most of the committee was at least as old as that of the flying club.  My own mounting age helps me to fit in nicely!  The membership present was from diverse backgrounds who were certainly there to help move the club in a direction that would help them.  But the diversity brought a broad knowledge base, understanding and energy.  It was clear that the focus of the meeting was outward and future looking.  New coaches and volunteer's ideas were being celebrated and at no point was one form of cricket pitched against another. 

  One very noticeable difference struck me as the cricket club discussed what fixtures could be moved or modified to fit in a number of matches and open days with local schools.  Listening to modified versions of the game that could be used to engage younger prospective members and allow them room for games on the outfield.

  A week earlier I had sat through a bunch of old men saying how they and only their category of flying should have sole use of the slope for half the weekends on the year.  If a young or new pilot wanted to start the sport or join the club- they would have to do it around them.   The feeling of stagnation and a slowly dying club was un miss able.

  The point of my ramblings is not to criticise or eulogise any individuals but to pose a question of how to help our sport to grow.   Growth in participation I would suggest is key to both keeping the sport in a healthy place as well as those who will become competitive pilots.

  On a small scale I don’t think it can be too great a shock that the numbers of new pilots flying EPP60inch or F3F seems to have been at it’s peak when the race coverage in general modelling magazines was also at its peak.

  My own history as sloperacer includes developing and financially supporting the champion of champions race, to encourage top level competition.

  With Willow racing I have have a mission to produce sport and race models at a cost far lower than just about anyone else. The latter to tackle what I perceive as a cost barrier to high performance models. 

  You might not think that these things have helped anyone but the challenge is for everyone to have an open, outward looking attitude.  Be inclusive, welcoming and willing to look outside your own slope.  You may well end up with more flying mates as a result.

  I love flying and the emotions is generates in me,  I would love to have the problem of too many other pilots on the slope and having to fit in around them.  There are a number of barriers to new pilots taking up our sport but putting new ones in the way seems madness. 

  Now to get up a hill and fly!

The Falcon is just too much fun!

  No real prizes for the picture again today.  The plan was to get some good air time with the Saker- a model that I have been enjoying for the last few weeks.  But after the rain interruption cleared, the Falcon looked to be an easy option to fly and get back to the car quickly if the rain came again.  With the few other pilots on the slope today heading home for a warm drink I held out for 10 more minutes.  Wow was it worth it.

  With the wind good and smooth patches coming as the clouds cleared, the Falcon just ripped the sky up.  I've taken to experimenting with having a setting for snap-flap driven quick 'pinging' turns and a setting for the more open turns to carry the high speeds through.  Safe to say in less than perfect conditions, the open turns were just so much fun today.

  In terms of any practice or specific things to focus on, today was a wash out.  But for sheer fun screaming around the sky- it was great!

  Now here's a  thought, can we have a 100" F3F class?

 

First storm flying of winter

   After soaking up the last warm days of the summer, this weekend it was time for the first rain dodging storm flying of the winter.  There's a certain mad pleasure in being on a hill whilst you see different showers rolling in and experience the powerful drafts which blow through. 

  Launching your model in these conditions can be tricky to physically man handle but also mentally choosing to throw you off into these conditions.  The Saker rewarded me with its predictability and when the air came through, pure speed.

  A happy if slightly damp pilot and slope dog!

Production Saker Maiden

 I know I'm excited about a model when I'm working out if there's enough daylight to get to the slope for another flight in a fading breeze. There was, I loved it and here's the picture!

A bit of a Sunday evening dash to test fly the Production Saker, so not time for pictures.  The production model has come out at 300g less than the test model I have been flying and loving.

  Lots of setting up to do but, just as you'd expect, she flys very much like the test model but with a more responsive roll rate.  I'm a very happy lad!  Now to manage a day away in some good conditions to give it a good thrash and some pictures!

Feels like the last day of summer

 I hope I'm wrong but a week after the focus of the Welsh open I joined some club mates thermal hunting in light breezes. Perhaps the last time this year I could be flying without my coat on. 

  After reflecting on the Welsh open I know that I have to get to know the saker better, both with set up but also ballast. It didn't really workout, with ballast being left in bag all day. 

  The Falcon has been a companion to me for so long that I find it so easy to snif out and center on any lift. It's tempting to fly just this model all the time. It's amazing how easy it is to get used to the bigger Saker. A few months of tweaks to come!

Welsh open day 1

 Just on the way down from the hill after day 1 of this year's Welsh open.  After a wet morning, racing was started on mickies. With the wind in an awkward direction it was always going to be a day of wide ranging times and grumbling pilots. 

