SLOPING OFF...
...the Newsletter of Christchurch and District Model Flying Club for June 2021
NEW MEMBERS
ROB ASHLEY
This was taken a few seconds after I set a new (then World Record for a hour) time of 58.91 during the World Champs August 2010. Still a British record and in the BMFA handbook now :) The guy with me is Mark Vandervelden also an Ex Christchurch member. (I said “In those Crocs? His reply “Those yellow crocks and the union crash hat became my signature. My feet became quite well photographed”.)
I don’t know if you do a new members spot in your newsletter but I always grab an opportunity to talk about myself so as you asked about interests here goes!
If you go back 40 odd years I was on the CDMFC Committee as a general member and served as a committee member for many years till I deserted and went to the Wessex Soaring association where I started organising many National events and became Charman there. My Claim to fame is we managed break the Northern Strong hold on F3B events and got one held down here in Dorset which to date is still the best attended F3B event held in the UK outside of the British Nationals. Our Open and F3J events also became major events on the BARCS Calendar.
You may gather from the above my interest in flying WAS purely competition and I flew in many events both in the UK and overseas and collected quite a few trophies along the way. I also appeared in many Magazines and wrote comp reports and model reviews in the mid 90s but I think that was more to do with the pictures on my blue eyed blonde girlfriend that towed up my models than my charm and wit! I gave up flying late 90s as I started dating a barmaid who hated toy planes and my second love of life became my first and my beer belly grew as a result.
After a gap of 10 years I started IC power flying and then became interested in Pylon Racing which quickly moved to electric pylon and I was instrumental to bringing F5D to the UK and a once successful league alongside the IC powered F3D boys. This resulted in me flying for the UK again this time in Romania and the USA. I still to this day hold the BMFA British speed record which I achieved on day 3 of the WC at the AMA HQ Muncie USA. That was actually a World Record as well but only for about an hour when a spotty faced Teenager from Austria not only beat me but destroyed my time by over 3 seconds so it never made the record books! On returning to Heathrow I headed up the A1 to the BMFA Nationals but all seemed so boring in the UK after a great week in the USA and Alli Machinsky of Alls hobbies offered me a load of money for all my gear so I took a cheque, jumped in my car and headed home and took up Golf.
10 years later (last year) I started playing with Drones and raced in 1 National event but I was not only old enough to be 90% of the fields father I was actually old enough to be their Grandfather. I finished 3rd in my beginners class an had 2 choices. Either start a over 40s fun league which some of the older guys which I had talked about or continue racing against teenage boys & girls who get paid a large amount of money to race and take things far too seriously. I choose a 3rd option which I did not see coming at the time which was give up altogether and get a Pilots licence.
That brings me to how and why I joined Christchurch. Due to the fact I am taking my pilots licence it got me back in touch old friends from the old Christchurch days (One became a airline pilot) We did lots of chat over beer and the good old days and the next thing I was doing was getting a ready to fly F16 and Night Flying Timber (with floats) and here I am again loving model flying but this time for just fun. My current girlfriend bought be a Dream Flight Ahi for Christmas which I finally test flew at Ibbotson and more recently St Catherine’s hill in the NE winds. I really want to try flying off water and I live so close to the lakes it seems perfect for me to nip along when the weather is good for a few hours. I hope to bump into more members at Longham Lakes as to date I have not been able to catch anyone flying there ever!
Hope the above did not bore you too much. I actually enjoyed typing it bringing back some memories.
Rob