Brian Laird’s 4.6-meter, 1:3-scale L213A, sporting creative RAF
paint scheme, coming in on final at Grantsville UT aerotow event.
Greg Smith photo.
Phil Harrington’s 2-meter yellow-EPP-foam Fox, a Falcon Air kit,
flies at Point of the Mountain (POM) South hill. Smith photo.
Marty Hill flies his Leading Edge Gliders P-51 Mustang close in at
Francis Peak. Tauno Knuuttila photo.
Brian Laird’s DG-505 at POM North. He modified the 3.6-meter
kit with larger ailerons for more aerobatic ability. Smith photo.
THIS MONTH we are fortunate to have a report from master
slope flier and ace photographer Greg Smith about Soar Utah
2006, which he attended during his drive across the West on
another Slope Safari. He wrote:
“Dave Kramer and I traveled on a 10-day trip from Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, to Salt Lake City, Utah, to attend Soar Utah 2006 held
over the Labor Day weekend, September 1st through 4th, 2006.
True to Slopin’ Safari form we meandered along on the way and
checked slopes in South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.
“The most fruitful state for finding new flying areas was
Wyoming, where we spent a couple of days just wandering
around. The main nemesis to a great bunch of flying on this part
of the trip was a lack of wind, not the lack of some spectacular
terrain!
“We did have some good flights at several great slopes, but
Thomas Rauber launches his 4-meter, German-made Klemm FS
4000 at Francis Peak. Smith photo.
Thomas Rauber’s Opus, made by Pavel Sramek in the Czech
Republic, soars over the Salt Lake Valley. Smith photo.
overall the wind that normally thrashes Wyoming was nowhere
to be found. Undaunted, we continued west to the Beehive State,
Utah, and the several sloping venues in and around Salt Lake
City.
“While the actual Soar Utah event does not start until Friday,
many pilots gather in the afternoon on Thursday to catch the
afternoon winds on the north side of the Point of the Mountain
(POM). When we arrived there was a light breeze blowing from
the northeast. The lift was light, but Weasels and hand launches
were able to fly, so Dave and I got a couple of sailplanes ready
to go.
“There were already a couple of guys at the slope, including
Thomas and Sam from Vancouver Island, who were flying fast
electrics. Sam’s Trinity had a 33-volt Li-Poly pack with
something like 18 Li-Poly cells! Whoa, does that thing move!
The Trinity is a 3-plus-meter F3F-style sailplane that has an
electric fuse option and makes a great model for those days
when the lift is light.
“I flew my Airtech Pixel, McLean Extreme, and Richter
Design Weasel. I had a blast Weaseling around with Carl Maas,
Dave, and Fred Sanford. The Weasel Pro is still one of my
favorite airplanes, especially when the lift is light as it was on
this day.
“Dave and I also flew the heck out of our Weasels during the
Slopin’ Safari portion of the trip. It is an excellent test sailplane
for new slopes and can be used to work small areas as well as
spotty lift.
“Conditions were favorable for dynamic soaring (DS) later in
the afternoon on Thursday, so several of us piled into Marty
Hill’s truck for a trip most of the way up the mountain behind
the normal flying spot at POM North. Another 100 feet or so of
vertical on foot and we were 1,000-plus feet above the valley
floor and on a saddleback that is good for dynamic soaring.
“I got to fly Marty’s JW DS and turned some laps. Brian
Courtice, from Hawaii, had a blast learning something about the
DS groove. Marty gave Brian the sticks to the JW and talked
him through flying the groove that was working best. I think
Brian will be looking around Hawaii for suitable DS slopes!
“A welcome development at POM, both North and South, is
that the area has been designated a Utah State Park, dedicated
July 14, 2006. The new park is called Flight Park State
Recreation Area.
“Utah State Parks and Recreation and the Utah Hang Gliding
and Paragliding Association (UHGPGA) partnered to save the
land from being lost to encroaching development. In addition,
there is local RC club representation through the InterMountain
Silent Flyers (IMSF), who are looking after the RC Slope
Soaring pilot’s interest in future site plans. (The IMSF is also
the host club for Soar Utah.)