  I'm sure when the leader board is published there will be some surprising placings.  I've been very happy with the way my Saker has flown all day. Even as round 3 petered out and the wind swung so far off the slope, I felt confident in the model. 

  A well run, top day on the slopes with some good mate- what's not to like?

Bounce crest tested!

 After watching Greg putting the saker through its paces last weekend I couldn't wait to tweak the Saker and get it going my self. An easterly makes the Crest an obvious and ballistic slope option. It also means that as the wind picks up the rotor and landing conditions can get a handful. 

  As a setting test the Crest is a tough one, the Maker's in built benign qualities and abilities means that she went fast and when a thermal picked up- very very fast!  Although very different to the Falcon the Saker was so easy to pump bigger and bigger reversals- the wings and joiner were definitely stress tested.   Some less than perfect landings also tested the wing tips!

  I'm loving this Saker and cant wait for the first production models to arrive. Just my thumbs slowing it down!

English Open part 1 and Saker thrashing

   After a fun time at day1 of the English Open my Falcon was sitting in 9th place. Dad taxi duty clashing with day 2 means I have to thank the organisers for a really fun time in some variable and challenging conditions.  I'll post some reflections after a night's sleep.

  But the end of the day had the biggest buz for me as I handed the controls of my the hot off the bench Saker to Greg Dakin to have a thrash with- turns out it is my thumbs slowing the models down!  great to see it put through it's paces.  Even with a very green set up the pace and Handling had Greg happy.

Golden maiden!

   One of the best parts of being involved with developing models is getting be the first to fly them. Once you having them flying I love solving the problem of setting up a fresh model. But to get to that stage- the first flight!

  Today was the first day I've had all the Saker component parts together and flying. CG calculations were about right, although I'd overdone the elevator throws. Still she flew better than expected as a 3m f3f model. 

  After numerous flights through the afternoon, tweaking balance and throws each flight got better and better. 

  The new fuselage design has the Saker tracking and turning really well- feels like the best I've had but this is completely subjective. 

  So adding ballast and lots of thrashing around the slopes for the next few weeks and months to get the saker sorted- so much fun!

All set for testing

 It's only been a few days since the new saker fuselage and tail arrived. Saturday saw me on the Crest and loving the Harrier for a day's fun. 

  A few late evenings and the new Saker is about ready to test. The shape of the new fuselage design gives the model a different look to most, even if it's hard to capture on camera. The compound curves in the design have helped to make the fuselage very stiff and strong to handling. 

  3 days driving round from Cornwall to Henley with the kids this week may mean that the maiden could be right before the English open- could be fun!

New Model Milestone

   I've been going on about my new 3m Saker model for some time now.  The first test wings were flown inn the cold depths of winter but I've just received the first pictures of the first fuselage out of the molds.  Some trimming to do but the AFI shaping in the fuselage certainly stands out.  To my eye they look great as well as being an aerodynamic step forward.

  The hope is that the first model will be assembled and maidened before the Welsh Open, that could have a Saker and Falcon combination for the first time.

Some ramblings on F3F participation

 

    There are now probably more competitive soaring classes than at any time and more than I can think to count.  The recent exchange of views on BARCS forum regarding F5B spurred me to actually look at the recent history of the class that I fly in-F3F and the 20 years that my own racing spans seems a reasonable time span.

  As it helps my own mind I drew a picture.  BMFA summer league only.

To define a few terms-

·         BMFA summer league only.

·         Competitors- are the list of different pilots per year regardless of how many races.

·         A new competitor- a name I couldn’t find on the list of pilots to date each year.

·         Events, generally 1+ the number of races that the league is based on.  I know there was a 1 day/ 2 day event thing or a couple of years but it’s dam close.

·         Since 2002 I found 183 different pilot’s names have been listed.

 One of the most interesting numbers I think is the number of new competitors each year.  Although there is undoubtedly a hard core of competitors, life happens and even these guys move away eventually, they may also come back again a few years later.  My own experience is that flying performance is inversely related to the time spent bringing up kids. To even maintain the numbers and freshen up the competition, new blood is needed.

  The number of new pilots each year were at their highest between 2007-2012.  These years coincide with 2 external factors

• The noughties were the decade where EPP 60 inch racing took place.  Introducing pilots to racing, race weekends and F3F race models.
• This years also had a large amount of written press coverage, when we bought magazines these would often as not have articles about racing, new models and some chat.

