Black Eagle Trophy PSS Festival 2010

The Black Eagle Trophy PSS Festival

Hosted by Two Oceans Slope Soarers

Cape Town, June 19th and 20th 2010

THE IDEA

The Black Eagle Trophy PSS Festival flew gracefully into the annals of the Cape slope soaring scene
over the weekend of the 19th and 20th June 2010. With 21 pilots entered, the event promised
to be packed as most pilots had two aircraft at least to add to the mix.
Following the hosting and success of the  second Two Oceans Slope Soarers Aerobatics event in January
it was felt that there should be more development in our club sphere and driven by Damian Hinrichsen’s
suggestions and constant requests for a relevant date, we set a date for a PSS event that was a good
6 Months away from the Aerobatics event and slap bang in the middle of winter. We were hoping to garner
the standard winter North Westers that pepper this part of the world in association with each
approaching frontal system. With the idea of hosting an event established, we decided to
create the event around the impressive and threatened Black Eagles that grace our slopes in Cape Town
as well as other parts of the country. Hence the Black Eagle Trophy PSS Festival by name and an agreement
to donate a portion of each entry fee to the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology,
for the study and preservation of the varying raptor populations that inhabit the slopes we soar on.
This followed our need to create a conservation platform within the slope soaring fraternity and
give something back to the environment we utilise so readily.

THE PLAN
With the TOSS committee firmly set on a course of action, the planning started,  the rules and documents
created, the contestants entered, and many entrants started the mammoth task of getting their pride and joy
slope soarers ready for the competition that was barely six months away.
Based on the three available classes, Foamy, Sportsmans and Expert class, with a lot of scratch building
as well as revamping and total overhauling of ARF kits began in order to match each available class.
Being a bit of a foamie combat club, Damian Hinrichsen had the vision of creating a fleet of slope warbirds
that were EPP foam based, allowing for the combat zone to be filled with the sight of scale warbirds
in hot pursuit of each other. With this in mind he quickly went about drawing up the plans for at least
10 different warbirds ranging from the indomitable Spitfire to the Zero, with Mustangs, P40 Warhawks,
Messersmitts, Fokker Wolf’s and many more thrown into the mix. Along with the well known slope
aeromodeller Anton Benning, they cut the initial fuselage shapes while Anton created the
wings, wingspars and relevant pushrod systems as part of these fantastic little kits.
With huge enthusiasm the entire field of entries got about building these foamy slope soarers
which proved to be brilliant in their simplicity and saw the black EPP foam being taken down to shape,
covered with orocover, given the relevant decals and dusted with a protective varnish for the final finish.
Panel lines and detail became part of the build and many superbly finished models rolled off
the desktop line and into the foamie class, ready for the inevitable battle. There was a stark
dirth of slopers on the slopes in the weekends leading up to the event as many of the pilots
hid in dark corners concentrating on the large scale warbirds, finalised each with delicate detail that
annoyingly seemed to take longer than it should .

THE BIG SHOW

A beautiful morning dawned on the 19th July 2010 in our part of the world.  A few intrepid slopers were
seen on the slopes as early as 7:15 am staring into the dark while awaiting the arrival of dawn
and the first few flights of the day. Our skinny little Cape Peninsula is such a sitter for a good North Wester
and mother nature duly delivered. Not a howler by any note, but with more than sufficient lift to start
the event and take whatever the day threw at us. Early morning was light but flyable and the foamies
entered the judging area and were duly awarded points by the static judge for the day, Herbie Newton,
and then released skywards to open up a days warbird combat that was to prove hugely successful.
These foamie warbirds were sometimes incredible in their detail and realism as applied by the
differing individuals and proved an absolute revelation in the light lift and gaining more attributes
as the lift improved throughout the day. One competitor racked up three and a half hours of flight time
from maiden flight to the end of the days proceedings. Some kind of stick time that.

