Oh, and didn't we mention the sea eagle which took a fancy to the Excel 4004? It was love at first sight. Me, an adolescent young sea eagle looking for action; she a tasty, albeit rather large white bird with red wingtips and a sexy body. Until it decided that mating with a lump of German glassfibre would not be the best idea. He was tempted for a while, as you can see, following the plane and making plaintive squeaking noises. Alas, they were not returned.
At one point the eagle looked poised to attack, but thought better of it. So it settled instead for some gentle formation flying before peeling off.
Next up was the Reichard Elipsoid which circled gently, by which time the eagle had decided that the planes posed no threat, or perhaps it didn't fancy it as much as the Excel.
The landing was good for our area; not too many rocks, pot holes, bomb craters, sheep, deer and severe rotor. We could relax and enjoy the flight without worrying about the arrival.
The Excel notched up around 60 minutes of some of the best flying to date. The high point was screaming dive from height, a lovely long banked turn over the valley, carrying momentum all the way, before climbing back up into the clouds.
And a gentle landing, albeit with slightly shaking hands (and after thirty years of flying it's never entirely stress-free, especially the first time on a new slope.)
Finally it was time for the Phase 6. What a joy. Why would an old fart need anything faster or more aerobatic? Should last me a lifetime if I don't smash it up like the last one which totalled itself on the Dam loch north easter. The debris field was a sight to see...
Nice phase 6.
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