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NNAWGC Adventures

For those of you who have noticed the previous exploits of this little band of gliding enthusiasts and have expressed an interest here is the latest episode of fun in the fresh air and the wind. The breaking news is that the group has expanded as on our last weekend we were joined by Lee Wilson that well known ex member of the Marham Modelling Mafia (MMM). Accordingly Lee has been bestowed with probationary membership which will be confirmed upon production of a scale glider equipped with a suitable pilot. However enough of these ramblings how was the flying.

Colin and I had decided that we should attempt to squeeze in a last weekend of comfortable flying before the weather turned. Not that we don’t fly in the winter but it’s nice to enjoy flying without the thermal layers and gloves impeding the TX sticks. We therefore agreed that the weekend of the 5-6 Nov looked favourable and made the decision to meet once again at Colin’s house (the best and cheapest B&B in Lancashire). Also present was Lee and his good lady Sally. This was very good news for the shopkeepers in the local area as it meant that the retail therapy group had increased by 50%.

Saturday dawned bright with a medium frost and a very light Northerly wind so the three of us made our farewells to the credit cards and set out towards Jeffery Hill. This was a new hill for both Lee and I but was well known to Colin. It is located just past the town of Longridge and will take winds of NE to NW.(OS Map 102 Grid Ref: SD5625 4285 -for further information on this and other local gliding slope sites visit the BAESMAC web page (http://www.baesmac.co.uk/club_news/index.htm) The best bit is that there is a road to the top.
Upon our arrival due to the very light wind we all initially took what suitable light models that we had and made our base upon a pleasant grass clearing amongst the heather. Unfortunately the weather whilst light for us was ideal for the Para-gliders who descended in large numbers. No problem, the air is free to all and providing a good lookout is kept by all concerned we can all play with our toys safely.

There is a saying that states “If you can’t beat them join them”. To this end Colin produced his secret weapon, namely a two metre model para-glider complete with a two channel radio and Goofy as the pilot. Initially Goofy wasn’t having any of this and resisted all attempts to leave the ground. Mind you I don’t think that I would be that keen either with two large servos stuffed up my backside. However, Colin persevered and after a great deal of re-rigging and adjustment Goofy was coaxed into the air for some short flights. These could be best described as a work in progress and with better conditions I feel be a success. Watch this space for further news.

The morning conditions were very light, my Mini Milan was flown, as was Colin’s. Lee was venturing far and wide with his Topp Modelle Diva. This is a very pretty and capable model, Lee is after all the RAFMAA Thermal Champ with this model, and incidentally the Thermal event was run despite what the AGM minutes might say. For those who have not come across the Topp Modelle brand check out their internet site as they have a vast range of models available. Whilst you are at it, also check out the Rippin modellbau website. As the day wore on, the wind and lift improved enough to enable the scale models, my SHK and Colin’s Pilatus to move some air under their wings. Mention must also be made of Colin’s latest foamy, a Weasel from Dream Flight these are brilliant fun being manufactured from moulded foam requiring little more than a couple of hours work to assemble. Thus the day continued until the sun burst into the gap between the low cloud and the horizon signalling the end of another day. As the wind had also dropped we departed back to Colin’s for tea and medals.

Sunday again commenced like the previous day bright and frosty but with even lighter winds. Lee and Sally had departed the previous evening upon family visiting duties leaving Colin and I to enjoy another day on Jeffery Hill. Upon our arrival smoke from the still glowing bonfires was rising vertically into a clear cloudless sky. Nice for all kinds of model flying except of course slope soaring. Still working on the understanding that a bad day’s model flying is better than a good day at work we again assembled our lightest models and went and sat down on the hill. Colin had brought a new model for its first taste of the air, this was a Thermo Speedy brought from Hong Kong a few months back. We both ordered one hoping to save on the postage and with me being the slower (building wise) I had yet to commence mine therefore I was very interested to see how she flew. Due to the lack of wind initial flights consisted of a powerful launch with a brief excursion along the ridge followed by a quick landing either on the top or just below it. It is testament to the good manners of this model that never once did it object to this form of christening and flew with good grace and ease. This model comes fully built requiring just basic gluing and construction skills and to my mind would make an excellent base for a one model competition event for the RAFMAA. You will need very small radio gear as the fuselage whilst being a lovely shape is somewhat anorexic. These are available from “R2Hobbies.com”. Contact either Colin or myself for further details. Such was the lack of wind that for most of the day the quick chuck, fly and land was the format for the day. At one point whilst Colin was distracted by a passing walker who seems interested in what we were doing and was taking the time to explain to him the benefits of the hobby/sport I noticed a slight smell of smoke. This to me meant that the also non-existent wind that had been drifting along the ridge was now drifting straight onto the hill. Therefore I threw off the Mini Milan and enjoyed a very enjoyable flight of about ten minutes. This was the highlight of the day after which we finally took the hint and packed up.

Despite this the whole weekend was thoroughly enjoyable and an excellent opportunity to clear some of the balsa dust from our lungs and will be repeated again in the very near future. The next few lines are I admit a shameless plug. Over the last year I have been flying a neat low wing slope soarer which has received many favourable comments on both its looks and performance. After many delays and false starts the design has finally been kitted. There are photos of it flying during our last outing to the Lleyn Peninsular Bring and Fly. It is available from CM Manufacturing at sales@cloudmodels.com for the price of £59.95p. Included in this price is a £5.00p donation to the Hospice in Lincoln which cared for Mike Goldby during his final last months.

Meanwhile the adventures and challenges continue to gather mainly I admit in the list of creations waiting to see daylight from the workshop. To this end both Colin and I are willing to pen articles on construction techniques should there be a demand. Please feel free to contact me at RAF Digby, Ext 7223 with any such requests.

 



         Neil Tricker & Colin Waite
 


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