I have seen many stages in my
evolution of this hobby, and I am
currently in my Discus Launch
Glider (DLG) stage. DLG is as cool
as it sounds. It has no motor and only
servos to control the airplane’s surfaces.
It is the purest form of RC fl ight.
A DLG weighs roughly 9 ounces
and has a peg in the wingtip. To
launch it, you spin around like you are
throwing a discus. When you release
a DLG, it screams toward the sky at
approximately 70 mph.
I can attest to this because I once
accidentally hit my elevator transmitter
stick on my shirt right after a launch
and stuck the airplane into hardpacked
dirt like an arrow. If you do
everything right, your aircraft should
rocket up to roughly 170 feet. The
experts can launch them more than
200 feet in the air. I am not an expert,
but I refuse to give up until I’m at least
profi cient.
I attended my fi rst DLG competition
this year and saw some of the best
DLG pilots in the country do their
thing.
How I Got to The Bruce
Pete Goldsmith, the bass player for
our band, The SEFF Tones (also known
as the Nallman Brothers), is a great
DLG pilot. He called me one day and
said (in his Australian accent), “Jim,
you have to come [to] The Bruce next
year! It’s DLGs and a bunch of guys in
a pasture that are just like you!”
I found that hard to believe, so this
year I loaded up the truck and headed
to the DLG contest.
I drive across the country to attend
events in exotic locales such as Muncie,
Indiana; Woodruff, South Carolina;
Andersonville, Georgia; and more. The
exciting thing about The Bruce is that
it’s in my own backyard. The Bruce is
in Shelbyville, Kentucky, also known as
“The Gateway to Bluegrass.”
Donkeys in the Distance
As I got closer to The Bruce, the roads
narrowed and the front yards turned into
pastures. I was defi nitely in the country. I
fi nally drove on a gravel road that led me
to a house and a pasture. When I got out
of my truck, two things hit me: the 105°
heat and the braying of a donkey.
I grabbed my Nikon and went to
the back of the house. Popup tents
surrounded two sides of the fi eld, and
in front of them was a pasture full of
DLG pilots throwing their airplanes
and following the commands of an
automated timing clock system. It was
mind-blowing!
The Bruce
The founder of the DLG competition,
Bruce Davidson, said that it was never
his intention to host the world’s largest
F3K contest in his backyard.
Approximately 10 years ago, Bruce
searched for the perfect RC property. He
wanted to be closer to his Slope Soaring
site and have enough acreage to fl y
DLG on his own land. He acquired the
property, “The Thermal Farm,” allowing
him to start his own contest.
“After 15 years of competing in various
Sailplane contests, I had a good idea of
what I liked and wanted to expand on
that with my own contest.
“From the fi rst [contest], I worked
very hard to have everything planned
Kyle Clayton. Photo
by Frank Dumas.
“The Bruce,” Bruce Davidson, hosts the world’s
largest DLG contest each year. Dumas photo.
Tom Scully.
Dumas photo.
The winners: (L-R) Frank Dumas, second place; Gavin Trussell, first place; and Oleg Golovidov, third place. Photo by Dave Termohlen Sr.
Thomas Cooke of MKS Servos USA. Dumas photo.
Below: Look at that big, happy DLG family! Pilots came from around the world to compete.
and prepared in advance so I could actually compete. To help with that plan, I put together a timing file on the iPad that calls out flight groups, tasks, and pilots’ names for each heat. The file also announces the flight window and keeps time. The entire competition starts with a push of a button and keeps things moving for two days.
“The event starts for pilots on Thursday afternoon as they arrive for a day of open flying. By that time, the cantina is in full swing—cooking up burgers, dogs, and brats for the early arrivals. From a breakfast buffet to barbecue for lunch and a fish fry on Friday evening, there is plenty of food, drink, and ice available on the field for the duration of the event.
“Friday is open flying all day with a couple of organized events thrown in for fun. The premier sponsor for the event is Horizon Hobby, and for the last two years [the company has] donated eight RTF Radian Pro electric Sailplanes for the Radian Challenge.
“On Friday afternoon, eight pilots who use either a JR or Spektrum radio are designated [as] team captains. The remaining 32 pilots draw cards to see who makes up the eight five-man teams. With teams sorted, it is game on!
“Each team rushes to pick up a model and get the programming process started. There’s no set time limit to getting the model ready to fly, but there are bonus points for finishing early.
“When a team has the model ready, test-flown, and trimmed out, [it brings] the radio and airplane to the start line. The first team that is ready receives 35 bonus points (seconds), with the second team getting 30, and third getting 25.”
There is no contest committee. Bruce adheres to the F3K rules, which don’t limit the amount of fun you can have in a DLG contest. Pilots travel from around the world to compete.
