I flew there again twice during Soar Utah 2008 with New York
Slope Dogs Joe Chovan and Jim Harrigan. The first time was on
Thursday before the event, in 5-10 mph north to north-northeast
winds under sunny skies. Joe, Jim, and I flew 60-inch foamies on
the large, gentle slope on the north side of the Buffalo Point ridge,
a pair of SkyKing RC Products DAW 1-26s, and a Leading Edge
Gliders (LEG) Arctic Fox.
The gentle lift ranged far out, and huge grass fields provided
abundant model-friendly landing areas. Another cool thing about
a north-facing slope
is that the sun is at
your back all day.
While waiting for
wind, Joe and I took
the 0.3-mile hike
from the parking lot
at the Buffalo Point
concession up to the
twin peaks. We
went mainly to take in the scenery, but thinking back and
reviewing a topographic map, I believe that the highest ground at
Buffalo Point would provide flying sites for southwest, west, and
northwest winds.
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Slope Soaring Dave Garwood
The Antelope Island flying site in Utah
Also included in this column:
• Magnum Models
• 2009 Slope Soaring events
The author launches a DAW Schweizer 1-26 on the south side of the parking lot at Buffalo Point on Antelope Island. Great Salt Lake
and Wasatch Mountains are behind. Jim Harrigan photo. (He knows how to select a background.)
Joe Chovan and Dave Garwood fly DAW Schweizer 1-26s on the
south side of Buffalo Point. Great Salt Lake and Wasatch Mountains
are behind. Harrigan photo.
Joe Chovan and Jim Harrigan fly DAW Schweizer 1-26s on the
south side of Buffalo Point. They are looking over White Rock Bay
at a peak roughly 1,800 feet taller than Buffalo Point.
Joe Chovan flies his LEG Arctic Fox on the north side of Buffalo
Point. The view is over Great Salt Lake toward the north. Plenty of
grassy landing areas here.
ANTELOPE ISLAND in the Great Salt Lake sticks in my mind
as one of the top 10 most pleasant Slope Soaring locations of all
my travels. During Soar Utah 2000, I spent a fine afternoon there
flying Slope Scale heavy fiberglass warbirds with Inland Slope
Rebels Brian Laird, Carl Maas, and Ralph Roberts on the south
side of Buffalo Point just after a storm front passed through.
April 2009 119
04sig4.QXD 2/24/09 10:38 AM Page 119
120 MODEL AVIATION
Antelope range free on Antelope Island. You can see the Great
Salt Lake and Wasatch Mountains in the background.
Joe Chovan turns and burns with his LEG Arctic Fox on the south
side of Buffalo Point. The view is over Great Salt Lake toward the
southwest.
The ground at the top is strewn with boulders, large and small,
so highly accurate landing skills or truly bounceable foam
sailplanes are needed to fly from there. The view around the Great
Salt Lake from the top is wonderful.
On Labor Day, the Francis Peak, Utah, trip was canceled
because of stormy weather. We watched the radar until we could
see that the last rain band was passing over the lake, with clear
skies following, and we headed up to Antelope Island for the
second time during our one-week trip to the state.
When we got to Buffalo Point, the winds were nearly calm.
Colorado pilots Ian Frechette, Nick Strong, and Cody Remington
had been flying, but the wind died. Joe, Jim, and I ate lunch, and
within an hour the winds began building on the south side.
We flew the 72-inch scale foamies, DAW Schweizer 1-26s,
and an LEG Arctic Fox. Joe tossed an LEG P-80 Shooting Star,
but lift was light for that model. Jim got some stick time on a
Dream Flight Weasel Pro, which is another excellent sailplane
with which to travel.
As I look at a topographic map of Antelope Island, I see an
impressive number of wind directions that could be flown from
hills and ridges there, especially if you include the hiking trails.
Start with north-northeast and south-southeast, which can be
flown from the parking lot at the concession at Buffalo Point.
Moving southward, it looks on the map like slopes accessible
from White Rock Loop Trail and Elephant Head Trail could be
flyable in west wind. It looks like Beacon Knob Trail leads to a
southeast-facing bowl that is approximately 200 feet taller than
Buffalo Point.
The Frary Peak Trail follows a north-south ridge, which is
1,800 feet taller than Buffalo Point and looks to have flyable
terrain on both the east and west sides. It appears from a review of
the map that hikers might be rewarded with spectacular flying
sites on Antelope Island.
To get to Antelope Island, take Exit 332 from Interstate 15.
Drive west on West Antelope Drive to the park entrance, where
you pay your fee and pick up a park map that shows roads and
hiking trails. Drive out to the island over the causeway. During
your drive, you might see antelope and bison.
The Utah State Parks Service runs a fascinating museum on the
island. It has a huge relief map of the island, information about the
Great Basin’s geologic history, human artifacts indicating that the
island was inhabited 10,000 years ago, and a tank of Amazing Sea
Monkeys. You can learn at the museum that those are brine
shrimp—almost the only organisms living in the water of the
Great Salt Lake, although it is a major bird refuge.
Take the road to Buffalo Point, to the paved parking of the
concession area, where there is a restaurant and a toilet. This
drive-to hill is roughly 400 feet above the lake level, and it works
in north-northeast and south-southeast winds.
Larry Blevins at Magnum Models and Erik Eaton of Eaton Air
RC have combined their companies’ strengths and resources into
a single Slope Soaring sailplane design and kit-manufacturing
organization. Combined under the Magnum Models name, they
produce Larry’s venerable EPP-foam designs, including the Cobra
Racer ODR, MiG-3 warbird, and F-5 Tiger slope jet.
Also available are kits for sailplanes that Erik has designed,
including foam racers, aerobats, and a fiberglass-fuselage ODR
model. Reviews of Larry’s F-5 Tiger slope jet and Erik’s Bad
Voodoo ODR model appear in the February 2009 issue of the
Radio Controlled Soaring Digest (RCSD).
