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Post by st on Jun 11, 2007 9:59:21 GMT 10
Sean, I know there are some good flying sites up here, but to move house so you don't have to drive as far is a bit much isn't it ;D ;D You'll soon have DS'ing at Bald knob worked out when your living close by! Probably find some other spots along the range too (I've never really looked for DS spots). The Maleny rc gliding club seems to have changed membership rules a bit too, which is good.
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Post by windsock on Jun 11, 2007 10:32:24 GMT 10
What membership rules have they changed? Are they letting people join?
I don't think they would get swamped with new members if they open it up a bit, which I think is their main concern. I'm a member and rarely go up on a Sunday. I fly mostly at Mt Mee now but like the option to fly up there during the week or if conditions only suit Maleny e.g. S or W winds.
Gerard
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Post by st on Jun 11, 2007 13:15:24 GMT 10
Hi Gerard,
I don't know the exact details. I do know that they have sent me an application form to fill out (after calling to get my address). Also some mention was made of opening up membership a little (I would guess an increase in max membership numbers, but I'm only guessing).
It was a rather unusual position to be in (living at Maleny and flying regularly), so I am pleased that some changes have been made. I hope it allows them to be more accomodating/welcoming to other newcomers of the sport too.
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Post by windsock on Jun 11, 2007 15:41:51 GMT 10
I'm glad that it has worked out for you. I like Maleny as it just gives me another location to fly at. Bald Knob also has the best outlook.
Gerard
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Post by sean on Jun 11, 2007 17:05:56 GMT 10
That's really good news Simon. I'd really like to join the club at Bald Hills if at all possible so I'll give them a call this week, fingers crossed! Montville's certainly a good spot for a sloper to live, and to top it off I'll be closer to Mt Mee than I am now ;D. It does mean that the south Brisbane sites like Beechmont are too far away I guess, which is a shame because Beechmont is a very nice slope!
Ezza, You'd think there'd be a good westerly DS spot up there, if I can join the club I guess I can explore it more. On Friday it seemed like the wind was flowing over the hill and not separating, but the lift was not good at all for most of the time I was there (despite a strong breeze) so perhaps in better conditions it would separate better.
I did a bit more on the Reaper today, the spar is now glued into the wing and I've routed a slot for the ballast tube. I've said it before, but that spar is just awesome! Now its glued in you can't twist the wing at all, and its super stiff along its length.
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Post by st on Jun 15, 2007 12:35:02 GMT 10
Mt Mee is further than you'd think. It's about 50mins from my place (if I remember correctly). That's really good news Simon. I'd really like to join the club at Bald Hills if at all possible so I'll give them a call this week, fingers crossed! Montville's certainly a good spot for a sloper to live, and to top it off I'll be closer to Mt Mee than I am now ;D.....................
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Post by sean on Jun 15, 2007 14:53:42 GMT 10
Hey Simon, yeah, its still a fair drive but that's about what I thought it'd be. It's an hour and 10 min from where I am now in Mt Glorious.
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Post by thevon on Jun 28, 2007 21:47:59 GMT 10
Well, today was the first time I "really" got to DS! I had my first proper flights with the Scorpian at Bald Knob. The Scorpian's an excellent foamie wing for someone wanting a faster plane than a Bee etc. Glenn (Zipper) was right, it's a great plane to learn to DS with because it really holds its speed and carves well. Definitely happy with it - very impressed!
Once I was sure it held no surprises I headed down to the gate to resume my quest to learn DSing and following the same line as last time, the Scorpian really got going. Much, much faster than the Duck (now deceased) was. It's so important for the plane to hang onto the speed. Sean also got into it and although we tried a few other spots, the area just below the gate was best in the westerly. Dipping just below the horizon, to emerge between the fance and the nearest tree, as close as possible to the ground and with the plane on its side as you come back up.
After a while we started to be able to keep control of the circle when the plane speed ramped up (Sean much better so than me - I still had spontaneous "shot up into the sky" experiences and a few "random hit the deck" etc). But we certainly started to get the hang of it keeping the loop going with minimal control inputs. It was great hearing the planes start to whine a bit. At times we were "DS racing" and the Scorpian was sometimes quicker than the Bat although Sean's more accurate circles got him around generally faster. Very, very exciting and addictive. Brain starts to get worn out after a while and you need a rest!
Didn't think there was enough wind but gave the Drongo a go and it got up there no probs, and when I put it into the same DS circuit ... Man, it was scary fast at times! It really started to howl and it's very very fast. I couldn't really take it back thru its fastest line consistently because it was a bit too quick for me.
Gerard came down later in the day and started having a dabble with the Ozprey and with his highly accurate flying style, he was soon starting to get that thing howling - then "smack" he and Sean (flying the same circle) whacked each other. Both went down but were OK! Meanwhile my son Nick had been practicising it a bit on the hilltop, and came down to the fence to have a go with his Bee. Not the plane for it really but he was getting a pretty good swoosh out of it.
It was a great day, and each of us talked about nothing else. Absolutely top stuff, what a buzz. A most inspiring day!
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Post by ezza on Jun 29, 2007 9:21:31 GMT 10
It was a great day, and each of us talked about nothing else. Absolutely top stuff, what a buzz. A most inspiring day! Hahahaha! Sounds like a great day! You guys are well and truly hooked now. ;D Curious if the wind was straight W or was it a bit SW?
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Post by thevon on Jun 29, 2007 10:47:39 GMT 10
Wind was actually a bit NW. THe ridge faces WNW. SW isn't so good there.
