Life and times at a Slope Soaring event
by Dave Garwood
dave.garwood.518@gmail.com
My guest columnist for this issue, Jeremy DeFrisco, writes about the Northern California Camp n’ Fly event held at Sunset State Beach in Watsonville, California. He extends an invitation for you to attend in 2016.
Each year, when the wind is at its peak, there is a wonderful fun-fly event held at Sunset State Beach. Since the first gathering in 2012, this camping and flying event has been a big hit, climbing in attendance and excitement.
People come together for a weekend of camping, playing in the Pacific Coast wind, and indulging in the pristine lift that
Sunset Beach offers. It’s a chance for everyone to meet, show off what they have, display what they can do, share some great stories of flying days past, and have a two-day stretch of pure flying fun.
We have seen almost every type of non-powered glider—from old balsa built-ups, to glass and carbon-fiber high-dollar F3F and aerobatic airplanes, to modern foam-molded sailplanes. Precise flying, speed runs, pumps, aerobatics, and even shooting aerial glider videos are merely some of the fun activities that the pilots have indulged in.
Last year, fliers got out their foam wings for Combat sessions that included “kick the can” (off the rail). Each pilot had a blast tearing up the bluff that Sunset Beach offers.
Sunset Beach’s campsites are clean, beautiful, and a great place to hold this annual event. Upon waking up in the morning, you can take a short walk from your tent to the gliderport, throw your lightweight sailplanes into the morning’s light breeze, and have some fun before stronger wind comes into play. Even the landing zone is a nice, long, wide stretch of sand and ground-covering shrubs for a smooth touchdown.
The camping area is peaceful and family friendly, with bathrooms and showers. Campsites are $35 per night and
reservations can be easily made on Reserve America’s website by searching for Sunset State Beach on any Web browser.
Families can drive down to the beach for an afternoon in the waves, while dad or mom is up testing out his or her skills with a new sailplane. At night, we circle around a roaring campfire for a nice dinner, tell the stories of the day, and get to know one another better.
Sunset State Beach is an optimal location to hold such an enjoyable event—from the variety of people and sailplanes, to the convenience of being able to camp and do it all again the next day. Located in Watsonville, California, the gathering is usually held the first weekend in May and is announced on the RCGroups Soaring forum under the Slope section. You couldn’t ask for a better place to spend a long weekend with friends and family for a fantastic Soaring event.
The 2016 Camp n’ Fly will be held April 30 to May 1. Make your reservations as soon as you can, because the campground fills quickly!
2016 Slope Soaring Events
Here are 10 regional and national Slope Soaring events that were announced by the time this column was written in early January. Be sure to check event websites and RCGroups discussion threads for current information about the 2016 gatherings. If you’d like your 2017 event listed, send me the information by December 31, 2016.
- North Coast Glider Games, Cleveland, Ohio, April 29-May 1: Slope Combat, Slope Pylon Racing, and fun-flying on five hills. www.slopeslayer.com/wordpress/?page_id=332
- WeaselFest, Goleta, California, April 30-May 1: Weasels and Alulas rock and roll at the legendary Ellwood Bluffs. www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2537443&highlight=weaselfest+20...
- Los Banos Scale Slope Soar and Aerotow, Los Banos Creek Reservoir, April 16-17: Los Banos is entering its third decade of Slope flying and aerotowing large-scale modern and vintage sailplane models. The steep, grassy slopes of the Los Banos Creek Reservoir provide lift in several wind directions. www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2576276#post33649532
- 21st Midwest Slope Challenge, Lucas, Kansas, May 12-15: A foam Combat match, foam warbird race, One-Design Race, and Unlimited class Man-on-Man race. www.midwestslop echallenge.com
- 42nd Davenport International Slope Race, Davenport, California, May 14-15: Slope racing that attracts top pilots from around the world has been held at Davenport for more than 30 years. It’s now entering its fourth decade. www.davenportisr.com
- Katie Martin Memorial Tribute Fly-In, Torrey Pines Gliderport, La Jolla, California, June 4: This fly-in is hosted by the Torrey Pines Gulls at the beautiful Torrey Pines Gliderport slope near San Diego. More information can be found in the RCGroups thread. www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2558251#post33397417
- Fourth Annual Cumberland Summer Soaring, Cumberland, Maryland, July 21-25: It’s not a typical Slope flying site, but when you get up and out, you’ll be flying in the lift on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains, where full-scale Distance Soaring records are set. www.highpoint-aviation.org
- Cape Blanco Slopefest, Port Orford, Oregon, August 2-8 (tentative): An informal weeklong event, the Cape Blanco Slopefest is held near the campground of Cape Blanco State Park. The ridge is flyable in north and south winds and supports Dynamic Soaring. www.clubsos.itgo.com
- Soar Utah 2016, Salt Lake City, Utah, September 1-5: Aerotowing, F3F racing, judged Scale sailplanes, and plenty of open Slope Soaring are available at several venues. www.soarutah.org
- 50th Annual Cumberland Fall Soar for Fun, Cumberland, Maryland, November 3-7: An annual event that has been held for 50 years? Someone must be doing something right. Enjoy aerotowing, big slope lift, and electric-power launching. www.highpoint-aviation.org
SOURCES:
League of Silent Flight
www.silentflight.org
South Bay Soaring Society
www.sbss.org
Sunset State Beach Camp n’ Fly 2016
www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2561454