“POM has been a launching site for RC sailplanes, hang
gliders, and paragliders for several decades and is often
mentioned as one of the premier slope flying areas in the world.
Utah State Parks will maintain ownership of the property while
management of the park will be left to the association.
“One of the goals for the IMSF in working with Utah State
Parks and the UHGPGA will be to help establish a set of
guidelines for the continued coexistence of RC airplanes and the
human pilots of hang gliders and paragliders at POM. For many
years there has been an unofficial separation between the two
groups at the south flying site, mostly due to the suitability of the
slope for each type of flying.
“At the north site there has been a more casual atmosphere
with respect to the cohabitation of RC pilots and our flying,
human friends that can create hazardous situations. The most
likely solution will involve utilizing separate launch areas on the
north side similar to the situation on the south site.
“Of course, the goal is to allow all enthusiasts of flight,
whether they are RC pilots or hang glider or paraglider pilots, to
enjoy the great conditions at POM while maintaining the safest
conditions for all involved.
“Soar Utah 2006 opened on Friday with a trip to Butterfield
Canyon. The flying site is located on the mountain peak above
the Kennecott Copper Mine. The elevation of the peak is about
8,900 feet and makes this a fantastic flying spot that provides a
great view of the mine—one of the largest open pits in the world.
“A contingent of the IMSF club hauled trailers up the 13-
mile, twisty access road to the top and had breakfast on the peak
ready. Very cool!
“While Butterfield Canyon is a 360° flying site for both slope
and thermal flying, this day was primarily thermal lift. Hand
launches as well as larger TD [Thermal Duration]-type sailplanes
were doing fine. Clarence Ashcraft had a huge Bubble Dancer
with extended tips like a super-huge hand launch!
“Flying over the terraced pit of the copper mine is a unique
experience. The sheer scale of the pit is amazing. Just goes to
show what happens when you dig a hole continuously for over
100 years!
“I flew my Erwin and the Frankenplane DLG [Discus Launch
Glider]. Both flew well, but apparently
the DLG had a bad battery pack.
Fortunately, the airplane had a wish to
come home since it made the turn to final
and the approach all without my help and
plunked down fine. By the way, a
‘Frankenplane’ is a combination of the
parts of two or more damaged airplanes
made into a flyable third.
“The main bummer at the Butterfield
location is that Kennecott mine is going
to be expanding, so it looks like this is
the last Soar Utah for which we will be
able to utilize this spot.
“Next we headed over to the aerotow
held on a salt flat near Grantsville, Utah,
about 40 miles west of Salt Lake City.
This was the first time an aerotow was a
part of the Soar Utah weekend.
“There could not have been a better
day for it. The temperature was in the
high 80s, the wind was light, and the
thermals were plentiful.
“Aerotowing involves using a
powered tug to tow up large sailplanes.
Most of the sailplanes are large scale
models 3 meters and up. Brian Laird’s
big, red L-213 stood out and it looked
great going up, up, up until it was a
couple thousand feet above the desert
floor. Brian had a good flight, and when
he brought the L-213 in it looked almost
real.
“In all there were over 20 pilots and a
lot of folks looking on. It was a nice
turnout for a new portion of the event.
“On Saturday morning Contest
Director Tom Hoopes and Event
Organizer Erik Vogel held a pilots’
meeting to outline the contest format—a
combination of simple flight tasks and
scale judging in classes including Classic
Scale, Modern Scale, and PSS [Power
Scale Soaring].
“The wind on Saturday was light, but
the afternoon thermals let most guys fly if
they wanted to. Toss ’em out and make it
work! Lots of span gave you the best
flights. I saw Brian Laird working the
available lift with a modified DG-505.
Really sweet!
“I had the Pixel, Extreme, and Weasel
working again but for me the best time on
Saturday was very late when Andrew,
Dave, and I went night flying about 10
p.m. We had good wind and great lift, the
best all day by far, so the adventurous got
the spoils.
