34 MODEL AVIATION
by Rick Allison
Peter Goldsmith chucks his Emerald sailplane into the void.
This model is extremely fast and aerobatic. It takes nerves!
ONE OF THE THINGS I like best about this hobby/sport of ours is
that there is always something exciting and new around the bend,
under the sun, or over the next hill—and all three of these clichés
apply to the Alpine Xtreme Adventure 2003, held July 16-21 in
Oregon’s Wallowa Valley country.
The road up the mountain to the site had plenty of bends (not to
mention dust, rocks, and a full crop of potholes), the sun was baking
us like a pie, and although there was no “over,” the top of the hill held
plenty of new Radio Control thrills backed by an incredible view. We
felt as if we were standing on top of the world—and looking down at
the bottom!
This fly-for-fun event, formerly known as the Alpine Soaring
Odyssey, is the brainchild and baby of Wil Byers—former Model
Aviation columnist and current editor and owner of Quiet Flyer
magazine. Wil “discovered” the site(s) many years ago while on a
family vacation. He went back the next year with a sailplane, and then
back again with a few friends, and then back with still more friends
until the informal gathering became formal five years ago.
Like most 5-year-olds, Alpine Xtreme is growing, changing, and
scraping the occasional organizational knee, but this event’s national
potential is huge, and the “main attraction”—Memaloose Ridge—is
unique. Because of Memaloose alone, the Alpine Xtreme gathering
has already become something of a destination event for Soaring
pilots.
Memaloose overlooks Hells Canyon, which is the deepest in North
America. Awesome thermals are born 6,000 feet below, where the
glistening ribbon of the Snake River bubbles and winds through the
rocky canyon bottom.
The top of the ridge—at 6,800 feet elevation—is a rolling
mountain meadow full of wildflowers and occupied by Memaloose
Airstrip, which is a 3,300-foot grass Oregon Airport Authority field.
March 2004 35
This flying site is not generally open to the
public; special use permits are required.
Approximately 50 miles from Memaloose
is the town of Joseph, Oregon, which is
headquarters for the event. Just outside of
town, Joseph Airport (elevation 4,100 feet),
with its 5,800-foot paved surface, offers a
great site for aerotowing and grows its own
crop of thermals.
Roughly five miles away, on the other
side of town, Mt. Howard rises another 4,100
feet from the southern end of Wallowa Lake
to a total elevation of nearly 8,300 feet. This
venue is normally accessible to pilots and
spectators by a cable-car tramway, but it was
unavailable this year because the tramway
was down for repairs.
The event is designed in the Olympic
style, with activities at different venues
spread out for almost a week. However, that
wasn’t the way it worked out this year. The
aerotowing for bigger sailplanes at Joseph
Airport was cut short Thursday with the
unfortunate demise of the only available
large-scale towing model, and with the
tramway down Mt. Howard wasn’t even open
for business.
That was okay with me; as did many
others who attended, I had really come to see
and experience the Alpine soaring at the
Memaloose Ridge/Hells Canyon site.
Alpine soaring isn’t just a catchy name; it’s a
different beast altogether. In Slope Soaring
the lift comes from wind rising as it
encounters a terrain obstruction, such as a
hill. If the incoming wind is reasonably
perpendicular to the hill or ridge and the
Wil Byers launches Richard Behrends’ DG-1000. It was
modified as an electric-motor-powered glider.
Richard Behrends came all the way from Hudson Valley, New York, to
test Memaloose. Wil Byers provides the commentary!
topography in front is fairly flat, the lift is
stable as long as the wind holds out and
models can simply be chucked off the hill
and flown in the back-and-forth manner that
is familiar to most models.
In Thermal Duration Soaring, models are
launched from the ground by some means
(hand launch, hi-start, winch, or aerotow),
and then the pilot uses the altitude gained
from the launch to hunt for lift. Lift in this
case means thermals.
Thermals are the mainstay of nonpowered
flight. The sun heats the ground briefly, and
the ground warms the air near it by
convection. The warm air then rises and
forms a thermal. However, the ground isn’t
uniform; it varies in topography and color
(rocks soak up and release more heat than
vegetation), so all thermals are not created
equal. They come in a variety of strengths
and sizes. Depending on atmospheric
conditions, wind, and terrain, they may be
plume- or bubblelike in shape.
Since what goes up must come down,
thermals are accompanied by sink, which is
cooled air detraining from the thermal edges
and descending to fill the void left by the
warmer rising air. In general, the bigger and
more active a thermal is, the stronger the
accompanying sink and the more turbulent
the boundary between. Neither thermals nor
sink are stationary; both move and drift with
the motion of the greater air mass containing
them.
Thermals tend to be small and tight near
the ground and increase in diameter and
strength as they rise, until the rising air is
cooled by altitude, and then the thermal fades
out. In Alpine soaring, elements of slope
flying and thermal flying are combined. You
still chuck the airplane off of the mountain
and (hopefully) into the wind, and if you stay
in close to the ridge top, some of the usual
slope lift is still there, although it’s usually far
from stable.
However, providing that you pick the
right day, time, and air, and you can summon
Look at the tiny JR hat on the pilot in
Peter Goldsmith’s 8.4-meter ASH-25.
