CHRISTCHURCH AND DISTRICT MODEL FLYING CLUB

SLOPE SOARING WITH THE CLUB

BY MARTIN BURR

It all starts with a phone call to Brian. What does? I hear you ask, (I have good hearing ) where we are going to fly today thats what! Today it's a trip to the South East Slope, aka The Ridgeway, a gentle SE breeze is promised. So planes and sarnies are packed, (spare sarnies just in case) and off we go. It takes about an hour from my house in Mudeford, but it’s well worth the drive, as a lovely view awaits if nothing else. You can see for miles back over Poole bay, out over Purbeck and around to Corfe Castle. As you can see in the photos a few different types of plane will fly today, from a Calypso to a Zaggi.  The Calypso is Brian's (the big white sailplane) and he uses this in all wind conditions on the slopes. It is equally at home in flat-field events where it performs superbly from bungee or winch, it is a great all rounder capable of just about anything! The front one is my old faithfull, a Sirrocco, I built from a Roy Pitts plan about 15+ yrs ago it is only rudder elevator and it is looking its age now, but it still flies quite well in light conditions.

So what of the location then? (I hear you ask, or is that Deja Vu) As its name implies, it is the top of a ridge but there is enough room to land ok as long as you land a bit across the wind, there is a barbwire fence along the top and Cow Mines to catch the unwary! I have not seen anyone hit it yet so it can't be too bad. We also try spot landings and combat when we can, with the Zaggis! as this really helps with the flying skills. Trying to land on a Frisbee to score soon sharpens things up! And you won't believe how hard it is to hit a moving target when you want to. So if you feel like a relaxing trip, or a bit of light hearted competion one weekend consider Sloping Off !

[Home] [Chairman's] [Editorial] [Starting Out] [Dewoitine] [History] [Sport Glider] [Leonard B] [Sloping] [Trevor's Cub] [Rose Bowl]