Siloam Springs RC Modelers

Ugh… Weathermen… At least it wasn’t overcast, just very cloudy. Also, it was 55 degrees at noon, which is a full 10 degrees warmer than Sunday. Again, they got the wind correct: S at 10-20 (the sustained winds were every bit of 15, and it gusted to 20 and beyond). John and I got to the field about noon with my Focus Sport and his electric Ultra Stick. John hadn’t been out since the New Year’s Day Fly-In and was looking forward to some more training. Unfortunately, he wasn’t comfortable enough with the wind to do take-offs, and just flying around took its toll on him. He fought with the wind for 2 flights and called it quits. He flew well, considering how much the wind was blowing him around. I wish we could have gotten some landing approach practice in, but there’s plenty of time for that. Just flying in this wind was good for him: it’s difficult for all of us to fly in a blustery wind like that.
I wanted to get a few more flights on the Focus to make sure the regulator was working well. I got in 3 flights, and both battery packs were used very equally. Yay! I think the manufacturer has got this figured out now.
My wife, Beth, and my daughter, Megan, came out to watch John and me, but they only hung around for 2 flights. The sun wasn’t out, and the wind had a real bite to it. I didn’t blame them for leaving early
Kevin Sisco and Bill Bergen came out around 1pm. Kevin had his 50-sized Raptor again, and he got in a great flight, considering the wind. I saw quite a bit more side-in hovering from Kevin today, and he was holding it very steady.
Bill had his new electric Gee Bee and his 40-sized Ultra Stick. Neither one came out of the truck Bill has been waiting for a decent day to maiden the Gee Bee, but there hasn’t been one! I don’t blame him for not flying: it was blowing us all over the sky, and landings were just treacherous.
Bob Stewart came out about 2:30 as John and I were leaving. Bob had his Stick with the gasoline engine. I’m not sure what kind of Stick it is, but it looks like the original version.
The weather is supposed to turn ugly starting Tuesday. Of course, it was supposed to be much nicer this past weekend, so who knows. Hopefully we’ll continue to get reasonable winter flying weather.