Photos by the author
36 MODEL AVIATION
The pilot in this shot is unidentified, but he seems to be
enjoying flying at nearly eye level over the abyss.
the nerve to fly away from the relative safety of the ridge, you can tap
into the warm belly of a fully developed thermal, many thousands of
feet higher than the best winches can take you. When you really hit it,
the lift can look like you just drove the airplane onto an Otis elevator
equipped with a JATO (jet-assisted takeoff) pack.
There is a considerable adrenaline component because you are
heaving an expensive model off of a mountaintop, thereby betting the
thermal gods that you can find lift before the canyon eats your airplane.
(Mountaineering down 5,000-6,000 feet and hiking back up with your
model is close to impossible.) Event Director Wil Byers sunk out and
lost his 1⁄5-scale SZD-55 while flying a video photo-op mission for the
Outdoor Channel’s “Inside RC” television crew at this event.
To put a cherry on the sundae, consider that the density altitude on
a 95° day at 7,000 feet is something exceeding 10,000 feet. Models fly
differently; there just isn’t much air in that air.
All of this is combined to put the extreme in Alpine Xtreme, and it
can put a grin on your face that won’t wear off until your teeth are
dusty.
Calling this gathering a national event in the making isn’t stretching
the truth at all. Pilots came from as far away as Florida, Texas, Illinois,
and New York, and a vacationing couple from Ireland dropped by just
to watch and take pictures.
When you consider that no cash, prizes, or trophies are awarded,
other than the usual “pilots’ choice” awards, it’s apparent that the
flying is the draw. The most coveted collectible this year was an “I
Mastered Memaloose” bumper sticker!
There were 52 pilots registered, although the number at any one
venue at one time was far less. As with any group, flying (and
building) skills ran the gamut from expert to novice. Those who
ventured up the mountain path to Memaloose Ridge tended toward the
highly skilled end of the spectrum.
Peter Goldsmith, who is Horizon Hobby Distributors’ field
marketing manager, attended the meet. Pete is a many-time
Tournament of Champions competitor and former F3A World
Championships team member from Australia whose “other” hobby is
sailplanes.
He drove all the way from his home in Monticello, Illinois,
bringing the big Horizon towplane and the two biggest Scale gliders
I’ve ever seen: a 6-meter-wingspan DG-800 and an 8.4-meter ASH-25.
Watching these graceful giants fly was like watching butter being
spread on the heavens. Unfortunately his big 1⁄3-scale DA-100-
powered Super Cub towplane met with misadventure Thursday
because of a frequency conflict.
Pete also brought his wife Caroline, who is an accomplished glider
pilot in her own right, and she beat Peter out for the “Best Scale Glider
Flight” pilots’ choice award!
Memaloose may have been the main attraction, but it certainly
wasn’t the only one. Joseph Airport is a great facility where the lift is
plentiful and easy to find, and activity continued there all weekend,
including aerotowing on a smaller scale. An F5J (limited motor run)
contest was scheduled to start as we departed Sunday, with a thermalduration
event to cap off the week Monday.
The area surrounding the tiny town of Joseph and nearby Lake
Caroline Goldsmith prepares to assemble her ASK-18 from the Flair kit (left), and then she enjoys the flight.
38 MODEL AVIATION
Event Director Wil Byers readies his SZD-55 for taping by the Outdoor Channel’s
“Inside RC” show. The model was lost during the ensuing flight.
Pat Maher launches his beautiful modified
Bird of Time. Pat flew early, late, and
often!
On Saturday night of the gathering there was a sumptuous barbecue dinner and a
raffle. It was a great time for families and friends.
Peter Goldsmith’s DG-800 on a flyby.
Graceful, isn’t it!
Wallowa is astoundingly postcard perfect,
and resort-style family favorites such as
boating, swimming, hiking, camping, golf,
and ice-cream eating are everywhere.
Major modeling activities are often held in
places with little besides the event to draw
visitors to them, but that was not the case here
as evidenced by the high percentage of wives
and families in attendance. The Friday-night
barbecue and the Sunday-night Brew House
dinner looked like family affairs.
Joseph is named for the famous Nez Perce
Native American Chief Joseph, whose
famous quote “From where the sun now
stands, I will fight no more forever” is
emblazoned on American history. Chief
Joseph’s tribe once called this land “of
winding waters” home, and Joseph’s father is
buried here. When you take in the scenery,
it’s easy to see why he and his people fought
so hard to keep the place.
Not all was perfect, of course; things never
are. The drive up to Memaloose Ridge takes
more than an hour, and 22 miles of it are on a
rough, dusty, one-lane Forest Service road.
You definitely need industrial-strength insect
repellent in your flight box.
Several activities could have been better
organized; others might have been eliminated
altogether. More help could have been
provided for novice pilots by way of clinics
and mentoring.
But these are minor drawbacks; most, if
not all, will be fixed at next year’s edition. I’ll
be there, and I’m bringing some friends with
which to share it. Go on and make your plans
to attend and measure yourself and your
models against Memaloose. Get Xtreme! MA
Rick Allison
26405 S.E. 160th St.
Issaquah WA 98027
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/03
Page Numbers: 34,35,36,38
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/03
Page Numbers: 34,35,36,38
34 MODEL AVIATION
by Rick Allison
Peter Goldsmith chucks his Emerald sailplane into the void.
