Summers End

Sunday 1st September - I can't believe it was May when I posted my last blog update! Where has the time gone?

Well the boys met up on Mickey's West at The Bwlch for the day. Big Phil had brought his latest aquisition, a Phoenix models Red Arrows Hawk, which flew great once he'd added some ballast.

Mark had his Willow F3F and Cappuccino, Chris his Air One F3F and Tucan, and Clive turned up with all manner of models.

Video speaks louder than words, so here it is.



SUMMERS END from Chuck Glider on Vimeo.

Thermalling on The Meio

Sunday 19th May 2013 - Mark, Chris and myself arrived at The Meio to discover that there wasn't a breath of wind and Mark couldn't even keep his Mini Graphite in the air, and that'll fly in the merest of breezes so, Chris brought out his F3J 3m Experience Pro and bungee and we had some fun thermalling over the flatish grassy top of the common, each of us taking turns to have a go. My Whisper has a tow hook but unfortunately I had a soldered connection come away from one of the wing multi connectors.



Thermalling on The Meio from Chuck Glider on Vimeo.

A Brace of Odyssey's

Mark and Chris flying their Ron Broughton designed Odyssea planks on the Meio.
 
A Brace of Odyssey's from Chuck Glider on Vimeo.

Chris's new toy

Well Chris has managed to get his hands on Roger's (Cliff Hanger) Jedi Homebrew. This is an Airtech Jedi fuselage and wings made by foamwings.com. This video was it's maiden flight with Chris at the controls. I love this plane, I am so jealous!



JEDI HOMEBREW MAIDEN FLIGHT from Chuck Glider on Vimeo.

Is Winter Nearly Over?

This winter has been a grueller! The boys and myself have met at a few slopes but only managed an hour or so's flying as our fingers were turning blue and going numb with the cold.

In our area of S Wales we're blessed with many slopes facing most directions but, we are short on slopes facing south and south east. Last Sunday, Mark and Chris were going to fly the SE slope of The Garth, at the southern end of the A470 but, Big Phil and myself decided to try a slope closer to home, in fact only a 15 minute drive from my house, and 5 minutes for Phil, and a slope we haven't tried before as we rarely get a south easterly.

So Phil and I parked up and marched up to the slope. The wind was very light to begin with so we decided to chuck up the Wildthing and Weasel, stooging around for a while until the wind picked up enough to throw up the mouldies, a Banana and a Whisper.

The flying was no great shakes that day due to the light breeze and, we only managed a couple of hours as our fingers were becoming numb with the cold again. But that slope certainly has potential when an easterly or south east blows.

Here is a clip of Phil launching his Speedo.

Sunday Soaring

Sunday 11th November 2012 - Big Phil and I met up with Mark on the Ice Cream Slope at The Bwlch, well, he got there just a little before us. The wind was NW and very light to light but with thermals coming through.

Roger from Swansea joined us followed by Chris. We had all sorts of planes with us, Willow F3F, Cappucino, Speedo's, Weasel, Whisper and Oddessy's and we all had fun flying, even though aerobatics were mostly out of the question due to the light winds.

Mark and Chris also wanted some F3F practice as they are taking part in their first competition on the 18th November. So we set up a course and had a bash.

Wings Over Wales

Saturday 12th October 2012 I met up with Mark in the layby for the Ice Cream slope at The Bwlch just as a couple of lads were walking back from the slope. They were visitors from Wiltshire and were just having a break from flying for 10 minutes, so Mark and I went on towards the slope.

The weather was great with the sun shining and big, white, fluffy clouds drifting by in the 15mph ish northwesterly wind and Mark launched his new, Ron Broughton design Odyssey plank.

Chris turned up with his Odyssey along with the Wiltshire guys and we all had a great time flying until at around 2:30 when the wind swung to south westerly and rain clouds loomed overhead.