news
Issue 1 of 2016
Newsletter of the South African Model Aircraft Association Published and distributed electronically/digitally. Our Mission: To add value to your flying experience through communication, information, promotion, education and the support of dialogue
Two Oceans Slope Soarers Aerobatic Event 2016 Ryan Matchett. Photos by Jeff Steffen
J3 Cub loaded up and ready for skydive action at NASAFI 2015 in Springbok.
Van Zyl Koegelenberg
Russell Conradt giving her a gentle push over the edge.
south east blowing, lending itself for flying at the favourable Red Hill. About eight pilots showed with their competition planes and maneuvers ready to get stuck in. The early part of the day began well but came to an abrupt pause when Durban-based Lance Cranmer and Durban pilot now Cape Town based, Neil Allen had a mid-air, losing their gliders to the big branchy obis below. After searching for some time, practice resumed with the return of their gliders to no avail.
Christo le Roux’s scratch-built and designed Fusion.
This year’s event began with a lot of speculation about what the weather was going to do. The wind report, right up until the Thursday before the event kicking off, was volatile and only settled on the Friday afternoon. With many competitors coming from afar, we had the traditional practice day on the day before the event with many of the guys taking to the slope for a last minute cram session which proved to be quite eventful. There was a perfect
Saturday morning dawned and the wind was howling, the wind gods were on our side and the predicted day-long south easter was upon us. Rushing to the slope for briefing, batteries charged to the max for what looked to be a great day. Though everyone was excited, with the briefing out the way there was definitely a sense of nerves in the air as we all prepped for round one. Judges Stewart Nix, Bob Skinner, and Andrew Anderson were in position, pilots had their score sheets filled in and the event began with Open class flying first. The class consisted of seven pilots, some from Durbs, Cape Town, and one or two that we have not seen on the slope for quite some time. Next up was the scale class, a class that has not been flown in the event before but proved to be a success (to find out more about the class, visit: http://www.toss.co.za/events/slope-aerobatics/2016-2/) with five pilots entering but four competing. Though these gliders were not really built for
SAM A A News Issue 1 of 2016 - Page 1