Richland in central Washington. Events are planned for three venues:
Eagle, Kiona, and Chandler Buttes.
Eagle Butte will be for flying classic and modern Scale sailplanes
because of the easy launch, smooth lift, and
large, turbulence-free landing zone at this hill.
Kiona Butte will be for dynamic soaring (DS),
including foam DS sailplanes. Chandler Butte
will be for full-on, ballistic soaring of the
heaviest sailplanes, flown in the strongest lift
by the boldest RC Slope Soaring pilots.
Go to www.shredair.com/3s6p/3s6p04.
html to see photos of the 2004 event and
www.shredair.com/3s6p/3s6p05.html for
photos of the 2005 edition. For information
about this year’s event, go to the ShredAir Web site at www.shred
FOUR SLOPE SOARING events for 2006 have been announced at
the time of this writing: the Tri-Slope Six-Pack in May in Washington,
the Southern California Power Scale Soaring [PSS] Festival in May in
California, the Midwest Slope Challenge in
June in Kansas, and Soar Utah, to be Labor
Day weekend in Salt Lake City.
The first half of this column will give a
brief description of what you can expect to see
and do at each of these events. The remainder
is a checklist of five methods I have used to
apply markings to sailplanes. If there’s one
marking method on the list you haven’t tried,
I’ve done my job.
The third Tri-Slope Six-Pack is scheduled for May 20-21, near
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Slope Soaring Dave Garwood
Scheduled Slope Soaring events for 2006
Also included in this column:
• Five methods of applying
coloring and decorative
markings to slope sailplanes
Dieter Mahlein prepares to launch Feldvebel Kestrel at Chandler
Butte WA during 2005 Tri-Slope Six-Pack. Note shape and size of
slope face. Dave Reese (www.reeseproductions.com) photo.
Tom Hoopes launches his Maple Leaf Designs Icon at Butterfield
Canyon during Soar Utah 2004. Photo by fellow IMSF club
member Tauno Knuuttila.
Event Director Brian Laird launches an Aermacchi MB 339 from
the main hill during the 2005 Southern California PSS Festival.
Fellow ISR club member Dan Sampson designed and molded the
model.
Alex Paul and Joe Chovan fly from one of several slope-flying sites
surrounding Wilson Lake, Kansas, on a relaxed flying day following
the 2005 MWSC.
Dave’s LEG P-63 Kingcobra on the wing over Wilson Lake during
MWSC 2005. This model features all five coloring and marking
methods mentioned in the text. Alex Paul photo.
air.com/events.html. See especially www.shredair.com/3s6p/2006
or contact Dieter Mahlein at [email protected] or (541) 954-6842.
The ninth Southern California PSS Festival is set for May 27-28—
Memorial Day weekend—at Cajon Summit in California, in the San
Bernardino National Forest. The PSS Festival is capably staged by the
Inland Slope Rebels (ISR) club, and you can expect to see the latest
and greatest in PSS models constructed by some high-end builders and
flown by extreme fliers.
In the past the ISR group has given awards in five categories, held
a large raffle, had building and finishing clinics, held an informal
evening get-together, and still allowed plenty of time for fun-flying.
As in years past, there may even be an informal flying session at
Point Fermin a day or two before this year’s official event. This is
where old flying buddies from across the country can get together for a
little coastal flying.
For registration forms and more information, go to the ISR Web
site at www.inlandsloperebels.com or contact Event Director Brian
Laird via E-mail at [email protected].
The 13th Midwest Slope Challenge (MWSC) is scheduled for June
8-11 at Wilson Lake in Russell County, Kansas. This is the longest
continuously running Slope Soaring event and as successful a race
series as any Slope Soarer could want. For the second time the event
will be run by the local flying club: Wings Over Wilson.
In past years four race categories were staged: Foamie Combat,
Foamie Warbird Race, One Design Race (ODR), and Unlimited Race.
In addition to the racing and combat events, participants can usually
count on plenty of sport-flying opportunities; there are several flyable
sites around Wilson Lake at which to make use of different wind
directions.
For MWSC registration information, race rules, and other
information go to www.midwestslope.com. You may also contact
Wings Over Wilson President Mike Bailey at [email protected].