RCSD has been a great resource for the RC Soaring
community since 1984. Now, even more than that, it’s an online
magazine, and back issues are available for download in Adobe
PDF format.
As a special treat, RCSD editors Bill and Bunny Kuhlman
have made available scanned copies of Charlie Morey’s Slope
Soaring News, which was published from September 1988
through July 1990. Reading these journals gives you a glimpse
back into the formative days of Slope Soaring.
Seven Slope Soaring events have been announced for 2009 at the
time of this writing in early January. See also the 2009 Southern
California Slope Racing Calendar and the ASRO (American Slope
Racing Organization) Web site for even more event opportunities.
Sorry if there are events this year that I did not mention. If
your Slope Soaring organization will be scheduling an event in
2010, one that is expected to appeal to a wide audience, let me
know about it in December 2009, and I’ll plan to mention it in
next April’s column.
Following is what I know about for this spring and summer.
1. Los Banos Scale Sailplane Event
April 18-19
South Bay Soaring Society
04sig4.QXD 2/24/09 10:44 AM Page 120
Los Banos, California
This event combines aerotowing
with slope flying for Scale RC gliders at
Los Banos in north central California,
and 2009 will be its 15th year. The Los
Banos reservoir’s steep, grassy slopes
provide lift in several wind directions.
This is a major gathering of large Scale
sailplanes of both modern and vintage
design.
2. Midwest Slope Challenge
May 15-17
Wings Over Wilson club
Wilson Lake Reservoir in Lucas,
Kansas
This contest is tied with the Los
Banos event as the longest continually
running US Slope Soaring event, at 15
years in 2009. It’s a relaxed flying and
vacation experience featuring four
competition categories: foam combat,
foam warbird race, ODR (One Design
Race), and Unlimited-class race. In
2008, the Wings Over Wilson club
staged an unofficial F3F race.
Travelers can usually count on
plenty of sport-flying opportunities,
because several hills around Wilson
Lake allow pilots to fly their aircraft in
different wind directions.
3. Southern California PSS Festival
May 22-24
Inland Slope Rebels
Cajon Summit, California
This is the largest gathering of
Power Scale Soaring, or PSS, gliders in
the country. The Inland Slope Rebels
club has run the event for 11 years,
turning Cajon Summit into a PSS
mecca. The flying site is a mile-long
ridge 1,800 feet above the Cajon Pass in
the San Bernardino National Forest,
which is a few hours east of Los
Angeles.
Pilots can enter their models in a
judged contest and compete for awards
in four groups: best jet, best propeller
airplane, best civilian airplane, and best
foam airplane. The Southern California
PSS Festival alternates years with Soar
Utah.
4. Western Colorado Slope Challenge
May 23-25
Montrose Model Aircraft Association
Big Mesa: Delta, Colorado
Focusing on foamie combat, this will
be the event’s fifth edition. In past years,
these pilots have flown “DS [dynamic
soaring] combat” on the backside of the
slope. Most years, the slots are taken early.
The contact person is Jim Ferguson,
who is vice president of the Montrose
Model Aircraft Association.
5. Cape Blanco Slope Fest
Dates haven’t been announced.
Southern Oregon Slopiens
Port Orford, Oregon
This is an informal five-day event
held near the campground of the Cape
Blanco State Park. It includes hours of
noncompetitive flying, a barbecue, and
camaraderie among like-minded pilots. The
ridge is flyable in both north and south
winds, and its shape presents an opportunity
for DS.
6. Alpine Soaring Adventure
June 26-29
Kiona Publishing
Wallowa Lake in Joseph, Oregon
Although this is not strictly a Slope
Soaring event, the Alpine Soaring Adventure
Web site states that, “if wind conditions
allow, models can be flown from at least two
alternate sites on the opposite side of
Memaloose Ridge.”
This gathering focuses on alpine
(thermal) soaring and includes aerotow and
electric-power flying in an alpine setting with
spectacular scenery.
“Most guys arrive a day or two early, and
leave a day or two late!” said event CD Don
Bailey. “We will be aerotowing again out at
the driving range, and of course there will be
lots of alpine soaring at Memaloose and Mt.
Howard.”
7. Leading Edge Gliders Fun Fly
September 5-7
LEG
Wilson Lake Reservoir, Lucas, Kansas
Jack Cooper, chief honcho at LEG, not
only makes good-looking and great-flying
warbirds, but he also throws a Labor Day
party to remember on alternate years from
Soar Utah. It is designed to bring Slope
Soaring pilots from across the country
together for some late-summer flying at
Wilson Lake and surrounding inland hills.
There are no scheduled competitions. Fly
what you bring. Electric-power flying and
winch-launching are at the ready, in case of
wind failure. MA
Sources:
Antelope Island State Park (Utah Department
of Natural Resources)
www.stateparks.utah.gov/stateparks/parks/ant
elope-island
SkyKing RC Products
(612) 605-1128
www.skykingrcproducts.com
LEG
(785) 525-6263
www.leadingedgegliders.com
Dream Flight
www.dream-flight.com
Magnum Models
(865) 583-9241
www.magnumrcmodels.com
RCSD
www.rcsoaringdigest.com
ASRO
www.sloperacing.com
California Slope Racing Calendar
www.socalsloperacing.com
South Bay Soaring Society
www.sbss.org
Wings Over Wilson
www.midwestslope.com
Inland Slope Rebels
www.inlandsloperebels.com/pssfestival/fe
stival.html
Montrose Model Aircraft Association
www.mmaa-modelairplanes.org
Jim Ferguson
(970) 249-1770
[email protected]
Southern Oregon Slopiens
www.clubsos.itgo.com
Kiona Publishing
www.alpinesoaring.us
Don Bailey
[email protected]
Jack Cooper
(785) 525-6263
[email protected]
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/04
Page Numbers: 119,120,122,124
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/04
Page Numbers: 119,120,122,124
I flew there again twice during Soar Utah 2008 with New York
Slope Dogs Joe Chovan and Jim Harrigan. The first time was on
Thursday before the event, in 5-10 mph north to north-northeast
winds under sunny skies. Joe, Jim, and I flew 60-inch foamies on
the large, gentle slope on the north side of the Buffalo Point ridge,
a pair of SkyKing RC Products DAW 1-26s, and a Leading Edge
Gliders (LEG) Arctic Fox.