This model is extremely fast and aerobatic. It takes nerves!
ONE OF THE THINGS I like best about this hobby/sport of ours is
that there is always something exciting and new around the bend,
under the sun, or over the next hill—and all three of these clichés
apply to the Alpine Xtreme Adventure 2003, held July 16-21 in
Oregon’s Wallowa Valley country.
The road up the mountain to the site had plenty of bends (not to
mention dust, rocks, and a full crop of potholes), the sun was baking
us like a pie, and although there was no “over,” the top of the hill held
plenty of new Radio Control thrills backed by an incredible view. We
felt as if we were standing on top of the world—and looking down at
the bottom!
This fly-for-fun event, formerly known as the Alpine Soaring
Odyssey, is the brainchild and baby of Wil Byers—former Model
Aviation columnist and current editor and owner of Quiet Flyer
magazine. Wil “discovered” the site(s) many years ago while on a
family vacation. He went back the next year with a sailplane, and then
back again with a few friends, and then back with still more friends
until the informal gathering became formal five years ago.
Like most 5-year-olds, Alpine Xtreme is growing, changing, and
scraping the occasional organizational knee, but this event’s national
potential is huge, and the “main attraction”—Memaloose Ridge—is
unique. Because of Memaloose alone, the Alpine Xtreme gathering
has already become something of a destination event for Soaring
pilots.
Memaloose overlooks Hells Canyon, which is the deepest in North
America. Awesome thermals are born 6,000 feet below, where the
glistening ribbon of the Snake River bubbles and winds through the
rocky canyon bottom.
The top of the ridge—at 6,800 feet elevation—is a rolling
mountain meadow full of wildflowers and occupied by Memaloose
Airstrip, which is a 3,300-foot grass Oregon Airport Authority field.
March 2004 35
This flying site is not generally open to the
public; special use permits are required.
Approximately 50 miles from Memaloose
is the town of Joseph, Oregon, which is
headquarters for the event. Just outside of
town, Joseph Airport (elevation 4,100 feet),
with its 5,800-foot paved surface, offers a
great site for aerotowing and grows its own
crop of thermals.
Roughly five miles away, on the other
side of town, Mt. Howard rises another 4,100
feet from the southern end of Wallowa Lake
to a total elevation of nearly 8,300 feet. This
venue is normally accessible to pilots and
spectators by a cable-car tramway, but it was
unavailable this year because the tramway
was down for repairs.
The event is designed in the Olympic
style, with activities at different venues
spread out for almost a week. However, that
wasn’t the way it worked out this year. The
aerotowing for bigger sailplanes at Joseph
Airport was cut short Thursday with the
unfortunate demise of the only available
large-scale towing model, and with the
tramway down Mt. Howard wasn’t even open
for business.
That was okay with me; as did many
others who attended, I had really come to see
and experience the Alpine soaring at the
Memaloose Ridge/Hells Canyon site.
Alpine soaring isn’t just a catchy name; it’s a
different beast altogether. In Slope Soaring
the lift comes from wind rising as it
encounters a terrain obstruction, such as a
hill. If the incoming wind is reasonably
perpendicular to the hill or ridge and the
Wil Byers launches Richard Behrends’ DG-1000. It was
modified as an electric-motor-powered glider.
Richard Behrends came all the way from Hudson Valley, New York, to
test Memaloose. Wil Byers provides the commentary!
topography in front is fairly flat, the lift is
stable as long as the wind holds out and
models can simply be chucked off the hill
and flown in the back-and-forth manner that
is familiar to most models.
In Thermal Duration Soaring, models are
launched from the ground by some means
(hand launch, hi-start, winch, or aerotow),
and then the pilot uses the altitude gained
from the launch to hunt for lift. Lift in this
case means thermals.
Thermals are the mainstay of nonpowered
flight. The sun heats the ground briefly, and
the ground warms the air near it by
convection. The warm air then rises and
forms a thermal. However, the ground isn’t
uniform; it varies in topography and color
(rocks soak up and release more heat than
vegetation), so all thermals are not created
equal. They come in a variety of strengths
and sizes. Depending on atmospheric
conditions, wind, and terrain, they may be
plume- or bubblelike in shape.
Since what goes up must come down,
thermals are accompanied by sink, which is
cooled air detraining from the thermal edges
and descending to fill the void left by the
warmer rising air. In general, the bigger and
more active a thermal is, the stronger the
accompanying sink and the more turbulent
the boundary between. Neither thermals nor
sink are stationary; both move and drift with
the motion of the greater air mass containing
them.
Thermals tend to be small and tight near
the ground and increase in diameter and
strength as they rise, until the rising air is
cooled by altitude, and then the thermal fades
out. In Alpine soaring, elements of slope
flying and thermal flying are combined. You
still chuck the airplane off of the mountain
and (hopefully) into the wind, and if you stay
in close to the ridge top, some of the usual
slope lift is still there, although it’s usually far
from stable.
However, providing that you pick the
right day, time, and air, and you can summon
Look at the tiny JR hat on the pilot in
Peter Goldsmith’s 8.4-meter ASH-25.
