Christchurch and District Model Flying Club
 

All good things must come to an end

By Brian Wiseman

Oh no. Not Brian giving up modelling. He has kept Sloping Off going for as long as I have been editing, and his stories of model flying endeavour and his Christmas verses have filled our pages for years, and he can even spell “manoueverable”. I don’t suppose anyone will be surprised to learn that he is also B Leonard Wise, and although he has promised a couple more adventures, those too will come to an end.. and for Railway Modelling! Brian, this is the stuff of treason trials in the 22nd Century! - Ed

But we do wish you all the best and look forward to seeing your meanderings in the pages of “Railway Modeller” - with a column by Mr Wise perhaps? - Ed

I have given up flying, When asked why I reply there are seventy nine and a half reasons and they are all years. Last year I could not get there often enough to keep up my skill level. I had a break of over two months then another month due to back problems and it was difficult to get back to where I was before that. I could have gone over to Gliders and stooged around but I like aerobatic flying, and when that became a problem I decided to call it a day before-I broke all my planes.

I have had twenty years flying, roughly once a week except for holidays and ill health etc. So I have had good innings as they say. I have found that the technical side of the hobby has been fascinating and sometimes bewildering. But there have always been people who would help to keep me straight. Firstly with engines then latterly with the electric planes. Mostly these helpful people were Engineers. Accountants and Engineers who have a love hate relationship. Engineers like making things and mending them and fixing them They get a lot of job satisfaction but not much money So Accountants love them. Accountants do sums and tell Engineers their inventions cost too much So Engineers hate them. What have I enjoyed most. ? I had some pretty good pattern ships. At that time ARTF was just starting. I bought body, wings etc which had to be finished and covered. The trouble with that one was that it would go fast, I guess well over lOO MPH. But at that speed, bits would falloff it like ailerons. Several times I had to land it with one working aileron whilst the other floated down to earth on its own.

I think my favourite was a Extra 300. About 50 inch wingspan with a 56 engine. I bought it second hand and it had done a lot of flying. The chap I bought it off was a really good flyer. He said that he had crashed his first one because the tail had come off. So he had put aluminium reinforcing bars on the tail of this one. I had it for three years and did over 80 flights with it before it sort of wore out. It would do most aerobatics that I was capable of and was a real fun plane.

Latterly I had a Katana 30. This was a slow flying plane but very manoeuvrable. My best trick was to put it into an inside loop, then tip it so the plane was looping with wings pointing vertically to the earth. Then if there was no wind and the plane felt like it I could put it into a flat spin. A few weeks ago I was flying the Katana in an afternoon when it went through the sun and I lost it. Five years ago I would have recovered it but not now. My last flight was with the Stryker. It is a Delta foam electric plane I have had it for some years and done quite a lot of flying with it. It became so worn that I bought a new fuselage and motor. The Speed controller is the same and the undercarriage. It has a different battery .It is rather like the road sweepers broom which is twenty years old and has had ten new heads and ten new handles. It flies well and even with the undercarriage it goes fast but will fly at a sedate speed, when it is an easy fly. I can still land well. Of course I have a good simulator, But because I need a project to think about I may well go into Electric Railway. Sad isn't it?

I took most of my stuff to near Shaftsbury to a chap who does model shed clearance So it really is THE END.

Brian Wiseman

I will miss Brian's somewhat obtuse wit and humour, it was always a fun column!! BTW he has not changed in 40 odd years when Brian was attempting to teach me statistics as a student when he was a lecturer!!!

Tim

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