This was followed by the sportsmans class that was punctuated by the 2 meter plus class of plane
with some great renditions entered from the Mustangs of Damian Hinrichsen and Bobby Purnell,
Malcolm Riley and Anton Benning’s  Impalas, Lionel Brink’s Tucano, Chris Leal’s Me 109, Carlo Davis’s Sea Fury
and A10 Warthog and  Marc Beckenstrater’s enviable Mosquito.
The premise being that ARF kits could be entered, and in true fashion some stunning conversions
of power kits hit the slope. Toss away the motor, add vast amounts of lead and away we go.
That not being enough, large amounts of detail were then added to create realistic interpretations
that go well beyond simple ARF’s. Some, such as Dave Greer from Durban scratch built  a lost foam
ME 109 and entered the class as well. In general the standard of the models was extremely high
and were presented beautifully in all their glory. The final class was the Expert class, again made
open to the ARF’s  and scratch built but with the emphasis based on detail, detail, detail.
In this class only two intrepid individuals entered who felt that their application to detail as
required in the class designations was up to scratch as it were. Christo Le roux entered a magnificent
P40 Warhawk that had to be seen to be believed with a sound system incorporated that had all and
sundry titivated as the “engine” spooled up, gained speed to full revs and then had the ability
to emit a wail of gunfire. The second entrant was Steve Meusel’s scratch built Polikarpov i-15.
This beaut of a subject was a first for us slope folk this side of the world, and given the fact that
none of us have flown a biplane on the slope, proved to be a much debated subject.
During the day the wind grew in strength but still maintained a bit of an on and off affair,
but by mid afternoon was more than sufficient to see Anton Benning flying his small scale Impala
for increased periods of time. In the end with a chance for flight and with the wind just being
sufficient the P38 Lightning took to the air with a camera mounted on board, had a half hour flight
till the lift once again proved a little light for this 30 oz wingloaded warbird and the inevitable
landing had to be applied. In the end there was just a shade too little lift to expect the guys to maiden
large scale warbirds on the day, but a week later in insane lift at the St. James site and on the back
of a 60km/h wind, every single one of the warbird gliders took to the air to prove their mettle.
In the end they all flew like a dream and the big surprise of that day was to see the Polikarpov biplane
tearing up the air with grace. On the PSS day the combat zone and the foamies ruled the sky, many
a beating was taken, many a fetch had from down the slope, and in the end humour and strapping tape
ruled the day till sunset forced the closure of the slope. The shadows were lengthening and evening approached
with a few individuals still on the slope nattering away, when the mascot of the festival arrived in the growing dark.
A large Black Eagle flew in right over our heads as if in blessing and circled it’s way up the peak in the dusk
without so much as a wing beat, amply showing us landlubbers the true art of flight.
The sunburnt and somewhat tired individuals then headed for a meal at Dixie’s to swop war-stories
while sipping a relaxer. Sunday dawned as beautiful as Saturday without a single cloud in the sky,
but the wind gods deserted us and only the very lightest of gliders were able to stay up as mist moved
in an enveloped the bay. A healthy breakfast was on offer and general natter filled the air while all waited
for even the slightest whiff of wind and the electric gliders plied vertical power in place of lift.
Mid morning saw the conditions unchanged and the awards ceremony then took place.

THE AFTERMATH

The first order of business was to hand over the cheque for the sum of R 2 500-00 to Dr Rob Simmons
and Dr Andrew Jenkins of the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, Based at the University
of Cape town, which was gracefully accepted. Due to the presence of a few of the Raptor research
specialists on the slope for most of the morning, a great relationship was established that bodes
well for slope soarings involvement with the research institute itself, as well as future investments
in the protection and study of the raptors that grace our slopes. With the generous sponsorship of the
hobby shops, people involved in the sport and the members of Two Oceans Slope Soarers we were blessed
with ample prizes to give out in all categorizes from first to third as well as spot prizes based
on TOSS committee decisions for those spot prizes.

