Sloperacer

M1.7 Fu-Fix Bearing Kits

2012-01-30T03:32:00.000-08:00

Such a simple product is fast becoming very important in getting the best out of your servos. Here's the latest addition to the range, M1.7 for those tiny Hyperion DS09AMDs. Perhaps we'll see some on a DLG! Not that that was the intention, DS09AMD are sub 9g servos used in the tail and ailerons of many e-soarers and not necessarily small ones, as they are one of the recommended choices for a couple of 4m Vladimir Models ship shows!

Even, the plastic geared Hyperion DS09SCD can use the same shaft as the thread size is close enough to recut the thread using just the M1.7 shaft. They add approx 2 g but the benefits in reducing head rock can mean your surfaces can feel much more rigid and of course your servo can experience less wear.
The shafts are all with the lastest design with flats next to the arm and at the end giving greater versatility in how you mount the servo and bearing housing. So now, anywhere you can fit the servo, you can fit the bearing kit!

Fu-Fix bearing kits are now sponsoring Team Haley for F3B and F3J in the UK. T

Tomcat special offer

2012-01-27T06:08:00.000-08:00

Here's the RCRCM Tomcat.

2.5m super skinny X tail. It's found many friends already and now it's at a knock down price of £499!

Beautiful design and handy size. Of course, it has a bit more performance than it's smaller brother the Typhoon.

We had the pre- production Bad Boy last year way before it was renamed as the Tomcat. A local sport flyer caused quite a impression with it around our slopes (and in Wales and Isle of Man!). In fact, everywhere he took it. As a do anything, light winds or in a blow it excels and as reviews and internet forums have already reported, the Tomcat has given the same results as we found with the Bad Boy.

T

Artist 3 are here!

2012-01-24T05:03:00.000-08:00

Fresh batch of Artist 3 just landed. These are the ones for stock. Who says you have to wait for a top competition model! Very soon Rotmilans here too......

Schwing- James Hammond's new classic

2012-01-20T16:54:00.000-08:00

Today has been a big day for Sloperacer. After a long and protracted period, James Hammond's 2.5m new X tail is finally 'born'! Sloperacer is the exclusive Worldwide distributor and aims to bring in this model at around the £400-450 mark at launch. Prototype testing and graphic design are in progress and the first production models are just an agonising few months away.

Improvements over James's previous designs include a thinned section towards the tips and elevator instead of all moving tail. The joiner and spar is huge and like all his designs it just looks so right!

Out of the Workshop to support UK F3F

2012-01-13T04:14:00.000-08:00

Have I really been in the workshop for that long? My apologies for the lack of news but I hope you understand that making sure I get your models posted on time or built to the standard you expect has been my top priority.

SlopeRacer has an un-rivalled record of supporting UK slope racing and I’m delighted to both be supporting the UK F3F team’s assault on the worlds championships and the winter league climax Champion of Champions race at the HoH this year.

Working with Ian at Willow, both prizes from SlopeRacer will be a Willow F3F but I know others are also supporting UK F3F so keep checking for up-dates. Now I’ve started again there will be regular up-dates tot eh Blog, including news of in-coming model shipments.

"Bye Bye Zim!"

2011-09-09T01:45:00.000-07:00

Hello all - it's Tony Fu here - you may have heard that I'm now involved in SlopeRacer, so here's the how and why!

It’s with regret that the three - SlopeRacer, Zim and his new day job in the city could not continue. It cannot be denied that Zim has moved the business forward, bringing in more moulded gliders through a greater number of manufacturers, giving us more access to our beloved mouldies than ever before.

Distributing moulded gliders properly requires serious investment, buying in quantity and having the planes first before asking customers for money. Ordering 50-100 mouldies at a time takes a leap of faith but it’s proving to be the right way. Sending out a mouldie the next day to a customer is now common place for us. Not surprisingly you buy more when we have them in stock!

Zim has left a healthy growing business but he didn’t want Sloperacer to go to just anybody. He wanted someone that understood the culture of SlopeRacer and would carry on the good work but as a FULL time business, but most importantly he wanted it to go to someone who would invest substantially in stock, as waiting for a mouldie is NOT the way it has to be! With me being able to commit to this as a full time business, it's possible for me to reach a consistent level of service that was impossible for Zim no matter how late into the evenings he was prepared to be packing and prepping models! After much discussion, we figured out a way to make it happen, and here I am.

So there we have it, I’ll buy in more and more tempting shiny, new plastic that you can either browse on the website, or come down to my new showroom in Leeds and browse in person - I’m still running an installation business for these superb machines and will continue to try to make them readily available to more flyers and especially those that are just interested in flying and not necessarily building! Mouldies are no longer just for the dedicated few.

‘Zimbo’ is not going away though. He’s going to be ‘assisting’ in all the interesting stuff that Sloperacer is planning for the future. These are our projects and will take Sloperacer through the next phase of growth - yep, I’ll be getting him to build me some new shelves because we’re fast running out! And, oh yes, I think we all liked reading his blogspot and his muses from slope flying and that will continue.

So thank you and good luck, Zim! And to close this entry, a quick note from Zim himself…

“Just very briefly, to all those who have bought models from me in the last couple of years, thanks ever so much for your support – I hope that they continue to put a smile on your faces every time you fly them. As for those of you who probably had some hassle getting hold of me in the last couple of months – please accept my MOST sincere apologies – things did get rather overly busy with other commitments, hence the reason for starting to talk to Tony about moving the business forward. I really and truly believe that Tony is the best thing that can happen to SlopeRacer to take it to the next level – with his freely given technical expertise and absolutely infectious enthusiasm I’m convinced that you will all really enjoy dealing with him in the future. I’ve worked with him now for quite a while, and recommend him to you MOST highly!

All the best, Tony, and thanks again to all SlopeRacer’s customers, past and present. See you on the slopes!

Z”

Champion of Champions 2011 - Take 1...

2011-03-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

With a high pressure bubble sitting over Wales all weekend, we didn't really have a chance in getting a comp in, despite mildly encouraging forecasts. Still, despite the lack of racing conditions, it was great to catch up with all the chaps from the racing community once again, and take a few pictures. Most of them are just blokes in orange bibs I'm afraid!

Notable captures are Richard Bago with his specially commissioned hat, John Phillip's custom felt tip schemed Wizard - carbon dating required on this one and Scott Ravenscroft undergoing a rather stressful flight with his Vampire into almost zero lift on the Back of Wrecker... Oh and great to see Abbo and the Extreme F3F re-united!

See you all again for take two - fingers crossed for some wind!

Another happy Strega owner...

2011-03-05T06:45:00.000-08:00

Dan Montuschi successfully maidened his glass Strega F3F today in light conditions - congratulations Dan, and thanks for sending in the picture! Now, let's hope for some stronger conditions next time out so that you can test that new construction that I've been raving about!

My childhood dream glider - FINALLY!!!

2011-03-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up in Zimbabwe, there was an RC gliding club across the road from my house. RC was super-expensive back then, and especially so in Zimbabwe, and my family couldn't afford the luxury. So I just used to ride over there every Sunday on my Raleigh Chopper :) and watch the guys fly every weekend.

The model that I dreamed of owning was the Airtonics Aquila. I've been really keen to find an original Airtronics kit untouched with the Duralene fuselage, so that I can build one myself, but one has to be realistic, as firstly they are almost impossible to find, and secondly, I'm pretty short on building time for myself!

So when I found out that the very excellent Peter Beadle had one in his hangar ready to go, I virtually begged him to sell it to me! And gent that he is, he agreed to sell it to me, and she now awaits me picking her up.

Gentle hi-start, and then floating about in the summer with that lovely all flying rudder - aaaaaah - can you taste the nostalgia?! I can't wait! And Pete - thank you so very much mate!

Z

Close-up: The Predator II... and a great SlopeRacer deal as well!

2011-02-20T11:30:00.000-08:00

Designed by Gudmund Malones of Norway, the Predator 1 was an attempt to create a model which gave top shelf F3B and F3F performance at a reasonable cost. Nearly two years on, with the feedback of many top level pilots from all over the world, including the UK's John Phillips, and we now have the Predator II.

A Proven Race Winner

The Predator 1 was always a model to be reckoned with. Its out and out speed was proven in no uncertain terms in the UK in 2010 with John Phillips taking victory in both the BMFA F3F Summer League as well as the fastest international F3F race in the world, the Welsh Open, with his red Pred.

The speed and efficiency of the Predator 1 wing was never in any doubt, so it was left well alone for v2! But it was felt that a little more stability in slow circling flight and in high speed flight in turbulent conditions would make a great model even better. So the centre dihedral was increased by 0.5〫and the V tail angle was steepened. An all new tail was designed with new sections to give the Predator II more authority in yaw and pitch.

And of course the final touch was to create an up to the minute slender F3x fuselage design to minimise drag, and redesign the V tail linkages to a "pull for up" system. The Predator was always intended to be as much for the winch as for the slope, and the entire wing construction was revised to ensure that the model has what it takes to soak up a decent winch launch as well as the biggest conditions the slope can throw at it!

