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The Aerobatics Competition 2026
Report and photo's from Richard.
A fine and near perfect evening for our annual Aerobatics event.
Three very good flyers and an astonishing number of assistants, onlookers, and spectators enjoying themselves.
Seven in fact, just shows how popular this flying event is especially with Ken as the formidable judge. Thank you, Ken.
Kevin set the pace with his new, very fast and smooth electric stunter, a beautiful looking model and a joy to watch.
Ian followed with some impressive flying, in spite of his engine sounding as though it was about to fall out in the first round.
Mike performed as well as he lost a piece of propeller when it cut through his battery lead on launching, which made some of his manoeuvres extremely difficult to complete, much to his annoyance. Needless to say, new props were offered all round.
Two rounds were flown, the results being consistently better in the second than the first round.
1st Kevin Morgan 940 / 1032.
2nd Ian Hewitt 877 / 910
3rd Mike Chapman 811 / 934
Fire yer guns !
Mike has taken up Yoga. This is the Praying Mantis !
Aerobatics comp'; a popular spectator event.
Kevin's super stunter.
The group photo (can you spot Kevin ?)
Flying followed by the essential nattering and photograph, not to be missed on these occasions.
The Trainer Race 2026.
Report and photo's from Richard.
A mildly chaotic Trainer Race on a fine summer's evening.
Engine gremlins were present as usual, the circle was yellow from the lack of rain, but nice and smooth.
Ian's ferocious Phantom set the pace, achieving 4 minutes 40 seconds for the 90 laps, a new record I believe.
Russ flew his Champ with great perseverance to come second, and Dave finally retired before time with a serious attack of engine grumbles.
All in all, great fun to watch and a golden opportunity as usual for lengthy nattering.
1st Ian Hewitt Phantom 4mins 40secs
2nd Russ Baker Champ 7mins 31 secs
3rd Dave Wright, Retired with grumpy engine.
Ian's fast Phantom.
Preparing the Phantom.
The group photo.
The Spot Landing competition 2026
Report and photo's from Richard
Sorry for the lateness of this report. A combination of mind bending heat and lack of ice cold beer are the reasons !
At last, a fine evening when we could fly this slightly mad competition.
The sun shone, the grass was up to our knees and the few sheep blundering around added to the scenery.
So it was hand launches only, skilfully done and no one got their fingers bashed in the process.
Ian set the standard by landing 148ft away from the marker to start, involving a long trudge through the grass
Dave Wright managed 128ft to keep things running smoothly, and Russ baker followed with 54 ft
Then of course our champion appeared in the form of Mike Chapman who arrived 20ft off the marker, a very skilled landing for a dead motor approach.
All had a second or third flight to gain points, the results being as follows
Mike Chapman 20 and 26ft Winner
Dave Wright 33, 48 and 128ft
Russ Baker 40 and 54 ft
Ian Hewitt 44, 95 and 148ft Longest distance
The brave competitors (where's the grass ?).
Preparation in the pits.
Dave looks anxious.
Mike searches for a decent take-off point !
Ian hand launches a model.
All very enjoyable, small prizes and a good natter at the end. Roll on the next one !
Chuck Glider Comp' May 2026
Report by Mike Chapman photo by Howard.
The weather
has been kind to us in previous years when we've held our Hand Launched Glider
competition but this year it was cold with a stiff breeze.
Our timekeepers, Howard and Mike(E) were well wrapped up.
For those of us that were ready to fly a chunky warm pullover was required to
keep the cold at bay.
Due to illnesses and injuries there were only three entries this year.
I arrived minutes before 18.00 and found the gateway blocked by a fellow ready
to release four racing pigeons. I waited so he could release them at exactly
18.00 and they went on their way back to their loft in Leicester.
So, I loosened-up with my back-up glider and on the third flight put into a tree
(the wind had shifted), there it stayed until the following day when I returned
with my telescopic Roach pole.
I had with me a new tip-launched glider which I had broken on the previous visit
to the field - it didn't take long to re-kit it !
So I began with my remaining competition glider and immediately put in flights
diagonally across to the other side of the field, the best one went into the
next field.
Ian and Paul were trimming as they put in their flights but the wind was getting
the better of them. Both managed to keep
their models in one piece, as did I with mine (apart from
the other two)..
We had just completed our flights when Richard arrived, in time to tell us about
his experiences in hospital.
Result...after nine flights.
1. Mike (C)
2. Ian
3 Paul
Ian, Mike and Paul
51" Glider and the Power comp' 2025.
We were there in force and ready for action but the trip there told us not expect much action - because of the dense fog.
It was impossible to fly as visibility was less than 50 yds.
At approximately 12.30 the fog began to clear.
Peter and I readied our power models and ventured forth. My Zeus went 'off pattern' as there was no wind. A broken prop was the result. I patched it up, then Peter launched his Climax with the same result, it flew straight in and broke it's fuselage. I continued and put in two flights, the second had the best climb that it has ever had, as there would be no other entries I 'declared' and set about my glider flights.
Mike Edwards and Howard had been getting their comp' flights in, as had Peter, but as there was an early finish time I only had one hour in which to get my 3 glider flights in.
I had assisted with launches and timing whilst getting my power flights sorted and was aware that Howard was doing well.
I ran my legs off for an hour with one flight after another but
the 'good air' had gone ! One launch had a line tangle with another glider and
the model set off towards the fields outside the airfield (not what I needed !
)
We stayed around for the Area comp fly-offs just to see how they
would manage not to fly into the MOD base. Use of flashing beacons and
radio d/t meant the were all safely down and camp security dogs were not able to
get to them 
Results: Power
1. Mike Chapman
Results: 51" Glider
1. Howard Smith
2. Peter Arkley
3.Mike Edwards
4. Mike Chapman
The Stunt Race 2025.
Report and photo's from Richard.
A somewhat dull evening, but not to be deterred, a good turnout.
Much nattering, of course, and well organised measuring of lines supervised by Ken.
Peter was first away and put in a good first round. Followed, I seem to remember by Ian.
Mike then took off with his fearsomely fast model for his 76 laps, but on lap 74, his carburettor fell off.
Panic and disorder as we all started searching for this elusive gem. Mike said it was pink, but it was silver, and finally found by Peter Warne much nearer the circle than we thought possible. Ian offered to let Mike have another go in front of him, so off he went. Two laps later the carb fell off again. More searching, general chaos and the decision to go home before anything else happened, a wise decision !
An unusual and exciting evening, the results as follows...............
1st Peter Arkley 450 and 470 points
2nd Ian Hewitt 446 points, but second round not flown
3rd Mike Chapman Very fast, but no carburettor, very frustrating.
Peter was the first to fly in this very
EXCITING event.
Engines always need to be started.
'All hands to the pumps'
The search is on for Mike C's carb'(R/C) that flew off !
Plenty of attendees but only three entered the comp'.
Cloud Tramp fun 2025.
On a very fine Saturday afternoon, the first in August, at the proper time of five o'clock, we launched our Cloud Tramps.
They all flew well, in spite of the turbulence, and to round off the day, we had a duration contest for them.
A few exciting launches to start, and then the trimming sessions began to bite.
Ian's flew over the road, and the rest flew down the field in a light breeze, perfect for such an event
The results at the end, being the total of the best three flights out of five were very close :-
1st Richard 109 secs
2nd Ian 106 secs
3rd Peter 96 secs
4th Paul 69 secs
5th Mike E 51 secs
It's amazing how much fun you can have with a small amount of balsa and rubber !
Aerobatics Comp' July 2025
Report and photo's from Richard
A brief report from an enthusiastic spectator !
Fairly good weather again, not too much sun, wind possible, and a fantastic turnout
Five contenders, a record, and lots of supporters, helpers, photographers and enthusiastic watchers.
Mostly very watchable flights, and no disasters apart from Mike's engine failing in the worst possible place, vertical in the Hourglass !.
Damaged but not destroyed to fly another day, but Mike missed the second round. The model was repaired within days and has flown more than a dozen flights since the crash.
An incredibly close finish as the rounds continued with very good flights being demonstrated by Peter, Kevin and Ian.
Particular thanks to Ken Reeves for judging throughout the competition, no mean effort and much appreciated.
Results were as follows :-
Rounds 1 2
1st Peter Arkley 997 1,022
2nd Kevin Morgan 994 1,020
3rd Ian Hewitt 113 827.5
4th Nick Zotov 783 784
5th Mike Chapman 751 *
The draw for the flying order takes place.
Ian launches Peter's plane.
It was somewhere near here that the engine cut !
Ian lets the judges know that he is ready.
Mike's balance problems were not helped when he stood on a Gerbil !
Kevin readies his super electric powered stunter.
The group shot.
The Trainer Race
July 2025
Richard's report and photo's.
The weather was really quite fine. Not too much wind and warm without being scorching.
Lots of enthusiastic flyers turned up, and after the usual nattering session, flying began.
or sort of started. This was the evening when the army of engine gremlins appeared in force.
Much energy, annoyance, sore fingers and bad tempered diesels took over. What on earth was causing all this
mayhem is baffling, suffice it to say that after much effort, four contenders defied the odds and made some very impressive high speed flights. The results were as follows :-
1st Peter Arkley Phantom 6mins 40 secs
2nd Ian Hewitt Not sure 7 mins 9 secs
3rd Dave Wright Phantom 7 mins 28 secs
4th Russ Baker Phantom 8 mins 10secs
And lurking, frustrated , in the background with really annoyed engines.
Tony Cookson and Paul Tarrant.
Finally, after further nattering, the moon came up and we all went home !
Fast Hot starts ?
There she goes !
Peter flick starts his model.
Feverish activity in the pits.
What's this all about ?
The group photo.
Spot Landing Comp'
June 2025
Richard's report
After weeks of gale force winds and rain we could at last fly the
Spot Landing competition,
The wind died down, the sun shone, and it turned out to be a really good evening
for flying this mad event. It looked as though half the club had turned up, very
encouraging for the six brave bods who decided to fly.
There was one major problem that we found when the first model
tried to take-off, long stalks of grass caught Peters lines and the model
immediately turned into the circle and cut the engine. We decided that hand
launching the models would be the safest way to get airborne.
Two rounds were flown.
