First proper slope of the year

I set off for The Pool because of the forecast SW wind but it turned out other flyers had already settled on flying from "The Gate", though on checking "The Pool" site a short distance down the road the wind seemed to be more full onto that slope but I was happy to go with the flow of the more experienced flyers.  I had arrived at 1.30pm and I was surprised by the number of cars present though I Iater found out some had already left as the wind had started to weaken. Anyway I found a recently vacated space in the line of cars, nipped through the gate and there I was in the pits. Not much of walk that and though there's marsh land around the flying site the pits and flight line were surprisingly firm underfoot.

SAS Fusion

Having noticed the wind speed dropping on the weather forecasts and being told I'd missed the best of the wind I quickly gave the SAS Fusion a heave out and off it went at the first attempt. I was quite pleased with that. Last time I'd flown it was about a month ago but that was into a turbulent 32/48mph wind - took several efforts to launch in entirely different conditions, prior to that it's months since I've flown a model of any description let alone chucked one of a hillside. The lift was still fairly good and I enjoyed about 15 minutes worth of experimenting with it to see how well it would hold up in loops, rolls & inverted and it was okay. So, having had my settling in flight I went back to the pits for a butty & coffee and was approached by Keith Rathbone (L&MMGA Membership Secretary) and welcomed to the club as this was the first time we'd actually met. That was nice, being newish in a club can be a bit isolating and it's good to have a welcome and a friendly handshake. A quick hello to a few others and another good  flight was embarked on. The third flight was okay but the lift had decayed somewhat and it took a couple of launches to actually get airborne and at times it was quite obvious that the fusion was not getting as much lift as before. Further evidence of the decaying lift was that the vast majority of flyers were packing up. I checked the wind speed on my mobile phone anemometer (not wholly accurate but okay for what I currently need) and that showed the wind mostly between 6 and 15mph with a very occasional gust to 23mph, not really enough for my Fusion. With most people having departed that left me free to have another flight preceded by a lot of practice at launching and landing ;o) however I did catch one of those stronger gusts and once a little altitude had been gained I was able to stay up for about ten minutes at which point I thought I'd try a lowish pass or two then rise on the same patch of lift. It worked twice, the third time was converted into a landing - the usable lift for me had gone.

Not today for the Secret Weapon

I had taken my Sail Planes International Secret Weapon sport glider with me too but neither I nor the decaying lift seemed to be in the best form to venture out with that.

That's about it. A very worthwhile trip out of about 25 miles each way, some good flying, lots of much needed practice and neither my boots nor the car was covered in mud. That's thing with this type of sloping, setting up, flying and packing up is the quickest and easiest possible, no messing about fitting batteries or starting engines, refitting fresh batteries or refuelling. Just get the model out of the car (check the battery of course) chuck it and fly as long as I like all day on the fitted NiMh pack. Then at home time chuck it in the back of car and the job's done.

Ian

#ipjslope

Even a hobbit would have found it tricksy

We've just been for an overnight stay at The Borrowdale hotel at Grange in Borrowdale, Keswick. We decided to go back to see if it had changed since we last stayed there, about 30 years ago!  

Linked from Hotels.com

The decor has changed but the rest seemed very familiar: welcoming, comfortable and good food. We were very pleased to find that it was unspoilt but hadn't overlooked a few modern implementations like WiFi. So all this meant that on arrival we settled into one of the lounges with crumpets and a glass of warm orange & Pimms. That might seem hard to imagine but actually it was lovely and warming which with the bitter wind blowing outside was just right.

We then settled down to studying online and paper OS maps to plan a walk the next day. We had hoped to just take a low level walk across the bottom of Derwent Water towards Manesty then back through Grange Village but the high water level of Derwent Water made that route impassible, so we decided to follow a path around Greatend Cragg then up Kings Howe and back to the car at the hotel via the Bowder Stone.

Having sorted that out it was time for dinner and very good it was too. I had duck and my wife had roast beef washed down with a bottle chateau bottled beaujolais, the last measure of which went very nicely with a generous helping of cheese, biscuits, celery and grapes. Needles to say it was a good night and we slept well.

Not too steep... yet.

So the next day was time to spend some energy. We were surprised as we left the hotel to feel a few raindrops in the air because the weather forecast was very favourable: cold (feels like 1.2 degrees) dry, light winds and sunny spells. Thankfully the raindrops soon disappeared and that was the end of it, though the wind still felt very cold on our faces and our exhaled breath floated away down wind in a cloud of vapour. Still we had come prepared, dressed in multiple layers of suitable warm clothing, hats and boots so of we set. 

Once we left the road we were on sodden ground that just about supported us if we picked our way carefully and once the ground started to rise a little this improved immensely. The walk didn't get any easier though as the path became steeper and was formed by rocks in layers like steps which were wet. It required a great deal of care and effort; even a hobbit would have found it tricksy. We soon found we were too hot. Yes too hot, the wind had disappeared completely, we were working hard and getting very, hot! Hats, fingerless gloves and jumpers were soon removed as the labours of the climb went on; it was worth it though because the wonderful views around us were starting show.

What's In The Attic?

