Shankill Scale Fly In
Photos from this event can be viewed in the gallery -- click here.
The poor weather on the morning of the Shankill Scale fun fly thankfully did not deter over 30 pilots from near and far arriving with their scale planes on Sunday morning of July 31st.
Despite the excellent turnout, an early fog all but covered the sugar loaf mountain, and as it slowly lifted, a few brave test pilots took to the skies to assess the visibility while we watched in anticipation as they disappeared and reappeared in pockets of fog. For two hours, covers were taken on and off the models in between showers as we watched the skies anxiously.
Later in the afternoon, a break in the weather afforded an opportunity to fly, and after a thorough Pilots Safety Briefing from Terry, we were treated to some excellent scale flying from planes such as Simons Extra 330, Ger Kilbeys Pits Python, Martin Sweeney’s Spitfire, Joe O’Sullivans Sbach 342, Colin Blocks B-17, and John Shortts AT-6 Texan, among others.
Other Interesting Planes on display in the Pits area ranged from Cubs and Tigermoths, to Catalinas and Corsairs.
Off the peg Scale flying continued until 6pm, after which time anything that flew was permitted, and we witnessed excellent demonstrations from a variety of non-scale aircraft that included helicopters, shock fliers, sport fliers and even an F3A plane.
Thanks must go to Tim Costello as head Chef for the excellent BBQ, with the food procured by Terry, John, and Ger.
Thanks also must go to the Committee and Club members who worked hard behind the scenes to have the grounds and runways in tip-top condition, especially Conor & Terry who maintained the Pits and Clubhouse areas, Trevor on the runways, and Gerry who refurbished the model restraints.
Despite a few aviation related mishaps and failures that ranged from broken propellers to complete write-offs, great fun was had overall, and we hope to host a similar event in the future, albeit with finer weather.
Photos from this event can be viewed in the gallery -- click here.