The fun started with Peter Arkley's Peacemaker, which refused to come down after
a very long distance high speed flight, finally arriving a mere 18ft from the
marker. Paul Tarrant flew his Peacmaker next, also arriving 18ft from the
marker, a rare and skilful achievement.
I think it was Mike Chapman who flew next, nearly demolishing Mike Edwards and myself as we sat at the judging table.. Russ Baker flew next on short lines with a small and lethally fast model and Ian flew a perfect flight with his large Ringmaster ending up 113 ft away. Dave Wright flew his Peacemaker with great determination and in an attempt to set a new record, landed 123 ft away from the marker (a plastic model) !
The second round commenced with varying distances achieved, Mike improve the most, finishing 9ft away from the marker.
So the results were as follows.
1st round 2nd round
1st Mike Chapman 28ft 9ft
2nd Russ Baker 12 ft 35ft
=3rd Paul Tarrant 20ft 18ft
=3rd Peter Arkley 18ft 18ft
5th Ian Hewitt 20ft 113ft
6th Dave Wright 23ft 123ft
Then prizes were awarded and the compulsory group photo taken.
And thanks to Mike Edwards for scoring and with others, reeling in the tape measure. Altogether, a very enjoyable evening's flying !
Peter launches Mike's model.
Russ launches Peter's model.
Mr Cool - anticipating an engine cut.
Dave confuses his helper
The group photo'
And to the winner - the spoils
Hand Launched Glider Comp'
April 2025
Richard reports
Our annual Chuck Glider competition was held on a perfect evening.
The sun shone, sheep and lambs in abundance, and very little wind.
Mike C and Ian battled it out with some spectacular flights, Peter persisted with his model, which after a few modest flights started to fly brilliantly. We almost had to drag him off the field as it started to get dark.
Mike E, our dear treasurer, tried his best, but at least he tried, and came fourth after heroic efforts.
I just sat and kept times, plus a few rather satisfying rocket powered flights, the last one disintegrating in a most spectacular cloud of bits at the end.
Results were as follows, being the total of the best five flights out of nine :-
1st Mike Chapman 149 secs
2nd Ian Hewitt 107 secs
3rd Peter Arkley 81 secs
4th Mike Edwards 30 secs
Altogether, a very enjoyable evening's flying !
Peter launches.
Peter watches his model gliding..
Mike C launches.
Mike C's glider circles overhead.
The group photo (Peter left a gap for Ian, who had left early).
John's (photographer) delicate rubber powered model Piper (?)
Free Flight 2025
Report by Mike Chapman
In 2024 the Free Flight Technical committee decided that in order to placate 'the powers that be', for 2025 all models weighing more than 250 grams (and entered in a BMFA competition) would have to have a Radio D/T.
Now, for some of us that had only recently progressed from burning fuses to clockwork timers this came as a helluva shock.
For many years we've watched (enviously) the 'big boys' D/Ting their FAI models but thought the other gadget developments would serve us just fine (Radio tracker bugs and more recently GPS locators).
So, cheque book out and in no time at all I had two RDTs from BMK.
Some ingenuity was required here. I decided that to maintain the simplicity of the KSB timer I would try and fit the RDT/servo/battery into the space previously occupied by the KSB timer.
It really wasn't possible, but by cutting an extra space for the battery all fitted well.
What also required attention was the change in weight at the front end. The RDT unit weighs approximately 17 grams less than the KSB timer so space had to be made to accomodate the lead weight required to retain the former CG. While doing this I did manage to short curcuit two batteries and whilst giving myself an unpleasant surprise the rapidly heating batteries burnt the small compartment I had made for them !
My first modifications have been flight tested and all went well. I have now converted all three of my A/2 (FAI) gliders to RDT.
I am currently building an Aiglet A/1 glider and also fitting it with RDT even though it is not required 'by law'.
I must say it is quite a novel feeling being able to bring your model glider down at will.
Installation on my A/2 glider. Servo in the ready position.
The inside of the set-up.
Cover plate is loose but the servo is in the release position.
Custom RDT set-up for my Aiglet glider.
Cover is loosely in place showing the tip of the servo arm in the ready position.
.
51" Glider competition 2024
Report by Mike Chapman
It was a good day.
After 11.00am the skies cleared for a perfect day of flying. The North Luffenham cut grass had not lengthened and the winds were relatively light (9 mph).
Strangely it was difficult to Max as halfway across the airfield models released into good air just sank.
Peter. Mike E and myself were all using KK Caprice models.
I started early and achieved modest flights while Mike E and Peter were watching (waiting for better air? ). They got going after lunch but weren't able better my modest scores, Peter did Max on his last flight but it was too late.
Ian came along late-on and had much trouble even getting his Lil' Hinney into the air but released at half line height and went away on a 'short' test flight, after what seemed like an hour of searching and with much help he returned with his glider, still with three official flights required.
I left quite early but Mike E told me later that Ian switched to an Amethyst hybrid model but got over enthusiastic on the second launch and the wings 'clapped hands'.
I also entered the BMFA SLOP contest, whilst coming second I managed to wreck my Dixielander model (only two entries).
1st Place: Mike Chapman 3-55 (1-36/1-11/1-08)
2nd Peter Arkley 3-16 (0-43/0-33/2-00)
3rd Mike Edwards 2-18 (0-49/0-41/0-48)
4th Ian Hewitt 1-32 (1-32/ - / - )
Thanks to Mike E for the scores.
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Open Glider and Open Power 2024
Report from Mike Chapman
The good news.......... We had somewhere to fly. It was warm. The very long grass had been cut.
We had the full length of the airfield to fly over
Now we had to contend with unpredicted high wind speeds. This of course means long retrievals once airborne.
Peter and Mike E were doing well but as I tried to get my glider up on the line the pull was so great that the tailplane snapped in two !
Peter and Mike E each manage one max each - with the associated long searches
I put up two flights with my reserve glider but I could see from the scores that even a max wouldn't have put me in the running.
I switched to my power model.
It was getting late Mike E was packing up and Peter declined to fly in Power.
I put up a few flights to record some official times.
Open Glider
1st Mike Edwards
2nd Peter Arkley
3rd Mike Chapman
Open Power
1st Mike Chapman
The Spot Landing Comp' 2024
Report and photo's from Richard.
The sun shone, the sheep were largely absent, and a fresh wind to liven things up a bit. Four brave bods took part, and the results were all over the place as expected.
Some brisk landings, all watched with anticipation when the motors cut to see how close the landings were to the mark (a pink foam glider).
The results were as follows after three rounds
1st Peter Arkley 38, 108, and 15 ft off the
marker
2nd Ian Hewitt 18, 26, and 32 ft
3rd Mike Chapman 73, 40, ( no third round )
4th Russell Baker 87, 93, and 106 ft
Ian with his latest model
The group with models and prizes.
Russ starting up.
Meausring the distance to the model.
Record for the furthest distance from the marker, Peter at 108 ft, hotly followed by Russell at 106 ft.
This all just goes to show you what a serious and complicated competition this is (not) !
Cloud Tramp fun.
Flying in a wide open field.
Not in an wide open field.
Trainer Race, July 2024
Report and photos from Richard
Another fine dry evening for our annual Trainer race. 18 degrees and a fresh north wind. Great for flying, but absolutely perishing for the judges. Much fiddling and nattering before we started as usual, then some eye watering fast flying.
Ian's Jasco Trojan set the pace, Peter's very nice Phantom flew fast and level, Russell's KK Champ flew remarkably fast for such an old design and Peter Warne's new Phantom Profile amazed us with it's performance.
Results.....
1st Peter Warne Phantom Profile
5 mins 1 sec
2nd Ian Hewitt Jasco Trojan 5 mins 5 secs
3rd Peter Arkley Phantom 5 mins 30 secs
4th Russell Baker KK Champ 7 mins 21 secs
A very tight contest, not to be missed !
Take it easy - no rush.
Pre or post Race ?
Please sir, can I be excused ?
The 'group'. Not many entries this year :(
Aerobatics Comp' July 2024
Report and photos from
Richard.
A fine summer's evening for flying our annual Aerobatics competition on a freshly mowed circle. Except for one thing, sunshine! We grumble if it's too cold and too hot, but this was a new one. The sun setting in the west was a real problem for our flyers, as it was sufficiently low down to make complicated manoeuvres very difficult. Our excellent judge Ken had quite a job on his hands, as he too was staring into the sun
Having said that, Kevin made two rounds look simple, Peter followed very close behind, and Ian had to abandon his flights half way because of the low sun almost blinding him.
Much nattering finished the evening, with the usual group photo a vital part of the proceedings. And everyone looked pleased !
After two rounds, 1st Kevin Morgan 1052 & 1087 points
2nd Peter Arkley 1034 & 952 points
3rd Ian Hewitt 414 points
Kevin activates the electronics.
Ian releases Peter's model.
The officials.
Kevin in action.
Group shot.
Rubber Scale comp' 2024
Report and photos from Richard and John.
Another fine dry, if a bit chilly evening, again. Not too much wind and well dispersed sheep. Much nattering, trimming and flight testing going on, a fine sight.
Ian's big Found Centennial flew a treat, my own two slightly odd models flew quite well, but still need some tweaking to achieve decent flight times. And the best flight of all was John Churchill's Piper Pacer which put in its usual fine performance. Dave Wright's Piper Cub suffered what the Americans call a loss of structural integrity and Russell put in some very good flights with his definitely non scale Cloud Tramp.
The results .....
1st John Churchill Piper Pacer 130 secs
2nd Ian Hewitt Found Centennial 116 secs
3rd Richard Granger Elytroplan de Rouge
John launches his winning Piper Pacer.
Ian launched his Found Centennial
Richard releases his Breguet LE
Richards Elytroplan de Rouge takes to the air.
The group photo.
Altogether, a very enjoyable evening. And thanks to John Churchill for his action photos !
Chuck Glider Comp' 2024
Report and photos from Richard
A fine if slightly cool evening greeted us, with light easterly winds and dry under foot. After the essential nattering, and a group shot taken before wreckage occurred, there were some very impressive flights. Some launches were quite impressive, and Paul appeared to take off on one. My one off special proved to be a complete disaster, but others flew well. Dave Wright had a very impressive Air Hogs ornithopter, Ken kept us all in order, and no one got stuck in a tree !
