Flight Simulation Evening
Neil and I supplied the two computers used on this evening,
one with the Easyfly flight sim and the other with a Great Planes
'Real Flight Light' sim. This enabled a good comparison to be
made between the two products. The consensus of opinion being
that the Real Flight Light had much better graphics than the Easyfly
but at double the cost. So you make your choice and pay up. Having
said that, both Sims are excellent products, which come with their
own transmitters. I have to say that the attendance at this meeting
was very poor with only nine people there. Of these, five of them
were without a doubt the best flyers in the club! This was very
disappointing as the evening is supposed to be a bit of fun and
is aimed at those of less ability who may benefit from some tuition.
Changing Times
In the past, this time of year was traditionally for building
and repairing models for the new flying season, but the advent
of ARTF models and the relatively new discipline of indoor flying
has somewhat changed this. The decision by our club to embrace
indoor flying has had a dramatic effect on membership as well
as finances. Many new members join to take advantage of the free
indoor sessions the club provides. This, with the introduction
of a joining fee, has really boosted club funds allowing us to
improve and replace club equipment as well as introduce the aforementioned
free indoor flying sessions.
I well remember our first meeting at Two Riversmeet Sports Centre in Christchurch. Neil Longman showed up with one of the then new IFOs, Jim Ruffell attempted to fly a Fokker Triplane park flyer which proved a handful, leaving a trail of red foam pieces all over the hall, much to the amusement of those of us who were yet to try this indoor flying lark. I seem to remember Phil Wheeler with a new Pico Stick, which was also a handful until it was found that more dihedral enabled it to turn better. All in all this was a stuttering start to our indoor meetings, but it did generate a huge amount of interest. Some of us then built so-called indoor models from model magazine plans not realising that they were not really suitable for that purpose. In my case I built a symmetrical section flying wing with ailerons and a vee tail, but even Trevor only managed one tortuous circuit with it. I persevered with this model through several meetings and repairs until I finally lost patience with it and consigned it to the dustbin. By this time we had had several meetings at various sites including one at New Milton Sports Centre and were actively looking for our own venue.
Trevor and I inspected the facilities at Oakmead College whech we found to be excellent and booked it for that winter's meetings. This has become our home venue and a very successful one at that, although the times on a Friday leave a little to be desired, but beggars cannot be choosers and the fees are very reasonable.
Over this period models improved out of all proportion to earlier designs, mainly due to the emergence of very light radio components and batteries. The sessions soon became dominated by IFOs and depron Und-Nus. Bryan Richards came up with a very good design for beginners based on the Pico Stick equipment, several of which were successfully built and flown by our members. At the same time the advance in very lightweight equipment has resulted in miniature helicopters also making there presence felt and the hall now frequently buzzes with Piccolos, Hummingbirds and the new Flair Aerohawk. These are all marvels of miniature engineering at a very reasonable price.
The last meeting saw the new Protech Butterfly make its entrance. Now here is an indoor model which will fly at walking pace and is almost indestructible having a carbon framework, just the model to learn on and one which really could bring indoor flying within the scope of all budding flyers. The Butterfly also makes a brilliant aerobat with the addition of a more powerful motor and some Li-Ion batteries - ask Phil Wheeler who was prop hanging his all over the hall at the last meeting. If you are interested in starting with the indoor scene, this is the model for you and the one we have all been waiting for since that first meeting at Christchurch Sports Centre. Having said all that, the lighter nights are fast approaching so we will soon be flying electric again at Kings Park on a Friday evening.