New Wing fit out, new servo gearing

   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.

  What was immediately obvious was that the fit is very easy to set up with effectively no slop.  When I was setting up the servos, the throws would need to be increased to get the same movement.  Greater resolution, lower strain on the servos and slop free- that all sounds good.  After a few flights the controls actually feel more crisp and with more servo throw things like delayed and curved snap flap seems easier to set up.

What a blast!

  Its that time of year when the family look at you as if you've gone mad, the weather getting colder and storms blowing across the county it should be a time for lighting the fire and staying at home.

 Slope dog and I found ourselves drawn to the slopes instead. With the wind gusting between 25 and 40mph i had the falcon ballasted to 3.4kg and streaming around the sky. 

 One thing change I've made since last winter is to use the hybrid LDS links and clevises. Its on days like this where you want maximum power going to the surfaces and zero slop that it shows itself. 

. Sometimes its good to just have a blast and enjoy yourself!

 

The Saker cleans up across Europe!

   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.

Final weekend of the season

 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. 

Storm force winds and Ballast

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!

A welsh Open victory!

 

  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.

Hot day in Wales

   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!