RC SLOPE SOARING
The sun was shining and the Corsair was ready to go.
SPRING ADVENTURES
By Greg Schutte | gshooty@yahoo.com
THERE ARE SOME DAYS that do not seem real. Spring flying days can be like that for me.
I recently traded some balsa Thermal Duration “crunchies” for some Slope Soaring gliders. In that trade, I received an EPP, 48-inch wingspan F4U Corsair. This Corsair was built at least 15 years ago by a good friend. I was really looking forward to flying it since the Corsair is my all-time favorite airplane; I built one years ago from the same plans and it flew well. With my days off, I started watching the weather like a hawk and, eventually, I spotted a day with potential and made my plans.
That morning, I made sure that everything was charged, loaded it all into the car, and headed out. I had found a new ridge the previous year while taking my kids to mountain bike practice. I am amazed to this day that there are spots that have yet to be discovered and flown.
Upon arriving, the wind would blow strong at times, and then it would be calm the next minute. In the spring, we have mini storms that roll through. They produce good wind but only for a brief time. There is also sometimes snow or rain involved.
Timing is everything. You can usually see the storms coming. The cycle normally starts with sun and no wind for 20 to 30 minutes. It will then cloud up and the wind will pick up slightly for another 10 minutes. The airplane will kind of feel like it wants to fly, but do not launch—this is a trick! In a span of about a minute, the wind will really start blowing for 10 to 15 minutes more. This is also when you get the snow or rain. When it starts to calm down, you need to find the landing zone and land.
The wind will go from blowing a lot to calm in just a couple of minutes. If you recognize this flow, you can have a good flight. Do not try and eek it out between storms. You will be walking to retrieve your airplane.
To access the ridge, there is an approximate 1/8-mile hike. The area does not have any rocks. Finding a spot in Idaho that does not have rocks in the landing zone is a mythical creature.
The hike was nice. The sun was out, there was a slight breeze, and it was enjoyable. When I got to the spot, the wind was not strong enough, so I decided to do more hiking to see what was on the other side of the ridge while I waited for the next storm to roll in. It did not really pay off, and no unicorns or gold nuggets were found, so I proceeded back to the ridge. I could see the storm getting ready to roll in and I was becoming excited. I could hear Mel Gibson’s voice in my head screaming, “Hold! Hold!”
The Corsair wanted to jump out of my hand. It was time to launch! I was glad that I had brought a jacket with a hood. The storm produced some good wind, but it also produced little snowballs. I had to hide behind a large sagebrush bush, pull up my hood, and put on my sunglasses because the little pieces of snow were stinging my face at 20 to 25 mph.
Greg Schutte spied with his little eye something coming his way.
was flyable and just downright cool-looking in the 1980s and ’90s.
Richard’s designs included the Telos and Shogun Slope Soaring airplanes. The Telos was a canard design, while the Shogun was a flying wing design. Both gliders looked so futuristic and elegant to me when I was a kid. He had more designs as well.
It was well worth braving the cold blizzard to fly!
Richard was a prominent personality in California before moving to Oregon. He was also involved in making movie props and toys. He was always up for mentoring and helping other pilots on the slope. He will be missed.
Without free thinkers and dreamers like him, we would not have the cool toys that we all get to play with. Godspeed, Richard!
Fly safe!
SOURCES:
League of Silent Flight (LSF)
silentflight.org
