Hello from North Wales

[paulj]

Good evening all! Well, I was a BARCS member back at the end of the 1990's, but with work and other things getting in the way, I drifted away. Luckily I didn't sell my fleet, and now it is airworthy again, if a little dated. It includes a Pike/Pike Plus, an Eliminator 134, an Eliminator 60" slope pylon racer, and I am just finishing off a HiLite 60" HLG model. I will be rejoining BARCS again, and at some point may try my luck at some F3J / Open soaring. In the mean time, I will just enjoy a bit of low pressure sport flying!

If there is anyone around who still remembers me (I am not offended if not!!), I would love to renew acquaintances again.

Best Regards,
Paul

PS: I was in South Wales previously, but flew Open /F3J with the Soar Valley Soarers (Richard, Simon, Eric, Sarah etc).

 

[satinet]

There's no such thing as f3j or open any more unfortunately.

[Austin]

Open League is also still going https://www.barcs.co.uk/open-100s/open-league-tables/

[paulj]

Just paid my membership fee. I still remembered my BARCS number - not sure if that will be reinstated after the long hiatus! Suprisingly, the BMFA did reinstate my membership number when I rejoined them a few years back!

[paulj]

I suppose it depends if numbers were re-used when members left. It would be good to have my old number back, as I still have it on my charger box (why I still remember it!). I'm not so bothered if that isn't possible - I'll wait for @Austin's feedback

[Austin]

I believe members that return get their number back but actually the membership secretary deals with that. @PeteMitchell

[PeteMitchell]

16 hours ago, paulj said:

not sure if that will be reinstated after the long hiatus!

Thanks Paul, welcome back.

Your number was not on the database, but a paper records search found you

Need to get the dust and cobwebs out of my beard now, then I will get you updated, new card etc but retaining your old number

[paulj]

I have never "hidden" behind a forum name, but your right @pete beadle - it makes it easier for people to make the connection if people use their full name. Mine is Paul Jewell, by the way! In terms of my history, I flew slope soarers in South Wales with the South Wales Soaring Club, and participated in the F3F league, initially with a T tail ellipse, and then latterly with a Pike. I went to Portugal with the Welsh F3F team for the Viking Race in 2000 (I think?). I always had a hankering after thermal soaring, and built something like a Gentle Lady to fly on the playing fields in Cardiff, much to the amusement of my slope soaring friends. I joined BARCS and took this model to an open competition at Malvern. Second (not so gentle ) launch, the wings fluttered and gave up! At this point I decided to build an Eliminator 134, and started flying open competitions with John and Sarah Stevens, Eric Morrey, Richard Yates, Simon Thornton, John Hullet and other members of Soar Valley Soaring Association (whose names have slipped my mind). With work pressures, I drifted away from model gliders, but in 2004 I took up full size, based at Denbigh Gliding Club in North Wales. This was great - the site in Denbigh enjoys thermal, slope and wave lift. I ended up with a quarter share in an Astir II, and when Denbigh Gliding Club closed, I started flying out of Cosford. Unfortunately this was a three hour drive, and on top of a long day on the field, coupled with a 60 hour work week and a family, this wasn't sustainable. I never stopped looking up and wishing I was in the air again, so a few years back I dug my gliders out of the loft and started to get them back in an airworthy condition starting with my 60" Eliminator pylon racer. Locally in North Wales we are blessed with some great slopes.I am now working on getting the Pike airworthy again - the captive nut is no longer connected to the metal plate bonded into the v tail mount, so I am planning to make a replacement (with the nut welded onto a plate) and bond it in place.

I was a little sad to hear that pure gliders are in decline, but I can see the benefits of electric soarers. I have bought a copy of Brian's Watts New plans. I always enjoyed a good build - I have had one of John's HiLite kits since 2000 ish, so over the last three weeks, I built it! I may build a fuselage to go with the Eliminator 134 wings - this would give me a quick entry into this size of electric gliders (anyone else done this yet...?). I also attracted to F3K, so I have just bought the PCM Mini-Q which was in the For Sale section.

Maybe this triggers some others to remember me?

@PeteMitchell - thanks for digging - much appreciated! 

Best Regards,
Paul Jewell

[Darren_O]

Welcome back.
I fly the Orme every week with a friend. Missed the last few weeks as I'm moving house and everything's in a box in a basement. Going up tomorrow around 10am, very light winds predicted but SW so should be a bit of lift about for the light stuff. 
There's still a good few slopers in the area with a variety of models. 

[paulj]

On 09/01/2018 at 18:08, Darren_O said:

Welcome back.
I fly the Orme every week with a friend. Missed the last few weeks as I'm moving house and everything's in a box in a basement. Going up tomorrow around 10am, very light winds predicted but SW so should be a bit of lift about for the light stuff. 
There's still a good few slopers in the area with a variety of models. 

Hi Darren -  thanks for the message! Although I am working in Brussels at the moment (for Toyota, not the EU), I will be working in the Deeside plant for the next nine months or so so at some point in the not too distant future I hope we get a chance to meet. I haven't flown off the Orme, but I did pop up there on Boxing day as my Grandfather is buried up there. Although I did take a model, there as zero wind! Normally you will find me on the South Westerly slopes of Moel Famau - quite close to Mold where we are living.

[simon_t]

Good to hear from you again Paul - they were some very happy days down in Porthcawl and with the Soarvalley crowd!  Your littluns must be very grown up now.  Hope to catch up with you sometime.

Simon

[paulj]

On 11/01/2018 at 16:04, simon_t said:

Good to hear from you again Paul - they were some very happy days down in Porthcawl and with the Soarvalley crowd!  Your littluns must be very grown up now.  Hope to catch up with you sometime.

Simon

Hi Simon - good to hear from you as well! Ben is 24 now, and living in Birmingham, and Hannah is 22 and still studying in Manchester University. This year she is in Utrecht in the Netherlands on a Erasmus placement. I am working in Toyota, but currently based in Brussels and working in the manufacturing plants around Europe. I hope we can catch up at some point soon - it would be good to see you again!

[Lloyd_d]

Welcome back !