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BARCS Open / 100S models of Yesteryear (Pre-2000)


Jef Ott

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Phil.Taylor

The gentle start of the 'mouldie' revolution? (Graupner Cirrus, 1976).

Simon

and its sibling the Graupner Cumulus - the gentle start of the ARTF onslaught ? - way too expensive for a penniless student - did anyone fly one in the UK?

Any Wildflecken owners out there? - certainly being flown in the early 70s. I got this one part built in 2004 & finished it off - built as 120inch version rather then the 144inch

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Phil.

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Phil - I used to fly a Graupner Cumulus about 30 years ago, it had previously been flown in many comps apparently before I bought it off a guy in Newbury who had to give up flying due to failing eyesight.  It was a lovely model to fly, rudder elevator, washout on the wing tips with upturned trailing edge stock. Used to spend hours on Marlborough Common with that and a bungee, can't find a picture of it though unfortunately  :(

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The 144" Wildflecken was definitely one of the models to have in the mid 70s, at least here in the south east.  Super Nova's flew very well also, although they were a bit more fragile.  And yes, people did fly the Cumulus - I couldn't afford one.  The Cirrus cost £22, and was the result of working throughout my school summer holidays.  But it didn't disappoint - It was my 'open' model, and I used a Phoenix (wonder wings) as my 100" model.  later I home brewed a much sleeker fuselage for the Phoenix wings, with a swept tail, and unusually for the mid 70s, I had a ballast box in the centre-section.  That was quite a high performance model.

 

Simon

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I used a Phoenix (wonder wings) as my 100" model. later I home brewed a much sleeker fuselage for the Phoenix wings, with a swept tail, and unusually for the mid 70s, I had a ballast box in the centre-section. That was quite a high performance model.

Simon

Those of you who don't know what a Wonderwings Phoenix looked like, here's me with mine c.1978. I traced the box art onto Solarfilm to do the decoration. It was a terrific plane, and I did well in club comps with it.

Pity about the photographer's thumb!.....

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......and while we are down memory lane, here's Mark and me at Levisham in 1985 approximately. That's Mark's first glider (Apex, I think) and that's my first full-on slope soarer (Quicksilver from an RCME plan). The colour scheme was devised to use available scraps of Solarfilm, and looks like it! It's clear from the bungee in Mark's hand that we weren't expecting much wind.

Those of you who know Mark will notice that he doesn't have a beard in this picture.

Levisham1985_zps1592e275.jpg

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This pic is of my Sharon 3.6m. Neville Warby owned it until this year, and flew it in the warm up comp before the first F3J W Ch at Upton-Upon-Severn in August 1998.

At this same event, one of the German team was hand launching a Sharon and getting away in thermals, while waiting for the slots to start.

A very capable and well engineered model.

Jef

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  • 3 weeks later...

At the BARCS Multilaunch Comp today in Lawford, there was a rather pretty T Tail model being flown by Russell Mexholme, it's builder. I think Russ said he constructed it in 1978. The model had been electrified, which I assume was a recent conversion. Someone said that it appeared in two sizes (open and 100 inch). Are there any other examples of this fine looking model still about?

By the way, the Sharon flew me out of trouble at the comp today. I broke the Calypso Contest coming in for relaunch, and had to rapidly convert the Sharon to 2.4GHz. I had range trouble with the ancient 35MHz Futaba receiver brick, which had been shoe-horned into its nose. So during the lunch break (brought forward at my request), I used the receiver from the Calypso in the Sharon then programmed my 2.4GHz Tx with the settings from my 35MHz Tx, and it all went OK! The old girl proved her worth in two consecutive rounds when I was pitted against the overall winner, Brian Austin. 

Great day in challenging airs, with some fabulous models of all types. I enjoy the Multi-Launch comps more than any other. What a shame there are not more of them.

Jef

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There were a few cameras at the comp today. Hope that someone caught Russell in action. I had a camera there, but was a bit busy either flying or "Dogging" (no, not that type of dogging, retrieving the winch lines) and timing. Almost every one of Tom and Trev's flights was a relaunch, and I was running to get the line back, so that the Fluhs winch could be used each time. 

 

And before you say it, I know, "Excuses excuses"! ;)

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Pictures here courtesy Jason Burns

Click Here

Great day with challenging condition's. The battles I had with Jef were interesting to say the least having flown in similar ones before with roles reversed. Seemingly in the same air his model kept climbing all be it slowly, whilst mine stubbornly refused budge apart from steadily gaining DEPTH!!!

As said have been in this situation before where I have been that bit higher and the person below cannot get away. But that is what makes thermal soaring what it is and all the better for it.

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Pictures here curtesy Jason Burns

 

http://s409.photobucket.com/user/jasonburns37/library/BARCS%20Multilaunch/Lawford%20050513?sort=3&page=1

 

Great dya with challenging coditions. The battles I had with Jef were interesting to say the least having flown in similar ones before with roles reversed. Seemingly in the same air his model kept climbing all be it slowly, whilst mine stubbornly refused budge apart from steadily gaining DEPTH!!!

 

As said have been in this situation before where I have been that bit higher and the person below cannot get away. But that is what makes thermal soaring what it is and all the better for it.

You are a great sport Brian. Words cannot describe the feeling I get when Lady Luck is with my model instead of yours. You will always be the better pilot, but I can still hope to 'get one over on you' every now and again.

Having been asked a few times what the Sharon weighs, I can reveal that it currently weighs a bit less than 6lb (2.690kg).

Just after buying the model from Neville (who told me he flies with quite a rearward CG), because the CG "looked" too far forward, I removed 30g of lead from the nose...

Today I found out the receiver I took out yesterday weighed 54.7g... the one I put in weighs just 9g. The receiver was/is mounted as far forward as possible, just behind the battery.

No wonder I was having occasional stability issues (thermal turns turning into spiral dives) until I added a 35g weight to the nose in the comp!

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EQFA members took all top 3 places, just proves dancing over the trees with a westerly keeps the concentration up :lol:

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  • 8 months later...

Old thread alert!

I picked up another Phase Lift late last year, very nicely built but with a fairly obvious deliberate mistake which I'm not sure what to do about!!

Ancient (period) servos including two linear ones (first I've encountered), the Digifleet Rx has been replaced with a Futaba one.

RS releasable hook, all part of the learning curve!

Yet to fly it.

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Ya gotta get up early in the morning to catch Graham out!!

 

Really not sure what to do, leave them or chop them off and glue some new ones on the right way round without the mod looking obvious.

 

Could build the extended span tips, might be easier.

 

Electrics seem to work fine despite the age.

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I picked it up from the builder and he was quite shocked when I pointed out the faux pas!

It's clear enough which way round they go on the plan.

Who hasn't made two left hand fuselage sides?!!

Chopping them off and carefully sanding back to the end rib that they butt to would not be too difficult but blending new tips in without disturbing the nice tissue and paint job with sandpaper could be tricky. I probably couldn't match the paint either.

If it drives me nuts I'll do something about it.

The Hi-Phase tip is near identical (unsurprisingly!), this one is the right way round! :thumbsup:

PictureorVideo206_zps84a2c16c.jpg

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