Aufwind's South America Adventure

After returning from Colombia last February, I decided to write an article about slope soaring in the Colombian Andes for the German "Aufwind" magazine. I finally finished and submitted this article this fall, and it just appeared in the 2/2008 edition of Aufwind.

Thank you, Aufwind, for allowing us to publish this article in Spanish, English, and German on our website. Along with our photo album, we have now posted these three version in PDF format, which can be downloaded for free.

The German "Aufwind" is the best model-glider-related magazine available, hands down. For those who read German, it is an excellent source for technical information, contest reports, honest reviews, build descriptions, news and entertainment.

2007 Slope'n Colombia

A year ago, we traveled to Colombia to visit Marcela's family and to go slope'n with our Colombian friends; and finally, we are presenting the photo album of this wonderful trip. If you know Colombia only from the news, you have been given a rather one-sided perspective; kind of like if you heard about the Grand Canyon only what a formidable obstacle this humongous ditch is to surface travel.

With our album, we want to offer a different perspective. This was our third visit to the country in as many years. And despite this short time, the progress the country has been making is noticable everywhere; one can almost hear the collective sigh of relief in the general population, as Colombia clearly is emerging from the morass of the decades-long civil and drug wars.

Please enjoy the photos and feel free to e-mail us with any questions and comments, particularly if you'd be interested in experiencing Colombia's beauty and hospitality for yourself. We can't wait to go back and already are planning our next trip.

Heavy Gliders at the Slope Edge

November storms signal the advent of the winter slope soaring season in western Oregon.

I like slope'n efficient gliders flying at a relatively high weight and wing loading. In recent years, I've noticed that adding high-powered (and heavy) electric drive systems to molded sail planes usually makes them glide better; granted one has to let them glide and circle at a higher speed. I fly these "heavies" mostly on in-land slopes where slope lift often is mixed with thermals. There, an experienced pilot can let an efficient glider cruise out over a valley and find lift away from the slope edge, even when there is only intermittend lift along the slope edge.

I have several gliders suited for these conditions, and here are three no-excuse slope planes, all with relatively high wing loading:

The T-tailed one is the German-made SRTL. This molded plane has a 95" wingspan and weighs 5.5 lbs unballasted; but I usually leave in the wing ballast and fly it at 7 lbs. At that weight, this plane still flies well in a 15 mph wind at our local Peterson Butte flying site. I have flown this plane at over 8 lbs, at which point the wing loading is around 30 oz/sqft.

The yellow cross-tailed one is the Czech-made 3x-carbon Cappuccino. This molded plane has a 102" wingspan and weighs 6.6 lbs unballasted but with the factory-supplied solid-steel joiner. It still flies in even lighter air than the SRTL. I have documented the Cappuccino assembly on RCGroups, and I have ballasted it to 9.5 lbs, which it really likes in 25-mph wind or higher.

Last but not least, the wooden one is a prototype of the US-made 100" Thorn. The wing and the fuselage are machined from solid poplar. I have documented the Thorn assembly which weighs 11 lbs ready-to-fly. There is no provision (or need) for additional ballast. Of course, this one requires a little more lift than the SRTL, but it is surprisingly nimble and efficient. With the experience gained from this prototype, Andreas Mergner of Plane Insane Models, the manufacturer of the Thorn, has found ways to shave 2 lbs off the flying weight and to add dihedral to the wing. This can only increase the plane's mainstream appeal, but Andreas is not yet manufacturing this 100" model.

Of course, these gliders come alive as the wind increases, and pilots new to the slope, and even some who have been slope'n for a while, tend to be amazed at the performance of these planes when they first see them fly. I love to have them pick one up and watch their initial reaction, which typically includes muttering "holy...!" If reading this gives you new appreciation for slope soaring, please feel free to contact us.

In case you're wondering how I became such plain insane slope head, I can blame it all on my Dad's parenting. Recently, I revisited my upbringing, when Reed Sherman interviewed me for his website. It was fun to dig and gather up all the old memories. Thank you Reed!