Season update from Ian Emery, RC Heli Pilot...

Another top update from our friend & F3C RC heli pilot Ian Emery - we are proud & delighted to announce that he managed to finish an extremely impressive 3rd place in the British Nationals 🏆 last week!  

He'll be competing very close to home this coming weekend - as the Euro Heli Series comes to Abingdon in Oxfordshire on the 9th-10th September.  We hope the weather gods are kind, as there's an impressive field of international competitors in attendance (of course, we hope Ian has a massive home advantage 😉). 

Why not go along & support Ian if you can?

He has promised more exciting news soon, so we'll update you as soon as we find out what it is, but in the meantime check out his latest season update below:

"Scottish Nationals -

When I got back from Austria, I noticed the was a slight wobble with the elevator, I wasn't sure if this was connected to the previous issues I had experienced or something new, either way it wasn't the best news.  

By time I got to Scotland with one thing or another, I still hadn't figured out what was going on.  I had reduced the effect by altering some of the settings in the Flybarless controller but that was just hiding an underlying problem.  I had my Urukay with me but just didn't feel as comfortable with it compared to the JR Helicopters so I stuck with them.  With a constant elevator wobble in the hover, it didn't present very well to the judges and I think it was always at the back of my mind that there was something not quite right.  After 3 rounds I finished 4th and felt along way behind my close rival and friend Roger Mayo.

 

Germany -

The following weekend 5 British pilots traveled to Kleinenbroich in Germany for the second Euro Heli Series competition of the year which was really well attended.  The clubs in Europe are just superb with excellent facilities.  

After a rather blustery practice session on Friday afternoon, we all went out together to a Greek restaurant in a local town.  The best part about the Euro Heli Series is all getting together at the end of the day to socialize and have a good catch-up with friends that you only see a handful of times each year.  

Saturday was much calmer and after 2 fairly steady rounds I was down in 14th place.  

The final round was a different story, still battling with the elevator wobble, somehow it all came together and managed to get a great score which meant I moved up a few places and secured a spot in the finals for the Sunday.  The Fly off (Finals) Schedule is something I need to spend more time practicing, but with the wind direction in my non-preferred direction, I managed to get through 2 rounds and finished in 10th place gaining valuable World Cup points".

Ian with his valuable 10th place in the German leg of the Euro Heli Series, gaining World Cup points...

We are keeping our fingers (& toes) crossed for Ian's continued success & will update you on his progress again soon.  

GOOD LUCK IAN!!!!!

Ian Emery - RC Heli pilot season update...

We are excited to bring you a season update from the exceptionally busy Ian Emery today - check out all the happenings from the Euro Heli Series F3C season so far below:

Pre season and Austrian Competition

Ian's JR Sylphide

With one thing or another, it's been a bit of a funny year.  Pre-season I learnt that there was a significant chance that spare parts for my JR Sylphides were probably going to be an issue with the closure of JR. Although there was some light at the end of the tunnel with RC Depot in Japan stepping forward and taking on the World wide distribution of certain JR products which they would produce under licence.  Unfortunately it didn't look like the Sylphide parts would be among the supported items.  I was pretty confident going into the season as the Sylphides have proven to be so reliable, with the help and support of SMB Bearings of course!

some JR pre-competition servicing...

 I managed to get some flying in over the winter, although not as much as I would have hoped and the helicopters were performing well.  I did however decide that it might be good to get a helicopter that I could fly the F3C Schedules and be able to source parts if I needed them.  Having weighed up the various options, I decided on the SAB Urukay.  It had proven to be a good competition helicopter over the past few years and SAB had just released the latest version, the SAB Urukay Carbon. 

The SAB Urukay's 1st flight

I had some new and exciting venues to look forward to on the Euro Heli Series Calendar this year with F3C World Cup competitions in Austria, Germany, France and the final one at my club near Abingdon which will be in September.

I had been planning the Austria trip for some months, with 1100 miles each way I thought it would be a good opportunity for my Dad and I to have a bit of a road trip and stop off at some places along the way.  A week before we set off, I started having issues with my main helicopters rudder.  It had a really strange vibration. I stripped it down and had a look over it and couldn't see anything obvious.  I had run out of time, I had only had a handful of flights on the Urukay so decided I would take both Sylphide helicopters to Austria thinking that I could either use by backup machine or I could pinch parts off the backup to solve the issue that I was having with my preferred model. 