Seems like the construction revisions worked - at an event shortly after the Predator II's launch, a competitor in Norway took out a ski pole being used as a sighting post during an F3B speed run - the Predator suffered some slight paint damage to the leading edge, whilst the ski pole was snapped into three pieces! Check out Jo Grini's on-board winch video below... You can see that all the characteristics that make a great racing model also translate to make a great sports model - easy handling, speed and great aerobatic agility...

predator v2 winch onboard from Jo Grini on Vimeo.

I'm convinced enough by the revisions to this model that I'm using one myself this season alongside my new Strega. Aside from the one that I've snaffled from stock, we have both glass and carbon lay-ups now in stock in the colours shown in the slide show below, and there's a special SlopeRacer deal going - you get a free wiring loom worth £25.00 and SlopeRacer designed radio tray worth £10.00 with the model - the tray makes the fuse install a snap - they are laser cut and are detailed even down to the pilot holes for the servo screws so all the guesswork is taken out of the fuse install for you! Also great news is that the Hyperion DS13TMB will fit at all stations in the wing, bringing the cost of a full Hyperion digital install (including the 2 x DS11AMB in the fuse) to just £164.

NOW, how about this for an awesome SlopeRacer deal!

We're doing what is possibly the best ever deal that we've ever done on a 3m model. If you buy a Predator II from this batch, either in carbon or glass, then you get a FULL Hyperion digital radio pack as above INCLUDING a high quality Intellect 2/3A 1600mah battery for just £150.00. The full retail on this package (based on regular non-SlopeRacer prices) is £179.65 - so that's a saving of £29.65 on a great radio pack for this model, plus the free loom and radio tray!

That's a Predator II complete with wiring loom, custom SlopeRacer radio tray, and ALL THE RADIO GEAR for just £800 for the glass, and £900 for the carbon. You'll just need to build it and drop in your rx and you're ready to go. When this batch is gone, though, the deal's over, so get in touch quickly if you fancy it...

Prices for the model on it's own incl free loom and tray are £650 for the glass and £750 for the carbon.

Have a look at the finish on that wing in the slide show. Treat yourself to a fantastic evolution of a proven winner. Whether you want to win races, or spend days lazily chasing thermals, or just hoon around like your pants are on fire, the Predator II won't disappoint!

Z

Crossfire-2 F3F & F3B delivery imminent! update - now arrived!

2011-02-14T16:13:00.000-08:00

Good news today! The first part of our order for these stunning models is just about ready to ship. From what I've heard from a couple of friends of SlopeRacer who are flying these aircraft, they have something very special, in both handling and just out and out speed. Personally I can't wait to unpack this shipment as Aer-O-Tec's extraordinary reputation for jewel-like quality is second to none. Here are the schemes coming our way - get in touch at zim@sloperacer.co.uk for more information and pricing.

UPDATE: now unpacked... Firstly these are the latest spec with the full 1.6kg ballast load centred on the CG. F3B wings come in at around 600g each and are seriously stiff. The fuselages are superlight and mega-stiff with Aer-O-Tec's new fuse construction technique.

The F3F wings, however, are outrageous! They come in a little heavier at around 660g but with that double carbon C160 construction they are absolutely rock solid. Coupled with carbon Disser tail construction and you have a beautifully specified model. As with Crossfires past, I fancy this one wouldn't be troubled by a little DS action! And it's all on show with the entire underside of these models as well as the topside lettering in naked carbon. An absolutely stellar effort from Stefan Eder at Aer-O-Tec.

Click on the small pictures for a full size... No 67 now sold.

Another misty day up Pen-Y-Fan

2011-02-13T05:02:00.000-08:00

This is one grumpy mountain! But I think that it will become one of the key DS sites to going really fast in the UK. Really high up, so any wind speed turns into something pretty powerful up there, and there are multiple potential DS sites along the top, almost all of which are bowls. This should mean that we get superclean air on the back.

Despite climbing it last week with a few chaps and being foiled by the rain (again!), I've still not yet flown it, but I've heard good things about it from flying buddies who have, so yesterday I decided to try to get up there and give it a go. Conditions looked good - sunny and with around 30mph over the top. However, I got delayed by a jam on the M42 for an hour and a half, and eventually got up to the top of Pen-Y-Fan just in time for the ridge to get cloaked in cloud which meant no flying. So instead I just scouted about to try to understand where to land and all that for the next visit, and then spent ages trying to remember how to work the self timer function on my camera! Finally figured it out, and managed to get a shot of the D80 and the Womble hat.

Hopefully sun and 40mph straight in next time!

Zim

The Sacrifices that have to be made

2011-01-24T03:54:00.000-08:00

Picture the scene, you’ve been told of a great new flying site just 5 miles from this week’s rugby fixture and the forecast was wind dead on the slope. Surely an opportunity to extend my Lift Ticket to Devon should not be missed- The suggestion of the missus visiting her parents whilst I had a boys day seemed very sensible to me!

Working on the principal of say it fast and then run I was in the car and away by 8:00am with dog, gliders and boots all packed. Although I’d left a cooked breakfast on the table, best turn the phone to silent ‘till she calms down! Arriving at the almost deserted car park, the view was stunning and conditions about perfect (plus or minus 20 degrees). A brief stroll along the peninsula’s track to find a landing spot and the Air One was soon away. Tracking straight with the light but reliable sea lift giving more than enough to play with the set up and Air One's excellent energy retention- just how high the half pipes could be pulled. I’m really starting to like this model!

Laziness kept me quite close to the car park for the first few flights but after a quick brew and swapping for the Compact it was easy to take a stroll down the track (main road in Devon) for what must have been the easiest cross country ever. To those walkers who didn’t spot the Compact I was a strangely slow walker who just wouldn’t look at them as we spoke My walk revealed some excellent possible Ds spots along the peninsula’s spine but my head was in too calm a place for DS.

Rugby and beer later it was time to turn the phone on and return home- she’ll be talking again in a few days (win win really) and a flying spot to return to when the lovely 3m Air Ones arrive or Ds mates come a visiting.

Ian

Do you mind going flying for a couple of hours whilst I bake you a cake?

2011-01-16T14:22:00.000-08:00

Yep I wasn’t dreaming but I wasn’t going to hang around long to check, now all I needed was a 30mph south westerly and enough charge left in the Air One and cross tail Compact I tested last week in Wales.

The Compact was in need of testing as I’ve replaced the rudder with a fixed fin, remarkably this has saved over 150grams. Back to the flying and as I drove along the Exmouth prom dodging the kite surfer’s being dragged up the beach it was clear my weight saving wasn’t needed. Yep 35mph wind and it was time to make sure the Air one’s new fus mounted ballast had done it’s job and made it heavier (by around 1kg).

A 2 handed launch tested the Air One’s stability as well not going backwards in a gale. ‘Corse she passed! and a few flights later the Air One had ripped up the cliff edge and generated a huge smile on my face- Can I claim any credit for the Air One?- Probably not. I hadn’t long started flying the Compact and Phil Taylor arrived with the aim of beating the assembly time on his Fletcher. Although Phil’s clearly spent most of the excess time on his hands with solar trim, he did manage to reduce his Fletcher assembly time to under 87 minutes!

My time Watching the Fletcher was cut short as I had a lunch time Curry and Beer to be bought for me- Sorry- some days you’re just spoilt.

Ian

SlopeRacer goes racing

2011-01-10T13:33:00.000-08:00

More pictures

After what feels like months of snow, rain, fog and family putting pay to both flying and racing, the prospect of sunshine, wind and a race on Mickies was too good a prospect to miss. So after days of supporting the missus’s self proclaimed allergy to Pledge and trips the in-laws it was 5:30am and I was heading off.

As always, the Wizard Compact was in the car with me but alone this time, as my favourite model ever it was the perfect choice to get the most fun out of a day’s racing. Arriving at Mickies to find the gate open- It must be my day! My enthusiasm was only slowed when I opened the car door and felt the icey Westerly- perhaps time for a drink and let give the sun time to get on the slope before venturing out.

By the time the other 14 pilots arrived and Knewt had but long trousers on, it wasn’t much warmer but definitely time to head over for a test flight (no practising on course). Test over and thumbs warming as I returned with my camera I realised just how cold it was as I scraped the ice from my wings.

6 hours and 9 rounds of the kind of excellent racing and fun atmosphere that the winter leagues are renown, saw the like of Martin Newnhan, Golden Balls and Knewt slug it out at the top of the field with Extremes/Freestylers and Cere’s (Ceri?) showing there’s not a fag paper between them. I had a blast carving the Compact around the sky to record a number of low 40s times with my only my thumbs keeping her above the magical 40!

All but 1 round was won with a sub 40, including Scott Edwards’ new sub 40 PB to join the 5 other round winners his day was made! Martin was the clear winner at the end of the day after performing consistently all day.

1 weekend and a completed round at each of the leagues- a fantastic start to 2011 and the run to the Champions of Champions race. I’ll be posting the unofficial scores and league positions very soon, with your assumed leagues. Please remember to let me know if you would like to change.