And finally, the scores !
1st Peter Arkley 96 secs
2nd Ian Hewitt 91 secs
3rd Russell Baker 80 secs
4th Mike Edwards 60 secs
5th Paul Tarrant 37 secs
6th Richard Granger 19 secs
Natter time.
Paul gives it his all !
The Winner - Peter.
Howard and Dave relax.
Group photo.
The webmaster writes........
A genuine winter build, completed - ready for the 2024 f/f season.
'Gator 2, an A/2 class 74" span glider.
Ostensibly another 'Gator but with subtle differences.
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Club Dinner and Prizegiving Saturday March 23rd
A wonderful time was had by all.
The food and service provided by the Victoria pub was excellent.
Sorry, there were no photos taken.
.
A new rubber scale model from Richard.
Here's a pic of my latest creation. Ugly as hell, but different.
It is a Breguet LE ( which stands for Laboratoire Eiffel ) since he couldn't resist having a bash at aeroplanes as well as the Eiffel Tower. Built in 1918, it flew twice, but demolished itself and the pilot on the second flight
I started it as the lockdown started but the cat sat on it, and flattened the wings, so development got a bit delayed. It is by no means super scale, but built for fun. It is a blown up 26" version of the 13"Lees Hobbies kit. Test glides look good so far, the small rat pilot seems quite good !
The Midland Free Flight
Gala
28th October 2023
Mike Chapman reporting
South Easterly 10 mph winds, very dull but
not too cold. Long wet grass again.
Mike Edwards entered F1H with his glider,
I entered Slow Open Power and 1/2 A power. I soon regretted entering SLOP as my
two models gave me problems.
I switched to my Zeus 1/2 A power model (PAW 80 engine). I knew it wasn't
trimmed so four or five short test flights later I had it sorted. I fitted a bug,
then put the clock on it.
First flight was 1.44, so I upped the power and got a max but it went the full
width of the airfield diagonally and into the dreaded compound. One of the
fliers down there had the combination for the gate lock so I was able to
retrieve Zeus. A long cycle ride back to base and I set up for another flight
with only about a half hour of the Gala left.
It went away to a good height and transitioned beautifully - away for another
max this time landing short of the compound.
Thinking I had enjoyed my flights but not expecting to 'place' as I was flying
against some hot models, I looked at the scores at 'control' to see that I was in second
place but they hadn't recorded my last max. I fetched my blood soaked
score card and was then promoted to first place - Wahoo !
Mike with 1st placed Zeus
Go to https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=9687
for more photos of my Zeus and the plan.
Open Power and Glider Comp's 2023
Open Power
Mike Chapman reporting
Cold 
and steady
wind, long wet grass, wind direction across the Barkston airfield. Not ideal
conditions but the Power fliers were ready first. Peter and Ken were flying
their Climax models. Peter was getting steady climbs, Ken's were less successful
but he did entertain us by releasing his model without the engine timer
set, so the climb didn't finish until the tank ran dry!
Ken was able to retrieve it on the airfield (D/T worked).
I was flying my 90% Dixielander (PAW 09). The first flight was a whopper and
only just stayed within the airfield. The second two flights climbed just as
well but the false horizon created by the runway reduced one flight 3 seconds
short of a Max .
Peter flew his model without his electronic bug in it (why would you do that?
) so required
additional assistance from Howard to return and search for it again
(success)..
Total
1. Mike Max 1.57 Max
5.57
2. Peter .53 1.18 Max
4.11
3. Ken .40 .55
.46 2.21
90% Dixielander
Open Glider
So, the glider fliers set about their task. The wind had lessened a little and
towing wasn't difficult (except for my Caprice which misbehaved so badly I
recorded a Zero score!) I switched to my new 'Gator A/2 size model with better
results. Peter's Amethyst was towing magnificently and soon had two Maxes in the
bag.
Howard was fettling his electronic D/T system on his Pink Elephant so was to fly
later (as the air cooled). The model was gliding perfectly and almost recorded a
Max (false horizon again).
Total
1. Peter Max Max 1.12
5.12
2. Howard 1.28 1.28 1.57 4.53
3. Mike 0.0 Max
1.40 3.40
It was 5.45pm before I left the airfield - I reckon that I had walked almost
four miles it that long grass and didn't my legs know it !
Peter with Amethyst glider.
The Stunt Race
2023
Report and photos from Richard
The annual Stunt Race was flown on a fine autumn evening, having been postponed from the week before as the forecast then had been so bad.
Much nattering and tweaking of engines was done, and the flights got under way fairly sharpish as the light was going to fade. Peter Warne had to retire early, much to his dismay, due to an engine that had no compression and refused to start. Ian put in some fine flights in both rounds, as did Mike with a very fast entry. Russell had to retire after what the Americans call " An Inadvertent Air/Ground Interface", losing a wing in the process. Paul's model flew at colossal speed, and Dave Wright appeared at the last moment for a valiant attempt.
The scores were as follows :- 1st Mike Chapman Round 1 388. Round 2 398
2nd Ian Hewitt Round 1 577. Round 2 420
3rd Dave Wright Round 1 607. Round 2 DNF
Peter Warne, Russell Baker, and Paul Tarrant didn't compete.
Scoring is based on the time in seconds, the total time to complete 5 miles based on line length, minus manoeuvres, plus penalties, lowest total score to win. Best of two rounds. Ken understands all this, I don't.
I forgot to mention that it was a most enjoyable evening !
Engine is hot to rock !
Dave flying his second model. (Don't ask)
Ian in action.
A hand launch got Paul's model into the air.
Russ contemplates his next move.
There's always a group photo.
Hewitt Vintage Stunt Comp'
2023
Report and photos from Richard
The Vintage Stunt comp started off well in fine sunny weather. A pair of very elegant Gazebos was erected and flying began remarkably quickly in view of the time taken for the necessary nattering. Mike spent the day judging, sitting in the long grass in solitary splendour, and Peter wisely flew clutching the flying sequences paper. All in all, a good day's flying, and our visitors seemed to enjoy themselves which is really the whole idea of this competition.
Finally, and with great determination, the gazebo was dismantled, very entertaining for those of us just watching !
!st Ian Hewitt
2nd John Allcock
3rd Chris Maggs
Peter - ready for a flight.
Ian at work.
The Trophies.
Wait for me !
All done for the day.
51" Glider Competition 2023
Report from Mike Chapman.
Held at Barkston Heath.
Perfect weather conditions for this event.
Four club members entered, all using different design models.
I had also entered 1/2A power so I decided to get cracking with my glider
flights.The model, a KK Caprice, itself is a bit like 'Trigger's broom' in that
the only original parts remaining are the wing tips.
First flight was taken after some thick low cloud had passed and clear blue sky
appeared. The Caprice went away in a lovely thermal and Maxed effortlessly.
The other fliers were trying to sort-out their models and each of them was
having to 're-trim' their models. Towing was the main issue for Mike Edwards and
Howard. Mike Edwards switched from his Ffoxy to a Caprice and immediately found
lift and Maxed. Peter had better luck with his second flight (Amethyst) which
went to great height but d/t'd into the compound (soon recovered). Howard was
struggling with his Mini V which would not tow, suggestions were made and with
tail-tilt removed, tow hook moved forward quarter of an inch, hey presto an
instant Max.
While all that as going on I had maxed twice more and was feeling rather cool.
The second Max flew from our position near to the control tower all the way to
the bottom of the airfield and d/t'd down near to the Canbera wreck
.Having radio tracker bugs in the models ls a genuine help in recovering them.
It was good to see different models flown, my back-up model was a Lil' Dip.
At the time clearing away started (4.30), rain clouds came in and that was that,
a damp end to a fab' day.
Total
1st Mike Chapman (Caprice)
Max Max Max 6.00
2nd Mike Edwards (Ffoxy / Caprice)
1.37 Max 1.04 4.41
3rd Peter Arkley (Amethyst)
1.02 Max 1.01 4.03
4th Howard (Mini V)
Max 0.49 0.51 3.40
We were so busy flying that we forgot to take a
photo of ourselves :(
KK Caprice, on holiday :)
An excellent turn-out for this the 5th Area meeting (Midlands)
The Trainer Race 2023
Report and photo's from Richard.
Peter Arkley started the event with a nerve wracking flight, when his engine started spluttering on lap 88. But it just managed to keep going until it finally expired on lap 90, sparing him a last time sapping pit stop. Ian put in his usual fast flight with his Jasco Trojan. Then Ken suffered a disaster when his Phantom decided to cross the circle and disintegrated quite spectacularly. Russ Baker and Peter Warne put in some respectable times, Peter's new Phantom Terror version performing well on its first outing.
After the usual nattering, Mike Edwards added it all up, and the result was amazing !
1st place Peter Arkley - 60 seconds Phantom
2nd place Ian Hewitt - 61 seconds Jasco Trojan
3rd place Russ baker 7 mins 47 secs Phantom
4th place Peter Warne 7 mins 52 secs Phantom Terror version
5th place Ken Reeves 2 mins 10 secs Phantom in pieces, so it didn't qualify.
Yet another very enjoyable Trainer Race. with Peter winning by the narrowest squeak imaginable !
Aerobatics Competition 2023
Report and photo's from Richard.
The weather could not have been better for our Annual Control
Line Aerobatics competition.
Warm and sunny, and not too much wind. Although we had only three competitors, the standard of flying was, in my opinion, some of the best I have ever seen. The general nattering session was even longer than usual, an essential start and finish to any event.
The results of all this effort were as follows:-
1st Kevin Morgan, 1079.5 points
2nd Peter Arkley, 1018.5 points
3rd Ian Hewitt 891.3 points
Ken was judging, Mike Edwards did the mathematics, and I just watched and
enjoyed the flying !
New Spot Landing Competition.
Report and photo's from Richard.
This was the first time this competition was flown, with thanks to George Pickens, whose idea it was to give it a try.
Seven hardy control line enthusiasts decided to have a go, and a pleasant evening of rather cold chaos ensued.
The idea was quite simple, just land as near as possible to the marker set outside the circle ( my red camping kettle ) when your engine cut out.
Since no one had the means of finding out when the engine was going to cut, the landings ( arrivals ) were literally all over the place..
