Outside Spain – Martin Pickering

Events Outside Spain September 27, 20180

Martin Pickering | India 2018 – J10 Teaching

Martin Pickering | India 2018 – J10 Teaching Following my previous visit to India in 2016 to help Udayan and Varun improve their 3D acrobatic flying, I now returned to India in 2018 to help setup, fly and teach the flying of 3d jets, specifically the CARF-Models J10. For full details of both my experience of flying to India in Etihad Business Class, and the actual week of setup and flying in Ahmedabad, I recommend watching the below video. It shows day by day the travel and flying, the steps taken and the improvements made. You will also see how on the last day I did one better than 2016, when I hovered inside the covered area, this time I tried it in harriers and rolling harriers! What would be the result? 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Events Outside Spain September 26, 20180

Jet Power – GERMANY 2017

Jet Power - GERMANY 2017 The worlds largest jet fair, with all the best brands and pilots. For this year it was also the chosen place to reveal the brand new Martin Pickering website, www.MartinPickering.es with flyers and cards handed out throughout the fair. On this occation I was not flying as the 19h drive each was not possible due to time retraints, however for the first time ever I was actually helping out on one of the stands, Electron Retracts. A great group of people with who I not only learned bundles over the weekend, but also had a truly great time and hope to get the chance to repeat the experience. Electron revealed their new electric piston, ideal for gear doors and with a crazy amount of torque. Based on initial reactions, this is going to be a very popular product. Probably the largest releases of the show was the first view of the Powerbox-Systems Core transmitter. Still quite a way from being the final product, first impressions are very good. With exception of those from Paritech (F22, TurboRaven or F16 to name just a few) the new planes at the show were huge! The 4m Leonardo stands out massively, built to an amazing standard and with brilliant flying characteristics. C&C brought out an 4m Mb339, Paritech showed their new XXXL Bae Hawk or the massive F104 by Airworld. All very exclusive (and expensive!) models. For more details on the show, and with exclusive interviews with Powerbox-Systems, JetCat and Electron Retracts among others, please view the video below:

Events Outside Spain September 26, 20180

Weston Park Airshow – UK – 2017

Weston Park Airshow - UK - 2017 Once again, I flew over to the Uk for the largest event in Europe, the Weston park Airshow. This time however I have retired my old Edge 540 and had a new PilotRc Extra 330SC 107” set up for England. The setup of which is as follows: -GP Engines 123cc + Mejzlik 27-12TH -MKS Servos Hv777 -Powerbox-Systems Mercury SRS -OptiPower 2S 3.500mAh -Futaba 6203 Rx Upon arrival, I was surprised to find that the model wasn't finished, so the first day was dedicated to building and tweaking. By the evening, it was ready for a first flight, run the engine in a little and perform some basic setup for the next day's show. Friday morning all looked good, and the weather and crowd was better than ever for the whole weekend. This year, for the first time Jase Dussia rocked up from the USA, performing amazing demos like always, with his own fast and aggressive, yet very low, style of flying. Not only that, but both he and his father John are such cool people to be around. A bit more cautiously than with my previous Edge, I was also able to get the new Extra through the hoop a number of times at the show, with the crowd erupting each and every time Rob Gardner also let me fly his models as he does every year, among them his UltraLightning, from which photos and video show just how good one of the knife edge passes was, with just a few inches clearance between grass and wing! Without a doubt one of my favourite passes of the weekend!