The prospect of my family growing very shortly after the Champions race means you’ll be in the hands of Zim this year on finals day- be Gentle with him!

Ian

2011- It’s going to be fast!

2010-11-25T05:06:00.000-08:00

The snow’s not started to settle yet and the news for 2011 is looking great for racers and speed lovers. Spring will see the arrival of the first CROSSFIRE 2 models. We’re absolutely thrilled to be the UK distributor of this cutting edge model, as well as the other Aero-tec models. With an super slim 7.55-7.9% 2970mm wing that’s ultra stiff and light thanks to it’s use of double carbon up to the aileron servos and then single carbon. Every part of this model has been designed for performance and winning.

Available in both F3B and F3F lay-ups the 2.94m span CROSSFORE 2 is a fantastic piece of kit. The SlopeRacer models will come with bags, ballast and wiring loom included- with of course a 2.4Gig friendly fuselage.

Vampires Arrive in the UK!

2010-11-19T11:42:00.000-08:00

and with that, we got a spooky, misty day for their first photoshoot... I'm not going to write much this time around - I think the pics speak for themselves - this model really is out of this world...

New UK DS records for the Dynamics!!!

2010-11-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

Thanks to some brave radar gunning from the lads, I managed to record a 292mph pass today with my Dynamic D80 at the Skirrid - a new UK record. Thanks a lot for the radar marksmanship, chaps!

It was a really wild day up the Skirrid today - very very vicious walk/ stumble/ crawl (yes really!) up to get there with the winds really pretty mega over the top. Pretty crossed off to the South as well which meant that there was a LOT of movement in the air on the back of the hill. Unfortunately this meant that some airframes were destroyed, one in excess of 250mph, but it also meant that everyone up there got a new personal best!

Adam Richardson blew the UK 60" record away completely with his Dynamic 60, clocking up a 271mph pass at the end of a beautifully judged series of laps right after one of the rain showers.

Mark Abbotts guided his Opus MCT to 283mph at the end of the day - just 1mph down on his nemesis Mark Southall!

Andy Bourne, on only his 5th DS trip to the "bigtime" ridges, howled past 200 with a 216mph with his Dynamic 80 and a 192mph with his Dynamic 60 - well done Andy - superb flying.

And Steve Forbes, returning after a bit of a layoff, eased himself back in nicely by upping his personal best with some great laps with his Kinetic 60 to clock up 204mph.

After this trip, I'm convinced that we can go well well over 300mph in the UK - in fact I'm sure that we will go over 350. An absolutely incredible experience just to be there today, which I heartily recommend to anyone!

No pictures today as it was a little too wet and wild to take the camera up, but I'll leave you with this shot of the man who has brought this incredible level of performance to all of us with his fantastic Dynamic airframes - Joe Manor - thanks man!!!

The Legendary JW60 is coming! and now it's all moulded!

2010-11-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

We are humbled to announce that Bill and Jason of L2 Airframes are working with us here at SlopeRacer to bring their awesome new full moulded JW60 to Europe. It promises to be everything that everyone has learnt to expect from a JW - great aerobatic handling, comfortable in a huge range of conditions, rock-solid in DS and as quick as you would expect from the world record holding DS foamie! But if you thought that a foam J-Dub was good, then check out the extra fire-power that you get with the moulded version:

Radically slimmed down fuselage
Joe Wurts has taken away all the compromises in the airfoil and wing planform that were introduced due to the limitations of foamie construction and manufacturing methods - this is the full flavour JW!
The wing is fully filleted into the fuse to further reduce drag
Top driven bottom hinged wing surfaces to keep almost all of the linkage internal, again for minimum drag.
Super-simple construction - you're looking at 3-4 hours of build time with this model.

It will be available in two versions - a frontside and light DS version at around 1450g (50oz), and a ballistic frontside and heavy DS version at 2100g (75oz).

Watch this space for more information about availability - please get in touch to register your interest as the list is already growing!

2010-10-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

As well as being the UK’s best established international F3F race, the Welsh Open can also claim to be the world’s fastest. 3 days in the conditions provided by the Welsh Hills in the company of a very merry band of F3F pilots is enough to make a great weekend. Add in that this year the SWSA had agreed to let SlopeRacer raise funds for the Bristol Neo-Natal intensive care unit and there was no way I was going to miss the race. So at 5am, thanks to the great support of our suppliers, my car was crammed full of prizes.

Day 1.

The NW wind meant that I was grateful for the help in carrying the pilot bags to the Ice Cream slope. This is a slope that always produces a fairly large amount of variation, due to thermal and other vagaries but F3F is about making the best out of the bad air as well as the good and the cream was rising to the top.

The keeping cool under adverse circumstances award has to go to Pete Gunning, after radio failure cost him his brand new Freestyler before Round 1. Some rapid programming and work with Joel West had him up and running for round 1.

Never apparently cool but always quick, John Philips was doing the business with his Predator and led the way after day 1. Rumours that he was gluing the tails of his competitors may be a little harsh. Only a poor first round is thought to have saved Adam Richardson after he steered his Strega to a round 3 win.

Day 2

The Westerly breeze picked up through the day but not before Cedric Grandseigne had chance to sport fly his new Vampire - very very impressive it looked too. Conditions improved steadily all day and the reasons for the number of repairs on the Spanish models soon became clear - a hyper aggressive course and even more so when off the course. Flying with these lads is not for the faint hearted!

Conditions were still variable (getting my excuses in) and ballasting strategies varied from the Scott Ravenscroft ‘put it all in’ to some very cautious ‘in case the lift goes’. What was clear was that if you got the lift or not- don’t cut! One of the great sights of the Welsh Open is to see a pair of pilots happily beating their team mate after a cut, or passing on how they would have flown the last round - it’s so much easier from 10 m further back!

As the breeze picked up the Extremes really came to the fore and as confidence and ballast was increased, their times came down and down. Still, through the cuts, sink and periodic crossed wind John and his Predator were slugging it out with Simon "Golden Balls" Thornton and Joel West. John finishing the day with a full on attempt to destroy the course in order to get day 3 cancelled by annihilating the weather station with his wingtip - these Predators are tough!

Day 2 finished with a fantastic night Banquet, organised by Vic and with the MD help of Knewt raising £1,300 to the Neo-Natal Care unit. A stunning result and emotional night for myself - one that put my own racing very much into perspective. It was great to see so many of the pilots supporting the Banquet and making the race even more of an event.

Day 3

By midnight at the Banquet we still hadn’t worked out if day 3 would be stunningly quick or incredibly wet. As we sat in our cars on the top of Mickies - it was going to be both! With the wind at 40mph and the cloud low full ballast was the option and hope to cut through the rough air to the good stuff.

Again John was delivering times at the top of the round - this time with his Air One. A very quick and model that John was complaining about his lack of air time on - just before his 35! Joel and Golden Balls, now also with his Extreme, were up there still. It’s easy to miss some of the personal milestones in such a large entry. Clayton Landells PB was well and truly dropped over the weekend and by Sunday his Acacia had delivered a sub 40, congratulations Clayts! - it’s an achievement not to be under estimated with probably the cheapest model in the field that can still take on the best!

Mid way through the second round Iñaki Elizondo stepped up with his Freestyler and everything just came together, top model, great lift and stunningly aggressive flying - 29.37 - a new World record.

With the clouds coming down and Adam’s tree top landing it was time to stop and add up the scores. Congratulations had to go to John!

Results:

1 John Phillips 9095.36

2 Simon Thornton 9047.92

3 Joel West 8779.28

4 Gerardo Plaza 8735.86

5 Mark Redsell 8694.69

6 Dag Skoglund 8626.71

7 Peter Gunning 8616.64

8 Kevin Newton 8585.47

9 Keith Wood 8513.46

10 Bjorn Tore Hagen 8485.42

Once again, all F3Fers should give it up for the lads at the SWSA - particularly Kevin Newton and Andrzej Tabero - for putting on the frankly awesome, and frequently record-breaking Welsh Open! Thanks chaps!

Winter League up date

2010-10-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

Less than a month to go to the start of the winter leagues we've updated the league dates and the road to the Champion of Champions Race.

Champion of Champions 2011

Wizard progress

2010-10-01T00:33:00.000-07:00

We always like to keep everyone up to date with the progress of their model. After developements to the spar to make them even stiffer, the latest SlopeRacer Compacts are well under way and I think you'll agree they look fantastic! Here's a couple freshly hatched, pre-trimming.

The Wizard Compact II...

2010-08-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

I first saw the Wizard Compact back in 2002. Without seeing the model in the flesh or knowing of its racing pedigree I was hooked. “It just looks right” was written for the Wizard Compact! With the first SlopeRacer lay-up models due in a couple of weeks it’s great to see that the quality of this legendary model is still fantastic. The strength and stiffness of the Compact is always amazing but those colours are just mouth watering.

The price of the Wizard Compact has always been as magnificent as the quality, but not any longer! SlopeRacer has achieved the impossible and brought the Wizard in for £695 - an incredible price for a classic. The SlopeRacer lay-up features a Carbon D box to give you the best compromise of strength and lightness and come in schemes which include one to match the yellow and white model shown here, and also the famous "McLaren" Wizard scheme. One of the ultimate slope classics, and now to be a stock model here at SlopeRacer!