Any special skills involved were purely those of persistence as the model flew round, and muttered imprecations when it landed exactly opposite the red marker, a three point landing being the aim if not exactly the result.
The result of all this effort was as follows, being the best
nearest the marker results of two rounds.
1st Ian Hewitt, first round 27 ft, second round 13 ft
2nd Ken Reeves, first round 67 ft, second round 20 ft
3rd Russell Baker, first round 22 ft, second round 102 ft
4th Paul Tarrant, first round 28 ft, second round not flown
5th Dave Wright, first round 110 ft, second round 61 ft
6th George Pickens, first round 87 ft, second round 117 ft
7th Peter Warne, first round 117 ft, second round not flown
Modest prizes for the first three, and a very enjoyable way of spending an evening, even if it was freezing.
I think we ought to fly this again next year !
Never say never.....
The saga of Peter's Lacey finally ended in success.
Peter, Dave Wright, Ian and I all met up with various weaponry to retrieve this excellent model
After much fiddling about, and serious efforts by Dave and Peter, it finally abandoned its new nest.
I think we can now retrieve anything ! To get stuck at the very top of that tree was sheer bad luck.
But the stalwart rescue crew did a fine job, as you can see.
Gold medals all round !
It's up there !
Can't reach it !
Extra poles needed.
Success !
Rubber Scale event May 2023
Report and photo's fron John Churchill.
The event drew fewer competitors than in previous years but those there had a great evening’s flying, though the attrition rate was high. Three of the four taking part suffered problems of one sort or another, treasurer Mike’s VMC Vought Corsair lost it’s port wing at the root, my KK Piper Pacer eventually succumbed to two burst motors in my efforts to challenge Ian’s Found Centennial which performed faultlessly all evening. The fourth flyer was Peter Arkley with his Aerographics Lacey M10 which finished up high in a tree and is probably still there, but not before he had completed his required five flights...Nobody could seriously compete with Ian Hewitt’s Found Centennial on the day and so he finished in a very well deserved first place..
Ian launches his Found Centennial.
Mike Edwards' Corsair high in the sky.
Entries were a little low this year.
Stunt Race Aug' 2022
Report and photo's from Richard.
The temperature was around 28 degrees, and not too bad for the three judges ( one plus two helpers in fact ) sheltering under their umbrellas on the side of the circle.
Speeds were very impressive, aerobatic routines all flown with aplomb, and three daisy cutting episodes causing gasps all round.
Ken scored, Mike Edwards measured lines and did sums, and displayed the latest in fashion wear for the up to date aero modeller! I had the onerous task of lap keeping, which involves pressing a small red button every time a model goes past.
Very close scores at the end of the day, the results being as follows
1st Mike Chapman score 6.47
2nd Ian Hewitt score 7.00
3rd Russell Baker score 7.16
And a big thank you for all who turned up on what must have been the hottest competition yet !
Judges - We are ready to commence.
Caption competition !
Howard tries to distract Ian as he hangs onto a screaming Irvine 20 ABC.
The rogue cyclist is cornered.
The Group shot.
Aerobatics Comp' Aug' 2022
Report and photo's from Richard.
For once, the weather was fine for our Sunday C/L Aerobatics comp. The field was a highly unusual shade of brown, which I've never seen before, and there were plenty of sheep to keep us company.
Mike, Ian , and Kevin all flew the two rounds, and watching from the judge's position, I was green with envy. Some very fine flying indeed.
Ken was our judge.
A few hairy moments, usually when my camera ( or rather, its owner ) were pointing in the wrong direction.
The results were as follows :-
1st Kevin Morgan
2nd Ian Hewitt
3rd Mike Chapman
Ian in action.
A colourful competitor checks his stopwatch before starting the motor.
Ian, Kevin and Mike braved the weather in order to make this a memorable event.
Ken kindly took the opportunity to present the trophies for the 2021 season, all in order in spite of certain people forgetting to bring the records.
The annual Cloud Tramp outing 2022.
Photo's by John Churchill.
Attack the camera !
Paul missed the 5 o'clock mass launch but made up for that.
That's not a Cloud Tramp (but who cares :) )
Open Glider and Open Power comp's July 2022
Hot Hot Hot - that's how the day started and it got hotter. We were all keeping hydrated but the wind and massive thermals were playing havoc with us, we could have released our models and flown to any of the four points of the compass but sensibly we waited until it settled. Our flight scores weren't anything to shout about but we enjoyed getting the most out of our models.
Open Glider.
Peter flew his Amethyst, Ian flew his Flashback, I flew my Pink Elephant and Mike Edwards flew his Caprice.
We each managed one max but Mike Edwards pulled together enough time with his other two flights to win the event.
1. Mike Edwards - Caprice
2. Mike Chapman - Pink Elephant
3. Ian Hewitt - Flashback
4. Peter Arkley - Amethyst
Open Power.
Only Peter and myself entered models. Ian had issues with the D/T on his model so declined to fly. Peter and I were both flying a Climax. Peter put in three steady flights, my first two flight were all over the sky and not very impressive but the third flight climbed high with a good transition which gave me the win.
1st Mike Chapman Climax (PAW 09)
2nd Pete Arkley Climax (PAW 1.49)
L-R. Mike E with Caprice, Peter with Climax, Mike C with Climax and Ian with Flashback.
Also known as the big hat brigade :)
The Trainer Race 2022
Report from Mike Edwards, photos from Richard.
Richard had to leave early, Ian flew once, but also had to leave early
Peter flew twice. His second flight chopped 52 secs off his first flight, probably because he didn't have time to spend reattaching his wheels !
Russell's second flight time did not improve on his first, but had two very smooth runs.
Dave's flight was spoilt by having to refuel every 25 laps. Having tweaked the motor, it ran for 50 laps at the start of his second run.
Unfortunately, the motor coughed on take off from the pit stop which resulted in a broken wing and the end of what promised to be a good race time.
The results were :- 1st Ian Hewitt Jasco Trojan 4mins 59secs
2nd Peter Arkley Phantom 6mins 5secs
3rd Russell Baker KK Champ 7mins 32secs
4th Dave Wright Phantom 7mins 35secs
Headgear being worn this year by the fast men.
Dave, not so fast, but he still wore the headgear.
It's an easy life for the judges (not).
51" Glider Comp' June 2022
Mike Chapman reporting
My son, Matt, came along to aid with the searching and timing
A clash of dates, holidays and other problems meant that we were reduced to only three hardy competitors. A last minute change of venue found us back at North Luffenham again, as explained previously it is not the best of flying sites but we are grateful to have it.
The wind and temperature weren't the best early on so it was around about 11.30 when we started flying. The wind direction was variable and the air was changeable. After what looked like good air coming through models were left floundering. Peter's model was coping best, I managed to dig a post-hole with mine and Howard, despite flying a lightweight Amethyst wasn't finding any lift. Retrievals were long and sometimes difficult for ourselves and all flyers around us.
After two poor flights I switched models as I couldn't control the Caprice on the line. Howard was fairing no better but Peter had managed two maxes - enough to win easily.
1st Peter - Caprice 5.48
2nd Mike - Caprice (2) 3.59
3rd Howard - Amethyst 3.28
Howard made a test flight with his new 'Mini V ' glider and it looked very good.
I checked the 'Area' glider scores at control and they hadn't
faired any better than ourselves
I asked a nearby modeller to take our photo with my phone - he did that but also managed to take 17 (seventeen) photos while holding the phone !
Give me the fooking phone !!
The Mini Nationals. May 2022
Mike Chapman reporting.
Limited to the classes for which we had models , Mike Edwards and I entered F1H
(A/1). There was a fair wind but it wasn't unmanageable. There was an amazing
turnout of fliers that weren't put off by the idea of competing at North
Luffenham. The wind direction was North to South and before I arrived Mike had
found what seemed the best launch position to avoid hedges and thickets
downwind. That location meant that we would be walking through fields of Ox-Eye
daisies mixed in with purple clover.
For F1H five flights are required. I started my campaign in the worst possible
way by clocking a 50 sec flight (it sank on the line). Mike Edwards on the other
hand started well by maxing. Improving times and flights (3 maxes) meant a smile
came back on my face. Mike had one last flight and we expected him to max but
the tow hook on his glider came away on the climb so a re-flight was in order.
The tow hook wasn't completely fixed when Mike tried again, the climb wasn't as
high as I thought it could have been, the model didn't find any lift, so it was
down early.
We took our scores in to control and it was remarkable that there were hardly
any full-house scores recorded, in all the classes. Much to my delight I had
placed third and Mike had placed fifth beating many notable competitors.
The winner in F1H was flying a bought, Victor Stamov circle-tow, carbon job.
Mike flew his F1Havanana (sic) and I flew my Little Hinney MkIII
We had both enjoyed the day but after so many long retrievals my feet were glad when I had no more flights to make.
Definitely North Luffenham.
Ox-Eye daisies.
Rubber Scale comp' 2022
The weather did look a bit dodgy, overcast and a bit windy,
but held off until most of us had flown.
We have a history of ignoring bad weather forecasts, and this worked again !
A good turnout and some hair raising flights, as the wind was blowing towards the road and the field on the other side.
Fortunately, nothing got flattened by the passing traffic, and the rain arrived just as the last flights were flown.
Some unexpected and encouraging results, incredibly close scores, the tightest I have ever seen, and congratulations to John for winning yet again !
The scores were as follows, being the sum of the best three flights out of five.
1st John Churchill Piper Pacer 68
2nd Peter Arkley Lacey M-10 64
3rd Peter Warne Auster 62
4th Ian Hewitt Found Centennial 60
5th Richard Granger Elytroplan 34
6th Steve Ellis Bellanca 19
Peter launches his Auster.
Ian ready with his Found Centinal.
Richards tests the wind with his Elytroplan.
The winner, John, second from the right.
An A/2 glider completed.
'Gator
BMFA 100th Anniversary
Richard's report.
Photo's from Richard and Paul.
What fine turnout yesterday for the BMFA 100 Year Celebration.
A narrow squeak too. I picked up an email from Ian at 7 o'clock Saturday evening telling me that he had been to our Gotham field, and it was full of horse boxes.
