Hi all and welcome to my world or the world of model flying as I see it!

Right then hands up all of you that went to the power Nationals, good a nice number. This is one of the main events of the year, in fact it's become an annual pilgrimage for me. I think I've only ever missed 3 in the past 15 or so years I've attended.

Bumpy Green stand BMFA Nationals 2002

This year was a little special for me because I was attending as part of the Bumpy Green team.

Phil competing at the Nationals

I also had a very keen interest in the aerobatics, and the reason was because an old fellow club member was flying in the seniors and to top it all off he was the overall winner at the end of the event so congratulations Phil, dose this mean you now get sponsorship from your boss!!

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the gentleman that I was talking to on Monday while watching the control line combat, I don't do any control line flying and this in all it's aspects is one of the reasons I like to go to the nationals, the gent in question was very knowledgeable and helped to make the event that little bit more interesting. By the way, the word on the street is that next years nationals will not be at Barkston heath. It will be on but as yet, I don't know where! And did I do any spending well no not that much that was only because the week before I had spent just over £200 at the Catton Park LMA event.

Simprop Lift Off on the slope.

"What did I buy?" I hear you say. A Simprop Lift Off and an ARTF PT-19 from the VMAR range.

Now those of you that have been with me from the start of the year will know I asked the question what do you think about ARTF models good or bad, well I think we can all see the advantage to the beginner not a lot needs to be done to get your model in the air plus you know that the model should fly OK! Also if you are short on time you can get something in the air quickly, but as for the beginner they don't get to know how to probably build a model let me explain.

ARTF trainer takes the strain

I was in my local model shop the other week when in came a gentleman with the fuz from a well known ARTF trainer, the front of which was broken he had gone in to order a new one but after a closer look it was decided that it could be repaired by splicing in some new wood, this was pointed out to the gent to which he replied ~ "what's a splice?"

VMAR PT-19

As for my PT19 that's fitted with a OS 52 FS this makes it sound right as well as it looking right in the air, it also gives it plenty of power and it will knife edge to boot!! Not what you would call a scale manoeuvre for this type of model but you could say I have one model to do it all with.

ARTF is spreading or so it looks like it in my club.

World Models Chipmunk

Nigel Brady (chairman) with his World Models Chipmunk this has a OS 90 FS up front and as you would expect is very aerobatic.

Kyosho Aurum

Graham Gillingham with what I think is one of the oldest ARTF models or should that be one of the first!! A Kyosho Aurum with a OS 70 FS up front and is a very fine flying model, we have many others that are flying ARTF with most being new members with trainers.

Drainpipe

Staying with fellow club members for a moment have a look at Alan's drain pipe!! Yes that's right he is flying a drain pipe, well to be honest the fuz is made from square down pipe and the wings are made from correx, it's fitted with a Irvine 36 and I have to say this but it go's just like a rat up a drain pipe sorry about that but it will shift along at a very good speed. Alan built this from a plan on the internet he said that the site has about 7 or 8 different type's that you can build, I think they fly these type of models in the USA doing combat.

I went to the Large Model Association meeting at Much Marcle and I was lucky to see the running up of a very special power plant, that was a turbo prop made by Wren Turbines.The information I have is that it is a MW54 unit with a add-on turbo prop unit.

MW54 Turbo-Prop Unit

Now the power levels are astonishing this set up can produce something like 3 times the power of the standard engine unit on it's own. Max power is just over 7 Hp and in testing the unit was fitted with a 21" x 10" prop and this gives static thrust in the order of 30 - 35lbs.

I think WOW is the word your looking for, one other thing the sound and smell is just gorgeous.

Much modified Bumpy Green WOT4 doing the business

I would again like to take this opportunity to thank those of you that have got in touch especially those with regard to the Wot4 or should I say the mod's to the Wot4, I didn't know that this would create such an interest as it has, but please remember that the mod's I have on my Wot4 are what I want, and at the end of the day we all fly our model the way we want to in the way we want to so if doing any mod make your model that little bit better that has to be a bonus!!

My Plouf & again next to a Sagitta

And to end on just have a look at the photo of my Plouf. If you read RCMW you will know that Gray has been getting a lot of feed back from readers about this model, I test flew my on the 21st of September and what fun it is. Some small model don't fly they flit about the sky but Plouf fly's about the sky in a very controllable manner, loops, rolls, inverted it's all possible with Plouf all in all a very nice small model.

And before I go if you have any photos, comments, information or in fact anything you think is of interest to other modellers please let us know here at Bumpy Green. After all this site is here for you and so why not let it have information on it by you.

I leave you with this thought is it true that gliders pilot's keep it up longer!!

Wayne.

Article by Wayne Haycock for Bumpy Green Model Aerodrome
October 2002