Have a read of Knewt's review of the X-tail...

The Welsh Summer Day!

2010-08-18T14:10:00.000-07:00

Whether it was the Saturday spent carrying bags around the shops or painting the hall, but just a week before Lundy at least this half of the SlopeRacer team was given a pass to race in the Ken Philips Trophy on the Wrecker. So with just 6 days before heading to Lundy, ignoring the hill’s name, I headed off with my Wizard F3F’s shaking nervously in the back of the car. Although I was telling myself that this was a day for setting up and having fun, it’s always good to pit yourself against some expensive plastic and fast thumbs.

Remarkably the race coincided with this year’s Welsh day of Summer. And so as the race was set-up at a leisurely pace there was time to see Simon Thornton seeing just how fast the Extreme could go on that world famous slope, the answer is - VERY! Old Golden balls defiantly has the knack of turning all the available energy to speed and as the race got underway, the combination of Simon and the Extreme delivered good time after good time.

As the sunshine warmed us, the day for many pilots was one of showing what they could do when the big air came through and then giving good photo opportunities the next round. Although the long walk to the top of the Wrecker to land and only 14 pilots kept camera time and rest to a minimum it’s fair to say that Ron and Clayton’s Acacias showed their pedigree at times.

Although, like me, only claiming to be setting up his new Strega, Wooden Balls Adam Richardson had obviously applied some polish as his new Strega consistently rounded the bases at ever increasing speeds. The new stiffer wings had him on the way back from a corner apparently faster than he went in. The only delay to Adam’s progress was whilst we bullied him into launching into apparently zero wind- straight into a thermal. This consistency earned Adam 3^rd place overall, where he was joined on the ‘podium’ by Simon and Kevin, all ready to kick Zim’s butt at the nationals!

My own day was great fun with the smooth handling Wizards, but the V and the cross tail version rewarded a smooth flying and even I was finding the line as the day rolled on- right until I found the forward marker post. Commitment that!

Sloperacer - your travelling companion!

2010-07-29T04:57:00.000-07:00

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!

Ian

DS in Derbyshire and the Final Piece of the Puzzle...

2010-07-16T03:12:00.000-07:00

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

The Vampires are coming!

2010-07-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

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.

Thank you to Pierre Rondel for these pictures...

New 2m racing class!

2010-07-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

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.

Extreme Cliff Soaring!

2010-06-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

It's that man Phil Taylor at it again with his Extreme F3F in Devon... Since moving to Devon Phil has found a clutch of fantastic cliff sites which I've been able to enjoy with him since making the move down myself. With the amount of flying that Phil's been putting in on the Extreme this year, I reckon we need to watch out for him during the Lundy F3F coming up soon!

And as an aside, Extreme's are BACK in stock once again - if you fancy getting your hands on one of Europe's most competitive F3F models, then give us a call.

The JART M70 is here!

2010-06-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

I'll hand over to the man himself, Reed, to tell you about his new baby...

So this is how it goes: you hear that people want a rudder and flaps and a bigger version of the design and you say, "uh, ok!". To be honest I never needed all of that, I designed the plane as it was because it was all about me, me, me and I only wanted a simple plane that would fit in my car. Besides, I had to build them myself and didn't want to spend the extra time and money to fit flaps and rudder.

But here we are, 6 years later, and I find myself standing on a ridge, holding a 70" molded version of the plane with all of these bits and pieces wagging around, up down left right and all over. Just after launch I can already feel the size of the thing. Obviously I'm very familiar with the 56" wingspan, so having those big wings driving through the air is fascinating. At 72 ounces (yours should be lighter by 6 ounces or so) I'm surprised that the plane flies almost exactly like a 45 ounce standard-size JART, though I shouldn't have been. The extra size has a more than proportional affect on the airframe's efficiency so the numbers and the experience do match in this case.

For the first few minutes I flew with aileron and elevator only, just to get a feel for the handling characteristics. I certainly enjoyed it, and all of the maneuvers in the "teaser" video are with that setup. After a few minutes I decided to add flaps to the aileron movement and suddenly the plane felt more like a standard-size JART - very crisp and decisive in lateral control and overall very tight and neutral.

Then came the biggest surprise of all: the rudder. Honestly, I only added this to the design because a lot of people seemed to want it. For a 56" version I still wouldn't bother, but for this 70" version I thought the rudder might come in handy for inland "slermal" conditions where the pilot ranges out and looks for bubbles of lift away from the ridge and could use a flatter turn. It was a shock to me, though, when I pulled some rudder in on a racing turn and the plane came leaping out of the corner with unexpected energy. What I thought would be a fairly ineffective control surface is actually a very useful tool for keeping the nose straight through the turns and creating a "grippy" feeling, especially coming back from the downwind leg.

Landing this thing is just a breeze, especially if you already know how to land with flaps and/or crow. Once I got the elevator compensation figured out, those big flaps just bring the plane down to a crawl and you can land it on a dime in reasonable conditions. Being new to the flaps game it has taken me a few flights to get it dialed in, but I have a good technique now where I set the plane up behind the ridge and then pull in aileron reflex to kill some energy. Once the plane begins to settle down toward the LZ I pull the flaps in also and pilot the plane down to about waist-high where I pull the flaps out and let the plane sit right down. I missed a bunch of landings trying to learn this method and the poor plane took a lot of abuse dealing with my learning curve. But despite all of the bashing about, I never broke anything and was able to launch immediately every time - she's tough.

There will be many more flights and I'll post my impressions as we go. Can't wait to get her out to one of our DS spots to rev her up on the dark side!

Us too - thanks Reed! Here's a few detail shots in the meantime... check out that Kevlar joiner box!

How big is a MiniVec?

2010-06-20T05:37:00.001-07:00

The MiniVec is generally perceived as a 60"er, which doesn't really do it justice. It's actually a 67"er but crucially with a fair bit more wing area. So rather than a small size aerobatic model, it's more like a mid-sized one, and flies that way too! I've overlaid the Sunbird panels - which is a 60"er - to help illustrate this...
Z

The Sunbird is Back!

2010-06-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

We first stocked the Sunbird about a year ago, and whilst it was clear that it is a great 60” design, there were some aspects of it that could benefit from a little production detailing. We are now happy to announce that by working with RCRCM we have not only managed to substantially improve the airframe in several ways, but also get the price right down to £199!

We’ve had a decent weight of carbon wrap put in around the wingseat area and have also specced the front end to be 2.4 ghz friendly, and substantially reinforced with Kevlar – not just glass! We’ve also added a nice beefy incidence pin at the leading edge of the wing to make rigging easier and to ensure that the model retains its precision no matter how heavy the conditions. The Sunbirds also feature the new moulded in elevator bellcrank which guarantees perfect alignment at the back. And despite the fact that this model is superb in light air, it now also caters for the stronger stuff by coming standard with a massive 20mm ballast tube!

Radio-wise, the Sunbird now comes with mildly bumped servo covers so the servo choices are kept wide open. Battery-wise, you’re best off with your choice of 4 or 5 cell AAA cells, with the optional Sloperacer radio tray (£5) already configured for these fitments.

And of course, the most notable change – we've created a new Sunbird logo and Sloperacer scheme – some photos below – enjoy!

BMFA F3F League at Whitesheet

2010-06-18T03:40:00.001-07:00

After the first two rounds failed to give a result by round 3 we were getting desperate. Desperate enough for a field of over 30 to register to come to Whitesheet in Wiltshire, regardless of the forecast.

I packed my Strega (now 2.4 ghz friendly) although a maiden/trimming flight was needed with the new 2.4 fuse. Whitesheet is not the highest hill but on the way to the bottom I could tell there was still noseweight to be added - I could tell the air wasn't great! Seems to be becoming a habit of mine! Still no damage done, radio worked fine, and with 10g added, she was back to the way I like her.

Whitesheet isn’t a Welsh hill, but it can be a great place to fly and will really punish mistakes with big time penalties. Although it can be a frustrating venue in some ways for F3F, it certainly provides a completely different kind of racing and helps to give the league a variety it needs.

I won’t go into great detail on the race here, as Mike Shellim gives a very comprehensive report on Mike Shellim's excellent RC Soaring site but I will say that this comp certainly shook things up. I got lucky with a top ten finish, and some big names finished well down the order. John Bennett took the honours with his New Sting, with Simon Thornton showing his ability compete successfully in any conditions by coming in second with his Extreme F3F and Ceres. John Phillips reminded us that he’s always a force to be reckoned with, coming in third with his Predator. Mick Walsh notably reeled in a seriously fast piece of air to record FTD with a time some 5 seconds quicker than anything else posted that day. Also good to see Andy Freeman competing despite having the most awful run of luck lately with having a few years worth of crashes crammed into a couple of weeks.

It was also great to see my good buddy Rocket Ronnie Lampe the Lips taking a round win with his Strega - go Ron!