“Andrew makes lighting kits for slope
sailplanes using LEDs and an interface to
allow you to use the receiver battery for
power. The lights on my Weasel made it
really easy to see. I even got some DS
turns in. DS at night! What a blast!
Andrew had his Bee lit up and Dave had
a Weasel with eight LEDs, making it
really easy to see.
“We had a better day on Sunday. We
flew the south side of POM, where there
were lots of sailplanes in the air. I
counted 17 at one point but there may
have been more. I got the first flight in
with my new Slope Scale P-63, which
flew great right out of my hand.
“In addition, I flew the Opus, Pixel,
and Extreme. Lots of sailplanes with span
were able to really maximize the
‘slermally’ (combination of slope and
thermal) lift.
“Monday we headed to Francis Peak
4,500 feet above the valley floor. For
many this is the best day of the event.
The lift started building about 10 a.m., so
I made a couple of flights with the Pixel
and then the Extreme, but Francis is
really all about span.
“The 3-plus-meter models like
Thomas’s German-made Klemm FS,
Sam’s Pike, and my RaceM were able to
really take advantage of the lift by
ranging far and wide. Smaller sailplanes
flew too with the lift still building when
Dave and I had to leave at 2 p.m. for the
drive home to Milwaukee.
“I had an excellent time at Soar Utah.
The flying was decent every day, if not
spectacular, and getting together with 85
slope heads from around the US and
Canada is a once-every-two-years treat
that I look forward to repeating in 2008!
For me, it is the camaraderie, as much as
the flying, which makes Soar Utah one of
the best events in the country.”
Many thanks to Old Flying Buddy Greg
Smith for the trip report and event
coverage, and to Greg and to Tauno
Knuuttila for the photographs. MA
Sources:
RC manufacturer and night-light supplier:
Canuck Engineering
www.canuckengineering.com
Manufacturer of the Weasel Slope Soarer:
Dream Flight
www.dreamflight.com
Soar Utah event-series hosts, other Utah
slope-flying sites:
InterMountain Silent Flyers (IMSF)
www.silentflyer.org
Manufacturer of EPP-foam warbirds and
sport sailplanes:
Leading Edge Gliders
www.leadingedgegliders.com
Rich resource for Slope Soaring pilots,
including more Soar Utah photos:
SlopeFlyer.com
www.slopeflyer.com
Distributor of many Slope Soarers,
including the Trinity:
SoaringUSA
www.soaringusa.com
Announcement for Soar Utah 2008,
photos from six Soar Utah events (1998-
2006):
Official Soar Utah Web site
www.soarutah.org
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/02
Page Numbers: 108,109,110
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/02
Page Numbers: 108,109,110
Brian Laird’s 4.6-meter, 1:3-scale L213A, sporting creative RAF
paint scheme, coming in on final at Grantsville UT aerotow event.
Greg Smith photo.
Phil Harrington’s 2-meter yellow-EPP-foam Fox, a Falcon Air kit,
flies at Point of the Mountain (POM) South hill. Smith photo.
Marty Hill flies his Leading Edge Gliders P-51 Mustang close in at
Francis Peak. Tauno Knuuttila photo.
Brian Laird’s DG-505 at POM North. He modified the 3.6-meter
kit with larger ailerons for more aerobatic ability. Smith photo.
THIS MONTH we are fortunate to have a report from master
slope flier and ace photographer Greg Smith about Soar Utah
2006, which he attended during his drive across the West on
another Slope Safari. He wrote:
“Dave Kramer and I traveled on a 10-day trip from Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, to Salt Lake City, Utah, to attend Soar Utah 2006 held
over the Labor Day weekend, September 1st through 4th, 2006.
True to Slopin’ Safari form we meandered along on the way and
checked slopes in South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.
“The most fruitful state for finding new flying areas was
Wyoming, where we spent a couple of days just wandering
around. The main nemesis to a great bunch of flying on this part
of the trip was a lack of wind, not the lack of some spectacular
terrain!
