Phil's SCSA Newsletter
01/04/2006

News items to phill@scsa.org.uk

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Please send photos in full resolution  as Jpegs with minimum compression and no adjustments, text is best with paragraphs but no carriage returns. 

I have added some photos to the club web site last month click here  also there is a link to some larger photos at http://www.ebley.plus.com/limbo/?M=D these are sorted in date  order but no thumbnails. Push key F11 to view the pictures full screen. The small older images can made larger with IE7 by clicking zoom at the bottom right of your screen

Next week I have some work to do fitting my kitchen with a floor and some units,.If you go flying mid week please send me a short report. Remember the main purpose of this news letter is upset the workers and Sunday shoppers by telling them how good the flying was.
Phil

DIARY

Apr - 21 or 22 at Siege Cross Farm. Aero tow http://www.tvsa.scalesoaring.co.uk/events.html contact Doug for help


April 14th West Mendip SA Open Glider Cross Country Event
Crook Peak, Nr Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset. Contact Graham Tolhurst on 07973 163490 or graham.tolhurst@slopesoaring.org.uk or see www.slopesoaring.org.uk/wmsa/ 

G-VFWE 2007, now believed to be Europe's largest flying event for vintage & classic aircraft, will be held at Hullavington Airfield over 18th-20th May 2007. For details, please visit the new website at gvfwe.co.uk.

Next Club meeting 18th April
Puffin Models will be visiting the next club meeting on April 18th to show off his wares
Also the raffle prize has been purchased, it is a HVP Schandy of 1770mm span, aileron / elevator / rudder, can be built as pure glider or electric.
Tim

Repeated from  www.glos-mfc.co.uk  Sadly the indoor flying sessions for the winter of 2006/7 have finished, hopefully with the changing of the clocks and lighter evenings several of the indoor models will venture outside on calmer nights.

 

Our first season of indoor flying has been a great success and it is planned to restart the evening sessions in the autumn.

 

Many thanks to all who supported this events.

 

Chris Bishop  

Chairman GMFC

 

Tim has a few sheets of 3mm depron left at £1.50 a sheet to club members

 

Digital Servos
I have analogue in my Calypso and digital in my Nyx and I can't tell the difference. experts say different.

Quote

Digital servos perform significantly better than their analog counterparts. They offer higher resolution that reduces deadband for ultimate control, and they offer a faster control response and increased acceleration. They also produce constant torque throughout their range of travel and have noticeably increased holding power when in a stationary position

Further reading at  http://www.futaba-rc.com/servos/digitalservos.pdf 

 

Below is the bit repeated from last week and now includes the missing wiring diagram

Analogue to Digital Servo modification

While browsing through the Ashtek catalogue the other day, which is an ideal site for the supply of many different connectors and servo wire, I came across a ready wired digital amplifier for mini servos at the reasonable price of £7.95 each.

Having a couple of Hitec HS 56 servos which had expired amplifiers I sent of an order for two. When they arrived I approached the substitution with some concern as everything looked very small but I need not have worried as all went well  helped along by a tutorial on the Ashtek website  HYPERLINK
"http://www.ashtekelectronics.com/shop/" www.ashtekelectronics.com/shop/.  I
now have a fully functioning pair of digital servos for around £16.

The pictures in the tutorial are slightly fuzzy so here is a sketch of the
connections that worked for me. 

Tim

My Yak 55 on Minch

Guy's Reichard Champion 

Tuesday
XC weather forecast was 6 MPH easterly but this was not true, I arrived at Rodborough to find the wind on my back and travelled to Minchinhampton Common for a bit of power flying and a bungee session. Guy flew his 2.8 metre Champion but failed to make contact with any strong lift, the Champion is a nice model but the nicads add a lot of weight, li-polys may be better on light lift days.
  After a short work break and a cup of tea I joined Andy and Guy on Selsley for some gentle slope flying on the west slope. It was very pleasant sat on the common in the Sun more like summer than spring. 

Wednesday at Selsley,  a perfect day once the early mist cleared, steady lift with the buzzards showing us the thermals. Not enough lift for Zagis or paragliders, does it get any better?
The forecast on XC was spot on this time. 

Photos
Nick's Multiplex Flamingo, well mannered and easy to fly.
My Eli-2 HLG with the new  Stroud college in the background

Sunday 1st April, Bryan tried Rodborough first but the breeze was too far North so  we went to Leckhampton again, Mike our chairman rang up saying the breeze was on Cam long Down and condition were good. Four of us flew at Leckhampton joined by two local flyers. A morning of strong lift with the haze spoiling the view again. Bryan managed a perfect landing by going down the ridge, coming back up, turning into wind and touching lightly down right on the edge. I gave up and put my Zagi into flat spin crashing slowly. The two locals were caught out by the rotor, one ending up a small tree.

photos Peter's Zagi and a Crazy Ivan

 

Sunday Morning 1st April
Where were you?  NE wind, 18 - 20 mph, must be Cam Long Down. I arrive at the car park to find it totally empty, but heh, never mind. After making it to the top, I found the wind was directly on the slope and the lift was really smooooth....
After a test flight which confirmed the conditions were ideal, I thought I'd give Brian T a ring to find out where the other regular Sunday morning bunch were.  He said they'd all "defected" to Leckhampton Hill, but it was only it was only really suitable for EPP models. I think I managed to cheer him up by saying the conditions were ideal on Cam Long Down. (tee-heh!)
Anyway, I had a great time all by myself, the highlight was a visit by a wake (according to Google) of buzzards. 6 buzzards all hovering in the slope lift, just in front of me. I was flying my Zagi at the time, so I thought I'd try a bit of formation hovering with a pair of the buzzards. They semed quite happy (or perhaps confused) with my Zagi being in close formation with them, but the 3 of us spent a good few minutes hovering within a couple of feet of each other, in a Red Arrows style V-formation!
They eventually got bored and flew off looking for lunch, but a bit later on when I flew my Zagi again, another buzzard appeared from nowhere and we spent another few minutes formation flying.
Anyway, it was April Fools day, whoever got you to drive all that way over to Leckhampton, stitched you up a treat :-) 
Regards,
Mike B

Leckhampton

Editor
I'm baffled, the slope at Cam Long Down runs east to west and should be ideal for a North wind, If the wind is north east it goes very rough and is 45 degrees to slope. The club compass shows Rodborough as flying in a northeast wind but it becomes unflyable if it goes north of ENE. It could be  the wind is bending due to local topography. Selsley does not fly in a north wind, it comes over the church and gives poor lift

Stroud cooker repairs