Home | FF Page | RESULTS | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | REPORTS | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th

Report and photos from Gary Oulds of Crawley DMAC

4th FF AREA MEETING - Ashdown Forest - 12 June 05

(results)

Back to the Forest for another Ashdown meeting. ”Take a sharp left turn to Crowborough, that’s Terry up ahead”. We pulled into Friends clump car park.

There was already a row of flyer’s cars parked up, tailgates open, like hungry hippos - the usual band. Ken (Maximus) Taylor had already got a flight away with his Dixielander (no first flight bottle of wine today). No one else seemed in that much of a hurry to follow it into the trees, where the southerly wind had dumped it! Brindley Taylor and C.D. Neil Allen were sent (or ordered) down the hill with poles to retrieve.

We’re going to have to move, round to the Roman Road car park, or at least take a look. Once there, it was soon agreed that we needed to streamline provisions and prepare for the hike to Camp Hill. Pete Cameron seemed to be in high spirits jokingly saying it was far from ideal… At the same time he was looking for a Sherpa…he didn’t have to look far …it was Alex Cameron.

With modellers now laden like pack mules, we ascended the North face.

Now we’re here, where do we fly?

It seemed there was a scattering of flyers pitched down the ridge. East Grinstead had taken the high ground. Maidstone glider man John Richardson had taken middle earth. Crawley chose to go as far down as they could, looking at hopefully avoiding the road hazard if possible.

C.D. Neil was back; Ken’s power model had luckily dropped through the trees, returned undamaged, to be soon away again for another max and another…Ken had maxed out and was soon working on his second event of the day, F1B. Bob Taylor and Neil Allen were also doing well in power. There was a much welcome return to the flying fields from Harry Hutchings , out trimming his familiar red and white open power model, unflown in three years, still apparently spot on trim.

Meanwhile Crawley’s glider squad was attempting to make a come back after East Grinstead’s great first strike start. Rapier like A1 launches from Robin Willes and Tony Clark, whistled away over Doom Valley. John Oulds and Alex Cameron did a couple of check flights apiece first. Then Terry Knight got away to a positive start by maxing. But Alex and I got sucked down off good launches, which didn’t escape the valley. Peter’s model faired better climbing on up the hill on the slope lift, only to spin down at the last, just when you thought it might have escaped. Terry’s second flight weaved a bit wildly at first, recovered well only to sink along with the others….

Four CADMAC gliders had now been dumped on the far valley lower slope, all fairly close to each other.

At this time John Oulds almost had a fly away. His A1 hadn’t bunted after launching into what looked like great air, it kited going nowhere, eventually the model set into an almost perfect glide, but strangely left circles? We quickly guessed that the timer hadn’t triggered the bunt and the hook hadn’t swung on any glide rudder…but worse the model looked like it was starting to get away, potential fly away!  Fortunately the odd trim developed a stall bringing the glider down just short of the road. It was a drive round to get it from Bushy Willow’s car park. Maidstone’s Peter Lang greeted us, he’d been trimming his electric open power model round there and he pointed to where the model had landed, just two to three metres away, unscathed in the car park ditch.

Alex, Peter, Terry and John Richardson were on a kind of model collector-thon (thanks guys). They had retrieved and returned with at least six gliders. Mobile technology had tipped Alex off prior that we were going after John’s fly-away.

All back together for our next flights. John was assessing his bunter, which was deemed risky to fly, so he prepared a second model. Terry Knight got away in a great patch of air which took him over the road; the wind was starting to swing westerly to north westerly at this time. Peter got another flight safely away; mine sank like a stone somewhere?

Crawley were chasing down John Richardson’s, score, which was top in glider at that time. Dad’s next flight maxed, I went to get this, leaving Dad to try and sort his bunt model out. Terry had some trouble this time locating his glider until an inter-forest phone call told him it was safe. Alex recovered Peter’s glider from across the road and I was back, after picking Dad's glider out of brambles, only to find Dad was more or less where I’d come from, after flying the suspect glider again.