Panic! I rang Ken, who spoke to the farmer and then jumped into his car and drove out to look at the alternative field. This looked fine, so when Ken got back, I frantically put the word out about the change, and it all worked out fine on the day. Phew !
The weather smiled on us yet again, and twelve of us turned up to achieve the necessary maximum models to be in the air at 12 noon. The field was more or less ideal, short grass and not a sheep in sight. Much nattering and trimming to start with, then all twelve ready to launch at about 10 seconds before midday, at that point Howard started his diesel engine so we had to lip-read the last 7 seconds, remarkable sight, and the biggest mass launch I have ever seen.
A big thank you to Ian for warning us, and Ken for sorting out the field, without which we would have been stumped.
Altogether, a very rewarding group fly in, all the details of which will be off to the BMFA, to join the other 280 clubs who also joined in !
'Our' flying field - invaded !
All lined up, ready to go.
Richard means business !
Chuck Glider comp' May 2022
Richard reporting..
Additional photos from John Churchill
1st Ian Hewitt 110 secs
2nd Russ Baker 88 secs
3rd Steve Ellis 87 secs
4th Peter Arkley 85 secs
5th Paul Tarrant 44 secs
6th Richard Granger 25 secs
7th Mike Edwards 19 secs
Paul tries his hand.
Russ in on the action
Mike stayed in the air longer than the model !
Steve shows good style.
Very close scores, too ! Roll on next year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXIhnusae00
Test run of an AM25 that I bought in a very dirty condition. Externally it now looks fine but the engine is low on compression, it is so low that I had thought I'd sell it for 'spares or repairs' on ebay. But, never one to give up on a cause, I mixed up some fuel with 30% oil and it runs like a 'good-un'.
Le Petit Classique de Brum.
A gala specifically for small models of a certain age.
A report by Mike Chapman.
We were given notice of this competition earlier in the year with a promise that if the weather forecast was not good for the day it would be held over to another date. The date did change but that was because of the unavailability of North Luffenham airfield at short notice.
Three of we hardy club members arrived there in good time and the wind speed was just right, only the direction of it could have been better, With a swing of only 30 degrees we would have been flying the whole length of the airfield but as it was we were flying across the narrowest part up near the dog kennels. The wind speed was taking us into and beyond the disused bunkers and brambles. Beyond was a huge farm field wider than the part of the airfield we were flying across (and I walked across most of it).
We had entered the Classic Glider comp' as we each had a Caprice glider which is a design from the 1950s. We each failed to max with our first flights (but so did all other entrants). The weather became cloudier but the maxes started to roll in. Peter manage two maxes as did I, Mike had only one so needed another to join the throng as all other entrants were maxing now.
I checked the scores at control to find that I was in the lead with Peter one second behind. On the day entrants were allowed to enter two models in the same comp', someone did that and scored three maxes with his second model !
Mike Edwards was running a little behind Peter and myself and on his third flight missed the lift.
The final result found me in 2nd place and Peter in 3rd. We both received a bottle of wine for our efforts.
All-in-all it was a really enjoyable day.
Making an A/2 glider with 78" 'take apart' wings requires great care when building the centre sections, poor fitting joiners will mean endless trimming problems.
'
A new 'Open (A/2) Glider' under construction
I've modified and incorporated design elements from four well know A/2 designs
It will be called 'Gator.
51" Glider & Open Power Competitions 12th Sept 2021
Barkston Heath
Richard's report and photo's.
The weather was quite kind to us at Barkston. Full cloud cover but not much wind.
We set up in what we thought was the best position, on the north side of the airfield, and sat there in solitary splendour until we were invaded by the power bods, who realized that we had the best spot.
The wind was all over the place, and to add to the jollity, they were resurfacing the main runway just to the south of us.
Had we wandered onto it, we may well have been stuck to the wet tar like flies to a fly paper, so we were told to keep off it till the afternoon.
Some very good flights in both classes, very little wreckage, but at least I had the chance to use my new first aid kit on our two propeller bitten contestants.
A fine selection of 51" gliders, Caprice (of course !) FFoxy, Amethyst and Lulu, all of which flew well.
On the Power side, Mike 's model (Dixielander) nearly vanished, Ken's flew well, and I managed to destroy the front of my Gipsy by not engaging the free wheel properly on full winds.
All in all, a very
enjoyable day's flying, and a welcome addition to our club in the shape of
Richard Wicker, when we managed to actually meet at last.
51" Glider
1st Mike Chapman Caprice 358 secs
2nd Mike Edwards FFoxy 260 secs
3rd Peter Arkley Amethyst 211 secs
4th Richard Granger Lulu 155 secs
Open Power
1st Mike Chapman Dixielander 330 secs
2nd Ken Reeves Climax 183 secs
3rd Richard Granger Gipsy 118 secs
Fliers with new member Richard Wicker (R).
Peter adjusts his Climax.
Dixielander gets tweaked.
Richard's Gipsy after the free-wheel mech' slipped.
Richard's Yeti after it was loaded with 8 models and 7 boxes etc.
"It's up there somewhere"
Club night held at Gotham.
Taking advantage of the weather and the prepared flying circle, a quick email was sent around and we gathered for another natter and some more flying.
Success at Buckminster Hall,
British Scale Nationals 2021.
1st place in Control Line Scale (CL1)
Mike's P-51D MK IV
RAF Barkston Heath wasn't available for the Nat's this year so the scale events were organised at
Buckmister Hall (BMFA's own 40 acre site) over two days.
Great organisation, great feeling knowing everyone there was a scale enthusiast.
Entries were down and facilities were limited, no trade tents or burger vans.
We had the static judging done on Saturday (flying later)
Sunday was very windy and flying was difficult.
C/L Aerobatics comp' 10th Aug 2021
A perfect evening for our annual Control Line Aerobatics comp, warm and sunny.
Unlike the first time we tried on the Sunday, which was wet, windy, and generally horrible.
Four fliers, all of whom put up some excellent flights. A very fine spectacle, much enjoyed by those of us watching.
A big thank you to our judge Ken, whose powers of concentration and mathematical skills are remarkable.
Let the pictures speak for themselves.
The results after two rounds (best flight) were as follows :-
1st Kevin Morgan 1011
2nd Peter Arkley 895.5
3rd Mike Chapman 856.5
4th Ian Hewitt 777.5
The draw for the flying order.
Peter drew No1
Ian's Cardinal - ST46 powered.
Perfect flying weather.
Careful ! - they can bite.
The flyers.
Our thanks go to Ken who took charge of the event.
'Mass' launch of Cloud Tramps.Sat 7th Aug 2021
Peter sent me a report and Photo's.
These little stick and rubber models can put in an impressive performance and yet can be knocked together in only an hour or two. A countdown to the launch, after a very hurried motor wind from Peter, and bang on time away they went. Peter had not had time to trim his model which consequently did an unimpressively short stall and dunk. However Ian and Russell’s tramps performed wonderfully and Russell’s beautifully trimmed model came to earth last after Ian’s.
The Ted Hewitt Vintage Stunt Competition. July 2021.
A brief report from Richard.
Photo's from Richard, Paul and Ian.
As happened the last time we flew this competition, it was also roasting hot !
But the entry was good, being one up on the CLAPA champs entry.
The circle was in excellent condition, thanks to the members who devoted a red hot afternoon to mow it.
Dave Wright bought two gazebos along to keep us cool, and Mike sat in splendid isolation under a vast umbrella doing the judging.
Flying was almost wreckage free, and the organization kept things going smoothly. Paul helped out with the scoring, and I just sat and enjoyed it all.
A good day's flying, and a big thank you to Ian for organizing it.
Hopefully, this will be an annual event, with perhaps, just slightly cooler weather !
1st Chris Maggs
2nd Peter Arkley
3rd John Alcock
Models lined up and ready for action.
Dave Wright happy to be there.
Chris Maggs' model inverted.
Nick Zotov flies high.
Peter Warne starts his engine.
Ian Hewitt reaches for the sky.
It's a good job we cut the grass.
Wind direction wasn't a big issue.
The scores.
Peter Arkley came Second with Chris Maggs First.
John Alcock took third place.
At the end of the day.
The Open Glider competiton - July 2021
Report and photos from Mike Chapman also Paul Tarrant.
Perfect flying conditions greeted
us at North Luffenham, but wait, this is North Luffenham and the airfield is in
a state of disrepair ! The grass was four feet deep, the golf course was
completely overgrown too. To make matters worse the parasailing club had moved
the first arrivals from the up wind end of the airfield so we were now
positioned half way down wind and the wind direction was taking models directly
towards the edge of the airfield and some industrial buildings.
.
We set up in what we thought was the most favourable position but we were soon
in trouble. First test flights were travelling a good way into the long grasses
and retrieval was very tiring as the long grass had an under layer of 'tangle
weed'.
I was first to fly and launched in what looked like buoyant air but it soon
released the Pink Elephant for 1:34. Similar, or worse times were recorded
through the day by ourselves and others who had come to launch from our
position.
My second flight was away to good effect and seen down with binoculars but the
retrieval (even though it had a tracker bug ) took a good half hour. I'd had to
negotiate three barbed wire fences and had been getting some very strange
signals from my receiver.
We kept in contact during these adventures by using walkie talkie radios. Mike
Edwards was away retrieving when I returned to the cars and was having a torrid
time of it (as he indicated over the radio). Mike had scored a max and my flight
was down two seconds short of a max, we had both found our models at the edge of
the airfield.
Ian Hewitt was getting his flights in, I timed one which looked like it would
max but it d/ted at 1:36 (Ian had set it deliberately short so as not to lose
it).
Peter's Caprice was making the most of the light air and had one flight of only
six second short of a max. but even the Caprice was being gently released from
lift for lesser flights. Our thanks to Paul Tarrant for assisting, timing and
spotting.
Mike Edwards decided one flight in those conditions underfoot was enough for
him. Shortly after all other flights were done it was decided that there was
every chance that we would not be able to find our Power models, if we flew
them, so we will hopefully run that comp' with the 51" gilder comp' at the next
Area meet (at Barkston Heath).
Result 1. Mike Chapman 303 secs (Pink Elephant)
2. Peter Arkley 254
(Caprice)
3. Ian Hewitt
203 (Flashback)
4. Mike Edwards 120 (F1H Havana)
The happy competitors.
