Some very variable air

  Sometimes a flying session really reminds you of why we do this sport.  Sunshine and moderate winds (combined with the missus being away) had me leaving work early with my Willows in the car. Both my Willows are 2 piece tail versions now, and I've had a great time recently flying them on the cliffs but today was my first chance to fly on an inland slope and pick up some thermals.

  I remember getting my first moldie and discovering it's versatility- it's a light day so I'll fly it, it's a big day so I'll fly it.  Today I the air was very very variable and I found my Willows flying in booming air one minute  (where I had speed flap settings and was still going up) and then the lift would 'stop'.  When the lift did turn off I know you have to go looking for lift and the Willow really did this well.

 The Willow's efficient wing meant I was happy I could get to the next patch of lift and sure enough a wing would lift to show I'd brushed against a thermal.  The fact that I'm confident the Willow doesn't bite back meant I could focus on centering on the lift and getting away.

  The Willow's efficiency and forgiving handling really reminded me of those first moldie flights.  As well as making sure the Willows are ready for Slopeglide in a couple of weeks- yep I still love flying this model.

big day in Cornwall

  I'm starting to think of St Agnes head as one of my local slopes!  Arrangments were made to meet up with Roger and the lead loaded in the car.  After a great evening this week in light air on my local 'Wiz Cliff' the new 2 piece tail Willow felt pretty set up so it was time fobr a big hill on a good day.  For some reason Taking the Air one out always generates some good winds and St Agnes Head in 30-45mph winds is a big day.

  After Roger had thrashed his Caldera and I had given my Compact some air it was time for the Willow to get a good testing.

  80% ballast seemed like a good start point and the Willow just ate up the sky.  Yep I'm biased and should be able to fly the Willow but it's just so easy to fly smooth and fast!

Roger was ripping up the sky with his Elita (we were both flying at about 3.5kg) and really enjoying himself.  Scram had taken out his flying fish but his cross tail Compact looked to be calling him when I left!

  I can't wait for the next race now!

more electric details

 After the news about our electric Willow I’ve been asked for some more details-

To start with where the servos and receiver are fixed- so here are a couple of detailed pictures of this. 

The Electric Willow will be in it’s customer’s hands by the end of this week- so keep an eye out for news on it’s flight performance.

Of course the model uses the same wings as the glider version- so if you fancy an electric hot liner at a budget and you have a Willow already you can have the best of both worlds

we've gone electric!

The first Willow electric is about finished and it looks like it's going to be a belter.  A 5S 2700mah power pack driving a B50 8L fits comfortably and delivers 500W per Kilo.  The final model has come out at 2.9kg.  With the willow wings the strongest I've come across they're taylor made for the job.

The only extra part needed is a motor mount as the internal servo tray and inner nose are reversed and slot together perfectly.

The Willow has established itself as the best value F3F model out there but now it's got to be the best 3m hot liner out there now.

A great day and a race

Yep I forgot my camera but a great day's flying at whitesheet.  It was great to have some time just flying and a few tweaks.

  Its the first time i've been able to compare the Willow against other F3F models in light and moderate conditions.  I know the Willow flys fantastically well in big air but I was really suprised how well she flew.  The thermal variantion is always a huge factor at whitesheet but I have no doubt the Willow was up with the pace- smooth and very eficient- making up for my over ballasting and distraction from running the comp.

Pics from slopejunkies and a great day.

Shhh- don't tell the missus I drove back

  I couldn’t quite believe it myself either but after driving back from Cornwall with a car full of kids/missus/nappies yesterday I was heading back to Aggies for a morning’s Northerly flying.  The sun was out, the skies blue (ish) and a light breeze coming up the cliff face.  It was great to see Roger and a smattering of other local flyers- this is as friendly a flying site as I can remember.  I know this is the Willow blog but the first job of the day was to launch Rogers 2.5m(guess) Blanic ,  A jog to make sure there were no obvious pitch issues and she was away. I have an increasing itch to scratch when it comes to a heavy composite scalie and seeing this one really got me thinking.

  Time for some set up and fun flying with my new Willow.  Light silky smooth air is great for some set up and confidence building flying but mainly it’s a great thing to be doing in a stunning location.  Subsequent flights had me putting more ballast in the Willow- and then leaving it in as the air got lighter.  I have this Willow set up with quite a bit of diff and it really worked well to get the nose coming down around the turns and keep the momentum going.

  After a few more flights I remembered that last time I was up I’d forgotten to let Roger get his thumbs on a Willow and so I heaved off my main Willow and handed over the controls.  The most nerve wracking part for me was having to launch and fly without a neck strap- has to be a vote of confidence on the pilot and model!

  It’s always great to see such a wide range of models on a slope and enjoy some light hearted modelling banter.  Thanks for making me feel so welcome lads!

Don't you wish your local site was like this?

Concreteman has sent this vid in of his last flying trip.


http://youtu.be/9W0_mVNuX50

I'm going to have to fly more!