It will look something like this

There's so much in our attic the floor is creaking under the strain. Well okay it's not actually creaking, small wonder though. I've decided that it's time it for it all to go but some of the stuff does have value so it might be worth  putting on eBay. Hmm, not really keen on that though, I want more control of the price and the time items are listed for.

There's only one thing for it, sell it all myself. So I'm busy developing a website to sell it all and it should be finished soon. Think I'll call it "Stashed In The Attic" !

Garden Squirrel

Cheeky chap caught helping himself:

What! No Wings!

Twice this year I've been at the control of a craft with just a rudder & throttle for directional control. Firstly for a week on holiday and secondly on a day trip with some friends. No wings, no tail, no ailerons & no elevator - sounds like not a lot to do then?

Well the mode of transport was a narrowboat on both occasions and very enjoyable they were too. The week holiday was from Willington Marina in Derbyshire during which we had mixed but dry weather. Some days were calm & hot, others were cool and windy, the wind having more of an influence than might first be expected on a vessel weighing around 20 tons! Having my wife and daughter with me worked very well as it meant they could enjoy looking after the locks whilst I struggled with controlling the boat, hmm or was the other way around ;0)

We travelled along the Trent and Mersey Canal and visited Shugborough Hall then we turned back at a winding hole a little further along the canal. Turning around a narrowboat is fairly straightforward provided it's done slowly the technique being to get the bow into the V shape winding (turning) hole and then swinging the stern almost to the far side of the hole before reversing out back into the canal. Some straightening up after that is needed but that's pretty much it. The last day was really windy and steering in the crosswind was quite tricky but we coped okay. 

Having enjoyed that relaxing holiday earlier in the year I was pleased at the opportunity get on the canal again nearer home when a group of us hired a narrowboat for the day. It was a fantastic day, calm hot weather and a couple of other chaps on board to share the driving. How many miles did we cover? Not many, didn't want to, it was more about relaxing and enjoying the experience which we certainly did so the journey was just Middlewich to Lostock Gralam where we stopped and a fantastic picnic courtesy of our wives.

Guess what holiday we've got booked for next year. Now if I can find a nice bit of canal for my catalina...hmm :¬)

Avro Vulcan XH558 Over The Gate

Well I've been out soaring at "The Gate" again and just like last time found there was more than just models in the sky. This time the big bird was none other than XH558 and what a sight it was.

The weather on Saturday 31st August was quite breezy and gusty when I arrived about 2pm so that was pleasing! I wasn't out to do anything too adventurous, just get lots of flying in and practice landings so I chose to just take the SAS Fusion. I accepted the offer of a launch from Keith Rathbone for the first flight which passed without incident and I launched all the following flights myself; I'm not sure how many, 4 I think. Considering each flight lasted at least 20 minutes that's a fair bit of flying so the afternoon soon progressed.

Then about 1615 hrs there was was the unmistakable sight and sound of the vulcan flying  fairly close to us and east to west. Being high up in the peaks we were able to watch it disappearing into the distance for some time, in the general direction of North Wales. It was then that I remembered two things, Rhyl airshow was on the same day and my camera was in my car parked a short distance down the road.

There was some discussion as to whether or not it was likely to come back our way but no-one really knew and we carried on flying. By this time the wind had dropped a little but the lift had improved significantly. The air was smooth and I was able to take the Fusion up as high as was visibly safe. Whilst engaged in this activity some other flyers arrived with chevron wings to engage in some combat with each other. I accidentally scored a hit on one of them, well it might have been an accident :o) and that made me a target , great fun.

Well what a good day it had been, lots of great model flying and seeing the Vulcan fly past. The only thing could improve the day would be to see it again with my camera at the ready but it was time to pack up. 

So at the back of the car with everything packed away in the boot I looked longingly in the general direction of North Wales and there in the distance was a plume of grey smoke, growing longer and longer. I wasn't going to miss it this time! I'd got a number of lenses with me including a 300mm maximum zoom job (that's equivelant to 600mm for a 35mm SLR) but I went for 40-150mm zoom as that would be easier to hand hold in the breeze. Having grabbed the camera I looked again, it was coming almost straight for us. Fantastic. Did I get the photos I wanted? No, never satisfied some people! I did get some not too bad ones though.

Sloping Off Again

B Test in progress

At last I'm taking advantage of my membership of the L&MMGA. 

01/08/2013 week I visited "Edge Top" which was a bit disappointing as the promised southerly wind wasn't very strong and it came form ESE. Good job I had taken my power assisted DG 1000 with me. It also gave me opportunity to meet a few fellow members and watch a silent flight "B" test in progress when the wind picked up a little later on.

 

Ivan shows how it's done

09/08/2013 I went to "The Gate" - no shortage of wind on this day and it was straight on the slope. I measured the wind speed later in the afternoon, a pleasant 32mph gusting 40mph .

I always have trouble launching the Fusion myself when there's a good blow so Ivan Bradbury obliged.

With some weight up front it's...

