I know this is the time of year when you're supposed to be writing a reflective postvabout the past year. After the year my models have had i will d that. But today was get out and hit the road before the sun was up to get some air time.
. Forget avoiding shopping, 15-20MPS winds and just a huge smile on my face! Both models ripped up the sky. Trusting the airframe is a big part of getting the most out of it and i do!
Simply joyful fun.
Happy Christmas
Just because the weekends race was cancelled was no reason to cancell meeting up with a few mates. It seems that a good number of other pilots also decided to do the same and whitesheet was the busiest I've seen it for a good while.
The gap between flights gave JP the chance to snaffle my new model and program it into his transmitter.
Turns out it can go go much faster with the right thumbs, resulting in a happy pilot!
. While IM already looking forwards to the woollybacks 2023 continues to be a fun year!
Although the weather hasn't been great for flying lately I've been busy putting a new wing together with some improvements made to the fit out.
The quality of the materials and fit in the wing continue to improve- and they have been good for a long time- just like the Kingmax servos.
I have never taken to LDS systems, I'm not sure why, I've seen them work and they look great. But I just feel attached to horns and clevises in the wings. Luckily that lovely man at Flight tech has helped to develop a hybrid that allows me to use the very neat LDS servo arms and ball raced servo frames but connect to the horns I just keep using.
Today was meant to be a considered pause after a great weekend at the HoH. I will do that justice soon but today looks to have been the day that all the league results are in for the UK and also the Eurotour.
John and his Saker has swept the board-.
The British League climaxed this weekend, with JP edging out Mark Redsell in the final race. For me a great summer in a range of conditions and slopes that has shown the Saker's versatility over the months.
The EuroTour- also a win for JP and the Saker.
Not sure what to say, it's been an education to see JP fly the Saker this year. Practicing, setting up and learning the model.
I can't think of better evidence of the Saker's quality and performance than such a dominant year's results.
I've made the trip up to the Hole of Horcum for the climax of the summer season. After races the top 2 pilots are separated by fewer than 5 points so even when my thumbs put the brakes on it should be a great contest to witness.
Its been over 10 years since my last flying visit here, that's been too long. Simply a great place to spend a Saturday and even better when There's the company of other pilots. Ignore the sat NAV distance and the early morning - today feels worth it before the race.
What a combination! the prospect of 30mph+ winds and the opportunity to get out with the Saker should definitely not be turned down. Flying is not all about racing between the bases and there's such a rush in ripping up the hill. The Saker's lateral stability makes flying in rough air a dodle.
I'm not sure that Slope dog was quite so pleased to be out in the wind!
3 round wins and JP’s
Saker takes the Welsh Open, following on from the English Open win I couldn’t
be more proud of the model’s performance.
My thumbs on the sticks this weekend had the effect of slowing the Saker
down, but even with the damp conditions this weekend I couldn’t help smiling.
It’s not a small
undertaking to produce a model design but when it comes off so well the rewards
make it more than worth it. Since JP
switched to the Saker his domination of the league, English and Welsh Open
races has been remarkable. I cannot
remember another example of 1 pilot and model being so dominant.
Although life and family commitments are making my Welsh open participation very doubtful, I wasn't going to miss the chance of a day out on Mickies. I was slapping on the factor 30 and Slope dog was heading for the shade but such a glorious day.
After focusing on the race winning Saker for the last few weeks I took the chance of flying my Falcon models. I just love this model, in light air like today on a narrow edge it runs the edge so well but when I decided to head out and pick up some thermals, it's just so easy to read and centre the lift- can you tell I had fun?
With the wind/ sea breeze in single figures all day the ballast stayed in the box but the Falcon does carry the energy so well. My second model was a new model and test flight. I fitted out the wing with the Flight tech hybrid LDS system and frames. LDS servo arms linked to conventional horns. Zero slop and excellent gearing resolution from the servos all adds to the model's performance.
Just a really good day!
Just before English Open, the latest delivery landed. Great fro me to be able to meet up with people at the English Open. I did get the chance to take a picture of the new wing joiner. The joiner will now allow for 12mm*8mm ballast. Adding to the ballast held in the fuselage.
