Vloksrust midsummer trip 2010

Over the last 3 years between Christmas and New Year we have done this relaxed and informal slope soaring trips and so was the 2010 event. Every year as we set out towards Volksrust there is always the concern about the weather and lately even more so because of the extreme weather conditions we experiencing. So you can land up with no slope soaring possible at all or on the other hand the conditions could be perfect.

It so happened this year that we had a perfect day one on the North West slope and the next two days with very light and variable winds. It is for this reason that you have to take an assortment of gliders that can handle from no wind to a howling 40 kph wind. This means taking more than one glider and depending on conditions you could end up flying some of them and the rest could not even get assembled.

However what made this year’s planning more difficult was that after the 3 days on the mountain we were set to travel down to the KZN South coast to spend the a few more days on the coast and while we were there we were to meet my younger daughter at the King Shaka airport to spend some time with us and afterwards travel back with us home.

Before we left we had a small rehearsal as to make sure all of us knew what space were available as I had no tow–hitch fitted to my personal vehicle and therefore could not use my trailer. Obviously as you will see in the next pictures my plans did not worked out as planned.

If somewhere in the future you land up with a similar situation you could do what I ended up doing on the home leg of our journey.

Mid-summer Volksrust Slope Trip.

Main Article as published in the RCSD 22/1/2010

The Rockwell Aero Commander flying on the Vloksrust slope.

With the South African Summer in full swing, and lots of holidays around Christmas we once again seek the tranquility of Volksrust and the 1500 foot high inland mountain of “Tamatieberg” about 290km and three hours easy drive from my home in Randburg- Johannesburg.

This was the third year that we have done so, and so far the best in terms of perfect slope weather. Sadly, only five pilots attended the first group of slope pilots — 28 Dec 2009 to 1 Jan 2010 — but nonetheless we certainly had more than enough models to cater for most weather conditions that could arise during our four day stay.

We took around 1000 pictures between four of us and selecting some to forward with this article proved not too easy; there were so many nice pictures and you just do not know which to select and which to omit.

Preparation for the trip started about a week beforehand when I took all my slope gliders from their hibernation place in my garage attic roof to remove the dust and cycle the batteries for the up¬coming trip.

It is at this stage that you have to select which models to take with and which to leave behind, but over the last two trips I now find the selection process easier. I still ended up with eight gliders to take with, and a small trailer with lid and a custom made “wing rack” is a must to get the gliders safely transported.

We set off on Monday morning at around 6.30 AM the 28th of December, and the weather did not look too promising at all with 5/8 overcast and low clouds. This, however, started to lift and when we got to Volksrust at 9.45 AM “Tamatieberg” was just about clear with a steady and strong NNW blowing up the slope.

The plan was to meet up with Edmund and Sam at the guest farm (they had arrived on Sunday already), unpack our luggage and then ascend to the NW slope. This we did and when got to the main slope could fly straight away. My anemometer registered +/- 40 km/hour.

The wind coming up the slope was, how¬ever, very gusty and cold. Jochen Smit arrived at 12.00 midday and was also wise to leave his planes in the safety of his car and instead he set about taking pictures.

I must admit that I was very tempted to fly my Aero Commander first but played it safe and flew my Hill Billy and Glass/ bagged Zagi first. Launching in this wind proved to be difficult and on one of my launches with the Hill Billy it got totally out of shape, and it shot straight up for five meters, did a half roll to the left and nearly inverted before I could get my hands on the controls.

I managed to get it upright but at this stage the Hill Billy was heading 90 de¬grees to the original launch path and straight for the hip high bushes on my left. Just as I thought that I had it under control it flipped to the right and now with no height left only just managed to get wings and nose level as the Hill Billy flopped to the ground with luckily no flying speed left and minor damage to the fuselage. Jochen managed to take a photo sequence of all this and it still amazed me that I did not end up with a total write-off.

Landings presented similar problems but we soon adapted to the conditions. Once you were safely over the edge you had a ball of a time.

