Northern League Inter Club 4 th Round; Skelmersdale Sunday 27 th July 14.

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1 Northern League Inter Club 4 th Round; Skelmersdale Sunday 27 th July 14. For the start of the 4 th round in the event the hopped for windless conditions failed to arrive but that said for most of the day we had good amounts of warm sunshine and the breeze, although quite stiff at times was at least warm and in a favourable WNW direction. 14 entrants arrived to fly; 8 from the host club as this event was also the traditional annual club Thomas Lamb Memorial Scale Competition. As in all previous rounds this was a flying only event which I m sure contributed to several flyers losing their scale virginity on the day! The judges who were volunteered for this latest round were Dennis from the host club and Gary from Liverpool. Once they had set themselves up and decided on the flight line and centre the now familiar pilots briefing got under way at the conclusion of which flying commenced at just after 10am. The order having been decided by means of names out of the hat. 1 st off was host club member Barry Sherborne with his large all red Rearwind Speedster which has been scoring consistently well throughout the previous 3 events. Barry put in a good 1 st and a better 2 nd round flight although probably by his own admission not quite up to his own usually high and precise standards. Never the less good points were gained for himself and the club. Just about to take off Barry clears the throat of the Speedsters Moki 210 engine whilst showing off the knees that won the Whiskey last time out!

2 The Speedster low and slow over the strip completing the descending circle. Following Barry was Howard Parker again from the host club with his 1/5 th scale World Models [Steve Webb] Piper Clipped Wing Cub. Another now familiar model to participants of this event Howards' 91f/s powered model flew well but was again bumped around a little by the gusting and quite turbulent breeze as can be seen in the photo below showing the pilot and windsock [straight out at 90deg!]. 2 good solid flights paced him mid table after completion of both rounds with a noticeable improvement on his 2 nd round flight. Howards' well known Cub climbing out nicely from the take off.

3 And the man himself with caller Barry masked. Now that s concentration! Following Howard was Dave Sanderson from the Liverpool club flying a very nice Blackhorse ARTF Stuka which was much admired on the day. Dave flew the model to a solid mid table position after the 1 st round and could have done considerably better but for a miss and go around on the landing which cost him some valuable points. The model looks very convincing in the air and flies very well indeed. In fact it looked so menacing at times that I m sure many of us there were glad that it only had a practice bomb on board which was not dropped! I tracked Dave down at the mid session lunch break to get details of the model. It spans 73.5 ins. and weighs around 12lbs. Power is from an SC 91 f/s turning a 15x8 prop on Model Technics 10% fuel. The model has 5 channels, throttle, rudder, elevator, aileron and flaps and is around 1/7 th scale. Dave stated that although he was the pilot on the day the owner of the model, who was in the pitts with Dave assisting, was fellow Liverpool club mate Kim Clevin. Kim did mention how much he was enjoying these events even though not yet flying in them so let s hope this fires his enthusiasm to get stuck in and have a go himself before too long. Pilot Dave and Stuka owner Kim calling. Wow Kim that s even the stare of a Stuka pilot!

4 Pure aggression on a low approach. Thankfully the bomb is a dummy! And the view of a Stuka no one has ever wanted! If this doesn t get you into scale nothing will! Well after all that warmongering the next pilot to fly was Graham Green of the Liverpool club going for his hat trick of wins following 2 very successful days out in the last 2 rounds. Graham again flew his Cap 232 with the now super reliable Laser 150 f/s up front. In fact the phrase super reliable could equally be applied to pilot Graham who again put in 2 superb flights that at times left some of us wondering how does he do that? There is no

5 doubt that this model is the right type of tool for the job on windy days but fortunately for our hobby at the moment it s still down to the man on the sticks rather than allowing technology to do it all for us. Just a little background on Grahams recent modelling exploits; he has become a very enthusiastic indoor radio scale man recently and wouldn t you know it, he s winning at that as well. The bounder beat me last time out last winter at a BMFA indoor flying only scale competition flying a teeny tiny Tiger Moth. Not happy with that he also took the scratch built event on the same day with an own designed 4 engined electric foam Halifax bomber. Anyone know where I can get a cheap baseball bat?!!.. Grahams well known [and now feared] Cap 232 in action again. And the man himself [from an earlier file photo taken at Liverpool]

6 Colin Martin representing the Wirral club was the next man to fly and like Graham with the Cap had again put his trust in the Sukhoi SU26M which has served him so well over the past 3 events. All that can be said about this combination has been said already. The model flies very well, Colin pilots it around expertly and the combination of the two often leaves the judges struggling to find faults. This was the case again today and Colin again posted rock solid points from both his 1 st and 2 nd flights. Colin [left] looking on to see what the opposition can do after his high scoring 1 st round flight. Fellow Wirral club member Ian Bottell to the right also studying the current flight. And the Sukhoi that he flies so well.