Ivan suggested that in these conditions I should stick some lead on the front so 25 grammes later I gave it go and it was like launching a different model. Odd that I had failed to spot the problem because if I'd seen that behaviour on a powered model I would have soon been on the case of it's sensitive elevator. Anyway, I can take some friendly advice so a big thank you for that, the model has been transformed - by the end of the afternoon I was launching it into the 32mph (gusting 40) wind time and time again just for the sake of it - piece of cake !;o)

...sorted!

Sunny skies and...

The wind brought sun & clouds at various times and soon after one launch a pair of ravens joined me. Curious to find out who was following who I circled and the ravens followed so I repeated the circle and the same happened again! There had also been a family of sparrowhawks flying through about 30 minutes earlier. Ah, the great outdoors and a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon .

...threatening cloudy skies in quick succession.

I got a visit from a pair of ravens too.

Sea Vixen Airborne At Last

Our Sea Vixens, mine is 133

Last November I ordered a Durafly Sea Vixen which it turned out was not in stock after all. Then early this year it became available again and was duly dispatched.

By this time other projects had been started and though a straight forward assembly was all that it needed the Sea Vixen sat in it's box 6 months or so.

The retractable undercarriage has worked fine, so far.

During this time my friend Richard had decided he fancied one too and consequently my first flight with one of these models was the maiden flight of Richard's model. It was easy to fly, had a reasonable turn of speed and landed easily too. Well at long last, 2 days ago actually, I finally took my Sea Vixen out for it's maiden flight and I'm pleased to say the same characteristics were revealed in my model.

Landing is a piece of cake.

The only problem we have experienced so far is that after recent rain and sunshine our grass strip was very lush which produced problems after it was cut.  The cuttings were of some concern but the residual damp stickiness was more of an issue, preventing the model from picking up decent ground speed for take-off. I managed to get mine away but Richard's tended to veer sideways and the lost speed couldn't be recovered before the end of the strip. I'm sure all will be fine in a day or two.

One Tucano Finished - Another Still Waits

Fresh from the factory!

In my first post on the RCM&E 2013 Mass Build titled "Two Tucanos" I reported that I would be building two and that the slope version would be finished first, well....

A variety of events slowed down even getting started in the first place, the Catalina being one of them but the were others too. The result was that I ran out of time to get both of them finished in time for the RCM&E/Greenacres 2013 Summer Fly-in and had to put the slope version on the back burner.

Photo Chris Bott at www.modelflying.co.uk

I had the IC version ready enough to test fly with only a few days to spare and prepared for the maiden flight, which didn't take too long because the engine mount came loose and that put a stop to everything. So in the end I did take it to Greenacres for static display but not to fly. At that point there were no stripes on it, no charging socket, no remote glow connection and the engine hadn't been run. As the first photo in the post shows the IC Tucano is now finished and it has flown an number of times. The inverted engine is taking a while to settle down so I'm going to try a special glow plug for 3D and inverted engines, hopefully that will sort it out.

Photo Chris Bott at www.modelflying.co.uk

As it turned out the weather at Greenacres was not good. The average wind speed didn't drop below 17mph all weekend and at times it was gusting a lot more. All the same I did fly on both days, not the Tucano obviously but my old faithful Sportster. Hardly an ideal candidate for the Saturday conditions but since I had telemetry on board I knew that it could fly at 45mph on the level, leaving a few mph to spare above the worst gusts of 38mph! It handled the conditions amazingly well; well actually yes it was blown around a bit but by restricting it to sensible flying for the conditions it was okay. The Sunday was pretty wet but flying conditions were better and some mild aerobatics were possible.

YouTube and Firefox

It seems fairly common for Firefox users to suddenly find that some embedded YouTube videos will not play even though they may have done so previously. The problem often being highlighted by the error message "An error occurred. Please try again later". There can be many causes and many fixes but since this problem has occurred for me several times and the fix has been the same each time then I thought it might be useful publish how I dealt with it.

A simple explanation. "Embedded" refers to objects that can exist in their own right but have been used to form part of a web page. A YouTube video is an example of this and for it to play within Firefox uses an added feature (a "plug-in") called "Shockwave Flash". Now just hold onto that concept for moment and we'll move on to the subject of cookies. Cookies are small text files stored on your computer to help websites function as intended by the website designer. Cookies are intended to be beneficial but they have been abused by some and sometimes have problems of their own and it is the latter we are concerned with here as Shockwave Flash stores cookies on your computer to enable it to function as intended. 

Let's review where we are up to then; a YouTube video can be "embeded" in a web page and needs Shockwave Flash to play it.  For Shockwave Flash to function properly small text files called cookies are stored on your computer. There's actually more to it than this but it will do for our purposes here.

The last thing you need to know about is updates and hopefully this is where it all becomes clearer because what happens is that when Firefox and/or Shockwave Flash are updated the information that is in previously stored cookies can be incompatible with the update and so an error occurs, hence the message "An error occurred. Please try again later".  It would be good if  the old cookie was automatically replaced but it isn't, so what's needed is a new compatible cookie and the way this is achieved is simple.

The solution. Deleting the existing cookie will result in a new and therefore compatible cookie being stored next time YouTube is used. There's a quick and dirty way of doing this and a slightly more targeted and cleaner way.