Topic: Cotswold Slopers!

I see that the Malvern club were to hold an event this Sunday but due to "adverse weather conditions" it's been postponed. Is this an omen??? Tempted???

malvern soaring association

I see that the Malvern club were to hold an event this Sunday but due to "adverse weather conditions" it's been postponed. Is this an omen??? Tempted???

malvern soaring association

We have flown North Hill a few times now, in the summer, the lift on all occasions with an Easterly wind was superb. On our last visit we were treated to some excellent flying from an ME 262, it seems ideal for PSS. The walk is longer than CLD but not as steep in my opinion. I am pretty sure that North hill is the only slope the club fly from now, so best to follow the instructions on the website.

Have a nice time.................

Tally H  

Andrew  

I see that the Malvern club were to hold an event this Sunday but due to "adverse weather conditions" it's been postponed. Is this an omen??? Tempted???

malvern soaring association

When was sir thinking of heading up 'T' North (Malven) 

When was sir thinking of heading up 'T' North (Malven) 

This 'sir' has some unexpected guests for the weekend so I doubt I'll be out and about much :/

If you do go to Malvern, enjoy it!

I have posted Saturday's photos to http://www.ebley.plus.com/photo/?M=D

I have charged my Pegase and will fly it at Frocester today
Phil

A great morning of flying at Frocester, but where was everyone else??? Only me, Andy and Phil.

A great morning of flying at Frocester, but where was everyone else??? Only me, Andy and Phil.

Just got back. Am up for a fly tomorrow. Tempted by Malvern or anywhere else "local". Saw a few models up at Crookes Peak as we drove back. Not fussed where I go just as long as the lift is good. I need a PSS fix!!!
 

Just got back. Am up for a fly tomorrow. Tempted by Malvern or anywhere else "local". Saw a few models up at Crookes Peak as we drove back. Not fussed where I go just as long as the lift is good. I need a PSS fix!!!
 

How about Leckhampton? it does NE and East and you get some shelter from the wind, shame about the landing
Phil

How about Leckhampton? it does NE and East and you get some shelter from the wind, shame about the landing
Phil

I agree Phil. Leckhampton would be good but the LZ is a little too risky for something fragile like my DH-88. Also, I'm keen to fly different slopes so am up for alternative "local" suggestions.
 

XC is claiming ENE at 15kts tomorrow. The only other "local" slope would be Rodborough? I've never been to CLD, does that do this direction? There is also Malvern, but I couldn't imagine you would want to lug your DH88 all the way to the top! It's a damn long climb on the best of days.

I agree Phil. Leckhampton would be good but the LZ is a little too risky for something fragile like my DH-88. Also, I'm keen to fly different slopes so am up for alternative "local" suggestions.
 

Malvern is 45mins from me so it will be an hour each way from you. Is that 'local'?

I wasn't going out, but I am dead keen to fly that Spit...

If not Malvern, then where? I can sneak out if it's early enough - as long as I'm back for Sunday Lunch  

There are pictures about of 'CLD as seen from Coaley Peak (Frocester)'and 'Coaley Peak from CLD' so I guess it's sort of facing Frocester, which would make it Eastish. Never been there to check though - that side might be duff.

A great morning of flying at Frocester, but where was everyone else??? Only me, Andy and Phil.

Andy D, Tim and I arrived just after you left! It was good despite the sun!

Guy

Malvern is 45mins from me so it will be an hour each way from you. Is that 'local'?

I wasn't going out, but I am dead keen to fly that Spit...

If not Malvern, then where? I can sneak out if it's early enough - as long as I'm back for Sunday Lunch 

There are pictures about of 'CLD as seen from Coaley Peak (Frocester)'and 'Coaley Peak from CLD' so I guess it's sort of facing Frocester, which would make it Eastish. Never been there to check though - that side might be duff.

Na! CLD is for S or better still N.
NNE is about the decent limit but some say it works in NE....

AS I see it, with an ENE wind, the options for tomorrow are as follows:

Rodborough - no comments about it from anyone so either it's pants or nobody has actually flown it.
Leckhampton - good location, ok lift but pants LZ.
Crook Peak - smallest of the CP slopes. Unknown LZ. Mendip
Brent Knoll - small hill. Unknown LZ.
Brent Knoll
The Crest (Bwlch) - Legendary slope. Good LZ (apparently) if you know what you're doing!BWLCH
Westbury White Horse (Bratton) - nothing known but listed on the South West Slopers thread!
Malvern - good lift (apparently). Long walk - slopeside landings.  Malvern

Any suggestions . . . . ? Would love to see Paul's Spitfire and Tim's Hawk flying!
 

