Radio Control: Soaring
ATRCS radio news: The August 1988 column described the ATRCS (pronounced "A-Tracks") microprocessor conversion to the Airtronics Module 7SP transmitter. Last month Asher Carmichael told us how pleased he was with his ATRCS set. Gene Englegau and Tom Mroz of Control Systems Laboratories developed ATRCS, which stands for Advanced Technology Radio Control System, to give us all the exotic mixing features of the European radios-but at a more reasonable price. Six contestants at the F3B team-selection finals used Airtronics Module/ATRCS radios, and they all were emphatic about how happy they were with them (I mean, six in addition to Gene, who was a finalist!). (See the F3B finals report elsewhere in this issue.) Gene, being a topnotch Sailplaner, designed in all the features you'll likely ever need for flying Gliders-including flying-wing types.
F3B Soaring World Champs
HOSTED by the French for 1989, the F3B World Championships took place August 14th through 19th on the grounds of the Melun Villaroche Airfield, about 30 kilometers southeast of Paris. The French showed an unusual sensitivity to the F3B fliers' situation. While flight operations at the fairly large airport continued during the contest,
Radio Control: Scale
MOST Soaring enthusiasts know the Great Race put on by Chicago's SOAR club is the grand-daddy of cross-country races. It was begun in 1976 as Soaring's contribution to the National Bicentennial celebration, the course distance being (appropriately enough) 76 kilometers. The first CD was Dan Pruss, who was the editor of this column from Model Aviation magazine's start-up in 1975 until he passed away in 1986.
MARCS National Sailplane Symposium
THE 6TH ANNUAL Madison Area RC Society (MARCS) National Sailplane Symposium was held November 12 and 13 at the Ramada Inn in Madison, WI. "The Paths of Future Flight" was the subtitle for these meetings. The objective was to present the latest in the world of RC Soaring and give an indication where our great hobby/sport is headed. It was a full two days of presentations, demonstrations, and discussions. I'm convinced that if there's one thing Sailplaners enjoy as much as flying Gliders, it is talking about Gliders! Also, it's a chance for the midwestern (mainly) Soaring fraternity to have one last big get-together before hibernating in basements for the winter.
Radio Control: Soaring
NEW from Bob Sealy: The 100-in.-span Pulsar is the latest from Sealy's Sailplane Shop. This is Bob's description of it: "After nearly a year of producing the 129-in.-span Ultima, I decided there was a niche in the market for a Standard-class version of this kit. Designed in are many of the features of the Ultima, plus a few new ideas. At the same time, I was striving for a design that was simpler to build. "The Pulsar uses a shortened version of the Ultima fuselage. It has the same type of slip-on nose cone which allows easy radio access and is very clean. The stab location is more conventional, versus the T-tail of the Ultima. Once again a bit simpler in construction, yet just as effective.