Photos from past events have been posted on the slopeflyer.com Web
site at www.slopeflyer.com/mwsc.
This year’s edition of Soar Utah will be the fifth running of the
every-other-year event. The InterMountain Silent Flyers’ (IMSF)
Slope Soaring event will be held for four days during Labor Day
weekend—Friday, September 1-Monday, September 4—in and
around Salt Lake City, Utah.
The following is from the IMSF press release.
“Friday’s flying location will be over Butterfield Canyon,
overlooking the world’s largest man-made excavation and the entire
Salt Lake Valley.
“On Saturday and Sunday, events will be held at Point of the
Mountain, where warm south winds create some of the best and most
consistent slope lift conditions in the country. Slope pilots come from
around the world to experience the smooth lift, predictable weather,
and unique ridge soaring conditions at the Point. Radio impound will
be mandatory during the event on Saturday and Sunday.
“Monday’s flying will be atop Francis Peak, high in the Wasatch
Mountains. All flying sites offer drive-up convenience.
“Registration forms and information will be available on
www.soarutah.org. Registration will be limited to 200 pilots. This
year’s AMA sanctioned event will feature trophies for the top finishers
in PSS, Modern, and Vintage classes.
“In addition to the Slope flying, there will be a Saturday night BBQ
128 MODEL AVIATION
and large raffle. For more information please contact Erik Vogel at
[email protected] or visit www.silentflyer.org.”
Here’s hoping you get a chance to attend and fly at one or more of
the national Slope Soaring events scheduled for this coming flying
season. In the meantime, let’s make those sailplanes we’re building
this winter look great by considering five ways to make markings on
models.
The Leading Edge Gliders P-63 Kingcobra shown on a close, fast
pass shows five ways I have learned to provide coloring and
decorative markings on slope sailplanes. The P-63 is a foamie, but the
methods are applicable to fiberglass and wood gliders as well.
1) Iron-on covering, or “cote” as we call it for short. Plastic films
and heat-activated adhesive coverings come in many colors. The
iron-on covering can act as a base color and it can be ironed over
“cote” to make stripes, accent markings, and detail markings.
On my Cobra the base yellow Solartex is from a gunnery target
squadron high-visibility scheme, and the canopy markings are cut
from UltraCote with scissors and ironed on over the Solartex.
2) Paint is widely used in aircraft finishing, often for large areas of
color—as in camouflage schemes—and in accents and details such as
the silver engine exhaust stacks on the yellow P-63. For these
markings I masked and sprayed an oval area in silver paint, and then I
drew in the black details with a fine-point marker.
Paint is highly versatile and is available in more colors than any of
these other methods. It can be applied with a brush, with a spray can,
or with an airbrush.
For more information about and photographs of painting PSS
warbirds, see the P-40 Warhawk kit review in the January 2006 RC
Soaring Digest and a Frisket-mask painting article in the February
2006 RC Soaring Digest—an online Soaring magazine you can find
at www.rcsoaringdigest.com.
3) Decals are well known to modelers, starting in our earliest
plastic-model kit days. They are a natural for national markings on
airplanes with military schemes, as well as lettering on sport models.
These can be purchased as stickers or water-slide decals. I prefer
the water-slide variety for fiberglass models because they are thinner
and look more like prototypical paint. I prefer press-on stickers for
the foam models, which can be expected to flex more. The
Kingcobra’s stars-and-bars insignia and the tail numbers are press-on
decals.
4) Markers are great for details and can be used for larger areas. I
used a Sanford ultrafine-point Sharpie marker to make the panel lines
on the Kingcobra and a fine-point Sharpie for the antiglare panel in
front of the canopy.
5) Tool-handle dip is tough, and I used it to mark the red spinner
on the Kingcobra. I think it will outlast any other part of this model.
If there are other methods you have used successfully for marking
and decorating models, I would be happy to hear about them. MA
Another view from Butterfield Canyon, overlooking the
Kennecott mine—the largest open-pit copper mine in the world.
Look closely in the center to see Tom Hoopes’ Icon soaring below
the camera position. Knuuttila photo.
04sig4.QXD 2/27/06 11:12 AM Page 128
04sig4.QXD 2/27/06 10:44 AM Page 127
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/04
Page Numbers: 127,128
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/04
Page Numbers: 127,128
Richland in central Washington. Events are planned for three venues:
Eagle, Kiona, and Chandler Buttes.