Competition Mechanics
Because the attendees are all F3K Glider pilots, Bruce settled on a mass launch with an 8-second motor run and a 3-minute duration flight. Each team is required to launch and land within the field boundaries. It is up to the teams to decide their flying order, but each pilot is required to put up one flight against the other teams with everyone launching at the same time.
The team with the longest total flight time is the winner, and each team member takes home a Radian Pro model. The remaining models are raffled Saturday night.
This type of flying is about efficiency and appeals to people with a knack for engineering. A DLG airplane is strong enough to take a 70-mph launch, yet can float on thermals.
A good DLG pilot can keep one in the air with no wind or thermals for approximately two minutes. In a contest, the pilot must keep a DLG in the air for longer periods of time (maximum 3 minutes) and do it multiple times.
Competitors have three throws in 7 minutes. If you get 3 minutes on your first throw, you have time to assess the
air by watching the other airplanes, trees,
bugs, etc.
If you get 3 minutes on your first
launch, you have 45 seconds to observe
the air. Then, you have to throw your
airplane, find lift, and keep it in the air,
catch it, and relight or relaunch back
into a thermal.
Some tasks emphasize your ability
to stay in the lift, and others require
catching and relaunching as quickly
as possible. There are many ways to
catch the DLG airplane, and some are
beautiful.
Some pilots will land at their
own feet, pick the airplane up, and
throw. Others will fly the airplanes at
themselves, hit the flaps, catch the nose,
and throw.
If your task window is short, then the
time it takes for you to get that airplane
back into the air costs you points. The
faster you can relaunch, the more points
you get for staying in the air.
A good pilot can bring that airplane
in, hit the flaps, catch it, and get it back
in the air in less than two seconds, so
in a timed window your landing and
relaunching is only 8 seconds.
Unique to The Bruce is the team
competition. Bruce Davidson has always
thought of Soaring as a two-person
event. While the pilot is in charge of
flying the model, the caller can play an
important role in his/her performance.
The caller’s primary job is to keep
time, but he or she can also observe the
conditions, watch other models, and
advise the pilot where the best lift might
be found. When lift is found, the caller
helps the pilot discover the best part,
avoid other models, and make decisions
for the next flight.
Camaraderie
Spending time with the on-site
campers is Bruce’s favorite part of the
event. The flying toys come out after the
last round, and the big fun begins. Most
nights, they stay up too late, but who
needs sleep anyway? You only have to be
around Bruce Davidson for roughly 20
seconds to realize he is there to have fun
and compete at the same time.
As I walked from tent to tent at the
21-acre site, I was greeted with smiles
and handshakes. The DLG community
is small, and it seems as though everyone
knows each other. The best part is that
they all enjoy each other’s company.
The difference between me and a
reader who is just learning about this
sport is that I own an airplane. I don’t
consider myself knowledgeable or
accomplished in DLG in any way.
The great part about this aspect of
the hobby is that you don’t have to be
extremely knowledgeable to enjoy it.
Good Friends, Good Chicken
On Saturday night we all met up at
the Claudia Sanders Dinner House.
The original home of Colonel
(Harland) Sanders and his wife,
Claudia, had been at this site.
It was rebuilt after a fi re. The
contestants met in the banquet
hall and had their fi ll of good,
southern cooking.
It’s not only a night of fi ne
dining, but also where Bruce
gives awards and prizes. The top 10
pilots in this year’s contest were:
1. Gavin Trussel
2. Frank Dumas
3. Oleg Golovidov
4. Phil Barnes
5. Reto Fiolka
6. David Klein
7. Craig Greening
8. Bruce Davidson
9. Ryan Gonsoulin
10. Jim Kokonis
The winning team was Dirty Thirty,
with pilots David Klein and Reto Fiolka.
Congratulations and Thanks
Congratulations to all of the winners
and a big thank-you goes to Bruce
for hosting this great event each year.
Another big thanks goes out to those
who help make this event great:
Christine Davidson for keeping things
upbeat; Johnny and Stephanie King for
all the great food; Team Horizon for
the support; Cliff Whitney of Atlanta
Hobby/RC Radio Network for the beer
and Mercury Adhesives; Momentum
Model Technologies for the Polaris;
Thomas Cooke from MKS Servos USA;
SoaringUSA; the Louisville Area Soaring
Society; Radio Carbon Art; Tony Utley
for the photos; Adam Weston; Brian
Padovini of BP Composites; and many
more.
Events such as this need a good team
to make things go smoothly and easily!
Thanks to everyone for the southern
hospitality and a great time. Now, all of
you readers go out there and get yourself
a DLG so you can be a part of this event
next year!
SOURCES:
The Bruce
www.thebrucef3k.com
Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com
Atlanta Hobby
(678) 513-4450
www.atlantahobby.com
Claudia Sanders Dinner House
Ryan Gonsoulin.
