Wyvern- my new winter project

 

  No racing at the weekend but a fun day on the slopes with some mates and as the clouds cleared in the afternoon, the opportunity to sports fly on some of my favorite hills.

  Whilst there was a chance of a race it was obvious that the I would be flying the Saker but when the race was called off I took the chance to fly the new model that I’ve been working for the past year and test flying over the winter- the 2.65m Wyvern.

    Producing a model design that works is a hugely rewarding process, seeing your design win rounds and competitions- as I have done with the Saker is an amazing feeling.  The Wyvern is not a model to replace my Sakers but something different.

  There have been some great smaller models which have had an influence on me over the past 20 years from the Needle, Wizard compact and the legendary Caldera.  Just like these models my own Falcon design has proved to be the model I enjoy flying more than any other.

  Flying just the Saker and Falcon designs over the past few years has really helped my flying and racing skills.  I have been relishing the development of this new design, aiming for that perfect balance of a model with the fun handling of my Falcon but delivering exceptional racing performance.

All the right slopes but not necessarily in the right order

 The last couple of weeks have been a perfect example of sods law and the winter's racing so far.  Last week the race was supposed to be on the Wrecker and I enjoyed a fantastic day's flying at Whitesheet, this week's race was to be at Whitesheet and I had a fantastic time flying off the back of the Wrecker.

  We take part in an outdoor sport and just have to accept these things.  It did make me think of the fine margins that we judge our seasons on.

  Last week I was saying just how much fun I'd had over the last 2 years taking the Falcon out for my flying trips.  This week I again started with the Falcon, the speed and buoyancy of the air was very different to Whitesheet and the Falcon ripped up the edge to put a massive smile on my face.  The compression layer was simple to find and although the shifting wind meant that there wasn't always the air to drive the EM turns I was able to play with different turns.

  The Saker was the model that was the greatest revelation, the last few races on the back of the Wrecker have been light winds and I was convincing myself what a small model compression based slope it was.  To a large extent it's true but after a cart wheel landing (blame the turbulence) there was no model damage but I decided to throw the Saker off, wow!  The extra mass of the larger model just made the turns that much easier and she felt so fast. Why isn't it like this for me at the Welsh open!

  Choosing between the 2 models is impossible, both are fun, fast and feel so predictable to fly. 

Storm flying commitment

 In 2022 I committed myself to take on any and all weather conditions that slope dog would come out in.  While I've had to invest in some new warm clothes I've been rewarded withe some of the most exhilarating flying.

While today started with good air the wind built up steadily to full on storm force.  Whitesheet has a tendancy to blow out in these challenging conditions but that doesn't stop it from being great fun.

  Since 2022 its been the Falcon that has been my go to model.  This remains the model that I enjoy flying the most, balanced and buoyant I never worry about adding ballast but she can't half go!

I'm not sure if it was conditions or Whitesheet's unique approach to protest parking but the number of other pilots were the lowest for a while.  You don't know what you're missing!

  Let's hope for a great race next weekend!

Just so much fun

 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 

Sharing at 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!

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!