...a ray of sunshine The weather this autumn and winter has been dreadfully windy, all the more remarkable given that this is usually the stillest time of the year and the opportunity I'd taken to fly off the lake in the still afternoons. However, there have been a few occasions when the gusting northerly has abated and yielded bejewelled afternoons, like this one.
Heading down to my usual spot, lovely cumulus decorated the vivid blue sky, the dark grey of their undersides vividly contrasting with the sparkling white of their peaks. As on the best late-afternoons, the clear horizon allowed a full spread of lush, golden sunlight to drench the lush greenery of the fields and add a sense of magical perfection to the scene. These are my favourite flying conditions, preferred to sunny mornings or even lovely sunrises, except for when I'm suddenly wanting to capture a special moment of exceptional light, or beautiful cloud formation, or ibis flying formation. Fortunately, in some cases such as this, I don't need to worry as I've got the video running and I can enjoy the moment. Flying the Raptor now is lovely, my favourite being it's red and white wings contrasting vividly with the blue and greys of the sky as it sweeps past...
...a pleasant afternoon out Sunday afternoon turned out sunny and mild, a nice opportunity to take the Raptor for a leisurely cruise around the field. With the local venue busy, I headed for a field at which I'd previously considered flying but never got around to going there. The field had had the grass cut back for some reason, leaving it with an interesting geometric finish, combined with its contrasting brown colour would make an excellent spot for a first FPV flight; you'd easily be able to find where home was!
Getting the Raptor out, I installed the Mobius atop the fuselage and sent the big glider soaring skywards. There northerly wind was quite mild but choppy, making the flight a little interesting when the Raptor approached ground level and curtailed most low and slow flying, which is can be the most fun. Nevertheless it was a lovely afternoon to be out, and floating a slow glider around is likewise a suitably relaxing occupation. The most anxious bit was a brief inverted flight towards the end when, pushing the Raptor in an inverted pull-out, I realised there was insufficient charge in battery to execute this power-sapping manoeuvre. Rolling the Raptor out, I pulled up steeply and came awkwardly close to a flood light pole, hitting which would definitely have ruined a lovely afternoon outing...
...serenity follows Yesterday was another miracle flying day. The morning was dreadful, overcast, drizzly and windy and, as the day progressed, the winds grew more ferocious by the hour. I had packed the buzzies, the Radjet and Rarebear, on the off chance the weather may ease, however by mid day I'd abandoned the idea of getting a late fly. However, by mid afternoon the wind had abated to a steady northerly breeze and, a little later, the sun had slid past the western extent of the clouds and illuminated everything in a rich warm afternoon glow.
Catching sight of the lustrous sunbeams as I pushed open the blinds, I deserted the keyboard mid-sentence and headed for the field. My usual spot was occupied by the advance-guard of afternoon sports practice, so I ended at my back-up field. The afternoon was glorious; clean-blown air, majestic clouds, emerald green fields, and all bathed in lustrous light from the late afternoon sun. The Rarebear got to go first, soaring through the freshly-laundered skies and looping as it does with the agility of a swift. I still only fly it on half throttle, which is comfortably fast, and occasionally at about three-quarters, which is excessively fast. Anyone who can fly this thing at full throttle must be a deity.
I was halfway through the Rarebear's flight routine when I was interrupted by strident calls from behind me, someone calling off their dog. Only looking from the corner of my vision, one does need to pay attention when flying, I saw a large dark-coloured dog bounding across the field heading straight for me. From the desperate sound of the voice behesting the beast to return, the yelled assurances it wouldn't bite me and the glimpse I'd managed to see of it, I presumed it must be something like an out-of-control rottweiler, so was prepared for a vicious greeting at any second. The dog arrived and I glanced down momentarily to know my attacker; it was an elderly dog, well greyed around the muzzle and certainly not ferocious by any description. In fact, as it's owner continued to yell, I was quite sorry that I wasn't able to give this friendly visitor the greeting and attention it deserved...