Ken Phillips Trophy Rnd 2

2010-06-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

After topping up my tan at the BMFA league last week, the prospect of sunshine and wind at the same time had me up early and heading for the famous slopes of South Wales and the Ken Philips Trophy competition. If you want to cut your teeth around the bases, this is a great place to start as the atmosphere at these comps is informal and very helpful. My choice of weapon for the trip was my trusty Strega F3F but I just couldn’t help packing the MiniVec as a few lads wanted a go on it – turned out to be a pretty good decision for reasons unexpected!

We ended up on the Ice Cream slope with the wind slightly crossed off to the North. I really like this slope and got lucky with some great air in round 1, more suprisingly I held my nerve and the Strega took the round win and also gave my first sub-40 second time - 39.38s. Very happy! Unfortunately I asked a little too much of the model during a desperate attempt at a cut recovery in the next round which saw me plant her HARD into the ground with nearly 1kg of ballast on board – see The DOH! Page for details... Actually I’m pretty happy with the way the model handled the impact, with the wing surviving in perfect condition.

With the Strega out of action that little Mini Vec was looking at me! So I set about getting some ballast in there, but honestly, I wasn’t expecting too much from the little bird. I mean it’s hardly designed for racing is it?! Well the first round with the MiniVec put paid to that – a 47.xx. I kind of laughed it off as good air, but the next round was a 45.xx and I realised that if I gave her some respect, I might be able to get a decent result and prove that size isn’t everything after all!

And so the comp went on for me and I couldn’t stop smiling. I got to see Knewt flying his Ceres at what seemed to me to be a completely outrageous weight but somehow still making it look light as a feather. Simon Thornton showing everyone the secret of F3F - somehow making all the air look pretty decent even when he got dealt some real lousy stuff. Martin Newnham and his Extreme continues to give inspiration to all F3F newbies - in his first full season Martin’s already had many sub 40’s, qualified for the Viking Race and only just missed the top 20 fly off.

The Extreme looked to be the model most at home in many people’s hands – it was being flown by a number of pilots - Simon Thornton, Martin Newnham and Adam Richardson – the results speak for themselves I think. Mike Evans didn’t get the best luck of the air with his RaceMx, but was given a lovely bit of air right at the death by which time he was flying his Kyril. Think that’s the fastest time for you on that model at 35.xx Mike? Well done mate… Also the fastest time of the day I believe.

One of the great things about the Ken Phillips Trophy is that it’s really there to help new guys get started out in F3F. Simon Kronfeld’s skill around the course with his Skorpion and Acacia II is just building and building – good showing from him, and Martin Newnham’s son Jacob showed us all that it runs in the family with his first F3F comp being handled with some impeccable flying and great anticipation of the bases – something rarely achieved in one’s first competition. John Treble seemed to be very at home with his new Vikos.

However, all was not perfect, and there was a bit of carnage here and there, most notably from Andy Freeman – he experienced possibly the worst way to crash a model, which is to loose sight of it whilst walking back to landing. Sorry mate! But I’m pretty sure that you’re going to be VERY happy with the Breta Furio that you’re picking up to replace it. Adam Richardson also had an unfortunate bit of damage to his RaceMx nosecone which was a complete mystery to all given the perfect landing that preceded it - sulky face in the photos! By the way, thanks to Adam for snapping the photos of the MiniVec whilst I was flying...

So as it turns out I just missed beating our great leader, Tom Satinet, with a MiniVec. So close! But never mind – what a great day, and to cap it all off we had a ball with the MiniVec passing the tx around after the racing finished.

Come and have a go – email us for details and we'll put you in touch with the right people if you’re fancying a go at F3F but you’re not sure how to start – you don’t even need a 3m racing ship to have a go, as I unintentionally demonstrated this weekend!

1 Kevin Newton 12132.74 (1000)
2 Martin Newnham 11979.77 (987)
3 Simon Thornton 11368.74 (937)
4 Adam Richardson 11274.75 (929)
5 Dave Rumble 11065.33 (912)
6 Mike Evans 11034.76 (906)
7 Tom Satinet 10614.62 (875)
8 Warrick Smith 10587.08 (873)
9 Mick Walsh 10553.54 (870)
10 Simon Kronfeld 10182.56 (839)
11 Jacob Newnham 10113.94 (834)
12 Clayton Landells 10083.07 (831)
13 John Treble 9800.16 (808)
14 Andy Freeman 2339.11 (193)

Extremes available for immediate delivery

2010-06-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

The Extreme is possibly the hottest European model available today, with glowing reports coming from the Viking Race 2010 in France being backed up by some great flights in the UK.

Here are the colour schemes available today!

Ian

MiniVec Maiden!

2010-05-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

After a bit of a slog up to the top of a tasty DS ridge in Shropshire, George Pilkington, Adam Richardson and I were greeted by the sight of Mike Evans smoothly carving his Vector III through some aeros in the light thermic lift.

Adam and George bolted the wings on their D40’s in short order and had them whizzing round the back within 5 minutes of arriving. The conditions weren’t there for big speeds – only just enough for continuous DS - but as usual this little model didn’t disappoint and provided plenty of entertainment.

Soon enough the MiniVec was launched off too and I quickly had the confidence to start trying to remember my (limited!) aerobatic repertoire. Mike and Adam joined in with their big Vectors and with George on the camera, some fun was had trying to get all three Vectors in the same shot at the same time – the models ended up flying around on crow for about 10 minutes!

After some more larking about I landed the MiniVec as, in keeping with other Hammond designs, this one seems to be quite happy with less throw than you would expect, so she was rated down a bit on the ailerons, and duly launched off again. With a total of about 2 hours continuous flying time, it was pretty clear that there was plenty of fun on offer from the Mini. Meanwhile Mike and Adam were trying to loop around each other’s Vectors a bit further down the slope – sounds like a mid-air waiting to happen, but in the end they just had a lot of fun and no tears thankfully!

No Sloperacer test flight is complete without a bit of DS to test the strength of the model, so I sent the MiniVec down the back and after a bit of getting used to how hot the throws feel on an aerobatic model going faster than it was designed for, the light conditions pushed the MiniVec over the ton to 101mph – and not a mm of flex anywhere – passed that test then! It’s always interesting landing a model on a DS ridge, but the MiniVec has lovely handling on crow, so thankfully that proved to be an anticlimax. All in all this model does everything you would expect it to, with excellent energy retention, accuracy and tracking. It has lots of power from both controls at the back end too, so if you’re into violent flicks and tumbles, then she’ll serve them up no bother. All in all, what’s not to like? Great looks, plenty strong, doesn’t need masses of wind, flies beautifully on the front or the back, and is a peach to land.

By now the DS was starting to look a little bit more tasty so Adam got his Erwin DSS up. That seemed to be going round pretty well, so I decided to get my Strega F3F up for some acro DS – I’m really enjoying this kind of flying at the moment with an F3F model – they are a LOT of fun in light DS! Now I’m not one to brag (much) but I’ll just say this – Erwin DSS 102mph, Strega 107mph – sorry Adam! I don’t beat him at much so when I do, I gotta get the news out!

Now it’s not like we’d had a boring day up until this point, but George decided that we all needed a wake up and when we landed we found him putting his Dynamic 80 together in the pits. Still blowing only between 10 and 15mph, this was a close call decision, but George isn’t one to shy away from doing something daft. So off she went! That DS wing section always surprises us with how well it soars off in light conditions, so George got a little bit of height on and started carving her round. Admittedly these aren’t the conditions that D80 was designed for, but she got going pretty nicely nonetheless and took the fastest speed of the day with 112mph – hey I know it’s not fast, but when you’ve pulled that out of not a lot of wind, it’s a satisfying feeling!

Still not satisfied that he had entertained us enough, George then demonstrated that the conditions were dropping off by treating us to a couple of D80 cartwheels across the top of the slope. Neither George nor the D80 were in the least deterred by this, and she was launched off again, sent round the back, where again the conditions had just dropped off too much and George once again demonstrated how to use the wingtips, nose, tailfin and elevator as landing gear in a cartwheel that Louis Spence would have been proud of. We were all a little worried about a D80 getting two arrivals like this, but fair play to the model – it had a tiny crack in the top fuselage seam, and that’s it – since fixed with cyano to no detriment at all. Thumbs up Joe Manor!

Thanks to George for getting some shots of the MiniVec and the Strega whilst I was flying – here’s a few pics to browse through…

New summer fun

2010-05-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

How about this for summer, the new mini Wizard 1.2m span.

Light weight with aileron and elevator control (elevator servo even comes fitted) for those light summer thermals on the slope. But this little beautie comes with ballast and a 100mph capability so you won't have to put it away when the wind picks up.

This little Wiz will be on a slope very very soon!

Yep, they've flown and are proving to be in the wizard mold of flying quality.

The ballast carrying gives it a great wind and speed range. Coming with a servo already mounted in the fuselage and fitted to the tail, the mini wizard only needs wing servos fitting.

Just £245

Sloperacer's NEW Vector III Schemes!

2010-05-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

Thought I would take a few pics of the pimpin' new Vector III schemes. All colours in stock now - click the full screen icon on the slideshow for the full effect!

