I have found the Jeti range of speed controllers the best value for money, and no interference problems (Christo had a 30A Advance available at R550 - they retail overseas for about $80).
Some bad reports have been circulating on Castle Creations speed controllers, but the latest ones seem to have the glitching problem sorted out.
The Model Motors controllers (TMM) that Jonathan Spratley is importing are excellent, but the prices are a bit steep.
I have also tried the new Hyperion speed controllers (will be available from Cape Sailplanes shortly) and found them to be excellent - I am using one in my T-Rex.
The Align 35A controller imported by Aerial Concepts are also very reliable, and I like the heat sink attached. Makes a lot of sense if you are using 4 sub-micro servos, which puts a lot of pressure on the BEC.
There are a number of el-cheapos available locally, but I would not even touch them with a long stick. If you try a handful you may find one or two that works well, but I would not risk it in any of my planes (well, maybe in an old Shock Flyer.)
Even some of the premium brands like Aveox had teething problems - excellent service, but after losing 2 planes and having one on fire, you tend to become wary. Must admit though, the Easy Street catching fire in the air was very impressive - the separate battery pack that I had on board saved the day...
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Monday, March 21, 2005
Thursday, March 17, 2005
The Great Western Province 2005 Aerobatics Championships -- Claude Mackrill
ALL THE DRAMA OF THE GREAT WESTERN PROVINCE
2005 AEROBATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS AS RUN BY PIETER KAPP AND
A COOL GANG OF AERMODELERES & THEIR WIVES
HELD AT TIGERBERG MODEL FLYING CLUB DURBANVILLE ...CAPETOWN
12TH& 13TH MARCH 2005
2005 AEROBATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS AS RUN BY PIETER KAPP AND
A COOL GANG OF AERMODELERES & THEIR WIVES
HELD AT TIGERBERG MODEL FLYING CLUB DURBANVILLE ...CAPETOWN
12TH& 13TH MARCH 2005
Peter Kapp & his band of loyal slaves pulled of a brilliant Western Province aerobatic competition; brilliant from all angles...as aerobatic flying in the Cape has taken off & is doing double Immelmann's & snaps like u won't believe.
The judging panel had their hands full with separating the men from the boys but unfortunately there were no 'boys' ....so the task of judging became much more difficult, also there were areas of very tight competition, this again compounded the problem....Thanks judges for sitting out there & braving the weather & giving it your all...it is greatly appreciated by the flyers....The judging panel was made up of (they were all chief judges) 1st The Chief of Chiefs Christo 'Grootbek' Rust the judge with a built-in home entertainment centre, who saw to it that there was always entertainment on the judging line..... Then came Theo 'Hi Speed' Marnewick, followed the 'Quiet Assassin' Kas Hamman.......then the Old Man of aerobatics Willie 'No Nonsense' Krynouw.
The Contest director John 'The Boss' Cunningham had no problem in herding his troop of unruly pattern junkies into a well behaved bunch of pattern hooligans, rumour has it that he threatened that if they do not fall in line.... to tell the wives how much the models actually cost, This kept them extremely well behaved,
For once the CapeTown weather played along, Saturday morning was virtually windless, this took many by surprise as we Capetonians have no experience in flying in these windless conditions. In the pit area some pilots were praying for just a little wind to make it feel like 'Home'. Nevertheless flying got of to a good & early start with a large contingent of Sportsman flyers - even our new pilots just seem to know what to do - the ready boxes were filled at all times.
For once the competition was running ahead of schedule, so much so that we could fly 3 rounds of F3A, Expert & Advanced ...thanks to the slick coordination between of the CD John & Peter Kapp who is the clubs head 'honcho'
The one thing that was great about this comp was the level of flying; there were no 'bad' flyers so the scores were tight. In the sportsman category in the first round an early lead was taken by Anton Pretorius flying his Swallow. There was one flyer from CRF, young Nic Southorn who is being coached by 'The Woof Man' (his bark is worse than his bite) and supported by his Dad...A very proud dad indeed & rightly so....Just to digress here it seems that in our hobby there are lots of father son teams ...Dirk Van Ryhn (Snr) had developed a plane specially for his son, it's a mix of the now famous Swallow & Typhoon, (it has many innovative constructions) I think we will baptise it 'The Swaloon' ..Just as a matter of interest, if you are a father son team, don't call for your son - things can get pretty heated on the line....much to the amusement of the judges...the stress is just too much for us 'Ou Toppies' ...Then we also have the 'Smit Foundation', consisting of Josh the pilot & Louw the very able Mechanic & Jane (the boss of the foundation).....Then Kurt & yours truly....the no-good caller...on occasions we use some 4 letter words on the line that does not seem to be in the pattern...but like all teenagers he does not listen to his dad even when he is the caller. I believe that Dirk van Ryhn also had some flight line dramas - his 'Ou Toppie' got so carried away by Dirk's flying that he called the wrong 'stuff' ...I rest my case - a father son on the flight line is just too stressful.....