Photos by the author
36 MODEL AVIATION
The pilot in this shot is unidentified, but he seems to be
enjoying flying at nearly eye level over the abyss.
the nerve to fly away from the relative safety of the ridge, you can tap
into the warm belly of a fully developed thermal, many thousands of
feet higher than the best winches can take you. When you really hit it,
the lift can look like you just drove the airplane onto an Otis elevator
equipped with a JATO (jet-assisted takeoff) pack.
There is a considerable adrenaline component because you are
heaving an expensive model off of a mountaintop, thereby betting the
thermal gods that you can find lift before the canyon eats your airplane.
(Mountaineering down 5,000-6,000 feet and hiking back up with your
model is close to impossible.) Event Director Wil Byers sunk out and
lost his 1⁄5-scale SZD-55 while flying a video photo-op mission for the
Outdoor Channel’s “Inside RC” television crew at this event.
To put a cherry on the sundae, consider that the density altitude on
a 95° day at 7,000 feet is something exceeding 10,000 feet. Models fly
differently; there just isn’t much air in that air.
All of this is combined to put the extreme in Alpine Xtreme, and it
can put a grin on your face that won’t wear off until your teeth are
dusty.
Calling this gathering a national event in the making isn’t stretching
the truth at all. Pilots came from as far away as Florida, Texas, Illinois,
and New York, and a vacationing couple from Ireland dropped by just
to watch and take pictures.
When you consider that no cash, prizes, or trophies are awarded,
other than the usual “pilots’ choice” awards, it’s apparent that the
flying is the draw. The most coveted collectible this year was an “I
Mastered Memaloose” bumper sticker!
There were 52 pilots registered, although the number at any one
venue at one time was far less. As with any group, flying (and
building) skills ran the gamut from expert to novice. Those who
ventured up the mountain path to Memaloose Ridge tended toward the
highly skilled end of the spectrum.
Peter Goldsmith, who is Horizon Hobby Distributors’ field
marketing manager, attended the meet. Pete is a many-time
Tournament of Champions competitor and former F3A World
Championships team member from Australia whose “other” hobby is
sailplanes.
He drove all the way from his home in Monticello, Illinois,
bringing the big Horizon towplane and the two biggest Scale gliders
I’ve ever seen: a 6-meter-wingspan DG-800 and an 8.4-meter ASH-25.
Watching these graceful giants fly was like watching butter being
spread on the heavens. Unfortunately his big 1⁄3-scale DA-100-
powered Super Cub towplane met with misadventure Thursday
because of a frequency conflict.
Pete also brought his wife Caroline, who is an accomplished glider
pilot in her own right, and she beat Peter out for the “Best Scale Glider
Flight” pilots’ choice award!
Memaloose may have been the main attraction, but it certainly
wasn’t the only one. Joseph Airport is a great facility where the lift is
plentiful and easy to find, and activity continued there all weekend,
including aerotowing on a smaller scale. An F5J (limited motor run)
contest was scheduled to start as we departed Sunday, with a thermalduration
event to cap off the week Monday.
The area surrounding the tiny town of Joseph and nearby Lake
Caroline Goldsmith prepares to assemble her ASK-18 from the Flair kit (left), and then she enjoys the flight.
38 MODEL AVIATION
Event Director Wil Byers readies his SZD-55 for taping by the Outdoor Channel’s
“Inside RC” show. The model was lost during the ensuing flight.
Pat Maher launches his beautiful modified
Bird of Time. Pat flew early, late, and
often!
On Saturday night of the gathering there was a sumptuous barbecue dinner and a
raffle. It was a great time for families and friends.
Peter Goldsmith’s DG-800 on a flyby.
Graceful, isn’t it!
Wallowa is astoundingly postcard perfect,
and resort-style family favorites such as
boating, swimming, hiking, camping, golf,
and ice-cream eating are everywhere.
Major modeling activities are often held in
places with little besides the event to draw
visitors to them, but that was not the case here
as evidenced by the high percentage of wives
and families in attendance. The Friday-night
barbecue and the Sunday-night Brew House
dinner looked like family affairs.
Joseph is named for the famous Nez Perce
Native American Chief Joseph, whose
famous quote “From where the sun now
stands, I will fight no more forever” is
emblazoned on American history. Chief
Joseph’s tribe once called this land “of
winding waters” home, and Joseph’s father is
buried here. When you take in the scenery,
it’s easy to see why he and his people fought
so hard to keep the place.
Not all was perfect, of course; things never
are. The drive up to Memaloose Ridge takes
more than an hour, and 22 miles of it are on a
rough, dusty, one-lane Forest Service road.
You definitely need industrial-strength insect
repellent in your flight box.
Several activities could have been better
organized; others might have been eliminated
altogether. More help could have been
provided for novice pilots by way of clinics
and mentoring.
But these are minor drawbacks; most, if
not all, will be fixed at next year’s edition. I’ll
be there, and I’m bringing some friends with
which to share it. Go on and make your plans
to attend and measure yourself and your
models against Memaloose. Get Xtreme! MA
Rick Allison
26405 S.E. 160th St.
Issaquah WA 98027
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/03
Page Numbers: 34,35,36,38
34 MODEL AVIATION
by Rick Allison
Peter Goldsmith chucks his Emerald sailplane into the void.
