Hi All
At Last the sun has come out and we are driving up to the pits area and unless we get monsoon type rain I think we are safe to drive to the pits for the rest of the year.
We still are getting some strong winds which are making landing a bit too interesting at times but hopefully this will improve. The strong winds if coming from the southwest are pushing planes towards the no-fly zone in the bottom left corner of the field, so turn before you get anywhere near to make sure of missing it.
We have been finding that planes that we thought should pass the noise check have been failing. This has been due to the test being done when it was windy. In fact we got a reading of 82 db just with the wind. So don’t give up on your plane or spend lots of money until you have done the test on a low wind day.
Also as electric motors get bigger and Batteries get larger they have become noisier. We don’t think we need to noise test all electric powered models but if it is thought your plane is too loud then you will be asked to get it tested. We have had an electric model which measured 82db.
Because of the better weather the training of new pilots is going well with some getting near to taking their test. If you are near then make sure you run through it with an examiner to see where you need to improve or if you are ready.
Some members have been asking about running competitions and why we don’t, as the silent-flight section have a lot. The answer is that they were stopped because of a lack of interest, but if that has changed then maybe it is time to look again. If you would like the power section to do competitions then please contact me. The amount of interest will decide what we do next.
We were asked to do a static display at the Offham Mayday fete. So five members Bill Courtney, Derick Courtney, Keith Miller, Peter Hunn and myself gathered together some of our planes and spent an enjoyable few hours answering questions. Photos are to be put on the Club’s Website or if you are getting this by snail mail then there is a photo on the back.
I’d like to thank Hugh Bird who invited us and with his family kept us supplied with tea and cake.