Autumn is here...you been flying ?

[David Davis]

It was cold but bright yesterday with no wind to speak of. I spent most of my time coaching a wobbly beginner on the Junior 60 and ran out of time before I could have a go with the Fun Fly. Only two other members of my club turned up.

Note the heavy miners' overalls designed to keep out the cold!

[Nigel R]

Friday morning was almost ideal in my neck of the woods, too. No wind at all.

Only thing that wasn't ideal was the temperature! The runway was frozen solid, keeping fingers warm was a battle.

Flew the 3d foamie, and my RM Trainer. Did a number of rounds of 30 seconds climb & glide down (can nearly get 2 minutes from that), a few rounds of head height figure of eight circuits - the air was perfect. Could have flown an indoor model with ease.

Got caught out by the lipo running flat on my 3d foamie during a hover, and the resulting parachute style landing whacked the tailwheel and tore the rudder out. If the tailwheel wasn't part of the rudder (bad design!) it would have flown again immediately after. Ah well, a few splodges of PVA and some paper bandaging will see it right. Just another battle scar.

Only 4 days until shortest day and start of winter...

[Chris Walby]

Tidying the workshop this morning, quick trip to the flying field and strange no one else was flying.

I wonder why?

20 mph gusting 36 mph, there is only thing...go get the YETI and have a fly!

Okay I only flew once, but it was fun . Then back to the workshop tidying.

[Stephen Jones]

Despite being on call i was hoping to Maiden this,

My Converted Chuck Glider with a wing span of nearly 50 inches.

The Bolt,

But the winds where far too strong for a Maiden,

Steve

[Stephen Jones]

So i managed to get some flat field flying in over the weekend and met my old school friend John Quinn who came to the rescue with a Os Number 8 glow plug.

So i flew my SaS Cygnus powered by a Os 25 sf which went well.

I also flew my Spitfire which i also crashed.

And finally my Guppy and my Sipa S-200 which never seem to let me down.

Happy Days.

Steve.

[Erfolg]

Autumn is here, the track to the field has the fist signs of mud.

The fracking protestors all seem to have gone into hibernation. their protest signs piled up by their ramshackle cabin. Even the police seem to have disappeared, much to the relieve of the rate payers. Now a flare can be seen above the site, are they measuring flow rate?

Giant tractors complete with bailers, trailers hurtle along the narrow lanes.

Yep, it is almost certainly autumn.

I have been down to our field three times over the week end. Every time flocks of hundreds of Greece have flown over. Some at great height, one flock at less than 400 feet. The total numbers in the thousands. Yet on Saturday, house or sand Martins were to be seen,

As for the flying. not great, every day it has been cross wind to the strip, less so on Saturday. My trusty delta, has become less reliable, requiring maintenance, the it shed a blade, for a moment I thought I had five of them, as i struggled to restrain and initially comprehend what was happening. Still back in the air, with temporary small props. I am now waiting for the best size to arrive from China. Did I mention, we no longer have a MS within a 30 mile radius, now at 60 miles,

I flew my Albatross Dva, which flew great, until I came to landing. With cross win, better not get into details, never the less it survived.

With the weather deterioration, I am often Billy no mates, which will probably continue now until spring.

[Foxfan]

How things are different between clubs.I have been to our club on Friday, because it was a lovely day, Saturday on the promise of a lesson and today because I always go down on Sunday mornings. Each time there were never less than 14 people and as many as 30 aircraft! The barbecue came out yesterday, banter was exchanged as usual and many flights made. One guy lost his little Hercules in the 9 foot high maize, but c'est la vie. Such a tiny thing can go right to the ground in that stuff and no FPV drone can find it.

This kind of support and turnout continues right through the year, even if its raining and although the track to our field can be closed to save it from the damage of traffic, the guys park at the end and walk all their gear down. Mention the wind and you're just told "this is....., it's always windy, live with it" And they do!

Martin

[Brian Hammond]

Saturday and Sunday and I was allowed out both mornings ,happy day's.

[Erfolg]

Foxfan

Our track is almost exactly 0.5 miles long (it is slightly longer), down hill. It is a long, long way. Of course up hill when leaving

As you enter the track, a decision has to be made, is there a hint of another vehicle, if so, is it advancing, or stationary. As the track is so narrow, with a field to fall into on one side and a hedge on the other, you need to be sure that you can make it without meeting anyone in the middle..

