11 December 2014

scraping the bowl


Birthday celebrations in the Goodwind hanger....



Ms Thunderflies' scratch built wing, mainly starch / glucose / lipids composite construction.
Maiden ended with a successful belly landing.


Without a doubt, the most useful birthday gift
 for years.....Diamond tape is a sloper's best friend.



Just to clarify.....that is actually a finger.


02 December 2014

In memory of...


Sad times.....the 'Hols' is no longer with us, and flying
opportunities have gone the same way. Let's reminisce with
some images from our recent past when all was different....  



The vintage beauty in her final hours 





hmmmm! balsa, fabric and sunlight; food for the soul.




The Hols and her maker, little did we know she would
soon meet her maker.....for good!







perhaps the pilot's lack of digital dexterity was to blame?




Alas we shall draw a veil over the ending and enjoy
her in completeness


meanwhile the birds have the right idea
and bugger off for the winter


we watch them with envy as dew forms on Solarfilm



Duke's not fussed, the long evenings mean more
opportunities for the most time consuming phase of
the build/crash/repair cycle



Back at the cars, Mark also has repairs on his mind.
However it turns out that the Ebay spray gun / compressor
bargain of the century's former life was in a tanning salon.
Come next season, all his scalies will be glowing
a healthy pastel shade of 'Tango' to aid visibility at altitude.




21 November 2014

Dear Santa...

Constantly drawing a blank when asked what you want for Winterval?

Slope side attire need updating?

A quick Browse on Ebay finds the solution for you!...



...and for the remaining 364 sloping days a year when just a t-shirt
isn't enough on the hill, this bloke does hoodies too.


20 November 2014

flying famine


It's just not happening at the moment is it!
Maybe now's a good time to catch up on that backlog of aero-modelling literature....


14 November 2014

x-rated x-c

Deep from the archives we find Mr Phil Taylor attempting a cross country jaunt to Hollingbourne. The 'Goodies' inspired transport initially seemed like a stoke of genius, however it appears at least one of his spotters can concentrate on nothing except Mrs Goodwind getting her leg over.




15 October 2014

Mission Inaccessible

Sloped off to uncharted territory for a few days
Full report to follow soon.....


 3mph, sheer cliffs and no chance of landing out...let the fun begin!




No wind, no slope and no right to roam!






This is where they come to rust in peace.
Luckily we're armed with EPP!


01 October 2014

Firle again...

We braved Firle on a weekend...it turned out to be jolly decent!




The day began with a bit of traffic congestion, but
it was interesting to learn that Renault's new
range of lorries is aimed at the bottom end of the market.




anyway, onto the slope and Simon prepares the smaller ASG for its maiden




 Final cg check like a pro... on finger tips, on windy hillside




plenty of full size action to keep us entertained while Simon continues to faff 




Mark deems the conditions suitable, but issues a warning about the 500% daddy long legs replica that is hogging the slope




quick twiddle on mini-me's joy stick for good luck




hmm, like a true pro there's just a bit more programming to do....



Mark's on launch duty, he's still got his eye on that multi limbed pest of a scalie... 




she's away!




all's good!




she does loops, rolls and all sorts of other crazy stuff....though don't go getting any ideas
if you happen to own the full size version




tip fins pending....




some rather nice hardware on display




Dave is nominated launcher for the PSS maiden





no problem!





meanwhile Simon cruises in for an arrival





happy with that! 




the full size boys circle the patch to signal their approval





...my mistake, it's a monster thermal with Mark (invisible to the naked eye)
at the top of the pile!




Sloperacer prototype testing





 ganglion attacks!!





automated camera tracker got a bit confused by
carbon fuselages and 2.4 radio signals...




we rounded off the day with a UFO




escape of the space johnny


23 September 2014

resumption

Normal service was resumed with some jolly decent flying on Sunday.
Full report to follow once we have mustered sufficient enthusiasm for a shit to be given....


10 September 2014

scraping barrels

Due to a distinct lack of recent sloping activity, we present the 'I Spy' soaring selection from a recent drive along a Netherlands motorway....enjoy!



spot the sailplane




double points- Toyota 'Soarer' and UK plates!!


26 August 2014

rain and red arrows

The misery and the joy of a British summer's afternoon on the slope

10 August 2014

splendid Saturday




We arrived to find Gary had camped out over night...or so we thought




turns out it was a couple of 'free love' exponents,
problem was- they were both blokes




Mark's new tranny, complete with 'broken knob' mode
which engages automatically after 1.25 hrs use





tossing off




good turnout




off to meet its new owner





beware, wing lurks in the grass....bite is fatal




meanwhile Ray tosses himself off




meanwhile Mark tosses off anyone he can





hmmm a new sighting device spotted on the slope.....





'There are two Banthas down there but I don't see any....wait
a second, they're Sand People alright. I can see one of them now'






David snatches back his camera fearing Pete has caught
a glimpse of his homegrown cosplay porno. 


 


meanwhile Bob lands short....




the impact of a forced landing throws
his 1/4 scale 'Duke' dolly from the cockpit




meanwhile Charlie's Schwing creams past with bits
missing from the wings




no more lame 'tossing off' gags
you'll be pleased to learn





Dave's PSS beastie at low level with full size smoke trailed aeros behind
all in glorious 640 x 480 (just)