RC SOARING
MELISSA
DUMAS
AND FLYING
SAILPLANES
By Gordon Buckland | gordon@gatorf3b.com
I HAVE OFTEN WONDERED what keeps women from flying model gliders. Why is our favorite pastime so dominated by men?
I went to the MidSouth Soaring Championships at Triple Tree Aerodrome in Woodruff, South Carolina, during Memorial Day weekend 2022, and watched Melissa Dumas have a lot of fun, so I sat down with her to get some answers. She flew a Radian all three days, in the Altitude Limited Electric Soaring (ALES) contest on Friday and in the mixed-launch format on Saturday and Sunday.
GORDON BUCKLAND: When did you first become interested in RC sailplanes?
MELISSA DUMAS: I was interested because my partner, Ed, flies sailplanes, but I got interested in RC flying when I was supposed to fly a drone for my job. I realized it was going to be quite a challenge, so I went out to the local RC field to see if someone was willing to teach me how to fly. Ed was there and he said he could help me. That’s how we met, and after that, the job requiring the drones went away, so we started flying sailplanes together.
GB: So, you then married your RC teacher?
MD: I sure did, and I had a built-in flight instructor.
GB: What was the job you were doing with drones?
MD: I am an atmospheric scientist and we were doing aerial photography using imagery data to look at different vegetation growth, chemicals in water, etc.
GB: What in particular do you like about RC sailplanes?
MD: I love thermals because I did not really understand the atmosphere until I had experienced it through these airplanes. I am still learning. I am still trying to figure out how to find them, how to track them, and how to stay in them. The fact that I have hands-on experience with thermals helps me in how I think about my job, looking at fluxes, how they come up from the ground, and how they affect the rest of the atmosphere.
GB: What sailplane do you fly?
MD: I fly a Radian and I like it a lot because, as a beginner, it only has a couple of control surfaces that I have to keep track of, which makes it a little bit easier for me. I am looking forward to getting a lot more proficient on this airplane before transitioning to a more complex one.
GB: What has been the highlight of your contest experience at the MidSouth?
MD: Wow! Two things. One was being able to catch a thermal and get way up higher than I have ever been before, and I got my first two maxes and my first scored Thermal Duration landing, which was a 51. I’ll take it because up until now, they were all zeros.
GB: What would you say to other women and wives of Soaring pilots about getting involved?
MD: Jump in with both feet. It’s very frustrating at first. You will crash a lot at first but understand that this is part of the learning process. Tape your sailplane back together and get back out there.
GB: What brings you the most enjoyment in the hobby?
MD: Just seeing these things fly and understanding that, although you start with power, it’s only the air keeping you up. It’s amazing to me, and I love to see the effect of thermals every time. I also really enjoy interacting with the other pilots. I time for them and they time for me. I experience many viewpoints on how these things fly and different people’s strategies. That’s exciting for me.
GB: Why do you think RC sailplanes as a sport is so dominated by men?
MD: I think I have often heard some people say, “Girls don’t fly.” That needs to stop. I don’t think we should be discouraging girls if they have an interest in flying.
GB: In closing, what else would you like to say?
MD: I would love to have some additional women comrades in this sport. Maybe we could get a whole group of women flying together.
Melissa’s story is an inspiration, and I hope other women read her comments and give RC Soaring a try. They will certainly find plenty of pilots who will help them get started.
MidSouth Soaring Championships
This was my first visit to Triple Tree Aerodrome, and I must say that it was an
amazing experience and literally the best weekend of Soaring that I have had in years. The facility is simply phenomenal and the range of full-scale (and model) aircraft on display in the hangar is mind-boggling. Jeff Carr ran a fantastic contest weekend and made sure that all who attended had an experience they would never forget.
The electric-launch contest on Friday was conducted in quite windy conditions, which led to plenty of heroics along the adjacent tree line by numerous pilots. F5J and ALES were run concurrently, and after seven rounds, Jeff DuVal emerged victorious in F5J, with less than a 1-point margin over Oleg Golovidov. Tom Broeski eclipsed his competitors in ALES, with Raed Elazzawi in second place and Alan Parsons in third.
The conditions were much milder on Saturday for Unlimited. Jody Miller made the contest his own with consistent flying and landings to match. Brady Baggs was runner-up, with Oleg in third place.
Sunday also had mild conditions, with a slight breeze forecast from the other direction. As is often the case, the forecast wasn’t great and downwind landings were common.
After five rounds on Sunday, Jeff triumphed, with Brady in second again, and
Dave Malkin in third place. Brady’s consistent performance throughout the weekend earned him the MidSouth Champion’s chair.
The weekend at Triple Tree Aerodrome was really made fantastic by our wonderful hosts, Jeff and Brenda Carr. They put on a fabulous meal on Saturday evening and ran the most entertaining contest you could hope for. Unless you have flown at this venue, it is really hard to describe how absolutely beautiful it is to fly off of the world’s longest grass runway. Not being wide enough to set up crossways was a problem, but the view down that runway with every launch is one I will never forget.
If you can make it to South Carolina on Memorial Day weekend next year, you
won’t regret visiting Triple Tree for the MidSouth Soaring Championships.
Until next time,
go downwind and soar.
SOURCES:
- League of Silent Flight
www.silentflight.org - Triple Tree Aerodrome
www.tta.aero - MidSouth Soaring Championships
www.tta.aero/aviation-events/mid-south - RCGroups.com
MidSouth Soaring Championships May 27-29
https://bit.ly/39sR3wX - Team USA F3J
www.teamusaf3j.com
