Topics

1

Slope Soaring / BBC2 tv 08.05 Sunday 22nd december

« on: December 15, 2019, 18:59:46 PM »

Just been watching the BBC program "Country File" in which there's five minutes on RC flight, both powered and slope soaring gliders. Evidently this program is repeated on BBC2 at 0805 next Sunday morning.

Don't often see much about RC flight on TV these days!

2

Club talk / Well, I never knew that.

« on: November 16, 2019, 08:35:31 AM »

Maynard Hill, who has died aged 85 on the 7th June 2019, made his mark on aviaon history in 2003 when one of his remote controlled model aircra became the first to fly a record-breaking 1,882 miles across the Atlanc on less than a gallon of fuel.
 Hill's TAM (Transatlantic Model) 5, with a wingspan of 6ft and weighing less than 11lbs, made it from Newfoundland to Ireland with a few drops of fuel to spare, marking a record time for the flight of 38 hours and 23 minutes.  The flight recreated the historic first transatlantic journey of the British aviation pioneers Alcock and Brown, who made the crossing in 16 hours and 27 minutes in 1919.  A retired engineer, Hill had reason to savour his moment of triumph: 24 test prototypes of his design had wobbled into the air and failed, crashed or disappeared. But he was certain he could build a model aircraft that could stay aloft for 1,875 miles, enough to fly across the Atlantic.  In August 2002, TAM 1 climbed to 1,000ft bound for Ireland before falling into the ocean. Two days later TAM 2 stalled and met the same fate. TAM 3 disappeared in a rainstorm eight hours and 479 miles out.  Having made adjustments to his computerised autopilot system, Hill returned to Newfoundland the following year, launching TAM 4 into a cloudless sky over Cape Spear at 8pm on August 8 2003. Contact was lost at 430 miles downrange. Someone joked that the Bermuda Triangle may have had a cousin over Greenland. Or perhaps the Icelandic Navy was in need of target practice.  Undaunted, at 7.45pm local time the next day, Hill again held his breath as TAM 5 climbed rapidly, turning gracefully before disappearing
out of sight on a 62-degree heading towards Ireland. By 11pm, satellite data showed the tiny aircraft still aloft at a satisfactory altitude, making approximately 43mph with no tailwind.  At 8.30 the following morning, the little plane, nicknamed The Spirit of Butts Farm, after the farm in Maryland owned by Beecher Butts where it had been tested, was roughly 560 miles out. But Hill noted some ominous data from satellites monitoring its telemetry.  The aircraft's four-stroke engine was supposed to be regulated at 3,900rpm, but the readings ranged from 3,100 to 4,100rpm. The plane's altitude was bouncing between 280 and 320 metres, suggesting a porpoising flight path from a shallow climb to a speedy dip.  "The Spirit trotted along all day Sunday," Hill reported. "Over the midocean it picked up a 5-10mph tailwind and was cruising at 5055mph. I went to bed at roughly 10pm, fearful that the cool of night would increase the viscosity of the fuel, taking the engine from lean to dead."  When he awoke at 4am, there had been no satellite data for three hours, and Hill believed the plane was lost; it was agreed to stand down the officials in Ireland who were making a special six-hour trip from Dublin to the landing site at Dooloughton, Bay Beach, Co Galway.
 But just then, data from one of the satellites confirmed that TAM 5 was not only still flying, but was now far enough east to be in warming sunshine, and had shed a lot of fuel weight. By 9am local time (12.30pm in Ireland), the Spirit was a mere 70 miles from the Irish coast.  The landing was a cliff hanger. The engine had been set to run for roughly 37 hours, and Hill worried it might stop a couple of miles short of the landing site.  At 2pm Irish time, the Spirit of Butts Farm hove into view at  Dooloughton Beach, and one of the Irish officials took manual control, banging the rudder stick hard right to kill the engine. A mobile phone link was opened to Hill as the Spirit made a dead-stick landing approximately five feet from the designated spot. At 2.08pm, hearing over the phone link the shout "It's on the ground!", Hill led a whooping cheer, buried his head in his wife's shoulder "and wept unashamedly for joy".  The plane's tank contained less than two ounces of fuel – a quarter of a cupful. "In the model airplane world, this is no different from Armstrong landing on the moon," Carl Layden, an official observer of the feat, announced.  A blacksmith's son, Maynard Luther Hill was born on February 21 1926, in the coal mining town of Lehighton, Pennsylvania. He numbered Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart among his childhood heroes but was Maynard Hill with TAM5 before its transatlanc Launch - Photo from Washington Post
PLEASE NOTE: The Text for this article was reproduced from the Daily Telegraph Monday 21st October 2019.

