The Southern Area of the British Model Flying Association

May 2008 News

Date Added 21-05-08 19:03

DORSET FEDERATION ELECTRIC THERMAL COMPETITION
Round Robin 600E/400E & OPEN
Wimborne MAC site at Cashmoor
Sunday 25 May 2008

Fortune favours the brave! The weather looked unflyable with rain and low (very low) cloud in the morning but by late morning the cloud began to lift, the wind dropped and the weather developed into one of those near perfect flying days. With the number of pilots wanting to fly now into double figures an excellent contest was held. Open class models were flown by Nigel Bennett and Martin Burr. After all the rounds had been flown a fly-off was required between five pilots for second place as they had all achieved four wins: Bill Longley, flying a borrowed plane, was first one down ending up in 6th place; next, down in 5th place flying a 600E model built for this event, was Rick Churchill; Glenn (thanks for taking the photographs) Woodford was in 4th place; Malcolm Mackendrick flew consistently well all day for 3rd place; Apollo designer and builder Peter Kessell ended a tough day in a very credible 2nd place, which just left the undefeated event organiser in first place. The rumour that the rules are tailored to my own flying style is just not true! Our collective thanks go to Nancy Kessell for keeping all the scores adding up to the correct totals, to Geoff Collins for sorting out the food for the BBQ, to the WMAC for allowing the use of their great flying site and, in particular, to all the extra help James Parry put in to make the event possible. The same again next year has been requested.

Chris Hague Competition Director for the Phoenix MAC (Dorset)

Click on the icon above to download a PDF copy of
Dorset Federation Electric Thermal Competition.

Date Added 21-05-08 19:03

Hi All,

As you will all be aware we now have a new web site which will be managed by our new web master Peter Robinson who has brought some modern ideas along with him.

I would like to say a special thank you to Terry Mason who has looked after it for many years, the committee will be thanking him formally very shortly.

Those of you who have sent me information will notice it is up one board within 24 hours, the procedure being if it’s an article or comment you email it to me and I will forward to Pete if it is only a notice of an event you can send it directly to Pete.

We hope this is what you want and we agreed at our meeting at Middle Wallop meeting earlier in the year.

What I need is lots more input from you I have put pictures of Yeovilton on the site and I will be putting lots more from the Goodwood Vintage Fly-in which is taking place next weekend, .having mentioned Goodwood

You have no idea how much effort Chichester Club have had to put into the event, I would especially like to mention Bruce Smith and Ray Andrews who have dedicated hundreds of hours between them, the amount of effort Bruce has put in producing documents, schedules, liaisoning with the display pilots. As a club we have held practice meetings to hone our double peg transmitter control. Even though we are not flying we have over thirty volunteers doing allsorts of tasks from crowd control to liaison with air traffic control , Bruce and Ray have had many meetings with Goodwood Estates discussing with Goodwood the 32 page emergency plan and the 8 page Event safety plan, obtain BMFA approval and permission from the CAA for the event.

On Sunday 25th May the will be well over 100 full size vintage aircraft including a DC6 airliner ,there will be full size displays. Approx twenty model pilots from all over the country are coming to give a two hour display per day, I believe on the Monday there will be slightly fewer full sized but the a very similar model display

We have had help from many clubs in the area some are going to fly their large scale models, other control line and we hope to have over 40 static models , BMFA stand and Plannutz are bringing along their wares

Finally to conclude my note can I please have articles to post in the news pages I have one which I will put in this addition and one sad notice about the passing away of a good friend of mine and known to many of you, Roger Blake in mid April

Finally finally Peter thinks he will be able to reduce our web address to “sabmfa.org.uk “ will be much easier to remember


Ken

Colin Stevens G-OZOK on finals Thorney
Sunday 18th May 2008

I have asked a Friend of mine and a very good fiend of Roger’s Dave Rice to write a few words about Rodger, and I have added my thoughts.

Roger was one of those people who would not put up with nearly right only correct was good enough, were it be ploughing a field, driving his beloved combine harvesters, fixing or flying a model it always had to be well done nothing else was good enough

Ken

Date Added 21-05-08 18:59

Roger George Blake
January 1944—April 2008

It is with great sadness that I report the death of Roger who died on 14th April after an illness lasting several months. He was a long standing member of the Meon Valley Soaring Association (MVSA) as well as other clubs, and a great supporter of the BMFA.

Roger was a fanatical aeromodeller, both as a builder and flyer, he competed at a high level.

He worked on a farm where he taught himself to fly model gliders. As a new flier I first met him in 1980, he took me under his wing telling me 'stick with me and I will learn you'. Learn me he did, along with many others. For a few years he ventured into powered aircraft, but that eventually was left by the wayside and he followed his true passion, gliders, flat field as well as slope. He traveled as much as he could and competed in F3F and cross country.

