Reports

Also see the reports in the Comments, below.

In 2024 we have reports of 103 Cloud Tramp flyers:

Rolf, Don, Matt, Rick, Don, E. Bulmer, Ricky Bould, Paul, Irene, Martin, Ceinwen Evans, Skyla Evans, Brian Howell, Stan Mauger, Louise Meredith, Ken Smith, Mishka Soroka, Tom Curphey, Tony Tomlin, Robin Willes, Gary Oulds, Alex Cameron, Freddy Willes, Bob Beaumont, Jeremy Beaumont, Mike Eyre, Peter Michel, Mike Hollaway, Niels McEwan, Pauline Hollaway, Keith Jennings, Brian Burke, Catherine Worwood, Butch Brookshier, John O’Sullivan, John Richards, Brian Richards, Dianne Tate, John Tate, Mike Parker, Amy Ogram, Petr Loula sr., Petr Loula jr., Zdenka Loulova, Sam Andrlik, Blaza Andrlíkova, Roman Pojer, Martina Pojerova, Tomas Flandera, Tereza Flanderova, Tim Flandera, Ted Flandera, Tom Flandera, Toník Jiskra, Barunka Jiskrova, Lucie Jiskrova, Jirka Houlik, Mila Benes, Petr Svec, Adam Moravec, Stanley J. Stembera, Simon Milan, Alan Trinder, Hugo, Gary Law, Eric Grigg, Glenn Nigh, Sam Martyk, Bill Mitchell, Ron Campbell, Sue Batkin, Paul Burt, Simon Church, Stuart Church, Richard Compton, Ron Marking, Dave Powis, Tony Winter, Barbara Jones, John Jones, Dave Scholfield, Kevin Atkins, Dave Raynor, Reelika Roolaht, Scott O’Brien, Paul Griffiths, Mervyn Harris, Peter Rea, Dave Hanks and Joe Pritchard.

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Sun, Aug 4, 2024 at 2:38 PM

We had good flying weather in Cedar Rapids, IA on Saturday, though the wind did pick up as the day went along, so flying time was somewhat limited.  Plus, we were having so much fun, we forgot to time the best flight – I believe it was around 25 seconds.

  Our intrepid fliers in photo a) are (l-to-r): Rolf, Don, Matt, Rick and Don.  b) shows our ‘mass’ launch, and c) Don and Bob after helping rescue my Tramp from a tree via much branch-shaking and a long stick! Fortunately it came down intact.  If needed, photos credits a) and b) John Thomas, c) is mine.

  Thanks for running the show, we all had a great time!

             – Matt

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Sat, Aug 3, 2024 at 10:03 PM

Hi Darcy,

         The report on the Auckland MAC event is attached together with
photos.We fly 12 hours ahead of GMT as 0400 hrs is not that appealing
and does present recovery problems in the dark mid winter.

             Apologies for missing last years report.

     Yours aye

     Ricky Bould

MIMLOCT Mass Launch

MIMLOCT, “What’s that?” For the uninitiated, every year at precisely the same time (give or take the twelve hour difference for New Zealand participants on the other side of the world from those in the Northern Hemisphere), Cloud Tramp flyers around the world take part in a mass launch of these models. This event is to celebrate the contribution of Charles Hampson Grant, to aeronautical design and to aeromodelling, and what better way than to fly one of his better known models, the all sheet Cloud Tramp.

This year’s Auckland area MIMLOCT (Memorial International Mass Launch of Cloud Tramps) celebration was once again flown at Windsor Park in Mairangi Bay. The Mass launch was down for 4pm and all were ready for a fly off at about that time except for Stan Mauger whose model was damaged by the wind and needed a replacement wing.

This year we had the Park, to ourselves. No great flight endurance was expected of Cloud Tramps in the Mass launch and that was just as well as there was a strong wind that made flying these models difficult.

