RADIO CONTROL SLOPE SOARING
By Wil Byers
3540 Eastlake Dr., West Richland WA 99352
SLOPE SOARING is now an accepted part of the larger hobby of radio control modeling. But where does it go from here? Can the Slope Soaring community develop contest formats that will attract competitors like Thermal Soaring does? More importantly, will Slope Soaring grow into a facet of the hobby that will support the large model suppliers? Will a slope site ever be owned by a club or modeling organization?
Some enthusiasts simply want to fly and don't much care about the broader direction of the hobby, which is fine. However, urban development is encroaching on flying sites, and there is concern about the relatively small number of manufacturers dedicated to the Slope Soaring community. They must be able to stay in business if we are to have well-designed models to fly. Contests, while not for everyone, help hone flying skills and tend to bring out the best in pilots.
Growth and trends
Judging by the models showing up at my slope and the mail I'm receiving, Slope Soaring is moving up and out. In the last few months several important developments have appeared:
- Foam airplanes (e.g., the Foameron) have surged in popularity. Designers have produced foam models that are durable, affordable, and a lot of fun. If you haven't tried an RC foam model, you should — they are a blast.
- Scale Power Slope Soaring (PSS) is growing quickly. New manufacturers dedicated to PSS include K&A Models and Dave's Aircraft Works, both offering attractive, well-flying designs.
- Aero Model Design (AMD), imported by Patterick's (Box 2031, Glenwood Springs, CO 81602; Tel: (970) 928-0947), has pushed into the PSS market with impressive kits, including a model of the B-2 stealth bomber, an A-4 Skyhawk, an AT-6 Texan, an A6M Zero, and a P-51D Mustang. AMD kits often arrive nearly complete and show high build quality.
Manufacturers have also evolved to meet slope pilots' needs by producing faster, lighter, and stronger servos; sophisticated computerized radios; and access to composite materials that were barely imaginable a few years ago. These advances have made Slope Soaring more accessible and more fun.
Notable radio and servo developments
- Airtronics: The Stylus radio features a memory-card system that lets fliers save setups. Create a radio setup, download it to the memory module, and — as Charlie Richardson of CR Aircraft points out — share the program with a friend or obtain a setup someone else has already configured. Contact Airtronics at 11 Autry, Irvine, CA 92718; Tel: (714) 830-8769.
- JR: JR introduced the speed servo 2700G, with a transit time of 0.09 seconds for a 60° movement and delivering 60 oz-in of torque. Contact Horizon Hobby Distributors at 4105 Fieldstone Rd., Champaign, IL 61821.
The future and site preservation
Slope Soaring has come a long way, but it needs an ongoing infusion of enthusiasm and ideas to keep moving forward. Some of us are working to make a future for soaring by evaluating contest formats and protecting flying sites.
One important effort is to save Eagle Butte, a superb Slope Soaring site in southeast Washington. Pete Marshall of Vancouver, British Columbia, has formed a committee (in conjunction with others, including myself) to preserve Eagle Butte. The property was recently sold to an agricultural developer who plans to grow apples on the land adjoining the slope. Enthusiasts are contacting the developer to seek an agreement that will allow flying to continue and to demonstrate that slope fliers are responsible and respectful of private property.
If you would like to help make Eagle Butte the first national Slope Soaring park, please contact:
- Pete Marshall, Box 3672, Blaine, WA 98231-3672.
Eagle Butte is worth saving. Think about how much fun it would be to vacation in the area and fly slope models in some of the best lift anywhere.
Highlights from Eagle Butte
As I write about Eagle Butte I’m reminded of the great friendships and the spectacular models that have been launched there. The weekend of June 14–15 was one such time.
- Darryl Ford (Caldwell, ID) brought a PSS model inspired by the Martin B-57 Canberra. The model is also capable of electric flight: when the engines are removed it becomes a sleek glider. For more information contact Darryl at 16313 Frost Rd., Caldwell, ID 83605.
- Tony Elliot showed two sleek scale sailplanes:
- A slightly reworked 1/4-scale ASH-25 (span 6.25 m) using an Eppler 68 airfoil. The Gewalt lines for this model are distributed in the U.S. by Sailplanes Unlimited, Ltd. (63 East 82nd Street, New York, NY 10028; Tel: (212) 879-1634).
- A new 1/2-scale ASW-27 built all in glass using a Preseke airfoil for its very low pitching moment, allowing Tony to build the stabilizer to exact scale. Tony’s address: 3047 S. Stonington Ave., Eagle, ID 83616.
- Tony purchased fuselages from two German suppliers:
- Rosenthal-Flugmodelle, Burgstraße 7, 78056 VS-Schenningen, Germany; Tel: 77-20-648-99.
- Gewalt, Altestraße 28, 74110 Reutlingen, Germany; Tel: 71-21-32-0693.
- Art Boysen’s Nimbus 4+ (1/4-scale, six-meter wingspan) exemplifies high L/D performance. Art’s model, kitted by Hans Buchele and distributed in the U.S. by Sailplanes Unlimited, weighs about 15 pounds and flies like a serious high-performance soarer. Art’s address: 9809 Willamette-Meridian Rd. NW, Silverdale, WA 98383.
- Erik Eiche presented a new 1/4-scale Wien, scratch-built from drawings in Martin Simons’s The World’s Vintage Sailplanes 1908–45. The Wien has a 4.775-meter wingspan, an aspect ratio of 19.6, and uses a Göttingen 549 airfoil. The model flew with impressive scale realism: smooth, realistic control response and excellent soaring performance. Erik’s address: 6080 Tranquille Place, Richmond, British Columbia V7C 2T1, Canada.
Share your thoughts and products
What is in the future of Slope Soaring? Please share your comments about Slope Soaring’s future or the community. If you are a manufacturer, I want to know about products you are developing for slope enthusiasts. Slope soarers form a large, integrated community linked by our hobby and its unique form. Send your comments to my postal address or to my e-mail.
Stay in the lift! E-mail: wilbyers@aol.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