Zim

PS This scheme is available on the MiniVec as well, but it must be pre-ordered - drop us a line for more details. Stock MiniVecs will come in the RCRCM scheme

Lift ticket to norway

2010-05-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

Just back from one road trip and there's Lift ticket to Norway on the doorstep!

Should have slept but there was a DVD to watch! You might expect me to say this but it's great! From the best locations to fly I've ever seen to some amazing shots and flying. I can remember being so inspired to get out and rip the slopes up after watching the original Lift Ticket - the second one gives you the feeling you get after those perfect summer days flying.

Ian

The MiniVector has arrived!

2010-04-29T02:02:00.000-07:00

Yes it looks good in the pictures. But they just can't convey how beautiful this model is. I honestly can't even begin to describe it well enough to do it justice - it is absolutely gorgeous!

Lots of thanks to RCRCM to getting this one done for me in our new Sloperacer scheme - it's already with Adam Richardson getting built ready for the weekend.

Notable things about the model - it is STRONG! The joiner is seriously beefy, and there is no discernable flex in anything at all. The construction is beautifully done - all of the internal joints inside the wing are tidy and well matched and all the panel weights are within a gram of each other side to side. The all moving tail is butter smooth and has absolutely no slop once assembled - quite unusual as one expects a little lateral movement in any all moving tail set-up, so thumbs up there. And the paintwork from RCRCM just seems to get better and better...

And now for the fun stuff - ballast!!! This model takes ballast in the wing, with some rather cute little tubes already installed right on the CG. But it also comes with a 20mm ballast tube for the fuselage. After some headscratching on the best way to use this, we decided to cut it down and use it to carry 5 x 34mm brass slugs. The beauty about using this arguably oversized ballast tube in the fuse is that it actually bridges the width of the fuse at the rear and at the front of the wingseat, effectively acting like two formers, but considerably easier to install!

Servo-wise - again - some nice surprises here - my favourite little digital, the Savox 0255MG fits everywhere an absolute treat! So it couldn't be simpler - 6 of these gets you sorted for £100 on the servo front.

But for now, enjoy these hastily taken pics from yesterday. And fingers crossed for some nice conditions this weekend for a maiden!

Zim

Andy Burgoyne’s Co Kerry Slope Extravaganza

2010-04-28T02:19:00.000-07:00

It’s been 2 years since my last visit to Chris van Schoor in County Kerry, Southern Ireland and many fond memories of that trip are still well placed in my mind. The ability to combine a one day business trip to Dublin and a detour to Chris was just icing on the cake.

However nobody was aware of the sleeping giant in Iceland and when Eyjafjallajokull erupted and chucked shed loads of ash into the atmosphere then travel chaos ensued - how was I going to get to Dublin? Simple - I was booked on the Fastcat ferry - how else do you get 12 gliders over to Ireland of which 3 of them were 4 metres?

Having had some unexpected problems on the Friday at our Dublin office I didn’t actually get on the road until 7pm and then there was the 3 ½ hr drive ahead not helped by the usual Friday rush to escape the city. But despite the best efforts of the Irish motoring public try to either blind me with their headlights or just dawdle along at 40mph I arrived at my destination at about 10.45.

Chris and Lisa were exactly the same as last time I met them and it wasn’t many seconds (literally) that I’d got my first Guinness in my hand. After the customary greetings and conversation things soon got down to what lay ahead for the next 4 days. The weather although nice and sunny (what, no rain - that’s a first!) but there wasn’t much prospect of any wind - the F3F lads back home could already be heard muttering about transport costs to the first event and how could they make an early warning call to cancel.

In the intervening 2 years Chris has been a busy lad exploring all parts of County Kerry - it does help being a local planner as your job requires you to go out and about to inspect various bits of the county (model at the ready as well) . His searches had not been in vain and he told me of a bowl about 30 minutes away that he wanted to try and would suit the north easterlies we were expecting. The distances travelled on this trip were significantly less than 2 years ago when we would travel up to 2 hours away to get a good breeze off the sea.

So day one was to be at Caher Conree - an ancient hill fort with sheer drops on three sides. To get to the ruins it was a 2 hour walk which looked lovely but I hadn’t brought any oxygen with me so that was out of the question. We settled for flying at roughly a midpoint up from sea level at about 900’ up and were planning to take a picture of Chris launching from the car (from the sun roof) but the flying was so good we never did get round to taking it . On the last trip I was blown away by some of the sites we travelled to but this was something else again, there was an unobstructed valley for about 3 miles out to the shoreline and this just funnelled all the available breeze straight onto the slope face. I had told Chris before I left home that he really wanted a nice big 4 metre sport model and so had packed a SPARE Alpina for him! He loved it as I knew he would in the 5 to 10 mph winds we had, the big wings loved it and huge stall turns (or are they hammerheads?) and massive loops were the order of the day.

We had also taken a Typhoon, Miraj and Volcano with us but no more as it was the first day on a newish slope with a light forecast. So after a nice leisurely 5 hours of flying we called it a day at about 7pm and made our way back to the house. As soon as we got back Lisa wanted to know what time we wanted to eat, followed straight away with another Guinness - or was it Budweiser this time - so many days so many cans! Dinner arrived and is quite possibly the only time I have asked for a steak to be medium\well and it was spot on. Whilst I’m writing this I’m trying to reconcile in my head which was the best - the day’s flying or the steak ? ...steak wins.

Day 2 arrives and we seem to have a pattern developing here. 9ish very "ish" for breakfast followed by 3 hours of chatting on RCMF, fettling planes and generally messing about , including Chris showing me how you can fly electric from his front lawn. This was technically correct but landings were a bit tricky over the fence/hedge and round the trees, but Chris confidently showed me the ropes with his much battered (now I know why) Stryker. The Stryker whizzed about much as you would expect any brushless wing to with some nice low quick passes thrown in.

Landing involved flying out over a field, coming in over the fence and dropping down onto the lawn - in theory! In practice this involved Chris power diving down from height over the field, inside the fence and then levelling off on the lawn (except) if you time it wrong and hit the upslope of the not yet full pond, you then get the perfect Harrier ski jump to vault your now very slow Stryker over the drive and into the flower beds - cue hilarity all round!

The forecast for day 2 was pretty much the same as day 1 maybe a little more breeze. By the time we were ready to get the car loaded the F3Fers had already pretty much cancelled over in Wales. So we were off to Caher Conree again but this time prepared for more wind. Chris’s pride and joy at the moment is a lovely Reichard 4mtr Fox which up to this point was unflown so that was first in the car followed by the Alpinas, my Sting, the Miraj, a Vector III, a Voltij, and my M60 and Reaper for good measure. Suffice to say the lift once again was awesome and it wasn’t too long before the Fox was out and assembled on the grass awaiting its maiden voyage.

And what a maiden it was, within the first minute the plane was looping and yes it was intentional and Chris had a smile like the Cheshire cat. I had previously shown him a video of a friend’s Fox doing inverted spins so naturally enough Chris threw his into one… I was amazed and almost horrified but of course it all went as planned and after about 15 minutes my heart rate was back to normal. This Fox is very good value for money as for less than £500 you get a 3.75mtr scale model with a glass fuz and foam cored balsa/glass wings all painted and covered which although in scalie terms is quite light actually carries a lot of momentum through manoeuvres so you have the best of both worlds.

Not to be out done I had secreted away my Wizard DSXtreme into the car and weighing a healthy 4.5kg on a span of just 2.5mtr it needs a bit of a blow to get going, it was nothing to Caher Conree in possibly 18-19mph at the very most it may not have floated out of my hands but certainly had no difficulty gaining height with a bit of thermal flap. Chris was charged with taking photos but with my crap memory forgetting to turn the shutter speed up from 1\120th and the speed of the Wiz most of the photos came out a bit blurred. The flying was great but after 10 minutes of trying to eat up the whole of the Irish airspace I decided that enough was enough and went to land , now 15mph mega lift is ok but 15mph headwind with a heavy model and no matter how much crow you’ve got its coming in quick! All ended well though.

At this point Chris was thinking of flying the Voltij and so it was all ready to go when an MPV pulled up by us and in best broad merkin a voice asked “you gonna fly that thang?” to which Chris replied in the affirmative. Well the whooping and the hollering was truly splendid as the VJ speared out and did 3 consecutive rolls followed by a big loop , hang on that loops going a long way back and where’s all the airspeed gone? Oh dear - VJ sort of half spins half flops into the ditch beside the road with no damage at all. Our colonial cousins at this point all look and as one all say “its all good” and dive back into their car to escape any potential further injury.

The day finished off with me flying the Reaper and the M60 full of lead backwards and forwards on what must be a 1 mile course – honestly, a mile! I’ve not flown the M60 anywhere else where I could leave it to just fly in a straight line for what seemed like 30 seconds or more without so much as a tickle on the sticks. And so ended day 2…

Fortunately for us and unfortunately for all the others back home day 3 was pretty much a repeat of day 1 with lots of sun and 5 to 10mph winds - such hardship! The local TV and radio was full of the Icelandic dust cloud story as this seemed to be centred over Ireland and was causing travel chaos, so we decided to take precautions just in case it developed any further and you can see that we survived perfectly well in the accompanying photos. Chris had thought of getting his NBC suit out from his National Service in South Africa but decided not to as the thought of poaching the crown jewels didn’t really appeal.

