Topic: I just caught this big Fox in the back garden!

Sorry but the system wouldn't let me post all the photos in one go.

Part 2

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and again . . .

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Wow, that's big!

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It's starting to lift already!

Video of the flight to be available very soon!

Part 3 follows . . .

I want one please, and i want it NOW

  Stuart.

Part 3

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Safely back on the ground after an excellent flight in marginal conditions - well done Simon!

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Pilot and owner debriefing

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Final post-flight checks.

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The Fox stopped just short of a patch of cow poo!

Part 4 follows . . .

Part 4

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One very proud owner!

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. . . and here's the man who safely piloted the Fox - great flight Simon!

That must be the biggest plane ever flown at Wrotham.  You've achieved a historic moment, well done.

Fantastic !  You must be very proud!  That plane is going to be awesome in a good blow!

Fantastic !  You must be very proud!  That plane is going to be awesome in a good blow!

Many thanks - proud but still a bit intimidated...

Glad to hear your Fox goes well too - do you have any video of it?

Simon

Sadly I'm very video illiterate, I really need to do something about that..

The one mod I had to do to my Fox, was to cure excessive wobbliness of the whole fin area.  An internal balsa former in the middle of the fin that went all the way down to the bottom of the fuzz cured that !  Still the best glider I own for flat inverted spins (ala full size):  it almost does them automatically if you fly up into a vertical stall and then bury the sticks in the corners as she falls..

Apologies to all of the Thurhnam Massive who I didn't get time to contact to see the Big Fox go - hoepfully Eric's video will capture the spirit of it...

Si

Here it is Guys - first cut - I've got a bit more editing to do and some more stuff to add -  I'll post it on YouTube later.

Simon's Big Day Out - First Flight of the FOX

Eric,
       thanks for putting the video up,Simon that is a very nice flying Fox you have mate ,
                     well done lads Euan.

 

Here it is Guys - first cut - I've got a bit more editing to do and some more stuff to add -  I'll post it on YouTube later.

Fox eaten by giant spider?   

Sorry about the dark mark on the video, but my wife dropped my camera and it seems to have damaged the lens group.

Si, Simon, John and egall232, thanks for the Thanks.

A shortened version of the video of the big day is now on YouTube.

It was originally over 15 minutes long and Vimeo took that OK and has had 83 views to date, but the YouTube limit is 10 minutes, so I trimmed it down to 9mins 58 secs!

First flight of 1/3rd scale Fox Glider

Eric

Excellent,
                 That is So cool m8 ,
               It looked like a little more Wind woulda been nice , But it was really nice anyway .


          And to top it off you got Gordon Ramsay to fly it ,  


             Bob


sorry Simon hahahahah

Gordon Ramsay!   

Simon

So when's YOUR maiden then Simon (W) 

Gordon Ramsay!   

Simon

Care to elaborate on the new nick name golden bo***cks ? 

Sry Simon  ,

         But at 5 mins 14 seconds on the video clip you actually are Gordon Ramsays Double , well almost 


                   Bob
                     

Sry Simon  ,

         But at 5 mins 14 seconds on the video clip you actually are Gordon Ramsays Double , well almost 


                   Bob
                     

Its OK Bob - I'm only joshing.  I've never thought of myself as a Ramsay before! 

Simon

Its OK Bob - I'm only joshing.  I've never thought of myself as a Ramsay before! 

Simon

The 5:15 frame mite need to make its way into the club newsletter 

So when's YOUR maiden then Simon (W) 

I seem to have hurt my back so badly (not by flying!) that I'm wondering if I will ever be able to maiden her myself Dercyck!
Seriously though when i'm better I'll be waiting for the the right day/place and the right people being available (I'd like Simon T there again really in case I need to hand back the tranny!...

Si

I seem to have hurt my back so badly (not by flying!) that I'm wondering if I will ever be able to maiden her myself Dercyck!
Seriously though when i'm better I'll be waiting for the the right day/place and the right people being available (I'd like Simon T there again really in case I need to hand back the tranny!...

Si

I'll happily help with launching duties, etc. if I can get away. Would love to see this one fly.

I'll happily help with launching duties, etc. if I can get away. Would love to see this one fly.

