Radjet 800 EPO. Paddock Flypasts

...fast fun

Breezy afternoons don’t suit too many planes; of mine the pick are the Rarebear, Stinger and Radjet. This particular afternoon there was a fresh northerly blowing and I headed right into the paddocks, my favourite spot for speedy planes free of any obstructions making it great for low-level, high-speed flypasts.

I find the Radjet a very stable high-speed plane and able to handle wind with aplomb, so I had a great time speeding it upwind and downwind, always at full throttle as usual. Unfortunately, by the time I got to the fields this particular afternoon, the sky had got a little hazy causing glare.

As a result the video struggled a bit with the contrast and, although I tried to balance colours and lighting manually afterwards, it’s very difficult and the video still doesn’t look quite right.

Nevertheless, the flying is quite entertaining and the sky, although not as lovely as it had been earlier in the day, was still a lovely backdrop to the speeding Radjet...

Canadair CL-415 1390mm. Flypasts

...cruising past

A pair of paragliders were heading back to the far field, so I headed the Canadair there with onboard camera, hoping to get some nice footage. Unfortunately I didn't judge the closing distance too well and turned the Canadair back when it was still well off, the paragliders unresolved dots in the distance.

For the rest of the time I just cruised the Canadair around doing flypasts, enjoying the lovely afternoon. After returning from its initial sortie, I took off the camera and then hand launched it to conserve the battery for a bit more cruising around.

The resulting video was then a little unexciting, so I decided to play around with it a little, adding in some flash-forwards and colour-to-mono fades. Completing this slightly experimental video was a backing track with a little attitude, dramatic hip-hop according to YouTube.

Anyway, I had enjoyed creating the video...

Rarebear Morning Flypasts.

...still fun to fly

The Rarebear, despite having been crashed a few times too many, is still fun to fly. Now relegated to buzzing around on a 3S pack due to 4S being ridiculously fast, it provides enjoyment nonetheless.

The motor is an excellent unit, and the Rarebear's chubby form heading straight for you in a low flypast always brings a smile to my face, no matter how often I do it.

The elevator has gotten a little flexible of late, so I'm thinking of installing a small carbon rod across it to keep the climbs straight. The elevators could do with the same, actually, but for now they work OK, keeping the little buzzy on track sweeping low over the grass-tops of the paddock...

Fox Glider Flypasts

...fast and fun

The little Fox is certainly no common-or-garden glider; it has real turn of speed, as well as looking beautifully elegant in the air with its slender wings and short fuselage. Once comfortable with the Fox's characteristics, which doesn't take long at all, I was able to having flying steep banks and low passes over the field at speed. 

It's remarkable that this was possible on just its second flight; a testament to just how straight and true the Fox flies. 

The only concern with the fox, as I believe, is a propensity to spin at low speed. As such, I think I'll be treating the Fox as something of a speed machine, flying it well up on power for the most part and coming straight in for landings...