Day 4 was to be spectacular as the wind had moved round to a more north easterly flow from the previous days and Chris had a new slope to try which he had only previously looked at but not flown. Annascaul is higher up than Caher Conree and does involve some walking (about 70 metres) and is located on a peat bog. Can someone more able than me please explain how you can have a bog on the top of a 1500’ mountain and I do mean on the top! It’s the most weird sensation walking on 6 feet of water logged compost and at anytime be able sink a foot into it. As the forecast was for 5mph then we didn’t take much heavy weight tackle with us - what a mistake to make!

I can now see why Chris finds it a little more difficult to fly on my home inland slopes. On his slopes back on the stick means up and forward means down and that’s it - more akin to power flying. He had his Miraj doing proper Dakinesque 200’ compression loops for a good 4 or 5 minutes with no effort what so ever, again not to be outdone I had a go with the M60 fully loaded and could have carried on until the light went. In the end 4 days of solid flying had taken its toll and we were all flown out after 3 or 4 hours and retired back to a local hostelry for some liquid refreshments and some equally wonderful seafood.

What can I say about the ring of Kerry …..? You’ve got to “fly it before you die”
Fabulous place to go - great people and scenery to die for. Must go back before the end of summer.

Thanks Chris and Lisa

Andy

Thanks to Andy for the superb article, and to Andy and Chris for the pictures!

Sloperacer v Eyjafjallajokull

2010-04-21T02:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, Sloperacer has been affected by the ruddy volcano! To all those waiting on Lift ticket to Norway and the RCRCM shipment coming, we apologise for keeping you waiting, but unfortunately there's not a lot we can do about it. At this point the lift tickets are now under way and the rcrcm Package is sitting in the Beijing hub (as it has been for a while now) waiting for flights into UK airspace to be cleared. We're hoping that the Southerly coming on later this week will result in our airspace getting cleared out somewhat and therefore our RCRCM shipment arriving. What I can promise you is that I will work my socks off to get through the models through the QC procedure as quickly as possible once it does arrive so that all those waiting on their models wait as little time as possible!

Thanks for bearing with us!

Zim

Lift Ticket to Norway...

2010-04-19T06:29:00.000-07:00

It's on the way - yes it really really is! I remember watching the first Lift Ticket DVD I owned - it was everything I love about sloping distilled into a fantastic film with a brilliant laid back soundtrack. Watching the first one, it's very hard to imagine how a better one could be produced. But having seen the previews of Lift Ticket to Norway - everything seems stunning - the sound track, the locations - just everything!

I'm putting a note on here about it because the demand is massive for this, and we don't want to disappoint anyone. If you're considering purchasing one, please get in touch and let us know as soon as possible. Right now we are doing them for an introductory price of £23, rising to £25 at the end of May.

Extreme makes an impact in Devon.

2010-04-18T11:20:00.001-07:00

One of the beauties of living on the coast in the sunshine is the sea breeze. Combined with some stunning cliffs means that on most warm days there’s the chance to fly. This weekend finally managed to combine Sloperacer’s southern wing, a Wizard F3F and those breezes.

After meeting up with Phil Taylor - keen to test out his new Extreme - a short walk got us to some stunning scenery and some cooling clean lift. I was off first and the Wiz didn’t let me down - you’re just always confident to have it banked over and pulling hard even in the lightest of air! Phil’s smile was obvious as he realised why there are so many Extremes flying in the UK - just damned good to fly!

The gods weren’t with us for long, as Phil managed to pick out the one rock on the landing zone and my transmitter developed a sticky elevator stick. But can’t grumble walking back to the cars in those conditions!

A Day at the Races...

2010-04-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

Although only half of Sloperacer’s 4 magic thumbs could make the first round of the SWSA Ken Phillips Trophy, Zim’s new arrangement with his Strega (I won’t hit you against a rock if you go fast) seems to be working. On a day that gave stunning winds and sunshine smack on the Wrecker, the field of just 16 pilots had plenty of time on the course.

With the Viking Race just a few weeks away the Dark Lord Dakin opened the comp with some smooth and fast Nordic turns putting in an excellent bench mark. Greg had missed Adam Richardson from his ritual curse and so he was able to win the first round with his Precious.

The VR team members of Greg, Martin, Joel and Simon led the way all day and showed the field exactly where the compression was all day to claim the top 4 places.

Unfortunately Zim’s agreement with his Strega just couldn’t stretch to flying THAT close to a huge lump of rock and so, despite beating his PB 3 times that magic sub 40 time didn’t come - missed by a tenth of a second! It was only that first round win that kept Adam ahead of Zim - a consistently good race from the Sloperacer Strega.

Special mention should be made of John Treble, despite breaking his Race M in the pre-comp sports fly he stayed all day as Buzzer supremo - you are excused the Dark Lord’s magic next time!

And as a final treat for us all, Greg flew his awesome Baudis Salto 4m carbon after the comp with a fantastic display of high energy aerobatics - lots in the slideshow...

Me - ahh the garden’s looking grand

1 Simon Thornton 9699.58
2 Joel West 9672.54
3 Martin Newnham 9017.76
4 Greg Dakin 8970.76
5 Adam Richardson 8929.32
6 Warrick Smith 8884.60
7 Andy Freeman 8844.62
8 Jonathan Sage 8751.59
9 Adrian Bedford 8727.88
10 Mark Passingham 8597.79

PS If you're interested in having a go at F3F, this is what the Ken Phillips Trophy is all about - it is a summer league meant to offer a lower pressure entry into the sport than the BMFA summer league, and anyone is welcome to come and have a go. Contact us through the site and we'll put you in touch with the right people if you'd like to get involved. Lots of help on hand during the day if it's your first time!

Strega wins first UK competition!

2010-04-10T15:26:00.001-07:00

The Strega took its first UK win today in the first round of the Summer Scottish League 2010. Congratulations to Ron Russell!

1st Ron Russell 8583.0 Strega
2nd Peter Gunning 8519.1 Cyril
3rd Dave Watson 8318.2 Vikos

And I've finally got around to downloading the video of Adam Richardson's 38.29 with the Strega at the Champion of Champions race a couple of weeks ago. Enjoy, and don't forget to click the full screen icon!

DS in Derbyshire and Drinks in Devon

2010-04-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

After nibbling on Easter Eggs and seeing the in-laws (I think its that way around) the slopes were calling for both Zim and myself to indulge ourselves. For Zim it’s got to be DSing Dynamics and Rushup Edge was chosen to take on Zim’s thumbs.

Tony Fu met up with Zim to add some contrast with his Vikos. The 3m mouldie was duly thrown around the back whist Zim finished off filling every cavity of his D40 with lead to bring the weight up to 28oz – now comes with a lead hazard warning! In the end it was Tony who attempted to break Rushup with a Ron Broughton foamie - the hill won but it was a close run thing - not sure if it was the model or Tony screaming the loudest.

After a couple of flights to blow out the DS cobwebs the D40 wound up to 134mph but Zim’s view was obscured by his missus’ thumb and he was recalled to base. This left Abbo and Adam in fast improving conditions without any sign of a responsible adult and after some 150mph aeros with their Opus and D80 respectively they settled down to enjoy some 200mph+ speed runs - Adam won the day with 232mph – a new PB! Adam also howled round with The Tank, a Mike Young designed foamie plank – a new airframe record at 191mph – that’s a 54” foamie! Just missing the UK foamie record of 200mph.

Of course Graham Bridge was there with his fantastically smooth DS style – if you want to learn how to carve the smoothest DS circuits imaginable, Graham’s the man you want on your shoulder whilst you’re trying. Also great to see Martin “Wudy” Woods making the trip down from Newcastle for his first DS excursion – turned some laps, and got it done! His lovely missus Nicola came too, bringing with her a delightful waft of perfume – an all too rare pleasure on the DS ridge!

Simon Cocker is not one to be out done around the backside, with his gorgeous Aermacchi using the energy available from DS to deliver some smooth flying. Give Simon a Predator and he’s adding rolls on the top turns at 100mph+. Congrats also to Will Deighton who upped his PB again to 169mph with his D80.

Down south Phil Taylor’s tour of the Devon hills saw both Phil and I screaming Wizards along a 25m sea cliff just 10 minutes from home (just 18 months I’ve missed that one!). The beautifully smooth coastal lift in the compression certainly showed up our poor turns and rewarded the good ones - even when you had to lean over the edge to see the turn point!

With a tight landing zone to ‘hit’ we had both chosen Wiz Compacts for the trip, each with very different set-ups but delivering equally big smiles. I failed in taking my camera so there are no of pics of the flying or the sight of Phil scrambling down the hill to retrieve his Sagitta (OK the inverted pass was my idea) - next time I promise!

Rounded off with a drink next to the beach at the bottom of the cliff and I think I’ve found the summer evening spot!

Here are Zim’s pics from his Rushup excursion – remember to click the full screen option!

