THE
Model Flying Club
(Lowestoft)
All Electric Fly-In & Bar-B-Q
inc. The Tom Taylor Memorial Trophy
 
in association with the
 
Sunday 8th June 2008
 
Review
Words & Pictures by Andy McQuat ©
 
(Please click on the pictures to see a larger version.)
 
The week leading up to Fly-In was wet and miserable, constant rain had left the approach track muddy and slippery. The weathermen had predicted a few days of consistent rain, drying out on Saturday with a fine sunny day on the Sunday. Could they be right? We all know how accurate the forecast can be, but we had our fingers crossed.
Sunday arrived with the ringing of the alarm, and I pulled the curtains to see glorious sunshine, superb! My 9yr old son helped me pack the car with a couple of planes, tx box, chairs etc, and off we headed.
 
We arrived at the gate and was greeted by Ray who pointed us in the direction of pits area and wished us a good day.
The approach track was a little muddy, but the pits and runway were dry and looking superb. The grounds crew (Arthur & co) had done an excellent job of keeping the North to South grass runway well trimmed and smooth. The wind was Northerly with an occasional shift to North-East, everything was pointing to a good day.
 
Some of the Phoenix crew were just finishing setting up the Tx control and Bar-B tents when the first visitors started to arrive. Robert Mahoney from the BEFA was the first to start kitting out his model for the days flying.
Although probably the furthest travelled coming from Buckinghamshire, you have to admire Robert at being the first to arrive.
 
The smell of bacon was now drifting around the pits as Bacon Rolls were being prepared on the Bar-B. Needless to say these went down very well with all present, and many bods were strolling around clutching a Bacon Roll in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. The Bar-B crew of Pete, Jacqui & Sue were a very popular attraction throughout the day.
 
Once the Tx's had been booked in and BMFA insurance checked then people started the flying. There were models of all shapes and sizes ranging from 10ft spans to about 12" mini models. There's an inherent sense of camaraderie amongst the electric fraternity, and everybody seemed to be wandering round chatting about the aircraft or acquiring information about a certain set-up or just offering a helping hand to those that need it. There was one guy who hadn't finished building his project but had decided to bring it along to show all, before you could say "what channel are you on" there was a gang of enthusiasts providing all manner of bits to help get the aeroplane airborne on the day! That's team spirit!
Robert Mahoney, chairman of the BEFA brought a gorgeous scale job of an Aeronca C-2 "Flying Bathtub". Weighing in at 7kg and at 2.75m (108") span the model looked impressive on the ground and didn't look any less impressive when gracing the sky. Powered by an AXI 41/30/16 on a 6 cell 22.2v 4100mAh LiPo, pack Robert has had to use an old 7cell NiCad pack as ballast in the nose to balance it!
 
The Aeronca C-2 looked a classic on the runway, and her shape and size meant that you just couldn't take your eyes off her when she was airborne. A real classic, it's a wonder why this Aeronca isn't modelled more often!
 
Harry Brown from the Ormesby MFC was keeping things small with his scaled down "Lazy Bee". Harry had a prior engagement (Mrs Brown's birthday) so was unable to fly but did spend an hour wandering about having a chat. The Lazy Bee is a favourite of Harry's and he's had a few of them over the years, scaling them up or down to suit his current needs.
 
The electric helicopter contingent of the modelling scene were also present. With the advancement of LiPo technology and cells, models and brushless motors getting lighter by the month, the rotary wing fraternity is growing increasingly larger at a stunning rate!
This Blade 400 from E-Flite is a stunning little performer. With prices at about £260 the Blade 400 comes as a complete ARTF setup including all servos, 2.4Ghz receiver, LiPo battery & charger, and a beautiful Spektrum DX6i 2.4Ghz transmitter.
This one on the left was flown by the Phoenix's Eddy Didsbury.

The annual Phoenix All Electric Fly-In incorporates the Tom Taylor Memorial Trophy for the best turned out and flown model on the day. Some pretty prestigious models have been the recipients in the past, and the modellers have spent countless hours detailing their modelling gems to a very high standard.
This year the trophy was won by Dave Chinery of the Hayes & District Model Aero Club with his sublime 1/8th scale Fairey Long Range Monoplane.
Dave Chinery (right) receives the Tom Taylor Memorial Trophy from Daile Taylor (the late Tom Taylor's son).
 
Daile has followed in his fathers footsteps and is a firm advocate of electric RC flight.
I'm sure Tom would've been watching from the heavens and would have agreed with the judges choice.
 