Everyone was on the move again due to the wind swing, I packed up and told Dad I’d meet him back at the car…but where was my glider? Apparently still in the valley bottom somewhere…. no tracker signal? …I was annoyed now.

As I marched back down to the car, I told Terry I was leaving the ##bleep! model where it was for now. I think he could sense I’d had enough of the day at this time. Back at the car park everyone upped sticks and moved back round to Friends Clump. I waited for Dad, who had another quick look for my lost glider, still no signal, no model. Deciding to leave it and have a look later. We followed the others round to fly Dad’s last flight.

What happened next was all a bit of a nightmare really. At first the model flopped in for an attempt, putting Dad under a bit of pressure to get his next away…then disaster really struck. The model seemed to be towing up ok, then suddenly it was all over the sky looping … while feeding the model up dad had stepped into a loop in the towline…and was now hopping about towing the model with his boot.

No one seemed to be able to react quickly enough, or come to his aid. It all seemed to happen so fast. Terry and I were completely transfixed on the model, and not Dad obviously dancing a jig on the other end of the line until it was too late! …(It wasn’t quite River-dance! by the way)

Inevitably the model smashed into the ground…and Dad I think was understandably pretty unhappy about the whole thing. Believing someone (me) should have helped him out…I think all watching were a bit guilty of model watching…afterwards…

Naturally we packed up then and headed off back to Camp Hill to search for my glider. There was still strangely nothing from the tracker and no visual sighting of a model that had only done a minute flight. Suddenly I spotted a glimpse of day-glow fin and Dad confirmed it. Unbelievably the model had plunged vertically into the centre of a shrub then buried itself further under it into the clumps up to its tail plane almost totally camouflaged…I literally could only see about 6 inches of the model. Of course, being Ashdown, we had to go clump hopping for it, the long way round, a mini adventure in itself…hard going …but we had it in the end…oh why no signal…didn’t push the battery in enough…I assumed it was working ok rather than checking it (lazy)…luckily I’ve got another chance. Don’t let it happen to you. (And it’s just as well it didn’t fly away then, this was awkward enough)

Terry and Peter both stopped for their remaining glider flights finishing the day on a high with two maxes apiece to take the top places in glider on the day for Crawley.

East Grinstead’s Geof Stringer had flown F1B along with Ken Taylor; both had dropped flights in this event. But Ken and Neil had done well both making the fly off in power. Ken elected not to fly off.

With the wind direction now swinging north/north westerly, there was a chance of landing in or around the stables. This had happened on Terry’s last flight, but had landed safely on the lawn of one of the houses nearby. The owner had contacted Terry’s wife, she in turn called Terry, and the model was soon safely collected.

When we returned to the car, Alex and Peter were parked nearby; Terry pulled up along side us soon after they filled us in on how they’d done in the end. Alex and Peter then headed home. Just as Terry was about to go, at 6.55, I heard the unmistakable sound of Neil’s power model going up. He’d obviously left it right to the last knockings. Dad and I then rolled back into Friends Clump car park for a drink and a bite to eat before leaving.

Mike Cook and Martin Stagg were strolling across the road from Stone Hill side. Neil’s Power model had got away safely and finally clocked down for a respectable 4:40.

Well done to Ken Taylor and Neil Allen for yet another fine performance, to everyone that flew, really some tough luck for Dad, but I’m sure he’ll bounce back next meeting, and the models already repaired. (Oh and those that were laughing at the time are in zee little black book…) That’s all Folks!

Mobile technology seems to have played a big part in aiding the Crawley flyers today. Both in retrieving and generally keeping in touch across the Forest, saving time. Importantly it’s reassuring to feel safer on the Forest…Swapping each others mobile numbers was a great idea and I’m sure it will continue to be of great use in the future.

See you next time on the Forest.