The Easy Star is a rudder / elevator trainer type of aircraft. Fitted with a brushless electric motor and 3 cell Lithium Polymer battery (2100 mAh capacity), flight times in excess of 30 minutes are easily possible.

Here are three videos of the initial flights of this amazing model aircraft.

Maiden flight video: This video is of it’s somewhat unconventional maiden flight. For a trainer type aircraft it seems quite happy performing inside and outside loops, inverted circuits and high G turns. For experienced pilots it is still loads of fun.

Low and Slow video: This second Easy Star video shows the aircraft on a calm day flying low and slow around a small field skimming the grass, hedges and me.

Climb and Glide video: This was supposed to be a quick climb and glide with the Easy Star. 60 seconds of power followed by a big glide back down. On this blustery day I didn’t expect to find any thermals or lift, but the model just kept on going up and up.

Here are the latest additions to the aerial photograph collection around Cheshire.

Christleton Village: As a child my grandfather used to take me on walks around this village. The duck pond was memorable as was the Walls ice Cream kiosk that served those creamy vanilla slices that had to be slid into a cone, yummy!

 

Tarvin: Tarvin is growing, so I'm not sure whether it's a village or small town any more. Here are the images from the flight. The images were shot from about 1700 feet altitude and at one point the aircraft disappeared within a low cloud. Subsequent application of the air brakes and the resultant drop in altitude returned the model to view.

 

Ashton Hayes: This is the nearest village to where I like (Kelsall) and has publicly stated that it is going to become Britain's first carbon neutral village. I did not expend any carbon during the flight.

Ashton Hayes Video: The flight around Ashton Hayes was shot from a local farm. Here is a video made from the same location of the farm yard and surrounding area.

After an extended time grounded due to inclement weather, we managed to get the aircam into the air flying from An estate in Backford near Chester. Having had such a long wait for air time we used the opportunity to take static images and video.

Static images and panorama








Video of the surrounding area.

Here’s a composite image of our model flying club on Frodsham marshes (Runcorn Model Flying Association). It is made from five separate images, all shot from different altitudes, orientations and perspectives, so the stitching is a little dodgy.

The image is available in two sizes, small at around 800 pixels wide, and full size at around 19 Mb, so it may take a while to download and display.

To see the small image click here.
To see the full size image click here.

Hope you enjoy it:- Dave

This web page represents images of the Kelsall Housing project at regular intervals. By moving your mouse over a series of dates, the image will change to show the development of the site and project at that point in time.

These images will be regularly updated until the project is complete. Weather permitting this will be at least weekly.

As the images are quite high resolution and large it’s best to maximise your browser window.

Click on the thumbnail to view the page.

Most recent image from 5th August 2007.

Here is a set of still images of the Chester Meadows, The Groves, Queens Park Suspension Bridge, The Old Dee Bridge and the Weir.

Photographed from an altitude of around 1000 feet using the silent Cularis glider I was able to take off from the Meadows, climb to a safe altitude and glide up and down the Groves and back over the Meadows.

Another 20 second application of power from the electric motor and we were back up at 1000 feet, this time following the river Dee as it bends right around the Meadows towards Sandy Lane and the Chester Sailing Club.

Clear views of Great Boughton are visible from this altitude. I wonder how many people realise just how close to the river they are here?

Feel free to leave comments on these postings.

Here’s a collection of images over Kelsall village of the new housing project and surrounding area.

Photographed earlier on this evening from about 1000 feet altitude with a Pentax Optio S4 camera.

Here’s a collection of images over lower Kelsall and the new housing development as photographed on the evening of 18th July 2007. These were imaged using a time lapse interval (10 seconds) from an altitude of around 500 - 600 feet.

If you use Google Earth you can click here and get a beta update of lower Kelsall overlays as taken from the model aircraft. This will then show up to date images of the over flown areas.