The gentle lift ranged far out, and huge grass fields provided
abundant model-friendly landing areas. Another cool thing about
a north-facing slope
is that the sun is at
your back all day.
While waiting for
wind, Joe and I took
the 0.3-mile hike
from the parking lot
at the Buffalo Point
concession up to the
twin peaks. We
went mainly to take in the scenery, but thinking back and
reviewing a topographic map, I believe that the highest ground at
Buffalo Point would provide flying sites for southwest, west, and
northwest winds.
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Slope Soaring Dave Garwood
The Antelope Island flying site in Utah
Also included in this column:
• Magnum Models
• 2009 Slope Soaring events
The author launches a DAW Schweizer 1-26 on the south side of the parking lot at Buffalo Point on Antelope Island. Great Salt Lake
and Wasatch Mountains are behind. Jim Harrigan photo. (He knows how to select a background.)
Joe Chovan and Dave Garwood fly DAW Schweizer 1-26s on the
south side of Buffalo Point. Great Salt Lake and Wasatch Mountains
are behind. Harrigan photo.
Joe Chovan and Jim Harrigan fly DAW Schweizer 1-26s on the
south side of Buffalo Point. They are looking over White Rock Bay
at a peak roughly 1,800 feet taller than Buffalo Point.
Joe Chovan flies his LEG Arctic Fox on the north side of Buffalo
Point. The view is over Great Salt Lake toward the north. Plenty of
grassy landing areas here.
ANTELOPE ISLAND in the Great Salt Lake sticks in my mind
as one of the top 10 most pleasant Slope Soaring locations of all
my travels. During Soar Utah 2000, I spent a fine afternoon there
flying Slope Scale heavy fiberglass warbirds with Inland Slope
Rebels Brian Laird, Carl Maas, and Ralph Roberts on the south
side of Buffalo Point just after a storm front passed through.
April 2009 119
04sig4.QXD 2/24/09 10:38 AM Page 119
120 MODEL AVIATION
Antelope range free on Antelope Island. You can see the Great
Salt Lake and Wasatch Mountains in the background.
Joe Chovan turns and burns with his LEG Arctic Fox on the south
side of Buffalo Point. The view is over Great Salt Lake toward the
southwest.
The ground at the top is strewn with boulders, large and small,
so highly accurate landing skills or truly bounceable foam
sailplanes are needed to fly from there. The view around the Great
Salt Lake from the top is wonderful.
On Labor Day, the Francis Peak, Utah, trip was canceled
because of stormy weather. We watched the radar until we could
see that the last rain band was passing over the lake, with clear
skies following, and we headed up to Antelope Island for the
second time during our one-week trip to the state.
When we got to Buffalo Point, the winds were nearly calm.
Colorado pilots Ian Frechette, Nick Strong, and Cody Remington
had been flying, but the wind died. Joe, Jim, and I ate lunch, and
within an hour the winds began building on the south side.
We flew the 72-inch scale foamies, DAW Schweizer 1-26s,
and an LEG Arctic Fox. Joe tossed an LEG P-80 Shooting Star,
but lift was light for that model. Jim got some stick time on a
Dream Flight Weasel Pro, which is another excellent sailplane
with which to travel.
As I look at a topographic map of Antelope Island, I see an
impressive number of wind directions that could be flown from
hills and ridges there, especially if you include the hiking trails.
Start with north-northeast and south-southeast, which can be
flown from the parking lot at the concession at Buffalo Point.
Moving southward, it looks on the map like slopes accessible
from White Rock Loop Trail and Elephant Head Trail could be
flyable in west wind. It looks like Beacon Knob Trail leads to a
southeast-facing bowl that is approximately 200 feet taller than
Buffalo Point.
The Frary Peak Trail follows a north-south ridge, which is
1,800 feet taller than Buffalo Point and looks to have flyable
terrain on both the east and west sides. It appears from a review of
the map that hikers might be rewarded with spectacular flying
sites on Antelope Island.
To get to Antelope Island, take Exit 332 from Interstate 15.
Drive west on West Antelope Drive to the park entrance, where
you pay your fee and pick up a park map that shows roads and
hiking trails. Drive out to the island over the causeway. During
your drive, you might see antelope and bison.
The Utah State Parks Service runs a fascinating museum on the
island. It has a huge relief map of the island, information about the
Great Basin’s geologic history, human artifacts indicating that the
island was inhabited 10,000 years ago, and a tank of Amazing Sea
Monkeys. You can learn at the museum that those are brine
shrimp—almost the only organisms living in the water of the
Great Salt Lake, although it is a major bird refuge.
Take the road to Buffalo Point, to the paved parking of the
concession area, where there is a restaurant and a toilet. This
drive-to hill is roughly 400 feet above the lake level, and it works
in north-northeast and south-southeast winds.
Larry Blevins at Magnum Models and Erik Eaton of Eaton Air
RC have combined their companies’ strengths and resources into
a single Slope Soaring sailplane design and kit-manufacturing
organization. Combined under the Magnum Models name, they
produce Larry’s venerable EPP-foam designs, including the Cobra
Racer ODR, MiG-3 warbird, and F-5 Tiger slope jet.
Also available are kits for sailplanes that Erik has designed,
including foam racers, aerobats, and a fiberglass-fuselage ODR
model. Reviews of Larry’s F-5 Tiger slope jet and Erik’s Bad
Voodoo ODR model appear in the February 2009 issue of the
Radio Controlled Soaring Digest (RCSD).