  As I reviewed the results archives the years with some of the largest numbers of new pilots include those years when there was a proliferation of regional winter leagues- all helping to make F3F accessible.   

  At this point pre entry was introduced to make the life of competition organisers more straight forward and a limit on race entries suggested- A different time!

  Whilst I see slope soaring as one of the purest, simplest and affordable competitive classes I cannot avoid the fact that the price of models has increased significantly.  Taking a Pike Brio in 2005 I would expect to spend around £650.  By 2008 a Freestyler 3 was around £1,000 and now a Pike precision costs £1700- kitted with KST servos rather than HS85s.

  This is not a criticism of Samba or any other manufacturer.  Making models is not a small undertaking and the models of today are a step up in performance and construction.

  This does not mean that a pilot has to spend this amount of money to either have fun flying, racing or to be competitive.  But there often is an impression that you do have to spend this kind of money.  If you do not want to venture into second hand toys new models are available at much lower cost.  My own finishing positions for the last few years have been far more limited by my thumbs than the model I have flow.

  Although I have no commercial involvement with them (and helped by this) the Harrier and Falcon models are available for less than a Sting or Brio of 15 years ago.  As is the Terra from Jonathan Wells.  If you want to build something with veneered foam wings and a glass fuselage these are also available.

  For me, one huge bonus of models such as the Terra and the Falcon is that at 100inches span they are just fun to fly.  However much you want to race you’ll spend more time away from races then racing so you’d better enjoy it.

  The Rules for F3F have been deliberately written to keep them simple to deliver on just about any hill (a horizon is usually available, even in Wales).  With no need for Electric winches, motors, multiple battery packs, altimeters etc costs are quite easily controlled.

  Racing is not for everyone but if we talk about the fun of F3F to those people not involved with it then they are likely to come and have a go.  When new pilots do turn up, make them welcome.  This seems the easy part, as my experience is that this happens already.

A evening out and new model progress

   Between the mid day heat and the near closure of Whitesheet most weekends it's evening flying for me at the moment.  It does make for some lovely photo ops as well as some very relaxed flying as the thermal activity drops away and the air becomes silky smooth.

  The molds for the Saker are also coming on.  You have to love a polished aluminium mold!  Could be my old eyes getting worse but the AFIs in the fuselage give the fuselage an optical illusion look.

Half the Nationals on the VR 98 slope

 

  A blast to get out and race for part of the Nationals on the VR98 slope.  Whilst I just didn’t fly well, being part of a race as fast as that with some good flyers and mates was a blast for the day.  The Falcon was clearly capable my thumbs just weren’t up to it that day.  If F3F was about minimising the damage from pour air and maximising the good air- big old cuts certainly kill the second part of this.  At 100 inches the Falcon was the smallest mode there and still had me smiling all day.

  You have to congratulate the top 3, some seriously good flying.  With such a small field, Mark Treble was able to keep the race going and just about everyone taking their turn on the buzzers- there was even a report of Mike Evans going near a Buzzer- don’t worry it was mistaken identity!

  Looking forward to the next time I can get out!

Day out with slope dog

  My production Falcon had been looking at me for a good few months and so the other- (non moldie) builds were put to one side and my latest Falcon was put together. 

  You know I love the Falcon and I've been flying them more than anything else,  even copying an existing model I wanted to get the set up right. 

  That was enough of an excuse for me to fill up and head to the VR slope. A few tweaks here and there, balancing between elevator, snap-flap and CG as the morning went on.  When the lift comes on the Falcon will go almost despite a poor set up. For getting things right it's those neutral or weak conditions that I find the most useful.  As the heat built and the thermals got stronger, those purple patches were just lightening. 

  That sunshine meant refreshment was needed- for me and my best mate!

 

New Molds after a day in the sun

     This weekend provided a great chance for some light wind sloping and thermalling at the Whitesheet club day.  The day reminded me of just how varied a sport we enjoy.  I didn't get any worthwhile pictures of the array of models on the slope but don't some pilots have a lot of toys!

  I had to force myself to swap between my newly maidened Falcon and my Harrier- 2 models for me in 1 day is about as varied as it gets.  With models like these you do have to be aware of the amount of sky you cover when compared to a R/E thermal ship or middle phase.  I did limit and change my flying away from the edge- but that's not a bad thing.

  I came home to a couple of pictures of the new molds for the 3m 'Saker' model we have been working on.  Its good to start to see a 3d version of the new design and see how some of the design innovations look in the flesh.  Having the fuselage molds made as positives really helps with this.  It's not the reason we do it this way for the fuselage.  For complex shapes like fuselages I like to have a softer positive that the production negative molds can be pulled before being tucked away for safe keeping.