Mike Edwads on the end holding his F1H Havana
Mike C. begins to tow the Pink Elephant..
Ian with his Flashback
Flashback on tow.
Mike C. ready with his Pink Elephant.
Mike Edwards sets up Paul Tarrant's Vortex - it didn't end well.
It rolled on the line and hit the concrete runway - ugh.!
Peter holding his KK Caprice.
The Trainer Race July 2021
Report and photo's from Richard.
Most of us having left home in sunshine, arrived at a rain lashed Gotham.
It didn't rain all the time, just enough to get somewhat soaked.
After the regulation natter, running of engines and generally hanging about, Dave Wright started the proceedings.
His Phantom was shall we say, a bit all over the place, and finally plunged to earth, losing its wings in the process.
Then battle commenced between Ian and Tony Cookson, both within a hair's breadth of times in the first round. So they decided to fly again.
With Ian piloting, Tony's previously well behaved Phantom took a sudden dislike to Ian, flew across the circle and hit him on the head, fortunately a glancing blow, leaving him more or less in one piece and with look of total amazement. What was left of the Phantom would have fitted in a teaspoon. Don't argue with Ian's head.
Ian flew again, put in a very good time, and won outright with a time of 5mins 40 secs.
Dave decided to fly his KK Gazelle, ( not in the race, as it had no undercarrige ) but just to prove it didn't hang about.
And a big thank you to Peter for acting as pilot on many flights, showing his usual aplomb.
The scores were :- 1st Ian Hewitt Jasco Trojan 5mins 40 secs
2nd Tony Cookson Phantom 6mins 15secs
3rd Dave Wright KK Gazelle 7mins 45secs
It's raining !
Tony prepares for a flight.
Tony's Phantom after it hit Ian's head !
Dave launches his Gazelle.
Dave's Phantom came to grief !
There wasn't much left to display at the end.
May 2021 Rubber Scale comp'.
Photos from John plus a few notes.
The weather was perfect with all but zero breeze and it was pleasantly warm.
Mike Edwards did the officiating and the result was ....
1st John Churchill –
Piper Pacer
2nd Ian Hewitt – Found Centenial
3rd Mike Edwards– F4U Corsair
4th Peter Arkley – Lacey M-10
5th Peter Warne – Cessna 140
Ian releases his Found Centennial 100 .
John launches his winning Piper Pacer.
Piper Pacer flying high.
Mike Edwards watches his F4U Corsair fly away.
Peter Arkley launches his Lacey M10.
Peter Warne launches his Cessna 140.
As the sun set - they posed for a photo.
May 2021 'Chuck Glider' competition.
Richard's report. Photo's from Richard and John.
Probably the coldest flying comp we have ever had, 7 degrees and a fresh NW wind. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Having said that, it was a great evening's flying, and a good opportunity to see our friends for real, instead of on Zoom.
Mike and Ian put in some spectacular flights, which having found some lift ( in spite of the cold ) landed far away in the crops across the road.
Possibly the longest flights ever recorded for this lunatic competition, very impressive.
I was convinced the models were lost for good, but some fiendishly accurate spotting by Paul saved the day, so they were happily recovered.
Peter put some good flights too, his launching technique proving very effective. And Russ did well with an untried model, a far better one than any I have managed to make !
The results were as follows, being the best five flights out
of nine.
1st Ian Hewitt 147 secs
2nd Mike Chapman 143 secs
3rd Peter Arkley 124 secs
4th Russ 97 secs
Then we all rushed home at about 8.30 before we froze solid !
Field activity.
Ian in action.
Paul (the spotter), getting a feel for Chuck Glider.
Russ decided to enter this year.
Peter showing good style.
Mike, feeling a little cold and frail after two hours of chucking.
Richard and Mike E kept an eye on everyone.
The group photo.
Free Flight Area meet' 25th April.
A day at the first available Area meet' didn't
go so well for me. I arrived at North Luffenham at 9.00 am expecting there to be
cars waiting at the barrier, but there was no one there. The lock was off the
bar and along side it was a 'new' sign declaring No Entry an EOD event was
taking place. Ignoring the sign I went on to the 'airfield', next I saw a new
flag pole with a large red flag flying which in MOD terms usually means Live
Firing taking place! I carried on (well no point stopping now) only to be
confronted by a line of army vehicles. At this point I thought it better to
backtrack before an anti tank round hit my car. Back at the safe side of the
barrier I tried a couple of relevant phone numbers but no one was answering.
I googled EOD, it stands for Explosive
Ordinance Disposal.
So I headed home.
Mike Edwards text me later in the day to tell me he had arrived at 10.30 as the
army were leaving the airfield, even though the red flag was flying he was able
to get on to the airfield and he himself, Howard and Peter were able to make a
few flights but the wind made launching difficult, Mike made a couple of flights,
his Mini V climbed well on the towline, Howard broke a fuselage and Peter declined to fly.
So
they made an early exit.
For myself I didn't want to waste the day completely so when in Melton Mowbray I
turned towards Barkston Heath in case they (I thought) had re-located there. No,
Barkston Heath is out of bounds for now.
So there I was was with four models to fly and no chance of flying them !
I had a coffee and a buttered scone then drove
home - what a
waste of a day. 
Covid rules, having been relaxed, Ian Hewitt visited our Gotham field and declared it fit for flying.
A round robin email got the 'troops' together (31st March) and they met up for a couple of hours in the fresh air.
John Churchill sent me some photos of the event.
Ian Hewitt has built this 70% size Voetsak control line model known as the “Voetsak Tribute”.
Sam35 have a full set of rules for the new class, the main one is that an AM25 is the only engine allowed.
Lancaster bomber.
At Rutland Water yesterday (22nd Oct 2021). We had only just parked up when we heard the unmistakable sounds of Merlin engines. We had this Lancaster above us and it stayed over the reservoir doing figure-of-eights while the chase plane was taking photographs (gotta be). It flew directly over our heads six times and as low as it is possibly allowed. If only I had a proper camera.. Not many people have been on the receiving end of a Lancaster's bombing run and survived. Oh ! the sound of those engines as the pilot opened them up and banked in sharp turns. No proper air show was this good.
The Open Power comp' October 2020
Report and photo's from Richard.
Cloudless skies, and almost no wind to start the day. But
Barkston wasn't built on a hill for nothing ( to take advantage of the
prevailing wind to get heavily laden bombers off ) so there was a fair old wind
blowing from the north by the time we got there. An early attempt to fly gliders
was abandoned, as the towlines wouldn't release in the strong wind, causing the
owners having to release with the towline still attached then seen vanishing
into the distance trying to catch the things.
Open Power was clearly the way to go.
First off was Mike, whose engine in his Dixielander flatly refused to start
(more ether content
needed due to the cold), so while he was fettling
the thing, Ken decided to fly and put in nice one with his Climax. I then had a
go with my new KK Gipsy, but didn't put enough turns on, resulting in a short
hop. Peter then flew his well trimmed Climax and put in an excellent flight.
Then the fun started. Mike finally got his engine to start, and we watched his
model climb like a rocket. Ken at this point had another go, and after a super
launch and climb out, his Climax decided to enter an increasingly spectacular
spiral dive, and we all groaned as it plunged to earth
. I was,
of course, there with the camera.
Further flights were made, Ken did well with his second Climax (always carry a
spare !), Peter made another two very consistent flights
, Mike's Dixielander now
flew better than ever to a great height. Now, having squeezed a lot of turns
into my Gipsy, it made a very fine flight, almost off the airfield ( Many thanks
to Howard for retrieving for me
) Mike
Edwards' Mini V glider demonstrated its impeccable towing behaviour. By four
o'clock the skies had darkened dramatically, the wind hadn't eased, we'd had enough by then
so we all went
home.
All in all, a great day's flying !
The results were (best 3 flights with reduced max') :-
1st Mike Chapman Dixielander 234 secs
2nd Peter Arkley Climax
201 secs
3rd Richard Granger Gipsy 161 secs
4th Ken Reeves
Climax 157 secs
"C'mon, a drop of this will get you going"
All revved up and the Dixielander is away !
Peter prepares his (new fuselage) Climax.
Ken, about to launch his Climax
The return after a steep spiral descent !
Dixielander away again, on a tactical final flight.
Richard flew his KK Gipsy and ......
.
Richard also flew his KK Contestor.
Ken launches his 'second string' Climax
All this space and yet we had to reduce the max because of high winds.
Stunt Race September 2020
Richard's report and photo's.
Yet another fine evening at Gotham for our
Stunt Race. We missed this last year, so it was a very welcome return.
The weather looked a bit dodgy earlier, but then it brightened up and the day
finished with a magnificent sunset and less wind than forecast
After the regulation natter, measuring of lines to establish how many laps were
needed ( the method of scoring this comp is completely insane ) lots of cold
engines were run up and flying began. As usual, hot engines refused to start, or
ran for a bit, started again when back in the pits, and generally misbehaved
Mike started off with an extremely fast few laps, but then guess what ? The
engine refused to re-start and the flight was scrubbed. But his speed in the
second round more than made up for it.
Ian had a great first round, but the engine goblin grounded him for the second
. Peter Arkley
flew two good rounds, with some very competent aerobatics included.
Peter Warne flew very smoothly, and if not the fastest, his two rounds were very
consistent and his engine appeared to behave.
Ken and I had a grandstand view. Ken does the complicated bit and I did the lap
scores and timing. What a pair !
Generally, a thoroughly enjoyable evening's flying, and a great way to have a
natter, fly, and get together as well.
Many thanks to Ken for working out the scores, a medal is in order !
The results were as follows, the lowest score being the best :-
1st Mike Chapman 591
2nd Ian Hewitt 709
3rd Peter Arkley 716
4th Peter Warne 1050
The initial gathering in the pits.
More pits activity - but what is Peter doing with his foot ?
Peter Warne about to release Ian's Ace.
A patient helper waits while Peter Arkley warms up his diesel engine.
Mike's winning model - modified Akromaster - Irvine 20 ABC for power
Kevin brought along a new model but didn't enter the comp'.
The last flight was completed just before the sun set in the west.