Photo by Frank
Dumas III.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/11
Page Numbers: 75,76,77,78
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/11
Page Numbers: 75,76,77,78
I have seen many stages in my
evolution of this hobby, and I am
currently in my Discus Launch
Glider (DLG) stage. DLG is as cool
as it sounds. It has no motor and only
servos to control the airplane’s surfaces.
It is the purest form of RC fl ight.
A DLG weighs roughly 9 ounces
and has a peg in the wingtip. To
launch it, you spin around like you are
throwing a discus. When you release
a DLG, it screams toward the sky at
approximately 70 mph.
I can attest to this because I once
accidentally hit my elevator transmitter
stick on my shirt right after a launch
and stuck the airplane into hardpacked
dirt like an arrow. If you do
everything right, your aircraft should
rocket up to roughly 170 feet. The
experts can launch them more than
200 feet in the air. I am not an expert,
but I refuse to give up until I’m at least
profi cient.
I attended my fi rst DLG competition
this year and saw some of the best
DLG pilots in the country do their
thing.
How I Got to The Bruce
Pete Goldsmith, the bass player for
our band, The SEFF Tones (also known
as the Nallman Brothers), is a great
DLG pilot. He called me one day and
said (in his Australian accent), “Jim,
you have to come [to] The Bruce next
year! It’s DLGs and a bunch of guys in
a pasture that are just like you!”
I found that hard to believe, so this
year I loaded up the truck and headed
to the DLG contest.
I drive across the country to attend
events in exotic locales such as Muncie,
Indiana; Woodruff, South Carolina;
Andersonville, Georgia; and more. The
exciting thing about The Bruce is that
it’s in my own backyard. The Bruce is
in Shelbyville, Kentucky, also known as
“The Gateway to Bluegrass.”
Donkeys in the Distance
As I got closer to The Bruce, the roads
narrowed and the front yards turned into
pastures. I was defi nitely in the country. I
fi nally drove on a gravel road that led me
to a house and a pasture. When I got out
of my truck, two things hit me: the 105°
heat and the braying of a donkey.
I grabbed my Nikon and went to
the back of the house. Popup tents
surrounded two sides of the fi eld, and
in front of them was a pasture full of
DLG pilots throwing their airplanes
and following the commands of an
automated timing clock system. It was
mind-blowing!
The Bruce
The founder of the DLG competition,
Bruce Davidson, said that it was never
his intention to host the world’s largest
F3K contest in his backyard.
Approximately 10 years ago, Bruce
searched for the perfect RC property. He
wanted to be closer to his Slope Soaring
site and have enough acreage to fl y
DLG on his own land. He acquired the
property, “The Thermal Farm,” allowing
him to start his own contest.
“After 15 years of competing in various
Sailplane contests, I had a good idea of
what I liked and wanted to expand on
that with my own contest.
“From the fi rst [contest], I worked
very hard to have everything planned
Kyle Clayton. Photo
by Frank Dumas.
“The Bruce,” Bruce Davidson, hosts the world’s
largest DLG contest each year. Dumas photo.
Tom Scully.
Dumas photo.
The winners: (L-R) Frank Dumas, second place; Gavin Trussell, first place; and Oleg Golovidov, third place. Photo by Dave Termohlen Sr.
Thomas Cooke of MKS Servos USA. Dumas photo.
Below: Look at that big, happy DLG family! Pilots came from around the world to compete.
and prepared in advance so I could actually compete. To help with that plan, I put together a timing file on the iPad that calls out flight groups, tasks, and pilots’ names for each heat. The file also announces the flight window and keeps time. The entire competition starts with a push of a button and keeps things moving for two days.
“The event starts for pilots on Thursday afternoon as they arrive for a day of open flying. By that time, the cantina is in full swing—cooking up burgers, dogs, and brats for the early arrivals. From a breakfast buffet to barbecue for lunch and a fish fry on Friday evening, there is plenty of food, drink, and ice available on the field for the duration of the event.
“Friday is open flying all day with a couple of organized events thrown in for fun. The premier sponsor for the event is Horizon Hobby, and for the last two years [the company has] donated eight RTF Radian Pro electric Sailplanes for the Radian Challenge.
“On Friday afternoon, eight pilots who use either a JR or Spektrum radio are designated [as] team captains. The remaining 32 pilots draw cards to see who makes up the eight five-man teams. With teams sorted, it is game on!
“Each team rushes to pick up a model and get the programming process started. There’s no set time limit to getting the model ready to fly, but there are bonus points for finishing early.
“When a team has the model ready, test-flown, and trimmed out, [it brings] the radio and airplane to the start line. The first team that is ready receives 35 bonus points (seconds), with the second team getting 30, and third getting 25.”
There is no contest committee. Bruce adheres to the F3K rules, which don’t limit the amount of fun you can have in a DLG contest. Pilots travel from around the world to compete.
