District X - 2014/11
Author and Contact
Lawrence Tougas Vice President
[email protected] P.O. Box 276, Fairfield CA 94533 Tel.: (707) 480-2053 www.ama10.org
Event
I had the pleasure of attending the International Hand Launch Glider Festival (IHLGF) arranged by the Torrey Pines Gulls (TPG) RC club of San Diego. TPG is one of the oldest AMA-chartered RC soaring clubs in the nation and the IHLGF is recognized as the granddaddy of Discus Launch Glider (DLG) events.
This year was the 21st annual competition at TPG’s Poway Flight Center. Seventy-two pilots registered for the event, some from as far away as Brazil, China, and New Zealand.
Competition format
The contest is a series of 10 rounds of different tasks during two days of competition. The top 10 pilots compete in four flyoff rounds to determine the champion.
If you are unfamiliar with DLG, pilots use a discus-style throw to spin and launch their RC sailplanes and then search for thermals to stay aloft for the required duration. Typically, a landing for these lightweight sailplanes is a hand catch or a catch on the wingtip to an immediate spin and relaunch to minimize time on the ground during competition.
When the contest started, the ground was barely hot enough to generate thermals. However, using incredible skill (or magic), pilots were able to keep their RC sailplanes aloft repeatedly for 2-minute heats, circling in incredibly light lift.
As the day progressed, thermals strengthened and the winds picked up, requiring a different skill set to climb to altitude and make a specific time window without going over (a penalty). It also requires airplanes that can penetrate stronger winds, drift downwind with thermals, and make it back without landing off the field (also a penalty). The skill required for this style of soaring is significant and impressive.
Local pilot Paul Anderson led the pack going into the flyoffs, with Mario Sergio de Lucca close behind him in second. Toby Herrera, who is relatively new to DLG, was third with some amazing high launches. However, during the 10-pilot flyoff, Joe Wurts, from New Zealand, managed to ace nearly every round in difficult conditions.
Results
- Champion: Joe Wurts (New Zealand) — won the IHLGF for the ninth time (most in event history)
- 2nd place: Toby Herrera
- 3rd place: Oleg Golovidov
- Mario Sergio de Lucca: 8th overall; 1st in 18-and-under category
- Mark Chung: 55-and-over category winner
- John Blaske: Sportsman category winner
Fundraising and Sponsors
The IHLGF is a fundraiser for teams representing the US in FAI RC soaring. TPG raffles equipment donated by sponsors. With the proceeds from the event, the club was able to make a donation of $2,000 to the USA F3K team. Well done, TPG!
Sponsors and donors included:
- Team Horizon
- Soaring USA
- JR
- Hobby People
- Validol
- Skip Miller Models
- MKS Servos
- Radio Carbon Art
- The Composites Store
- Atlanta Hobby
- Mercury Adhesives
For more information about the event, visit www.ihlgf.com. For more information on the TPG club, check out www.torreypinesgulls.org.
Acknowledgements
My thanks to Gary Fogel for his contribution to this report. A hearty congratulations goes to him because Gary was the 2014 Le Gray Award winner. This award is presented by the League of Silent Flight for Outstanding Service to Soaring.
Until next month, happy landings.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
