Still flying, or I was, when Winter did a-come in..

Damn! I was getting lessons from the nice Brian (not the less than nice one) at the club on  Tuesday and doing really well, when the weather broke. I hadn't flown for three weeks, then one of the chaps, Mark, who I regard as Clubman of the year, mailed me to say he would be down the field and was I going.  So off I went, sans aeroplane as I thought it was just a social meet, but once we'd had our coffees, Mark offered me a flight with his own aircraft. Now this would be a kind and frankly risky offer at the best of times, but the aeroplane in question was a low winger and rather a racy one at that.  But Mark took it up high, "3 mistakes high"and gave me his transmitter.  I flew this apparently "unsuitable"'plane with ease. I found it more responsive than the club trainer, but in an encouraging way.  Mark was both encouraging and informative. As he thought the engine was not up to mustard he took over and landed it. I was well pleased with my progress and so was he. Another good flight was also truncated by an iffy performance from the engine. Later mark stuffed the 'plane on take off as the engine suddenly died and said I'd flown his 'plane better than he had!  Flattery will get me back every time  But not since thanks to rain making the track to the field impassable and it's too far to walk for me, especially lugging a flight box and aeroplanes.

Meanwhile, I took on the build of a Wills Craftsman kit of a Southern Railway station building for a chap who couldn't get the hang of it.  The instructions are complete crap, written by Iain Rice, something of a model railway has-been. Once everywhere in the model railway firmament, he's rarely heard from these days. Perhaps his whimsical sketches or his slightly belligerent writing style are against him. I don't know, but considering a Craftsman kit is really just a pile of Wills plastic building sheets with a few detailed mouldings thrown in, the instructions need to be a lot more explanatory and explain immediately what's in all the bags. As it turned out, the kit I'd been sent had no sash windows, so that's where building finished and I hope the guy can get some sash windows from Peco who market the kit.
They've been pretty well slated on the forums, but as an attempt to get people actually making stuff rather than just opening a box they're as good as one can expect. However, poor instructions, barely readable photos and missing parts will ensure they win even fewer friends in future.
Some silly old bat on youtube went to the extent of putting a slagging off video up saying how she was so disgusted by the kit, that she was going to bin it.  Well bin it then, you dozy old cow. There is enough stuff on forums about these things that you have no excuse for buying something that isn't what you thought it was.  What gets me is that every comment on the youtube was supporting her!  So what we have here is a world where everybody is terminally stupid and can't read reviews, or is so physically incapable of manipulating simple tools that they can barely be entrusted to open a bloody box!  Why don't these useless individuals go trainspotting?  Laying on the rails looking up gives you a great view, I'm told.  Albeit briefly...