I've never felt the need for more ballast once the Falcon or Saker are fully loaded but as JP loved his steel joiner, heres a much easier version.
I don’t think that
there were any new models on show this weekend.
Producing a model in
my experience is by no means a quick or 1 man task. 12 months ago
I was able to hand over the first prototype Saker to the Dark lord for a
flight at the end of day 1 of 2022’s English open. There was a great deal of work just to get
the model to that point.
Greg and subsequently
JP’s feedback on the Saker was positive- the CAD work by Mike Frances is
stunning and we have been working in conjunction with the manufacturer to
improve the layup. This summer JP has started to campaign the Saker. The South of England Euro tour and now the
English open have been dominated by the Saker.
Being able to see a
model that you have put so much effort into deliver is a fantastic
feeling. This weekend’s English Open saw
the Saker win 1 round in my hands and 8 I JP’s, along with the FTD and the
overall competition by a mile. Perhaps my round win is an illustration of the
Saker’s performance more than Johns!
Thanks have to go to
those member of the Whitesheet club who helped to put on such an excellent
event. I’ll post some pictures when I
get the chance.
Feels like chances to get out to fly have been few and far between in recent weeks. Last weeks race at the mynd was one of vastly differing conditions.
The Sakers predictable behaviour and reactions to different lift made the race much easier. I even found myself keeping up with the Saker master himself - JP.
Whist I should be talking about summer time thermals, today's flying was very similar to the Mynd. Variable air coming through meaning the turn style to use seemed to change turn by turn. It's so nice that the Saker is easy to read and react to. I'm not sure my thumbs still won't slow it down but it's good to know that the Saker is proving so capable.
The south of England Eurotour was one of my first races for a long time and it turned out to be the first competitive outing for JP and his Saker. Although my own limited thumbs mean that I am always very much an outside bet I love multiday events. The prospect of meeting up with some European as well as more local friends had me heading off to the glorious slopes of East Sussex.
There is an argument that
many F3F models have come together in terms of design. 3m span models certainly dominate and to the
untrained eye you’re very much relying on trademark colour schemes to separate
them. I’m not decrying these models-
they clearly work but it does tent to draw you eye to those models that stand alone.
The Caldera T, flown
by Deiter Perlick really stood out.
Deiter makes beautiful models which have tended to the smaller spans
over the years. Not surprisingly the T
ailed model flew ‘as if it was on rails’ and showed a remarkable ability in the
turn.
Deiter, in common with
many of the better pilots, did not stick to 1 turn style. As the weekend unfolded you could almost see
him learning what worked on the hill as the conditions changed. No one was better at doing this than the
eventual winner Markus Meissner. Markus
was 16th after the first round but hunter England’s Mark Redsell
down, round after round. Mark lost first
place in the very last round of the competition.
The greatest change in
fortunes came for John Philips. After
day 1 he was in 17th, including a fight with the local plant life-
que John bringing out his Saker and producing one of the most dominant day’s
flying that I can remember- Day 2 was JP day.
I don’t think her was ever out of the top 4, as the Saker showed the way
through some challenging conditions.
My own performance was
also improving and more than keeping up with the improving form of many
pilots. Being able to watch John fly my
design with such success was almost as good as flying them myself- the Saker is
without doubt capable of mixing it with just about every other model out
there. I could tell you about the bad
luck I had with the lift fading as I flew the last flight of the day but lets
not…
Weekends like this are
about far more than the podium finishers or just the racing. Those long days in the sunshine and wind were
finished off perfectly with a ‘debrief’ over a cold drink or 2. It’s at times like that when friendships are made
or strengthened as well as many of the best memories of the weekend. F3F at it’s best is about more than racing.
Possibly more than
anywhere else, UK racers know that you can go from last to first and back again
very easily and this does not affect your welcome each evening. If you have suffered some damage, you might
even get a pint put in front of you!
Although my car was
full of models and I carried 2 Sakers to the tope of the slope each day, my
Saker was rock solid and was the only model I flew all race. In some conditions that would have challenged
many models in previous years the Saker was always well behaved.
After a weekend like
this, my enthusiasm is certainly re-invigorated to get things ready for the
next UK summer league.