3

Slope Soaring / Is there life on the Glider Ireland forum???

« on: September 29, 2019, 07:53:34 AM »

This weekend was supposed to be the final Fly-In of the year on Mt Lienster (The "Big L"). So far (the final day) I've seen nothing posted, from anyone.

Can someone clue me in please?

4

Club Talk / What was little, green, and made by multiplex

« on: June 03, 2019, 15:43:26 PM »

Originally purchased aprox ten years ago from a certain on line model shop in Ireland this little gem has survived untold numbers of 'unorthodox' (and sometime unauthorized) landings. Hundreds of charge and partial / total discharges. Temperatures of both Hot and (mostly on Big L.) freezing. Yet through it all, has given faultless service........until now. With the ability to charge a few hundred milliamps the time has come to bid 'farewell' to my old friend.

I was thinking of burying her on the west slope of Big L. with full honors and a possible flypast to salute all those years of sterling service shes' given me. But times being what they are I'm told she must be confined to the rather ignominious end of the local re-cycling center.

"Alas dear friend, I'll remember you well." Amen.

5

Scale / More about the Battle of Britain...in RC model form

« on: September 08, 2018, 19:04:12 PM »

For those of us with satellite TV.
Sunday 9th September 8pm Channel 4. I'll be watching it, you might want to too!

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Slope Soaring / Highest Glider ever, so far

« on: September 06, 2017, 17:15:02 PM »

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-41172587

Amazing, that's all I can say

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Misceleanous / Days of piston I.C. powered planes are numbered

« on: July 02, 2017, 22:13:33 PM »

http://www.bbc.com/news/av/business-40458485/flying-in-an-electric-plane

Time to retire those heavy low compression engines for something lighter and far more efficient

Little Keith

8

Slope Soaring / Flying on a Monday afternoon.

« on: December 19, 2016, 20:33:12 PM »

With the christmas weekend due to be stormy I thought I'd "make hay while the sun shines" so to speak, and get a little flying in today.

Conditions were very light on the Big L with just 7 - 15 Kph breezes drifting in over the west slope. Mist kept coming and going but I managed to get my much scared 2mtr polyhedral 'Riser' to 'rise' to the occasion. In truth I doubt that I flew more than 400ft above my head, there was a low blanket of cloud. I have no way of knowing anyway, only guessing. So far I haven't been slapped in hand cuffs so I'll consider myself to have got away with it on this occasion. I noted to myself that despite all the predictions of doom & gloom in resent times, slope soaring remains alive and well in Ireland.

I'd taken my 2mtr powered foamy with me (just in case) so having taken it all the way to the mountain I thought I'd best allow it to 'do it's thing.' So in went a Li-Po and up went the model. (In the air I mean, not up in flames! )
Once again it was easy flying on the gentle lift which came & went a few times but in fact I didn't need to use the motor at all. She drifted about the sky for 15 minutes before sliding to a halt on the slightly bumpy, and very wet, grass.

After a break for refreshments a further flight or two was enjoyed before the temperature began to drop as the sun fell lower in the southern sky. By packing up time I hadn't performed a single roll or even a loop but it had been nice to get up the mountain after, what must have been, at least a month or possibly more. It's not until I have an break from flying that I realize how much I enjoy it.

Keith

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Slope Sites in Ireland / Nice landing zone in Wexford

« on: November 20, 2016, 19:09:53 PM »

Facing south and out to sea the top of the cliff is about 50 feet above the sea, so maybe not the greatest amount of lift but enough to fly most models. Looking north the landing zone couldn't be better. That stone wall is at least 200 yards away and the grass is soft and springy without a rock in sight!

So where is this place? Just east of the Hook Lighthouse, at the end of the Hook peninsular in southern most Co Wexford. At the Lighthouse there are toilets and a cafe which are open every day of the year except xmas and St Stephens day.

And the down side??....... If your model goes "In the drink" there is no way of recovering it. The cliffs are a shear drop to a rocky shore line.

But one day I might be tempted.............