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Post by sean on Jun 29, 2007 16:08:36 GMT 10
Yep, yesterday was a good day! I only meant to stay for an hour or two so didn't bring any food... It wasn't until the drive home that I realised how completely drained I was! The wind was very patchy, for most of the day it was too light for the DS to really work, but occassionally a gust would come up for a minute or two and the DS would really start working, albeit briefly. Most of the day we were "light air DSing" as Andrew called it, using the DS effect to fly circles over the backside but without a great deal of speed. This turned out to be really good practice though, we found a good DS groove and were able to practice flying it accurately in the light air. Then the wind picked up in the late arvo and we started getting some good speed, and for the first time I was able to feel the shear layer... after all our recent attempts this was the first time I felt like I was really DSing. It was very addictive, we just kept flying round and round and round... . Flying through the shear layer you'd hear a very satisfying barrrumph! as the plane was shaken around. I could see the tail of my Bat getting violently shaken as it hit the shear layer, so before I can get some really good speeds DSing it, I think it will need a stronger tail mount. The highlight of the day was when Andrew, Gerard and myself were flying the same DS groove simulataneously, great fun! We shouldn't have beed surprised when Gerard and I hit as we were all flying the same line. Anyway our planes got out of the hit unscathed. DS combat anyone? ;D
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Post by callun on Jun 29, 2007 16:38:19 GMT 10
Sounds like control line combat Sean I'm still waiting on crystals to arrive for my Rx's before I can get my new planes up in the air. I think the alula might be reasonably suited to some DSing.
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Post by st on Jun 30, 2007 8:26:22 GMT 10
Sounds like control line combat Sean I'm still waiting on crystals to arrive for my Rx's before I can get my new planes up in the air. I think the alula might be reasonably suited to some DSing. What would be the main design criteria for a good beginner DS'er? I would imagine it is ability to hold good speed through the 'unpropelled' portion of the loop. A bit of mass (additional momentum) would have to help (though not too much or efficiency would lower), as would something that is efficient (lower drag) at speed. I would have thought the lightweight alula was designed more for floating at lower speeds. Obviously when you're no longer a beginner, and the speeds get real high, strength and flutter isssues would be very important. A nice theory from someone who has never DS'ed ;D
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Post by thevon on Jun 30, 2007 16:42:08 GMT 10
I think that's right Simon. I suspect the Alula might not work as it may not retain the speed/ intertia well. The Duck was a great plane, really aerobatic etc but compared to the Scorpian (thinner wing, faster top speed) the Duck just lost the speed as it came back up. I don't know a lot about it either. But I think that if you were a real pro, you could DS lower speed planes in smaller loops if the lift band and shear layer were just right ... but it would all be happening very quickly, need very good coordination and there'd be not much room for error. With a fast plane you can carve a biggish circle - gives you more time to think! But as I said, I'm only at novice level.
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Post by thevon on Jul 13, 2007 20:09:58 GMT 10
Gerard and I went with Jase (and his new Bee) to a "Secret site" on private land near Mt Mee to try and get a fix in the uncertain westerly. Long trudge from the car up a rough hill, but we were rewarded by a decent wind. Sean rang and got some directions too. Jase was very nervous about his first flight but with some support from Gerard, got the hang pretty fast - he did very well actually, even better when we fiddled with his trims and balance, and he soon even pulled off some great landings. I was busting to give the Ozprey a maiden flight ... usual story, plan to build it slowly then end up obsessed with getting it finished and spend far too much time on it, and ending up losing sleep with stress about neglecting work etc ... (sigh). Anyway, it went beautifully from the first throw. I was most impressed with its ease of inverted flight capability and it had no problem pulling off outside loops, a pleasant surprise. Anyway I think I've become a sad (and incompetent?) DS addict because as soon as I was happy with the trim I was diving into the backside, but it didn't work. The wind was a bit too cross-slope so I headed for a different section of ridge - but it was a gnarly spot and I couldn't get comfortable. I could tell my tired brain was too fuzzy and I wasn't really with it but decided to give it one more aggressive dive-in and it must have got flipped by a rotor and whack, it went in hard. Hmm. Needed an ambulance to take the Ozprey back along the ridge to the other guys. Sean had arrived and he wasted no time trying to carve up the backside of the hill. There's a small leafless tree in the centre of the dip - right in the way of the "logical" exit. Watching Sean we had our hearts in our mouths – it was so risky and we got plenty of shock value at some of the near misses! But it wasn’t working too well. Then suddenly smack, he went in hard and the Bat was in for some urgent repairs. Meanwhile I got the Drongo out and felt edgy every time I dived it … too scary! I just wasn’t in the mood for it; too edgy. Gerard made a comment that if it hit the deck it would leave a crater. Despite my “off feeling” I started diving it into a DS circuit – and made a panicky stupid wrong thumbstroke coming up the back and the Drongo went into the hard soil very, very hard. No crater, though. Meanwhile the wind had shifted and was now directly onto the slope. Sean, standing on the top of the knoll rather than the saddle was starting to get the Bat winding up some zingy speed. Jase and I stood under the little tree and it was really a buzz being so close under the plane as it howled and shook thru the shear layer only a few metres away. When I walked away I couldn’t understand why I kept falling over … too dizzy! I patched up the Ozprey, put in the ballast block, stood in the saddle (near the little tree, ie if I’m making sure I don’t hit me, hopefully I won’t hit the tree too) and started dipping around the back again from the saddle. The Ozprey really started to rip in a most rewarding way but I didn’t have Sean’s degree of commitment to pulling it back quickly over the top! But it was a great buzz. You really live for those moments when it goes past insanely fast and you go “Wow!” I was hoping the Ozprey would be a DS machine and I was very happy with its stability at speed – it feels alive when it’s really moving and it had good speed retention (with ballast). As usual Gerard went home with his planes looking in glossy pristine undamaged condition while mine were in tatters. Jase was rapt that he was now independently airborne. Sean got the DS champion prize for the day. And to cap it all off, the farmer has given us permission to chop down that little tree …..
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