Messages

31

Events / ISR Glide-In - May 10-11th 2008

« on: January 30, 2008, 14:08:16 PM »

Hi Joe,
I have flown a couple of times myself from the Sugarloaf.  There was a time years ago when there was a bunch of lads that arranged some gliding frequencies for the sugarloaf with our club.  The prevailing wind is straight on the south west side of the mountain, facing our club.  My own experience is that the lift is not brilliant.  What I have found is that, due to the shape I guess, the wind is as inclined to go around the hill as it is to go upwards.  What I mean is, when you find the lift, it is has a narrow sweet spot and is not all that much fun to fly off.  There are much better hills with the better lift within 10-15minutes drive of the Sugarloaf.

Have you guys flown at Lugala, over lough Tay? (Spellings may be wrong) It is the area where the tourists look down on the "Guinness" family home on the West side of Djouce Mountain.  I have flown from inside the wall dozenes of times, looking over the lake.  I will say that once I got booted out by a ranger.  He told me that the homes in the valley use radio to communicate and that I was jamming their signals.  You and I both know that either he was using a phoney excuse to move me on or that the valley uses 35Mhz radios. . . I think not.  It is a great spot to fly in  westerly conditons and has a great card up it's sleeve.  It is a natural bowl way down below where we fly.  If it is a sunny day and the breeze falls off, just as you expect to have to scrounge for lift, the nice big thermal bubble that lives at the bottom of the bowl comes out to play :clap: .
One note,  if you do get booted out, hop over the wall on the other side of the road and fly off the public right of way over the top of Djouce, right the way to sally gap and the source of the Liffey.  The lift is even better all the way up there, it is a good climb for a chubby lad like me :oops:

Garry

32

Events / ISR Glide-In - May 10-11th 2008

« on: January 30, 2008, 13:05:38 PM »

Hi Joe,
All sounds very good indeed and yes, we fly opposite the Great Sugarloaf.  
There are some large enough models in Shankill for towing.  We have done some in the past alright and I know that it wouldn't take much to get some tugs organised.  It goes without saying that we would be happy to see you all visit.  We have a BBQ on site and electricity available too . . . all the creature comforts!
Let me see if I can get some of the soaring guys motivated.  Would be great!  I will keep in touch.

G

33

Events / Some guy called JOE at the MACI council meeting

« on: January 30, 2008, 11:39:20 AM »

Well it looks like your dates got on the official calendar.  I was sitting behind "glider secretary" Joe at the meeting last night and I think all the dates got put up. . . well done Joe.
I have never made it to any of the events on Mt. Leinster, hope to change that this year.  I flew at Kilaloe with a couple of friends on the way home from Shannon one day, fantastic place.  I saw a Kilaloe event go on the calendar too.  Some of my outlaws spend time in West Clare during the summer. . . note to self, maybe coordinate some pleasure with the outlaw duties. . . hmmm!  That would set a precident :oops:  

We (www.srfc.net) have a newsletter going in the post in the next week or so, I will see if I can get the soaring members off their a$$ for some of these events.  

It really is great to see some coordination amongst the gliding fraternity. . . well done all involved  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

Garry

34

Slope Sites in Ireland / Wicklow Head (East - North East)

« on: September 27, 2007, 15:09:05 PM »

Hi Fred,
I know this tells you nothin' about the slope, but they are good pics from a bit of informal combat from late 2005.


Conor & Brian Buckley


Me, Neill Agnew, Bob Finley, Brian & Conor Buckley "Doin' Combat"

For your info, the machines are all "Weasel Pro's" from Richter R/C in California.  These are a bit more fragile in a 1 to 1 confrontation than a fully taped up Zagi or Phoenix Odessi (and DON'T ask me how I know!!!!) but are absolutely amazing aircraft.  We ballast them up to about 100-120grammes I guess on the CG for heavy winds.  They will stay up on  a breath of lift, will not tip stall due to the airfoils used but go absolutely ballistic with the lead fitted on a good day!  Fly better than most anything I have tried without a tail... :clap:

Garry

35

Slope Sites in Ireland / Wicklow Head (East - North East)

« on: September 26, 2007, 18:05:19 PM »

I think I have mentioned Wicklow head before on this forum but may as well put it here now that you have gone to the trouble to create this spot :clap:

If you travel throught the main street in wicklow town heading south and follow the road out past the gaol (how the locals like to spell jail!).  This road is signposted "Brittas Bay" and takes you out past Wicklow Golf Club.  Not far after the Golf Club there is a public car park on the left, then a very sharp right-left chicane on the road.  Slow down after this as about 150m further out this road you will see a red 5 bar gate on the left.  It is marked "Commissioners of Irish Lights" and says that there is no public access.  This is a popular walking spot and there is never an issue with access.  Total distance is < 2km from Wicklow Main Street.

