Topic: rare birds!

I learnt on the Capstan, and my mates soarcer, Paul Foster taught me!cheers Paul.
I also had lots of Kwiksilvers (proper sectioned one), MM Avenger, Ridgerover, lots of Miniracers, they were fun, bit fragile in the fuz though, Trendsetter, Tallis, a few own designed stuff.

Ah happy days, or is it looking through rose tinted glasses!

Good thread
Started sloping (I already flew power) with Veron Impala but didn't like rudder elevator only. Followed that by Big Impala but didn't make a lot of progress until I flew my Kamco Kittehawk and learned a lot from that. Changed it to a V tail to try to avoid knocking tail off on landing but it didn't help much! Chris Foss Centiphase flew well as did my Solent Sailplanes Ridge Racer which I flew a lot. The RR is resting in corner of shed; it must be getting on for 25 years old and still flyable although it has had many repairs! I am very fond of my Ridge Racer; I realise now it need a lot more differential on the ailerons!

Built a (Sean Bannister?) Seychelle but it had a short life when I fell on it climbing over fence and crushed it to death 

Graupner HiFly too for light winds.

George

Airtronics Aquila Grande - anyone got a kit? Please?

Z

Dave Worrals Plus 3 - Veron Impala - Foss Mini Phase - FORCE FOUR.....now who remembers that beast ?

Learnt on a Vernon Impala, it taught 3 in our family to fly and try as we might, we just couldn't destroy it, dad gave it away in the end.

Then onto a screaming mini phase, great little model  until you got caught out by the tip stall, from there it was a Chris Foss phase 4, then 6. Wish I had built a 5 as well, especially after seeing Chris fly the prototype to 5th in the National F3B contest at Barkston Heath in I think 1977.

Always wanted one of Solent sailplanes gliders but they were well out of my price range. That said they weren't the strongest things around, I saw a one of Tony Bakers  big ones (countryman?) break up at around 1000' at a Malvern cross country once, bits of it were still floating down 5 mins later.

Then onto a screaming mini phase, great little model until you got caught out by the tip stall,

Yup, keep the little swine moving along to get the best out of it. I found the high AR made for an efficient platform and it seemed to hang on in there in marginal conditions really well. It wasn't very happy on small slopes with a tight or bumpy lift band. The R/E version was the best performer, thermalled well, lovely loops very barrely rolls (as you'd expect) and I even managed some very limited inverted flight with it.

How about a Robbe Vampir.

Got mine soon after I learned to fly.  It was a birthday present from the boss, so I've never moved it on.

Quite big at the time at 3.17m span.

Interesting sight in the air.  The elevon linkages are boden cable, hence a bit floppy so it doesn't give crisp handling, but it can get a move on.  I should modify it and put micro digis outboard next to the elevons, one day....

I once had a Seychelle made from the Svenson kit. The kit wood was Carp but the finished model was a much better flyer than either version of the Phase 6. It had a thin semi symmetrical section that gave it a good speed range but hardly seemed to handicap the inverted. I saw Sean Bannister fly his through a series of aerobatics at Primrose Valley one year when the rest of us were struggling to get enough leeway to loop thermal models.

A few others from the era - I have a part built Gold Cloud 100s kit & an unstarted Graupner Amigo II kit.  I'm hoping to build them before the spring but will be electrifying & doing a few other mods to them both as they'll be primarily for flat field flying as I gave my power winch away & I can't be arsed with a bungee.

Anyone remember the Mid-jet, a little free plan from an RCM&E glider special



I had a lot of fun with mine before it was demolished in a mid-air with an early mouldy flown by Pete Cubbit at Levisham (one of the NYMRSC alternatives to Horcum). I built a new one recently with a pusher brushless for slope or flat.

where,s me ellison in this thread ,he has loads of rare birdies!

