Black Arrow solid balsa slope glider (RCM&E August 1976)

 

Filing cabinet for tracking plan number and plan from fuzzy cell pics:

Dave Schaller Super Wasp maiden at Dumbe mountain 24 September 2020

 

Schwooooooop 👀😎

Really hot slope semi scale flying from Europe

These Facebook links to really hot semi scale sloping for lunch time breaks ;-)

Toxic

Baby Swift S1

Libelle

Toxic pass 2019

Swift Qwantas

Little Kobuz

This Youtube link for ABm has 21 videos:

ABM Airfoils

Soar-J '95 through 2004 cabinet

The F3J hand tow decade of Soar-J events featured the names of four guys and one gal and were renown for the 15 minute fly off finals. Robbie Cutler [Derek Perks aerie]took the first event very closely from fellow Natalian Dave [2m Easy Bird & Bird of Time], the only two pilots to max the fly offs that year. Rob was probably the most gifted of our Kzn F3J thermal pilots, a shame not to make it to a worlds.

The second year belonged to the amazing Michelle Goodrum, still the only lass to compete in both F3J and F3B world championships.

Dave had to wait to year three to step on to the top of the podium.

Then it was the turn of serial world champ attendees Craig Goodrum and Chris Adrian. I happened to call for Chris in one of his winning fly off and such was the intensity that he confessed he could feel his heart beating ;-)

F3J worlds trials meant much travel across Kzn and the Highveld, with one memorable event at Bloemfontein. A lot of results and stories have escaped to the ether.....

One hell of adventure and it would be nice to maybe see it reinvented in F5J form.

These are just bits copied off the defunct web site, no fancy cell cameras in those days:

Background:

My friend Robbie Cutler took the gold badge at the magical first Soar-J in 1995, made even more memorable by the Saturday late afternoon retiring of the mob to the club house for the rugby world cup and a celebratory thrash, culminating in a few "pit stops" for him on the trip home!  Karkloof is renown for its huge manicured fields, friendly club facilities and stunning weather. The locals have been well supported by the Highveld chaps, with John Lightfoot also bringing a Cape flavour to the Noodsberg event in 1996. 

Past Soar-J Winners:

1995 - Rob Cutler

1996 - Michelle Goodrum

1997 - Dave Greer

1998 - Craig Goodrum

1999 - Chris Adrian

2000 - Craig Goodrum

2001 - Dave Greer

2002 - Chris Adrian

2003 - Craig Goodrum

2004 - Craig Goodrum (F3J) & Simon Nelson (E Winch)

(Dion Liebenberg won all F5J events during this period)

Some web site pics of the mob

The Pure F3J aspect expanded to other contest forms to give more podiums. This from Soar-J  2003 being Johan de Lange, Chris Adrian, Michelle Goodrum, Craig Goodrum, Ian, Dion Liebenberg, Don Slatter, Pete Lonsdale, Fred Witstock and Adrian Baker.

The mob in front of the American muscle cars caravan - a solid supporter.

The year we hosted the late John Lightfoot from the Cape - at Noodsberg.

The late Gary Armstrong chopped his ear whilst towing Chris Adrian, who calmly stretched his tow line and launched bungee style.

Anton Coetzee rushing for a relaunch, so much part of the F3J contests.

Drew Kennedy? ;-)

Bye bye 2018 - Toko style

Russ Conradt kicking 2018 to touch at Ziggynanda - Toko style!

With thanks to Lance Cranmer for the clip :-)

WP send off for Dave Hooker

Kudos to Bill Williams for the Facebook posts and also supplying the braai snacks, along with big Russ. 

[If anyone has pics etc to add and no access here please let Russ or myself have]

Son John Hooker was out for a short spell from the UK and it was magic to also have his brother Mike and himself along with spouses and kids in attendance. Mike was a Winston regular with Middle Phase in the early days.

Dave's friend Mark brought along a bunch of mementos and albums for the boys, along with a bunch of Dave's slope award pennants - thanks for all you have done, Mark :-)

A big thanks also to Luke of Flightpro for doing the quad honours and lifting and dropping the ashes, with assistance from Dean and Rocky. Rocky lead the group in short prayer before the ashes were airlifted.

This first video shows Luke's quad taking off and dropping the ashes:

John and Mike with their respective spouses and lightie.

Much of the mob that came along in the mild and pleasant conditions for the send off.