Rubber Scale Comp' August 2020
Richard's report
A gentle breeze from the north west
and sunshine made for near perfect flying conditions.
Flights got longer as the evening wore on, and much fiddling and trimming
produced some very satisfying results.
Mike Edwards flew his new Corsair, which looked very realistic in flight,
Peter fought gravity with great aplomb, and had one or two good flights.
Yours truly flew his Elytroplan, which shouldn't' fly at all, and after
struggling with his Bellanca Scout, Steve put in some very promising
flights.
John Churchill's Aeronca Champion flew beautifully, and last but not least,
Ian's much repaired Found Centennial flew longest of all.
It was rumoured that Ian had been trimming this fine model before the
competition, which as we all know, is definitely not on.
There were also suggestions that we should stamp on it, a very uncharitable
attitude as I'm sure you will all agree, because it is a very fine model.
Roll on next year, and let's hope we have as much fun flying as we did this
year !
Results were as follows, being the best three flights out of five.
1st Ian Hewitt Found Centennial 134 secs
2nd John Churchill Aeronca Champion 115 secs
3rd Steve Ellis Bellanca Scout 81 secs
4th R Granger Elytroplan 70secs
5th Mike Edwards Corsair 45 secs
6th Peter Warne ? 42 secs
Richard releases his Elytroplan de Rouge
Peter, trying to defy gravity.
Mike Edwards with his Corsair.
Ian launches his winning Found Centenial
Steve is flying a Bellanca Scout
John's Aeronca Champion looking good.
Cloud Tramp evening 2020
Richard reports
Three of us had a Cloud Tramp fly off at Gotham, Saturday 1st August, all flights took off at 5 0'clock as planned, and we had some amazing flights afterwards.
These models are extraordinary, and with a bit of careful trimming, can put in flights that would make some bigger models look a bit mediocre. mine flew a treat, Peter Arkley's did the same, and the best flight was Ian's, which flew to an enormous height and crossed the road.
We thought we had lost Ian and the model, but both safely reappeared after some anxious waiting.
A very enjoyable way to spend a Saturday evening !
Barkston Heath July 2020
Once again the RAF have allowed access to their airfield
for model flying.
Howard contacted me as we are also members of the Grantham club and we arranged
to meet at Barkston on the Sunday (19th) for some serious free flight glider
flying.
Howard also noted that it would have been the day the club had previously
arranged for our 51" Glider Comp. So with four models each we set about
launching non-stop for about 5 hours. There was a winner but we will keep that a
secret until the annual prize giving
The temperature remained the same throughout the day but the wind and thermals
were coming through thick and fast, a few of the thermals were reluctant to
release our gliders even though they had D/T'd.
Only one glider was damaged, my lightweight Caprice after it had landed on the
runway it was flipped over by the wind and broke the fuselage in two!
All in all it was great to be out there flying free flight models again.
We will have to wait to see if the F/F tech committee can arrange some area
comps or some such, asap.
******
C/L Aerobatics Competition 2020
A report and photos from Richard.
We couldn't have chosen a better day for
this popular competition. A startlingly fine sky, a light breeze and comfortably
warm.
Starting later at 12 noon, apart from allowing some of us a good lie in, it
allowed more time for practice flights, nattering and preparing models.
I thought the standard of flying from all the competitors was very impressive,
and most flew within the allotted seven minutes.
As a club, I think we have some of the best C/L flyers anywhere, and from a
spectator's point of view, it was very difficult to decide who flew the best.
Judging this is definitely not an easy task, so thank you Ken
for your
expertise, because if Mike Edwards and I had had the task, the results would
have been a complete shambles !
So the results at the end of a thoroughly enjoyable day's flying were as
follows:-
1st Kevin Morgan 1012 points
2nd Peter Arkley 862 points
3rd Mike Chapman 823 points
4th Ian Hewitt 803 points
The pits area.
The draw for flying positions takes place.
Peter's model inverted.
Fancher Twister passes by.
Peter switched models to his F2B stunter.
Kevin's homebuilt Yatsenko 'Classic' model.
The happy fliers and helpers.
A good turnout and good flying !
*****
Trainer Race
2020
A report and photo's from Richard.
Another fine, if somewhat hot, evening for our annual Trainer Race, brought
forward after last week's thunderstorm put paid to it.
A great opportunity to get out and meet again in the fresh air, and smell the
diesel fuel.
A great turnout, and some spectacular flying after the lengthy regulation natter
at the beginning of the evening.
Steve's Phantom flew remarkably smoothly, but almost fell out of the sky when
his motor slowed, taxing his pilot to the limit.
Tony Cookson's ancient Phantom flew well until it suffered what the Americans
call a loss of structural integrity ( I think the tail more or less fell off )
Mike had the most frustrating time with a fast but thoroughly badly behaved
engine ( Ed: 'same every year! )
Ian's Jasco Trojan flew like a tiny red firework, but at the end, Peter Warne's
profile Phantom, which flew incredibly fast, came first. A well-deserved close win after
some bad luck with previous attempts in years past.
And a big thank you to the pilots who flew these various models, some of which
were a bit unstable, without a single disaster.
Without these hardy volunteers, who are capable of revolving at high speed in
one place without getting dizzy and falling over like some of us, the race would
be impossible
The results were as follows , being the best time out of two attempts for the 90
laps
1st Peter Warne Phantom 5mins 16 secs
2nd Ian Hewitt Jasco Trojan 5mins 35 secs
3rd Tony Cookson KK Champ 7mins 28secs
4th Steve Ellis Phantom 8mins 25secs
5th Mike Chapman Phantom 8mins 50secs
The post race group shot.
Ian gets set for a spin. Carpet laid down for take-offs.
An event that is always popular (when the sun shines)
Socially distanced conversations.
Well ! Next year, next year
Steve fueling up.
Tony rotates.
A completely mad competition, but very enjoyable !
Chuck Glider comp' 2020
Richard 's report. Photo's from Richard and John.
What an evening of fine weather we had !
The last day of the endless sunshine we had been enjoying, with very light (cooling) winds from the north east, which kindly blew our models into the field instead of over the hedge onto the road.
The ground was as hard as rock after the dry weather, and many wings departed from fuselages fairly early on, after some good flights were made. Mike's best flight happened after he had finished his round, but we didn't laugh (out loud !)
Ken brought all the
shields awarded for the 2019 competitions, and there was a suitably
hilarious ceremony as they were given out at the end of the evening, 2
metres apart.
And the results based on the total of the best five flights out of nine were :-
1st Mike Chapman 125 seconds 
2nd Ian Hewitt 93 seconds
3rd Richard Granger 35 seconds ( wings fell off after fourth flight )
4th Steve Ellis 29 seconds ( total disintegration early on )
(There was lots of activity but not everyone entered)
Altogether a great meeting to 'start' the year, and to meet again, even at a distance !
Socially distanced group photo.
Peter received the Grain trophy
Ian received the Trainer Race trophy
I thank you.
John received the Rubber Scale trophy.
Peter hasn't quite got his Chuck Glider launch technique sorted !
Ample spacing.
Ibis floats aloft.
Steve gives it his all !
Howard puts his back into it !
Yeah ! Gotham field is back in use.
Ian and I cut the circle and shifted the Poo. So hard it was like mowing coal !
Ian took some control line models and I took free flight models for test gliding off the hill.
We've had two good sessions on the field so far.
Ian ready to fly his Hellcat.
Dream Weaver enjoying the fresh air.
The Dumelow Trophy evening
Richard reports with photo's from Richard and Tony.
Congratulations to Mike ! A well deserved win, superb structure, shiny engine, complicated timers etc, I hope the D/T works because it looks like it will glide for miles.!
I thought the evening went very well, lots of new models and a very good turnout. Judging these models is getting more and more difficult as the years go by, as the standards are constantly rising, as is the variety of types. We all no doubt have something up our sleeves for next year.
Yet again, the ladies put on a very fine feast, and thank you Ken for finalizing the results, a process that completely baffles me.
Roll on next year !
Group shot with the winning 'Dream Weaver' (F/F Power)
Our ladies prepared a delicious buffet for us.
Peter Warne's 'Barnstomer' (C/L aerobatic)
Ken calculates the score sheets. In front is Howard's 'Cardinal' (F/F)
Paul and Dave discuss their favourites.
Richard's 'Contestor'
Ken brought along his Pheonix (F/F)
From the largest to the smallest - Paul's 'Wright Flyer'
Steve's semi-scale Spitfire (C/L stunt).
Mike Edward's colourful 'Mini V' glider.
Nats 2019.
Some photo's from the National Champ's.
Paul with SE5A
Activity on the FF Scale line.
Control line Scale.
The judges give my P-51 a 'once over'.
Control line - electric powered Horten ?
Boeing B47 Stratojet (6 electric ducted fans) - it flew well.
It's quite large !
Douglas C54 D (electric powered) 3rd place
Waiting for, and contemplating my next flight.
DH Chipmunk - !st place.
Blackburn Beverley. 1st in Flying Only.
A10 Thunderbolt.
51" Glider comp' July 2019.
Richard reports
Another fantastic flying day for us at Barkston Heath. Windy from the south west, but sunny, not too hot, and loads of thermals about.
In fact, more maxes than I have ever seen before we even thought about a lunch break.
The tone of the
proceedings was set by Ken, who showed us his beautiful home grown tomato.
Then he vanished, and reappeared with a bandaged finger, having had an
argument wit the MVVS in his power model. Of course we didn't laugh.
Mike Chapman had an absolutely infuriating day with his Ffoxy, which spent the day misbehaving on the line. Particularly annoying as he had won with it in a comp the previous week.
Mike Edwards put in two maxes early on with his Caprice, then nervously waited till later in the afternoon when he tried for a third, missing a max by only six seconds, three brilliant flights.
Peter put in three excellent flights including two maxes, another fine performance by a Caprice ( I really ought to build one ...)
Ken got a max with
his Ffoxy, then contrived to find some seriously lack of lift for his next
two flights, maddening.
Howard did well considering the fact that he flew in the windiest part of the day, and again, like Ken, ran into some dead air.
And finally, a final
farewell to my faithful Mercury Swan, which soared to an enormous height on
its last flight, DTd, refused to come down and quietly vanished after four
and a half minutes.
