Fun Fly 23rd August 2008

The second of our summer 'get togethers' saw a small but select group of modellers assemble down at Chouet for some flying, a chinwag some more flying and all rounded off with a bite to eat from the Bar B Q corner which is becoming an established feature of the site.

Because a number of members were away on hols etc, the gathering was small, but the weather was reasonable enough for some good flying and not too overcast for just standing around and chatting about modelling matters.

I am pleased to report that we had a good number of entries for the Aeromodel of the Year Competition, and the mix of ARTF with 'hand built' models made for an interesting voting session from the assembled members.

In the final analysis, it was the 'Rodeo' of Martyn Dorrity that was duly awarded with the honour for this year. Built from a plan, Martyn's model was a very fine example of the builder's art. He had even cut and planed his own balsa sheet and strip from rough planks he bought from my late uncle's supply of materials. The finish of the model was really very good and the colour scheme was 'right' for the era of the aircraft. Due credit must go to Martyn for producing such an excellent model and we certainly look forward to seeing his Lysander which he is in the process of constructing.

Second place went to Kevin Stephens with his 'Jet 1' model. Fabricated from Depron using a 'secret' method of Kevin's for bonding the artwork of the aircraft to the Depron, this small electric model is no slouch when it comes to flying. It is highly aerobatic and looks really purposeful in the air. Kevin's design is one of the first of a number of new aircraft he is in the process of developing, so we look forward to seeing the fruits of his labours in the not too distant future.

Third place went to Dave Wilkinson's 'Discus' - a really beautiful looking glider which was an ARTF entry. The standard of finish on this aircraft was incredible and I understand the price was very reasonable too, given the size and scale appearance. It just goes to show how far the ARTF market has come in such a short time.

Anyway, enough rambling from me, here are some shots which hopefully will show all the models off to good effect and also act as a reminder of the day's enjoyment.

The start of the day saw some members keen to make the most of the unrestricted flying times and this picture shows a good selection of models early in the day.

Kevin Stephens is seen here arriving with one of his two depron models, with Dave Vivyan's large CAP in the foreground

Dave's Xtra Wot pictured here is a lovely model and flies with great 'presence', the model is powered by an RCV engine which was a little stubborn to start at first, but submitted to Dave's efforts in the end and proved to be a fine powerplant for his model.

Here's a closer look at Kevin's own design models which feature his 'secret' finishing process. These are both good flyers and the little 'Jet 1' was placed second in the Aeromodel of the Year Competition

A quick action shot of Kevin's Jet taking to the air from his hand launch. A few seconds later it was just a speck in the sky such is the acceleration of this little model. However, it is very stable when slowed down and can perform some very slow and accurate flying.

Aeromodel of the Year Trophy 2008

Here's the line up of the 7 entries for the competition this year, and the judging by the members is underway. Points for appearance, finish and general 'appeal' are added to bonus points awarded to an entry for being own design, scratch built, built from a kit or plan etc etc. This is done to ensure a more level playing field in terms of the judging of different aircraft types, and has proved to be popular with the members who enter the competition as well as those who judge the entries.

As you can see, there is a good variety of models and it was nice to see rotary 'mixing it' with fixed wing, both powered and glider.

Eventually though, it was Martyn's model which took the honours for this year, and I'm sure you will agree that it was a worthy winner. Here are a few shots of the man and his model.

An excellent standard of finish was achieved using ProFilm and the colour scheme Martyn chose is just right for this model.

Martyn assures me that the pilot's uncanny resemblance to himself is entirely coincidental !!!

I'm not so sure - check out the moustache!

Pretty as a picture... well done Martyn for making such a great model.

I'm sure we all look forward to next year's competition event and I hear that there are quite a few scale and 'unusual' models already on the building board, so why not have a thumb through the plans handbook, or latest mag to see what takes your fancy; who knows it could be your name on the trophy next year!