Keith

10

Humour / Football

« on: July 06, 2016, 20:46:40 PM »

I'm not at all interested in sports of any kind, but I understand England were beaten by Iceland in the football matches recently.
I saw this picture /caption on another forum and thought it might make some of you smile,.......What do you think Sverrir?

Oh! no option for uploading pictures on this thread......HELP!!!

11

Slope Soaring / drone-freezing ray gets US airports trial

« on: June 02, 2016, 05:48:29 AM »

This story could prove worth watching........When miniaturized it could be a way of dealing with illegal small UAV's

 http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-36425879

I found it an interesting article.

Keith

12

Slope Soaring / A wee bit o' slope soaring 28th March

« on: March 29, 2016, 09:04:13 AM »

At first, the south slope of Big L was cloud covered, but after about 20 minutes it started to clear so Rob and I donned some cold temperature protection, (layers of clothing) and marched, at a slightly brisk pace by Rob, up the hill to the top of the S. slope.

13

How to... / insert pictures?

« on: March 28, 2016, 22:06:45 PM »

Okay, so I'm a numpty,....I know.
Can someone tell me how to insert pictures into a post please. I've clicked on "Insert Image" but it doesn't allow me to select any pictures from my pc. What am I doing wrong?

Keith

14

Misceleanous / Hairy stuff

« on: December 11, 2015, 07:37:37 AM »

Here's a couple of scary videos for you. (Just be grateful you weren't in them.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAWrYBtTzLU



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuKqfge-zbs

15

How to... / How do you glue a straight strip of wood to a curve?

« on: October 01, 2015, 17:32:23 PM »

Sticking two straight lengths of wood together doesn't require much thinking about. But often in the interests of aerodynamic efficiency the
 construction of a model aeroplane requires the creating of
 curves or radius's.

So how do you make a piece of wood that wants to remain straight, bend?  :?: Well you could try steaming it! That's a lot of work, so here's  a simpler way.

The following is a picture of the inside of the fuse of a Phase 6 while it's being built. Sorry about the strange angle of the photo, it was the only way
 I could get it all in shot.


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 You can see the top and bottom forward section (to the left of the picture) of the fuse has a radius.
(Ignore the little 'hook' looking part at the nose, and ignore the lines I've drawn on the fuse as well. They're just position markers.)



The instructions tell me that I have to secure a couple of pieces of triangular section strips to the top and bottom edges of the fuse.
Although I'm using triangular section the same principle would apply to whatever shape you happen to be using.


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The classic method of holding pieces of wood in place while the glue cures is to use pins. Whenever I've tried that I usually found that the pins end up
 splitting the pieces of wood I was trying to hold together, thereby not solving a problem but in fact creating an even bigger one!

I don't claim to have 'invented' the following solution, I am merely passing on what I have found to work best.

So firstly, let's mark what will be the inside radius of the strip of wood with small marks about every 20mm.



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Secondly we'll cut some slots into the strip of wood about half way through it's thickness at the points previously marked.



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When finished the strip of wood is now able to be bent, so it can match the curve of the side panel of the fuse.



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Now we come to the sticky bit. (Sorry, that should read, 'Tricky' bit.) Run a broken line of (in this case) white PVA glue along the edge of the fuse where the
 strip of wood is going to lay. (It looks like a load of Morse code dots & dashes doesn't it)


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Ensuring we have some thin CA glue and aviator (kicker to our American friends) to hand  we get ready to lay the triangular section in place.


Start by placing the end of the wood strip in place and get it to stay there with a drop of CA glue. If need be, spray a little activator on the CA to cure it quickly...........


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As you bend the strip of wood and push it into place you'll see the white PVA ooze out. Where there isn't any white PVA oozing out put another drop of CA. Hold it there till the CA cures, (Again speed the process up a little by spraying the CA with activator.) In the next picture you'll see that I spilt an extra drop of CA...........silly Keithy!  :oops:


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Keep repeating the process until the job is completed. Finally rub some PVA into the slots that were cut in the wood strip to return it's strength.  Job done! And no split timbers.

You might ask, why use PVA? Why not use CA glue throughout?
Well,....one reason is cost. Another is weight, (Cured CA is heavier that cures PVA) And a third reason is that CA forms a very brittle joint, where as PVA has a little bit of 'give' in it.

Little Keith