Many of the regulars were there again to commemorate the occasion. Attending were Ricky Bould, Paul, Irene, Martin, Ceinwen and Skyla Evans, Brian Howell, Stan Mauger, Louise Meredith, Ken Smith and Mishka Soroka. Thank you to everyone who came to support the event and a special thank you to Louise for suppling the excellent photographs that accompany this report

STAN MAUGER

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We had a beautiful day with moderate winds.  My propeller shaft bracket came apart but still managed a short flight.  Thanks again Gary for keeping the Cloud Tramp annual event going.

Eric Grigg, North Bay, Ontario Canada

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Sun, Aug 4, 2024 at 3:32 PM

Pic from Dianne Tate & John Tate. It was was too windy to fly model airplanes but we did it anyway.

Sun, Aug 4, 2024 at 3:40 PM

Video from Dianne Tate and John Tate. It was way to windy to fly model airplanes but we tried anyway.

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Mon, Aug 5, 2024 at 5:08 AM

Greetings from Blatna, Czech Republic,

On Saturday, August 3, I attended the Grant MIMLOCT 2024. A total of 20 members of our club got together and flew the event as a two-round contest. We flew five starts for each round and tallied timed times. We are looking forward to the next event and here is the list of participants.

Petr Loula sr., Petr Loula jr., Zdenka Loulova, Sam Andrlik, Blaza Andrlíkova, Roman Pojer, Martina Pojerova, Tomas Flandera, Tereza Flanderova, Tim Flandera, Ted Flandera, Tom Flandera, Toník Jisrka, Barunka Jiskrova, Lucie Jiskrova, Jirka Houlik, Mila Benes, Petr Svec, Adam Moravec, Stanley J. Stembera

Best Regards,

Stanza

GRANT MIMLOCT 2024

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Mon, Aug 5, 2024 at 7:03 AM

Hi Darcy –

Greetings from a sunny Shropshire in the UK!

Herewith a brief video of my solo participation on 3 August – I has intended to go down to the Oxford Model Flying Club’s event (the nearest to me) but the 200-mile round trip was a step too far for these old bones!

Best wishes

Simon Milan

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Tue, Aug 6 at 3:38 AM

Hi Gary,

Here are some photos to go with the Report I posted on the CT section of the website.

Best wishes and thanks for your efforts.

Mike Parker

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Wed, Aug 7, 2024 at 10:26 AM

Hi Gary

I hope I have the correct email address this year!

A quick report for MIMLOCT 2024 from Oxford, UK.

Just three flyers gathered on Port Meadow, Oxford this year for a 5:00 pm launch. 

The weather was fine, if rather breezy but anyway, Cloud Tramps are pretty rugged!

Alan Trinder, Isaac Lee’s friend Hugo and Gary Law stood ready to launch. 

With 30 secs. to go and without any extra sneaky hand turns, the rubber motor aboard Alan’s CT suddenly self-destructed. So two rubber powered and one CT glider rose into the sky at 5:00 pm precisely!

A pleasant evening followed. Many Cloud Tramp flights, speedily retrieved by four young fetchermites!

Gary Law

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Sat, Aug 10, 2024 at 10:30 AM

Here is our contribution for the 2024 event…Ron Campbell

Four aviators ventured forth at the Niagara Region Model Flying Club in Canada to participate in this years mass launch event. We where a little disappointed at the turn out as several people had built Cloud Tramps, maybe next year. We are working on plans to make 2025 a bigger event. The participants this year where Glenn Nigh, Sam Martyk, Bill Mitchell and Ron Campbell.
photos cutesy of Bob Briggs-Jude.

Glenn Nigh

Sam Marty

Bill Mitchell

Ron Campbell

The mass launch

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Wed, Aug 14, 2024 at 2:34 AM

Dave Hanks

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ANNOUNCING

The 29th Charles Hampson Grant Memorial International Mass Launch Of Cloud Tramps

Or

GRANT MIMLOCT 2024

We are promoting this event to celebrate the contributions made by Charles Grant to the development of our hobby. We hope that as many people as possible will make a Cloud Tramp and join in the world wide launch on the traditional first Saturday in August. This year it is Saturday, August 3, 2024.