RCSD has been a great resource for the RC Soaring
community since 1984. Now, even more than that, it’s an online
magazine, and back issues are available for download in Adobe
PDF format.
As a special treat, RCSD editors Bill and Bunny Kuhlman
have made available scanned copies of Charlie Morey’s Slope
Soaring News, which was published from September 1988
through July 1990. Reading these journals gives you a glimpse
back into the formative days of Slope Soaring.
Seven Slope Soaring events have been announced for 2009 at the
time of this writing in early January. See also the 2009 Southern
California Slope Racing Calendar and the ASRO (American Slope
Racing Organization) Web site for even more event opportunities.
Sorry if there are events this year that I did not mention. If
your Slope Soaring organization will be scheduling an event in
2010, one that is expected to appeal to a wide audience, let me
know about it in December 2009, and I’ll plan to mention it in
next April’s column.
Following is what I know about for this spring and summer.
1. Los Banos Scale Sailplane Event
April 18-19
South Bay Soaring Society
04sig4.QXD 2/24/09 10:44 AM Page 120
Los Banos, California
This event combines aerotowing
with slope flying for Scale RC gliders at
Los Banos in north central California,
and 2009 will be its 15th year. The Los
Banos reservoir’s steep, grassy slopes
provide lift in several wind directions.
This is a major gathering of large Scale
sailplanes of both modern and vintage
design.
2. Midwest Slope Challenge
May 15-17
Wings Over Wilson club
Wilson Lake Reservoir in Lucas,
Kansas
This contest is tied with the Los
Banos event as the longest continually
running US Slope Soaring event, at 15
years in 2009. It’s a relaxed flying and
vacation experience featuring four
competition categories: foam combat,
foam warbird race, ODR (One Design
Race), and Unlimited-class race. In
2008, the Wings Over Wilson club
staged an unofficial F3F race.
Travelers can usually count on
plenty of sport-flying opportunities,
because several hills around Wilson
Lake allow pilots to fly their aircraft in
different wind directions.
3. Southern California PSS Festival
May 22-24
Inland Slope Rebels
Cajon Summit, California
This is the largest gathering of
Power Scale Soaring, or PSS, gliders in
the country. The Inland Slope Rebels
club has run the event for 11 years,
turning Cajon Summit into a PSS
mecca. The flying site is a mile-long
ridge 1,800 feet above the Cajon Pass in
the San Bernardino National Forest,
which is a few hours east of Los
Angeles.
Pilots can enter their models in a
judged contest and compete for awards
in four groups: best jet, best propeller
airplane, best civilian airplane, and best
foam airplane. The Southern California
PSS Festival alternates years with Soar
Utah.
4. Western Colorado Slope Challenge
May 23-25
Montrose Model Aircraft Association
Big Mesa: Delta, Colorado
Focusing on foamie combat, this will
be the event’s fifth edition. In past years,
these pilots have flown “DS [dynamic
soaring] combat” on the backside of the
slope. Most years, the slots are taken early.
The contact person is Jim Ferguson,
who is vice president of the Montrose
Model Aircraft Association.
5. Cape Blanco Slope Fest
Dates haven’t been announced.
Southern Oregon Slopiens
Port Orford, Oregon
This is an informal five-day event
held near the campground of the Cape
Blanco State Park. It includes hours of
noncompetitive flying, a barbecue, and
camaraderie among like-minded pilots. The
ridge is flyable in both north and south
winds, and its shape presents an opportunity
for DS.
6. Alpine Soaring Adventure
June 26-29
Kiona Publishing
Wallowa Lake in Joseph, Oregon
Although this is not strictly a Slope
Soaring event, the Alpine Soaring Adventure
Web site states that, “if wind conditions
allow, models can be flown from at least two
alternate sites on the opposite side of
Memaloose Ridge.”
This gathering focuses on alpine
(thermal) soaring and includes aerotow and
electric-power flying in an alpine setting with
spectacular scenery.
“Most guys arrive a day or two early, and
leave a day or two late!” said event CD Don
Bailey. “We will be aerotowing again out at
the driving range, and of course there will be
lots of alpine soaring at Memaloose and Mt.
Howard.”
7. Leading Edge Gliders Fun Fly
September 5-7
LEG
Wilson Lake Reservoir, Lucas, Kansas
Jack Cooper, chief honcho at LEG, not
only makes good-looking and great-flying
warbirds, but he also throws a Labor Day
party to remember on alternate years from
Soar Utah. It is designed to bring Slope
Soaring pilots from across the country
together for some late-summer flying at
Wilson Lake and surrounding inland hills.
There are no scheduled competitions. Fly
what you bring. Electric-power flying and
winch-launching are at the ready, in case of
wind failure. MA
Sources:
Antelope Island State Park (Utah Department
of Natural Resources)
www.stateparks.utah.gov/stateparks/parks/ant
elope-island
SkyKing RC Products
(612) 605-1128
www.skykingrcproducts.com
LEG
(785) 525-6263
www.leadingedgegliders.com
Dream Flight
www.dream-flight.com
Magnum Models
(865) 583-9241
www.magnumrcmodels.com
RCSD
www.rcsoaringdigest.com
ASRO
www.sloperacing.com
California Slope Racing Calendar
www.socalsloperacing.com
South Bay Soaring Society
www.sbss.org
Wings Over Wilson
www.midwestslope.com
Inland Slope Rebels
www.inlandsloperebels.com/pssfestival/fe
stival.html
Montrose Model Aircraft Association
www.mmaa-modelairplanes.org
Jim Ferguson
(970) 249-1770
[email protected]
Southern Oregon Slopiens
www.clubsos.itgo.com
Kiona Publishing
www.alpinesoaring.us
Don Bailey
[email protected]
Jack Cooper
(785) 525-6263
[email protected]
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/04
Page Numbers: 119,120,122,124
I flew there again twice during Soar Utah 2008 with New York
Slope Dogs Joe Chovan and Jim Harrigan. The first time was on
Thursday before the event, in 5-10 mph north to north-northeast
winds under sunny skies. Joe, Jim, and I flew 60-inch foamies on
the large, gentle slope on the north side of the Buffalo Point ridge,
a pair of SkyKing RC Products DAW 1-26s, and a Leading Edge
Gliders (LEG) Arctic Fox.
