can you feel the power of the dark side?

Eric test flies his new electric model in readiness for this year's Ashdown cross country comp.

 hmm, looks like it could do with an extra wing bolt

 good climb rate...not so impressed with the glide

searching for that elusive winter thermal

 specking it out

my mistake, it's just stuck to the ceiling

 coming in for the landing bonus

nope, we'll go for a hand catch instead

Simon checks it over and reckons that fly bar dihedral is a good thing

you'll have someone's eye out with that

 tracking sorted, back off into the grey

cold, dark maiden

Friday afternoon is dark and full of winter chill, but Alan cheers us all up with a maiden of his Pat Teakle Pik 20. It's not often a man with a fleet of Alan's extent needs a new model. But having been offered the '20 at a price he couldn't refuse and with the onset of miserable weather, it wasn't long before he had this scalie ready to go.

low light and low lift...perfect maiden conditions!

test pilot is focused on the job

shove this up its pipe!

structural concerns not an issue

 post maiden elation

crashes and other nonsense