An enormous thank
you at this point to Howard and Mike Chapman, who hacked their way through
brambles and thickets, clambered up and down the quarry at risk to life and
limb, but still failed to find it after an hour's search.
Results were as follow, being the total in seconds of the three best flights :-
1st Mike Edwards Caprice 354 secs
2nd Peter Arkley Caprice 314 secs
3rd R Granger Mercury Swan 298 secs
4th Ken reeves Ffoxy 217secs
5th Howard Smith
Ffoxy/Amethyst
6th Mike Chapman Ffoxy/Caprice 149 secs
They're out there somewhere.
We always seem to have a picture of Howard waiting.
(Ed:
)
Ken's first home grown tomato - then he ate it!
Goup shot.
Richard's Swan flew amazingly but will it ever be found and returned ??
All in all, a most enjoyable day's flying in excellent company, what more could you wish for ?
The Trainer Race ~ July 2019.
Report and photo's from Richard.
Another fine evening for one of the favourite club competitions, the Trainer Race. The threatened rain never materialised, the sheep had largely taken my advice and kept off the circle, and we had a good turnout. First airborne was Geoff Stevenson with Mike Edward's old Veron Colt. After what looked like five refuelling stops, pilot and pit man retired exhausted. Then I had a go with the SIG Buster, equipped with a coarse pitch prop in an attempt to prolong its flight, a total disaster as it wouldn't take off without me furiously chasing it on hands and knees before flinging it into the air !
Then Kevin Turland put up a good time, in spite of questioning the parentage of his Chinese engine. Steve Ellis followed with a very nicely trimmed Phantom which went like the proverbial clappers, then Ian flew his impossibly fast Jasco Trojan at such a speed that trying to get a photo of it was impossible. The second round improved everyone's times, and a fine pitch prop got my Buster off the ground at last, needing only one refuelling stop.
Pilots were Pete Arkley, Peter Warne and Ian, and they all deserve a medal for perseverance and not getting dizzy, and Mike Edwards did the scoring.
So the compulsory group shot was taken, and six of us retired to the pub to celebrate a good evening's flying.
The results were as follows, being the best
times out of two rounds for the 90 laps.
1st Ian Hewitt Jasco Trojan MVVS 1.5 5mins 55 secs
2nd Richard Granger SIG Buster Mills 1.3 7mins 45 secs
3rd Steve Ellis KK Phantom PAW 1.5 9mins 25 secs
4th Kevin Turland KK Phantom Chinese... 10 mins 38 secs
5th Geoff Stevenson Veron Colt PAW 1.5 16 mins 25 secs
Activity in the Pits.
Peter flying Ian's Trojan.
Ian flying Steve's model.
Kevin refuels his Phantom
Geoff readies his model
The happy warriors.
Steve Ellis has sent me details of a Vacuum forming machine.
This is the clubs vacuum forming machine, as kindly donated by Paul Briggs. I have converted it for use with a standard vacuum cleaner. A vacuum cleaner is much quicker in use. I have it in my possession at the moment, but if anyone needs it, contact me and I will pass it on.
I have found that the company Plastics Plus (NG6 8WN) are a good supplier of larger bits of PET-G clear vacuum forming plastic. I got a 2050 x 1250 x 0.5mm and a 915 x 610 x 1mm for £11.00. That is enough to form several dozen canopies or whatever you want to produce. Smaller pieces can be obtained through Ebay.
Control Line Aerobatics comp' - June 2019.
Report and photo's from Richard.
,
and calling upon his years of experience of hand launching gliders, he
seized it firmly by a front leg and gently heaved it on to it's side. At
which point the sheep got to it's feet fled at high speed, not to be seen
again. After this, we spent nearly 3/4 of an hour trying to find the circle
centre marker, eventually discovered by Mike poking around diligently with a
stick, as it was completely buried. So we mowed furiously for two hours and
then went home.The Result....(best flight)
1st Kevin Morgan
939 
2nd Mike Chapman. 818
Good therapy for the 'stressed'.
Preparing the field for our Aerobatics comp'.
Trying to fly without cutting the grass would have been impossible.
Centre marker found and scraped 'clear' of grass.
Thr Group shot.
Kevin Thurland brought along his new Claus Maikis designed Loriot.
Mike prepares his Fancher Twister.
Kevin coping with the wind.
Open Glider and Power comp's, June 2019.
Report and photo's from Richard.
with just the
right amount of wind, and all between two days of downpours.
After last year's cancellations due to the weather, this was a great way to start our Free Flight year at RAF Barkston Heath. The first notable event of the day was the slow disappearance of Howard's Pink Elephant glider as it climbed higher and higher, watching it through binoculars it seemed to have failed to D/T. It maybe in Skegness by now.
. Steve's
new (2 year old ) KK Gaucho (AM 15) showed great promise but a low
protruding needle valve soon became an inevitable victim of terra firma.
Mike Edward's rubber powered WW Sapphire put in some very good flights, and
my 40 year old Keil Kraft Gipsy decided it had had enough and flew into the
ground on full power, being taken home in many pieces, so out came my
new KK Contester to complete my flights.
-
not with his own glider but carrying Ken's Climax power model which had gone
AWOL
earlier . Peter's Caprice must have broken the altitude record, and Mike
Edwards' new Veron Vortex put up very fine performance. My KK Soarer Major
demonstrated the art of gliding like a homesick brick, but survived.Open Power.......................
1st Mike Chapman
Jays Bird 325 secs
2nd Ken Reeves Climax 165 secs
3rd Mike Edwards Sapphire 164 secs
4th Richard Granger Gipsy / Contestor 94 secs
5th Steve Ellis Gaucho 85 secs
Open Glider.......................
1st Mike Chapman Pink Elephant
/ Flashback 309 secs
2nd Howard Smith Pink Elephant 246 secs
3rd Peter Arkley Caprice 236 secs
4th Mike Edwards Vortex 211 secs
5th Richard granger
Soarer Major
Veron Vortex
Pink Elephant.
Howard about to release Flashback.
A slight break in the proceedings.
A last minute Group photo before everyone left the airfield.
Next Free Flight comp is our 51" Glider comp on July 21st,
when we can do this all over again !
The 2019 Free Flight Nats.
Photos from Richard and Ian.
Saturday
Good club turn-out. Not on the photo were Richard, Howard and Steve.
Mike Edwards launches my Pink Elephant A/2 glider.
Peter with his Caprice glider.
Returning with Pink Elephant.
Steve ready to release Mike Edwards' Caprice.
.
Paul had a smashing time.
Free Flight Scale fliers.
On the foul Monday I (Mike C), managed third place in Classic Power flying my 'Jays Bird' power model.
Test gliding Jays Bird with PAW 09 (Schnuerle) engine.
Rubber Scale Comp' ~ May 2019.
Report from Richard, photos from John Churchill and Richard.
Yet another fine evening for our
annual Rubber Scale comp. After the usual nattering, trimming was done and some
excellent flights put in.
Mike Edwards had some fun with his Jodel Bebe, proving that it was a fully
aerobatic aircraft to start with, but got it sorted towards the end.
Doug Hunt put in some impressive flights with his Hurricane, not the easiest
subject to trim, and it looked great in the air.
My Elytroplan, which really shouldn't fly at all, behaved quite well, and proved
remarkably stable.
Steve Ellis's Cessna 172 flew a treat, broke in half, was repaired with duct
tape and flew even better.
Pete Arkley's Lacey M10 set a new altitude record over the trees on its first
flight, but trimmed out to make some very civilized flights thereafter,
Then John Churchill's Aeronca Champ showed how it should be done, even after the
first flight started at 7.30 ( Shhhhhh ! ) A consistent climb to a good height
and long slow glide. Just the job !
So the results were as follows, being the total of the three best flights out of
five :-
1st John Churchill Aeronca Champ 101 secs
2nd Peter Arkley Lacey M10 69 secs
3rd = Steve Ellis & Richard G, Cessna 172 & Elytroplan 59 secs each
4th Doug Hunt Hurricane 58 secs
5th Mike Edwards Jodel Bebe 34 secs
Well ! We all know what this is - don't we ???
A familiar pose of Peter launching.
Doug in full flight !
Richard's Mig15 spectacular flight display.
Nice picture of Mike Edwards and the field behind.
Steve's model suffered repairable damage !
The Stunt Race ~ 2018.
Report from Richard, photo's from Richard and Tony.
Not much of a report, I'm afraid. I was too busy with the lap counter !
The weather was near perfect yet again, something we have enjoyed a lot so far this year.
Lines were measured, sheep poo removed with great vigour, and engines run up.
The pace was furious as usual, engine restarts being absolutely vital for success. Mike had an infuriating engine failure and had to scrub his first flight. Peter Warne put up a spirited performance, Peter Arkley flew a very smooth race, and Ian wound up being the fastest of the lot.
Ken did a very fine job judging and working out how the scores added up, and I think he's the only person who understands how to do this. I watched in amazement !
So we ended an enjoyable evening with the traditional group shot and a visit to the pub.
The results were as follows, the lowest score being the winner (?! )
1st Ian Hewitt 359 points
2nd Peter Arkley 392 points
3rd Mike Chapman 462 points
4th Peter Warne 585 points
Hiiiiii Ho!
In the Pits, Peter considers his options.
Ian's model - 'Ace'.
Peter Warne's model.
A much modified Akromaster.
A quick group shot - and then off to the pub.
Visit to Nottingham Hackspace.
Howard Smith organised a visit for club members to Hackspace.
Howard has been using their facilities for two years so was the ideal person to give us a guided tour.
Eleven club members attended, gathering here in the lounge area.
A 3D printer.
One of the large lathes available to Hackspace members.
The Laser cutter - tuition is required before use.
Five videos
'Preparation' https://youtu.be/OOSz1BvCZ9w
'Spitfire and John's Bird Dog' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poBbkEUIyKc
'The Spitfire' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ofu5PT8T3M&pbjreload=10
'Andy's Laser cut Bird Dog' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXLyc-rILwQ
PMR Walkie Talkies, what range,10 km? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEcthmfoRP8
The Keil Kraft factory
(15 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?
A video of our Hangar Rats flying https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRiQ_-acggU
* Competition dates * Links * Photo gallery * Club History