You can drive right out to the lighthouse (over 2 or 3 cattle grids) and park just outside the gate of the lighthouse compound.  Lift (as with any coastal site in my experience) is unfeasibly smooth and is good in all wind strengths once the wind is from the East.

If the wind is slightly North of East, you can launch at a sort of nook just at the last sharp bend in this access road, around half-way between the last cattle grid and the lighthouse.  The lift can be quite good here and we have done plenty of combat and general flying here.

Hope this is of some help

Garry

36

Slope Sites in Ireland / wind from S

« on: May 15, 2007, 13:00:59 PM »

There is a site not too far from Kilakee that works OK in south winds.  It is about as good (well maybe a little better) than the area where you fly NW conditions in Kilakee.
It is on the road between Sally Gap and Roundwood, between Lugala and Lough Dan.  In fact, in a west wind and on a summer day, you get the most fantastic mix of slope and thermal lift over Lugala lake.  It doesn't look at a glance like you would get a helium baloon to fly here as Lugala mountain is staring you in the face at the other side of the lake.  When there is wind, there is surprisingly strong slope lift (on the promenance that the tourists stand on to look down on the "Guinness House").  When the wind falls off, you feel like you ought to get the model a bit closer as the lift would normally fall off, BUT the still air in the tall trees acts like a heat trap and willingly liberates LOTS of thermal lift.  It's a strange feelilng.
Now on a couple of occasions we have been "moved along" by the ranger from the guinness lands saying that there is a radio communication system used by the houses in the valley and that the R/C transmitters interfere.  I did point out to him that his radio system was malfunctioning or on a band reserved for flying R/C but he was having none of it.  In reality, I think he was just a grump!

Going back to south winds...
If you travel along this road until the last car parking area just before the road drops down to the gate into the Guinness Estate, there is a sort of bowl that is pointing over the avenue down to the guinness house in the direction of Lough Dan.  I have flown lightly loaded models from here until I could hardly see them.  The lift is quite OK and extends further out than I can fly and I have perfect eyesight!

Worth an exploratory visit if you have not already tried it.

Garry

37

Slope Soaring / Other lads and what they are doing

« on: May 14, 2007, 14:03:35 PM »

Hello again...
I am thinking that 60 mousse, foam, epp or whatever you want to call it may be the way to go.  I am with Fred on the F3F sentiments.  I only have to look at the F3A guys every week at our club (both of whom love to fly epp on the hills) and it really is cheque-book stuff.  Nearly a stigma attachet to old or less high-tech F3A stuff, tut, tut, tut.

I can't help thinking that something as cheap, forgiving and easy to abuse as an epp model is the way to go.  Who knows what will happen to financially challenged individuals like myself if racing got popular.  Just imagine we all had identical hardware...sort the men from the boys!

Bob and the other guys were not flying F3F in wales, sorry if I got it all wrong.  I think they were flying 60" but using all molded machines, I think Bob's is a "carbon blade".  Damned fast whatever it is :shock:

In terms of an other event for the ISR, why not, let's see if we can get the interest going?

Talk soon

Garry

38

Slope Soaring / I am poor...I agree!

« on: May 10, 2007, 23:56:00 PM »

Hi Alan,
I agree with you fully.  Being of moderate means a fancy molded carbon F3F type ship would mean beans on toast for a few weeks :cry:

I would however go and buy a foamie at the drop of a hat... I am weak, I have had a peep at Phoenix 60" racers already :oops:

Speaking of foamies, have any of you guys ever tried the Weasel or Mini Weasel from California?  We were using these for combat among ourselves and they are fantastic end result for a chunk of white EPP.  Michael Richter, the designer uses totally different root and tip sectons in each panel.  The root is higher performance and the tip is very forgiving...result is a foamie that works superbly from light lift to fully ballasted crazy stuff.  They are a bit fragilse when they are severely assaulted by other combat wings, especially at high speed in mega-lift (don't ask how I know...nice snow storm though) but will out fly most of the others.

