Ray Wells' Slingsby T21

I started this scale project about 1978 and then it went into storage for about 26 years. I resurrected it in 2005 (after nearly giving it away) when I came back to model flying but it needed a lot of remedial work and alterations to take account of changes in technology like servos small enough to go in wings.

It was completed in 2009 and had its first flight in August that year with Tom in charge of launch and landing. I did the bit in the middle. I don't think it was the easiest job to land on the slope at the Longman but he got it down with the only damage being to the wing shear bolts, which is after all what they are for. Since its first flight it now has more scale details like crew, windscreens and pitot head etc. It is 1/5 scale so it comes out at about 11' span. One of the problems launching is that the fuselage is too fat to hold in one hand so I don’t think I could ever fly it alone. I think it will need 12/15 mph on the north slope at Butts and plenty of time to bolt it all together next time. So I must try to get it out on the slope again in 2016.

Ray