Hi to all members of Kirkleatham model flying club.
I recently joined this nice little club and thought it only polite to introduce myself. My name is Dave but most of the natives in the North East call me Wurzel, cant think why?? maybe it's because of my strong West Country accent. I have lived in the North East for about 9 years. My wife Ann and I live in Brotton with our son Liam.
When I first arrived in the North East, I lived in Guisborough and joined the Guisborough club. It was soon evident to me that the escape commitee had to be found, and when I did find them I did a runner, never again.
How did I find out about this club? you may well ask! I met a guy in the local model shop in Guisborough called Adey( Should have gone to specsavers) Sutherland,
who to his credit, really did sing the praises of this club, although my main interests are gliders, he introduced me to a guy,who has been trying his best to convert me to electric flight (Muppet comes to mind) you all know him as Paul L.
Well he has had some degree of succes, I am now flying an electric glider, and for some one who does'nt know an Amp from an Ohm I'm enjoying it.
I am 63 and been modeling since I was about 12, so some might say i'm just beginning.
My modelling has been varied over the years, starting out on Control line with a 1cc E.D. Bee diesel engine and with my late Father on to Free flight, R/C Model Boats, R/C aircraft, and Live steam locomotives in 3 1/2" & 5" Gauge. To my fathers credit, it was to him that I looked for inspiration within this fantastic hobby
I remember a time when he took me out with him with an own design free flight model which when launched with a small amount of fuel would fly in a circle, when the fuel was used up, down it came, and always to the feet of our next door neighbours son called Terry Lewis, guess what I hated him, and why? cos this nice little blue plane always landed at his feet and never mine, he would collect it and return it to Dad. Well to cut a very long story short one day it landed at my feet and WOW!! was I surprised, so what did I do, yes you guessed it I BL*%DY well jumped on it, not going to Terry Lewis's feet anymore I thought, still got the bruises on me backside from Dad to this day
I did leave this hobby for a short time and got into full size, and qualified as a PPL and Glider pilot. I have flown quite a mixture of full size gliders and light aircraft over the years but for some reason always came back to the models. This hobby has given me a great deal of pleasure over the years and I have met some really nice people, who have helped me no end, it's now my turn to help others enjoy this sport as well.
If anyone wants to come over and chat or come to my home for a brew (or in Paul L's case, 1/2 a bottle of Whisky)
and some help, then please introduce yourself and lets talk, I'm quite easily recognised, because of my wheel chair.
Already in this club I have met some really nice people, who have made me feel very welcome, thank you Adey, Paul L & Justin. I know its wrong to single out certain individuals, but in this case to my mind it's justified.
This is my current list of projects ongoing or flying.
Greensleeves Glider (Electric)
Spirit 100s Glider
1/4 Scale ASW17 all glass Glider (20' wingspan)
1/4 Scale ASK8 Glider Wood and Canvas construction
!/4 Scale Cessna 182 with 50cc Petrol engine
!/4 Scale P51 Mustang with 100cc Petrol engine.
33% DH Tiger Moth which will have a Zenoah 42
So there you are guys my introduction to you all, and a big thankyou from Ann & myself in welcoming us to your club.
Dave (aka Wurzel)
Thu May 07, 2015 8:15 am by 