This model is extremely fast and aerobatic. It takes nerves!
ONE OF THE THINGS I like best about this hobby/sport of ours is
that there is always something exciting and new around the bend,
under the sun, or over the next hill—and all three of these clichés
apply to the Alpine Xtreme Adventure 2003, held July 16-21 in
Oregon’s Wallowa Valley country.
The road up the mountain to the site had plenty of bends (not to
mention dust, rocks, and a full crop of potholes), the sun was baking
us like a pie, and although there was no “over,” the top of the hill held
plenty of new Radio Control thrills backed by an incredible view. We
felt as if we were standing on top of the world—and looking down at
the bottom!
This fly-for-fun event, formerly known as the Alpine Soaring
Odyssey, is the brainchild and baby of Wil Byers—former Model
Aviation columnist and current editor and owner of Quiet Flyer
magazine. Wil “discovered” the site(s) many years ago while on a
family vacation. He went back the next year with a sailplane, and then
back again with a few friends, and then back with still more friends
until the informal gathering became formal five years ago.
Like most 5-year-olds, Alpine Xtreme is growing, changing, and
scraping the occasional organizational knee, but this event’s national
potential is huge, and the “main attraction”—Memaloose Ridge—is
unique. Because of Memaloose alone, the Alpine Xtreme gathering
has already become something of a destination event for Soaring
pilots.
Memaloose overlooks Hells Canyon, which is the deepest in North
America. Awesome thermals are born 6,000 feet below, where the
glistening ribbon of the Snake River bubbles and winds through the
rocky canyon bottom.
The top of the ridge—at 6,800 feet elevation—is a rolling
mountain meadow full of wildflowers and occupied by Memaloose
Airstrip, which is a 3,300-foot grass Oregon Airport Authority field.
March 2004 35
This flying site is not generally open to the
public; special use permits are required.
Approximately 50 miles from Memaloose
is the town of Joseph, Oregon, which is
headquarters for the event. Just outside of
town, Joseph Airport (elevation 4,100 feet),
with its 5,800-foot paved surface, offers a
great site for aerotowing and grows its own
crop of thermals.
Roughly five miles away, on the other
side of town, Mt. Howard rises another 4,100
feet from the southern end of Wallowa Lake
to a total elevation of nearly 8,300 feet. This
venue is normally accessible to pilots and
spectators by a cable-car tramway, but it was
unavailable this year because the tramway
was down for repairs.
The event is designed in the Olympic
style, with activities at different venues
spread out for almost a week. However, that
wasn’t the way it worked out this year. The
aerotowing for bigger sailplanes at Joseph
Airport was cut short Thursday with the
unfortunate demise of the only available
large-scale towing model, and with the
tramway down Mt. Howard wasn’t even open
for business.
That was okay with me; as did many
others who attended, I had really come to see
and experience the Alpine soaring at the
Memaloose Ridge/Hells Canyon site.
Alpine soaring isn’t just a catchy name; it’s a
different beast altogether. In Slope Soaring
the lift comes from wind rising as it
encounters a terrain obstruction, such as a
hill. If the incoming wind is reasonably
perpendicular to the hill or ridge and the
Wil Byers launches Richard Behrends’ DG-1000. It was
modified as an electric-motor-powered glider.
Richard Behrends came all the way from Hudson Valley, New York, to
test Memaloose. Wil Byers provides the commentary!
topography in front is fairly flat, the lift is
stable as long as the wind holds out and
models can simply be chucked off the hill
and flown in the back-and-forth manner that
is familiar to most models.
In Thermal Duration Soaring, models are
launched from the ground by some means
(hand launch, hi-start, winch, or aerotow),
and then the pilot uses the altitude gained
from the launch to hunt for lift. Lift in this
case means thermals.
Thermals are the mainstay of nonpowered
flight. The sun heats the ground briefly, and
the ground warms the air near it by
convection. The warm air then rises and
forms a thermal. However, the ground isn’t
uniform; it varies in topography and color
(rocks soak up and release more heat than
vegetation), so all thermals are not created
equal. They come in a variety of strengths
and sizes. Depending on atmospheric
conditions, wind, and terrain, they may be
plume- or bubblelike in shape.
Since what goes up must come down,
thermals are accompanied by sink, which is
cooled air detraining from the thermal edges
and descending to fill the void left by the
warmer rising air. In general, the bigger and
more active a thermal is, the stronger the
accompanying sink and the more turbulent
the boundary between. Neither thermals nor
sink are stationary; both move and drift with
the motion of the greater air mass containing
them.
Thermals tend to be small and tight near
the ground and increase in diameter and
strength as they rise, until the rising air is
cooled by altitude, and then the thermal fades
out. In Alpine soaring, elements of slope
flying and thermal flying are combined. You
still chuck the airplane off of the mountain
and (hopefully) into the wind, and if you stay
in close to the ridge top, some of the usual
slope lift is still there, although it’s usually far
from stable.
However, providing that you pick the
right day, time, and air, and you can summon
Look at the tiny JR hat on the pilot in
Peter Goldsmith’s 8.4-meter ASH-25.