Edited By Erfolg on 15/09/2019 21:08:08

[cymaz]

A few club members from around the Cornwall BMFA Area had a fly in with a kind offer at Cardinham Airfield....

 

Yours truly 3rd from right or 5th from left, depending on your point of view!

Edited By cymaz on 15/09/2019 22:12:35

[Foxfan]

Erfolg, we can pass on the track dependent on what the farmer is growing to the side. The other side is a ditch. We have to use a rickety plank bridge to even think about looking for downed aircraft!

Martin

[John Privett]

Well if this weekend is meant to be Autumn, please let us have Autumn all year round!

Two great flying days at my club with probably the best turnout (on both days) that I've seen this year. Saturday was almost flat calm, sunny and warm. Sunday was a repeat but with a gentle breeze blowing - for the most part - straight down the strip.

One oddity we noted on Saturday, and the same again last weekend - flocks of Canada geese (in huge numbers) at around sunset flying in their usual V-formations. But rather than high in the sky where you normally see them, these were at times only just above head-height! I don't recall seeing that before - any ideas?

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Sneaking through FRZs?

[cymaz]

Geese are over 250g

[aidan mcatamney]

I bought a new Kyosho Calmato Sports 40 four weeks ago and it had its maiden flight last week. Im flying it with a new OS 55ax two stroke which has an 11x7 master airscrew prop and it is a really nice plane to fly and so stable. If I had anything bad to say about the Calmato then it would be that I had to add 120grams of weight to the nose as it was very tail heavy. Regardless of this I really love this plane and cant wait to get flying it again.

[Erfolg]

On Saturday morning I was thrown out of the house, I had not left the premises for weeks, other than a few hours, to go shopping.

Neither has the better house been out much, most of the Golf courses being closed due to water logging.

I did load a token two models, the Delta, with its new propellors. The 5.5*6 drawing a miserable 160w, on reflection, forcing 80w out of a brushed motor, back in the day, would have me purring with contentment. Never mind these motors brushless, Circa £2 motors are now circa + 9 years old. Now back with 7*6, they are drawing near on 400w,.happiness. I also threw in another 10 year old cabin/trainer type model.

My friends the anti-frackers have all but hibernated, just a few, perhaps two, sit in there ramshackle hut, the convecting type fire, belching smoke out of the chimney, whilst they strive to save the planet, in their full time job.

I do have an hang up about going down the farm track to the field, as in winter the firm clay, that produces clouds of sandy dust during summer, becomes a slippy mud toboggan run, or rodel bahn. I was particularly tense as great puddles of water hid the road surface in places.

At the field, I was very surprised to discover some one was there. Busy setting up a Gizmo type plane, in conjunction with a tarnis set, informing the user of the status of this and that. There was an awful lot of this and that, I could not cope with setting up such a system, nor do understand what all the various conditions actually mean.

The walk to the field itself, had us leaving a trail of foot prints in the grass of some depth. Standing still, saw my feet sinking irrevocably deeper, where I levered each foot clear against a vacuum, suction, producing an audible sigh.

I was now thinking about the hundreds of geese that had flown over in skean after skean. The i reflected on the day we (the better half) stood in our back garden, when the sky was full of 100 or so skeins , totaling many thousands of Geese. My wives comment was does all of this tell us something about winter. I just said the wind must be blowing from the North or the East, i doubt it, but this is impressive.

The model was launched, screamed around at a distressingly high speed, for a few circuits. Then I assume the wrong switch was flicked and it was no longer flying.

We squelched our way to where it had arrived, feeling the full strength of the wind of much more than the predicted 16 mph. Nothing damaged.

Hmm, not having fun I thought and went home.

My wife was still in. Did you have a good time? Not really i replied. You were some time, get many flights in? No, I sheepishly replied. So what did you do that took so long> Well I think i know why most of the courses are closed, was my rouse to switch the conversation.

Edited By Erfolg on 13/10/2019 16:18:25

Edited By Erfolg on 13/10/2019 16:19:40

[Stephen Jones]

Is this the last of the good weather,

Well i enjoyed the last of the setting sun and got some nice gliding in too.

Steve.

[Dave Cunnington]

Not sure if I should post this pic here as it must be cold back home, it's my preferred style of dress

(sorry D D, but love your orange suit)

Thanks to the good offices of the guys at Retford MFC I was able to pass the "A"

certificate in time for my annual Florida jaunt, which includes flying at Manatee County

RC (near Tampa) so this was taken at 0730 local this morning, temperature 82 degrees

[Erfolg]

It seems that no one has been flying recently? I must confess i have not.