Now how about a bit of
sport flying fun and an evening out before the summer league outing?
In a summer of memorable days, I found myself on the Mynd with Andy. A mid summer day with a good breaze and thermals a plenty to enjoy.
. Both Andy's PB2 and my own saker enjoyed some variable air. Both models showed that when the air is good they take off funny that.
A glorious day finished with a pint. Simply whats not to like on days like this?
After another week of NE winds made our usual slopes less fun, the call of the Wrecker meant that for a second weekend in a row I found myself on the Motorway heading into Wales. This time I was greeted by William setting up his automatic F3F course for a little bit of practise and within an hour our numbers had swollen into double figures. Bright sunshine tempered by the 25mph+ winds.
The day was by no means an exclusively expensive toy F3F session, A good few of us had brought something different to fly- it was all going to go on a day like this.
The model's ranged from Les's 2m Screamer, thought the Needle 100 and my own Falcon 100 to some bigger F3F models. I did take my Saker but as usual I ended up only flying the first model out of the car. The air did cycle through, alternating between good to 'hold on'. It wasn't a great surprise when Andy B told me that he had started filming my Falcon just as the air dropped off, he was heading back from landing on my last flight as the air got ridiculous and the Falcon's speed kept building and building.
It was good to see the Screamer model, I've not see this one in the flesh before and it can certainly go, at just 2m it's a little small for my own taste but t put a big smile on Les's face.
A couple of blasts from the past were the Needle 100 and Mike Evan's Alliaj- not the most attractive but Mike had the wings bending some in the turns at times.
After JP had flown his Fox it was time for him to bring out his Saker. I know that he had been looking forward to really testing those wings for a while and as he added 1.6KG of ballast I knew that he wasn't going to hold back! For the second weekend in a row I got to sit back and admire a model of mine taring up the sky and really being put through it's paces.
EM, reversals Philips specials the Saker just seemed to keep on flying though them all and keep on getting faster. Whilst part of my was a bit gutted that it's clearly my thumbs holding back the Saker, knowing that it can more than keep up with the rest of the racing field is fantastic.
The Vantage was also a model which stood out, flown by Les and Andy, both showed the benefit of consistently flying the same model.
A fantastic day out in the sun!
Sunshine and NE winds can only mean one thing- a trip to the fabled Wrecker. I have always had mixed feelings about the slope, clearly epic lift but the long walk to land has often caught me out. This dislike of the walk s actually one of the reasons I try to go sometimes, to try and get over this.
After flying the Falcon with a Cheshire grin on the edge, I managed to tear myself away from the Falcon and rig the Saker. Although the wind speed of 10mps would usually have me looking to put 800-1000g of ballast in, I tempered back due to the large variation in the lift. When the lift came in I know that she will go!
I gave the Saker to the Dark lord Greg Dakin to stir the sticks and let me know just what she can do and how much I am holding back the Saker. She was soon doing huge pumps with some excellent energy retention and then ripping up the edge with some speed building EM turns that looked like an effortless high speed figure of 8.
Greg does like his loops and it wasn't long before he was DSing the edge, with the speed climbing with every loop. After taking the Sticks I attempted to follow Greg's EM turning style. It was just easy, only my own aggression diving into the compression after each turn prevented me from going faster (honest). The Saker felt like it wasn't going to over pull/scrub speed in the turns, as long as possitive reasure was kept on the wing, the faster we went.
After landing safely each time I put my models away with a huge smile.
I have to give a word to the Raptors that Greg was flying. A 2.4m thin winged aerobatic smile maker. Most certainly the best model I have seen in this class for a long time.
Dad'd taxi being directed to the midlands usually gives me the chance flr some soaring on the Mynd in Shorpshire. Conditions here remind me of Whitesheet, with the variability of lift making it a great sport fly spot. Unfortunately this weekend there was so little breeze that the wind direction was swinging 180deg at times as the thermals drifted through.
Room in the car meant I took the Falcon rather than Saker but after a few deep breaths I hurled it into the air and hoped. I've forgotten just how clearly the Falcon reacts and indicated thermal lift. It wasn't long before I was comfortably flying from thermal to thermal.