Photos by the author
36 MODEL AVIATION
The pilot in this shot is unidentified, but he seems to be
enjoying flying at nearly eye level over the abyss.
the nerve to fly away from the relative safety of the ridge, you can tap
into the warm belly of a fully developed thermal, many thousands of
feet higher than the best winches can take you. When you really hit it,
the lift can look like you just drove the airplane onto an Otis elevator
equipped with a JATO (jet-assisted takeoff) pack.
There is a considerable adrenaline component because you are
heaving an expensive model off of a mountaintop, thereby betting the
thermal gods that you can find lift before the canyon eats your airplane.
(Mountaineering down 5,000-6,000 feet and hiking back up with your
model is close to impossible.) Event Director Wil Byers sunk out and
lost his 1⁄5-scale SZD-55 while flying a video photo-op mission for the
Outdoor Channel’s “Inside RC” television crew at this event.
To put a cherry on the sundae, consider that the density altitude on
a 95° day at 7,000 feet is something exceeding 10,000 feet. Models fly
differently; there just isn’t much air in that air.
All of this is combined to put the extreme in Alpine Xtreme, and it
can put a grin on your face that won’t wear off until your teeth are
dusty.
Calling this gathering a national event in the making isn’t stretching
the truth at all. Pilots came from as far away as Florida, Texas, Illinois,
and New York, and a vacationing couple from Ireland dropped by just
to watch and take pictures.
When you consider that no cash, prizes, or trophies are awarded,
other than the usual “pilots’ choice” awards, it’s apparent that the
flying is the draw. The most coveted collectible this year was an “I
Mastered Memaloose” bumper sticker!
There were 52 pilots registered, although the number at any one
venue at one time was far less. As with any group, flying (and
building) skills ran the gamut from expert to novice. Those who
ventured up the mountain path to Memaloose Ridge tended toward the
highly skilled end of the spectrum.
Peter Goldsmith, who is Horizon Hobby Distributors’ field
marketing manager, attended the meet. Pete is a many-time
Tournament of Champions competitor and former F3A World
Championships team member from Australia whose “other” hobby is
sailplanes.
He drove all the way from his home in Monticello, Illinois,
bringing the big Horizon towplane and the two biggest Scale gliders
I’ve ever seen: a 6-meter-wingspan DG-800 and an 8.4-meter ASH-25.
Watching these graceful giants fly was like watching butter being
spread on the heavens. Unfortunately his big 1⁄3-scale DA-100-
powered Super Cub towplane met with misadventure Thursday
because of a frequency conflict.
Pete also brought his wife Caroline, who is an accomplished glider
pilot in her own right, and she beat Peter out for the “Best Scale Glider
Flight” pilots’ choice award!
Memaloose may have been the main attraction, but it certainly
wasn’t the only one. Joseph Airport is a great facility where the lift is
plentiful and easy to find, and activity continued there all weekend,
including aerotowing on a smaller scale. An F5J (limited motor run)
contest was scheduled to start as we departed Sunday, with a thermalduration
event to cap off the week Monday.
The area surrounding the tiny town of Joseph and nearby Lake
Caroline Goldsmith prepares to assemble her ASK-18 from the Flair kit (left), and then she enjoys the flight.
38 MODEL AVIATION
Event Director Wil Byers readies his SZD-55 for taping by the Outdoor Channel’s
“Inside RC” show. The model was lost during the ensuing flight.
Pat Maher launches his beautiful modified
Bird of Time. Pat flew early, late, and
often!
On Saturday night of the gathering there was a sumptuous barbecue dinner and a
raffle. It was a great time for families and friends.
Peter Goldsmith’s DG-800 on a flyby.
Graceful, isn’t it!
Wallowa is astoundingly postcard perfect,
and resort-style family favorites such as
boating, swimming, hiking, camping, golf,
and ice-cream eating are everywhere.
Major modeling activities are often held in
places with little besides the event to draw
visitors to them, but that was not the case here
as evidenced by the high percentage of wives
and families in attendance. The Friday-night
barbecue and the Sunday-night Brew House
dinner looked like family affairs.
Joseph is named for the famous Nez Perce
Native American Chief Joseph, whose
famous quote “From where the sun now
stands, I will fight no more forever” is
emblazoned on American history. Chief
Joseph’s tribe once called this land “of
winding waters” home, and Joseph’s father is
buried here. When you take in the scenery,
it’s easy to see why he and his people fought
so hard to keep the place.
Not all was perfect, of course; things never
are. The drive up to Memaloose Ridge takes
more than an hour, and 22 miles of it are on a
rough, dusty, one-lane Forest Service road.
You definitely need industrial-strength insect
repellent in your flight box.
Several activities could have been better
organized; others might have been eliminated
altogether. More help could have been
provided for novice pilots by way of clinics
and mentoring.
But these are minor drawbacks; most, if
not all, will be fixed at next year’s edition. I’ll
be there, and I’m bringing some friends with
which to share it. Go on and make your plans
to attend and measure yourself and your
models against Memaloose. Get Xtreme! MA
Rick Allison
26405 S.E. 160th St.
Issaquah WA 98027
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/03
Page Numbers: 34,35,36,38
34 MODEL AVIATION
by Rick Allison
Peter Goldsmith chucks his Emerald sailplane into the void.
