Tonbridge Radio Flyers

Silent Flight Section - Leigh Park Farm

Email Newsletter from Alastair Ramsay

No: 07/08 –28^th July 2008   

Club Website: - Tonbridge-flyers.co.uk

 

Hello fellow flyers,

 

The weather finally started to improve during the second half of July, resulting in more inter-club competitions being flown and more club days being used for some actual flying.

 

Unfortunately the Finniss Memorial Trophy could not be contested on 6^th July due to a very strong wind.  There was better luck to follow however because the Kent Interclub Electric event was flown at Sutton Valence on 13^th July and our Tonbridge ‘Open’ Glider comp took place as scheduled on 20^th July.

 

In the Electric event, Peter Sainsbury won the 400 class with Alan Twine  2^nd and Mike Ranger 3^rd.  The 200W/Kg class was won by Alan Twine with Robin Sleight 2^nd and Peter Sainsbury 3^rd.  Congratulations to each of them.

 

The Tonbridge ‘Open’ resulted in a ‘Fly-off’ which Kevin Wicks won with Colin Paddon 2^nd and Nick Kidd 3^rd.  Simon Smith and Shane Alce of TRF came 5^th & 6th respectively.  I understand that the wind was a bit lively and from a tricky direction so all credit to those who managed to fly all their slots.

 

I shall pass the full results of these competitions to Ken Dean for addition to the club website.

 

In my last newsletter I sought interest from the Silent Flight members in taking the BMFA ‘A’ test .  Many thanks for the interest shown in this venture which has resulted in three of our number having passed the test during July.  The first two sessions were run on Thursday evenings but we are now trying to set a date for further tests to be performed on a Saturday afternoon.  If you have not already registered your interest but would like to be included in a Saturday afternoon test period, please let me know as soon as possible.  Our thanks go to Steve Fysh, our Treasurer and also a registered BMFA Club examiner, for giving up his time to run these tests.

 

At the risk of boring you with administrative issues, I need to notify you of the BMFA AGM on 22^nd November.  The early notice arises because we are invited to nominate suitable candidates for the BMFA officers due for re-election this year.  The posts due for election are: Vice Chairman, Honorary Secretary, Competition Secretary and Records Officer.  If you wish to propose anyone for any of these posts, please let me know.  Moving a bit closer to home, there is also a vacancy for the BMFA South East Area Secretary.  If you know of a suitable candidate or wish to volunteer, please contact Keith Miller for further details.

 

Earlier this year, one of my newsletters covered the problems which were being experienced with the Futaba 6, 2.4GHz radio systems.  I was told earlier today, during a visit to my local model shop, that this has now escalated to a total re-call situation where Futaba will replace the transmitters with a revised version.  I have not seen this in writing but, if you have one of the affected transmitters perhaps it would be worth contacting Futaba.

 

For those of you who compete in the Kent Interclub gliding events, I have received confirmation that the next round will be run at Medway’s Harty Ferry site on this coming Sunday (3^rd August).  It will be the re-scheduled Round 1 and not Round 4 as shown on the calendar of our website.  The directions I have been given are: “take the A249 to Sheppey, turn right at roundabout in direction of Leysdown and after 5.2 miles turn right towards Harty Ferry.  The field access is 1.85 miles along this road on the left.  Go over the dykes and then right towards gates in first field”.

 

 

And finally!  Reminders for your diary

 

3^rd August     KIC Glider Round 1? At Medway (confirmed !)

31^st August   Bromley Open at Leigh Park Farm (N.B. no club flying on that day!)

7^th Sept.         Aldershot Open.    

 

Best wishes,

 

Alastair Ramsay – Club Secretary

(Email: AandJRamsay@aol.com – tel: 01892 534532)