Any other good sources for 60" foamies?

Garry

39

Slope Soaring / Phoenix model products

« on: May 10, 2007, 16:11:48 PM »

Hi Alan,
I have owned and flown a few of Stan Yeo's models and I have to admit that they are pretty good.  The last time I was in wales, he had just launched a new 60" model which was apparently quite good too.
I don't own a 60" foamie but would buy one if it looked like we could get a class going.
Bob Finley, Neil Agnew and Alan Rasmussen in the Shankill club have F3F type machines.  Maybe this is a better route to go if we are going to organise anything formal as I guess you guys have some suitable moulded bullits

Garry

40

Slope Soaring / Other lads and what they are doing

« on: May 09, 2007, 22:10:46 PM »

Hello again,
I myself am guilty of flying anything that can haul itself against the earth's gravity, mostly helicopters lately (well that's where I have diverted most of my hobby spend).  To this end, I have been involved in the promotion and administration of our new "3D Heli Challenge Trophy" national championship.  All said, I have had far too much family and work interruption of my precious hobby over the last year and have not flown much at all.

Where is all this going...
Some of the other guys I fly with in the Shankill Radio Flying Club http://www.srfc.net have just come back from a trip to South Wales.  They tried thier hands out at F3F racing and had an other go at proper organised combat.  Now I went on this trip two years ago, combat only and wrote an article about the trip for the MACI Flightlines when I came back.  According to the lads, this F3F is absolutely compulsive stuff when you try it.  My experience in South Wales was of unbelieveable lift, I mean yank the model out of your hands...look up quickly like it is on a bungee to the heavens!  The fun we had in the combat goes beyond description.  Have a look on the Shankill Club website, our webmaster was on the last trip (ringleader) and has put a lot of stuff on the front page...just click on the photo and it opens up a new page.

I am keen to get out a little more with my silent stable (all sport stuff) and am going to point all the gliding folk towards this forum in the hope that we can all join in a little more.  I have a feeling that with a little "rebel" rousing (sorry for the pun) we can get some stuff going.

What sort of stuff is happening that we don't know about?  Is there any organised "fun" stuff happening?  I am thinking combat, 60" epp racing e.t.c.

Sorry if I sound a bit dis-jointed, I am looking to find what's happening and looking to see if we can row in together to get some more rapport and fun on our hills.

Talk soon

Garry

41

Slope Sites in Ireland / Fantastic site for East Winds

« on: May 09, 2007, 17:27:17 PM »

Hi there guys.
I live near Greystones in Wicklow and work in Wicklow town.  I know it is only practical for folks living in Leinster, but... Wicklow Head

Wicklow Head is about as good as you will get for winds NNE to E.  I always described coastal soaring as being like cruising a new Merc on a brand new stretch of motorway... it doesn't get much smoother.

As sites go, it is good, lift is good and landing is not too difficult.  It does have some rocky areas and there is a hellishly thorny patch of brambles mixed with goarse if you blow back behind the ridge.  That said, there are some areas of fern just at the margin of lift/edge of a big pocket that would be a snip if you had brakes.  "Hacker" models can be dumped or even fired straight at this stuff and it is pretty forgiving.

For directions to the site:
1.  Follow all signs for Wicklow from the N11.
2.  In Wicklow look for signs for the coast road, brittas bay, silver strand and travel out the south end of the main street past the "old gaol"
3.  Keep on this road past Wicklow Golf Club, past the public car park on the left, past the really sharp right-left kink in the road.
4.  Keep an eye out on the left for a house with Slated Walls (yes roof slates), just short of this house, turn left through the red wrought iron (commissioners of Irish Lights / Lighthouses) gate.
5.  Follow this road (track) through the two cattle grids.
6.  At the first sharp right hand bend after the second cattle grid, there is an area where you can fly (not excellent, just OK) in NNE winds.  Follow this road an other 100M or so to the lighthouse gates and you can fly in East winds all along this ridge.  If the wind is pure East, you will fly just about anything off this site.  Lift is smooth, predictable and consistent...I like it there (especially as I can go there during lunch or after work!)

Let me know by email if you are hoping to fly there and I will go with you if possible...

Garry Keogh