The full size Fairey Long Range Monoplane had a majestic 82' span and Dave's 1/8th scale replica comes out at an impressive 123" (3.1m). The model weighs in at 14lb and is powered by an AXI 5320/20 motor turning a scale 19" prop on 21x 2400mAh NiCad cells (remember them?), this gives a comfortable 10 mins + flight duration (who needs LiPos says Dave).
The primary structure is wood with extensive use of various grades of plastic foam for the secondary structure. The model is covered in Oratex , with several other types and grades of covering (and paint) used for texture and effect.

Provision has been made for a sound system, but has yet to be fitted as Dave awaits an authentic "Napier Lion" sound file! A Working retractable radiator is also to be fitted.
 
The model was designed using superb scale drawings from the RCM&E planes service and authentic photos from the official Fairey archives.
   
The Fairey eases back onto the grass...
...to be recovered by Dave
 
Alan Bedingham from Wickford in Essex had this gorgeous example of the German Etrich Taube from the 62" Balsa USA kit. The model is powered by a B700 motor with a 3.1:1 gearbox with the volts coming from a 5cell A123 pack.
 
It flew a couple of "spotter" sorties during the day, but was intercepted on both occasions by....
...Dave Chinery flying his Flair Puppeteer.
 
Mock dogfights ensued and I'm sure I heard sounds of dadadadada (vocal machine guns) on several occasions, although neither pilot heard anything from where they stood. Funny that!
Another shot of the "Pup" as Dave brings her in for a greaser of a landing.
Depron foam kits are becoming increasingly popular due to the low cost, lightweight construction that can be easily sanded to shape. There were several Depron constructed models to be seen including this Eurofighter Typhoon from Foamyjets built and flown by Michael Hallam of Northrepps.
Not an accurate colour scheme but it was easily visible when this lively performer was zipping about the sky, and with the speed and agility of this model I think the hi-viz look was a wise choice!
 
Some of these depron kits look superb in the air and can be built and flown on a very humble budget. With servos available at less than a fiver each and brushless motors that return change from a tenner, you don't need a money tree in the back yard to get airborne. And with a bit of work a good scale like finish can be achieved.

A patriotic pair of WWII warbirds sat on the grass shouting "fly me"!
The Lancaster B.1 and the Mosquito FB.VI fighter/bomber variant with the perspex nose looked great parked on the grass, I was looking forward to seeing these semi-scale 400 class warbirds grace the skies. They were certainly creating some attention in the pits area.
This is Paul Cook's Mystic from the Pegasus Model's kit. With a 75" span it carries a presence in flight. Paul flew a few manoeuvres showing what a sprightly performance his model has. He's the manager of the local Hobbystores at Watton and in very knowledgeable on the electric scene.
Ben Coton from the Phoenix MFC had a selection of Depron kits to fly on the day. One of the more unusual was this semi-scale B-52 Stratofortress or "Buff" as some call it. Powered by a single pusher this 36" span flew well from a modest hand launch. The kit is a good buy from Green Air Designs of Norwich who specialise in self designed depron kits of both classic and modern warbirds.
On the left is Daile Taylor's "Boo!" A nippy little thing that blasted round the Phoenix field like a bat out of hell!
Converted from an old plan that Daile had kicking around his workshop, this thing was ballistic, and with no undercarriage it was hard to tell which way up it was after some mind buzzingly fast twinkle rolls.
The photo on the right shows Daile holding the "Boo" after the flight. Small isn't it!
On the left is another of Bob Mahoney's models. A super light vintage style high winger, that stooged around for ages while other models were launched, flew and then retrieved.
On the right is Eddy Didsbury's Cermark Yak 54. Eddy gave the Yak a thorough work out performing some impressive aerobatics before bringing her back to terra-firma.
Great models, great flying, great food and excellent company. These ingredients went together well and provided a great day out for all. As with any outdoor event we prayed for some decent weather, and for a change we got some. We haven't been blessed with much sunshine and calm breezes this year, but someone above must have been looking down and smiling upon us, I think maybe the late Tom Taylor put in a good word with weather gods. Thanks Tom!
 
The Phoenix would like to thank Anglia Model Centre and Green Air Designs for donating some excellent kits and accessories for the raffle. And an extended thank you goes out to the British Electric Flight Association for their continuing support of this successful event. And I'd like to thank the Phoenix MFC crew for their efforts in putting on this free day for the electric fliers.
I'm already looking forward to the 2009 event and hopefully we can be blessed with the same good weather.
 
Who Was Tom Taylor?
See Our Tribute to Tom.
 
 
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