Happy New Year everybody

Hi all,
2010 ended with me feeling a little sad because two days ago I at last had a calm morning and was flying my aeroplane. This is a high winged single engine thing, something like a Cessna and made out of polystyrene about a foot long and bit more wingspan. First time I've tried to fly a plane and eventually I got it off the ground after numerous taxi crashes. The secret is to have confidence and give it throttle .. flies well then. Was down on the open space which was a container storage area, long time ago when my son was learning to sail at the nearby sailing club it was Humes' Pipe works. So for probably five seconds, maybe ten it flew great except towards the main road. I panic'd and cut the throttle and it fell into the sycamore trees beside the road. Sadly there is a ditch at the bottom of the bank with soft MUD. I thought I had lost it and went home ... that's $160 down the drain. Though not as bad a the guy on a film I edited for TV who had spent two years building a jet plane and it flew for perhaps twenty seconds before crashing .... all 20" captured on film!

I wondered if the wind and rain we have had the past couple of days might shake the plane down, and sure enough I could see it this morning but there is the MUD. Went home and got my aluminium ladder which was just tall enough to bridge the ditch and amazing myself I clambered across and pulling myself up by roots and branches was able to shake the plane loose ... seemingly undamaged ...and I threw it across the ditch where it landed in the grass and then I gingerly crawled backwards across the ladder.

Then I went for my 'easterly' 3km walk along to Maia from the boatclub.

So 2011 has started with a sucess! and I hope you also have good things happen to you ....