When moulded models first started entering the country Roger was fascinated by them, the cleanliness of the lines as well as performance. He was hooked. The disadvantages of these models were their high cost, and that it was almost impossible to repair them. Over the years Roger became probably the world's expert at repairing this type of model. His name became known world wide and top flyers would contact him and ask if they could send their broken models for repair. His techniques were developed in his tiny shed where some people thought he lived. He had no sophisticated tools but would restore models to their former glory - you could never tell that they had ever been broken. He was a master perfectionist at everything he did.

Over recent years he was in great demand to attend club meeting around the country to explain and demonstrate his repair techniques. He was uncomfortable about public speaking but these evenings were a huge success and enjoyed by all, even Roger. They pulled large audiences and always resulted in requests for return performances. Roger had such a great sense of humour and he got on well with everyone. Despite all his teachings I don't know of anyone else that could replicate his results.

At the crematorium the vicar said he had never had so many people attend a service, that says it all really.

Roger was a 'one off', his sense of humour, his perfectionism, his enthusiasm, just everything about him. Many, like me, will feel that things will never be the same without him.

Dave Rice, Horndean. April 2008

Roger Gagged at Dartmoor
X-country

Lets Do the Roger Shuffle

Date Added 21-05-08 18:47

NIJMEGEN IN-DOOR 08

Nijmegen is said to be the oldest town in the Netherlands. First settled by the Romans some 2000 years ago, their military camp was called Noviomagus, from which the current name derives. You see, I like to know all these useless bits of information. (It was also the early Roman Name for Chichester - Ed.)

It is also the home of the Nijmeegse Luchtvaart Club, now in its' 75th year and to celebrate the anniversary the members decided to make one of their indoor contests an International event much like the Flemalle contests which used to be held in Liege, Belgium.
Several of the current Nijmegen members took part in the Flemalle event as juniors and great oaks from little acorns grow. Due to a crowded domestic calendar, and availability of the hall, they (the club) decided in January to hold the event in March. Indeed, my invitation arrived by e-mail on the 7th January.

Wanting to support this initiative and after contacting members of the old Escadrille Flemalle, we entered six scale fliers from the U.K. Together with three duration fliers; this was the largest of the "teams" entered...I decided to go by train as I wanted to do some sightseeing before and after thecompetition. So I booked Euro star from a most impressive St. Pancras station (yes T5, you could learn a lot from this project), to Brussels, then via Roosendaal to Nijmegen, arriving on Thursday afternoon.

Friday was one of my "tourist" days and the hotel gave free hire of a bicycle to it's' guests. As she handed over the keys to the bike shed the receptionist told me that there were reckoned to be twice as many bicycles in Holland as people!! When I looked at the two floors of cycle racks at the railway station, I can quite well believe her. Yes twofloors of cycle racks, and not a car park in sight.Having adjusted the saddle height to suit my short legs, I ventured out into the cycling world. These people have got the system sorted. Proper cycle lanes, traffic lights for cars, pedestrians and cyclists, and yes some roads are out of bounds to and not a fluorescent Lycra garment to be seen.A pleasant day was spent cycling around the Old Town, followed by drinks and dinner with Dutch friends in the evening.
The Jan Massinkhal in Nijmegen, site of the contest is large enough to accommodate 6 tennis courts and has a 7.8m clean ceiling, so there was no fear of getting hung up on beams or girders.
The event was efficiently organised and, with a view to repeating the event next year, the organisers gave us all appraisal forms so that we could make comments and offer constructive advice. Timekeepers were provided by the club, mostly drawn from the juniors in the club, and they were very good.
An adjoining bar provided lunch for the two day event, as well as an excellent buffet supper on Saturday evening.

As to the scale events, Divs Masters placed first in combined Co2/ Electric and first in Open scale rubber, with Dave Prior second, having had to rebuild his Sopwith Baby after a collision with a table.
Our duration fliers had a good day. Bob Bailey coming first in F1L and FID closely followed by Mark Benns in FID and Geoff Lefevre in F1L

I managed 10th out of seventeen in Peanut scale and third in F1L (EZB)
Bob Baileys' winning time in F1L was 11:52; my third place time was 3:58,
Talking to Bob after the flying, we compared model weights. His weighed a smidgen over 1.2 Gms, whilst my creation tips the scales at 2.6gms. Does anyone have some light balsa available??

On Monday I took the train to Amhem and visited the memorial garden to the Airboume troops who fought there. The bridge they tried to take is now called John Frost Bridge after the general in charge, and also The Bridge to the Future. All in all a most enjoyable weekend, and I hope to go again next year.

Bryan Stichbury

An F1D Model

A Bostolan!

Schaal