post-box

wot, no buddy-box?

An interesting follow-up to RAY SMITH'S thoughts (see the personal profiles page) on the use - or rather, non-use - of buddy-boxes for training comes from CLARENCE RAGLAND, another r/c flight school owner and instructor. Clarence writes:

fly-in fanatic!

Here's the latest news from ROB SHERRATT. Rob said before that he likes to get around the fly-ins and he certainly seems to keep busy doing so.!

Reg,

I also have found that kinesthetic (buddy-boxless) instruction is far better, faster, safer and much more fun than using the buddy-box. Our technique is so amazing to those that swear by the buddy-box, they refuse to believe any of our claims. I tried to share this method before, but was met with very antagonistic replies.

I have no trouble at all handing my transmitter over to anyone anytime using this method. I can have anyone safely take-off and land on their first lesson! That, I could never do when I used the buddy-box.

Cheers, Clarence C Ragland

FLIERS1@aol.com

Cheers indeed, Clarence - really good to hear from you again! No antagonism here, friend, it's just great to hear about these different approaches. There's a link to Clarence's website on the links page, by the way.

Hi Reg,

Thank you very much for publishing the info and for advertising the Felixstowe Show for me. I went to a fly-in at Chingford club last Sunday - primarily an aero competition between Chingford and Hudersfield clubs, and with some heli slots. Some very spectacular aero flying from guys from Al's Models in London - hovering pattern ships on the prop, slow rotation, flip into inverted loop, back to hover on the prop etc. They should get themselves a helicopter!

A couple of friends from Chingford club are helping me with the Felixstowe Show, one (John Farren) as an Examiner, the other (John Abbott) as flight line director.

I'm off to Retford Club heli fly-in the weekend 7th and 8th April.

rob.sherratt@lineone.net

Glad to know you've got some help with the show, Rob. Perhaps these two Johns might like to introduce themselves to us with a personal profile and/or some piccies for the gallery?

long grass lament

JOHN RIDYARD, whose attractive website was featured in ModelFlight #5, sends a brief update on his flying activities with his classic 1911 Blackburn monoplane . . .

Dear Reg

Thanks for the E-mail and extensive mention in ModelFlight 5.

It is true that these models are easier to build than fly! (It's the landings.)

I broke the Blackburn's undercart at the weekend. It was an inevitable end to the flight as there was no runway on which to land or long grass for me to dive into. It was due for some work anyway, as the skids were looking a little patchy! It now has all new ones and I know that ROGs are possible from that field.

Whatever happened to long grass? In the 1950s there was always a field or two (in the summer) with deep grass over which we trimmed our free flight models.

john@johnridyard.fsnet.co.uk

Thanks for getting in touch, John. Please keep us up to date and if you can send a shot or two of your models, even better! Your experience bears out my comment on this update's plane talk page about our disaster-prone hobby!

I haven't enjoyed the benefits of long grass since my teens and that wasn't for model flying, but I do remember being absolutely terrified when I thought my heli was coming down in the middle of a huge field of ripe wheat that bordered one very nice model flying strip I use - I pictured the crop going up in flames!

Use the link on our links page to visit John's eclectic website - it's a lovely design and well worth a visit