Due to Christmas and poor flying weather, I haven't been able to fly for the last couple of weeks and, I'm away the weekend after Christmas visiting family and friends but, I shall be flying the week after.
So I would like to wish all the regular guys at A470 Soaring, and all of our visitors around the world, a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year and I look forward to seeing you all on the slopes very soon.
Monday, 22 December 2014
Thursday, 11 December 2014
Friday, 5 December 2014
Decisions, decisions
Once Christmas is over, I shall be looking to purchase a new glider. I want to take up flat field thermal soaring for those days when the forecast is showing wind speeds of 10 mph and less from Spring through to early Autumn and it isn't worth the drive to the slopes. Also it would be handy to fly in the evenings when I get home from work as the slopes are too far away for me to do that.
So I've been thinking long and hard about my requirements. It needs to be electric powered as I may be limited to field size for launching. My high start is 100m long and stretches to double its length, so on my current fields, I'm limited by the wind direction for that.
I want something of at least 2.5m span, preferably with a GF fuselage, with ailerons and flaps, and of ARTF build as I am limited to building on my dining room table, which still has to be used as a dining table.
T9 Hobbysport has a range of models from Topmodel, a supplier from the Czech Republic and I have shortlisted 4, the Avia 2.5m V tail with built up wings, Gracia 3.07m V tail with built up wings, Grafas 3.07m cross tail with built up wings, and the Fascination F5J 3.6m cross or V tail with balsa veneered foam wings.
If anyone has any experience of any of these, I would love to hear from you.
So I've been thinking long and hard about my requirements. It needs to be electric powered as I may be limited to field size for launching. My high start is 100m long and stretches to double its length, so on my current fields, I'm limited by the wind direction for that.
I want something of at least 2.5m span, preferably with a GF fuselage, with ailerons and flaps, and of ARTF build as I am limited to building on my dining room table, which still has to be used as a dining table.
T9 Hobbysport has a range of models from Topmodel, a supplier from the Czech Republic and I have shortlisted 4, the Avia 2.5m V tail with built up wings, Gracia 3.07m V tail with built up wings, Grafas 3.07m cross tail with built up wings, and the Fascination F5J 3.6m cross or V tail with balsa veneered foam wings.
If anyone has any experience of any of these, I would love to hear from you.
Avia 2.5m
Fascination F5J 3.6m
Gracia 3.07m
Grafas 3.07m
Monday, 1 December 2014
A welcome visitor to S Wales Sloping
This weekend, we were paid a visit by Andy Meade, who is well known amongst the PSS community and I met up with Andy on Saturday at Manmoel Common, the ENE facing slope which overlooks Festival Park Designer Discount Shopping Outlet at Ebbw Vale.
I arrived a while before Andy and our own Mark Williams when the breeze was only just strong enough to keep my Wildthing foamie in the air. By the time they had both arrived, the wind had completely died away and we were just stood there chatting and wondering whether a breeze might appear, but to no avail.
Sunday was a little better. Andy sent me a text message saying he was parked in the Wrecker lay-by at the Bwlch and there was a breeze blowing. I arrived about an hour later but again, there was only just enough air to keep a foamie up and found Andy and Mark, once again, chatting and wondering.
As the morning wore on and the ground warmed up in the sunshine, so the breeze picked up, and although it was still very light by Bwlch standards, we did manage to get in some satisfying flying on the north facing VR98 slope.
Down in our neck of the woods, we've never really got into PSS models, so everyone was very interested in seeing Andy's Messerschmitt ME-262, and even more interested to see it fly, and how well it flew indeed. Whether this will spur people to get on to build a PSS model I don't know, but we certainly enjoyed seeing something different on the slopes.
I think Andy enjoyed his time with us and our amazing slopes and that he will return sometime when the wind Gods are more favourable.
Here is some video of Andy flying his Precision Pike and ME-262, and Clive flying his Easy Glider.
