TOPIC: Peterboro Flying Aces 2022

The weather forecast for this prestigious event was pretty dire - stiff breeze and some rain - which may account for some notable flyers not being there.

This was a pity, as on the day the wind was light, the temperature 'just right' and mosly sunshine with some blessed cloud cover towards the end of the day. I say 'blessed'. as the warm sunshine did mean that the light breezes, helped by thermals, were quite unpredictable. This lead to some folk launching in the wrong direction, with not a few models landing in the trees and a fair bit of turbulence that could tip moodels - especially jets - over before they could properly get away.
for example:







Above: my normally oh-so-reliable L-1 powered F-100 scored 'nil points' in 'Profile Scale' for its flight on two occasions. It made an Ok flight (not scored in the competition) in mid-afternoon when conditions had setteled down. I don't think I'd skewed the launch ....

My new TSP Gripen coped better with the conditions - in fact it never 'landed' with the motor exhausted, which counts as a 'succesful' flight in my book) but the flight profile was severely marked down by the l'lawn dart' landings and the (to my mind spectacular and authentic) barrel rolls on the climb out. There's no pleasing some people!!

Meanwhile Daniel Rackstraw was doing well with his lovely semi-profile T-38 talon.

Definitely time for me to try my Skray, recently converted to TSP L-2. This is a large model, 38 grams or so, and, with a TSP L-2HP (300+ mN) up its tail pipe is climbed away beautifully through the turbulence, made some loops and wingovers, recovered and made a good, if downwind, landing. With its 9/10 for build and finish, this was good enough for Gold, with Daniel second. Luke Goymour, in his first scale rocket competition, made a great flight with his L-1 powered Red Arrows Hawk, took bronze.

In 'Authentic Jet Scale', both Daniel and I were flyingKK Mig 15s. I was undone by too powerful a motor that Daniel had given me (thank you oh so much, Daniel) and I broke the wing in a hard arrival; Daniel was able to glue his model back together after breaking off the tailplane (conditions middday really were quite tricky) and made a better (though still disappointing sortie, given what we know MiG 15s are capable of) to take gold.
Later Daniel's Flitzer made some great flights (landing high in a tree on one occasion) and I, after acting on Daniel's advice to bend up the thrust tab) had a really great maiden flight with mysemi-profile F-15.
Just a few photos:



Luke's TSP L-1 powered Hawk. This model has an unusually forward motor mount and coped well with the conditions.



I thought the Gripen deserved a better flight score ... I personally loved the barrel rolls, and the fact it recovered from these in the turbulence speaks well for its design.



The prototype F-15 climbed very high on a short motor run and glided well in a meandering fashion to a good landing. Profile scale just doesn't get any better than this!

So though there were few jet flyers at PFA (we missed several od friends - perhaps next year?) we put on a good show and hopefully demonstrated that the new motors, and models, are a really great way to have reactionary fun!

Apart from 'Jet Scale', there was 'One motor' Rocket duration. Both Luke and the estimable Bert Whitehead were flying QTs, and the fact that both had problems getting away with this tried and tested model showed just how difficult conditons could be.

The glide really had to be 'dead straight' to have any chance of the model getting above the turbulence. Luke risked this and was rewarded with a great flight - it was lovely to see this shapely model against the sky and still climbing - but he had a long, long retrieve!
This flight was good enough for Gold, with Bert taking the silver. However, I'm sure Bert, new to rocketry, has caught the 'rocket bug' and will be a awesome competitor next time.

Still on the subject of duration rocket planes, Gary Law, also new to rocket flying, made some great flights in the late afternoon with his new 'Pelican'.



Above: The Pelican. Orinally for Jetex 50, this is a lovely vintage duration model (plan available on request). Gary says he will replace the egrigious Blu-tac with some proper lead for next time.



Gary had built his 'full size' and it went well with a 120 mN Rapier (yes, I still have stocks!)



Above: Gary looking happy after some lovely flights. True, this was in the late afternoon when conditions had calmed down a lot, and it's a pity Gary hadn't built his second Pelican for TSP L-1 (he could have won duration, give a bit of expert trimming), but still, I think he went home very happy with his model and motors. I certainly was!

I'm sure there will be more photos to post in due course, so watch this space!

Thanks, Roger,
and well done - a solid performance with the Skyray...I was very happy with Hawk! Onwards and upwards

Sorry, I missed this in all the 'end of the comp' commotion, glad it flew well and that Gary was happy. Another recruit to the cause!

Note added by admin:

Luke not only ran a successful event, he also won the L-1 'one shot' duration competition:



Here, Luke launches his Howard Metcalfe designed 'QT for the winning flight. Conditions were quite tricky and the model had to be trimmed 'dead straight'. This meant a long retrieve!

Just got some photos of the event from Mick Page:



Above: Daniel launches his T-38 for a Silver-Award winning flight. As it's my design it would have been, to say the least, more than a little annoyed if he had won the event ahead of my Skyray! I think I just pipped him on landing points!



Above: Daniel launches the Cougar in an impressive cloud of smoke. This is quite a tricky model to trim and doesn't like being over-powered.



Above: As I'm looking happy the F-100 Super Sabre must have (at last!) made a succesful flight!

Some more pictures of this prestigious event, courtesy Mick page. I have edited these, so any lack of artistic merit is due to me, not the estimable Mick.



Above: the Gripen just about to do a spectacular barrel roll as it climbs through the chop.



Daniel looking for a safe place to launch his Mig 15.



I launch the Skyray for a good sortie. It is a larger-than-average semi scale model and needed all of the 320 mn of a TSP L-2HP to get away.



Brian Lever comforts me and tells me to be to be content with gold and silver ... I hope there will soon be a picture of Daniel receiving his Gold and silver awards, so watch this space.