Reservoir, which is 100 miles from the geographic center of the
continental US. There are three reasons why Wilson is one of the top
10 slope-flying sites in the country and why it makes such a
memorable slope-trip destination.
1) The topography around Wilson Lake gives us five or more primo
flying sites overlooking water, supporting ridge lift in five wind
directions.
Flying sites on public land are accessible, thanks to the US Army
Corps of Engineers’ support. Beyond this, local ranchers generously
allow the use of their land, including working pastures, for more flying
sites away from the lake itself. Kansas Soaring pilots report that there
are four flyable reservoirs in the Sunflower State.
2) It’s windy on the prairie, and there are few days when you can’t
fly at least something on the slope. Depending on the weather it may be
light hand-launch and discus-launch gliders, long-wing Scale models,
heavy-wing-loading Power Scale Soaring (PSS) screamers, Foamie
Combat models, or several classes of Slope Racing aircraft.
3) The people we meet in rural Kansas. Lucas is a town of 450, and
they give the visiting slope fliers a warm welcome when we swarm
into town. They have even opened the movie theater and run a special
matinee for us when we have had to wait out a rainy day in years past.
I’ve flown in Kansas at the Midwest Slope Challenge (MWSC)
eight times in the last decade, and I never fail to meet memorable
people who help me understand what life is, or should be.Wilson Lake Kansas
This year a group of fliers walked into Linda’s Café, the sole bar
and grill in town, and found it unusually crowded; nearly all the seats
were taken. Across the room was a man who looked for all the world
like an aging Montana cowboy, sitting at a booth by himself. After one
glance across the room and without a word, he got up and took a seat at
the bar, giving up his booth for a group of visitors he had never met.
I sat with him at the bar and bought our next round as a way to say
thanks. He was a 74-year-old retired farmer, lean as a pole, who looked
like he could certainly run faster and jump higher than I could, with mySLOPE SOARING in Kansas? Yes, particularly at Wilson Lake
Reservoir, which is 100 miles from the geographic center of the
continental US. There are three reasons why Wilson is one of the top
10 slope-flying sites in the country and why it makes such a
memorable slope-trip destination.February 2006 25
Alex Paul launches a DAW foaMe-109 from a hill on the south
side of Wilson Lake on a laid-back flying day after the conclusion
of the MWSC.
Alex Paul (Nassau, Bahamas) carries a well-worn DAW foaMe-109
on a practice day. A DAW Kawafoamie Ki61 is in the foreground.
Both can fly in MWSC Foamie Combat and Foamie Warbird Racing.
View from the near turn looking toward the far turn before an ODR heat. Spotters hold up and
show models to far-turn judges so a flag color can be matched to each sailplane in the heat.
location of the Lincoln Area Soaring
Society’s (LASS, of Nebraska) MWSC for
11 years, and that makes it the longest
continuously running Slope Racing event in
the US.
The 12th MWSC, held June 10-12, 2005, had
a new host: the Wings Over Wilson (WOW)
Soaring club based in Lucas, Kansas. The
event had 51 registered pilots who traveled
from 11 states—as far north as Minnesota, as
far south as Texas, as far west as Colorado,
and as far east as New York. One
noncompetition flier came from Nassau,
Bahamas, technically making it an
international event.
Those who arrived on-site early were fed
and entertained Wednesday evening, June 7,
by Leading Edge Gliders honcho Jack
Cooper. He offered much informal
instructional time covering designing,
building, and finishing EPP-foam warbirds.
Jack’s airplanes look so good and fly so well
that some have a hard time believing they
aren’t fiberglass molded models.
Old flying buddy and overland driving
companion Alex Paul and I arrived at the lake
Tuesday and had flown for three days straight.
Photos by the author
Fiberglass and EPP-foam racers over Wilson Lake during an ODR
heat. The models meet ODR specifications and can be scratchbuilt
or constructed from a kit.
LASS club members Tom Neill and Jim Baker (both of Lincoln
NE) read the air before launching in an ODR heat.
Marley Palmer (Lucas KS) launches an EPP-foam Combat wing
during a round in the Foamie Combat competition.
The far-turn judges (flaggers) in action. The pair of poles act as a
sighting device to define the “infinite plane” that marks one end
of the racecourse.
An ODR model on the course with Wilson Lake in the
background. This class is designed to keep the cost low for a
competitive and fun-to-fly racer.
26 MODEL AVIATION
February 2006 27
ODR models in the far turn on the course. The background shows one of the more
recognizable features at the lake: the Wilson Lake reservoir dam and spillway.
ODR “air boss” Bill McClean (Kansas City
MO) talks via radio to the far-turn judges.