Snow-covered Alps...

 We set off early to catch the Eurotunnel, I had planned that we had to do 700 miles on day 1 which would allow me to stop off and take day 2 a little easier.  We stopped overnight in a lovely B&B near Ulm in Germany before heading to Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria the following morning.  

Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria.

The castle and surrounding area is absolutely  stunning, and if you ever get the opportunity to visit I would highly recommend it.  After a short stop we headed East towards Salzburg.  We had planned to go to a small town called Hallstatt on the edge of a lake but were running a little behind schedule so decided to head straight for the apartment we had booked into in Klopeiner see, about 10 minutes from the competition site.  Travelling through Bavaria and Austria I was lost for words, the scenery was breathtaking.

Because of the long drive we decided to get to the competition site a few days early which would give us a few days of much needed practice/maintenance before it got under way.  Annoyingly I was still having issues so I decided to swap tail units which solved the problem.  Expecting the backup model to now have the rudder issue, I lifted off into a hover and it was perfect. I had 2 serviceable helicopters which was a result but I still wasn't sure why I had the rudder issues in the first place. 

Saturday morning came round all too quickly and the competition began, it was great to see familiar faces and pilots I had not met before.  

All the pilots together 😄

Given the lack of practice pre-season, I was really pleased with how I was flying.  As always there was small things I would have liked to have to done differently, but on the whole I was pleased.  My fellow team mates Steve Roberts and Bruce Naylor were also flying really well.  Bruce used to fly F3C but was making a comeback in his first competition for several years.  It was like he had never been away but I think it was based on his secret Flight Mode 5 which I will explain another time.

Ian Emery (left) piloting & his pal Steve Roberts (right) calling for Ian...

 We were really looked after by everyone involved in organizing the event and members of the MFC Jauntal Club in St Stefan.  I managed to finish in a very respectable 8th place given the company I was in.  Most of the pilots there would be competing in the World Championships in Poland in July. 

Brilliant results - well done Ian!

Before I knew it, it was time to pack up the car and start the long journey back.  The Scottish Nationals was only 3 weeks away.

****

Thanks so much Ian - we can't wait to hear all about the Scottish Heli Nats!  It's great that the Euro-Heli Series is gaining some much deserved recognition in the press - see the feature below from an international magazine recently:

We are so proud & delighted that SMB Bearings continue to be a very small part (quite literally 😅) of Ian's RC Heli journey & we look forward to bringing more news (& stunning photos) as his season continues...

What a year for Ian Emery, RC Heli pilot...

Another year has passed (well, almost 😉) & it's been another year of excitement & brilliant achievement for our friend & British F3C team-member Ian Emery.  At SMB Bearings, we're always delighted when we get to hear how our bearings are being put to use & Ian certainly used them in fine style in 2016!  We'd like to say a big thanks to Ian for taking the time to share this fantastic season summary with us:

Ian at the controls...

"Wow, what a roller-coaster of a year it's been.  A few days after I wrote my last blog for SMB Bearings I set off on my biggest RC Helicopter adventure to date, which was to the FAI F3C European Championships.

On the practice field...

  Being in a position to represent the British Team in a major Continental competition was a dream come true, a competition where I would be up against the best F3C pilots in Europe including European and former World Champion Ennio Graber. 

Truly a hard-won shirt (& one to treasure)...

It was an early start to drive to Watford in order to meet up with the rest of the Team.  To minimise costs we had arranged to travel together in one vehicle which was a challenge in itself.  We had 4 people, 7 helicopters, 2 generators, 4 cases, 4 Transmitter cases, batteries, chargers and a good selection of spares including a complete bearing set from SMB Bearings just in case.  We just needed a kitchen sink, which as it was a Volkeswagon Shuttlebus I'm sure we could have had one fitted if we wanted to!

Helicopters packed - now where are we going to fit the pilots?! 😅

After the 1100 mile journey to Wlocklawek in Poland we had a quiet night before getting down to business the following day. Our Team manager, Mike Gilfillan was fresh as a daisy after flying out to meet us.  Positions of responsibility has its privileges I guess.  First we went to the Airfield where the competition would be held and what an amazing venue it was.

The British F3C team - what a gang!