The gentle lift ranged far out, and huge grass fields provided
abundant model-friendly landing areas. Another cool thing about
a north-facing slope
is that the sun is at
your back all day.
While waiting for
wind, Joe and I took
the 0.3-mile hike
from the parking lot
at the Buffalo Point
concession up to the
twin peaks. We
went mainly to take in the scenery, but thinking back and
reviewing a topographic map, I believe that the highest ground at
Buffalo Point would provide flying sites for southwest, west, and
northwest winds.
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Slope Soaring Dave Garwood
The Antelope Island flying site in Utah
Also included in this column:
• Magnum Models
• 2009 Slope Soaring events
The author launches a DAW Schweizer 1-26 on the south side of the parking lot at Buffalo Point on Antelope Island. Great Salt Lake
and Wasatch Mountains are behind. Jim Harrigan photo. (He knows how to select a background.)
Joe Chovan and Dave Garwood fly DAW Schweizer 1-26s on the
south side of Buffalo Point. Great Salt Lake and Wasatch Mountains
are behind. Harrigan photo.
Joe Chovan and Jim Harrigan fly DAW Schweizer 1-26s on the
south side of Buffalo Point. They are looking over White Rock Bay
at a peak roughly 1,800 feet taller than Buffalo Point.
Joe Chovan flies his LEG Arctic Fox on the north side of Buffalo
Point. The view is over Great Salt Lake toward the north. Plenty of
grassy landing areas here.
ANTELOPE ISLAND in the Great Salt Lake sticks in my mind
as one of the top 10 most pleasant Slope Soaring locations of all
my travels. During Soar Utah 2000, I spent a fine afternoon there
flying Slope Scale heavy fiberglass warbirds with Inland Slope
Rebels Brian Laird, Carl Maas, and Ralph Roberts on the south
side of Buffalo Point just after a storm front passed through.
April 2009 119
04sig4.QXD 2/24/09 10:38 AM Page 119
120 MODEL AVIATION
Antelope range free on Antelope Island. You can see the Great
Salt Lake and Wasatch Mountains in the background.
Joe Chovan turns and burns with his LEG Arctic Fox on the south
side of Buffalo Point. The view is over Great Salt Lake toward the
southwest.
The ground at the top is strewn with boulders, large and small,
so highly accurate landing skills or truly bounceable foam
sailplanes are needed to fly from there. The view around the Great
Salt Lake from the top is wonderful.
On Labor Day, the Francis Peak, Utah, trip was canceled
because of stormy weather. We watched the radar until we could
see that the last rain band was passing over the lake, with clear
skies following, and we headed up to Antelope Island for the
second time during our one-week trip to the state.
When we got to Buffalo Point, the winds were nearly calm.
Colorado pilots Ian Frechette, Nick Strong, and Cody Remington
had been flying, but the wind died. Joe, Jim, and I ate lunch, and
within an hour the winds began building on the south side.
We flew the 72-inch scale foamies, DAW Schweizer 1-26s,
and an LEG Arctic Fox. Joe tossed an LEG P-80 Shooting Star,
but lift was light for that model. Jim got some stick time on a
Dream Flight Weasel Pro, which is another excellent sailplane
with which to travel.
As I look at a topographic map of Antelope Island, I see an
impressive number of wind directions that could be flown from
hills and ridges there, especially if you include the hiking trails.
Start with north-northeast and south-southeast, which can be
flown from the parking lot at the concession at Buffalo Point.
Moving southward, it looks on the map like slopes accessible
from White Rock Loop Trail and Elephant Head Trail could be
flyable in west wind. It looks like Beacon Knob Trail leads to a
southeast-facing bowl that is approximately 200 feet taller than
Buffalo Point.
The Frary Peak Trail follows a north-south ridge, which is
1,800 feet taller than Buffalo Point and looks to have flyable
terrain on both the east and west sides. It appears from a review of
the map that hikers might be rewarded with spectacular flying
sites on Antelope Island.
To get to Antelope Island, take Exit 332 from Interstate 15.
Drive west on West Antelope Drive to the park entrance, where
you pay your fee and pick up a park map that shows roads and
hiking trails. Drive out to the island over the causeway. During
your drive, you might see antelope and bison.
The Utah State Parks Service runs a fascinating museum on the
island. It has a huge relief map of the island, information about the
Great Basin’s geologic history, human artifacts indicating that the
island was inhabited 10,000 years ago, and a tank of Amazing Sea
Monkeys. You can learn at the museum that those are brine
shrimp—almost the only organisms living in the water of the
Great Salt Lake, although it is a major bird refuge.
Take the road to Buffalo Point, to the paved parking of the
concession area, where there is a restaurant and a toilet. This
drive-to hill is roughly 400 feet above the lake level, and it works
in north-northeast and south-southeast winds.
Larry Blevins at Magnum Models and Erik Eaton of Eaton Air
RC have combined their companies’ strengths and resources into
a single Slope Soaring sailplane design and kit-manufacturing
organization. Combined under the Magnum Models name, they
produce Larry’s venerable EPP-foam designs, including the Cobra
Racer ODR, MiG-3 warbird, and F-5 Tiger slope jet.
Also available are kits for sailplanes that Erik has designed,
including foam racers, aerobats, and a fiberglass-fuselage ODR
model. Reviews of Larry’s F-5 Tiger slope jet and Erik’s Bad
Voodoo ODR model appear in the February 2009 issue of the
Radio Controlled Soaring Digest (RCSD).
