Rob C....
Good looking, highly experienced radio control flyer.
Martin D....
40'ish, middle age spread kicking in. Motto
"You build it, i'll fly it"
UPDATE - Martin prob 50s and gone AWOL
UPDATE 2 - Martin located working in slate mine in Somerset. Due to return 2027
Well i wont add much to Marty's post other than he forgot the most important fact of the day... the Rotmilan out-flew everything else, apart from the Hudd's 1960's tissue covered ultralight! Exceptional performance in thermic conditions... very very happy!
This is a classic demonstration of peoples abilities. You can always tell who is not a good flyer by where the stand on the slope. Ultra confident Hudd.. looking up, Nick.. looking level, and whos that on the edge looking down? oh its Martin.
Not a bad day.. but to top it off check out this vid. As always play full screen in 720HD and turn the music up!
BBC weather forecast predicted a 5 to 7 mph WSW, we would have stood a chance if this had been the case.
As we gathered in the car park at noon, there was not a single bit of stirring in the trees. There was a good gathering of us , probably 10. I knew today for me was going to be a day of launch, if lucky hook up a thermal and get 15 minutes, alternatively do 1 circuit land on the side and walk 15 metres down the hill to collect the skorpion. The Skorpion is not known for its performance on very light wind days although it does make a fair fist of it. Roll on theTanga coming back to life
There were allot of models about today , the heavier stuff did spend allot of time on the ground. Today was a day for the more innovative gliders.
Geoff rocked up today with his St Models DG100 with electric assist. I used to have one of these. On a day like today they are perfect. Easy and fun to fly , possibly one of the best selling models of the last couple of years.
Nick and Pete with their Allula's. Again perfect models for today with a certain amount of novelty. These 2 little models are ''lobbed'' into the air to about 15 metres from a standing start. They then float about on nothing.
Nick Launching his Allula
What about this bad boy. 1 metre wing span, and an all up weight of 95grams, that's less than 2 sausages!! It is a Vladimir models Mini Elf DLG. you can get them now for less than £120 . http://www.hyperflight.co.uk/products.asp?code=ELF
As I said a Discus Launch, 1 metre wing span and weighing in less than 2 sausages. This was used as the sacrificial glider. Often we stood by until this was gaining height through thermal activity and then it was '' everybody launch'' , at times mayhem. This one belongs to Nick.
Phil the ''Masterclass Huddlestone' rocks up with yet another model none of us have ever seen before. I think he called it a 'Casciopa' . We (I) gave him the usual ribbing for turning up with a model from the nineties but as usual he managed to out fly all of us.
Look at that wing tip, that cap, those glasses and those curls. Only the Hudd could get away with all this!!
There were a few takers for the bungee. This is Pete's Starlight going up on the bungee. This was Pete's first time on the bungee so he'll be glad it all went well. No longer a bungee virgin. Hopefully the next time he might ''get it up'' further, and with a bit of luck ''stay up'' longer.
This is the 'Hudds' Casciopa going up on the Bungee. Nick was launch man for his first ever time. It was a wobbly start to this flight but the Hudd dug deep, drew on all the available skill he has, and ensured alls well that ends well
The day came to a close and I disappeared off home.Luckily I had the Quad in the boot and 9400 Milli amps of electricity that needed to be used up so I stopped off and had a quick buzz about. This is the X Aircraft 650 Carbon,with upgraded motors and best of all the DJI Naza board. It is amazingly stable....
Rob text me last night and said we are F##king Lucky, and I have to say between the people we both come into contact with through our hobbies and the equipment we have I am inclined to agree with him ( this is rare as he is usually wrong). We are lucky and today was a good day.
Take a look at the vid... this was taken on Sunday afternoon. I was almost at cloud base but with total coverage i could not nip up in between! I love flying this, its total freedom, its taken me over a year to get a real solid reliable platform.... Spot the time i loose most of my aerial trailing?
As usual get it full screen in 720HD to really appreciate!
I fly a Ritewings Zephyre from the US, this is the best FPV platform out there, its indestructible, very simple, and can carry weight. In the vid on the right you can see another camera, that's the one I'm looking through whilst flying. The Gopro2 is just for recording. The video feedback is on 2.4, Radio gear is Multiplex IPD receiver with a 4 meter aerial!!!
