Sunday 19th Sep 10.
With the memories of last nights pilots party still fresh(ish) and having had a superb day yesterday i'm really looking forward to today, and by all accounts it shouldn't disappoint. Dennis is back in a new helicopter, we again have the lunchtime toffee bomber and 'have a go' training but on top of this we have a full program of events. One highlight not to be missed will be The Reds (ATS fun fighters) with the exploding limbo (~2:20pm), these guys never fail to entertain. We also have appearances from a few Hop Farm veteran teams today, Aces UK who flew yesterday will be back and the Panic team will be doing slots also. TJD will be up with their large scale WW2 war birds and Dawn Patrol with their WW1 hand build stunner's. The picture above is of a hand build engine that is destined for a Dawn Patrol plane, it took the chap over 3 years to build and sounds wonderful at full throttle. I look forward to the final completed project.
For those who want to explore the rest of the show, the Trade Village reported a record day yesterday and should be in fine form again today - this is the last show of the year for most of them so go grab yourself a bargain. On the main field you will also find the Cygnets Boat club with their 12,000 gallon boat pool and the Dover Bashers with their RC Mayhem car and buggy track, the Dalek builders club will have real Dalek's patrolling together with the UK Tank builders club so look out for those when your out and about.Weather for today is expected to be excellent so hope to see you later, i'm off now to get to the pilots briefing and to help open the show..
Saturday 18th Sep 10, Evening Update
What a great day, the weather has been stunning and we have seen some if the best model displays possible with a complete extreme of types and styles. This afternoon also saw a special guest fly (some say he only does Cars but we know better !) all in all he caused a bit of a stur. War birds were well catered for today with Dawn patrol flying some of their superb WW1 models followed by the excellent TJD WW2 warbirds - the full size aeros were stunning as well with both Dave Stephens (Mustang) and Dennis Kenyon (R300 Heli) wowing the crowd. to see Dave land the Mustang on the strip was great and with Dennis still flying in the back ground you could have been mistaken for thinking it was a full size airshow. Tomorrow is also looking to be great with the final battle from the Reds as the pyro slot..Saturday 18th Sep 10, Morning Update
Its Show Time ! After working since February that time of the year is here again, The Southern Model Airshow starts today!!It was very cold overnight, I woke up this morning with a thick frost on the van but the good news is that the sky is crystal clear and the day is looking good. Gates open at a little after 9:15 am, look forward to seeing you all today and as normal I will try to post news here throughout the day but do also check the Facebook groups and Twitter feeds for up to date info.
Friday 17th Sep 10, 19:30 Update
The site is really filling up now as the campers flood in, the trade village is almost full and is a hive of activity as everyone prepares for the morning.
This afternoons test flying session was really good with several impromptu displays including a couple of interesting planes from Ken Shepard, editor of Radio Control Model Flyer Mag (pic above) and a quick formation fly from the Mayhem team. I also had a chance to chat with the Pyro team this afternoon, if what they were telling me about the planned setup this year is half as good as it sounds we are going to be in for a real treat. watch out the Reds, the Pyro guys are heavily armed and after a 100% kill rate this year.. Look forward to seeing you all tomorrow but for now I hear the beer tent calling..
Friday 17th Sep 10, 15:00 Update
Dave Stephens just did a test fly past in his full size Mustang, stunning plane and superbly flown. his display should be a highlight tomorrow along with the other full size planes.. As for the set up of the show, most items are complete and the campers are starting to arrive. its quite amazing how the site is transformed in a matter of hours, the show is really starting to take shape and the buzz of excitment is starting to show. As I type this the flight line has been opened and a few pilots are having an afternoon hack and play session. The weather is still sunny and reports for the weekend are good so fingers crossed for a good show. Friday 17th Sep 10, Midday Update
Lots of tasks completed yesterday and today to get everything ready for Saturday, the preparation for the show is going well and is on target. The Trade Village is busy as traders start setting up stalls, the Cygnets boat pool is in the final throws of being readied as it the Dover Bashers RC car arena. The runway is looking very good with the centre section even having bowling green type lines on it.. Hats of to Tom and the guys for 3 days of solid mowing ! just off to help Darren set up "Hop Farm Ground" Air Traffic control (yes we do need one, for the full size planes that visit !)..Wed 15th Sep 10 - Update from the Hop Farm
Tom and the Runway maintenance crew have had thier first solid day mowing and rolling and the runway is already looking very good. The rest of the crew have been busy fixing fences and marking out the traders areas + the Marquee company arrived eairly and large tents have been springing up all over the place. all in all a good day was had !Previous page: 2011 Diary
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