We then wandered over to one of the official practice sites and met up with the German and Swedish Teams.  Still feeling a little rusty after missing so much practice time, I flew several flights and began to feel more comfortable and was really looking forward to what lay ahead.  The following day we had Official model processing and Team registration.  Whilst I was confident my model would be okay, I had never weighed it so was just hoping that it weighed less than the 6.5 KG limit. Thankfully we all passed the processing and the Team were officially registered into the competition. 

The following day was the official practice day when each pilot was allocated a 10 minute window to fly at the main Competition site.  It was much cloudier than we had experienced over the first few days and rather than flying a full schedule I just wanted to do a few runs up and down the flight-line to try and get used to the site. At this point I was beginning to feel at ease so did a few of the aerobatic manoeuvres.  Before I knew it my 10 minutes had passed and I had done all that I could.  Round 1 awaited me after what I was hoping would be a good night's sleep.

The flight order had been released and I would have to wait until the end of the day for my flight with only reigning Champion Ennio Graber to fly straight after me.  The day flew past and soon it was my turn to report to the start box.  By this time I was feeling rather nervous, especially as Ennio was looking over my shoulder.  I remember saying to him how nervous I was and he replied "me too" which I thought was a really nice gesture and it did help settle my nerves.  The first flight went much better than I could have dreamed of but it was way too early to see how it was all going to turn out. 

 The next 2 days went really well and I found myself lying in 25th place.  A place in the final was out of my reach at this point but still wanted to put in a good round to try and climb a place or two.  The fourth round score wasn't as good as my previous ones, but it was enough to climb one place and finish 24th which I was elated with as I finished ahead of some great pilots.  This was without a doubt the highlight of my F3C career.  

I met some fantastic people and the memories will stay with me forever.  I had done all that I could, so the remainder of the competition allowed me to watch the finals and cheer on my Team mate Steve Roberts who had made the cut. Steve managed to climb a few places but he had left himself a bit too much to do to reach the podium.  All that was left was the closing ceremony, presentations and banquet before we set off on the 1100 mile trip back home.

The final scores & a magnificent effort puts Ian 24th overall...

The month of August was soon upon us and it was time for the Team trials for next year's Team.  As always it was a very close battle between myself and good friend Roger Mayo.  

Ian & friendly rival, Roger Mayo

Unfortunately, Roger pipped me to the post and secured the third Team place for the 2017 World Championships with me relegated to Team reserve.  Whilst I was bitterly disappointed, the practice time I had missed out on throughout the Year was evident.

There was one thing left to focus on now and that was the last World Cup competition of the season which was held near Abingdon. 

World Cup competitors line-up, Abingdon.

I was ready for this one and was determined to get over the disappointment of not making the team.  After a prolonged period of torrential rain we finally had a break in the weather and got started. After 5 rounds I'm managed to finish in 6th place which I was really happy with.  

Points mean prizes!! 😉

6th place finish at Abingdon - go Ian! 👍

This also meant that along with the points I had gained in Holland and Belgium, I had managed to finish 7th overall in the first ever season of the F3C World Cup.

Now it's time to reflect on this year's high's and low's, perform some much needed maintenance on both Helicopters and work towards next Year's competitions .  I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the staff at SMB Bearings for their help and fantastic support throughout the year.  I have had hundreds of trouble free flights thanks to the superb quality of bearings they have available". 

We are so proud of you & your achievements Ian - it hasn't been a perfect year for you but you've proved to everyone that you can still achieve your dreams - you are a real inspiration to us all.  

Best wishes from us all at SMB Bearings Ltd (& may 2017 bring you a sprinkling more luck & another fantastic flying season)! 

       

Ian Emery, RC heli pilot - season update

The competitors line up for the Euro Heli Series...

We've just received this fantastic in-depth season update from our friend & RC Heli pilot Ian Emery, it's a great insight into the pressures of reaching the international competition Euro Heli Series & also World Cup standard:

"I just thought I would give you a quick update on everything that has happened over the winter and the Season so far.  The beginning of the year was a right-off with regards to flying helicopters as I had to go away with work for 4 months which couldn’t have come at a worse time (ed. Ian spent a very chilly few months in the Falklands!).

