Radio Control Soaring - 2004/05
THIS COLUMN IS about electric glider winches and glider-winch
sources. For the newbies’ benefit, I’ll provide a basic description of a
glider winch. Experienced readers may want to skip ahead to where I
cover some winch-design issues and include a list of American gliderwinch
suppliers.
RADIO CONTROL SOARING - 2003/09
THIS MONTH I will cover two exciting topics in the otherwise
quiet world of Radio Control (RC) gliders. First, Phil Barnes has
released an instructional video (really a two-DVD set) detailing
exactly how he makes vacuum-bagged wings. Phil is one of the
top three professional wing makers in our country, and he tells all
of his production secrets in this video.
RADIO CONTROL SOARING - 2003/07
THE RUDDER LINKAGE on a discus glider is one of the most
critical linkages in Radio Control Soaring. In this column I will
explain why the rudder system is so important on a discus-launch
glider (DLG) and review the pros and cons of several pushrod
systems.
RADIO CONTROL SOARING - 2004/09
THE THEME THIS month is thermaling.
I’ll give you a bunch of tips on how to find
and ride these finicky columns of rising air.
This month’s instructions and methods add to
the information from the January 2004
column about the “Condensation Analogy.”
As usual, I’ll start with basics and build to
more advanced ideas.
RADIO CONTROL SOARING - 2003/05
FOR THIS MONTH I asked Cal Posthuma
to tell what it was like to complete the
League of Silent Flight (LSF) “Level V” for
a second time. LSF Level V is a pinnacle of
personal achievement in Radio Control (RC)
Soaring. Only 108 pilots had managed to
reach LSF Level V as of my deadline. Cal
finished the tasks a second time last
summer—overcoming the challenging flying
tasks, logistics, and doing all this from a
wheelchair. Before Cal’s account I will
briefly describe what LSF is about.