Competition Mechanics
Because the attendees are all F3K Glider pilots, Bruce settled on a mass launch with an 8-second motor run and a 3-minute duration flight. Each team is required to launch and land within the field boundaries. It is up to the teams to decide their flying order, but each pilot is required to put up one flight against the other teams with everyone launching at the same time.
The team with the longest total flight time is the winner, and each team member takes home a Radian Pro model. The remaining models are raffled Saturday night.
This type of flying is about efficiency and appeals to people with a knack for engineering. A DLG airplane is strong enough to take a 70-mph launch, yet can float on thermals.
A good DLG pilot can keep one in the air with no wind or thermals for approximately two minutes. In a contest, the pilot must keep a DLG in the air for longer periods of time (maximum 3 minutes) and do it multiple times.
Competitors have three throws in 7 minutes. If you get 3 minutes on your first throw, you have time to assess the
air by watching the other airplanes, trees,
bugs, etc.
If you get 3 minutes on your first
launch, you have 45 seconds to observe
the air. Then, you have to throw your
airplane, find lift, and keep it in the air,
catch it, and relight or relaunch back
into a thermal.
Some tasks emphasize your ability
to stay in the lift, and others require
catching and relaunching as quickly
as possible. There are many ways to
catch the DLG airplane, and some are
beautiful.
Some pilots will land at their
own feet, pick the airplane up, and
throw. Others will fly the airplanes at
themselves, hit the flaps, catch the nose,
and throw.
If your task window is short, then the
time it takes for you to get that airplane
back into the air costs you points. The
faster you can relaunch, the more points
you get for staying in the air.
A good pilot can bring that airplane
in, hit the flaps, catch it, and get it back
in the air in less than two seconds, so
in a timed window your landing and
relaunching is only 8 seconds.
Unique to The Bruce is the team
competition. Bruce Davidson has always
thought of Soaring as a two-person
event. While the pilot is in charge of
flying the model, the caller can play an
important role in his/her performance.
The caller’s primary job is to keep
time, but he or she can also observe the
conditions, watch other models, and
advise the pilot where the best lift might
be found. When lift is found, the caller
helps the pilot discover the best part,
avoid other models, and make decisions
for the next flight.
Camaraderie
Spending time with the on-site
campers is Bruce’s favorite part of the
event. The flying toys come out after the
last round, and the big fun begins. Most
nights, they stay up too late, but who
needs sleep anyway? You only have to be
around Bruce Davidson for roughly 20
seconds to realize he is there to have fun
and compete at the same time.
As I walked from tent to tent at the
21-acre site, I was greeted with smiles
and handshakes. The DLG community
is small, and it seems as though everyone
knows each other. The best part is that
they all enjoy each other’s company.
The difference between me and a
reader who is just learning about this
sport is that I own an airplane. I don’t
consider myself knowledgeable or
accomplished in DLG in any way.
The great part about this aspect of
the hobby is that you don’t have to be
extremely knowledgeable to enjoy it.
Good Friends, Good Chicken
On Saturday night we all met up at
the Claudia Sanders Dinner House.
The original home of Colonel
(Harland) Sanders and his wife,
Claudia, had been at this site.
It was rebuilt after a fi re. The
contestants met in the banquet
hall and had their fi ll of good,
southern cooking.
It’s not only a night of fi ne
dining, but also where Bruce
gives awards and prizes. The top 10
pilots in this year’s contest were:
1. Gavin Trussel
2. Frank Dumas
3. Oleg Golovidov
4. Phil Barnes
5. Reto Fiolka
6. David Klein
7. Craig Greening
8. Bruce Davidson
9. Ryan Gonsoulin
10. Jim Kokonis
The winning team was Dirty Thirty,
with pilots David Klein and Reto Fiolka.
Congratulations and Thanks
Congratulations to all of the winners
and a big thank-you goes to Bruce
for hosting this great event each year.
Another big thanks goes out to those
who help make this event great:
Christine Davidson for keeping things
upbeat; Johnny and Stephanie King for
all the great food; Team Horizon for
the support; Cliff Whitney of Atlanta
Hobby/RC Radio Network for the beer
and Mercury Adhesives; Momentum
Model Technologies for the Polaris;
Thomas Cooke from MKS Servos USA;
SoaringUSA; the Louisville Area Soaring
Society; Radio Carbon Art; Tony Utley
for the photos; Adam Weston; Brian
Padovini of BP Composites; and many
more.
Events such as this need a good team
to make things go smoothly and easily!
Thanks to everyone for the southern
hospitality and a great time. Now, all of
you readers go out there and get yourself
a DLG so you can be a part of this event
next year!
SOURCES:
The Bruce
www.thebrucef3k.com
Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com
Atlanta Hobby
(678) 513-4450
www.atlantahobby.com
Claudia Sanders Dinner House
Ryan Gonsoulin.
