8 October 2011
Heli-field Repairs.
Not the place up past Settle in the dales but the place up past the car park at the Whams. John and I eventually got to spread some of the surplus root-zone on the hollows in the helicopter square. As you can see we gave it a bit of a rolling down and sowed some grass seed in the hope that we will get a warmish spell so that the grass will strike. We may be in luck because I have just finished watching Countryfile and the weather forecast for the week is warm, wet and windy; not much good for flying but not bad for growing grass. Let’s hope that this improves the surface for next year on days when the overspill area is needed.
22July 2011
Steven wanted stripes on the heli-pad! Look closely and I think they are just visible. Wont happen again because it didn't do my mower a lot of good!
14 June 2011
I went back to the Whams tonight after spending most of the afternoon flying with a load of fix wing pilots to find the field full of hellicopters. Are heli pilots like bats and only come out at night? Probably not! When you look at the age range of the fix wing flyers and the compared to the heli pilots you begin to realise that the daytime flyers are mostly retired and generally flying slower models as their age increases. Conversley the helicopter pilots fall into a group where most of the day is taken up as a wage slave and also as the age range falls the machines appear to be faster and more complicated. Genralisations aside there was a lot of helies there tonight. Dave Bakers MX???? realy took everones eye flying just as well, if not better, than some larger models.
Small, very small hellicopter and Dave holding it.
Is that a long range aerial fixed to your cap Dave? It realy is a very good flyer the pocket rocket helicopter!
17 May 2011
On the day the bunker was finally laid to rest we, the Dodgy Diggers, banished Richard and Bron to the heli patch whilst we reclaimed a small part of our inheritance. Not before, however, we managed to give Richard his fix wing 'A' Certificate. Obviously overcome with the enormity of the occasion Richard was rendered speechless.
A very nice scale helicopter Richard brought along with him tonight.
I know the wind has picked up in the last week or so but it realy is not that bad. I have been up on a number of occasions and flown fix wing (Astro Hog) with no problems all by myself or with just one Heli pilot for company. I cannot believe everyone has gone gliding because when I go home past Tinkers there is never more than four cars there. Where is everone?
11 May 2011
I don't know where all the late night flyers are but this evening I had the Whams field to myself and this guy had the Helicopter pad all to himself. It was a super night too nice steady light winds, clear blue sky dotted with white clouds plus most of the moon. Could have got quite poetic if I hadn't been flying the Astro-Hog.
10 May 2011
I have given the square in the far field another trim. I have had conflicting reports as to wheather or not anothe area is needed. Obviously it is easier to cut only one but if you want two let me know at alec@alecbarber.wanadoo.co.uk
0th April 2011
Within two weeks of passing his “A” test and twenty litres of 
Richard (Align) Steadman has successfully gained his Helicopter “B” certificate. Richard and his partner, Bron, are also to be congratulated on having firmly booked their wedding on June 29th. There must have been a lot of romance in the air this weekend with the Will and Kate wedding. If they can do it, why not Richard and Bron indeed! The honeymoon is in Crete for two weeks and looks like a bit of bad planning because they will miss the July competition at the Whams.
Congratulations to the couple and Richard for his “B” and let’s not forget the other Richard (Floors to go) Anderson of the Pontefract Club who also took and past his helicopter “B” test today.
NEW HELICOPTER SQUARE
As requested I cut a new circle (squarish this time) in front of the circle most distant from the car park. Most of you felt the one close to the the Whams was sometimes a little bit too close so I hope to cut the next piece, whatever shape it turns out to be, at the far side of the one Just cut.
I asked for technical stuff and I got it - thank you! It just shows how much difference offering a decent helicopter field can make - I will have to get both the strimmer and roller out now.
Helicopters flown at the Whams on Sunday
Align Trex 600 Nitro OS 55 Hyper Brand New Heli & New Engine (New member this year) This was typical OS Quality started first time and ran like a sewing machine
Align Trex 600 Nitro Flybarless OS 50 Hyper (New member end of last year) Richard Steadman and don’t try and race him with a Motor Bike
Align Trex 600 Electric Running 5000Mah 6S Lipo
Rave 90 ENV Flybarless OS 90 HZ New member last year Steve Biggs
Thunder Tiger Raptor 50 With OS Hyper Not run for months started first time engine must be 4 Years old, still loads of power for climbing Tick Tocks
The standard of flying from all the new Heli Members is excellent, and when a new member on his first visit lands nose in and on his first approach with a new Helicopter that’s says a lot.
Note most the most popular engine is OS the only time these engines stop is when they run out of Fuel, and most helicopter flyers have high standards, both in the building and Maintenance of their models, those that do not are either good at auto rotations or have deep pockets as they crash a lot. (That why the Opti fuel is such a bright colour so that the pilot can see how much is left) We do not like them to stop by using the last bit of fuel as this causes a lean run which damages the engine.
Note the 50 Size engines are running at 18,000 Rpm up to 20,000 RPM (Also more of the Helicopter engines are running an electronic governor which allows RPM to be set from the Transmitter.
Most popular fuel Opti Fuel 20% Nitro
Most popular Radio is Spektum/JR but Steve Biggs prefers Futaba
All Helicopters are running Digital Servos JR/Futaba or the Align brand, none come in cheep but you still get what you pay for.
Most Nitro Helicopter are fitted with a Lipo receiver pack and use a regulator to power the receiver which ensures we get no volt drop. Often receiver pack will be 2S 2P (2000Mah upwards) Digital servos can put a lot of current, which if the receiver pack is Nimh can dip under high load conditions causing the famous Spektrum Brown out which Futaba is not immune to either.
The Align regulator has an excellent glow supply built in which makes for really easy starting, most are also using Lipo batteries for the Starter also 4S this gives 14.8Volt and loads of Amps , if you have a 90 Size Helicopter then you have a high powered starter, remember we cannot flick start them.
Note Flybarless helicopters rely on a magic box which is fitted with 3 Solid state Pizo Gyros, which allows more extreme manovers to be carried out but yet be more stable in the hover.
There are some advance Flybarless controllers that have a panic bale out setting that will self right the Helicopter and hold it in steady hover until the pilot recovers orientation. Some of these units are fitted with a GPS chip and can hold a static location or return to a Home location.
The contra rotation helicopter flow mostly indoors fly quite differently to the Collective Machine flown in the windy conditions at the Whams, and many get quite a shock converting from one type to the other.(Not easy)
I suppose pictures of cars can go on either Whams page but that is nineteen cars on our car park – and to think someone told me I had underestimated when I submitted the planning application for twenty two spaces. I can’t ever see us getting forty on there!
It was nice to see Andrew back and flying just as well as I remember him doing a couple of years ago. Sorry I only got the back view Andrew and only the right way up flying.
The fix wing on the old field and the helicopters on the rented circles were certainly working well with no obvious problems. In fact I would go as far as to say that there were no problems at all with no restrictions to the fix-wing airspace and the helicopters operating to the South of the pit area never crossing the flight paths of other models and more importantly never coming within 30metres of the pit area. With flyers numbering in the twenties someone should be giving some thought as to how to improve and enlarge the pit area.