A good day and the first time this year I've come away from the slope wishing I'd packed the sun cream rather than waterproofs. Another cool Falcon day
What
a fun weekend and day of challenging British F3F! With the sun shining and barely a breeze to hinder
our merry band as we skipped up the trail to the Ice cream slope it was great
to have the chance to catch up with some old friends as we waited for the wind
to join us.
It also
gave the chance to look around at the variety of models being raced, from
memory the field included.
Device, Mamba, Freestylers, Extreme, Toxic,
Pitbull, an Orden and of course the Saker.
As a judge of models the weekend wasn’t very scientific, the Mamba won
and Devices cam second from the top and second from the bottom of the leader board.
2 sleek models
My own day could be summed up quite well in the first 2 rounds, both times I found myself pushing out from the slope in desperate search for a thermal as my Saker lost height. Round 1 had a re-flight and a top 5 time, round 2 didn’t have re-flight and I ‘enjoyed’ a sedate 88 seconds on course before heading off in search of lift.
As
the wind built and kept swinging around, a heavier approach to ballast seemed
to deliver results for me. Different
pilots were clearly wrestling with the issue of ballasting. It would be harsh to suggest that “if you got
good lift you go fast- if you not you don’t.” didn’t have a large amount to do with
the results with in each round but the better pilots made the most of the good
stuff and managed to minimise the damage of the poor air.
The
Saker was proving itself to be more than competitive in the conditions, only to
be let down by my thumbs on the last round of the day. It’s 2 land out avoiding flights did make me
feel more confident with the air frame and the race conditions.
and thats league 1 done
The weekend saw what I believe was the 13th champion of champions race. A 2 day race over a full weekend that has regularly provided some great racing and even better memories- one of my flying ideas tht seems to have worked out pretty well.
As Slope dog and I set off into the drizzle this year, there was certainly more hope than expectation but even as the morning rain fell the Welsh hill tops were visible and the course was laid out on the VR98 slope before lunch.
Regardless of my own performance (I even managed to stand on my sunglasses before round 2), for many pilots it was their 2nd race all winter and we were loving it- isn't that the point? Stefan and Mark were clearly the class of the field but as the sun came out just about everyone had some air to enjoy. With 9 rounds in the day there was the chance for everyone.
Another Saturday afternoon thrash with the Falcons on Whiteshite hill. With the breeze building and even some spring time thermals I was really surprised that there were not more human pilots there.
For much of the afternoon I was sharing the airspace with the resident group of Red kites. This time I remembered the better camera so here's a pic, These guys really know what they are doing and don't seem to be bothered at all by my toys. Seeing them there does help to make the day- makes me want to make a new model- just to call it Red Kite:-)
I did my usual trick of taking 3 models but only flying 1 of them, this tie the Falcon was first out of the bag. It was the first time this year that I have experienced that 'kick' as a thermal comes on to the slope and you have to start to modify your turns very quickly.
I was joined by an M60 EPP model. I have some great memories of when these were used in EPP 60 racing. I had forgotten just what good sports flying models they are.
I'm not sure if the melting snow is the right metaphor but this week feels like the end of the winter. A short notice session had me thrashing my Falcons around the sky with a huge smile on my face- even if I was shivering.
A winter that feels like I have had more flying than I have managed in years has been very short of races, this was emphasised by the cancellation of the final Midlands winter league of the winter. Trying to run a winter league is by no means an easy thing to do. My Own Local slope at Whitesheet managed 1 race and on the only other day we gathered there was no wind, whilst on 2 days that were cancelled I was flying on the slopes.
Here's hoping that the Champ of Champs gets some luck to make up for some of the lack of racing. I can feel my dad taxi duties building for the summer already!
I've been flying a combination of my Sakers and Falcons through the winter and simply having fun. I am enjoying flying these models more and more. Not having a sheet of settings has been a good chance to try different things and approaches- and most of them can work if you get the right air and fly the attempted style well. I have been using the CG further forwards with more elevator and delayed snap flap in bigger air to what feels like good effect- enjoy flying them, fly them more, fly them better- this flying business is easy:-)