RCSD has been a great resource for the RC Soaring
community since 1984. Now, even more than that, it’s an online
magazine, and back issues are available for download in Adobe
PDF format.
As a special treat, RCSD editors Bill and Bunny Kuhlman
have made available scanned copies of Charlie Morey’s Slope
Soaring News, which was published from September 1988
through July 1990. Reading these journals gives you a glimpse
back into the formative days of Slope Soaring.
Seven Slope Soaring events have been announced for 2009 at the
time of this writing in early January. See also the 2009 Southern
California Slope Racing Calendar and the ASRO (American Slope
Racing Organization) Web site for even more event opportunities.
Sorry if there are events this year that I did not mention. If
your Slope Soaring organization will be scheduling an event in
2010, one that is expected to appeal to a wide audience, let me
know about it in December 2009, and I’ll plan to mention it in
next April’s column.
Following is what I know about for this spring and summer.
1. Los Banos Scale Sailplane Event
April 18-19
South Bay Soaring Society
04sig4.QXD 2/24/09 10:44 AM Page 120
Los Banos, California
This event combines aerotowing
with slope flying for Scale RC gliders at
Los Banos in north central California,
and 2009 will be its 15th year. The Los
Banos reservoir’s steep, grassy slopes
provide lift in several wind directions.
This is a major gathering of large Scale
sailplanes of both modern and vintage
design.
2. Midwest Slope Challenge
May 15-17
Wings Over Wilson club
Wilson Lake Reservoir in Lucas,
Kansas
This contest is tied with the Los
Banos event as the longest continually
running US Slope Soaring event, at 15
years in 2009. It’s a relaxed flying and
vacation experience featuring four
competition categories: foam combat,
foam warbird race, ODR (One Design
Race), and Unlimited-class race. In
2008, the Wings Over Wilson club
staged an unofficial F3F race.
Travelers can usually count on
plenty of sport-flying opportunities,
because several hills around Wilson
Lake allow pilots to fly their aircraft in
different wind directions.
3. Southern California PSS Festival
May 22-24
Inland Slope Rebels
Cajon Summit, California
This is the largest gathering of
Power Scale Soaring, or PSS, gliders in
the country. The Inland Slope Rebels
club has run the event for 11 years,
turning Cajon Summit into a PSS
mecca. The flying site is a mile-long
ridge 1,800 feet above the Cajon Pass in
the San Bernardino National Forest,
which is a few hours east of Los
Angeles.
Pilots can enter their models in a
judged contest and compete for awards
in four groups: best jet, best propeller
airplane, best civilian airplane, and best
foam airplane. The Southern California
PSS Festival alternates years with Soar
Utah.
4. Western Colorado Slope Challenge
May 23-25
Montrose Model Aircraft Association
Big Mesa: Delta, Colorado
Focusing on foamie combat, this will
be the event’s fifth edition. In past years,
these pilots have flown “DS [dynamic
soaring] combat” on the backside of the
slope. Most years, the slots are taken early.
The contact person is Jim Ferguson,
who is vice president of the Montrose
Model Aircraft Association.
5. Cape Blanco Slope Fest
Dates haven’t been announced.
Southern Oregon Slopiens
Port Orford, Oregon
This is an informal five-day event
held near the campground of the Cape
Blanco State Park. It includes hours of
noncompetitive flying, a barbecue, and
camaraderie among like-minded pilots. The
ridge is flyable in both north and south
winds, and its shape presents an opportunity
for DS.
6. Alpine Soaring Adventure
June 26-29
Kiona Publishing
Wallowa Lake in Joseph, Oregon
Although this is not strictly a Slope
Soaring event, the Alpine Soaring Adventure
Web site states that, “if wind conditions
allow, models can be flown from at least two
alternate sites on the opposite side of
Memaloose Ridge.”
This gathering focuses on alpine
(thermal) soaring and includes aerotow and
electric-power flying in an alpine setting with
spectacular scenery.
“Most guys arrive a day or two early, and
leave a day or two late!” said event CD Don
Bailey. “We will be aerotowing again out at
the driving range, and of course there will be
lots of alpine soaring at Memaloose and Mt.
Howard.”
7. Leading Edge Gliders Fun Fly
September 5-7
LEG
Wilson Lake Reservoir, Lucas, Kansas
Jack Cooper, chief honcho at LEG, not
only makes good-looking and great-flying
warbirds, but he also throws a Labor Day
party to remember on alternate years from
Soar Utah. It is designed to bring Slope
Soaring pilots from across the country
together for some late-summer flying at
Wilson Lake and surrounding inland hills.
There are no scheduled competitions. Fly
what you bring. Electric-power flying and
winch-launching are at the ready, in case of
wind failure. MA
Sources:
Antelope Island State Park (Utah Department
of Natural Resources)
www.stateparks.utah.gov/stateparks/parks/ant
elope-island
SkyKing RC Products
(612) 605-1128
www.skykingrcproducts.com
LEG
(785) 525-6263
www.leadingedgegliders.com
Dream Flight
www.dream-flight.com
Magnum Models
(865) 583-9241
www.magnumrcmodels.com
RCSD
www.rcsoaringdigest.com
ASRO
www.sloperacing.com
California Slope Racing Calendar
www.socalsloperacing.com
South Bay Soaring Society
www.sbss.org
Wings Over Wilson
www.midwestslope.com
Inland Slope Rebels
www.inlandsloperebels.com/pssfestival/fe
stival.html
Montrose Model Aircraft Association
www.mmaa-modelairplanes.org
Jim Ferguson
(970) 249-1770
[email protected]
Southern Oregon Slopiens
www.clubsos.itgo.com
Kiona Publishing
www.alpinesoaring.us
Don Bailey
[email protected]
Jack Cooper
(785) 525-6263
[email protected]
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/04
Page Numbers: 119,120,122,124
I flew there again twice during Soar Utah 2008 with New York
Slope Dogs Joe Chovan and Jim Harrigan. The first time was on
Thursday before the event, in 5-10 mph north to north-northeast
winds under sunny skies. Joe, Jim, and I flew 60-inch foamies on
the large, gentle slope on the north side of the Buffalo Point ridge,
a pair of SkyKing RC Products DAW 1-26s, and a Leading Edge
Gliders (LEG) Arctic Fox.