I can tell you about some who have, on Saturday my club had its annual Bon Fire Night extravaganza.

My wife mentioned the event to daughter No1, where upon Granddaughter No.3, invited herself along. Granddaughter No1 said it was to boring, No. 2 said she was going out with her friends and it would be boring with a group of old men. Hmm, I thought. Never the less the better half rushed out and bought what fireworks that were left in the shops and cakes, as we are not good at selecting finger food.

The journey to the field was in itself spooky, as pockets of mist lay in various hollows, with rolling mists sweeping across the once clear lanes at intervals. Did I mention that I had also acquired Daughter No1 and Son-in -law, for the event. Our fracking protesters were still hunched in their road side cabin, their wood burning stove emitting a dull red glow. My wife piped up why are you going so ridiculously slow? It is the twenty miles per hour speed limit was my reply. Do not be stupid Erfolg, we are in the middle of no where, no one about, get a move on. Alas I pointed out middle of no where or not, there is a speed camera. It seems now that all Fracking has been halted, it is to be decided which community is to receive the benefit of the nuisance they cause. I bet that wood burning stove emits no particulate and is carbon neutral (as is claimed)

At the field the fire roared, Granddaughter No3 waited impatiently for the fire works to commence, I tucked into a chicken leg, washed down with a small beer. When the fireworks commenced there were the normal woos and Arrrs, and the occasional loud intakes of breath. Then a model aircraft took to the skies rolling, looping, knife edging. The fireworks went on for a good half hour, during the display, the model apparently went nearer, then nearer the the fireworks, until it had to be hit by something, miraculously it was not. The model flew for a good 15 minutes, its transparent body, adorned with lights transfixing me as how any one could fly with such control and aplomb. It was only after the model was taken to the car park could I see that it was both very large and skeletal, that I could appreciate the investment that had been risked for our entertainment, or was it risked, given the pilots undoubted skill.

Sunday arrived with the adjacent golf course covered in low level mist. Not to be deterred I decided that after the previous nights activities others would be enthused to fly, the weather forecast predicted a 9 mph wind, Both were incorrect assumptions. No one was at the field and the wind was a good 12 mph.

Non the less my Delta now sported two 7"*6" props that were pulling about 180 watts combined. Away from the viewing area, the ground was every bit as water logged as the last time out, as I squelched to the flying flag stones. No, the flag stones do not fly, it is where we normally stand when flying a model. Now it was a mini swimming pool, I was really glad I was wearing my Green Country Wellies. Launching the model, it now went vertically up. Such a relieve from the previous props 5.5"*6", where the model was at the mercy of the wind and my wayward launches. After a 15 minutes flight, much at half throttle, where it still bowled along, I landed. Checking the Lipo at approx 50%, which was better than on the small props. I am still waiting for my original prop order, they are still on back order. I am so pleased I put in a later order.

I now went home, fed up squelching about. If you stood in roughly the same area, you turned the grass into a muddy puddle and no one else was to be seen, There may have been a bit of weak Sunshine, yet there was not much pleasure to be had.

My wife has now promised we are going away to escape the UK winter, Global Warming, pull the other one, it is somewhere else.

 

 

Edited By Erfolg on 07/11/2019 12:08:33

Edited By Erfolg on 07/11/2019 12:09:23

[Peter Miller]

The last two SUndays. Sunday before last was a perfect day. Last Sunday was cloudy and chilly but we had a good afternoon.

[Colin Carpenter]

Monday and Wednesday! Field saturated but to my surprise my Sebart SBach took off and landed no prob !!!💦💦😂😂👍

[Brian Hammond]

I put bigger wheels on my Sbach 342 30 & 50 sizes and have no problems.

[Colin Carpenter]

It might have to come to that , Brian ! I’ll wait till I have to get a dinghy to get from the car to the flightline !🤪🤪🤪😂😂Colin

[Trevor Crook]

Went out in perfect conditions the Sunday before last, had half a dozen or so good flights plus some chit-chat. Also co-starred in an Essential RC video (well, for about 2 seconds, launching a little P38).

[J D 8]

Just been out the back door to my farm field with new Parkzone F4F Wildcat . What a delightful little flyer, no AS3X stability on mine as I am Futaba. Can see this one being a regular for ten min snatched slots to keep the fingers in practice.