  The Tail molds follow my preference for a negative being made from aluminium.   Choices like this do seem quite small but they are very hard to change once the CAD files are made.

A year on- going strong

 

    The chance for a full day's flying, whatever the slope, should always be grabbed.  The chance of a sunny day on Mickies- with the expected thermals was too good to miss.  2 falcon's fitted very nicely in my little car- I think I'd have taken the 2 whatever the car.  A year since that first flight on a ballistic Crest the Falcon has been more fun too fly that just about any other model I have owned. 

  Until the breeze filled in the conditions were very thermic and once or twice I was looking to check the bail out options but every time a thermal was found in time and height could be exchanged for speed.  This is where the Falcon really excels, it accelerates so quickly.

  I have found that the falcon feels happier with 300g of ballast as a start point even in the lightest of conditions.  Thermal performance is not affected with the weight.  A couple of red Kites came too join in the fun.

 

 As the breeze filled in I was flying with 600g of ballast and a huge smile.  Turn styles are always an interesting choice in thermal conditions, I don't think there is any great advantage f 1 over the other as the air is not really being shaped by the hill's edge in the same way as true slope soaring.  Do the one you like well and that will be just fine!

  

  In the last year I've flown the same model's in just about every condition that I'd want to be out in.  These pre production  model's have never put a foot wrong- although I may have.  

A change of wing

   Another weekend failing to get out to fly but my new 3m wing has arrived with the modifications for testing.  It's one of the real fun parts of producing models when you have a manufacturer who is as keen to get things right.

  A few pilots have asked me about the wing servos in my Falcons and as the 3m is pretty much the same, I took a quick picture of the aileron servo between wings.  The King Max servos have proved to be bullet proof so far.

  I use the Frames from Flightech as well as the horns in LDS packs.  But I like the Horns that come with the models and good old 2mm Mutliplex clevises.  The arms that come with the LDS packs fit nicely under the wing skins.

  One thing I've been playing with is some epoxy and carbon around the 2mm threaded push rods.  Once adjusted to size I find this gets rid of any flex and slop in the fixings.  The result gives me slop free controls.

Back to basics with the kids

   The plan was a sunny day's flying with the kid's foamie and the occasional thermal and thrash with my Falcon to avoid the painting at home. 

  With the wind far stronger than forecast and expected the morning soon became a backwards flying session as the little foamie got more and more battered. But it was so much fun!  A day that really reminded me of the reasons we started this mad sport in the first place.  

  The Falcon made me look far better than I am to impress the kids.  Having 1 model that I've ballast up on the Crest, thermalled on a club day and then carved around on the next day out makes life so easy.   

  If you like a model, you'll fly it more and fly it better with a smile on you face. 

Carving up the Crest

 What a day for flying on the Crest! with a good steady 25-30mph wind and the sunshine generating thermals which cycled through to keep things interesting- days don't get much better.  Meeting up with a couple of good mates also gave me the chance to bench mark my Harrier and much flown Falcon against Andy's Freestyler 6 and the Pike of Les Wood.  These 2 lads can really get their model's going, after a late night I wasn't sure that I could do the same but Welsh open training includes all aspects of the weekend.

  My Harrier was the first to go, I kept the all up weight to 3.5kg, more from seeing the carnage on the slope the week before on landing than worry about the model in the air.  I needn't have worried as I got the Harrier down safely each time- the last 6ft was quite rapid at times.  In the air, if I didn't mess things up, consistent mid 30 runs were the norm.

 A racing duo in perfect harmony.  

Andy has his Freestyler set up really nicely and banged out so many good runs

Possibly the first time I've seen a Pike going this fast and set up this well in the UK.

  Although no damage was sustained in the air my Harrier managed to crack a servo horn after a gust picked up some kit and dropped it on the wing.  This motivated me to get the Falcon rigged and flying, as always I just wondered why I wasn't flying the Falcon all day.  Again mid 30 second runs were repeated over and over again.  Some fun video to show just how inconsistent my thumbs were.

  But what a fantastic day's flying.

VR tested- fast!

   Willingly standing in a Welsh northerly in March may well be the first sign of madness but the moment I stepped out of the car into that bitter wind I was snapped round. 