AS I see it, with an ENE wind, the options for tomorrow are as follows:

Rodborough - no comments about it from anyone so either it's pants or nobody has actually flown it.
Leckhampton - good location, ok lift but pants LZ.
Crook Peak - smallest of the CP slopes. Unknown LZ. Mendip
Brent Knoll - small hill. Unknown LZ. Brent Knoll
The Crest (Bwlch) - Legendary slope. Good LZ (apparently) if you know what you're doing!BWLCH
Westbury White Horse (Bratton) - nothing known but listed on the South West Slopers thread!
Malvern - good lift (apparently). Long walk - slopeside landings.  Malvern

Any suggestions . . . . ? Would love to see Paul's Spitfire and Tim's Hawk flying!
 

I'm game for Malvern. Here's a map of the car parks - I'd use the North Quarry or Tank Quarry car parks for North Hill.

Some of those sound an awfully long way away. Just how desperate ARE you? I've only got the morning so any further than Malvern is out for me really.

Many have flown Rodboro and there will be several out on Sunday AM, I'm sure.

I like ESE the best, though it's OK in E and ENE.

Lovely in the summer - very thermally...

Guy

Thanks for the info Guy. Is it suitable for a large PSS model do you think? The wind strength tomorrow is good so, as i've already mentioned, I'm keen to get out with one or two of them.
 

If not, i'm starting to think that Malvern gets my vote. Anyone know if the route to the slope is hindered by trees / bushes only i am to carry the equivalent of a fragile surfboard up there? 

Anyone know if the route to the (Malvern) slope is hindered by trees / bushes only i am to carry the equivalent of a fragile surfboard up there?  

It's a few years since I've been up there, and then I went straight up instead of using the path... I know the parking and route they recommend on the MSA site is longer but gentler than I would have chosen, although I wasn't carrying any planes!

Actually, having read the MSA description again, the good flat LZ is for Table hill (the SW-N slope) while the N-SE slope on North Hill is slopeside landings. Bah. (Although North Hill is pretty bleak - there's probably only sheep-cropped grass up there, and some gorse patches).

Maybe Rodboro is a better bet for tomorrow, if the LZ is adequate?

If you stick to the pathways, there are no bushes or trees to give you any grief. However, I must be one of the unfitest slopers around, because I had to stop to catch my breath a couple of times on my way up earlier in the year!! Mind you, I had my rucksack, plus a surfboard bag with my 2 mouldies to weigh me down!

I have also flown at Rodborough. It's not too bad if you are flying from the left hand slope/bowl, and landing isn't too bad, as long as you remember that the main road is lurking just over the horizon!

After all the fuss, the lure of seeing Paul's Spitfire is too much. See ya'll at Rodborough in the morning! Sleep tight!
 

After all the fuss, the lure of seeing Paul's Spitfire is too much. See ya'll at Rodborough in the morning! Sleep tight!
 

I didn't think I was definite but Rodborough suits me so I'll go for that too. See you all tomorrow. Is Stroud all roadworks yet?

I didn't think I was definite but Rodborough suits me so I'll go for that too. See you all tomorrow. Is Stroud all roadworks yet?

I'm with Andy - need to see the Spit 

Doesn't look like much of a breeze out there boys, enough to get a Beevo set up maybe? Could do with a hand from anyone at Rodborough later. Cheers, Ben

Sunday 8.55 AM
Pete & Bryan are flying on Rodborough, the wind is lighter than forecast although I can see the clouds moving
Pete is flying his 136 inch Eliminator
Phil

Doesn't look like much of a breeze out there boys, enough to get a Beevo set up maybe? Could do with a hand from anyone at Rodborough later. Cheers, Ben

No problem. Let's hope the wind picks up a little as Phil mentioned and the forecast shows.
 
See you there. I'm going to get there for 10am and should be there for a ciuple of hours if the wind is any good.
 

Thanks for your help with the setup today Andy and Phil, I'm really happy with the way she flew, and that I managed to land a few times without any disasters!   Can't believe how much lift there was with such a light breeze, roll on next weekend Cheers

A bit pants really. Like the slope a lot but the wind never materialised. Good company saved the day!

Here's Paul's Spitfire maiden. Nice one Paul, it looks the dogs danglers!

