TOPIC: Old Warden, September 2018

Greetings,
Oh dear, it turned decidedly moist. When Roger rang me at the turnstiles suggesting he wasn't feeling up to it and relating a Chris Richards no-show, I decided to persevere.

There was a breeze blowing but nothing of recent strength. A very brief look at very few stalls took no time at all.

I then bumped into Mike Stuart and we marched to the flying field. I stooged for Mike while watching some quite unorthodox flying machines including a cox powered xb70 and a flying carpet / tea-tray. I thought I'd try the ever capable alpha jet, thus I loaded a year old L2X and had a job lighting it by wicks. Eventually it spluttered in to life but gave little of the thrust it's famed for.
I got no more than an extended glide straight into the breeze. If at first... second motor refused to light but the third did. Best flight of the day, only waist height but almost a full motor run.

It had by this time started to drizzle. Those who thought it might pass stayed put but around mid-day it was obviously set in and worsening. I joined Mike and Chris Strachan in the museum hangars and given some reasoned info on the WW1 Flyers that I didn't know, such as the bungee rubber shocks on the undercarriage!? While in the shop I ran into the Digbys but the rain wouldn't abate so... abandon ship! There's always next year.

Andy

Thanks for the report Andy, pity it was so soggy, well done for braving the elements. At least you got one good flight in, always a bonus.
As I've not had the chance to light even one Rapier this year, you've got me worried about the state of my last year's Rapiers if yours proved so wimpy and difficult to light. Sounds like they are hydroscopic like the ones of old, I thought that had been fixed for good. Are yours this year's or last year's stock?
See you there next year hopefully.

Cheers Howard, today the rain didn't clear until afternoon so it's a no-no. The motors were July 2017 when dr z was last here. I fear you may be correct because they've certainly lost their zing. All the best.
Andy.

Many thanks to Andy for his report .... as Howard says, there's always next year!

As to the Rapier motors, it is still, unfortunately, 'pot luck' whether you get a good one or not. We are, at the moment, in a position where we have to take what we can get and fly models that we don't mind getting battered.
BUT ... on the back burner we have new manufacturers looking into Jetex 50 and Rapier L-2 analogues. These are proffesional and well-established organisations.

I hope to report on my liaison with these good volk (both are German) in due course. As they say, 'watch this space'.