I love having a model that can be packed away in the car easily in the summer. Tucked away in the boot of my car the Air One Mini can quietly sneak up a hill at a moment’s notice. I love the responsiveness of smaller models in showing you where the lift is and turning it into speed! Just the other day I nipped off whilst the missus was out shopping for a quick blast – rigs quick, easy to carry and you’re off!
Just like the Sunbird about to be secreted in Zim’s car, the Air One Mini’s 2 piece wing has full 4 servo capability so the flying had me grinning like a simpleton and the landing was a catch (honest). I’ll try to work the camera with my feet next time to prove it!
I've had a couple of cool and contrasting DS trips lately. Couple of weeks ago, there were some decent conditions on Rushup Edge in Derbyshire and that resulted in quite a turn-out. Julian Bayley was there with his new Pace 2m, and Chris Cambrad was about with his new D40 - great to see Chris getting to grips with the little D40 doing some really nice smooth laps. Ray Manko turned up as well and turned some great laps with his Ocelot - first time for both these boys over the 100mph mark so a great achievement for them - top effort. Craig Lemon had his first visit to Rushup with flying buddy Theo and got to dip his Bat and his Mini Alex Carbon into the darkside - getting ready for his D40 experience as well!
Of course Rushup has it's own permanent monument in the guise of Graham Bridge, who gave his little Destiny an outing and reminded us all what a versatile model it is. The D80's were out in force as well, and I really enjoyed the smooooooth conditions with mine - tried a few set-up bits here and there and generally really enjoyed the way this thing handles when it gets shifting. It was the first time I tried out some basic aeros on the back with the D80 and it's great at it - that awesome tracking giving you loads of confidence in the model.
Crazy moment of the day was another session of MiniVec DS - the little thing whipped up to 125mph with no bother at all this time! Absolute blast! However the day wasn't without its mishaps. George had an unfortunate bit of unexpected gusting on the back which caught out his D40 and sent it in at around 130mph, although the only damage was a few cracks to the fuselage and tail - easily fixed by the Fu-meister. And Chris did the most awesome poundage when he got a little too inverted on his top turn with his D40, and pulled it straight into the ground at a fair old lick! I think he chipped his gelcoat and stripped a servo - all in all, D40s do help to make DS pretty pain-free - they are seriously hard to break!
Fast forward a week or so, and how's that for an ubercool foamy? Congrats to my flying buddy George and his wonderfully artistic other half, Chrissie on their joint effort JW60DS. George has built this one up pretty hefty, and it's the L2 Airframes DS double spar version so we're expecting great things from it. I missed the maiden flight on Rushup Edge yesterday as I was working for the morning and early afternoon, but apparently it went off fine but felt rather unstable in pitch. As it turned out this was just due to a little too much elevator movement and nothing other than that. Adam chucked off the D80 into the fairly strong conditions on Rushup and clocked a 196mph but apparently it was super-gnarly down the back with way too much west in it, so he felt that it was going to end in tears and quit whilst ahead! So as I arrived mid-afternoon, it was decided to move to another more SW DS site.
A bit of a drive and a bit of a walk later and we found ourselves on a site which we had misunderstood to be a SW site but is actually a W/ WSW! So it was crossed off by about the same amount as Rushup, and even more gnarly down the back. Still, no point trekking up a hill for nothing and Adam threw off the trusty Tank 54" foamie (currently the 3rd fastest airframe in the world and a British design) and proved that although the conditions were very unpredictable down the back, it was working.
By the end of the day, we'd all had a good old crack at it, with Adam taking the day best with an excellently flown 227mph with the D80, me trailing a bit with a 189mph and George just getting in a bunch of set-up laps with his new JW. I very nearly did a Brunel and dug a massive tunnel when my D80 got flicked almost inverted at just over 180mph coming out of the bottom turn and I only just recovered it with quite literally less than a foot to spare. Although it was incredibly turbulent down the back due to the crossed direction it was some of the most exciting DS I have had for ages - had that tight stomach and wobbly legs after both flights, as you just had to be ON it all the time to not get caught out - great fun! Z
I can barely contain my excitement at this order! Yes oh yes, we have a good sized batch of the mouthwateringly gorgeous Vampire coming to UK shores very soon. With the next generation of Pflug aerofoils, this aircraft looks to have ALL the pedigree of recent developments in F3x models, and then some new ones all of its own.
The fuselage in particular stands out, having been designed with sophisticated stress analysis software, leading to its unique chined shape that gives it unparalleled rigidity and lightness. The quality, so my European friends tell me, is of the very highest, and just look at those graphics! Of the current order, we have two of the F3B double carbon layups still available. Please get in touch if you would like to know more about this absolutely stunning model.
We're hoping to encourage new racers into the sport of F3F, so with the help of a few friends (thanks Andrzej, Jon, Mike and Ron) we've added a 2m class to the winter F3F leagues. The winter leagues are far more informal than the summer leagues, yet offer some of the fastest racing of the year. It's a great mix of having willing and expert help on offer, whilst being as competitive as you choose to be. And if you want to really have a crack at it, then the winner of each region's new 2m class will get to go up against the nation's finest F3F pilots at our annual Champion of Champion's bash at the Bwlch at the end of the winter leagues!
Have a read about it HERE and we hope that you'll give it a go - remember - ANY model under 2m will do - please don't think that you need to have the latest top gear to compete - you really don't - just come along and try it out - you'll be welcomed with open arms and lots of support and advice!
Thanks to Mike Evans for the photo of the Typhoon 2m on the base at La Muela.
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