“We did have some good flights at several great slopes, but
Thomas Rauber launches his 4-meter, German-made Klemm FS
4000 at Francis Peak. Smith photo.
Thomas Rauber’s Opus, made by Pavel Sramek in the Czech
Republic, soars over the Salt Lake Valley. Smith photo.
overall the wind that normally thrashes Wyoming was nowhere
to be found. Undaunted, we continued west to the Beehive State,
Utah, and the several sloping venues in and around Salt Lake
City.
“While the actual Soar Utah event does not start until Friday,
many pilots gather in the afternoon on Thursday to catch the
afternoon winds on the north side of the Point of the Mountain
(POM). When we arrived there was a light breeze blowing from
the northeast. The lift was light, but Weasels and hand launches
were able to fly, so Dave and I got a couple of sailplanes ready
to go.
“There were already a couple of guys at the slope, including
Thomas and Sam from Vancouver Island, who were flying fast
electrics. Sam’s Trinity had a 33-volt Li-Poly pack with
something like 18 Li-Poly cells! Whoa, does that thing move!
The Trinity is a 3-plus-meter F3F-style sailplane that has an
electric fuse option and makes a great model for those days
when the lift is light.
“I flew my Airtech Pixel, McLean Extreme, and Richter
Design Weasel. I had a blast Weaseling around with Carl Maas,
Dave, and Fred Sanford. The Weasel Pro is still one of my
favorite airplanes, especially when the lift is light as it was on
this day.
“Dave and I also flew the heck out of our Weasels during the
Slopin’ Safari portion of the trip. It is an excellent test sailplane
for new slopes and can be used to work small areas as well as
spotty lift.
“Conditions were favorable for dynamic soaring (DS) later in
the afternoon on Thursday, so several of us piled into Marty
Hill’s truck for a trip most of the way up the mountain behind
the normal flying spot at POM North. Another 100 feet or so of
vertical on foot and we were 1,000-plus feet above the valley
floor and on a saddleback that is good for dynamic soaring.
“I got to fly Marty’s JW DS and turned some laps. Brian
Courtice, from Hawaii, had a blast learning something about the
DS groove. Marty gave Brian the sticks to the JW and talked
him through flying the groove that was working best. I think
Brian will be looking around Hawaii for suitable DS slopes!
“A welcome development at POM, both North and South, is
that the area has been designated a Utah State Park, dedicated
July 14, 2006. The new park is called Flight Park State
Recreation Area.
“Utah State Parks and Recreation and the Utah Hang Gliding
and Paragliding Association (UHGPGA) partnered to save the
land from being lost to encroaching development. In addition,
there is local RC club representation through the InterMountain
Silent Flyers (IMSF), who are looking after the RC Slope
Soaring pilot’s interest in future site plans. (The IMSF is also
the host club for Soar Utah.)
“POM has been a launching site for RC sailplanes, hang
gliders, and paragliders for several decades and is often
mentioned as one of the premier slope flying areas in the world.
Utah State Parks will maintain ownership of the property while
management of the park will be left to the association.
“One of the goals for the IMSF in working with Utah State
Parks and the UHGPGA will be to help establish a set of
guidelines for the continued coexistence of RC airplanes and the
human pilots of hang gliders and paragliders at POM. For many
years there has been an unofficial separation between the two
groups at the south flying site, mostly due to the suitability of the
slope for each type of flying.
“At the north site there has been a more casual atmosphere
with respect to the cohabitation of RC pilots and our flying,
human friends that can create hazardous situations. The most
likely solution will involve utilizing separate launch areas on the
north side similar to the situation on the south site.
“Of course, the goal is to allow all enthusiasts of flight,
whether they are RC pilots or hang glider or paraglider pilots, to
enjoy the great conditions at POM while maintaining the safest
conditions for all involved.
“Soar Utah 2006 opened on Friday with a trip to Butterfield
Canyon. The flying site is located on the mountain peak above
the Kennecott Copper Mine. The elevation of the peak is about
8,900 feet and makes this a fantastic flying spot that provides a
great view of the mine—one of the largest open pits in the world.