I once had a Seychelle made from the Svenson kit. The kit wood was Carp but the finished model was a much better flyer than either version of the Phase 6. It had a thin semi symmetrical section that gave it a good speed range but hardly seemed to handicap the inverted. I saw Sean Bannister fly his through a series of aerobatics at Primrose Valley one year when the rest of us were struggling to get enough leeway to loop thermal models.

A few others from the era - I have a part built Gold Cloud 100s kit & an unstarted Graupner Amigo II kit.  I'm hoping to build them before the spring but will be electrifying & doing a few other mods to them both as they'll be primarily for flat field flying as I gave my power winch away & I can't be arsed with a bungee.

Anyone remember the Mid-jet, a little free plan from an RCM&E glider special

(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)

I had a lot of fun with mine before it was demolished in a mid-air with an early mouldy flown by Pete Cubbit at Levisham (one of the NYMRSC alternatives to Horcum). I built a new one recently with a pusher brushless for slope or flat.

Here you go Pat, a photo of mine way back when

Something else of mine, from that era, a BD5 brought back from Taiwan by our mate Jim Hammond.

Something else from then, I can't remember its name, was a hot ship. Egg shell Fuz made from chop strand mat ...white foam wings covered with obechi.
Anyone know anything about it

My Scale Salto from then...Bill Longly (Viking Models) Fuz

One of my homebrews from then, with canopy airbrake

another shot of the one with air brake

Another of my homebrewa on the winch line ready for launching

Is that a Flamingo..

I guess not as it would be standing on one leg..

No cant remember what/where I aquired the fuz...I usually got a Fuz and built around it.

Another of my homebrewa on the winch line ready for launching

This one has a Flamingo Fuz...moment arm was a tad short for the wing span though.

I wasn't talking about the plane

LOL that was a great dayglow all weather suit 

The one with the canopy airbrake looks like it could be an Algebra 7 fus. SB had one of his like that. I prefer the style of your wings without any sweep.  

Here's a few of my current Mid-jet. The flying shots were it's maiden at my local slope.








 

Hi Pat, no not an Algebra 7, it was a Proton Fuz, made by John Shaw, from Oxford way

The glass fus is the important bit. Very easy to make some foam venerred wings for it.

For those that dont know anything about the Slim Pig here is the listing that was on ebay. There's some information about it.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230402820347

Dragging up a 2 year old thread here.....

I think I'm the guy who won that eBay auction - the Pig was part built and suffered from extensive delamination of the wing veneer, but here she is now 

Looks good, has it flown yet?

I'm watching one of these on ebay at the moment, wierd looking things.

Robbe Vampir - first blood

John.

Re the Slim Pig, weren't they made by Steve Mettam? I remember he made a moulded wing 'way back' with ribs rather than sandwich material to support the wing skins. Also he didn't paint it so being translucent, it disappeared at altitude... Aah those were the days! Apparently

The slim pig i remember had a red glass fuss and mine had a blue foam/glassed wing, Abbo , can you rmember me flying it into a bath at the cloud lol.

Nothing wrong with dredging up a two year old thread on classics and antiques......

I have a Ridge Racer fuz in the garage, and one of Beenies from way back then too.

Allows me to ask again.

Anyone out there have a plan for Stefan Dransfields Minuteman?

Please?

Hi all
Seems to me that all the contributors in this string would benefit from visiting Ivinghoe for this year's Nostalgia Day  (which I organise) in September (we've already had visits from Gary Binnie and Gordon (GeeWhiz)
My write-up of the 2011 Nostalgia Day will be in next months RC Model Flyer BTW
PM me if you want a personal invite for this year, otherwise, especially if you just want to have a look and see what its like, just turn up on the day
Regards
Pete

Learnt on a Red Fred polyhedral floater bought ready made from Hethersay Models, Droitwich in August 81!
Since then have used & abused Middle Phase, Ridge Recruit, Chiltern Models Crusader/Creator, Ripmax Shikari, EMP plonker Sparrow, Super Snipe, Ridge Racer, Robbe Verso, Mike Smart Triad, Veron Cobra, SAS Agressor (still miss this one  ), PMP Esprit & Turbo Esprit, Mini Metro, Vagabond, Obelix, plan built BAE Hawk & L39 Albatros & others that I can't decipher in a 25 year old notebook!
Plus the IC planes, helis, cars, boats - luckily the costs remain a state secret