In the advanced Category it was a fight of two PRF members, namely Josh & Rodney...the same Rodney who took out a helicopter at last year's Nats......I'm proud of you ...Now in the expert Category we have an interesting situation Pieter Kapp was supposed to take part but rumour has it that he 'chickened' out (he has a valid excuse...But why should we believe him?) ...Gerhard Mitton took part with a pattern ship that must date back to the early day's of 'jet style' pattern - the kind that John Cunningham , yours truly & Digby Cranke of Bloem cut our pattern teeth on in the 70's...the faster the better.........Just to prove that pattern flying is all about skill, Gerhard, who flew 4 great rounds with this very fast, very basic '60' size ship that he has been flying for aeons, was in the lead right up to the very last flight (he is still flying with a Gold Series Futaba that has no computer 'stuff' ...what an amazing flyer)...Kurt on the other hand was flying a 'loan' machine - mine - & did well. I find it totally amazing that these young pilots can adapt to flying a 'strange' machines so quickly, Josh did the same at the Gauteng Champs by flying into 1st position with a plane Andre Stockwell loaned him as his Swallow's engine let him down.
In the F3A the competition was cooking. There was Nazeem 'Mr Perfection' Harris (a name he earned as all the aircraft he builds are finished to perfection) flying his trusty Alliance. And now we come to a very unassuming, quiet, calm, tranquil & reserved (I lie a lot) Mark Wolffe, flying the colours for CRF. Flying another Alliance.......A very pleasant surprise came in the form of a Vaalie F3A pilot Carel Germishuys who came down especially for the Comp, He happens to be a full size Boeing pilot, but has free time on his hands after some old fuddy duddys in the 1st class complained to SAA when he entertained his passengers by doing a 4 point roll.....these old well oiled 'old f**ts' in 1st class were very upset as their Klippies & coke spilt, their dentures fell out & their gazillion Rand 'natural' hair toupees fell of when he was inverted..... (in the economy class the seats are so narrow you get forced in, so when Carel was inverted they could not fall out) ..........guess what - a 'noga' Alliance.....Don't the F3A pilots have any sense of individuality? ....all they change is the colours scheme - they should take a leaf out of the Sportsman class ...variety is the spice of life...
Just one question at this stage: Why do all pattern pilots love blue? PRF's kit is blue, TMFC Aerobatics' team is in blue, Mark Wolffe's designer gear was all in blue..... If you did a snap survey of Pattern Pilots 'Fashion', Blue is the Black of fashion for pattern..... Now meanwhile back at the ranch in the 'Coffee-Huis' where the scores were being 'done' another drama was unfolding, The case of the disappearing score sheets - as Deidre (Nazeem's boss) & Jane (Louw & Josh's strategy consultant & nutritional provider) were entering scores, the computer would sometimes just reboot. It was found, every time someone wanted a cup of coffee, & the kettle was used, the voltage did a disappearing trick....soon they learnt that whenever anyone wanted coffee the scorers took a well deserved break....I must tell u that the scoring was so slick that by the time you switched off your engine, your scores were ready....Three cheers for the scorers. Also in the 'Coffee-Huis' working hard to keep the hungry masses fed were Lynn & Mary, who happens to be Willie 'No Nonsense's' wife, slaving over hot stoves to keep hungry Pattern Hooligans fed ......Thanks a lot Ladies.....