“A contingent of the IMSF club hauled trailers up the 13-
mile, twisty access road to the top and had breakfast on the peak
ready. Very cool!
“While Butterfield Canyon is a 360° flying site for both slope
and thermal flying, this day was primarily thermal lift. Hand
launches as well as larger TD [Thermal Duration]-type sailplanes
were doing fine. Clarence Ashcraft had a huge Bubble Dancer
with extended tips like a super-huge hand launch!
“Flying over the terraced pit of the copper mine is a unique
experience. The sheer scale of the pit is amazing. Just goes to
show what happens when you dig a hole continuously for over
100 years!
“I flew my Erwin and the Frankenplane DLG [Discus Launch
Glider]. Both flew well, but apparently
the DLG had a bad battery pack.
Fortunately, the airplane had a wish to
come home since it made the turn to final
and the approach all without my help and
plunked down fine. By the way, a
‘Frankenplane’ is a combination of the
parts of two or more damaged airplanes
made into a flyable third.
“The main bummer at the Butterfield
location is that Kennecott mine is going
to be expanding, so it looks like this is
the last Soar Utah for which we will be
able to utilize this spot.
“Next we headed over to the aerotow
held on a salt flat near Grantsville, Utah,
about 40 miles west of Salt Lake City.
This was the first time an aerotow was a
part of the Soar Utah weekend.
“There could not have been a better
day for it. The temperature was in the
high 80s, the wind was light, and the
thermals were plentiful.
“Aerotowing involves using a
powered tug to tow up large sailplanes.
Most of the sailplanes are large scale
models 3 meters and up. Brian Laird’s
big, red L-213 stood out and it looked
great going up, up, up until it was a
couple thousand feet above the desert
floor. Brian had a good flight, and when
he brought the L-213 in it looked almost
real.
“In all there were over 20 pilots and a
lot of folks looking on. It was a nice
turnout for a new portion of the event.
“On Saturday morning Contest
Director Tom Hoopes and Event
Organizer Erik Vogel held a pilots’
meeting to outline the contest format—a
combination of simple flight tasks and
scale judging in classes including Classic
Scale, Modern Scale, and PSS [Power
Scale Soaring].
“The wind on Saturday was light, but
the afternoon thermals let most guys fly if
they wanted to. Toss ’em out and make it
work! Lots of span gave you the best
flights. I saw Brian Laird working the
available lift with a modified DG-505.
Really sweet!
“I had the Pixel, Extreme, and Weasel
working again but for me the best time on
Saturday was very late when Andrew,
Dave, and I went night flying about 10
p.m. We had good wind and great lift, the
best all day by far, so the adventurous got
the spoils.
“Andrew makes lighting kits for slope
sailplanes using LEDs and an interface to
allow you to use the receiver battery for
power. The lights on my Weasel made it
really easy to see. I even got some DS
turns in. DS at night! What a blast!
Andrew had his Bee lit up and Dave had
a Weasel with eight LEDs, making it
really easy to see.
“We had a better day on Sunday. We
flew the south side of POM, where there
were lots of sailplanes in the air. I
counted 17 at one point but there may
have been more. I got the first flight in
with my new Slope Scale P-63, which
flew great right out of my hand.
“In addition, I flew the Opus, Pixel,
and Extreme. Lots of sailplanes with span
were able to really maximize the
‘slermally’ (combination of slope and
thermal) lift.
“Monday we headed to Francis Peak
4,500 feet above the valley floor. For
many this is the best day of the event.
The lift started building about 10 a.m., so
I made a couple of flights with the Pixel
and then the Extreme, but Francis is
really all about span.
“The 3-plus-meter models like
Thomas’s German-made Klemm FS,
Sam’s Pike, and my RaceM were able to
really take advantage of the lift by
ranging far and wide. Smaller sailplanes
flew too with the lift still building when
Dave and I had to leave at 2 p.m. for the
drive home to Milwaukee.
