Sloping Off - September 2006

Rise off Water and Other Tales
by Trevor Hewson

Basically, today has been a Good Day! First, Mike phoned and suggested taking the Miss Hyperion Hydroplane out on Christchurch harbour this morning. We had tentatively planned such an outing for the evening but nonetheless, this minor change in the schedule was enough to throw me into near panic - a sign of advancing years, no doubt.

We arrived to find the harbour looking like a mill pond. Except that millponds generally have a few ducks and are not full of sailing boats, marker buoys and rather aggressive-looking swans. Mike persuaded me that it would be a good idea to go out in the boat to the middle of the harbour to find a bit more space and also in the hope that there would be less weed drifting around on the surface than by the shore. Now I generally don't do boats, especially the small rocking and rolling variety, but Mike donned his drysuit, waded out to a nearby boat armed with a can of petrol and very soon we were chugging our way out.

I put the hydroplane on the water and the first thing that struck me was that the aerial wire was doing a good impression of a depth gauge. However, the model sat well on the water and, with the merest touch of throttle, it skittered away smartly. There was very little wind so, in spite of the lack of a water rudder, it was possible to steer quite well and we were soon lined up for takeoff. This was remarkably straightforward - much easier than from grass. Flying was the usual strange experience, with the added complication of the boat rolling around as Mike shifted position to try to get a few photographs.

Landing was mainly a question of controlling the nose up attitude with more and more down elevator as the speed dropped - just the reverse of what one normally does. After a few more sorties, the model was brought alongside and, on removing it from the water, I commented that it seemed a little heavier than when we started. Mike held it nose down and water streamed out of both sponsons. I will have to have another go with the bath sealant!

Later in the day Andrew and I met up at Howards. We each flew three different models and came away without damage. I flew the Stearman first, before moving on to the re-motored ARTFs. The MiG flew well with the Ultra motor. It did feel a bit nose heavy and the landing was reminiscent of those I have done with Clive's Dewoitine - the undercarriage dug in, the spinner excavated a significant divot from the rock-hard ground and the model flipped over onto its back. The MiG was undamaged and the motor still runs okay, although the spinner looked a little out of true, so I will have to check that the shaft isn't bent.

Last up came the Cub, now fitted with the Kontronik ESC/Motor combination and the MEC gearbox. Having persuaded the motor to start, I set the idle trim to avoid having to repeat the process and did a quick range check (at fairly close range, I have to admit). Phil Wheeler was on hand to double-check that I had got the gyro on the rudder working the right way, so it was committed to air. For the first time, it tracked straight and true on the take off run and seemed much more 'groovy' than before. The powerplant seemed to suit it well and there were no glitches so it looks as if the work of switching the motors between the models is going to prove worthwhile. The Cub flight was cut short because I was concerned about an odd rattle. I think this is mostly just the tailwheel but the (wooden) pushrods may be bouncing around a bit in the fus, so I need to look into that.