Hi all
Seems to me that all the contributors in this string would benefit from visiting Ivinghoe for this year's Nostalgia Day  (which I organise) in September (we've already had visits from Gary Binnie and Gordon (GeeWhiz)
My write-up of the 2011 Nostalgia Day will be in next months RC Model Flyer BTW
PM me if you want a personal invite for this year, otherwise, especially if you just want to have a look and see what its like, just turn up on the day
Regards
Pete

Pete "post 55" is one of my birds I sold to you...Thats Martin Smith holding it

Hi all
Currently in the hangar...

Veron Impala, EMP Algebra 2.5, Kamco Kittihawke, Austinair Trilogy 100", Obelix, Graupner Cirrus and Amigo,MPX Akro, Alpina Mk 1, MPX Alpha, Flair Sunrise, Foss Multiphase 100, MPX Flamingo Contest (being re-furbed) AND - WAIT FOR IT - an enormous Leprechaun(!) purchased last week
Didn't I do well!
Regards
Pete

My next project is to make a start on the Sitar Special kit that I picked up from the Nats last year (for £15)

Anyone got an untouched Calypso Cobra ?

In my hangar, flyable or nearly....
 
Graupner Amigo II and III
Graupner Cirrus
Radio Sailplanes Sirocco
MPX Fiesta
John Hancock Jubilee
Bob Hahn Lil'T S/C
VERON Impala S/C
Dave Hughes Soarcerer
Miri 120 (Thanks Pete  )
Ted Strader Gulliver S/C
Pat Teakle Norseman (when I finish the partial recovering)

Hi Gordon
Way to go! 
I hope I'll see a few of these at Nostalgia Day this year 
Regards
Pete

Back in the 1980s I had a few flights with my Dads wanderer 100s.  Then I got a Phoenix 100s which is what I learnt to fly on (about 1981).  I nicked the old mans Middle Phase.  The Plus 3 was stood step up, as was the Veron Vortex that joined the Phoenix.  When I got a Robbe Verso I just flew that all the time until I got a job and went Alpina mad.  Everything over 2 metres span was bungeed regularly too but I did get hold of Clean Machine for Open Comps.  The Verso was pretty unusual and it was joined by a Wanitschek Ger and a Hegi Skyline.  Alpina number one got an identical friend and a DG300 wreck was fixed up to join the party as aerobatic hack.  By the end of the 80's own designs were the slopers of choice.  Until we all went plastic and I stopped.  However I did have Sympa for a while, that was rare and..... Not the greatest.

I reckon I was very lucky to have some pretty unusual planes in the first 6 or 7 years.  The Verso was a great teacher but I reckon the time I spent walking up to the local park and bungee'ing the Phoenix rather than doing homework was time well spent!

Started with a Kamco Kloudrider, followed by the Radio Sailplanes Sirocco then the magical Middle Phase before going on to the really good fun Ridge Racer... several SAS Apache's followed (still have one just recently built plus a new kit unstarted but with the fibreglass fuselage).. then scale struck and started with the Multiplex DG300 a really great machine and for something a little faster but non scale, the Sig Samurai pitcheron model and the Multiplex Schampus.. Good days in the past and good to come with the renewed interest in the Apache's

Ive got the only flying Splinter in the world!!

Ive got the only flying Splinter in the world!!

Isn't that because you buried the other one in a bog somewhere?

Ive got the only flying Splinter in the world!!

and just because you've reminded me of the horrible pain of losing mine, may I remind you that you have the "slow" one 

Z

PS course we both know who has the slowest one eh George!

anyway, yay! any excuse to post my favourite video in all the world yet again LOL!!

Splinter DSing on the Skirrid

Isn't that because you buried the other one in a bog somewhere?

  Sorry Zim...