The gentle lift ranged far out, and huge grass fields provided
abundant model-friendly landing areas. Another cool thing about
a north-facing slope
is that the sun is at
your back all day.
While waiting for
wind, Joe and I took
the 0.3-mile hike
from the parking lot
at the Buffalo Point
concession up to the
twin peaks. We
went mainly to take in the scenery, but thinking back and
reviewing a topographic map, I believe that the highest ground at
Buffalo Point would provide flying sites for southwest, west, and
northwest winds.
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Slope Soaring Dave Garwood
The Antelope Island flying site in Utah
Also included in this column:
• Magnum Models
• 2009 Slope Soaring events
The author launches a DAW Schweizer 1-26 on the south side of the parking lot at Buffalo Point on Antelope Island. Great Salt Lake
and Wasatch Mountains are behind. Jim Harrigan photo. (He knows how to select a background.)
Joe Chovan and Dave Garwood fly DAW Schweizer 1-26s on the
south side of Buffalo Point. Great Salt Lake and Wasatch Mountains
are behind. Harrigan photo.
Joe Chovan and Jim Harrigan fly DAW Schweizer 1-26s on the
south side of Buffalo Point. They are looking over White Rock Bay
at a peak roughly 1,800 feet taller than Buffalo Point.
Joe Chovan flies his LEG Arctic Fox on the north side of Buffalo
Point. The view is over Great Salt Lake toward the north. Plenty of
grassy landing areas here.
ANTELOPE ISLAND in the Great Salt Lake sticks in my mind
as one of the top 10 most pleasant Slope Soaring locations of all
my travels. During Soar Utah 2000, I spent a fine afternoon there
flying Slope Scale heavy fiberglass warbirds with Inland Slope
Rebels Brian Laird, Carl Maas, and Ralph Roberts on the south
side of Buffalo Point just after a storm front passed through.
April 2009 119
04sig4.QXD 2/24/09 10:38 AM Page 119
120 MODEL AVIATION
Antelope range free on Antelope Island. You can see the Great
Salt Lake and Wasatch Mountains in the background.
Joe Chovan turns and burns with his LEG Arctic Fox on the south
side of Buffalo Point. The view is over Great Salt Lake toward the
southwest.
The ground at the top is strewn with boulders, large and small,
so highly accurate landing skills or truly bounceable foam
sailplanes are needed to fly from there. The view around the Great
Salt Lake from the top is wonderful.
On Labor Day, the Francis Peak, Utah, trip was canceled
because of stormy weather. We watched the radar until we could
see that the last rain band was passing over the lake, with clear
skies following, and we headed up to Antelope Island for the
second time during our one-week trip to the state.
When we got to Buffalo Point, the winds were nearly calm.
Colorado pilots Ian Frechette, Nick Strong, and Cody Remington
had been flying, but the wind died. Joe, Jim, and I ate lunch, and
within an hour the winds began building on the south side.
We flew the 72-inch scale foamies, DAW Schweizer 1-26s,
and an LEG Arctic Fox. Joe tossed an LEG P-80 Shooting Star,
but lift was light for that model. Jim got some stick time on a
Dream Flight Weasel Pro, which is another excellent sailplane
with which to travel.
As I look at a topographic map of Antelope Island, I see an
impressive number of wind directions that could be flown from
hills and ridges there, especially if you include the hiking trails.
Start with north-northeast and south-southeast, which can be
flown from the parking lot at the concession at Buffalo Point.
Moving southward, it looks on the map like slopes accessible
from White Rock Loop Trail and Elephant Head Trail could be
flyable in west wind. It looks like Beacon Knob Trail leads to a
southeast-facing bowl that is approximately 200 feet taller than
Buffalo Point.
The Frary Peak Trail follows a north-south ridge, which is
1,800 feet taller than Buffalo Point and looks to have flyable
terrain on both the east and west sides. It appears from a review of
the map that hikers might be rewarded with spectacular flying
sites on Antelope Island.
To get to Antelope Island, take Exit 332 from Interstate 15.
Drive west on West Antelope Drive to the park entrance, where
you pay your fee and pick up a park map that shows roads and
hiking trails. Drive out to the island over the causeway. During
your drive, you might see antelope and bison.
The Utah State Parks Service runs a fascinating museum on the
island. It has a huge relief map of the island, information about the
Great Basin’s geologic history, human artifacts indicating that the
island was inhabited 10,000 years ago, and a tank of Amazing Sea
Monkeys. You can learn at the museum that those are brine
shrimp—almost the only organisms living in the water of the
Great Salt Lake, although it is a major bird refuge.
Take the road to Buffalo Point, to the paved parking of the
concession area, where there is a restaurant and a toilet. This
drive-to hill is roughly 400 feet above the lake level, and it works
in north-northeast and south-southeast winds.
Larry Blevins at Magnum Models and Erik Eaton of Eaton Air
RC have combined their companies’ strengths and resources into
a single Slope Soaring sailplane design and kit-manufacturing
organization. Combined under the Magnum Models name, they
produce Larry’s venerable EPP-foam designs, including the Cobra
Racer ODR, MiG-3 warbird, and F-5 Tiger slope jet.
Also available are kits for sailplanes that Erik has designed,
including foam racers, aerobats, and a fiberglass-fuselage ODR
model. Reviews of Larry’s F-5 Tiger slope jet and Erik’s Bad
Voodoo ODR model appear in the February 2009 issue of the
Radio Controlled Soaring Digest (RCSD).
