Sunday 29 May 2011

Sunday 29 May 2011 Kilspindie

I was actually up here yesterday but never got a chance to try because I left my transmitter at home. The upside is that I saved myself a walk and a soaking and the wind was way too far west- west-north-west in any case. The downside is that I am a complete muppet!

Today the wind direction was still a bit cocked off to the right but quite flyable. It was quite a fresh wind though, a steady 50 mph gusting to 65. A hoolie again!! Launching needed a degree of determination and I had a job standing up!

I flew my fully ballasted Reaper foamie and it was ballistic. I also flew my ex Dave Watson Spark and it was going well too. No ballast so a bit of a handful after launch but great once it was out from the edge. Going better than the last time since I now have the aileron differential the correct way round! It turns really well.



I had a couple of good flights with the Spark and decided to land and fit my mini video camera. As the Spark got down to about a metre from the ground it suddenly dived for a nice springy patch of heather and hit it with a loud crack! The “crack” sound was the fuselage snapping just in front of the tailplane. Unfortunately the Spark bounced off the heather and back into the air with the nose at about 30 degrees up and no elevator control. No rudder either of course. It climbed to about 5 metres and disappeared over the back of the hill! The last sight I had of it in the air was the underside plan view with the tailplane dangling loose!

Well, the wings are more or less intact but the fuselage in 4 pieces and there is a big crease in one tailplane half and the elevators are still up there somewhere. No sign of them even a long way downwind! My poor Spark. Bugger!

I’m sure I can repair it ok although it will be balsa elevators and not glassed blue foam!

My Skorpion could not be persuaded out of it’s bag. It had had enough of big winds last week at Horcum so we slunk off home to hide!

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