In round one in the Sportsman division Dirk flew very well to take an early lead, with Kallie & Anton in close pursuit, but in the second round Anton started to put his foot down with a stamp of some serious authority, Dirk did his best by flying some great scores but the ever confident Anton could not be stopped, and then Kallie came trailing these two. Nic Southorn, 'Woof Man's' protégé did well to fly into 4th place - under 'normal' conditions his flying would see him at least in the first 3, but Pattern is taken so seriously in the Cape now that you have to practice long & hard to get a good position......Mike Rabeling also had some bad luck with an engine that would not behave - it was suggested that as he normally flies near the nuclear power station, his engine has picked up a dose of Nuclear Radiation ...Marcel Viljoen from Worcester had some bad luck in his first flight but recovered well to do 50% plus flights with a small 40 size model - the Soprano. Just another example proving that it's the skill not the model that gets you the points... but a well trimmed model helps.... Now a new-comer to pattern from the PRF stable, Ozzie Parenzee did well for his first comp - one of his flights included a very entertaining & highly 'original' double Immelmann with a humpty bump & inverted top hat for effect, so low that he had some foreign objects in the wheels when he landed. Finally Johan Grove just had a heavy dose of bad luck, he flew a loan Swallow but unfortunately the motor was not run in properly & kept cutting....On the Thursday before the WP champs he 'planted' his own trusty Swallow, but as luck would have it, in CapeTown we are experiencing the worst drought in 50 years, the ground was so dry that nothing germinated.
........Vaalies better watch out - the Capies are coming for the gold.......
Now I must tell you this that Anton has a very innovative way of stopping his swallow from moving forward before take of ...he cut a serious flat on the bottom of the main wheels, so that they sit flat on the runway.....Now just a thought, if when cutting the flat, what if he had got it wrong & cut the flat on the top of the wheel, what a problem that would be .......Now Anton's innovation did not stop there.......he & Johan Grove did an impromptu Wind Dance on the runway, BUT unfortunately his Choreographer got things a bit mixed up & taught him the Haka with a hint of Toy Toy....The end result was that his engine kept on cutting in the totally still conditions........
Now in the advanced section we have Josh & Rodney both from Peninsula Radio Flyers. Josh, although younger, had the experience to carry it off, but Rodney had his fair share of drama. In one flight, when attempting to land, his throttle got stuck and then had to 'do' another practice round. Now his official mechanic Nazeem had some explaining to do - it was rumoured that Rodney stopped the last payment because of sloppy workmanship. To compound the problem, on the very next flight his tail wheel came off & nearly hit one of the judges. Lucky for him it did not go near Judge Christo, as Christo's mouth is always open & that would have been the last we would have seen of the tail wheel .......Then on landing, he accidentally hit the throttle - the aircraft lunged forward and Rodney & his trusty mechanic (Nazeem) had to do some fancy footwork to get out of the way.
Now after the judges kept on calling 'box', one rather astute caller realized that someone had put the end flag in the wrong place & made the box 30% smaller. This was soon rectified, and the flyers were offered the chance to re-fly. Kurt & Carel Germishuys took up the option & bettered their scores....
In the Expert division it was mainly a 2 horse race with yours truly bringing up the rear; Gerhard Mitton was in the lead all the way with Kurt following closely on his heels. In the last round both Gerhard & Kurt flew their hearts out - the score at the end gave Kurt the 1st prize by only 0.03%. I don't think anything could be closer that that..... Things are hotting up in CapeTown.... Now I have been practising hard for the last 3 months and came 3rd (last). How sick is this that I have to practise hard to come last - what would have happened if I had not practised? Perhaps 5th out of 3??
In the Masters division things got rough. Mark, Nazeem & Carel were fighting tooth & nail for position - in the first round only a difference of 0.4% between Woof Man & Mr Perfection - in the second round it narrowed even more to 0.3% Carel who was doing some excellent flying was flying a creditworthy 3rd place, only trailing by only 5%...the heat was on...but in the 3rd round Mark pulled ahead by 1.2%, and in this round Carel flew a very credible 70%. In the last round Mark pulled one out of the hat & flew a humdinger of a flight scoring 76.7%, & Nazeem a 72.9% flight,......... Good..... I'm sorry - great flying by anyone's standards; Carel flew a 69% flight. Flying of this standard from CapeTown is
going to make us a force to be reckoned with in the future.......