I arrived a while before Andy and our own Mark Williams when the breeze was only just strong enough to keep my Wildthing foamie in the air. By the time they had both arrived, the wind had completely died away and we were just stood there chatting and wondering whether a breeze might appear, but to no avail.
Sunday was a little better. Andy sent me a text message saying he was parked in the Wrecker lay-by at the Bwlch and there was a breeze blowing. I arrived about an hour later but again, there was only just enough air to keep a foamie up and found Andy and Mark, once again, chatting and wondering.
As the morning wore on and the ground warmed up in the sunshine, so the breeze picked up, and although it was still very light by Bwlch standards, we did manage to get in some satisfying flying on the north facing VR98 slope.
Down in our neck of the woods, we've never really got into PSS models, so everyone was very interested in seeing Andy's Messerschmitt ME-262, and even more interested to see it fly, and how well it flew indeed. Whether this will spur people to get on to build a PSS model I don't know, but we certainly enjoyed seeing something different on the slopes.
I think Andy enjoyed his time with us and our amazing slopes and that he will return sometime when the wind Gods are more favourable.
Here is some video of Andy flying his Precision Pike and ME-262, and Clive flying his Easy Glider.
Friday, 28 November 2014
The weekends flying
Hi all. Looking at the forecast for the weekend, Saturday morning looks like it is going to be dry with an ENE up to about 12 mph, slipping to NE in the afternoon, so Manmoel looks like the place to be and certainly where I will be as I shall be in the pub in the afternoon watching the Wales v S Africa game.
Sunday doesn't look so clear cut. XC Weather shows N whilst the BBC is showing NE, so a trip to the Bwlch may be in order to fly either the VR98 or the Wrecker, although the Wrecker can be a bit scary when the wind is light. But last Sunday, there was next to no wind down in the valley's and in Cardiff, but on the VR98 there was a good, stiff breeze blowing, so it would probably be fine.
If any of you reading this read RCM&E magazine, and look at the gliding forums on its website, you will probably have come across Andy Meade. Andy is big into PSS and, from the pictures I've seen, has some spectacular looking models.
Well Andy is meeting me at Manmoel tomorrow. I have no idea why he is visiting our neck of the woods as I know he flies a lot from the Orme, which we all know is the 2nd best place in the country to fly ;o). I shall get some pictures and video I'm sure to share here.
See you on the slope.
Sunday doesn't look so clear cut. XC Weather shows N whilst the BBC is showing NE, so a trip to the Bwlch may be in order to fly either the VR98 or the Wrecker, although the Wrecker can be a bit scary when the wind is light. But last Sunday, there was next to no wind down in the valley's and in Cardiff, but on the VR98 there was a good, stiff breeze blowing, so it would probably be fine.
If any of you reading this read RCM&E magazine, and look at the gliding forums on its website, you will probably have come across Andy Meade. Andy is big into PSS and, from the pictures I've seen, has some spectacular looking models.
Well Andy is meeting me at Manmoel tomorrow. I have no idea why he is visiting our neck of the woods as I know he flies a lot from the Orme, which we all know is the 2nd best place in the country to fly ;o). I shall get some pictures and video I'm sure to share here.
See you on the slope.
Tuesday, 25 November 2014
Scorpion F3F Crash
Our good friend Clayton turned up at the VR98 slope on Sunday with his Scorpion F3F model. Shortly after launching, Clayton lost contact with the plane, as the following video shows.
Wildthing
The weather forecast for Sunday was a 10 mph north westerly so, when I arrived at the Bwlch and expecting to have to walk to the ice cream slope, I was surprised to find the wind northerly and a good deal stronger than forecast. In fact, the lift was awesome, although bitterly cold and smooth as silk, no turbulence at all, but then the Bwlch is often like that anyway.
Here is some video footage of me flying my Wildthing, which after 3 years, I'm still loving.
Here is some video footage of me flying my Wildthing, which after 3 years, I'm still loving.
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