The Great Orme PSSA Fly-In – 21st & 22nd April 2012
Phil Cooke reports from Llandudno – photos by Sue Lee & Phil Cooke
The weather was wet when we arrived in Llandudno on the Saturday morning and the conditions looked worse than forecast as we met up in the ‘Tank Track’ car park. This was the first meet of the season, and with a good turnout of 10 modellers already on site with a number of new models lurking in peoples cars everything was looking good for a great event, despite the local weather at the time of arrival! Of course the showers did not stop the flying, the windspeed was more than adequate at 15-18mph although the direction of NW had the best lift to be found a long way out from the launch point. This meant the larger PSS models were more suited so they could still be seen easily whilst positioned securely in the band of lift, although saying that, all models were being tested as for many this was their first outing of the year and we were all keen to fly! By late morning the showers had eased and we were treated to some sunshine and blue sky through the cloud.
Rez Manzoori was one of the first to fly, keen to air his newly restored BAe Hawk T1 (left) from the Andy Conway plan. This model has been completely stripped and recovered over winter and now sits very pretty in the colours of the 2009 RAF Valley display mount.
Rez had cleverly used digital photographs of the full size Hawk to replicate the ‘torn metal peel backs’ of this scheme on his home computer. Once enhanced, these were then printed onto self adhesive vinyl and applied to the model with a clear top coat to seal them from the elements. The new scheme looked stunning in the sunlight, both on the ground and in the air!
Simon Cocker had arrived on site with a large trailer attached to the back of his car. In it was housed the mighty Antonov An-225 Mriya, once credited as the worlds largest R/C model in the Guinness Book of Records and without doubt the largest PSS machine ever built in the UK. This is not a new model, but the vast majority of its airtime has been logged at flat field aerotow events around the UK, and it had not been seen at the Great Orme before now. Finally then, the model, the forecast and Simon’s will power had combined at the right moment to get this monster out on the Big Rock… a major moment for PSS! The model was rigged and carried down to the slope edge with Simon leading a team of helpers (below Left) – afterall this is an 18 foot span, 65lb behemoth. Steve Kemp had obviously drawn the short straw as it was he who found himself under the CoG at the time of launch, and with a man out on each wingtip and one on the tail, the mighty Antonov was run down the gentle NW slope for a slow, but safe launch into wind. The model immediately found its own cruise speed, levelled out and began to climb away into a magnificent sky, the crowd of gathered spectators stood aghast as the white monster rose and turned cross wind.
The model flew gracefully and looked totally convincing in flight. (above Right) Simon displayed the model beautifully for 20 minutes or so with a number of low level passes for the camera before the forward access hatch blew open under flight loads which required a landing to address. The large hatch, hinged on one side of the fuselage proved impossible to close through flight manoeuvres alone, so the flight was cut short. Unfortunately as the model was turned in over the slope in preparation for a landing circuit the open hatch appeared to allow a huge amount of airflow into the cavernous fuselage, retarding the front section of the aircraft and causing the model to swing uncharacteristically about its balance point. This quickly saw the Antonov depart from normal flight and resulted in a heavy nose down arrival. Sadly the model was damaged beyond any repair that could be performed on the slope but we are hopeful that we will see the Antonov back out on the slope one day soon. Certainly the images and video we captured of the huge model in flight with its wings cranked over in the turns should inspire Simon to address the repairs shortly!
Matt Jones test flew his Grumman F-14 Tomcat, (right) built for PSS from the Art Tech EDF kit and it showed great promise. However the lift being generated on the NW face was not quite sufficient to get it away and the model was flown calmly down to a landing, over the road and into the lower field. Sadly a resultant broken pushrod on the swing wing mechanism put an end to further trials later in the day but this will soon be back and no doubt flying well on the right slope, right day. I for one am looking forward to seeing this model being flown on the right day when adequate lift allows Matt to swing the wings back for the camera!
Shortly after lunch the wind began to turn round through ‘The Point’ and onto the Westerly, then eventually by 4pm the most favoured South Westerly slope. Finally, with the sun shining and the wind blowing we were blessed with ideal PSS conditions and from this point on we enjoyed the freedom of being able to fly any of our PSS models. Simon rigged the big 10 foot span BAC Canberra and this was flown with gusto at low level up and down the ridge – this model weighs 30lbs and has a huge amount of energy when flown in this manner. We were treated to some very low passes and overshoots through the landing zone and over the pits much to the enjoyment of all stood (crouched!) watching.
