a flying diversion

I was madly into model aeroplanes from when I was under ten to my late teens, and I must say the bug never quite goes away. It's the building that I enjoyed as much as the flying - very satisfying. In fact, despite getting to a level of solo proficiency at the controls of an RC aeroplane in the mid-90s, the time spent actually constructing a bit of aviation machinery was just as therapeutic. The potential high expense of this hobby does present something of a personal ethical hurdle, but it doesn't have to be expensive to be fun and enriching. I think lots of things are like that - building a house, a boat, a shed, an organisation, a relationship - your imagination about the finished product drives you ahead during the design, build and preparation stage (hopefully!).


Anyway...talking of model aeroplanes, I found this excellent site from the US about a guy who's designed an RC slope soarer (pictured) and made the design available over the internet. Such un-powered aircraft rely on gravity and wind to reach speeds that surpass most powered model aircraft. It looks like a fine ship, and it makes me yearn for having a good workshop once again. Starting to think...



And in other news...I've booked my ticket for Greenbelt 2006 so am greatly looking forward to attending.