This model is extremely fast and aerobatic. It takes nerves!
ONE OF THE THINGS I like best about this hobby/sport of ours is
that there is always something exciting and new around the bend,
under the sun, or over the next hill—and all three of these clichés
apply to the Alpine Xtreme Adventure 2003, held July 16-21 in
Oregon’s Wallowa Valley country.
The road up the mountain to the site had plenty of bends (not to
mention dust, rocks, and a full crop of potholes), the sun was baking
us like a pie, and although there was no “over,” the top of the hill held
plenty of new Radio Control thrills backed by an incredible view. We
felt as if we were standing on top of the world—and looking down at
the bottom!
This fly-for-fun event, formerly known as the Alpine Soaring
Odyssey, is the brainchild and baby of Wil Byers—former Model
Aviation columnist and current editor and owner of Quiet Flyer
magazine. Wil “discovered” the site(s) many years ago while on a
family vacation. He went back the next year with a sailplane, and then
back again with a few friends, and then back with still more friends
until the informal gathering became formal five years ago.
Like most 5-year-olds, Alpine Xtreme is growing, changing, and
scraping the occasional organizational knee, but this event’s national
potential is huge, and the “main attraction”—Memaloose Ridge—is
unique. Because of Memaloose alone, the Alpine Xtreme gathering
has already become something of a destination event for Soaring
pilots.
Memaloose overlooks Hells Canyon, which is the deepest in North
America. Awesome thermals are born 6,000 feet below, where the
glistening ribbon of the Snake River bubbles and winds through the
rocky canyon bottom.
The top of the ridge—at 6,800 feet elevation—is a rolling
mountain meadow full of wildflowers and occupied by Memaloose
Airstrip, which is a 3,300-foot grass Oregon Airport Authority field.
March 2004 35
This flying site is not generally open to the
public; special use permits are required.
Approximately 50 miles from Memaloose
is the town of Joseph, Oregon, which is
headquarters for the event. Just outside of
town, Joseph Airport (elevation 4,100 feet),
with its 5,800-foot paved surface, offers a
great site for aerotowing and grows its own
crop of thermals.
Roughly five miles away, on the other
side of town, Mt. Howard rises another 4,100
feet from the southern end of Wallowa Lake
to a total elevation of nearly 8,300 feet. This
venue is normally accessible to pilots and
spectators by a cable-car tramway, but it was
unavailable this year because the tramway
was down for repairs.
The event is designed in the Olympic
style, with activities at different venues
spread out for almost a week. However, that
wasn’t the way it worked out this year. The
aerotowing for bigger sailplanes at Joseph
Airport was cut short Thursday with the
unfortunate demise of the only available
large-scale towing model, and with the
tramway down Mt. Howard wasn’t even open
for business.
That was okay with me; as did many
others who attended, I had really come to see
and experience the Alpine soaring at the
Memaloose Ridge/Hells Canyon site.
Alpine soaring isn’t just a catchy name; it’s a
different beast altogether. In Slope Soaring
the lift comes from wind rising as it
encounters a terrain obstruction, such as a
hill. If the incoming wind is reasonably
perpendicular to the hill or ridge and the
Wil Byers launches Richard Behrends’ DG-1000. It was
modified as an electric-motor-powered glider.
Richard Behrends came all the way from Hudson Valley, New York, to
test Memaloose. Wil Byers provides the commentary!
topography in front is fairly flat, the lift is
stable as long as the wind holds out and
models can simply be chucked off the hill
and flown in the back-and-forth manner that
is familiar to most models.
In Thermal Duration Soaring, models are
launched from the ground by some means
(hand launch, hi-start, winch, or aerotow),
and then the pilot uses the altitude gained
from the launch to hunt for lift. Lift in this
case means thermals.
Thermals are the mainstay of nonpowered
flight. The sun heats the ground briefly, and
the ground warms the air near it by
convection. The warm air then rises and
forms a thermal. However, the ground isn’t
uniform; it varies in topography and color
(rocks soak up and release more heat than
vegetation), so all thermals are not created
equal. They come in a variety of strengths
and sizes. Depending on atmospheric
conditions, wind, and terrain, they may be
plume- or bubblelike in shape.
Since what goes up must come down,
thermals are accompanied by sink, which is
cooled air detraining from the thermal edges
and descending to fill the void left by the
warmer rising air. In general, the bigger and
more active a thermal is, the stronger the
accompanying sink and the more turbulent
the boundary between. Neither thermals nor
sink are stationary; both move and drift with
the motion of the greater air mass containing
them.
Thermals tend to be small and tight near
the ground and increase in diameter and
strength as they rise, until the rising air is
cooled by altitude, and then the thermal fades
out. In Alpine soaring, elements of slope
flying and thermal flying are combined. You
still chuck the airplane off of the mountain
and (hopefully) into the wind, and if you stay
in close to the ridge top, some of the usual
slope lift is still there, although it’s usually far
from stable.
However, providing that you pick the
right day, time, and air, and you can summon
Look at the tiny JR hat on the pilot in
Peter Goldsmith’s 8.4-meter ASH-25.