The ever present Hawks and T-33s were flown on mass – both types revelling in the conditions but all models were landed out so the pilots could witness a very different type of model on the slope as Simon Cocker brought out his Russian Space Shuttle, the ‘Buran‘ – scaled to match the Antonov 225 (its mother ship) and to date untested off the slope. The model was checked over and felt good when I held it into wind on the edge (below Left). However, this is not your average sloper – its tiny wing area and bulky fuselage do not lend themselves too well to slope soaring, and I think part of all of us there were only expecting the model to glide smoothly down to the bottom. How wrong we were! The model went away nicely from the launch, and once trimmed on elevator it soared away beautifully in the lift generated by the SW slope.
The grin on Simons face was suggesting it was not only flying, it was flying quite nicely – and before long it was being flown with rolls and low level passes for the camera (above Right). We were all impressed with what we were witnessing, and talk on the slope quickly turned to question what other space vehicles could be successfully flown – X-wing fighters and the USS Enterprise immediately sprung to mind! Have we witnessed the birth of another PSS division??
We flew on until nearly 8pm on Saturday with the lift and the setting sun providing a perfect end to a busy days flying. We packed up and retired to the B+B with a group of us staying over meeting up for a meal and a couple of drinks in Colwyn Bay.
Sunday dawned and the skies were much clearer than the Saturday, we made our way up the hill by 10am to find a light NW wind again, so light in fact that only floaty sport gliders and electric assisted models could be flown. However the sun was out and PSS models were rigged and brought to the slope for a mass photocall, the forecast promised Westerly then South Westerly winds to come and in the usual spirit of PSS we sat enjoying the fine weather and the company on the hill. The weather gods did their very best to frustrate us, and it wasn’t until gone 4pm when we started to see signs of significant change. Once again, the wind swung round to the West, then to the South West, and as if a phenomena of the tides, the wind suddenly doubled then trebled in strength such that by 5pm those who had stayed on were enjoying 25 mph winds onto the SW slope.
Models that had been sat waiting patiently all day were checked over and scrambled hastily into the now ideal PSS lift! Andy Conway flew both his BAe Hawk 200 (a maiden flight I think from the slope – although this model has been well tested as EDF) and his venerable O/D Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker. This gave Matt Jones the confidence to test fly his brand new and immaculately finished version of the Flanker (Right) – built from Andy’s original plan and finished superbly in the colours of the Ukrainian Airforce.
Tim Mackey performed the launch and once away it was quickly obvious the model was balanced and flying well. After a few passes and with the model now trimmed, Matt operated his LED afterburners – these looked stunning, especially the realistic flicker as they cycled on and off. Enhanced by the chrome tubes in which they were mounted, the LED burners were visible from all rear viewing angles and they were very bright and powerful! (Right) A fantastic scale addition to such a model.
Rez and I had already loaded our heavier models in the van ready for the journey home, as they had sat idle all day in the calm conditions, but our Hawks were left on the slope awaiting the lift and these were again flown at length along with Tim Mackey’s Hawk until the end of the event. Simon Cocker flew his trusty HP Victor bomber at length and Dave Gilder test flew his BAC Lightning, converted to PSS from a power model and only finished the week of the meeting in an all over silver scheme. The model flew very nicely and appeared to have a good turn of speed.
All in all this was a fairly successful event with a good turnout of pilots and new models, admittedly the wind strength and direction did its best to dampen our spirits until mid afternoon each day but those who stuck it out really were well rewarded with perfect PSS conditions on the most favoured slope and over the weekend I’d say the vast majority of models brought to the event were flown. No competition was run as it was so late on the Sunday when PSS flying commenced, indeed some people had already departed for home. However as a fly for fun event it was clear we all enjoyed the weekends activities, even when PSS flying was not possible we kept ourselves well entertained with electric models and sports soaring flights in between the usual sandwich and banter breaks.
A photo album containing many more photos captured by PSSA members Rez Manzoori, Sue Lee and myself can be viewed HERE.
The next event is again to be held on the Great Orme, over the weekend 16th / 17th June. I look forward to seeing you there.