Eagle Butte will be for flying classic and modern Scale sailplanes
because of the easy launch, smooth lift, and
large, turbulence-free landing zone at this hill.
Kiona Butte will be for dynamic soaring (DS),
including foam DS sailplanes. Chandler Butte
will be for full-on, ballistic soaring of the
heaviest sailplanes, flown in the strongest lift
by the boldest RC Slope Soaring pilots.
Go to www.shredair.com/3s6p/3s6p04.
html to see photos of the 2004 event and
www.shredair.com/3s6p/3s6p05.html for
photos of the 2005 edition. For information
about this year’s event, go to the ShredAir Web site at www.shred
FOUR SLOPE SOARING events for 2006 have been announced at
the time of this writing: the Tri-Slope Six-Pack in May in Washington,
the Southern California Power Scale Soaring [PSS] Festival in May in
California, the Midwest Slope Challenge in
June in Kansas, and Soar Utah, to be Labor
Day weekend in Salt Lake City.
The first half of this column will give a
brief description of what you can expect to see
and do at each of these events. The remainder
is a checklist of five methods I have used to
apply markings to sailplanes. If there’s one
marking method on the list you haven’t tried,
I’ve done my job.
The third Tri-Slope Six-Pack is scheduled for May 20-21, near
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Slope Soaring Dave Garwood
Scheduled Slope Soaring events for 2006
Also included in this column:
• Five methods of applying
coloring and decorative
markings to slope sailplanes
Dieter Mahlein prepares to launch Feldvebel Kestrel at Chandler
Butte WA during 2005 Tri-Slope Six-Pack. Note shape and size of
slope face. Dave Reese (www.reeseproductions.com) photo.
Tom Hoopes launches his Maple Leaf Designs Icon at Butterfield
Canyon during Soar Utah 2004. Photo by fellow IMSF club
member Tauno Knuuttila.
Event Director Brian Laird launches an Aermacchi MB 339 from
the main hill during the 2005 Southern California PSS Festival.
Fellow ISR club member Dan Sampson designed and molded the
model.
Alex Paul and Joe Chovan fly from one of several slope-flying sites
surrounding Wilson Lake, Kansas, on a relaxed flying day following
the 2005 MWSC.
Dave’s LEG P-63 Kingcobra on the wing over Wilson Lake during
MWSC 2005. This model features all five coloring and marking
methods mentioned in the text. Alex Paul photo.
air.com/events.html. See especially www.shredair.com/3s6p/2006
or contact Dieter Mahlein at [email protected] or (541) 954-6842.
The ninth Southern California PSS Festival is set for May 27-28—
Memorial Day weekend—at Cajon Summit in California, in the San
Bernardino National Forest. The PSS Festival is capably staged by the
Inland Slope Rebels (ISR) club, and you can expect to see the latest
and greatest in PSS models constructed by some high-end builders and
flown by extreme fliers.
In the past the ISR group has given awards in five categories, held
a large raffle, had building and finishing clinics, held an informal
evening get-together, and still allowed plenty of time for fun-flying.
As in years past, there may even be an informal flying session at
Point Fermin a day or two before this year’s official event. This is
where old flying buddies from across the country can get together for a
little coastal flying.
For registration forms and more information, go to the ISR Web
site at www.inlandsloperebels.com or contact Event Director Brian
Laird via E-mail at [email protected].
The 13th Midwest Slope Challenge (MWSC) is scheduled for June
8-11 at Wilson Lake in Russell County, Kansas. This is the longest
continuously running Slope Soaring event and as successful a race
series as any Slope Soarer could want. For the second time the event
will be run by the local flying club: Wings Over Wilson.
In past years four race categories were staged: Foamie Combat,
Foamie Warbird Race, One Design Race (ODR), and Unlimited Race.
In addition to the racing and combat events, participants can usually
count on plenty of sport-flying opportunities; there are several flyable
sites around Wilson Lake at which to make use of different wind
directions.
For MWSC registration information, race rules, and other
information go to www.midwestslope.com. You may also contact
Wings Over Wilson President Mike Bailey at [email protected].
