Dynam DC 3 Dakota 1470mm. Clouds.

...beautiful afternoon

My favourite flying conditions, usually, are when it's sunny with interesting clouds. This afternoon was also quite windy and gusty, not unpleasantly so but not ideal for the Dynam DC3 which isn't as stable and docile as one would imagine.

Nevertheless, with developing clouds sweeping across the field, it made for a wonderful backdrop to cruising the DC3 around.

Despite twin props, the DC3 doesn't even approach being rapid, so full-throttle flypasts are moderately brisk accompanied by a faint high-pitched whine.

But it's still good to punt around, and of course looks the deal even if it's nastier to fly than the full-scale original...

Hobbyking Stinger 64 EDF. Sunny Clouds.

...beautiful sunny clouds

Some days flying is really good, especially when the sky is doing something special. This was one of those days, with bright sun, brilliant blue sky and more kinds of interesting clouds than you could wish for.

It was pretty breezy; a moderate southerly which quickly developed, but nothing too much to bother the Stinger. With its augmented stripes I’m more confident with the turns, and having it screeching across the fields and soaring into the sky is always a lovely thing.

Watching the video again, with the beautiful sky and the Stinger having fun, was certainly a tonic for the rather miserable weather of late...

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...

Raptor Glider D-Box Pro 2000. Afternoon Cruise.

...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...

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...