“I had an excellent time at Soar Utah.
The flying was decent every day, if not
spectacular, and getting together with 85
slope heads from around the US and
Canada is a once-every-two-years treat
that I look forward to repeating in 2008!
For me, it is the camaraderie, as much as
the flying, which makes Soar Utah one of
the best events in the country.”
Many thanks to Old Flying Buddy Greg
Smith for the trip report and event
coverage, and to Greg and to Tauno
Knuuttila for the photographs. MA
Sources:
RC manufacturer and night-light supplier:
Canuck Engineering
www.canuckengineering.com
Manufacturer of the Weasel Slope Soarer:
Dream Flight
www.dreamflight.com
Soar Utah event-series hosts, other Utah
slope-flying sites:
InterMountain Silent Flyers (IMSF)
www.silentflyer.org
Manufacturer of EPP-foam warbirds and
sport sailplanes:
Leading Edge Gliders
www.leadingedgegliders.com
Rich resource for Slope Soaring pilots,
including more Soar Utah photos:
SlopeFlyer.com
www.slopeflyer.com
Distributor of many Slope Soarers,
including the Trinity:
SoaringUSA
www.soaringusa.com
Announcement for Soar Utah 2008,
photos from six Soar Utah events (1998-
2006):
Official Soar Utah Web site
www.soarutah.org
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/02
Page Numbers: 108,109,110
Brian Laird’s 4.6-meter, 1:3-scale L213A, sporting creative RAF
paint scheme, coming in on final at Grantsville UT aerotow event.
Greg Smith photo.
Phil Harrington’s 2-meter yellow-EPP-foam Fox, a Falcon Air kit,
flies at Point of the Mountain (POM) South hill. Smith photo.
Marty Hill flies his Leading Edge Gliders P-51 Mustang close in at
Francis Peak. Tauno Knuuttila photo.
Brian Laird’s DG-505 at POM North. He modified the 3.6-meter
kit with larger ailerons for more aerobatic ability. Smith photo.
THIS MONTH we are fortunate to have a report from master
slope flier and ace photographer Greg Smith about Soar Utah
2006, which he attended during his drive across the West on
another Slope Safari. He wrote:
“Dave Kramer and I traveled on a 10-day trip from Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, to Salt Lake City, Utah, to attend Soar Utah 2006 held
over the Labor Day weekend, September 1st through 4th, 2006.
True to Slopin’ Safari form we meandered along on the way and
checked slopes in South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.
“The most fruitful state for finding new flying areas was
Wyoming, where we spent a couple of days just wandering
around. The main nemesis to a great bunch of flying on this part
of the trip was a lack of wind, not the lack of some spectacular
terrain!
“We did have some good flights at several great slopes, but
Thomas Rauber launches his 4-meter, German-made Klemm FS
4000 at Francis Peak. Smith photo.
Thomas Rauber’s Opus, made by Pavel Sramek in the Czech
Republic, soars over the Salt Lake Valley. Smith photo.
overall the wind that normally thrashes Wyoming was nowhere
to be found. Undaunted, we continued west to the Beehive State,
Utah, and the several sloping venues in and around Salt Lake
City.
“While the actual Soar Utah event does not start until Friday,
many pilots gather in the afternoon on Thursday to catch the
afternoon winds on the north side of the Point of the Mountain
(POM). When we arrived there was a light breeze blowing from
the northeast. The lift was light, but Weasels and hand launches
were able to fly, so Dave and I got a couple of sailplanes ready
to go.
“There were already a couple of guys at the slope, including
Thomas and Sam from Vancouver Island, who were flying fast
electrics. Sam’s Trinity had a 33-volt Li-Poly pack with
something like 18 Li-Poly cells! Whoa, does that thing move!
The Trinity is a 3-plus-meter F3F-style sailplane that has an
electric fuse option and makes a great model for those days
when the lift is light.