The goal is to remember Charlie Grant’s contributions to aeromodelling and to enjoy flying his most popular design, a design that was intended to introduce modelers to the joy of simple aeromodelling. You can see from the pictures that this is a simple sheet balsa model that anyone can build.

GRANT MIMLOCT 2024 is not a competition and there are no prizes. We hope participants will enjoy the fun of building and flying the Cloud Tramp, as well as taking part in this unique event, which attracted 141 participants from all over the World in 2016, 131 in 2017, 196 in 2018, 128 in 2019, 67 in 2020, 74 in 2021, 81 in 2022 and 47 in 2023.

Please let us know if you take part in GM 2024 so that your name can be included in the official report and you can be counted in the tally. Use the Comment feature below. Let me know if you have pictures and I can arrange to post them.

MAKE A CLOUD TRAMP

The Cloud Tramp was the last manifestation of Charlie Grant’s basic stick rubber model for beginners and appeared in Model Airplane News, August, 1954. These models were intended to illustrate scientific principles of design, trimming and stability. The Cloud Tramp can be built very quickly and flies well. A copy of the plan (half-size, with some full size parts) can be downloaded.

Save it to hard disk and open it with a suitable application so that it can be printed at the correct A4 (11″ x 8.5″ USA) size. Size it so the wing chord is 3″. The text of the accompanying article can be read on Garry Hunter’s excellent website.

We have published a detailed, illustrated, step-by-step tutorial on building a Better Cloud Tramp. Improvements include a two-hole prop shaft bearing, wheel collars, a simpler, cleaner, stronger wing attachment, wet formed wings with full span camber without ribs and an adjustable rudder.

Two articles about Charles Grant and the Cloud Tramp have appeared in the magazine Free Flight Quarterly, Issue No. 2, January 2002, page 18 and Issue No. 3, April 2002, page 19. Back issues are available on CDs.

Lastly, why not decorate your CT with an authentic Charlie Grant autograph,

or even better, this neat graphic specially drawn by Iain Paterson.

CLOUD TRAMP KITS

There are two kits currently available. Get one now and fly in the August World-Wide Cloud Tramp Mass Launch! You can use the materials from either kit to build the Better Cloud Tramp according to our tutorial.

I am pleased to report that a new kit is being produced by Vintage Model Company in Great Britain, convenient to the European market. I have this kit and can vouch for it.

George Bredehoft has brought back his Cloud Tramp kit, as a Short Kit.  You will get all the laser-cut sheet balsa pieces and plans/instructions in this very basic short kit ($11).  You can add a plastic prop (+$1) or a Superior Props Cloud Tramp balsa prop blank (+$8) as options.  The instructions list all the other items needed to complete the kit, which are standard hobby shop items. I have several of George’s original full kits and can vouch for their quality.

MODIFICATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

The prop shaft bearing can be modified to aid trimming – have a look at some ideas that Pete Money has collected, including a neat adjustable system developed by Bob Morris, and the alternative system that Bob Kopksi uses. Pete has also forwarded some suggestions for improving the wing construction and fixing. See also our suggestions on EndlessLift. If your CT needs a D/T, Roland Frid has developed a neat system. If you fancy a change from rubber power, have a look at Tony Overton’s alternatives or even try an enlarged R/C version like Den Saxcoburg.

I discovered this while compiling this year’s report. Scroll down to page 4 for an article on getting the most out of your Cloud Tramp by Andy Sephton.

PREVIOUS MIMLOCT REPORTS

Have a look at Colin Hutchinson’s 2011 and 2012 photopages of the event.

There are several videos featuring Cloud Tramps on YouTube! Just type Cloud Tramp into the search box to find them.

Mike Parker compiled a report of GM 2015 from the various anecdotes submitted by participants.

See the Epsom Downs Model Aircraft Club fly their Cloud Tramps here  EDMAC.

Read the 2017 MIMLOCT Report, the 2018 MIMLOCT Report, the 2019 MIMLOCT Report, the 2020 MIMLOCT Report, the 2021 MIMLOCT Report, the 2022 MIMLOCT Report and the 2023 MIMLOCT Report. See lots of pictures of people flying their Cloud Tramps.