The prize winners were as such and well done to them all for the effort instituted in creating the PSS
model of note that garnered the desired results.
Expert Class:
1. Steve Meusel – Polikarpov i-15
2. Christo Le Roux – P40 Warhawk

Sportsmans Class:
1. Marc Beckenstrater – Mosquito
2. Bobby Purnell – Mustang
3. Chris Leal – Me 109

Foamie Class:
1. Bill Dewey – Heine
2. Christo Le Roux – Mustang
3. Marc Beckenstrater – Zero

And to all our sponsors and Two Oceans Slope Soarers members who selflessly helped to create a
fantastic festival, our gratitude for being actively involved in the resurgence of PSS in the Cape Town area.
Hobby Warehouse, Clowns Hobbies, Southern Hobbies, Anton Benning of AB models,
Christo Le Roux, Steve Meusel for the warm beenies, Chris Leal for financial support of the Black Eagle fund,
and Kevin Farr and Iris van der Vlist for design and print of the t-shirts. If there are any sponsors and diligent
supporters we have failed to acknowledge, please forgive us.
Here’s looking forward to next year and more success with PSS.

Photographs:

©COBOS BOTHA sponsored by WiFly.co.za
Malcolm Riley
Peter Vergeer
Kevin Farr

Chapmans Peak, the scene of the event

Foamies in the paddock awaiting judging

Damian stares through the looking glass at the gathered fleet

Static judge for the day Herbie Newton

What a place to hold a PSS event

Anton Benning's Impala doing the rounds

Early morning Impala run

"Ridge Runner" Mustang

Foamie Zero on patrol

Foamie ME 109 study

Entering the arena

Battle commences

Spitfire in trouble! HELP!

FW 190 teamed up with ME 109

Half pipe warbird furball

Contact sequence while the Spitie stays out of trouble

How to lose a bit of stability. Contact! you may need that bit Mally!

Late afternoon battle sessions

Late afternoon camera bearing heavy metal P38j Lightning

Mission accomplished homeward run

All the contestants gathered together. Well done guys.

That's a lot of birds! Good looking too!

Sunday morning scene that greeted the pilots, Gus Thomas on the sticks

Misty morning electric session

The Black Eagle Trophy

TOSS chairman Jeff Steffen who has to take a bunch of credit for making this all happen

1st place in Expert Class and Black Eagle Trophy winner Steve Meusel and the scratch built Polikarpov i-15

Second in the Expert Class, Christo Le Roux and the P40 Warhawk

1st Place in Sportsmans Class, Marc Beckenstrater and the Mosquito

2nd in Sportsmans Class, Bobby Purnell and the Mustang

And now for a very big thank you to the guys who put in the time and effort,

not to mention some cash to get to the event from all over the country. We really appreciate it guys!

Lionel Brink, MGA Chairman and the rather large Tucano- all the way from Gauteng

Our man, Dave Greer with his brace of birds – all the way from Durban. Thanks Dave!

Club member and ardent supporter Chris Leal, all the way from Gauteng

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

Big Bird Saturday

Black Eagle Trophy article on the way, just awaiting final photography but….

In the meantime however and following the PSS weekend we were delivered a howling cold South Easter
slap bang in the middle of winter, which meant a trek up to the St James site
as Red Hill was past the point of being safe and toys were just going to get hurt.
So off we trekked with all the big birds in hand and had a blast throwing a
great variety of PSS planes of the slope and flying the day away.

On the day Christo’s P40 Warhawk was flown with great success and looked majestic,
Marc’s Mosquito took to the air twice as we played with the Cg
and got a nice stable flight pattern out of it,while it screamed around the sky
with some snotspoed, that made landings entertaining to say the least,
when trying to bleed speed off what appears to be a well dressed lead sled.
Finally Steve launched his PSS winning Polikarpov I-15 bi-plane out into the blue
and who said biplanes couldn’t slope! This little beast ran around the sky with some serious intent
and just looked great with the twin wing configuration making the visuals a treat.
Great thing was the way it slowed down for a landing, showing a bit of diversity in it’s flight envelope.
The final coup for the day was to Launch the P38 Lightning out into the

blue with 2 video cameras attached and then spend a good half hour attacking it
with the smaller foamies. The beauty of the scheme being that the foamies just
bounced of the large, stable, tug like Lightning and made for some awesome footage
from the twin on-board cameras. If I ever get to trying to edit it, the shots are just
fantastic from the aerial perspective and something we are not used to seeing.
The only negative of the day had to be the cloud cover that robbed us of some
classic lighting, but enjoy the shots as we plan out another session.