Photos from past events have been posted on the slopeflyer.com Web
site at www.slopeflyer.com/mwsc.
This year’s edition of Soar Utah will be the fifth running of the
every-other-year event. The InterMountain Silent Flyers’ (IMSF)
Slope Soaring event will be held for four days during Labor Day
weekend—Friday, September 1-Monday, September 4—in and
around Salt Lake City, Utah.
The following is from the IMSF press release.
“Friday’s flying location will be over Butterfield Canyon,
overlooking the world’s largest man-made excavation and the entire
Salt Lake Valley.
“On Saturday and Sunday, events will be held at Point of the
Mountain, where warm south winds create some of the best and most
consistent slope lift conditions in the country. Slope pilots come from
around the world to experience the smooth lift, predictable weather,
and unique ridge soaring conditions at the Point. Radio impound will
be mandatory during the event on Saturday and Sunday.
“Monday’s flying will be atop Francis Peak, high in the Wasatch
Mountains. All flying sites offer drive-up convenience.
“Registration forms and information will be available on
www.soarutah.org. Registration will be limited to 200 pilots. This
year’s AMA sanctioned event will feature trophies for the top finishers
in PSS, Modern, and Vintage classes.
“In addition to the Slope flying, there will be a Saturday night BBQ
128 MODEL AVIATION
and large raffle. For more information please contact Erik Vogel at
[email protected] or visit www.silentflyer.org.”
Here’s hoping you get a chance to attend and fly at one or more of
the national Slope Soaring events scheduled for this coming flying
season. In the meantime, let’s make those sailplanes we’re building
this winter look great by considering five ways to make markings on
models.
The Leading Edge Gliders P-63 Kingcobra shown on a close, fast
pass shows five ways I have learned to provide coloring and
decorative markings on slope sailplanes. The P-63 is a foamie, but the
methods are applicable to fiberglass and wood gliders as well.
1) Iron-on covering, or “cote” as we call it for short. Plastic films
and heat-activated adhesive coverings come in many colors. The
iron-on covering can act as a base color and it can be ironed over
“cote” to make stripes, accent markings, and detail markings.
On my Cobra the base yellow Solartex is from a gunnery target
squadron high-visibility scheme, and the canopy markings are cut
from UltraCote with scissors and ironed on over the Solartex.
2) Paint is widely used in aircraft finishing, often for large areas of
color—as in camouflage schemes—and in accents and details such as
the silver engine exhaust stacks on the yellow P-63. For these
markings I masked and sprayed an oval area in silver paint, and then I
drew in the black details with a fine-point marker.
Paint is highly versatile and is available in more colors than any of
these other methods. It can be applied with a brush, with a spray can,
or with an airbrush.
For more information about and photographs of painting PSS
warbirds, see the P-40 Warhawk kit review in the January 2006 RC
Soaring Digest and a Frisket-mask painting article in the February
2006 RC Soaring Digest—an online Soaring magazine you can find
at www.rcsoaringdigest.com.
3) Decals are well known to modelers, starting in our earliest
plastic-model kit days. They are a natural for national markings on
airplanes with military schemes, as well as lettering on sport models.
These can be purchased as stickers or water-slide decals. I prefer
the water-slide variety for fiberglass models because they are thinner
and look more like prototypical paint. I prefer press-on stickers for
the foam models, which can be expected to flex more. The
Kingcobra’s stars-and-bars insignia and the tail numbers are press-on
decals.
4) Markers are great for details and can be used for larger areas. I
used a Sanford ultrafine-point Sharpie marker to make the panel lines
on the Kingcobra and a fine-point Sharpie for the antiglare panel in
front of the canopy.
5) Tool-handle dip is tough, and I used it to mark the red spinner
on the Kingcobra. I think it will outlast any other part of this model.
If there are other methods you have used successfully for marking
and decorating models, I would be happy to hear about them. MA
Another view from Butterfield Canyon, overlooking the
Kennecott mine—the largest open-pit copper mine in the world.
Look closely in the center to see Tom Hoopes’ Icon soaring below
the camera position. Knuuttila photo.
04sig4.QXD 2/27/06 11:12 AM Page 128
04sig4.QXD 2/27/06 10:44 AM Page 127