Stuff

Hi all.

I know some of the guys at Slope Soaring Sussex managed to get a little flying in on Saturday, however in S Wales it was a totally different kettle of fish, with no flying taking place, (by me anyway). The weather all weekend was atrocious with gales and heavy rain.

Anyway, some of you will remember I trashed my beloved Wildthing whilst trying to teach Michelle to fly it. I did contemplate buying a new one as they aren't that expensive. However, after having seen Waynes new Mk3 flying, I have been put off buying one.

For me the wing just isn't as good as the old Mk2 wing, which seems more stable and able to fly in lighter lift than the Mk3. There is some video I shot somewhere on this blog where we were flying at Fochriw in changeable conditions. One minute we'd have a good breeze with thermals coming through. Then the wind would die as a thermal passed over and we were left flying in dead air. My Wildthing carried on cruising slowly along the slope whilst Waynes plummeted out of the sky like a brick. If anyone from Soar Ahead Sailplanes is reading this, please revert back to the Mk2 wing.

My wing seems to be structurally sound, it's only the fuselage which took a battering, so this evening I'm going to strip the covering off it and see if I can epoxy it back together and strengthen the break areas with some light glass fibre. If that option doesn't appear feasible, I shall buy some depron sheet and use the original fuselage as a template for fabricating a new one.

Watch this space for updates.

This Friday I'm heading to Crawley for the weekend. Michelle has friends there and it's a really good excuse for me to tag along and go flying with Paul Hampshire and the other guys at Slope Soaring Sussex. So I have four models prepped and ready to go, I just need some luck with the weather. Anything between 15 - 25 mph winds with clear skies would be perfect. Hopefully I shall come back with some pictures and video to share.

Until next time, happy flying.
Steve