Been sloping...

They stay up by magic!
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NeilMac
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Location: Nth Somerset

Re: Been sloping...

Post by NeilMac »

The only slope soarer in my past Carl is a Veron Impala owned by a friend which on several occasions we attempted to keep in the air as long as possible after flinging it from the top of the highest mound we could find on Wanstead Flats.

Revisiting my past was where this whole retromodelling thing started, and is the very reason I bought and converted the MacGregor Digi 2.4 that is presently installed in the Precedent Hi Fly. I will get the Hi Fly over to Middle Hope at the next sign of a solid North or North Easterly breeze.

I will build an Impala at some point, but have just got some plans for the Blunderbird 3, which I found on Ebay for almost nothing. The next move is to rack up more flying hours and then finally join the 'guys' over on Crook Peak... even if it is just with the Lidl.
"I'm your huckleberry, that's just my game"
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Wayne_H
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Re: Been sloping...

Post by Wayne_H »

At least I wish I'd been sloping... :cry:

There's a very good reason why my region is classified as the South West Slopes & Plains - there ain't no decent accessible hills (that I or other locals have been able to find anyway)!! Even the "slopes" are rolling plains. Being an optimist I remain hopeful in my quest for the grail.....

You guys enjoy every sloping opportunity you get!! Meanwhile, my collection of slopers shall remain in their boxes :( and my bucket list of retro slopers will stay just that, a list :roll:
Cheers,

Wayne
Once a Retrobate, always a Retrobate............ ;)
Martin
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Re: Been sloping...

Post by Martin »

It's amazing how small a 'slope' is needed. In Denmark, they hold international F3F races on a 'slope' no more than ten metres high - it's a sea wall and some low sand dunes. Of course, it does have the benefit of smooth air flowing in from the sea, and a nice flat beach to land on.
NeilMac
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Re: Been sloping...

Post by NeilMac »

I used to fly two line kites on Weston beach, and the on shore wind there was so smooth you could really fly some amazing precision patterns in it. Yesterday I was just a few miles up the coast and although the wind was coming over Wales before it got to me, the 10 or 15 mile stretch of the Bristol Channel between Wales and me plus the steady 8 to 10 MPH blow meant I had a very easy time of it, plus the Lidl glider is SO easy to fly that I was just able to take full advantage of the conditions... while concentration and batteries held out.

I do have an Aero-Naut LT200 currently on the building board, so that when the wind is from the wrong direction at least I can motor up, as Middle Hope is just a spine of rock sticking up and so can produce lift on either side, although there is scrub and low trees on the South facing slope, hence the need for a motor glider. It is National Trust land, so I have to be a little careful about how much I use power though... not that I have ever seen a warden up there.
"I'm your huckleberry, that's just my game"
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RON
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Re: Been sloping...

Post by RON »

Been out with the invader again today.
All went well. Here’s a short video.

Ron

G0MBV Class A Radio Amateur, North Yorkshire
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PaulJ
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Re: Been sloping...

Post by PaulJ »

'Lovely Ron :P ......... It certainly is distinctive! But the slope doesn't look any better than we have at Felixstowe. How high do you guestimate the slope is?
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RON
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Re: Been sloping...

Post by RON »

Thanks Paul
Not very high, maybe around 100 feet or so.
It’s a lot higher further round, maybe 300ft. Very smooth lift though.

Ron.
G0MBV Class A Radio Amateur, North Yorkshire
NeilMac
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Re: Been sloping...

Post by NeilMac »

There are times when fate tries to tell you just to go home and switch on the telly, but typically being a man of a certain type and of a certain age I am often inclined to ignore fate and say, nope, I am going to do it.... that's what you think says fate.

The weather forecast suggested there would be a very nice Northerly breeze this afternoon, so a trip was planned to Middle Hope. I fancied a few more flying hours with the Lidl and that it was about time I got the HiFly / Digimac 2.4 combo going. Into the garage pick up the planes and... one of the rubber bands holding the tailplane of the HiFly has broken..OK, five minutes later two new bands installed, car loaded and ready to go.

On arrival at the NT car park below Middle Hope all appeared well and as is now my custom before paying my £3.50 car park fee I trotted up to the top of the hill to check out the breeze, and lo, it was good. Back to the car, pay the fee and grab two planes and a backpack. Up onto the training ridge and first choice was the Lidl, opened up the canopy and the supastrong magnet detached itself from the fuselage, hmm, I thought Gorilla glue would hold that, apparently not, ah well. Opened the backpack and puled out a handful of battery packs only to discover the Lidl pack was not there......