The Western Province Champs of 2005 was in all respects a resounding success...
Thank to Pieter Kapp, Willie Krynouw, Nazeem Harris & band of many slaves too many to mention, WELL DONE, we the flyers do not have a clue of how much organizing it takes to make a great event such as this. Thanks again from ALL the flyers.
The pattern flyers of the Western Cape region should build on the momentum that started with the well run Province & Nationals 2004 that was run by Jean Vos & Co, and then continued this year by TMFC in 2005. To all those concerned with the organization of these great events, a heartfelt thanks.
Pieter Kapp had mentioned that the Western Province Aerobatics Association is looking at awarding Provincial Colours soon, so come on all you Pattern Junkies, Colours will soon be up for grabs......Looks like our WPAA is alive & well & kicking butt. Please support the WPAA in any way you can.....We need sponsorship & slaves.....
NOW FOR SERIOUS GRIPE TIME..........Pieter told me that he had approached hobby dealers for sponsorship & advertising - all he got was an advert from Southern Hobbies & not one of the other dealers were prepared to support Tygerberg Model Flying Club with any advertising .......I think that this is a downright disgrace as we, the modellers, support their business's all year round, spending thousands of our hard earned Bokke with them. Without our support they do not have a business..... It seems they have no respect for our patronage as they are not prepared to support us with even a measly advert at such an important event, nevvermaaind a sponsored prize or two........a disgraceful state of affairs, methinks......
WHEN WE ASKED SOME SHOPS FOR SUPPORT, ALL THEY GAVE US WAS THE MIDDLE FINGER.
Now to all the dealers around the country a warning .....In future should you refuse a reasonable request to sponsor us in major events, or even minor events, we will have no option but to name & shame...... So be warned.... WE are forming the AEROMODELLERS Consumer Union.......So don't stuff us around...We WILL support you...if you support us......
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
SA Scale and Jet Masters 2005 -- Paula Denysschen
SA MASTERS
The first ever-combined SA Masters for scale and jets was held over the weekend of 5th & 6th March 2005. The competition was originally scheduled for Zwartkops, but due to a changing of chiefs in charge at the airbase we could not get permission to use the facilities. The venue was then changed to split venues. Static for both disciplines took place Saturday morning at Extreme RC Academy. The facilities they offer for static judging is of the best in the country. Where else can you place the judges to do static scoring in an air-conditioned environment? Static was completed by lunchtime. After everyone had lunch flying commenced on a very well groomed grass field. F4C as well as S.O.S was flown on Saturday afternoon. Flying was of a very high standard with no mishaps by anyone. On Saturday evening a braai was held in the Lapa next to the pool, another part of the top facilities of Extreme RC Academy.
The final positions for F4C scale was Koos Pretorius the victor, followed by Humphrey Le Grice and in third place Johan Ehlers Snr. S.O.S only had two competitors with Johan Ehlers Jnr in first place and second place was taken by Ian Edwards.
A word of thanks to Extreme for the use of their facilities as well as to all the helpers.
Sunday was used for flying of the jets and the venue that was used was O.D.I north of Pretoria. We also only had five competitors, three in F4J and two in Sports Scale. A stiff wind blew throughout the day but luckily straight down the runway. Flying was of a good standard with only Greg Casson loosing a canopy during his second flight. Freddy Kotze had a bad day with a none start in round one and an engine failure in round three when his Bay Turbine threw two blades on the Turbine wheel.
The final score was Mark Savage first, Glen Roberts second and Greg Casson third. Sport Scale was Malcolm Cameron first followed by Freddy Kotze in second.
Thank you to all the participants, judges, helpers and to Koos for doing the scoring. After a good lunch prepared by Adriaan we had a prize giving at which the team to participate at the 6th World Jet Masters in Hungary was announced. The team to go will be Mark, Greg and Glen and James Peel as the team manager.
On behalf of all the modelers I wish you good luck and trust that you will make South Africa proud.