Christo's P40 Warhawk looks brilliant in attack mode

Retrieval is not quite sio easy up at St. James but the smile says it all

The great silohette of a Warhawk in flight

The Mosquito gets a hoof into the wild blue yonder

Returning home over the waves after a sortie

Evening patrol with the distinctive Mosquito shape so evident

The Polikarpov awaits it's fate…

Ooohh, aaaahh, that's just about all I can come up with

Unusual to say the least, what a PSS marvel

How to annoy a P38 Lightning…. pester it with plastic

and finally some great shots from the onboard cams, with some views that we are not used to seeing…

What we really never see, the pilots view of the events

Damian sneaking up on the Lightning, all that formation work paying off….

Damian’s Me 109 getting a little close for comfort and in fact got a lot closer than that with a suggested tickle at the closest point

That’s all folks…. for the time being anyway.

Mossie over the Channel

Which is the RC model?

PPS Teazer 2

Check out Springfield Soaring Blog for some great pics and comments by
Dave Greer in Durban, who remains a great and loyal supporter of slope soaring
and these event events and was in attendance on the weekend.
http://springfieldchickens.blogspot.com/

Thanks Dave!

Pic from my cellphone in the early morning, and what an awesome place for a contest

PSS TEAZER 1

EPP combat. cooking. awesome. brilliant fun.

Marc’s plastic being chased by my plastic.

click on pic to see the larger version as it really is a beaut

Thanks to Peter Vergeer for the great shot

Plastic fantastic foamies

Only one large scale warbird got up

Eat your heart out!

Kevin’s entry to PSS Expert Class

How do you judge that for scale 10 micro servos just for the wings. Bet you can’t spot the joins?

Sorry KEV it supposed to be a powered plane not a powered bird!

Good effort though!

Thats why its called the Black Eagle festival.

Looking forward through the past

A small group of guys who were not tied up in the building shed,

had really great sessions on Saturday and Sunday

up at Chapmans peak, with lovely North Westers

bending to Westerlies, but still producing ice cold and stable lift.

We had the chance too get some photographs done on

what looks to be the best site for the PSS event based on the last forecasts,

so looking forward to what promises to be an awesome weekend for

the inaugural Black Eagle PSS festival hosted by Two Oceans Slope Soarers.

Thanks to David Cornick for this great shot of Chappies on Sunday with the EPP Spitfire cruizing by

Same again but later in the day with Malcolm doing the rounds with his Aldij

EPP Spitfire takes to the air- one of many more to come

After losing the first set of photographs, here is the EPP Spitfire
done in the silver colours as flown by the Czech and Israelis.
Flies like a dream, fast as sin, well faster than the BEE wing,
and seems to be able to take a tap to a certain degree.
However on one combat session on Sunday, after hunting down Marc’s BEE
and slapping it from underneath we snapped the fuselage right in front of the tail mount area.
So we have at least one weak point to cater for, and after repairs she will be stronger than ever,
however keeping the weight down will be a priority.
Tail fins are probably going to be the problem area with all the pointy bits sicking out!

Cyno please…..

Boy is this going to be fun at the PSS as a whole gaggle of these
EPP warbirds attempt take each other out.
By this weekend we should see at least  few more maidens done with little beasties like this one.

One week and a bit to go gentlemen…

Nice to be out and about on Sunday at Chapmans Peak

EPP Spitfire in a reasonably scale fashion

A good view of Damian's great design layout

Just for scale, small enough to be fun, quick, and weighing in at 900 grams

Final FIFA World Cup no-flying zones

Straight from SAMAA, the final Matrix of non-flying days relevant to the stadiums
and within 5 Nautical Miles of the stadiums during the FIFA world cup.
Note for Signal Hill and the relevant days,
and it seems the security will be taken very, very seriously.