TOPIC: Salisbury Plain May 8 2022

While you guys were having a ball at Old Warden on Sunday I ventured out to Salisbury Plain to get some flying done in a bigger and more open space than the local R/C field. I flew four profile models, two of which were all balsa models, the Stratojet B47 and Vickers VC 10 and two mostly Depron models the McDonell Phantom F4 and the Vickers Valiant, all were L2 Rapier powered.

The weather was warm and sunny but the wind stayed mostly in the 7-8mph range with the odd slightly calmer spells. The grass was just long enough to be model saving at times but the ground itself was very rough to walk on as cattle had been out there for some period recently when the ground was quite soft so you were walking on the ridges made by the hoof imprints.

As the B47 didn’t perform well last time out here (well over a year), I concentrated on trying to get it sorted out a bit better to stop it spinning down on the glide. For some unexplained reason, I couldn’t see any difference to the model at all and it made some lovely flights on 140mN L2 Rapiers without spinning down this time, climbing steadily to a good height and making wide circuits overhead at times. I leave off the knock off engines so as not to lose them in the grass.

Likewise the F4 Phantom also behaved itself better this time out, however it was very sensitive to the size of the down thrust tab and took a few flights to get the climb just right as I went from L2X to the last of my L2HP Rapiers. Cruising round in wide banked circuits, it is a great sight in the air.

The Valiant, always a good flyer, performs well on a L2 LT but decided it would flight straight on the glide for a change so gave me some longer walks. Ouch that horrible ground surface, my feet hurt when I got home, I wasn’t the only old codger suffering either.

Finally I gave my pal’s undecorated simple balsa VC 10 a whirl and it produced the best flights of the day, for me anyway, it is a super looking shape in the air even if (or maybe because) the engines are missing. It flew the highest on a L2X and in tighter banked circuits, lovely stuff.

As I had spent some time during the week beforehand fettling my 4 AA cell igniters I had no troubles with ignition which made a nice change. All in all well worth the effort of a 90 mile round trip and will do it again as soon as the weather obliges, it is a fabulous flying site.


The London Gala was in full swing with only 3 of us sport free flighters.