The first ever-combined SA Masters for scale and jets was held over the weekend of 5th & 6th March 2005. The competition was originally scheduled for Zwartkops, but due to a changing of chiefs in charge at the airbase we could not get permission to use the facilities. The venue was then changed to split venues. Static for both disciplines took place Saturday morning at Extreme RC Academy. The facilities they offer for static judging is of the best in the country. Where else can you place the judges to do static scoring in an air-conditioned environment? Static was completed by lunchtime. After everyone had lunch flying commenced on a very well groomed grass field. F4C as well as S.O.S was flown on Saturday afternoon. Flying was of a very high standard with no mishaps by anyone. On Saturday evening a braai was held in the Lapa next to the pool, another part of the top facilities of Extreme RC Academy.
The final positions for F4C scale was Koos Pretorius the victor, followed by Humphrey Le Grice and in third place Johan Ehlers Snr. S.O.S only had two competitors with Johan Ehlers Jnr in first place and second place was taken by Ian Edwards.
A word of thanks to Extreme for the use of their facilities as well as to all the helpers.
Sunday was used for flying of the jets and the venue that was used was O.D.I north of Pretoria. We also only had five competitors, three in F4J and two in Sports Scale. A stiff wind blew throughout the day but luckily straight down the runway. Flying was of a good standard with only Greg Casson loosing a canopy during his second flight. Freddy Kotze had a bad day with a none start in round one and an engine failure in round three when his Bay Turbine threw two blades on the Turbine wheel.
The final score was Mark Savage first, Glen Roberts second and Greg Casson third. Sport Scale was Malcolm Cameron first followed by Freddy Kotze in second.
Thank you to all the participants, judges, helpers and to Koos for doing the scoring. After a good lunch prepared by Adriaan we had a prize giving at which the team to participate at the 6th World Jet Masters in Hungary was announced. The team to go will be Mark, Greg and Glen and James Peel as the team manager.
On behalf of all the modelers I wish you good luck and trust that you will make South Africa proud.
Monday, March 14, 2005
The Midrand Model Soarers Open, March 2005 -- Lionel Brink
This is not the official report, but rather my attempt at thanking everyone for such an enjoyable day.
The MMS Open was inaugurated on Sunday, 13 March with approx 20 participants from various clubs & provinces. We could not have asked for more perfect weather; thermals aplenty and even the birds were helping by pointing out bubbles that became "boomers". The 45 minute working time was generally relaxed & the 10 minute duration task did not constitute as much of a stretch as anticipated by those of us that had never attempted anything more than a 6 minute during a postal competition. As for landings, well let's just leave that out of the discussion for now.
Thanks to everyone for the amazingly camaraderie, friendly assistance, and good banter that we enjoyed throughout the day. I learnt so much just watching the experts making it look so easy, but realise the effort & dedication it takes to do so. To Mike, the CD, a colossal thanks for your passion for the sport & willingness to give up so much of your time to assist everyone else. Thanks to Ilma, the quick witted chef & chief photographer - who kept us going in body & soul for the day. Thanks to those who helped, including those running to fetch the winch lines, timing & even pointing out the good lift - for fellow competitors! Thanks to Mark for arranging this event, matrixing & providing the equipment for scoring. Thanks to MMS for making their field available & ensuring safe frequency control & flying throughout this event.
Finally, even a thanks, albeit rather small, to those devious individuals that came up with that landing triangle concept.
Kindest regards,
Lionel
The MMS Open was inaugurated on Sunday, 13 March with approx 20 participants from various clubs & provinces. We could not have asked for more perfect weather; thermals aplenty and even the birds were helping by pointing out bubbles that became "boomers". The 45 minute working time was generally relaxed & the 10 minute duration task did not constitute as much of a stretch as anticipated by those of us that had never attempted anything more than a 6 minute during a postal competition. As for landings, well let's just leave that out of the discussion for now.
Thanks to everyone for the amazingly camaraderie, friendly assistance, and good banter that we enjoyed throughout the day. I learnt so much just watching the experts making it look so easy, but realise the effort & dedication it takes to do so. To Mike, the CD, a colossal thanks for your passion for the sport & willingness to give up so much of your time to assist everyone else. Thanks to Ilma, the quick witted chef & chief photographer - who kept us going in body & soul for the day. Thanks to those who helped, including those running to fetch the winch lines, timing & even pointing out the good lift - for fellow competitors! Thanks to Mark for arranging this event, matrixing & providing the equipment for scoring. Thanks to MMS for making their field available & ensuring safe frequency control & flying throughout this event.