At around 4.00 we stopped flying after having our first fix of slope flying and by now the clouds were just about blown clear, setting the scene for Tuesday. I still had go Volksrust town and Jochen fol¬lowed Edmund to our guest house as this was his first slope trip.

Tuesday the 29th of December and day Two started out clear with very high clouds and blue skies.

Jochen was up before me at 6:30. At this stage of the day there was no wind and after my first cup of coffee I proceeded to rig my E-Tsotsi for the first flight of the day as breakfast was only scheduled for 7.30 AM.

Once again, Jochen set out to take pictures. With the white cloud as back¬ground I could climb out higher than normal and once up high cut the ESC and glide with no wind or thermals down. This is also the ideal time to confirm the still air trim and minimum sink setting on my glider. Three or four long motor runs will get you 35 to 40 min flight and in this farm type setting is very relaxing and a pleasant experience.

Shortly after breakfast we departed to the mountain, and from where we were to the top amounts to a 13km semicircle drive to the NW slope directly above the guest farm.

As we drove up the mountain we were treated with the most amazing and beau¬tiful cloud scenery, the air was clear with no haze or fog to spoil your visibility and I just got that gut feeling that it was going to be one of those near perfect days that you can dream of on the slope.

Once on top and the flag pole set up we could fly straight away again. The wind was coming straight up the mountain at 25 to 35 Km/h with no gusting. Better conditions I don’t think you can get here. To confirm this we were treated by a flock of 30 or so storks that were circling high above the slope and rapidly gaining height. I managed to get a few pictures of them with my camera set at full zoom before they disappeared out of sight.

Jochen started off with his two meter Tsotsi and found the lift too strong for it and switched to his F3B Shongololo and soon had it on the step whistling from the left side to the right side of the slope. I think you can safely bet your bottom dollar that you will see him back on the slope for sure. Unfortunately, Jochen had to leave back for home at around 3 PM.

During the day the wind stayed this way and at no stage did we have the lack of slope lift, and apart from our thermal and electric ships we flew just about every¬thing that brought along. This included the 1/7th PSS Rockwell Aero Command¬er and, like last year, I was just totally amazed with this plane’s handling char¬acteristics and flight performance.

On the second flight I had the privilege to put the Aero Commander thru its passes as a small group of paraglide enthusiasts formed an audience, giving me the feel¬ing that Bob Hoover must have had when he performed his aerobatic routine in front of the crowds with the real Rockwell Aero Commander.

The conditions seemed just too strong for the paragliders and after they left it were just Sam, Edmund, my wife Jenny and myself with whole slope to us. Sam managed to do her first solo take off and landing and later on launched Edmund’s Zagi.

At this time of the day around 4.00 PM the wind kept on blowing and I was flying my CMP Discus with the now experienced toy pilot “Teddy Brown” at the controls and after a perfect flight switched to the Hill Billy. We only stopped flying at 6.00 PM.

Wednesday the 30th of December the day dawned with no wind whatsoever and we made use of this time to go the local town of Volksrust to shop for the necessary odds and ends.

However by 12.00 PM midday we were back on top of the mountain and this time we had to move to the northeast slope before we could fly our Zagis in reasonably smooth lift. The wind direc¬tion kept on shifting to the northwest until we ended up on the main, northwest slope at around 3:00 pm and very light lift.

Thursday 31 December (Old Year’s eve) happened to be the day we had the lightest of wind for the whole week (5 to 10km/h). Allen joined us with his 2.2 me¬ter Fox locally build glider produced by Craig Baker, but unfortunately could not fly because of the lack of wind. Shortly after 3:00 pm we gathered all our mod¬els for a group picture and then disas¬sembled and packed them away for the journey back home on New Year’s day.

Early on New Year’s day I had my first flight for the year and also the last flight of the trip with my E-Tsotsi before break¬fast and the trip back home. Every one of us had lots of flying and one thing is for sure — we will be back at the end of this year, wind or no wind.