Events Outside Spain September 26, 20180

Joe Nall Week – USA 2017

Joe Nall Week - USA 2017 The Joe Nall week is one of the most recogniseable events in the world, mainly due to it being the largest event of its type. It has over 1.100 pilots registered and independant sites for drones, helicopters, electrics, float planes, control line, 3D and the main flight line. Held at Tripple Tree Aerodrome, you need a golf kart to get from one side of the event to the other. I travelled with the Powerbox-Systems team to fly (among other places) at the famous noon demos, one of the largest priveleges of the hobby- Due to the difficulty in shipping my plane, Chief Aircraft, PilotRc and Powerbox-Systems all worked together to build a new Extra 300Lx for me, just needing to add receivers and fly. It had all MKS 777Hv servos, Mercury Srs powerbox and it flew amazingly from the get go! I spent a lot of my time at the 3D line, where the level of flying was brilliant, and contrary to Europe the pilots are quite happy at flying up to five or six at a time. This was rather unusual to start with, but you soon get used to. I was also fortunate enough to be allowed a few solo slots to really show off and have fun in. As is traditional and almost obligatory, we took the plane to the lake and put the tail in the water to get the famous "I dunked at Nall" sticker. I decided that I wanted to be the first to do the dunk one handed, and with the help from the integrated iGyro in the Mercury srs I was able to release control of the stick with my right hand, with spectacular results as per the videos. By last thing on Friday, the increadible FPV pilot Mr Steele turned up, known for his amazing videos such as flying at Chernobil! Following being presented by my good friend Erwin, we worked together and pulled out 4 duo flights, over the lake, for some amazing and one off footage. The results of which are in the video below: All in all, the Joe Nall is an aeromodelling haven. There are all types of models and fun is guaranteed. I really appreciate all the support that I received over the weekend as well, from Powerbox-Systems for getting me there, to Chief Aircraft and PilotRc for the help with the plane. Especially to Dana, Brett and Steve for their hard work, and a special thank you to JD who helped out with my model all week, assuring batteries were charged, fuel was done, transporting the plane from one site to the other and generally everything that I could have ever needed.

Events Outside Spain September 26, 20180

Walker Bay Radio Flyers – SOUTH AFRICA 2017

Walker Bay Radio Flyers - SOUTH AFRICA 2017 This year I returned to South Africa to Walker Bay Radio Flyers, with thanks to The first half of the trip didn't go particularly to plan, with a number of models that I was going to be flying being grounded due to mechanical difficulties. However with the great energy of Terry from Terry’s Rc, Tony Tan from PilotRc, Peter from Pilot SA and the members of the club themselves, I had a long list of models available to fly. By Saturday afternoon, the bad luck was done with and was able to do some real flying, and have some proper fun. From the small DLG Elf (great fun competing and formating with Marc!) to the brilliant fun PilotRc Hamilton Edge. Some of the best fun was actually the impromptu climb and glide competition that mainly Marc and I had with the Pilot Trainers. We were also treated to Charles Steven’s World Record beating specially built 4 meter paper airplane, tested at the event and successfully flown on two occasions by Charles. Accompanied also by popular artist, singer and all round greatly enthusiastic guy Michael Ferguson with his song Paper plane backing the record attempt:

Events Outside Spain September 26, 20180

SkyHub – DUBAI 2017

SkyHub - DUBAI 2017 I was kindly invited to perform a series of demo flights at the Rc Championship held at the SkyHub airfield in Dubai, along with Asian champion and GP Engines manufacturer “Fergie” Tzu Chu Lin. I travelled with my good friends Alan and Emilio on this great adventure to the UAE. We were really made to feel at home by our hosts Ahmed, Mustafa, Thair and Bashar who all looked after us, both on the field and off. The idea was that we did not need to take planes, and indeed we had a great selection to choose from. Fergie had a clear favourite, the same 3DHS Slick that he uses at home, while I flew pretty much everything! From Ahmed’s PilotRc 3m Edge, Thair’s PilotRc 3m Extra, Mustafas Pilotrc 2,7m Yak 54 and even a specially built AJ Slick by Mostafa. Not to mention, Habib’s great Viperjet. The preparations went well, and all had clearly been well organized. Everything down to the large banners each of the sponsors had placed around the flying areas. The level of flying was very good, with pilots performing all kinds of maneuvers even with the largest of acrobatic models and jets. Truly enjoying the hobby as a whole. Following three days of practice and preparations though, unfortunately the competition itself had to be called off due to the strong wind and rain (yes, rain in Dubai!) At this time our hosts kindly showed us round Dubai, getting to see the all important attractions of the city, such as the Burj Khalifa, the 7 star Burj Al Arab Jumeirah hotel, the Dubai Mall, the palm islands, Atlantis, etc… A truly unforgettable experience with great people in a wonderful location that I hope we get to repeat in the future.