Photo by Frank
Dumas III.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/11
Page Numbers: 75,76,77,78
I have seen many stages in my
evolution of this hobby, and I am
currently in my Discus Launch
Glider (DLG) stage. DLG is as cool
as it sounds. It has no motor and only
servos to control the airplane’s surfaces.
It is the purest form of RC fl ight.
A DLG weighs roughly 9 ounces
and has a peg in the wingtip. To
launch it, you spin around like you are
throwing a discus. When you release
a DLG, it screams toward the sky at
approximately 70 mph.
I can attest to this because I once
accidentally hit my elevator transmitter
stick on my shirt right after a launch
and stuck the airplane into hardpacked
dirt like an arrow. If you do
everything right, your aircraft should
rocket up to roughly 170 feet. The
experts can launch them more than
200 feet in the air. I am not an expert,
but I refuse to give up until I’m at least
profi cient.
I attended my fi rst DLG competition
this year and saw some of the best
DLG pilots in the country do their
thing.
How I Got to The Bruce
Pete Goldsmith, the bass player for
our band, The SEFF Tones (also known
as the Nallman Brothers), is a great
DLG pilot. He called me one day and
said (in his Australian accent), “Jim,
you have to come [to] The Bruce next
year! It’s DLGs and a bunch of guys in
a pasture that are just like you!”
I found that hard to believe, so this
year I loaded up the truck and headed
to the DLG contest.
I drive across the country to attend
events in exotic locales such as Muncie,
Indiana; Woodruff, South Carolina;
Andersonville, Georgia; and more. The
exciting thing about The Bruce is that
it’s in my own backyard. The Bruce is
in Shelbyville, Kentucky, also known as
“The Gateway to Bluegrass.”
Donkeys in the Distance
As I got closer to The Bruce, the roads
narrowed and the front yards turned into
pastures. I was defi nitely in the country. I
fi nally drove on a gravel road that led me
to a house and a pasture. When I got out
of my truck, two things hit me: the 105°
heat and the braying of a donkey.
I grabbed my Nikon and went to
the back of the house. Popup tents
surrounded two sides of the fi eld, and
in front of them was a pasture full of
DLG pilots throwing their airplanes
and following the commands of an
automated timing clock system. It was
mind-blowing!
The Bruce
The founder of the DLG competition,
Bruce Davidson, said that it was never
his intention to host the world’s largest
F3K contest in his backyard.
Approximately 10 years ago, Bruce
searched for the perfect RC property. He
wanted to be closer to his Slope Soaring
site and have enough acreage to fl y
DLG on his own land. He acquired the
property, “The Thermal Farm,” allowing
him to start his own contest.
“After 15 years of competing in various
Sailplane contests, I had a good idea of
what I liked and wanted to expand on
that with my own contest.
“From the fi rst [contest], I worked
very hard to have everything planned
Kyle Clayton. Photo
by Frank Dumas.
“The Bruce,” Bruce Davidson, hosts the world’s
largest DLG contest each year. Dumas photo.
Tom Scully.
Dumas photo.
The winners: (L-R) Frank Dumas, second place; Gavin Trussell, first place; and Oleg Golovidov, third place. Photo by Dave Termohlen Sr.
Thomas Cooke of MKS Servos USA. Dumas photo.
Below: Look at that big, happy DLG family! Pilots came from around the world to compete.
and prepared in advance so I could actually compete. To help with that plan, I put together a timing file on the iPad that calls out flight groups, tasks, and pilots’ names for each heat. The file also announces the flight window and keeps time. The entire competition starts with a push of a button and keeps things moving for two days.
“The event starts for pilots on Thursday afternoon as they arrive for a day of open flying. By that time, the cantina is in full swing—cooking up burgers, dogs, and brats for the early arrivals. From a breakfast buffet to barbecue for lunch and a fish fry on Friday evening, there is plenty of food, drink, and ice available on the field for the duration of the event.
“Friday is open flying all day with a couple of organized events thrown in for fun. The premier sponsor for the event is Horizon Hobby, and for the last two years [the company has] donated eight RTF Radian Pro electric Sailplanes for the Radian Challenge.
“On Friday afternoon, eight pilots who use either a JR or Spektrum radio are designated [as] team captains. The remaining 32 pilots draw cards to see who makes up the eight five-man teams. With teams sorted, it is game on!
“Each team rushes to pick up a model and get the programming process started. There’s no set time limit to getting the model ready to fly, but there are bonus points for finishing early.
“When a team has the model ready, test-flown, and trimmed out, [it brings] the radio and airplane to the start line. The first team that is ready receives 35 bonus points (seconds), with the second team getting 30, and third getting 25.”
There is no contest committee. Bruce adheres to the F3K rules, which don’t limit the amount of fun you can have in a DLG contest. Pilots travel from around the world to compete.