Estcourt Extravaganza! Distance and Coordinates

Thanks Guys for the kind words, it was a brilliant weekend at the slope.

The distance from my house (Wendywood, Gauteng) to the slope is 370 km's.

The coordinates at the slope-site are:

S 29 deg 01.962' E 029 deg 38.887'

From Estcourt, drive to Draycott and follow the road up the mountain, no need of a 4x4 (as some people are let to believe) easy access to the slope is at the end of the straight, to the right. (a path is leading off from the main road)

Ciao and happy flying.

A Great Soaring Weekend at Estcourt

Friday afternoon 30^th October 2008, having checked and rechecked the content of the trailer box, all the gliders and equipment are present! Now we can depart. After a pleasant journey we, my Wife and I, arrive shortly after 6 pm at the Blue Haze Lodge in Escourt. Already on the way the wind was blowing from NNW, a promising weekend of Fun-Flying.

We are just in the process of unpacking the trailer, when a car arrives at the parking lot with 3 “starring” gentleman. “Are you Michel?......You look like Michel!” says the driver. Colin, William and Marco from Durban are at the Lodge. After a warm welcome, we settle the meeting time for Saturday 9 am at the Blue Haze Lodge. Colin and his companions are staying at the Wagon Drift Resort.

Settled in at the Bar we wait for the other companions to arrive. First to arrive is Boris, shortly after, Wolfgang with his better half Anne. After the initial drinks, still at the well equipped Bar, we all have a good dinner with the appropriate bottle of “Veuve Clicquot”.

The next morning, after a good breakfast, all is ready and everybody present for the Slope-Venture.

A 20 min drive, then we are at the Slope. A wonderful African sunny day, a nice NNW wind and a beautiful scenery greets us at our arrival on the slope.

Wind speed varying between 20 and 30 knots, straight up from the valley………what more do you ask for!

William is the first one to launch his 2kg heavy “Pig”. In seconds it is airborne and starts to perform a kaleidoscope of aerobatic maneuvers. We are all watching and enjoying the air show.

The full interest is on the landing, with the heavy rotor and the somehow unknown ground effect, but easy does it, a nice approach from the left, put the glider on final and gently and gracefully place the glider at your feet. A bit of an Ace-Flyer, I say!

Then, naturally, everybody else is gaining confidence. Soon all the gliders are assembled. I am next with the Toko, then Boris with his scale Dg 500/22 4,5m and a Trinity, Wolfgang with the ASW 22 3m, an Eish and a Zagi, Marco, William and Colin with the respective “Slopies”. The show is on, turn, loops, roll, diving, speed runs, you name it, everybody is having FUN!

The wind has now increased, I measure and it’s pumping at 30 to 34 Knots, great!

I assemble the ASW 26 4,5m for its “maiden” flight. For this glider (approx 9kg of weight) I have in mind to use a catapult, as they use in Europe, two silicone-rubber 5m long tubing anchored on the edge of the slope stretched for another 5m and anchored to a quick release mechanism that allows the glider to rest on a launch-ramp and be released by pulling at the release cord.
Theory all well …… but practice?

Boris decides that the plane can be launched from the edge ,there is enough wind to get airborne. So, there we go, Boris as the test-flyer at the commands, I hold the plane with both hands and start running towards the edge of the cliff……..give a big push (as a 60 year old can give)………. Nose down?………..crash into the rocks! No big damage, a scratch here and there, the canopy hinge as become dislodged, otherwise the plane is fine. Boris is now giving me a lecture and as soon as the plane is ready again, he will launch it with the strength of a 20 year old!

With all efforts, help and goodwill, the big glider was ready for the second maiden-flight. Suddenly, on final radio check smoke and an electrical burning smell propagates from the one wing, a servo decides to cook-it-self. I now decide to pack the glider back in the box and play with the Toko and the Eagle.