Events Outside Spain September 26, 20180

Anji, Shanghai – CHINA 2016

Anji, Shanghai – CHINA 2016This year we returned to Anji, close to Shanghai for the UAV GP, this time with a Jet Formation Cup all organized by the Chinese Government and Powerbox-Systems.Unfortunately the weather wasnt kind to us and we had low cloud cover and rain throughout the event. That said, everyone did a great job in flying when there were gaps or reduced rain fall, allowing the event to go ahead and perform the necessary flights for a winner to be crowned. To start with, here is a video of the week. It is filmed when the weather was at its best, so you can imagine what it was like the rest of the time!Anji, Shanghai – CHINA 2016Este año volvimos a Anji, cerca de Shanghai para el UAV GP esta vez con copa de vuelo en formación de turbinas, todo organizado por el gobierno chino y Powerbox-Systems. Por desgracia el tiempo no acompañó, lluviendo de manera continuada durante todos los días del evento. No obstante, en rachas de poca lluvia y cuando la visibilidad lo permtiría, logramos dar un número de vuelos suficientes como para poder llevar al cabo el evento e importantemente la competición. Para empezar, aquí teneis un video con un poco de todo del fin de semana. Esta grabado en los momentos en los que sí pudimos volar, imaginar cómo era cuando no!

Events Outside Spain September 26, 20180

Walker Bay Radio Flyers – SOUTH AFRICA 2016

Walker Bay Radio Flyers - SOUTH AFRICA 2016 A brand new event in the calendar this year was the Walker Bay Radio Flyers Extravaganza, held close to Hermanus in South Africa. Along with Tony Tan from PilotRc, Tzu Chu Lin “Fergie” from GP Engines and the Reds Duo, Steve and Matt Bishop from the UK, we all travelled to a new continent for us. We were welcomed by Terry and Canzius, the two main organizers of the event, and who made us feel perfectly at home during the entire event. Tony had sent two Extra 330SC 107” models in the months before, for Fergie and I to fly, so upon arrival the first thing to do was get them all set up and running. Once we arrived on site, a very busy but welcoming group of flyers were there, putting the finishing touches on the preparations ready to start the show the next day. My test flight didn’t go as well as we would have liked, as seemingly I was provided with unmixed fuel, resulting in the brand new GP 123cc engine needing a complete overhaul after just half a flight. Fortunately we were able to bring the plane down without any significant damage and Fergie was able to get the engine back together and running in no time at all. During the show days there was off the peg flying for anyone who wanted to, with loose slots for the invited international pilots, with one of them flying roughly every 45 minutes. It was nice to see that the locals were not put off flying and they themselves put on a great show, especially Louie with both his large Pilot Decathlon or his very special one off Breitling Extra 330. During our acrobatic solo slots, Fergie and I both had great fun really pushing our Extras and each other to the limits. This was shown by some of the scratches on my Extra from scraping the tarmac, Fergie loosing half a wing in a way too low rolling harrier, or the fact that in consecutive flights we both managed to pull out elevator hinges after touching in knife edge! The Reds Duo, and the team around them made up of Tristen (now known as Bob), Terry and Mike, all did an outstanding job, utter professionalism on the flight line and successfully executing close formation flights upon demand, often bringing a tear to more than the odd spectator. In the evenings there were bands playing, loads of electric night flying, and myself flying a firework loaded 100cc Extra in complete darkness. Words can’t describe how well my night show went, the fireworks simply worked, on cue, every time and with spectacular results. All in all, a great show, shared with brilliant friends, both old and new, just a shame that it had to come to an end, although I am sure it won’t be the last time we hear of the event.