Photos by the author
36 MODEL AVIATION
The pilot in this shot is unidentified, but he seems to be
enjoying flying at nearly eye level over the abyss.
the nerve to fly away from the relative safety of the ridge, you can tap
into the warm belly of a fully developed thermal, many thousands of
feet higher than the best winches can take you. When you really hit it,
the lift can look like you just drove the airplane onto an Otis elevator
equipped with a JATO (jet-assisted takeoff) pack.
There is a considerable adrenaline component because you are
heaving an expensive model off of a mountaintop, thereby betting the
thermal gods that you can find lift before the canyon eats your airplane.
(Mountaineering down 5,000-6,000 feet and hiking back up with your
model is close to impossible.) Event Director Wil Byers sunk out and
lost his 1⁄5-scale SZD-55 while flying a video photo-op mission for the
Outdoor Channel’s “Inside RC” television crew at this event.
To put a cherry on the sundae, consider that the density altitude on
a 95° day at 7,000 feet is something exceeding 10,000 feet. Models fly
differently; there just isn’t much air in that air.
All of this is combined to put the extreme in Alpine Xtreme, and it
can put a grin on your face that won’t wear off until your teeth are
dusty.
Calling this gathering a national event in the making isn’t stretching
the truth at all. Pilots came from as far away as Florida, Texas, Illinois,
and New York, and a vacationing couple from Ireland dropped by just
to watch and take pictures.
When you consider that no cash, prizes, or trophies are awarded,
other than the usual “pilots’ choice” awards, it’s apparent that the
flying is the draw. The most coveted collectible this year was an “I
Mastered Memaloose” bumper sticker!
There were 52 pilots registered, although the number at any one
venue at one time was far less. As with any group, flying (and
building) skills ran the gamut from expert to novice. Those who
ventured up the mountain path to Memaloose Ridge tended toward the
highly skilled end of the spectrum.
Peter Goldsmith, who is Horizon Hobby Distributors’ field
marketing manager, attended the meet. Pete is a many-time
Tournament of Champions competitor and former F3A World
Championships team member from Australia whose “other” hobby is
sailplanes.
He drove all the way from his home in Monticello, Illinois,
bringing the big Horizon towplane and the two biggest Scale gliders
I’ve ever seen: a 6-meter-wingspan DG-800 and an 8.4-meter ASH-25.
Watching these graceful giants fly was like watching butter being
spread on the heavens. Unfortunately his big 1⁄3-scale DA-100-
powered Super Cub towplane met with misadventure Thursday
because of a frequency conflict.
Pete also brought his wife Caroline, who is an accomplished glider
pilot in her own right, and she beat Peter out for the “Best Scale Glider
Flight” pilots’ choice award!
Memaloose may have been the main attraction, but it certainly
wasn’t the only one. Joseph Airport is a great facility where the lift is
plentiful and easy to find, and activity continued there all weekend,
including aerotowing on a smaller scale. An F5J (limited motor run)
contest was scheduled to start as we departed Sunday, with a thermalduration
event to cap off the week Monday.
The area surrounding the tiny town of Joseph and nearby Lake
Caroline Goldsmith prepares to assemble her ASK-18 from the Flair kit (left), and then she enjoys the flight.
38 MODEL AVIATION
Event Director Wil Byers readies his SZD-55 for taping by the Outdoor Channel’s
“Inside RC” show. The model was lost during the ensuing flight.
Pat Maher launches his beautiful modified
Bird of Time. Pat flew early, late, and
often!
On Saturday night of the gathering there was a sumptuous barbecue dinner and a
raffle. It was a great time for families and friends.
Peter Goldsmith’s DG-800 on a flyby.
Graceful, isn’t it!
Wallowa is astoundingly postcard perfect,
and resort-style family favorites such as
boating, swimming, hiking, camping, golf,
and ice-cream eating are everywhere.
Major modeling activities are often held in
places with little besides the event to draw
visitors to them, but that was not the case here
as evidenced by the high percentage of wives
and families in attendance. The Friday-night
barbecue and the Sunday-night Brew House
dinner looked like family affairs.
Joseph is named for the famous Nez Perce
Native American Chief Joseph, whose
famous quote “From where the sun now
stands, I will fight no more forever” is
emblazoned on American history. Chief
Joseph’s tribe once called this land “of
winding waters” home, and Joseph’s father is
buried here. When you take in the scenery,
it’s easy to see why he and his people fought
so hard to keep the place.
Not all was perfect, of course; things never
are. The drive up to Memaloose Ridge takes
more than an hour, and 22 miles of it are on a
rough, dusty, one-lane Forest Service road.
You definitely need industrial-strength insect
repellent in your flight box.
Several activities could have been better
organized; others might have been eliminated
altogether. More help could have been
provided for novice pilots by way of clinics
and mentoring.
But these are minor drawbacks; most, if
not all, will be fixed at next year’s edition. I’ll
be there, and I’m bringing some friends with
which to share it. Go on and make your plans
to attend and measure yourself and your
models against Memaloose. Get Xtreme! MA
Rick Allison
26405 S.E. 160th St.
Issaquah WA 98027