Back to the wind, it is now getting a bit gusty, Verena and Anne have prepared a “Super-Duper” spread for lunch, only to be launched (slope-style), inclusive table (the lid of one of the boxes) into the air by a gust of wind.

Some repair has to be done to the vertical bracing of the awning. Marco and Willian are attending to the matter with hammer and ….. persistence!

The Durban Guys, Colin, Marco and William have fun as well, they brought 11 planes to play with, they are all “Slopies” beautifully coloured and perfectly built, it’s amazing what you can fit in a small Sedan, 3 grown-up people ……(grown-up and still playing with rc-models?)…..and 11 planes.

The sky is the limit, everyone performs all sorts of aerobatic and you can see from their faces that they are truly enjoying the fun.

Wolfgang has now the Eish into action and shortly thereafter the Zagi……(or was this the other way around? ….c.r.a.f.t. moment I guess!) Anyway, we are having Fun-Fun-Fun!

My Eagle takes off like a rocket, steady and just beautiful. I put in the fuzz about 400gr of ballast, the wind is still “pumping” and the plane is penetrating well.

As previously mentioned, the landing is no problem no incidents. There is such a great flat surface with short grass and no stones or bushes that could create a hazard, if you plan your approach well, you can land at you feet. I am happy to bring my plane safe to the ground…..say no-more!

By about 2.00 pm, Boris has to leave for home. We are all continuing with our fun. The wind, even after 4pm, is still blowing and does not seem to subside. Colin, Marco and William are packing up at about 4pm, Wolfgang and myself with our consorts are still holding on, it’s nearing sunset and the scenery is really not to be missed.

Suddenly, by 5pm, the wind is stopping and is changing direction, from NNW to S. It is, then that we call it “The Day”. The packing is done very swiftly and each helps where he can. By 7pm we are back at the lodge. Tonight is a big night, a big party, a big number………it’s my 60^th birthday. All the participants are present and even Allen and his wife Angela (The Lodge Owners) are attending. A nobel meal with joyful company, crowned by a magical day of flying.

Its morning again, and we are back on the slope. The wind at first marginal but taking on more and more strength. By 11 am it is BLOWING! 40 to nearly 50 knots. William “The Brave” launches his “Pig” and what a launch! The plane is “screeeeeeeming!” the elliptical wings of his “Slopie” are performing to the maximum. All of us are sitting comfortably in our deck-chairs and enjoying the spectacle.

Enticed by William, I assemble my Toko. William is launching, the Toko it has a second of hesitation, then like a rocket, starts climbing,…… nose down! Softly on the elevator, the speed is increasing, turn into wind, gains another 10 or 20 meters, dive, the little plane is picking up speed, whistling through the air, another turn, a repeated low pass, an other climb, ………I have gone toooo far, suddenly a gust of wind takes control of the Toko, I got it in the rotor that is developing, just behind the edge. Unexpectedly the Toko is uncontrollable, gets into a disorderly tumble and disappears behind the hill.

The search is on, what will I find? Some unrecognizable pieces scattered all over the place? A plane-impaled cow? Colin is the first to spot the shape of a possible plane, a long walk, and……… well, for what the poor Toko had to go through it is still…….at least recognizable. The wing broken in two, the fuzz cracked in few places, besides that still repairable! Marco, returning to the “airfield”, is showing great interest in the Toko. I sold it to him for 50cents! He has already sent me a pick of the initial repair!

The wind does not seem to soften, nobody is flying, Wolfgang and I are having fun with a Rock-Crawler-Truck, (everlasting-kids). The Durban guys are starting to pack. It is past lunch-time, and we all decide to pack up and some of us to take the long way back home. Verena and I are leaving only on Monday, so we have a comfortable evening at the Lodge.

I would like to thank all the Guys and the Girls for a wonderful weekend, full of laughter, fun flying and a great camaraderie. The sport of RC flying brings a beautiful bunch of fun–loving-people together with a great sense of humour! Last but not least, a big THANK YOU to my wife Verena for taking all the Great Photos!!!!!