Events Outside Spain September 26, 20180

Ahmedabad – INDIA 2016

Ahmedabad – INDIA 2016Ok so its February, time to get the 2016 show season off to a start! And what a way to do it, travelling to Ahmebadad – India! Unlike most shows that I have done before, this time I was going in representation of Powerbox-Systems to help the locals install and setup their Powerbox and iGyro units, followed by some in flight setup and hopefully teach them along the way. With three flights to get there (Alicante-Madrid-Dubai-Ahmebadad) it took a full day, arriving at 4am ready to get to work at the field! Having arrived in India I met up with my great hosts for the week, Udayab and Varun. We then went to the flying site where we would spend most of the following week, programming, adjusting and over all flying all of them. The week went by very quicky, with very comfortable temperatures, good food and brilliant company with new friends.Ahmedabad – INDIA 2016Estando en Febrero, creo que ya toca arrancar la temporada de vuelo 2016! Y de qué manera! Viajando hasta Ahmenbadad – India! En esta ocasión, no era para una exhibición, sino como representante de Powerbox-Systems para instalar y programar sistemas Powerbox, realizar las pruebas y ajustes de vuelo así como cursar sobre vuelo acrobático con el fin de mejorar las habilidades de los pilotos. With three flights to get there (Alicante-Madrid-Dubai-Ahmebadad) it took a full day, arriving at 4am ready to get to work at the field! Having arrived in India I met up with my great hosts for the week, Udayab and Varun. We then went to the flying site where we would spend most of the following week, programming, adjusting and over all flying all of them. The week went by very quicky, with very comfortable temperatures, good food and brilliant company with new friends. As well as the serious part of the trip, there where many crazy moments when all was let loose, such as flying the 50cc plane while sitting down, or flying a 100cc plane under and through the covered pitts area! By the end of the week, as well as having the planes well programmed and set up, the level of flying had increased significantly, performing many new manouvers, which even though further practice will help smoothen them out, the main part-actually being able to do the manouvers- had succesfully been completed, the whole reason for the trip. Overall, a great success, and looking forward to repeating the experience.Además de la parte seria, hubieron muchos momentos locos, como las de volar el 50cc sentado desde la silla, pasando debajo del tendido eléctrico o pasando el 100cc debajo del techado del hangar! Al final de la semana, además de tener los aviones programados y ajustados, el nivel de vuelo había subido considerablemente, realizando muchas maniobras nuevas, que vale que necesitan más práctica y refinamiento, pero salen y salen bien, que era de lo que se trataba la visita. Todo un éxito para todos, y con ganas de volver en un futuro.

Events Outside Spain September 26, 20180

CACH – Chile 2016

CACH - Chile 2016 Through Powerbox-Systems, I was invited to attend the bi-annual CACH Airshow in Chile, with the opportunity to just turn up and fly, without need to ship a model. I would travel with good friend Ralph Losemann from Germany. Not really knowing what to expect, and with Ralph not having visited Chile before either, we were both amazed once we arrived at the flying site. This place wasn't a scrap of land, it was a paradise for model flyers! It turned out, that the previous club was in the centre of Chile, and as the city grew, it became too dangerous to fly. In the years that they had owned the club, the land had been reclassified from agricultural to buildable, and as such increased in value exponentially. The result, 12 million dollars becoming available to buy and build a new club. As such, the club owns hectares upon hectares of land, so you actually always fly within the plot. It has multiple very long tarmac runways surrounded by grass, each with their own pitts area with running water, electricity and even mini control tower! In the central area of the club are dozens of shipping containers used to store, build and repair models on site. Not only that, but also has its own on site restaurant, boat lake, x4 rc car circuits and even go-kart circuit! Put it on your bucket list, if you like flying or modelling, you need to visit this place! The hospitality couldn't have been better either, Ralph and I were made to feel at home with everything that we did, as well as eating like kings. The event itself saw locals visit the field, and even bus loads of children taking a school trip out on the Friday to visit the show. I flew the models of Nico and Arie Gulfenstein, a great father and son team. Nico, AKA "NicoShow!" is a great pilot in his own right, having also competed at events such as the XFC in USA. They kindly allowed me to fly their J10 and Pilot-Rc Extra 330Sc. Ralph didnt have a great show, due to having a problem with his J10 causing him not to be able to continue flying, however Nico once again saved the day providing Ralph with his version, so the show could continue. I was also fortunate enough to be offered to fly the vide-president's Ultra Flash, which must be one of the fastest Ultra's I have ever flown and loved it! I also flew a Mig15 and was asked to assist in fine tuning it and was challenged to try and land it without bouncing! A few flights later and a few changes to set up, had both the challenge met and a very happy owner. All in all, it was a really great trip, even if it was only a short one. Very happy memories and I hope to return very soon! Chile 2016