Finally, even a thanks, albeit rather small, to those devious individuals that came up with that landing triangle concept.
Kindest regards,
Lionel
Thursday, March 10, 2005
SA Scale and Jet Masters -- Paula Denysschen
SA MASTERS
The first ever-combined SA Masters for scale and jets was held over the weekend of 5th & 6th March 2005. The competition was originally scheduled for Zwartkops, but due to a changing of chiefs in charge at the airbase we could not get permission to use the facilities. The venue was then changed to split venues. Static for both disciplines took place Saturday morning at Extreme RC Academy. The facilities they offer for static judging is of the best in the country. Where else can you place the judges to do static scoring in an air-conditioned environment? Static was completed by lunchtime. After everyone had lunch flying commenced on a very well groomed grass field. F4C as well as S.O.S was flown on Saturday afternoon. Flying was of a very high standard with no mishaps by anyone. On Saturday evening a braai was held in the Lapa next to the pool, another part of the top facilities of Extreme RC Academy.
The final positions for F4C scale was Koos Pretorius the victor, followed by Humphrey Le Grice and in third place Johan Ehlers Snr. S.O.S only had two competitors with Johan Ehlers Jnr in first place and second place was taken by Ian Edwards.
A word of thanks to Extreme for the use of their facilities as well as to all the helpers.
Sunday was used for flying of the jets and the venue that was used was O.D.I north of Pretoria. We also only had five competitors, three in F4J and two in Sports Scale. A stiff wind blew throughout the day but luckily straight down the runway. Flying was of a good standard with only Greg Casson loosing a canopy during his second flight. Freddy Kotze had a bad day with a none start in round one and an engine failure in round three when his Bay Turbine threw two blades on the Turbine wheel.
The final score was Mark Savage first, Glen Roberts second and Greg Casson third. Sport Scale was Malcolm Cameron first followed by Freddy Kotze in second.
Thank you to all the participants, judges, helpers and to Koos for doing the scoring. After a good lunch prepared by Adriaan we had a prize giving at which the team to participate at the 6th World Jet Masters in Hungary was announced. The team to go will be Mark, Greg and Glen and James Peel as the team manager.
On behalf of all the modelers I wish you good luck and trust that you will make South Africa proud.
The first ever-combined SA Masters for scale and jets was held over the weekend of 5th & 6th March 2005. The competition was originally scheduled for Zwartkops, but due to a changing of chiefs in charge at the airbase we could not get permission to use the facilities. The venue was then changed to split venues. Static for both disciplines took place Saturday morning at Extreme RC Academy. The facilities they offer for static judging is of the best in the country. Where else can you place the judges to do static scoring in an air-conditioned environment? Static was completed by lunchtime. After everyone had lunch flying commenced on a very well groomed grass field. F4C as well as S.O.S was flown on Saturday afternoon. Flying was of a very high standard with no mishaps by anyone. On Saturday evening a braai was held in the Lapa next to the pool, another part of the top facilities of Extreme RC Academy.
The final positions for F4C scale was Koos Pretorius the victor, followed by Humphrey Le Grice and in third place Johan Ehlers Snr. S.O.S only had two competitors with Johan Ehlers Jnr in first place and second place was taken by Ian Edwards.
A word of thanks to Extreme for the use of their facilities as well as to all the helpers.
Sunday was used for flying of the jets and the venue that was used was O.D.I north of Pretoria. We also only had five competitors, three in F4J and two in Sports Scale. A stiff wind blew throughout the day but luckily straight down the runway. Flying was of a good standard with only Greg Casson loosing a canopy during his second flight. Freddy Kotze had a bad day with a none start in round one and an engine failure in round three when his Bay Turbine threw two blades on the Turbine wheel.
The final score was Mark Savage first, Glen Roberts second and Greg Casson third. Sport Scale was Malcolm Cameron first followed by Freddy Kotze in second.
Thank you to all the participants, judges, helpers and to Koos for doing the scoring. After a good lunch prepared by Adriaan we had a prize giving at which the team to participate at the 6th World Jet Masters in Hungary was announced. The team to go will be Mark, Greg and Glen and James Peel as the team manager.
On behalf of all the modelers I wish you good luck and trust that you will make South Africa proud.
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