RCSD has been a great resource for the RC Soaring
community since 1984. Now, even more than that, it’s an online
magazine, and back issues are available for download in Adobe
PDF format.
As a special treat, RCSD editors Bill and Bunny Kuhlman
have made available scanned copies of Charlie Morey’s Slope
Soaring News, which was published from September 1988
through July 1990. Reading these journals gives you a glimpse
back into the formative days of Slope Soaring.
Seven Slope Soaring events have been announced for 2009 at the
time of this writing in early January. See also the 2009 Southern
California Slope Racing Calendar and the ASRO (American Slope
Racing Organization) Web site for even more event opportunities.
Sorry if there are events this year that I did not mention. If
your Slope Soaring organization will be scheduling an event in
2010, one that is expected to appeal to a wide audience, let me
know about it in December 2009, and I’ll plan to mention it in
next April’s column.
Following is what I know about for this spring and summer.
1. Los Banos Scale Sailplane Event
April 18-19
South Bay Soaring Society
04sig4.QXD 2/24/09 10:44 AM Page 120
Los Banos, California
This event combines aerotowing
with slope flying for Scale RC gliders at
Los Banos in north central California,
and 2009 will be its 15th year. The Los
Banos reservoir’s steep, grassy slopes
provide lift in several wind directions.
This is a major gathering of large Scale
sailplanes of both modern and vintage
design.
2. Midwest Slope Challenge
May 15-17
Wings Over Wilson club
Wilson Lake Reservoir in Lucas,
Kansas
This contest is tied with the Los
Banos event as the longest continually
running US Slope Soaring event, at 15
years in 2009. It’s a relaxed flying and
vacation experience featuring four
competition categories: foam combat,
foam warbird race, ODR (One Design
Race), and Unlimited-class race. In
2008, the Wings Over Wilson club
staged an unofficial F3F race.
Travelers can usually count on
plenty of sport-flying opportunities,
because several hills around Wilson
Lake allow pilots to fly their aircraft in
different wind directions.
3. Southern California PSS Festival
May 22-24
Inland Slope Rebels
Cajon Summit, California
This is the largest gathering of
Power Scale Soaring, or PSS, gliders in
the country. The Inland Slope Rebels
club has run the event for 11 years,
turning Cajon Summit into a PSS
mecca. The flying site is a mile-long
ridge 1,800 feet above the Cajon Pass in
the San Bernardino National Forest,
which is a few hours east of Los
Angeles.
Pilots can enter their models in a
judged contest and compete for awards
in four groups: best jet, best propeller
airplane, best civilian airplane, and best
foam airplane. The Southern California
PSS Festival alternates years with Soar
Utah.
4. Western Colorado Slope Challenge
May 23-25
Montrose Model Aircraft Association
Big Mesa: Delta, Colorado
Focusing on foamie combat, this will
be the event’s fifth edition. In past years,
these pilots have flown “DS [dynamic
soaring] combat” on the backside of the
slope. Most years, the slots are taken early.
The contact person is Jim Ferguson,
who is vice president of the Montrose
Model Aircraft Association.
5. Cape Blanco Slope Fest
Dates haven’t been announced.
Southern Oregon Slopiens
Port Orford, Oregon
This is an informal five-day event
held near the campground of the Cape
Blanco State Park. It includes hours of
noncompetitive flying, a barbecue, and
camaraderie among like-minded pilots. The
ridge is flyable in both north and south
winds, and its shape presents an opportunity
for DS.
6. Alpine Soaring Adventure
June 26-29
Kiona Publishing
Wallowa Lake in Joseph, Oregon
Although this is not strictly a Slope
Soaring event, the Alpine Soaring Adventure
Web site states that, “if wind conditions
allow, models can be flown from at least two
alternate sites on the opposite side of
Memaloose Ridge.”
This gathering focuses on alpine
(thermal) soaring and includes aerotow and
electric-power flying in an alpine setting with
spectacular scenery.
“Most guys arrive a day or two early, and
leave a day or two late!” said event CD Don
Bailey. “We will be aerotowing again out at
the driving range, and of course there will be
lots of alpine soaring at Memaloose and Mt.
Howard.”
7. Leading Edge Gliders Fun Fly
September 5-7
LEG
Wilson Lake Reservoir, Lucas, Kansas
Jack Cooper, chief honcho at LEG, not
only makes good-looking and great-flying
warbirds, but he also throws a Labor Day
party to remember on alternate years from
Soar Utah. It is designed to bring Slope
Soaring pilots from across the country
together for some late-summer flying at
Wilson Lake and surrounding inland hills.
There are no scheduled competitions. Fly
what you bring. Electric-power flying and
winch-launching are at the ready, in case of
wind failure. MA
Sources:
Antelope Island State Park (Utah Department
of Natural Resources)
www.stateparks.utah.gov/stateparks/parks/ant
elope-island
SkyKing RC Products
(612) 605-1128
www.skykingrcproducts.com
LEG
(785) 525-6263
www.leadingedgegliders.com
Dream Flight
www.dream-flight.com
Magnum Models
(865) 583-9241
www.magnumrcmodels.com
RCSD
www.rcsoaringdigest.com
ASRO
www.sloperacing.com
California Slope Racing Calendar
www.socalsloperacing.com
South Bay Soaring Society
www.sbss.org
Wings Over Wilson
www.midwestslope.com
Inland Slope Rebels
www.inlandsloperebels.com/pssfestival/fe
stival.html
Montrose Model Aircraft Association
www.mmaa-modelairplanes.org
Jim Ferguson
(970) 249-1770
[email protected]
Southern Oregon Slopiens
www.clubsos.itgo.com
Kiona Publishing
www.alpinesoaring.us
Don Bailey
[email protected]
Jack Cooper
(785) 525-6263
[email protected]