Champion of Champions 2010

2010-03-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! It’s hard to remember the last time I left a slope with such a smile on my face! Despite the dire weather forecasts for the Bwlch, the only interruption was the change of slopes from the Ice Cream slope to Micky’s half way through Saturday - and our pit bull CD Mr Philips (Sir to you) wasn’t going to let a little thing like that get in the way of our racing - just fly until it’s dark.

It’s always great to meet up with old friends and meet new ones on a race day. Combined with the pleasure of watching the top pilots from the UK’s winter leagues give an object lesson in how to squeeze the best from all conditions you just can’t go wrong.

After a quick sight seeing tour of the other slopes available on Saturday morning it was credit to the ‘race crew’ that by the time I’d finished off giving out goodie bags and dragged myself up the hill, the pilots' briefing was about to start and the racing began in short order. Watching some of the racing you could have been forgiven if you forgot that the wind was increasing along the slope.

A change of slopes was called for and again this was done at a remarkable speed to make sure that 9 rounds were flown on Saturday. The forecast of rain on Sunday and John’s unique motivational style spurred everyone on to one of the latest finishes I can remember. A quick check of the course computer leader board and the tussle between Redsell and Thornton was clear - but let’s not tell, might make them nervous.

The prospect of a wet Sunday, combined with the clocks going forward, may have been responsible for the bleary eyed start to Sunday. Even the normally reserved Abbo and Frank managed to take advantage of Bridgend’s delights until 4am. The only thing missing from Sunday was the rain and so 9:30 sharp (GMT) we were off again, Scott Ravenscroft filling his Wizard F3F so full of lead it was a toxic health hazard just before putting in consecutive sub-40s and pilot after pilot putting in some great times.

Too many great flights to mention them all, too many top pilots to do them all justice. Perhaps Adam Richardson and his Strega should have received a new-comer award? The quality of the weekend’s flying and piloting really showed up those of us who hadn’t braved the cold to practise this winter but was most demonstrated by the voodoo lord Mr Dakin, who was forced to take the gloves off and fly his Race MX! Only Ian Stewart couldn’t stay awake long enough to see the end (pity he was buzzing at the time!).

Congratulations to Mark on his win and fastest time of the competition - Mark with a Strega for the summer will be a sight to see. Huge thanks have to go the "Crew" (a motley one) led by John Philips on loud speaker and John Edison on Course Keyboard and supported by Andy, Frank and Abbo - basically on the lash!

Thanks also for the support from RCRCM, Multiplex, Punctilio Modelspot and the BMFA for helping out with a fantastic array of prizes.

Ian Mason

1 MARK REDSELL 13012.16 Freestyler
2 SIMON THORNTON 12959.83 Ceres/ EXTREME
3 MIKE EVANS 12688.41 Kyril
4 PETER GUNNING 12575.98 Kyril/ EXTREME
5 JOEL WEST 12548.93 Kyril
6 GREG DAKIN 12352.29 Race MX/ Tanga
7 ADAM RICHARDSON 12342.47 STREGA/ EXTREME
8 SCOTT RAVENSCR 12019.17 WIZ F3F/ ARTIST
9 MICK WALSH 11981.26 Ceres
10 PAUL MIDDLETON 11955.78 Vikos/ Skorpion
11 RICHARD BAGO 11832.15 Vikos/ Xenon
12 MARK PASSINGHAM 11677.61 Freestyler/ Kyril
13 FRANK HULTON 11572.95 EXTREME
14 PAUL GARNETT 11489.40 Vikos/ AIRONE
15 JON EDISON 11441.26 Sting/ Skorpion
16 ZIM SMITH 11430.46 STREGA
17 SCOTT EDWARDS 11418.85 New Sting
18 RON RUSSELL 11222.71 STREGA
19 ANDY BURGOYNE 11123.46 Ascot
20 MARK ABBOTTS 11069.78 ACACIA2/ Caldera
21 IAN STEWART 10601.47 Ceres
22 IAN MASON 10586.15 AIRONE/WIZ F3F
23 JOHN PHILIPS 4219.94 Falcon

Here's a couple of slideshows of Zim's photos of the event. Do click on the full screen icon at the bottom right of the slideshow - it's worth it for the full effect.

And now Mark Passingham's photo tutorial on how to launch an F3F model - with a smile! Note the boring launchers before Mark's awesome demonstration of cheddar!

And some more pictures from Ron Russell - thanks very much Ron!

And even MORE photos now!

The Electric Typhoon flies!

2010-03-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

The prototype has flown - the most versatile model that we do, and now you don't even need a hill or any wind to fly one! I really like the way it's been designed, with the tail servos either in a little hatch just behind the wingseat, or with the elevator servo in the tail if you're putting a bit more muscle up front and need the balance. The fuse is designed to take anything up to a 35mm outrunner, which of course makes it very easy to get a seriously grunty geared inrunner in there, or even a cased outrunner like those lovely ones from MVVS.

Of course, it takes the wings and tails straight off a regular Typhoon so if you already have one and just want to get the e-fuse, no problem.

We'll get more info on the main site in due course, but we figured that we could get it on here now and let you know a little earlier! Email us at info@sloperacer.co.uk if you'd like to know any more about it.

Our pics aren't the best resolution this time around, but hey, these are spy sneaky peaky pics after all!

DS Artillery, Wizards and Foam Tomfoolery...

2010-03-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

Life seems to be getting in the way of flying lately. Thursday saw the largest gathering of Sloperacer DS models anyone can remember on Rushup. Dynamic 80s and 40s took their place next to Opus MCTs and various other ‘specials’ – this was an expensive hike in the Peaks! Combined with the good conditions PBs were soon falling- congratulations to George Pilkington and Will Deighton- who were both just shy of the magic 200mph mark with their D80s, pushing Adam all the way. Special mention to George for managing 199mph on his first day DSing this model. Steve Hobday’s Opus made an unfortunate trip straight to the scene of the accident (2 ft below the hillside). Why weren’t you at work lads? Thanks to Will Deighton for the photos...

All this talk of speed had both the Midland and Southern arms of Sloperacer deciding to cash in their remaining brownie points in search of some much needed last minute practise this weekend. But both were the victims of distraction!

Buoyed by last week’s fun, Zim returned to his local slope but forgot the wind. Not to be deterred he remembered his mission and launched the Strega into what he promises me was flat calm. The Strega’s light wind abilities kept him up for a while before the model’s strength was tested AGAIN on the bottom of the hill- and (with the help of the Richardson servo tray) passed with no damage.

After a trip home to do the washing up, Zim was allowed out again. The wind had picked up, so a little F3F practice was fitted in – including George and his Predator, but they were soon distracted by foam. Perhaps feeling worried by those sparkling thumbs Adam Richardson managed to persuade Zim into combat- the big kids played all afternoon! The nearest to a mouldie Zim got for the rest of the day was stroking the excellent Dreamflight Alula and Weasel Evo of Malcolm Tie- where was the Typhoon Malcolm?

The Southern arm of Sloperacer was joined by our Junior team at Whitesheet. The team arrived to a beautiful day and light but steady breeze managing to blow precisely between the 2 slopes. The Wizard F3F was duly maidened - that nervous feeling and double checking of everything was followed by a feeling of anti-climax as the Wizard sailed straight and true into the lift and was soon scooting up and down the edge. Junior Sloperacer’s not great for using the camera for things other than digging worms so you’ll have to take my word for it.

I think Adam must have bribed my lad to keep me away from setting the Wizard up too much, what with kite flying and then being dragged to Whitesheet’s famous Hunter Lodge for lunch keeping the flying time down. But huge smiles right until we told the missus about the Sunday lunch she missed!

As ever, click the full screen icon when viewing the slideshows...

Stregas over Leicestershire

2010-03-15T03:05:00.000-07:00

As it’s only 2 weeks to the Champion of Champions race, Zim and partner in F3F (Adam) decided to spend this Saturday following in the turbulence of Slope Guru and personal hero Greg Dakin. A trip to their local slope of Burrough on the Hill to tune their Stregas and stand where their hero stood to learn how to extract the most possible from any hill.

A responsible adult was provided by top British EPP cutter and race designer Ron Broughton, flying his new Copycat design - although Ron’s been suffering with a bad back in recent months it’s not stopped him. It’s going to be tough for Ron to do better than the run-away victory achieved by Mark Abbots and his Polecat in last year’s EPP league but Ron doesn’t like to stand still.

Aimed at lighter days (surely not in the Summer league), the Copy cat has a longer nose and straight LE. I can’t remember the last time any of Ron’s models were not superbly designed thoroughbreds and the Copycat looks smack on the money.

Conditions were variable (as with a fair few races) but the air was consistent enough to make some set-up tweaks as well as working on those up wind and down wind turns. The Strega certainly likes to be thrashed and really hit the turns hard - Zim’s flights in the Champion of Champions race could be worth watching 

Adam and Zim were seen walking off into the distance looking to check out a potential DS site and prove that you don’t have to travel across the country to have a great day’s flying.

As ever, click the full screen icon to view the slideshow...