Heading along the M4 to Swindon in the early Sunday morning sunshine takes me through some very open countryside. Just a few clouds are gathering on the horizon as I turn into Roves Farm, home of the Paul Heckles School of Flying where I have been invited to take part in the schools first Jet Experience Day. Having traversed motorway, dual carriageway and country lane I arrive at the flying field and am immediately impressed with the well kept runway and large open area of the site. First the smell then the sounds of cooking bacon and sausages reaches my senses as I am greeted by Paul himself. He briefly explains what is where and directs me to the marquee where breakfast is being served. Once everyone has arrived, grabbed a sausage or bacon roll and a cup of coffee we took our seats and Paul introduced Dick Spreadbury who was along to lend his expertise to the day with a highly informative talk consisting of an intro to the Jet Experience Day, gas turbine engine construction, model gas turbine installation and starting methods and an extensive section on safety. |
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A comprehensive handout goes with the talk and pilots are encouraged to interact with hands on various engine parts being passed around and ask questions throughout. |
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We head out onto the flying field where the planes are being prepared for their flights. Each plane is setup on a large sturdy table with all safety precautions adhered to. The instructor has a helper who mans the fire extinguisher during startup and then carries the model out to the air strip. The first two trainees are then hooked up via buddy lead and taken to the well marked flight line. |
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I then switched back to left hand circuits and followed Paul. After another two circuits Geoff said he wanted me to go round and line up for a landing then he would take over and bring the model in safely. This was a getting to know you flight for pilots to get used to the model and allow Paul and Geoff to evaluate each pilots ability. The second flight is much more relaxed with more time to concentrate on accurate flying. During my second outing I was much more at ease and had much less need to correct after a turn and Geoff said try it with the throttle closed. There is little chance of the engine cutting as it maintains a relatively high idle speed and will only stop once the trim is fully closed. With no power the model begins a gentle sink and can be flown along at walking pace and with some slight increase of the throttle can maintain height without increasing speed. This is truly a docile model, even the stall is nothing much to worry about and the nose gently dips forward and a little elevator brings it level while the turbine spins up to speed.
All too soon my second flight is over and control is handed back to Geoff for another flawless landing bringing the model to a halt almost directly in front of us. I think even some basic I.C. trainers would have trouble bettering the landing capability of the Boomerang. Lunch is served and a superbly spread running buffet is laid out for us in the control tent. A variety of neat rows of sandwiches and various little pastries, washed down with tea, coffee or squash. There are plenty of places to sit in the sun and even a picnic table where yours truly was able to find some shade and gather ones notes on the days flying so far.
The relaxed atmosphere of the entire day makes it thoroughly enjoyable and everyone is happy to sit between flights to watch the others flying, and discuss their own flying experiences and models. The level of experience was broad ranging as were the types of models owned and flown. There were a couple of the guys who already had gas turbine models but had not flown them yet and wanted a bit of hands on before taking to the sky by themselves. Another couple who were interested in moving to gas turbine powered models and wanted a better idea of what was going to be involved before the big outlay. (incidentally this can be several thousand pounds with even the most basic of turbine and model package.) The remaining few were a mixture of general modellers with varied experience just wishing to experience the thrill of gas turbine modelling.
I think however at the end of the day every one of us was thinking what could be sold off, re-mortgaged or swapped to get a jet into our hands. Be aware that some clubs have strict weight limits and may not allow gas turbines at all so it is something else to think about if you are ever in the market for a large jet model. Geoff had brought along his own BVM Super Bandit, an ultra sleek and very fast sport jet. Dick also brought along his scale Northrop F5 jet (which variant I am not sure yet) which boasts some very fine detail and as shown is awaiting its final paint scheme. Neither of these models flew during this Jet Day but were keenly admired by all the days participants. The third flight came around and everybody was able to enjoy themselves as they already had a feel for the model and it's capabilities. After watching the others I was also inspired to expand my flight envelope as although I hadn't flown anything fixed wing for a while I was still keeping my fingers and thumbs nimble on the simulator.
After an initial circuit Geoff asked if I wanted to try something a bit more exciting like a roll. I was a little hesitant but thought if I wasn't seemingly capable of it and Geoff didn't think he could cope with any problems he would not have suggested it. On instruction I added a few clicks of throttle and as the model completed it's turn into wind applied a very slight up elevator and as the nose climbed flicked the stick hard over. The model rolled so smoothly and slowly I asked if the rates were a little low. Geoff explained that they were low but the roll was perfect as I was able to come out level every time. His next suggestion of a loop I undertook with eager anticipation having seen some of the other guys pulling enormous, long slow loops. As I turned into wind again following the expert guidance of Geoff I applied a little extra throttle and pulled back about halfway on the elevator control. Up she went and up and up arcing over the top, wonderful I though then the model skewed out and came out of the loop pointing directly away from me. Hmmm, not perfect but not a problem Geoff said and suggested I go round and try again. Same perfect climb, smooth and slow then just as it got over the top it skewed out again. This time I applied some aileron and straightened up to come out on the correct line. "See, you can do it even with a little hiccup" was Geoff's only comment so I realised it wasn't too big an error in flying it just looked sloppy. A third try was close to perfect with Geoff suggesting less up elevator and allowing it the climb longer into a massive loop. Conscious of my previous mistakes and beginning to realise what was going wrong I held the model in a perfect line and performed an outstanding manoeuvre. The reason for screwing out on the loops I can only attribute to my being used to a radio set with rather stiff stick movements which over the years I have gotten used to. The sticks on the Field Force 8 Futaba radios were very loose and smooth and I was actually applying very slight aileron without realising. Once I had figured out what I was doing inadvertently I was able to perform the final two loops without a problem and finished my final flight with a long smooth loop right in front of me and even added a quick roll before turning for the final downwind pass. Geoff again performed a flawless landing and after powering down the model and switching off all radio gear. Everyone gathers for a final round up of thoughts on the day and their flying. Last but not least there is a presentation and the final job was to gather everyone and the models for a group shot.
All the training pilots are presented by Paul himself with a certificate of completion to commemorate the day. That's what I call personal service throughout. My special thanks go to: The Paul Heckles School of Flying is a great starting place for anyone who is considering learning to fly a model aeroplane or helicopter and the Jet Experience day is an absolute must for anyone wanting to get into gas turbine modelling. I would recommend both the flying school and the Jet day without hesitation to anyone. |