“I flew my Airtech Pixel, McLean Extreme, and Richter
Design Weasel. I had a blast Weaseling around with Carl Maas,
Dave, and Fred Sanford. The Weasel Pro is still one of my
favorite airplanes, especially when the lift is light as it was on
this day.
“Dave and I also flew the heck out of our Weasels during the
Slopin’ Safari portion of the trip. It is an excellent test sailplane
for new slopes and can be used to work small areas as well as
spotty lift.
“Conditions were favorable for dynamic soaring (DS) later in
the afternoon on Thursday, so several of us piled into Marty
Hill’s truck for a trip most of the way up the mountain behind
the normal flying spot at POM North. Another 100 feet or so of
vertical on foot and we were 1,000-plus feet above the valley
floor and on a saddleback that is good for dynamic soaring.
“I got to fly Marty’s JW DS and turned some laps. Brian
Courtice, from Hawaii, had a blast learning something about the
DS groove. Marty gave Brian the sticks to the JW and talked
him through flying the groove that was working best. I think
Brian will be looking around Hawaii for suitable DS slopes!
“A welcome development at POM, both North and South, is
that the area has been designated a Utah State Park, dedicated
July 14, 2006. The new park is called Flight Park State
Recreation Area.
“Utah State Parks and Recreation and the Utah Hang Gliding
and Paragliding Association (UHGPGA) partnered to save the
land from being lost to encroaching development. In addition,
there is local RC club representation through the InterMountain
Silent Flyers (IMSF), who are looking after the RC Slope
Soaring pilot’s interest in future site plans. (The IMSF is also
the host club for Soar Utah.)
“POM has been a launching site for RC sailplanes, hang
gliders, and paragliders for several decades and is often
mentioned as one of the premier slope flying areas in the world.
Utah State Parks will maintain ownership of the property while
management of the park will be left to the association.
“One of the goals for the IMSF in working with Utah State
Parks and the UHGPGA will be to help establish a set of
guidelines for the continued coexistence of RC airplanes and the
human pilots of hang gliders and paragliders at POM. For many
years there has been an unofficial separation between the two
groups at the south flying site, mostly due to the suitability of the
slope for each type of flying.
“At the north site there has been a more casual atmosphere
with respect to the cohabitation of RC pilots and our flying,
human friends that can create hazardous situations. The most
likely solution will involve utilizing separate launch areas on the
north side similar to the situation on the south site.
“Of course, the goal is to allow all enthusiasts of flight,
whether they are RC pilots or hang glider or paraglider pilots, to
enjoy the great conditions at POM while maintaining the safest
conditions for all involved.
“Soar Utah 2006 opened on Friday with a trip to Butterfield
Canyon. The flying site is located on the mountain peak above
the Kennecott Copper Mine. The elevation of the peak is about
8,900 feet and makes this a fantastic flying spot that provides a
great view of the mine—one of the largest open pits in the world.
“A contingent of the IMSF club hauled trailers up the 13-
mile, twisty access road to the top and had breakfast on the peak
ready. Very cool!
“While Butterfield Canyon is a 360° flying site for both slope
and thermal flying, this day was primarily thermal lift. Hand
launches as well as larger TD [Thermal Duration]-type sailplanes
were doing fine. Clarence Ashcraft had a huge Bubble Dancer
with extended tips like a super-huge hand launch!
“Flying over the terraced pit of the copper mine is a unique
experience. The sheer scale of the pit is amazing. Just goes to
show what happens when you dig a hole continuously for over
100 years!
“I flew my Erwin and the Frankenplane DLG [Discus Launch
Glider]. Both flew well, but apparently
the DLG had a bad battery pack.
Fortunately, the airplane had a wish to
come home since it made the turn to final
and the approach all without my help and
plunked down fine. By the way, a
‘Frankenplane’ is a combination of the
parts of two or more damaged airplanes
made into a flyable third.
“The main bummer at the Butterfield
location is that Kennecott mine is going
to be expanding, so it looks like this is
the last Soar Utah for which we will be
able to utilize this spot.
“Next we headed over to the aerotow
held on a salt flat near Grantsville, Utah,
about 40 miles west of Salt Lake City.