Competition Mechanics
Because the attendees are all F3K Glider pilots, Bruce settled on a mass launch with an 8-second motor run and a 3-minute duration flight. Each team is required to launch and land within the field boundaries. It is up to the teams to decide their flying order, but each pilot is required to put up one flight against the other teams with everyone launching at the same time.
The team with the longest total flight time is the winner, and each team member takes home a Radian Pro model. The remaining models are raffled Saturday night.
This type of flying is about efficiency and appeals to people with a knack for engineering. A DLG airplane is strong enough to take a 70-mph launch, yet can float on thermals.
A good DLG pilot can keep one in the air with no wind or thermals for approximately two minutes. In a contest, the pilot must keep a DLG in the air for longer periods of time (maximum 3 minutes) and do it multiple times.
Competitors have three throws in 7 minutes. If you get 3 minutes on your first throw, you have time to assess the
air by watching the other airplanes, trees,
bugs, etc.
If you get 3 minutes on your first
launch, you have 45 seconds to observe
the air. Then, you have to throw your
airplane, find lift, and keep it in the air,
catch it, and relight or relaunch back
into a thermal.
Some tasks emphasize your ability
to stay in the lift, and others require
catching and relaunching as quickly
as possible. There are many ways to
catch the DLG airplane, and some are
beautiful.
Some pilots will land at their
own feet, pick the airplane up, and
throw. Others will fly the airplanes at
themselves, hit the flaps, catch the nose,
and throw.
If your task window is short, then the
time it takes for you to get that airplane
back into the air costs you points. The
faster you can relaunch, the more points
you get for staying in the air.
A good pilot can bring that airplane
in, hit the flaps, catch it, and get it back
in the air in less than two seconds, so
in a timed window your landing and
relaunching is only 8 seconds.
Unique to The Bruce is the team
competition. Bruce Davidson has always
thought of Soaring as a two-person
event. While the pilot is in charge of
flying the model, the caller can play an
important role in his/her performance.
The caller’s primary job is to keep
time, but he or she can also observe the
conditions, watch other models, and
advise the pilot where the best lift might
be found. When lift is found, the caller
helps the pilot discover the best part,
avoid other models, and make decisions
for the next flight.
Camaraderie
Spending time with the on-site
campers is Bruce’s favorite part of the
event. The flying toys come out after the
last round, and the big fun begins. Most
nights, they stay up too late, but who
needs sleep anyway? You only have to be
around Bruce Davidson for roughly 20
seconds to realize he is there to have fun
and compete at the same time.
As I walked from tent to tent at the
21-acre site, I was greeted with smiles
and handshakes. The DLG community
is small, and it seems as though everyone
knows each other. The best part is that
they all enjoy each other’s company.
The difference between me and a
reader who is just learning about this
sport is that I own an airplane. I don’t
consider myself knowledgeable or
accomplished in DLG in any way.
The great part about this aspect of
the hobby is that you don’t have to be
extremely knowledgeable to enjoy it.
Good Friends, Good Chicken
On Saturday night we all met up at
the Claudia Sanders Dinner House.
The original home of Colonel
(Harland) Sanders and his wife,
Claudia, had been at this site.
It was rebuilt after a fi re. The
contestants met in the banquet
hall and had their fi ll of good,
southern cooking.
It’s not only a night of fi ne
dining, but also where Bruce
gives awards and prizes. The top 10
pilots in this year’s contest were:
1. Gavin Trussel
2. Frank Dumas
3. Oleg Golovidov
4. Phil Barnes
5. Reto Fiolka
6. David Klein
7. Craig Greening
8. Bruce Davidson
9. Ryan Gonsoulin
10. Jim Kokonis
The winning team was Dirty Thirty,
with pilots David Klein and Reto Fiolka.
Congratulations and Thanks
Congratulations to all of the winners
and a big thank-you goes to Bruce
for hosting this great event each year.
Another big thanks goes out to those
who help make this event great:
Christine Davidson for keeping things
upbeat; Johnny and Stephanie King for
all the great food; Team Horizon for
the support; Cliff Whitney of Atlanta
Hobby/RC Radio Network for the beer
and Mercury Adhesives; Momentum
Model Technologies for the Polaris;
Thomas Cooke from MKS Servos USA;
SoaringUSA; the Louisville Area Soaring
Society; Radio Carbon Art; Tony Utley
for the photos; Adam Weston; Brian
Padovini of BP Composites; and many
more.
Events such as this need a good team
to make things go smoothly and easily!
Thanks to everyone for the southern
hospitality and a great time. Now, all of
you readers go out there and get yourself
a DLG so you can be a part of this event
next year!
SOURCES:
The Bruce
www.thebrucef3k.com
Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com
Atlanta Hobby
(678) 513-4450
www.atlantahobby.com
Claudia Sanders Dinner House
Ryan Gonsoulin.
