Well I hope you liked my little introduction, and my ramblings last month, Please do write and let me know what you think, as I don't mind criticism be it good or bad so long as it's constructive, and if somebody has something of interest to send me please do so.

My club has moved in to a new field in fact we moved the week before christmas I have some photos taken on the 23rd of December showing some of us cutting the new patch. Well some one has to do it.

Oi you lot. Dont just stand there...

Come and give us a hand...

This is a interesting time of year not only because we have spring to look forward to and lighter nights just around the corner, but we also have the shows and fly-ins too.

This gives us all the opportunity to see manufactures new items and new models flying, but not just at shows, as I said last month winter is the traditional time of year for us all to build that new model so it follows that spring is the time of year to get and test fly it and also to see what our clubmates have been up to in their respective workshops.

It's also a good time of year if you are learning, because if you solo now you have all that good weather coming up to brush up your flying skills (Well you have to think positive!!) And that is what happened to one of our newer members because I had the pleasure of passing him off to fly solo. It is always very encouraging to have set yet another beginner off on a long and happy flying career.

Now I don't know what you do with-in your own clubs but we have a very simple test for the learner pilot to do before they get set free! This test consists of take off, fly a left hand circuit then a right hand circuit (or the other way round depending on the wind), fly a figure of eight and then land all in a controlled manner. All this has to be done with them flying without help and in front of a member of the committee or me as I'm the training officer in our club.

On the subject of training and learning to fly, you can do it all year round now thanks to simulators. I know that if like me you try and get out flying every weekend you may think no need to use a simulator but you would be wrong because when the weather is too bad to go flying you can still sit in front of your PC and fly, and that's good if you are learning because you can keep your hand in so to speak. also you can try new manoeuvres with out any risk to your model.

Actual Screen shot from the FMS simulator. This program is afree download and is really very good...

If you dont have the funds to buy the latest simulator program then why dont you have a go at downloading the FMS simulator for free. This software is no slouch and offers a very good simulation indeed.

If you go to the Bumpy Green links page you will find a link to the FMS website where you can download this program. Also the March edition of RCM+E has details of how to build a joystick interface for it.

You could also go flying indoors (what did you think I meant?). This, I must confess to not having tried yet, but I have a pen pal or should that be e-mail pal? That I write to in Switzerland who flies a lot indoors in the winter (then so would I with outdoor temperatures of -10).

I also have a pen/e-mail pal in America who just packs in flying in the winter because of the snow and the problems that brings with getting to his flying site. As I have said this is the time of year to look forward but there has got to be some of you out there that have spent this past winter flying indoors so please let the rest of us know how you got on especially if it was the first time for you!!

How about this for an indoor venue..

Indoor ducted fan?...

And on that note I would like to thank Urs Szymanski from Switzerland for the photos that you see here, these where taken at an indoor meeting held in Geneva. The jet is ducted fan and so I am informed fly's very well if a little on the fast side so it needs some room.

Looking at one of the other models you will see it has no ailerons this is because it uses wing twist for roll control. This is by no means a new system as it has been used in some glider designs. In fact this is a very efficient system and I'm surprised that more models dont use it.

This model uses wing twisting for roll controll...

This is indoor flying Swiss style, and yes that is a Transit van in the background...

If any of you out there have something of interest feel fre to let me know and I'll include it for you next month. I now know that there is one other besides myself who reads my ramblings so if there are any more people who would like to tell us about there flying habits please do.

Well thats it for march. I hope you will join me again next month when I hope to give you details of yet another WOT4 hot off the bench.

"Be good"

Wayne.

Article by Wayne Haycock from Chase Radio Controlled Aero Club
4th March 2002