  The 3m test wing was the first to go, just half ballast hurled off the VR98 slope. At half ballast she was probably heavier than many of the models I have watched so many times on the VR98 film.   Reversals and the tighter turns of VR98 didn't feel as fast as up turns and sweeping carving turns.   

  Even with increasing amounts of ballast the wing was rock solid.  Carving around the sky at these speeds takes gentle thumbs so as not to kill the speed.  But it does feel easy.  I'd like to claim I was practising different turns but there was a lot of just having fun flying very fast in big air. 

  Time to really wake up and the Falcon 100 model- this model wakes you up better than any expresso!  I just love the Falcons- without a course its hard to know just how the 2 models compare in terms of speed.  But the Falcon is definitely quicker and so much fun, fast and quick can be different things.  For pure soaring pleasure I don't think I have ever flown a better model. 

  A great morning's flying and really got the juices going!

Golden maiden

  Test flights are always nervy, I had the new model out today in some cold blustery conditions. With the calculated CG always pencilled in rather than set in stone I haven't fitted the ballast tube yet. 

  Although I told myself that this would mean that any less than perfect landings would be easier I know that normally I would have used 500-800g in the conditions. 

  The launch was verging on dull, she sailed away with barely a click of trim. I used the set up from my harrier models as a start point, there's lots of fine tuning to do but I never felt like being bitten. 

3m f3f style models are just easy and joyous to fly. Feedback on conditions was obvious and as the air squared up I was able to carve some EM turns as well as the usual suspects. And yes, the speed carries very nicely. 

 

  Home to warm up and fit a ballast tube!

It's here!!

 No flying for me this weekend, it's been a good while since I didn't mind that. Those gorgeous 3m wings have arrived, with a Merlin tail and an option of either an sOR or Merlin fuselage as a test bed. 

  The wings have been well fondled before fitting out this weekend. A top finish to a wing that feels light and stiff.  It's only when you get to see new Versions of models you're used to that you see the difference in construction. The fuselage and tail are a great example of this. 

  Build is going along the same lines as many of my other models and the workshop is a mess- so no pictures!

  Along with the test model is a production Falcon model. Just lovely!  I'm sure my enjoyment of this model isn't news and so I wanted to make sure I had a spare- ive not had a model draw me to build and fly it since my compacts and I think I prefer it to the compacts!

Just waiting on the post now!

 Yep, the fuselage and tail are still a work in progress as I'll play with different boom lengths on real slopes but that's a lovely looking test model heading this way (I'm very Biased)

Falcon soars at the welsh winter league

Just because I have been enjoying flying them so much lately I decided to take 2 Falcons to race at the Welsh winter league.  Its been a while since I raced a 100inch model, it's a size that has held the world record twice since I have been racing.

  The air was light for most of the day but built for the last 2 rounds.  As I'll be away for the February race league position is not a consideration so my aims were to try and fly some EM style up turns and anticipate the turns so the speed can be carried through the turn. 

 With only 1 cut I think I was able to spot the bases and 2 rounds where I was only just pipped to the round win I must have been doing something right.  The Falcon certainly proved itself to be competitive.  The up turns felt comfortable up wind but I've got a lot of work to do on the down wind version.

  9 rounds was a fantastic day's racing, regardless of what the times are, a day's competitive flying is one of the best ways to learn.  Having a model that you can trust and predict makes this so much easier.   

Winter progress

 Working on a new project in the winter is one of the aspects of flying I love the most.  Being able to do that as a moldie probably makes me very lucky and spoilt.

  The new 3m wings have just popped out.  After finishing and polishing they should be on their way to me soon for some thrashing on the slopes.

Next to a set of 100inch Falcon wings.

News after the latest race

   This weekend's southern winter league race proved to be a great opportunity to meet up with some friends as well as fly in some very interesting and challenging conditions.  I've been flying in some huge air lately but with damp air and tricky conditions this was never going to be the case.

  The Harrier did just what you'd expect- handled well tracked easily and delivered some very competitive times.  I've been flying the Harrier and Falcon models almost exclusively for around 2 years now, just because of how much  enjoy flying them.  But the effect of simply knowing your model cannot be over stated.

  Very unusually my Jeti transmitter jammed 'on' after my first flight.  Despite it being new years day I was able to speak with the UK dealer and get re-assurance that although it would need to be returned for repair it would see the day out safely.  Thanks Bernie!

Sorry no pictures from the race but perhaps even more exciting to me than a damp day on Whitesheet, the new 3m wing molds have been polished up and the prototype wings should be coming out soon.

  I just have to start coming up with a name now- the Kids suggested Tui!