It was one of those embarrassing calls, one of those you know that is difficult for the caller to make.... it went along the lines of....
Caller "GayLord... you alright?"
Rob "yes"
Caller "ummm what you up too?"
Rob "what do you want?"
Caller "my quad don't work, I'm sending it back!"
Rob "bring it around ill take a look"
Martin turns up looking crest fallen, 3 hours of fiddling on the computer... which i must admit was only a frickin tick box we missed, and the beast flies! full credit to Martin, he specked this out a treat playing all the sellers against each other. Carbon X-Aircraft frame, upgraded motors and a gem of a controller DJI Naza board.
This sort of tinkering brings on the sweats for Marty
It flies... this can be fitted with a reasonable camera on a giro balanced mount connected to the Naza. We were that confident we flew it in my living room, which lets face it ain't Salisbury Cathedral in size... This was purchased from here
Martins dream to have some one famous watching him fly...... A good photo!
Good one Marty, look forward to the results! I was supposed to attend but due to Family member deciding to visit a hospital at short notice i had to bail... again! But i did get a good consolation prize and certainly more than 5 mins of flying that Martin got!
Westbury on a Northerly, nothing better. To Windy for the Gay Dogging Para Gliders, The Hang Gliders went to cloud base so out our way. We had the Hudd, The Bristol Boys, Nick, Mark, Graham and others... What an ugly bunch mind, not a good day to showcase RC Glider flying to the ladies, obviously i tried to drag them up a few levels...
Quick pit stop and a charge from the Hudd, his car is full of gliders, bits of gliders, para gliders, helicopters... if i was a kid i would nick this car out of all others parked up Westbury... (not the Ford Focus)
Incidentally look what the Hudd has done, He has resurrected the Zombie Foamie
Nick had a car so organised makes you sick, unlike the pile of crap which i carry about. Also had a very nice Pike and Luna 2. There is a heli stuffed in that big box!
Pike on landing approach, check that sky out... this is still February too!
The flight line
Foamie combat with these guys is vicious... there was lumps of foam falling all about the place. The control movement these chaps have set up on there planks is outstanding.
Lastly a bit of fun, the Hudd demonstrating his new found prowess of the rolling circle, due to my complete ineptitude at filming, i missed a good chunk of it, He did come very close to stacking it on the hill... The Hudd thought that too!
The Rotmilan goes from strength to strength, really love this model.... see ya.
Today I had a second go at competing in the F3F Welsh Winter League. Rob was supposed to have been making his F3F debut but due to circumstances outside of his control he was unable to make it. I wonder if he is destined never to wow us with some actual times against the clock. He has certainly been talking a good story for the last few months, it would be nice to see some facts to back his ''guff'' up!!
Anyway today was a different story for me compared to my first comp last month. We were flying from the Ice cream slope. The wind was probably 15 to 20 mph, which in turn led to mediocre lift. I opted for half ballast. My times today were all over the shop. I had a best which was 48 seconds and a worst that was 67 seconds. I am in no doubt that once the results are published I will have finished last.
Although it was not a great performance I was happy with the way I flew. I flew very smoothly and my turns were very neat. The problem is that it is very difficult to judge where the bases are and you tend to fly safe and in doing so overshoot the bases and make the course a lot longer than it needs to be
Today I also think the calibre of competitors was higher than last time. I remember going home after the first comp thinking that I would probably finish mid table, today all the other competitors were in a different class to me. I have set myself a goal. Before the year is out a sub 45 second run and to be happy that I feel I have closed the gap on the big boys.....
Ian Mason about to have his willow launched. The willow today went like you know what of a shovel. It is unbelievable value for money. You can have a new one for a 'monkey' .. £500
In the background you can see 'The Crest' . What a hill / view.
Rumbey's Alliaj coming in , full crow. I think Rumbey had a good day today. I saw a different side to his flying compared to the sport flying we normally do together
A FOSA ( Baudis) ... I have seen pictures and heard alot about them. They have a very narrow wing cord leading to long thin wings. A very nice glider. I wonder if in the future models will move more to this shape of wing.
Rumbey with a go pro stuck to his head. Not sure if this look is going to take off.