Thanks Deryck,  I'll let you know when it looks possible

Si

Count me in.

By the way, I doubted my ability to launch my Minimoa by myself, but it was no problem.  Paul W was right, you just run forwards and when you reach sufficient speed it just takes off by itself.

Count me in.

By the way, I doubted my ability to launch my Minimoa by myself, but it was no problem.  Paul W was right, you just run forwards and when you reach sufficient speed it just takes off by itself.

I'd like to see you try the Fox on your own!  (actually I WOULDN'T like to see you try the Fox!...)  I think the fact it's 5m span and 20 Kg means you need a helper!...

Si

Really, is it 20kg!  Omigod, my little Minimoa is 4.5kg! 

I carried the wings back to the car after the maiden and they were B-heavy!!

Well the Big fox flew again yesterday at Firle... fine looking beast 


































There's some video as well from EricF

Simon's big Fox at Firle Beacon 16-10-2010 - Part five

Brilliant photos again Jason - glad you caught the knife-edge across the slope! (4th from end)

(that was Simon Thornton flying it of course...)

Si

It was great to see it in the flesh at last.  It has amazing presence in the air.  It's a huge plane - I have a vintage glider with a fractionally bigger wingspan, but that doesn't look half the size of this Fox, which must weigh around twice as much and have twice the internal volume.

It means it flies in a wonderful scale way.  But the downside is that it becomes a team effort to carry it to the slope and launch it - not one to keep in the boot for a quick fly at lunchtime!



  

Brilliant photos again Jason - glad you caught the knife-edge across the slope! (4th from end)

(that was Simon Thornton flying it of course...)

Si

I caught knife edge in one of the video clips as well, Simon.

I've managed to sort out an edit method for these .mov files, so I'll string the 10 clips together as one and just have one longer file on YouTube.

I'm also going to let paulw have everything I shot yesterday and I'm sure he'll turn it into an epic production for the Goodwind site! 

Super Si. 
J

In case you haven't seen this, here's Andy Ellison's Big Swift on its first slope soaring mission.  Looks to be a very similar size and weight.  You'll be chucking yours around like this is no time, Simon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnjAixJPkAs&feature=player_embedded

!

Well Simon T was throwing mine around like that so hopefully I may be able to one day...

They are very similar sizes, although amazingly mine is slightly bigger and heavier (a mere extra 200mm span!) - somehow his looks bigger in that photo.

I think I'll do most of my practice on my 2.5m Swift which actually seems to similar to fly but with less energy retention but at the same time less botty-clench action!

Si

You've only had a good session if your botty muscles are sore and your knees rubbery..

They are very similar sizes, although amazingly mine is slightly bigger and heavier (a mere extra 200mm span!) - somehow his looks bigger in that photo.

The fullsize fox is 14m and the Swift is 12.7 m...........if youve got two models roughly the same size then the Swift is going to be a bigger scale ....a 1/3rd scale Foxey should be 4.66m   and the swift is 1/2.8   is 4.53 .....

In case you haven't seen this, here's Andy Ellison's Big Swift on its first slope soaring mission.  Looks to be a very similar size and weight.  You'll be chucking yours around like this is no time, Simon.

Not at Thurnham he won't ! I think that is the Great Orme, big coastal lift...

Not at Thurnham he won't ! I think that is the Great Orme, big coastal lift...

Yes, that was the Great Orme, though it wasn't exactly epic at just 20mph on the edge. It was enough to fly safely and work up a bit of energy but I'd have been much happier with 10mph more.

Nice Fox Simon.
I'm jealous of your landing area!
 

Andy

Yes, that was the Great Orme, though it wasn't exactly epic at just 20mph on the edge. It was enough to fly safely and work up a bit of energy but I'd have been much happier with 10mph more.

Nice Fox Simon.
I'm jealous of your landing area!
 

Andy

And I'm jealous of your big coastal lift Andy!

I love the Swift and the Fox - I have a small Graupner 2.5m Swift that I'm going to build up some confidence with.

Thurhnam is pretty restricted (the video of the Fox flying was on the South Downs Firle, not Thurhnam which is a much smaller slope) but the landing is area is very good again.

I think I will only try flying the big Fox at Thurhnam if Simon Thornton is there to supervise things!

Simon