Lidl glider put to one side, out comes the Digimac and HiFly, and before rigging the wings I thought I'd do another gear check, only to find the rudder servo is not playing ball at all. A quick change of battery pack, nope, not happy. Now if it had been the elevator I might just have got away with it, but not a rudder, only one thing for it, go home for the Lidl battery pack.

It is only a five minute drive from Sand Bay to my house.... I'll correct that, when the roads are relatively clear it is only a five minute drive back to my house. However, when a very elderly lady driver is in front of you it could conceivably take the rest of my life.

Home battery picked up, HiFly put on the bench for later and off we go again. Another elderly driver on the way back.... oh dear, thank goodness for air con in cars.

Back in the car park, a quick gear check before heading up the hill and all is good. Get to the top and the breeze has dropped a bit, but at least it is coming from the right direction. Over to my chosen spot, pull the Spektrum Tx out and WHAT THE....... the plastic top to the antenna has gone missing (and is probably on the floor next to the car)..... press on young Neil, you are not going to be stopped by yet another of fate's trip wires. Gear check, all good, LAUNCH..... into a diminishing wind.

In the end I had four or five relatively short flights and when the Lidl actually landed itself right next to my bag, I finally conceded defeat, that's it fate, you win.... as you knew you would.

The antenna top was found next to the car and the Hi Fly will be attended to later this evening when things have cooled down and the garage is no longer at furnace temperatures.

Still, the weather was excellent, the view across the Bristol Channel while I drank my flask was superb I had a nice chat about the Lidl with a gent who used to work on full sized aircraft and also used to fly models and the Lidl is just so easy to fly, even when you have to scratch for lift.... and now I have a really good excuse to build a light wind glider, so not a bad afternoon really.
Last edited by NeilMac on 03 Aug 2019, 06:35, edited 1 time in total.
"I'm your huckleberry, that's just my game"
NeilMac
Posts: 165
Joined: 04 Feb 2019, 22:07
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Re: Been sloping...

Post by NeilMac »

Phil_G wrote: 02 Aug 2019, 16:38 You dont leave the batteries in your models Neil? Image
Not if they have been well used Phil.

The HiFly had batteries in that I knew where fully charged, but I'd done a fair bit of flying with the Lidl last time out, so I had taken the pack indoors, along with a couple of other packs for charging, it was just unfortunate when I picked up the batteries I had charged that I somehow managed to leave the Lidl battery at home. I did have the Bolt and Z84 batteries with me though.... just, not the gliders. :roll:
"I'm your huckleberry, that's just my game"
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Phil_G
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Re: Been sloping...

Post by Phil_G »

We had a brilliant day today, the first proper flying session this year :D
Me, Shaun & Neil met at the Fish & Chip Restaurant in Baildon village, Shauns treat, I had a fish butty, it was dee-lish, cheers Shaun :D
Arrived at the slope at 1:30pm and the wind was 15-20 smack on the west slope - perfect.
A couple of other lads arrived , then later a couple more, 7 in all flying together, lovely jubbly.
I'd taken the single-channel Moonbeam with the OS Pixie, and a rudder/ele LIDL glider with the homebrew NRF radio, Shaun took his MPX Blizzard and Neil had his Jet Star. Conditions were up and down either side of perfect and we flew all afternoon solidly up to 6pm, this is the most flying any of us had done in many months, four-and-a-half hours of solid back to back flights, no standing around chewing the cud, its been too long to waste air-time!
Flying the Moonbeam was a huge nostalgia kick for me, it was our first really successful R/C model and back then we had an OS Pixie. This is authentic nostalging at its best. This is the Moonbeam built by Gary whilst he was in Oz, and shipped halfway round the world to Baildon Moor. Cheers Gary!
I really enjoy S/C slope soaring, more so than S/C power, its a real challenge and so rewarding.
The homebrew NRF gear was perfect all afternoon with hours of air-time, this is the longest test its had with plenty of mixed close proximity and distance flying, and did a few power cycles of the tx with the model at height, failsafe ok, instant re-link on switch on, no problems. Plenty of time to get some long flights in. Happy bunny :D
The afternoon wasnt without its moments though - Neil landed on the power lines twice ... :lol:


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Frank, can you ID the white glider above, is it a Graupner Hi Fly? Goldberg Gentle Lady?
The owner bought it at a swap-meet and doesnt know what he bought!

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Some more pics from Shaun:


Quite an elegant glider, dont you think?
Quite an elegant glider, dont you think?

Neils Jetstar flew very well. £5 including servos<br />from the Buckminster swap meet!
Neils Jetstar flew very well. £5 including servos
from the Buckminster swap meet!

Launching the Moonbeam into the blue yonder...<br />Thumb poised over the OS Pixie button...
Launching the Moonbeam into the blue yonder...
Thumb poised over the OS Pixie button...

moonbeam_pass1.JPG
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