This was the first time an aerotow was a
part of the Soar Utah weekend.
“There could not have been a better
day for it. The temperature was in the
high 80s, the wind was light, and the
thermals were plentiful.
“Aerotowing involves using a
powered tug to tow up large sailplanes.
Most of the sailplanes are large scale
models 3 meters and up. Brian Laird’s
big, red L-213 stood out and it looked
great going up, up, up until it was a
couple thousand feet above the desert
floor. Brian had a good flight, and when
he brought the L-213 in it looked almost
real.
“In all there were over 20 pilots and a
lot of folks looking on. It was a nice
turnout for a new portion of the event.
“On Saturday morning Contest
Director Tom Hoopes and Event
Organizer Erik Vogel held a pilots’
meeting to outline the contest format—a
combination of simple flight tasks and
scale judging in classes including Classic
Scale, Modern Scale, and PSS [Power
Scale Soaring].
“The wind on Saturday was light, but
the afternoon thermals let most guys fly if
they wanted to. Toss ’em out and make it
work! Lots of span gave you the best
flights. I saw Brian Laird working the
available lift with a modified DG-505.
Really sweet!
“I had the Pixel, Extreme, and Weasel
working again but for me the best time on
Saturday was very late when Andrew,
Dave, and I went night flying about 10
p.m. We had good wind and great lift, the
best all day by far, so the adventurous got
the spoils.
“Andrew makes lighting kits for slope
sailplanes using LEDs and an interface to
allow you to use the receiver battery for
power. The lights on my Weasel made it
really easy to see. I even got some DS
turns in. DS at night! What a blast!
Andrew had his Bee lit up and Dave had
a Weasel with eight LEDs, making it
really easy to see.
“We had a better day on Sunday. We
flew the south side of POM, where there
were lots of sailplanes in the air. I
counted 17 at one point but there may
have been more. I got the first flight in
with my new Slope Scale P-63, which
flew great right out of my hand.
“In addition, I flew the Opus, Pixel,
and Extreme. Lots of sailplanes with span
were able to really maximize the
‘slermally’ (combination of slope and
thermal) lift.
“Monday we headed to Francis Peak
4,500 feet above the valley floor. For
many this is the best day of the event.
The lift started building about 10 a.m., so
I made a couple of flights with the Pixel
and then the Extreme, but Francis is
really all about span.
“The 3-plus-meter models like
Thomas’s German-made Klemm FS,
Sam’s Pike, and my RaceM were able to
really take advantage of the lift by
ranging far and wide. Smaller sailplanes
flew too with the lift still building when
Dave and I had to leave at 2 p.m. for the
drive home to Milwaukee.
“I had an excellent time at Soar Utah.
The flying was decent every day, if not
spectacular, and getting together with 85
slope heads from around the US and
Canada is a once-every-two-years treat
that I look forward to repeating in 2008!
For me, it is the camaraderie, as much as
the flying, which makes Soar Utah one of
the best events in the country.”
Many thanks to Old Flying Buddy Greg
Smith for the trip report and event
coverage, and to Greg and to Tauno
Knuuttila for the photographs. MA
Sources:
RC manufacturer and night-light supplier:
Canuck Engineering
www.canuckengineering.com
Manufacturer of the Weasel Slope Soarer:
Dream Flight
www.dreamflight.com
Soar Utah event-series hosts, other Utah
slope-flying sites:
InterMountain Silent Flyers (IMSF)
www.silentflyer.org
Manufacturer of EPP-foam warbirds and
sport sailplanes:
Leading Edge Gliders
www.leadingedgegliders.com
Rich resource for Slope Soaring pilots,
including more Soar Utah photos:
SlopeFlyer.com
www.slopeflyer.com
Distributor of many Slope Soarers,
including the Trinity:
SoaringUSA
www.soaringusa.com
Announcement for Soar Utah 2008,
photos from six Soar Utah events (1998-
2006):
Official Soar Utah Web site
www.soarutah.org