Photo by Frank
Dumas III.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/11
Page Numbers: 75,76,77,78
I have seen many stages in my
evolution of this hobby, and I am
currently in my Discus Launch
Glider (DLG) stage. DLG is as cool
as it sounds. It has no motor and only
servos to control the airplane’s surfaces.
It is the purest form of RC fl ight.
A DLG weighs roughly 9 ounces
and has a peg in the wingtip. To
launch it, you spin around like you are
throwing a discus. When you release
a DLG, it screams toward the sky at
approximately 70 mph.
I can attest to this because I once
accidentally hit my elevator transmitter
stick on my shirt right after a launch
and stuck the airplane into hardpacked
dirt like an arrow. If you do
everything right, your aircraft should
rocket up to roughly 170 feet. The
experts can launch them more than
200 feet in the air. I am not an expert,
but I refuse to give up until I’m at least
profi cient.
I attended my fi rst DLG competition
this year and saw some of the best
DLG pilots in the country do their
thing.
How I Got to The Bruce
Pete Goldsmith, the bass player for
our band, The SEFF Tones (also known
as the Nallman Brothers), is a great
DLG pilot. He called me one day and
said (in his Australian accent), “Jim,
you have to come [to] The Bruce next
year! It’s DLGs and a bunch of guys in
a pasture that are just like you!”
I found that hard to believe, so this
year I loaded up the truck and headed
to the DLG contest.
I drive across the country to attend
events in exotic locales such as Muncie,
Indiana; Woodruff, South Carolina;
Andersonville, Georgia; and more. The
exciting thing about The Bruce is that
it’s in my own backyard. The Bruce is
in Shelbyville, Kentucky, also known as
“The Gateway to Bluegrass.”
Donkeys in the Distance
As I got closer to The Bruce, the roads
narrowed and the front yards turned into
pastures. I was defi nitely in the country. I
fi nally drove on a gravel road that led me
to a house and a pasture. When I got out
of my truck, two things hit me: the 105°
heat and the braying of a donkey.
I grabbed my Nikon and went to
the back of the house. Popup tents
surrounded two sides of the fi eld, and
in front of them was a pasture full of
DLG pilots throwing their airplanes
and following the commands of an
automated timing clock system. It was
mind-blowing!
The Bruce
The founder of the DLG competition,
Bruce Davidson, said that it was never
his intention to host the world’s largest
F3K contest in his backyard.
Approximately 10 years ago, Bruce
searched for the perfect RC property. He
wanted to be closer to his Slope Soaring
site and have enough acreage to fl y
DLG on his own land. He acquired the
property, “The Thermal Farm,” allowing
him to start his own contest.
“After 15 years of competing in various
Sailplane contests, I had a good idea of
what I liked and wanted to expand on
that with my own contest.
“From the fi rst [contest], I worked
very hard to have everything planned
Kyle Clayton. Photo
by Frank Dumas.
“The Bruce,” Bruce Davidson, hosts the world’s
largest DLG contest each year. Dumas photo.
Tom Scully.
Dumas photo.
The winners: (L-R) Frank Dumas, second place; Gavin Trussell, first place; and Oleg Golovidov, third place. Photo by Dave Termohlen Sr.
Thomas Cooke of MKS Servos USA. Dumas photo.
Below: Look at that big, happy DLG family! Pilots came from around the world to compete.
and prepared in advance so I could actually compete. To help with that plan, I put together a timing file on the iPad that calls out flight groups, tasks, and pilots’ names for each heat. The file also announces the flight window and keeps time. The entire competition starts with a push of a button and keeps things moving for two days.
“The event starts for pilots on Thursday afternoon as they arrive for a day of open flying. By that time, the cantina is in full swing—cooking up burgers, dogs, and brats for the early arrivals. From a breakfast buffet to barbecue for lunch and a fish fry on Friday evening, there is plenty of food, drink, and ice available on the field for the duration of the event.
“Friday is open flying all day with a couple of organized events thrown in for fun. The premier sponsor for the event is Horizon Hobby, and for the last two years [the company has] donated eight RTF Radian Pro electric Sailplanes for the Radian Challenge.
“On Friday afternoon, eight pilots who use either a JR or Spektrum radio are designated [as] team captains. The remaining 32 pilots draw cards to see who makes up the eight five-man teams. With teams sorted, it is game on!
“Each team rushes to pick up a model and get the programming process started. There’s no set time limit to getting the model ready to fly, but there are bonus points for finishing early.
“When a team has the model ready, test-flown, and trimmed out, [it brings] the radio and airplane to the start line. The first team that is ready receives 35 bonus points (seconds), with the second team getting 30, and third getting 25.”
There is no contest committee. Bruce adheres to the F3K rules, which don’t limit the amount of fun you can have in a DLG contest. Pilots travel from around the world to compete.