7 The next Wirral man to go was competition 1 st timer Billy Bennett flying his 68 span Goldberg Extra 300. The model is powered by an O.S stroke and weighs around 8.5lbs. Billy runs the O.S. on 10% pro synth fuel and flies it very well indeed. The model looked very well in the air, no bad feat when you realize that Billy has recently had to complete an extensive rebuild of the airframe following a mid air which he says wrote off the wing. It s never easy when 1 st starting out on a new aspect of the hobby but Billy put in 2 good scoring flights and hopefully will have generated enough enthusiasm to want to put himself through it all again! 1 st time competitor Billy on the sticks with calling duties being performed by club mate Colin. And the rebuilt O/S 91 2 stroke powered Goldberg Extra 300 After Billy came his Wirral club mate Ian Bottell. Ian has flown in many events of this type over the years as has his ARTF Blackhorse Ryan. At 92 ish inch span this is a very impressive model and good value for money at just over 200 if you can still find one. A CRRC 26cc petrol 2 stroke engine is the perfect engine for this air frame. It has now become expected of Ian that he will do the business for the Wirral club at these events but that does not seem to phase him as he simply gets on with the job of scoring points. No exception to

8 that rule today as Ian put in 2 excellent rounds of flying to ensure good points again for his club. Ian striding out purposefully to set off on his 1 st round flight. And the Blackhorse Ryan about to level out at the end of the descending circle. After Ian came another 1 st time competitor at these events, Mark Lomax from the host club. Although new to the competition Mark is well known down at his flying field and is known to like a dust up or at least have a liking for Piper Pawnee crop dusters! This is his second, his first being the 80 Hangar 9 ARTF example which he flew until recently when he decided I want a bigger one Hmmm well chaps don t we all think that? Anyhow Mark sold the original and treated himself to another offering from Hangar 9, this one a little larger at 1/3 scale which comes out at 130. To power this beauty Mark has also treated himself to a Zenoah 80cc boxer twin petrol engine which he reports as being about right but not over powered. The model has real presence in the air and on the ground and handled the gusty conditions with ease. Mark has also fitted out a system of spray nozzles in the wing trailing edges to replicate the full sized aircrafts crop spraying capabilities. Experiments are still ongoing to perfect this function so we didn t get the chance to witness it at this event but it is one to look

9 forward to in the coming weeks. Mark was assisted by fellow Skelmersdale club member Andy Rigby acting as his caller. Andy must have been impressed with the flying qualities of the Piper as after Marks 1 st flight he decided to put himself down on the list and have a go with it himself! Both pilots put in good scores with the model with Andy just coming out the top of the pair and winning the Skelmersdale club Tom Lamb trophy for the year into the bargain. I wonder if Mark will be so generous the next time!!.. Marks 130 Piper Pawnee crop duster about to start it s take off run. This shot gives a good view of the under wing piping which Mark intends to use for spraying

10 The Pawnee rumbling through like the workhorse it undoubtedly is again showing the spray piping system. After Mark came Ian Cooper also from Skelmersdale club who was also having a first go at this inter club event. Ian should have been 1 st off but a thrown prop from his Pitts Python broke the prop retaining bolts and so looked like ruining his day. However Barry Sherborne offered the use of his Rearwind Speedster to Ian which allowed Ian to compete and compete he did. With Keith calling for him he put in two very good rounds on an unfamiliar model and just pipped Barry in the points race! Hopefully the damage to the engine of his Pitts will be soon put right and fingers crossed there was no hidden sinister reason within the engine for spitting the prop off. Ian at the sticks with Keith behind calling for 2 very good flights with an unfamiliar model

11 An all too brief glimpse of Ians' Pitts Python before the gremlins struck grounding it for the day After Ian had landed Mike Rawlins from Liverpool was next to try his luck with a new old model. That is to say new to the event but one that he has had and not flown for some years. You may recall that Mike has recently finished off a very nice Fournier motor glider which he flew at the Liverpool event. Sadly he damaged this model whilst practicing for the Wirral event and although he intends to repair it it will take some time. Today he flew his Kange models Cap 232. At 78 span it is noticeably bigger than Grahams when placed alongside it [what did I say earlier about men always wanting a bigger one?]. Mikes model weighs around 14lbs., is powered by a revolution 52cc petrol 2 stroke and is running a 22x10 prop. Considering his lack of practice with the model and the fact that following a broken prop blade when landing at the end of the 1 st round Mike drove home for a replacement [now that s a scale man!!!] he did a remarkable job to finish 4 th overall, a fitting reward for good consistent flying and sheer dogged determination. Well done Mike! Mike Rawlins of the Liverpool club with caller Christine on the flight line. Is it just me or should Mike be treating Chris to some sunglasses?

12 And the Cap 232 climbing away cleanly from a successful take off. After Mike it was back to the host club again with Rob Griffiths or little Bob as he was known before he shot up to his dad Big Bob s height! Rob has been dabbling with scale comps for several years now but has understandably had to prioritise recently as his education had taken up the lions share of his time. Today though he showed that he has not lost it with two impressive flights with an FMS foam P47 Thunderbolt that had no right to fly as well as Rob made it in the conditions. The model spans around 55 and flies on 6 channels which include flaps and retracts. Power comes from a 4 cell 4 amp LiPo pack which seems to give an impressive compromise of power and performance without undue weight. As well as helping the club score along the result will do him no harm in the chase to be this year s club champion. Well done Rob and hopefully, when the books allow welcome back. Little Bob preps the P47 with for those who know him his trademark smile.

