Floater Jet Hill Flying

..chilled-out cruising

The journey into the hills to slope soar the Floater Jet on the strong westerly wind had turned out disappointing; the slope-facing breeze sliding away to the north with the Floater Jet barely for a few minutes. 

Soaring out of the question, I lay on the hilltop watching the clouds changing until the breeze had abated. With the sky clearing as well, I loaded a fresh battery into the Floater for a pleasant cruise around the slopes.

The sky cleared as I flew, with the sun coming through increasingly to bathe the ridge in golden rays and give some warm texture to the clouds. 

No lift of course, but nevertheless a leisurely twenty minutes flying, turning in to the ridge-top only when the battery was depleted…

Raptor Glider D-Box Pro 2000. 5 Star Morning

...gentle flying on a beautiful morning

Winter mornings are often dull and overcast, sometimes with drizzle, mist or rain. However, on occasion, they deliver outstanding sunrises and, on this occasion, a five-star morning with mist, pretty clouds, sun, blue skies and no wind.

I haven't been flying in the mornings lately as sunrise around the solstice comes too late. However, having missed my alarm on this particular morning, I assed the field with sky alight with the sun about to rise.

With the Raptor on board this was like receiving a written invitation, so I headed to the field. The cold winter morning air makes the Raptor extra floaty, so that with flaps down it approaches so slowly as to appear in slow motion.

And, with no turbulence, one is able to make low passes and low turns in absolute confidence, adding to the tranquil mood of the morning...

Dynam DC-3 Dakota 1470mm. Spectacular Sunny Afternoon

...a pleasant sunny afternoon

Monday morning was grey and miserable but, just to be sure, I packed the DC-3 and Radjet. This was just as well because, by lunch time, the weather had cleared to a beautifully sunny and mild afternoon and I would have been most upset to have been flightless.

Happily I headed to the field with the afternoon winter sun flooding the fields with warm afternoon light as it began to dip towards the western horizon.

The DC-3 is a docile creature suited to slow flypasts and modest aerobatics, so I spent an enjoyable quarter of an hour doing just that. I managed a really nice touch and go as well as a fast flypast.

Being quite slow I have been pondering a few possibilities to see if it can be made a little speedier, but we'll keep those musings for another day...

Canadair CL-415 1390mm. Scenic Outing at the Little Lake

...a bit more successful

Following on from my rather unsuccessful previous expedition to the lake, I returned a week later with the Canadair again for another attempt.
I find flying off water to be rather stressful, due mainly to the inconvenience of failure, namely having to the boat out to rescue the plane and then pack it all up again. As a consequence I am much more nervous and therefore tend to fly much worse than otherwise.

The Canadair is easy to fly and I can generally fly it off the grass, not dissimilar in nature to taking off from water, with little issue. The takeoffs on this occasion were, happily, more successful although most were still a little nervy and one, which didn't make it into the video, was absolutely awful.

One contributing factor is that you don't always get to stand near the plane like you do at the field, and as a result you are literally distanced. I probably should've just gone to the large lake where I could have launched from right next to the jetty. However the little lake looked so scenic with the clouds in the afternoon sun..

Winter Antidote: Fox Glider Having Fun

...perfect sunny afternoon

Friday was one of those days; the weather so changeable that one could literally not anticipate what the sky was going to do next.

Despite the dull conditions, that afternoon I headed out for a fly as things had settled a little. As happens more than occasionally, I swung the Fox in in order to setup the camera; the low afternoon sun had sunk just enough below the western clouds to that warm rays were beginning to hit the paddocks.



By the time I'd got the Fox back in the air and done a couple of circuits, the whole meadow was flooded with almost tangibly soft and golden afternoon sunlight. The beautiful clouds, a moment before hanging grey and dull, now came to life with luminous white crowns and deep grey shadows.

This is the perfect sort of occasion for flying...