G, day from the Goldfields.

This will be my last contribution for a while as I am shifting my priority to my other major hobby after a few years of fairly intense and enjoyable participation in Aero-modelling. My interest in old machinery restoration started around the same time as my interest in Aero-modelling. I was about twelve years old when I started restoring a 1936 Lanz Bulldog tractor, a task that still has not been fully completed to this day. If only my Aircraft lasted as long as my old stuff! Over the years I have collected a fair amount of old gear, from stationary engines to my latest acquisition, a 1934 International C20 truck and only recently I realised that if I didn’t get serious about restoration I would never complete enough to justify the collection. Truth be known, I would have to work 24/7 for the next 200 years to finish it all and of course there are all the wonderful machines still to find……….but I digress.

One of our newer members, Jarrad Brown, has kindly offered (“volunteered”) to take over the position of PR officer for the Goldfields Aero-modellers and I commend him to you.

My last happy task is to tell you about my recent holiday to Esperance, which as you will not be surprised to hear, involved a lot of flying time. Santa was very thoughtful and supplied me with a full EPP Zagi slope soarer kit three weeks before we were due to go, allowing me plenty of time to assemble and test it before committing it to the tough Esperance coastline. Santa has great taste. The Zagi performed faultlessly and handled countless landings in very rough scrub without receiving as much as a scratch. Another attribute of the Zagi is its size and shape, allowing it to be placed on the back window ledge of a very crowded vehicle for easy transport. It handled conditions from booming almost unlimited areas of lift as found out towards Observatory point to flying off a five metre slope directly down from the Bathers Paradise caravan park. I flew it almost every day, totally justifying the initial high cost of the kit. It will be a very important part of our holiday equipment for many years to come. No noise, no oily mess and the flight area scenery just spectacular. One of my favourite spots to fly is from a park bench above the western end of West Beach, directly above a cycle way that has been recently built along the first five kilometres of coastline. The greatest danger periods for the Zagi where undoubtedly as the occasional scantily dressed jogger of the female persuasion bounced past, panting up the hill! Forget flies behind your glasses or standing on an ants nest, THAT is a real test of concentration and willpower. (I guess you could always invest in a lost model alarm?)

Our holiday break incorporated three Sundays, two of those were suitable for flying power models, the first was a little windy but the last was a beauty. I was fortunate enough to re-acquaint myself with the members of the Esperance Club out at their ever improving Shark Lake field. It was a pleasure to catch up with Phil Blake and Bruce King, two old friends of mine from my earlier days in Esperance. Neither of these guys are mellowing with age and fly as hard or harder now than they ever did. It would be impossible for Bruce to fly any lower inverted than he does so he compensates by just doing it ever faster. Phil is no shrinking violet either and I had a great time on my last Sunday trying to get on his tail during three rounds of impromptu combat. Another Goldfields ‘lad’, Ray Harding, was a willing accomplice in these proceedings, flying a SPAD Friday Night Special. Ray was down on holidays in Esperance as well, allowing us to put up a good show for the small crowd on hand. Incidentally, Ray tried his hand with the Zagi over West Beach also and took to it like a duck to water. Fortunately his powers of concentration are better than mine!

I was lucky enough to witness the maiden flight of a new large aircraft built from scratch by John Kent on my first Sunday. John has used his time back in Esperance during his break from work to build a beautiful large Gipsy Moth, powered by a .60 LA . After the usual nervous assembly (well concealed by John, I must admit), compounded by the less than ideal windy weather, the model took to the air under the capable guidance of Phil and proved up to the task, looking for the world like the real thing as it bobbed around the sky. After a good spell behind the sticks by Phil and John the model was put back on the ground, but not without some hairy moments during the approach. The maiden successfully out of the way, John wisely decided to pack the Gipsy Moth away for a better day. A great looking plane and well built. Well done John. Thanks to the Esperance Club for your hospitality, see you next year.

 

I am not giving aero-modelling away altogether and look forward to catching up with some of my many friends I have made around the country through Aero-modelling in the future. Along with the other Goldfields members I hope to see as many people as possible from out of town at our open fly-in planned by our President, Garry Adams for the 13Th and 14th of April. (All enquiries to Garry on 0409114300). We have the facilities here to cater for almost any facet of Aero-modelling save possibly the turbine powered aircraft requiring longer runways, so bring along your favourite flying creation for a chance to bore holes in the Goldfields sky. See you there!

Tim Bailye

timandnaomi@bigpond.com

0890913714.