When I returned at the beginning of May I had a shiny new JR Sylphide to try and get built and set up ready for the first F3C Competition. This is pretty much the same model as I flew last year except this one is fitted with the beautiful JR Super Gracy fuselage and a slightly different rotor head which has proved to be popular amongst other F3C pilots.

Ian carries his heli into battle (this picture gives you a real feel for the sheer size of these machines)...



This was going to be an important season for me but I couldn’t help but feel frustrated that I had done so little flying with being away and I just wanted to look back and say that I had given it my all. To add to my workload I had 2 new schedules to learn which looked challenging to get right.  On a positive note I now had 2 very capable helicopters and it was just the pilot that needed sorting out!

Ian in action...

The month soon passed and it was time to travel up to Aberdeen for the Scottish Heli Nats and my first Competition of the 2016 Season.  I was understandably a little nervous because I had done so little flying since the end of last season and I had a slight mishap following an auto-rotation during training where the helicopter tipped onto its side causing minor damage to the fuselage a week earlier. We were really lucky with the weather and managed to get 3 rounds completed along with plenty of training flights which all proved really useful in my work-up to the F3C World Cup competitions and European Championships.  A lot of competition flying is physiological and for some reason I managed to make a mistake during the rolling manoeuvre which carried on into subsequent rounds, but I knew it was all in my head and Team manager, Mike Gilfillan was on hand to talk me out of it.  I managed to finish 3^rd which I was pleased with but felt like I had lost ground on teammate and good friend Roger Mayo after some very close battles last year.

With no time to contemplate things the following week we made the journey to Almere in Holland. This was a fantastic venue for the first ever FAI F3C World Cup competition and forms part of the Euro Heli Series which is now in its 3^rd year. We had a pretty good attendance with 14 pilots from 5 different countries.  After 3 rounds of the preliminary schedule and 2 rounds of the Fly-off schedule I managed to finish 9^th place and secured 6 valuable World Cup points. To explain a little bit, other FAI radio controlled disciplines have held World Cup’s for several years and it involves countries from around the World hosting World Cup events, points are then awarded after each event depending where you finished for that competition.  You then submit your best 3 results to form a World League table.  For F3C this is the first World Cup season but I think it will gather momentum over the next few years but I was really happy to have been a part of the first ever F3C World Cup competition.  We then had a 3 week break which I was hoping to get some much needed practice, unfortunately between work and the weather my opportunities to get out flying were extremely limited.

The second Euro Heli Series and World Cup competition was held in Haaltert in the heart of Belgium at the Little Wings club.  In the 2 previous years we have had major problems with the Belgium competition due to rain, really strong winds or a combination of both. This year we had changed the date, changed the venue but we were not to be disappointed as it rained hard most of the weekend.  Two weeks on and I think my boots are still drying out.  We were also discussing ideas on how to fit floatation devices to the helicopters is was that wet.  Surprisingly between the downpours we still managed to fit in 5 complete rounds over the weekend and I finished 9^th again and another 6 World Cup points.

A bit of maintenance "on the fly"!

As I write this I only have a few days before I leave to go the European Championships in Poland, which will be my first major continental championship.  Both helicopters are good to go although I popped into SMB Bearings the other day to pick up a spare set of bearings just in case. Interestingly I stripped the motor down on the helicopter I used last year.  The motor manufacturer recommends oiling the bearings every 5-6 flights.  The helicopter had well over 200 flight last year using Japanese EZO bearings supplied by SMB and they are still as good as the day I fitted them, which is a testament to how good these bearings are. Not oiling the bearing has meant that the grease applied during the manufacturing process has stayed in place and not been flushed out. 

I know I always say it but thank you to the whole team at SMB Bearings for the continued support that you have given me over years; it really makes my life easier knowing I have such reliable bearings installed on my helicopters".

Ian on a recent visit to SMB...

Thanks so much Ian, for taking the time to give us an insight into the competitive flying scene & also all the hard work & emotion that goes into competing on the international stage.  We wish you every success for the rest of the season & look forward to continuing to support you in the coming years.

If you think you'd like to get into RC Heli competitions there are lots of online resources available - for example
http://www.euroheliseries.net/
http://www.helinats.co.uk/
And the BMFA/AHA's website http://BMFA.org/AHA might be a good place to start.

Of course, if you need replacement bearings for your pride & joy too,

 we'll be delighted to help you with that!