Competition Mechanics
Because the attendees are all F3K Glider pilots, Bruce settled on a mass launch with an 8-second motor run and a 3-minute duration flight. Each team is required to launch and land within the field boundaries. It is up to the teams to decide their flying order, but each pilot is required to put up one flight against the other teams with everyone launching at the same time.
The team with the longest total flight time is the winner, and each team member takes home a Radian Pro model. The remaining models are raffled Saturday night.
This type of flying is about efficiency and appeals to people with a knack for engineering. A DLG airplane is strong enough to take a 70-mph launch, yet can float on thermals.
A good DLG pilot can keep one in the air with no wind or thermals for approximately two minutes. In a contest, the pilot must keep a DLG in the air for longer periods of time (maximum 3 minutes) and do it multiple times.
Competitors have three throws in 7 minutes. If you get 3 minutes on your first throw, you have time to assess the
air by watching the other airplanes, trees,
bugs, etc.
If you get 3 minutes on your first
launch, you have 45 seconds to observe
the air. Then, you have to throw your
airplane, find lift, and keep it in the air,
catch it, and relight or relaunch back
into a thermal.
Some tasks emphasize your ability
to stay in the lift, and others require
catching and relaunching as quickly
as possible. There are many ways to
catch the DLG airplane, and some are
beautiful.
Some pilots will land at their
own feet, pick the airplane up, and
throw. Others will fly the airplanes at
themselves, hit the flaps, catch the nose,
and throw.
If your task window is short, then the
time it takes for you to get that airplane
back into the air costs you points. The
faster you can relaunch, the more points
you get for staying in the air.
A good pilot can bring that airplane
in, hit the flaps, catch it, and get it back
in the air in less than two seconds, so
in a timed window your landing and
relaunching is only 8 seconds.
Unique to The Bruce is the team
competition. Bruce Davidson has always
thought of Soaring as a two-person
event. While the pilot is in charge of
flying the model, the caller can play an
important role in his/her performance.
The caller’s primary job is to keep
time, but he or she can also observe the
conditions, watch other models, and
advise the pilot where the best lift might
be found. When lift is found, the caller
helps the pilot discover the best part,
avoid other models, and make decisions
for the next flight.
Camaraderie
Spending time with the on-site
campers is Bruce’s favorite part of the
event. The flying toys come out after the
last round, and the big fun begins. Most
nights, they stay up too late, but who
needs sleep anyway? You only have to be
around Bruce Davidson for roughly 20
seconds to realize he is there to have fun
and compete at the same time.
As I walked from tent to tent at the
21-acre site, I was greeted with smiles
and handshakes. The DLG community
is small, and it seems as though everyone
knows each other. The best part is that
they all enjoy each other’s company.
The difference between me and a
reader who is just learning about this
sport is that I own an airplane. I don’t
consider myself knowledgeable or
accomplished in DLG in any way.
The great part about this aspect of
the hobby is that you don’t have to be
extremely knowledgeable to enjoy it.
Good Friends, Good Chicken
On Saturday night we all met up at
the Claudia Sanders Dinner House.
The original home of Colonel
(Harland) Sanders and his wife,
Claudia, had been at this site.
It was rebuilt after a fi re. The
contestants met in the banquet
hall and had their fi ll of good,
southern cooking.
It’s not only a night of fi ne
dining, but also where Bruce
gives awards and prizes. The top 10
pilots in this year’s contest were:
1. Gavin Trussel
2. Frank Dumas
3. Oleg Golovidov
4. Phil Barnes
5. Reto Fiolka
6. David Klein
7. Craig Greening
8. Bruce Davidson
9. Ryan Gonsoulin
10. Jim Kokonis
The winning team was Dirty Thirty,
with pilots David Klein and Reto Fiolka.
Congratulations and Thanks
Congratulations to all of the winners
and a big thank-you goes to Bruce
for hosting this great event each year.
Another big thanks goes out to those
who help make this event great:
Christine Davidson for keeping things
upbeat; Johnny and Stephanie King for
all the great food; Team Horizon for
the support; Cliff Whitney of Atlanta
Hobby/RC Radio Network for the beer
and Mercury Adhesives; Momentum
Model Technologies for the Polaris;
Thomas Cooke from MKS Servos USA;
SoaringUSA; the Louisville Area Soaring
Society; Radio Carbon Art; Tony Utley
for the photos; Adam Weston; Brian
Padovini of BP Composites; and many
more.
Events such as this need a good team
to make things go smoothly and easily!
Thanks to everyone for the southern
hospitality and a great time. Now, all of
you readers go out there and get yourself
a DLG so you can be a part of this event
next year!
SOURCES:
The Bruce
www.thebrucef3k.com
Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com
Atlanta Hobby
(678) 513-4450
www.atlantahobby.com
Claudia Sanders Dinner House
Ryan Gonsoulin.
Photo by Frank
Dumas III.
