Radio Control: Slope Soaring
HELLO RC Slope Soaring enthusiasts and would-be enthusiasts. I'm the new Slope Soaring columnist for Model Aviation. Therefore, let me take a few lines in the column to introduce myself and provide you with a short background history of my soaring interests. First and probably foremost I am a soaring monomaniac. I've been involved in model aviation since around the age of five. Now at the age of 41 I've become consumed by my love of soaring. This love (some would call it an obsession) has grown over the last 20 years, and I can not quite explain it.
Radio Control: Slope Soaring
HELLO Slope Soaring enthusiasts. The last column started with a fairly long introduction. This month's column is going to jump right to the meat of the subject and discuss some of the information about models, construction techniques, and designs that have been forwarded to me by Slope Soaring enthusiasts. The first gentleman to drop me a line is an Englishman, Mr. Graham Woods. He is a long-time Soaring devotee and obviously a very good builder. He not only enclosed a picture of his Slope aerobatic ship but included some very clever construction detail that I want to share with you.
Radio Control: Slope Soaring
GET A HOLD on your joysticks(s) this month. Then push in the down elevator for some Top Gun performance, because I received two extremely interesting letters about Power Slope Soarers. I want to share those letters with you in this month's column. The letters include information about warbird models, an interesting Scale model, and the flying the pilots of these ships do with them. So read on, and watch out for the high-G turns. The first PSS pilot I want to introduce you to is Steve Hinderks. Steve has endeavored to build and share with us two extremely impressive RC aircraft. The first is his A-4 Skyhawk.
Radio Control: Slope Soaring
AEROBATIC Slope Soaring contests in the U.S. are a rarity. But it's a different story in Europe. There, Aerobatics competition is much more common, and clubs host regularly scheduled events. Slope Aerobatics could just be the quintessential form of Stunt competition. Contestants have the fun of performing graceful, accurate maneuvers flying silent models powered only by the wind and the model's own kinetic energy. If you think about it for a minute, this is probably the reason most Slope Soaring enthusiasts enjoy ridge soaring. Only in this environment can a model execute continuous maneuvers without the aid of an engine.
Radio Control: Slope Soaring
GOOD building aids are worth their weight in cyanoacrylate. So when I received a CAD drawing of just such an aid, I knew Model Aviation readers would like to know about it. The building aid is a fuselage jig. It is the creation of my good friend Mr. Mike Mellor of Eugene, Oregon. Mike's jig provides a platform for holding a fuselage. What's more important, the jig offers a mechanism to accurately reference and attach parts to the fuselage while it is being supported. This jig is a simple but very effective tool for establishing proper decalage between the wing and elevator. It also provides a super way to accurately measure stations along the fuselage. And it is a tool that helps hold the fuselage while other operations are being performed on it.