The fuz for the Tanga arrived at work today. I couldn't get home fast enough to plug the tail and wings in to see how it looks.....
After a very quick check the fuselage is better quality than the first one but to be honest it is still a little disappointing. The seams are not great, there are a few marks and the canopy could fit better. The request to strengthen the nose has resulted in some extra glass cloth but it is definately stronger. I will still look to put some carbon tow in for extra strength and a much thicker servo board.
Plan is to be flying it again within 2 weeks. I miss flying this glider, it is superb.
Good news today. The fuz for the Tanga F3B has been dispatched, it will be here in a couple of days. I have had Breta Models strengthen the nose with extra cloth to avoid breaking this one. I did carry nose weight in the old one so I shouldn't be compromised on weight.
This fuz has been done in orange , the same as the stripes on the top of the wing. I got fed up with the marks that were beginning to show on the old white one, plus the sheep $hit shouldn't show as much!!
Piccy received today from Breta models.About to go into the box to be dispatched!!
A new Quad arrived last week . The one that looks like a Las Vegas Christmas tree has been sent to Quad heaven. This one is an X Aircraft 650 carbon, I have upgraded the motors and gone for a DJ Naza flight controller. I have now been on the build on and off for a week, and am now in the final stages..
This bad boy should be as steady as a rock in the air and should be able to handle a reasonable amount of wind. There is plenty of room underneath to hang a go pro so very excited about being able to film off the slopes from some interesting angles
And best of all me and Rob are all set for the F3F comp in Wales on Sunday. Looks like the wind will be a steady 15mph straight onto "The Wrecker". As usual Rob is oozing with confidence / cockiness . It will be an interesting journey home Sunday, one of us will be full of grins and smart comments, the other of us won't be!!
We rush to the slope... no frigging wind! The gay dogging para-gliders club are huddled together looking glum... but after 30 mins wind picks up and we are fighting for airspace... the less confident flyer's stay on the ground, however we fly and dodge the para-gliders! Good thing about a well trimmed mouldie is they will out fly any para, so we tease them from up high, and dart between them....
Me and Mark waiting for the lift.. Spot Gay Dogging Para gliders club in background!
Lift arrives... Marty boxed in by Paras lands in the slush
One of the Polish Paras... also flies rc gliders, i am surprised he is still alive after seeing the way he flies his gliders!
We get away... Viking2 F3B flew brilliantly today! So did Marty's Scorpion F3B, with no dihedral and a racing setup it out-soars most gliders... it don't look pretty though, i think it prefers to go fast!
The Hudd, preparing his copter... wind was light so he threw it around behind the car park.
That is the most ridiculous flying suit, he looks like the pink aisle in Toys R Us!
He got the thing inverted... come on Barbie Hudd!
Check this video out.. shot from my Quad, watch in Youtube in 720 hd turn the music up to 11 again! We did this before the wind picked up......
We will fight them in the air... We will fight them on the ground... we will show no mercy on the landing field, the car park and the launch site. We won’t let them take our birds, we will confuse them with our wit.....
We will do battle with the para-gliders and we will win!!!
Get your arse and your charged gliders to Westbury White Horse Midday, or 1pm for flanking manoeuvre..
Some decent photos of the day... apologies to all for Martins shit post below...
Dave... A veteran of the windy slope brings all the home comforts, Tent, seats, food, goggles... and a duff Alliaj HM glider!
Very nice Dave, he's got the misses stuffed in his bag to provide hot food... it was effin freezing up there!
Unfortunately not flown today, MKS servo let him down.. pity i was looking forward to it!
Good launch... he kept running/slipping to the bottom of the slope!
A lot of money is lying around in the snow... but they do look seriously good!
Having a moment together... never to late to climb out that closet!
Don't bother asking Rumby to take a photo...
First time i got a close look at the Alliaj HM, Not sure about it.. i know there fast, but feels sort of flimsy... the build ain't up to the Rotmilan or the Skorp. However massive ballast capability, Rumby can stuff 2g's in the fuz.
A good day, bitter cold... I FPV my Zephyr up to 2000ft, the Gopro gave up unfortunately, locked out with SOS written on the screen... know how it feels.
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