lost friends

2 years and one day ago this happened..... 

men could meet on a hill.....

and commit aviation

some of the (now lost) classics

were with us, such as Barry's Minimoa...

and Simon's (sadly) short lived DG

it's straining to get back in the air

but the boys manage to hold her back

much missed, she never failed to impress both fraternity and spectators

on a more positive note, Barry has some

classic Foss lines on display back at the lay-by

Who wouldn't be seduced by the

slender curves of a Multi-Phase?!

I'd prefer to be on the ground wishing I was in the air

 

goodwind corrections and clarifications

We've just had this in from our viewer Mr E.F from Sittingbourne (we'll call him Eric in order to maintain his anonymity)-

'Once again I am astounded by the constant misinformation, exaggerations and blatant non-truths presented in your publication.

If I were to pick one post at random, let's say for example throwback thursunday (we'll ignore the school boy gramatical error in the title), it is very clear that my model is named 'No. 3' and not 'No.4' as is bounded around with such hubris in the aforementioned entry.

I have been in touch with my lawyers, and whilst I will not be taking action on this occasion, if these type of errors persist I will have no choice but to pursue the matter further'

Dear Mr E F, thank you for your letter.... hopefully the

above will go some way to addressing your concerns.

Assuring you of our best attentions at all times,         

          

Mr G.W                                

all hail Allhallows

Easterly slopes are hard to come by in this neck of the woods, you've got the certain death rotor of Warden Springs, shite lift and unforgiving concrete of Grain sea defences and then there's Coombe Point Beach just west of Allhallows.

Head along Shakespeare Farm Road then park up when you can drive no further. 

Follow the footpath east until you get to the river and then wait for the tide to go out and for lockdown to end!

For all you aviation historians, the prototype de Havilland DH108

crashed into the Thames a mile or so west of here at Eygpt Bay....more info here

throwback thursunday

What were you up to on the 9th June 2019 ?

Judging by the evidence that has come to light on a spare SD card, it looks like a few of the usual suspects went flying. Floaty conditions and stunted thermals IIRC

A rarity these days..... 

no! make that a double rarity (just checked my 'Eye Spy Slope Side Rarities' pocketbook)

not only a 35 meg aerial, but (I kid you not) a length of cassette tape thermal indicator to boot.

Eric donated 1cm of Diamond Tape, Paul offered up his in-car entertainment system

(his being the only car ancient enough to still have a cassette deck)

and after feeding the delicate ribbon into the rollers we all enjoyed a

never-ending 4 second loop of  'She' by Demi Roussos.

Joe preferred to enjoy his lovely little DLG

Eric dug out his 'No.4'

a bargain swap meet bitsa

'wing joinus maximus'

unfortunately the wing doesn't quite mate with the fuz

but what's a few mismatched bolt holes among friends!

Lift dummy Joe confirms you'll need something

a bit more floaty than a Middle Phase

No.4 it is then!

after another delve into the Eye Spy book

we i.d. the wing as a John Stevens 'Eliminator'

18 months and one pandemic later, we still

haven't got a clue about the fuz!

but she goes like a good 'un!

I thought it was a real one!

'I thought it was a real one' she said

....and for once, it flippin' well was!

Actually, they're all real.... it's just that

this one has real live people inside it.

This wasn't the lowest pass of the day by the way.

good to see the 'real ones' also have trouble

with their retract doors too

it made a lovely whistle

sailplane anoraks get their

spotter's jotters out

this isn't a real one.... well it is, it just isn't

one with real people inside, and it's a little

bit smaller than the ones with real people inside.

rapid racy rarity

 

This lovely little mover turned up on the hill recently.....

...and he had a superb model with him.

FYI it's a Multiplex 'Twist' , they were produced

some time around the early nineties.

With its RG14 wing section, high aspect ratio

and funky move busting qualities, think of it

as a pint size Alpina but with a bit more whizz!

If you find one for sale and need a handy little aerodynamic play-thing, then snap it up.

Problem is they're so rare, you're lucky if you even get a photograph of one!

drawing in

There's that unmistakable evening chill in the air, the leaves are turning and we're soon to run out of evening flying sessions.

However slopehunter  reminds us that evening in the depths of winter, there is still some soaring to be had.... if you can navigate the mist that is! Here are some of his beautiful shots from the murky 2019 Christmas bash....

after a couple of hours of damp feet and chilly ears, blue

sky begins to break through the grey monotony

the familiar view gradually emerges....

but the classic high pressure conditions mean it's

out with the DLGs to get any decent airtime

below the model mincer

the right tool, old skool

and it doesn't even need an operator I.D. !

like buses

What's that off in the distance? 

believe it or not, it's another Mini-phase

by sheer coincidence owner Tone dusted his off, recovered it and re-maidened it

last Tuesday

post flight report states that the decades of woodworm have led

to a much reduced auw

It still manages that distinctive Mini-phase whistle!

I wonder when the last time was that 2 of these little beasties

graced the South East slopes within a few days of one another?

needs must

 

With this recent run of easterlies, one's hand is forced to venture further afield.

So here we have Warden Bay, a Mini-phase and a sound mirror and an easterly wind). 

holly and cake

Impromptu sneaky post work session complimented with

cake from the spectators.... all exchanged with correct

social distancing of course!

C19 relief 05

Back at the end of 2018 this happened.....

C19 relief 04

Lloyd launches his 3 metre plank into bumpy air....

C19 relief 03

C19 relief 02

Jeff and Dan upset the natives!

C19 relief 01

A little something from the cutting room floor to relieve the boredom!

meanwhile at Thurnham

Public service announcement live from the slope (filmed with a potato)...

public service announcement

Please take the time to check

through your stock of old equipment.

Correct disposal should be via your

local authority bio-hazard collection point.

Stay safe out there!

When the lift dies....

A video where nothing happens...... twice!

take 2