John and Mike with big Russ and Rocky - thanks guys!

Whoops camera man Dave got the hats off throw ill timed for the pic but it looked pretty special in real time :-)

John holding one of the number of Dave's aeries restored by Lyndon Shorer right foreground - Mark on the left.

Dean and Luke testing and sorting the release box.

Luke and Rocky loading the ashes ahead of the airlift.

This video shows some after play with Bill's foamy glider towed up by Luke's quad.

Bill's foamy with a final pass after a pleasant airlift and flight by the quad:

Rest in peace Dave Hooker

Dave Hooker was bravely on his way to another of his beloved annual pilgrimage Hermanus Slope Fly events at the tender age of 84 when he died in a motor accident.

Dannis Bird and Dave Greer hooked up again with blast from the past slope flyers Rocky Naidoo and Charles Moller at the Cremation farewell yesterday. The face open casket walk was like a punch to the chest as reality hit hard.

Mark had been taking care of Dave in recent times and had organised Pastor Joe who gave a thought provoking sermon that had a us all going as we stepped up to pay tribute. Charles reminded of Durban's biggest slope event travel to 1989 PE slope Nats, after he had teamed up with Dave on many RC slope and thermal cross country adventures.

Dave was instrumental in starting countless newbie model fliers off into the adventure that is our pastime. Russ has it in mind to do a slope session in memory of Dave and Rob Pirie who also passed away tragically, recently. Simon Pfotenhauer also organised the Hermanus slope event folk to do a special fly bye in memory of Dave.

Dave had quite an extended family but we fliers only really got to know Annie, Mike and Johnny, condolences to all of the family.

Pastor Joe about commence proceedings

The evergreen Charles Moller with Dennis Bird and Barry Lombard in the background

Mark, Pastor Joe and Barry Lombard

Retro simply the best eighties Karo Ace of Diamonds (Karos)

Went searching for some old Southern Soaring Club Southeaster stuff and realised the stuff lost through a computer change at the time seemed trivial but now quite a biggie..... 
The web site per thumbnail used to be the SSC webs site and location of some history, alas now defunct.
Update: I am indebted to Peter Beretta for this extremely useful ink:
2005 to 2008 copy Southeasters

Russ recently sent me this pic of the Gary Boase refurbished Russ Karos (Karo Ace of Diamonds) that set our Kzn slope world alight in the late eighties and still to me remains the most iconic pure slope soarer of all time. I debated storing on FB for posterity but then decided to keep the filing cabinet blog ticking over with these special pics. 

Gary Boase with the refurbished Russ Karos.

Time warp back to last century and Russ launching the Karos beastie at Key Ridge (Cliffdale), this pic shows the classic lines of the Karo Ace of Diamonds to great effect :-).

Retro Proton John E Foster solid balsa wing slope glider

Lance recently offered to make a version of his little snapper dapper solid balsa wing twist pitcheron sloper (the blitz'est rat up a drainpipe ever) and I countered by saying I had saved the Proton plan for an eventual project, resized down by a third and to be converted to twist twist (wingeron with all moving tailplane) instead.

At the same time I did a bit of Googling and was disappointed at how this amazing series of slopers was disappearing in to the sands of time, which meant getting back to this online "filing cabinet" to keep the "spirit" alive! I had so much pleasure out of my original Poltergeist converted to low wing and which later sparked nine versions of my own solid balsa wing Bandit, appearing at Springfield in various guises, over time.

Alas I have lost the Poltergeist and Protean plans but still have the original sold balsa wing shaping article, Proton plan and magazine extract of the Super mite, of which a few local versions were built without solid balsa wing, as per link below:

retro-local-is-lekker "Dynamite"

This was the John E Foster solid balsa wing series, as I knew them:

Poltergeist

Super mite

Protean

Proton

Here is a cell shot of the scaled down Proton plan. Lance has a thing about Samurai style wings and internal bellcranks so the final product will be somewhat different but still with enough of the John E Foster fuselage styling left. ;-)

The early stages of Lance's build of one for each of us:

Bare Bones Proton after highly successful late afternoon maiden at Winston Park slope:

I will continue to add bits to this online filing cabinet, from time to time.

Neat explanation on shaping solid balsa wings:
Mark Drela airfoil shaping

Update 2023 Lance with glassed Proton - blitz!