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx2sNJO3kno" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx2sNJO3kno</a>


Also, it was great to see Sparkyben on the slopes losing both his and his models cherry! Top stuff Ben! I've never seen anyone go solo on their first day of sloping!!! Couldn't believe how well set up your BeEvolution was. Inspired me to finish mine now
 

Here's Paul's Spitfire maiden. Nice one Paul, it looks the dogs danglers!

Also, it was great to see Sparkyben on the slopes losing both his and his models cherry! Top stuff Ben! I've never seen anyone go solo on their first day of sloping!!! Couldn't believe how well set up your BeEvolution was. Inspired me to finish mine now
 

Cheers for the Spit video. Have now reglued the rudder hinges, and patched up the air scoop under the nose - I think it must have caught on something fairly solid at the end of the landing - a frozen cowpat maybe? The landing didn't look that hard in real life or on the video, but there's a crack in the (thin glass) cowling and a bit of balsa came loose. Maybe the batteries shifted - I'll go and check it again.

I'll call it a shakedown flight 

Thanks for all the encouragement, and for the piloting in borderline conditions by Pete!

Did look like a soft landing so am also surprised by the damage too matey. Hope it's not too bad?

Have been cracking up at your avatar. Love it!

Did look like a soft landing so am also surprised by the damage too matey. Hope it's not too bad?

Have been cracking up at your avatar. Love it!

I've had a good look now - it looks as though the battery pack slid downwards and might have given the air scoop and the cowling a smack.

It will be more tightly secured for the next flight!

Asfor the avatar, glad you like it - it's a small section of a larger animated GIF and it took a while to figure out how to crop it. Almost every image editing package can only do it by unpacking every frame of the animation, cropping it separately, then sticking it all back together. Luckily I found an old version of JASC Animation Shop which can do it in only a couple of steps.

2010 has been good for flying so far, I have got out 6 times.
It looks like the west slopeof Selsley this afternoon, me & Guy are up for it.

I have posted my news letter at http://www.glos-mfc.co.uk/phil/news.htm

Phil

No wind today at all, unless you discovered otherwise on the slope Phil?

Bumped into Andy (Tiger) at Tesco and we are both planning to enjoy Selsley tomorrow, if XC have got it right! We could have two PeggySues airborne at the same time....

No wind today at all, unless you discovered otherwise on the slope Phil?

Bumped into Andy (Tiger) at Tesco and we are both planning to enjoy Selsley tomorrow, if XC have got it right! We could have two PeggySues airborne at the same time....

The wind was on the west facing slope at Selsley this afternoon, a few light thermals added to the weak slope lift.
The wings on my Starlight were icing, but it felt warm in the sun, the lift faded at 3.30.
Tuesday looks a bit windy for my Pegase
Phil

No wind today at all, unless you discovered otherwise on the slope Phil?

Bumped into Andy (Tiger) at Tesco and we are both planning to enjoy Selsley tomorrow, if XC have got it right! We could have two PeggySues airborne at the same time....

'sno(w) joking, we were..........................

What a great idea that was.

Tally H

Andy

'sno(w) joking, we were..........................

What a great idea that was.

Tally H

Andy

The best laid plans o' mice and men, Oft gang aglay

I have found a winter image for SCSA slide show

phil

What a great idea that was.

Optimistic foolishness as it turned out.

A little bit more optimism here, but I remember some great flying at Selsley last year after the snow.....Ah well we'll see....

A little bit more optimism here, but I remember some great flying at Selsley last year after the snow.....Ah well we'll see....

Let's hope we get the same this year. The winds for the weekend are good but Northerly. I know it's a long way off but has anyone got any suggestions re flying sites? CLD should be working and it does enjoy some damn clean lift but the LZ is, well, a tad tricky!!!
 

Let's hope we get the same this year. The winds for the weekend are good but Northerly. I know it's a long way off but has anyone got any suggestions re flying sites? CLD should be working and it does enjoy some damn clean lift but the LZ is, well, a tad tricky!!!
 

It's the walk not the LZ at CLD that you find tricky, tell the truth.

Anyway, I thought Selsley was OK for North through to West?

We really need to get the badge updated. I'll post a list and let people argue on here until it stabilises, then see what it looks like.

I wrote about the NE wind direction some time ago, it is posted at http://www.scsa.org.uk/news/april1.htm
with some contour maps

Phil

Anyway, I thought Selsley was OK for North through to West?

Unfortunately not. The face is just too far West for it to provide some respectable lift. CLD or Leckhampton seem to be the two local alternatives.
Would a trip to Malvern be worth it this weekend . . . . . . ?