13 Away goes the Jug, wheels up and just about to settle into its first flight. Up and over. Now who said young Rob was going loopy! As Rob landed next to fly was our man Fear, Keith to his pals which is just about everyone who knows him. Keith has supported scale flying in the North West for as long as I can remember. Today he was intent on giving the Skybolt another outing and has I know personally been spending a lot of time preparing it over the last week or so. Reports were favourable for the prospect of 2 good flights but wouldn t you know it the SC 120 f/s engine started to play silly sods and would just not keep running. Not to be discouraged Keith brought on a sub in the shape of a very nice electric powered Horizon ARTF Zlin which he has acquired recently from Skelmersdale ace electric flyer Peter Lythgoe. Now Peter has a well earned reputation within the club for preparing his models meticulously so you can be sure anything he has been involved with will be spot on. This also proved to be the case with the Zlin. It looks to be about 64 ish inch span and I would guess weighs around 8 10 lbs with the 6 cell 5 amp LiPo flight pack fitted. The model flew really well and coped with the breeze without any problems. Being a died in the wool scale man I suspect that the responsive [I ve

14 flown it so read twitchy] nature of the model in comparison with our more sluggish scale jobs may take a while to master. Despite that Keith put some good flying in with the Zlin and looked like he was eager for more so look out Delyn! Keiths' recently acquired ex Peter Lythgoe electric Zlin. And again. Is it just me or do you think this is where Mr. Foss got the idea for an Acro Wot!

15 And the man himself. Caught here calling for Ian but soon to be action himself! After Keiths' flight we had the last man up, Andy Rigby again flying for the home team. Andy had as previously mentioned been in attendance as caller/helper for Mark Lomax with his large Piper Pawnee but decided that it looked like good fun and so decided to roll his sleeves up and get stuck in and boy did he. 2 good flights gave him overall 5 th, the top placed Skelmersdale entrant and winner of the 2014 Tom Lamb Memorial trophy plus a bag full of points towards club champion. Well done Andy. There should have been one more Skelmersdale flyer, Neil Sherborne. Sadly for Neil some recent work on his engine appears to have not fully cured the unreliability and so he decided not to risk it and scratched from the event. Bad luck Neil but don t give up. Below are the final points and placings for those interested. It may be seen that Ian Bottell and Colin Martin, both from the Wirral club finished on equal points. Remarkably this is the second time in the last two events that this has occurred between 2 flyers. Fortunately I foresaw the possibility of this happening before the kick off and so it was decided [and announced at the pilots briefing] that in the event it happened the winner would be the individual pilot of the two with the highest single round flight score. By these criteria it was Ian who took 2 nd from Colin by 1 point. I m sure it will not smart too much as they both scored good points for the Wirral boys. Position Name Model Club Score Club Points 1 st Graham Green CAP 232 Liverpool nd Ian Bottell Ryan STA Wirral rd Colin Martin Sukhoi SU26 Wirral th Mike Rawlins CAP 232 Liverpool th Andy Rigby Pawnee Skelmersdale th Ian Cooper Speedster Skelmersdale th Barry Sherborne Speedster Skelmersdale th Dave Sanderson Stuka Liverpool th Howard Parker Piper Cub Skelmersdale th Rob Griffiths Thunderbolt Skelmersdale th Keith Fear Zlin Skelmersdale th Mark Lomax Pawnee Skelmersdale th Billy Bennett Extra 300 Wirral Remember only the TOP 3 flyers from each club score points towards the Inter Club League scores hence the propensity of zero s in the lower rankings.

16 The latest event results above now leave the season standings as follows; Position Club Points Brought Fwd Points Last Round [Skem] Total 1 st Wirral nd Skelmersdale rd Liverpool th Runcorn th Delyn Final Thoughts. Thanks firstly to the committee and members of Skelmersdale for allowing the event to be held on their site. Also a big thanks to all the Skelmersdale grafters who tirelessly work week in and week out for us to ensure we have a super facility at our disposal and especially to those who got the field in such super condition for this event. Much obliged chaps and for those who did not witness it on the day you were warmly thanked by all those present. Well that s 4 down and 1 to go for the trial year so it s time to be thinking about the viability of continuing into next year. There seems to be at least a significant number of those taking part who think it has been a worthwhile exercise and feel they would welcome the chance to go again next year. Of course the whole thing falls down without 2 things; they being the willingness of clubs to become involved and offer to host an event and the willingness of club members to get out and have a go at the events that our clubs organise for us. Armchair support is no good! Our next event is scheduled for 7 th September at the Delyn club venue in North Wales. This is a regular scale event that they host every year around this time and are always welcoming of visiting flyers so weather permitting pop along if you can. The event will be familiar to us all by now being run to the same basic rules as we have been flying all year i.e. the Traplet style events. I m sure that the topic of conversation will get around to plans if any for another bash next year so be having a think about it between now and then. That said this year is not over yet and by the look of the scores it s still all to play for! Well that s all for now. Thanks for all who have supported this attempt to get the event up and running and see you at Delyn for the finale. Alan.