He ran an efficient race.
Alden Shipp’s hunter-killer F4U Corsair
makes its way through a furball of EPPfoam
Combat wings during a practice
session.
Slope Soaring doesn’t get much better than this: a sunny day with cumulus clouds across
the sky. Three ODR models bank in the near turn during a heat.
Friday, the first official day of the event, we
awoke to light rain with thunderstorms
predicted. We stayed indoors most of the
day, and a few stalwarts ventured out to fly
the gust fronts between thunderstorms. Some
launched long-wing airplanes from bungees
and others flew hand-launched gliders.
The sky cleared Saturday, but the winds
were light. At the 9 a.m. pilots’ meeting the
decision was made to start the Foamie
Combat event on the west side of Airport
Hill.
This is full-contact air combat, flown with
28 MODEL AVIATION
Gavin Smith (Salina KS) launches an EPP-foam Combat wing
during a round in the Foamie Combat match.
Foamie Combat action! A Weasel attacks a Combat Wings XL.
In this contest pilots fly bounceable EPP-foam aircraft and try to
knock their opponents out of the air.
A heat in the Foamie Combat match, flown from the west side of Airport Hill.
February 2006 29
MWSC CD Alden Shipp says he has ideas that will reduce the
effect of poor weather for the 2006 MWSC.
Texan Bruce Shipp, who pilots US Air Force F-15 Eagles as his
day job, launches hard during a heat in Combat.
The author built his 60-inch-span Bell P-63 Kingcobra from a
Leading Edge Gliders kit for the Foamie Warbird Racing class.
Midwest Slope Challenge Major Sponsors
Aerospace Composite Products (www.acp-composites.com)
Balsa USA (www.balsausa.com)
Bob Smith Industries (www.bsiadhesives.com)
Cermark (www.cermark.com)
Combat Wings (www.combatwings.com)
Edge RC (www.edgerc.com)
FMA Direct (www.fmadirect.com)
Hobby Lobby (www.hobby-lobby.com)
Horizon Hobby (www.horizonhobby.com)
Leading Edge Gliders (www.leadingedgegliders.com)
Lone Star Models (www.lonestar-models.com)
Micro Fasteners (www.microfasteners.com)
MidwestSlope.com (www.midwestslope.com)
Nelson Hobby Specialties (www.nelsonhobby.com)
North County Flying Machines (www.northcountyflying
machines.com)
Northeast Sailplane Products (www.nesail.com)
PoleCat Aeroplane Works (www.polecataero.com)
Quiet Flyer magazine (www.quietflyer.com/quiet/)
SkyKing RC Products (www.skykingrcproducts.com)
SoaringUSA.com (www.soaringusa.com)
Stan Vosburg Aviation Art (www.airartnw.com/vosburg.htm)
Tower Hobbies (www.towerhobbies.com)
Windrider Aviation (www.windrider.com.hk)
specialized “bounceable” sailplanes. They are made from tough EPP
foam, which quickly returns to its original size and shape after it’s
struck or crushed. Most times you can crash a Combat Foamie, pick it
up, launch it, and it will fly fine.
Combatants score on opponents by striking their aircraft hard
enough to cause them to “depart from controlled flight.” The attacker
must then fly a loop or a roll to demonstrate that he or she is still in
control before the next encounter. Sometimes two or more airplanes get
entangled and go down, but generally no serious damage results and the
models are launched again to rejoin the fray. The pilot with the most
“kills” wins the heat.
Several 10-minute heats of 12-15 airplanes are flown, and kill points
are accumulated across heats to determine who will fly in the final heat.
Scores are restarted in the final round.
The wind was light when we started and got lighter at intervals
throughout the morning. This made for a tight and close lift zone,
increasing the contact rate. It also made for active aerobic workouts on
the part of spotters who ran down to relaunch fallen aircraft.
One-Design Racing (ODR) was contested Saturday afternoon at a
new site: a tall ridge along the south side of the lake. The ODR
specification was developed by the Torrey Pines Gulls and was
designed to lower the cost of a racing sailplane. Kits for this class are
available in fiberglass and EPP foam.
A course is set up along the ridge, with turn points at each end. Turn
markers are sighting devices which “define a plane” perpendicular to
the length of the racecourse. To complete a lap the aircraft’s nose must
“cross the plane” at both ends of the racecourse.
Far turns are called by a group of four turn judges, or “flaggers.”
Near turns are self-called and verified by near-turn judges, who also
keep the official lap count.
With each pilot is a caller who launches the model, watches for
traffic in the air, and notifies the flier of the far-turn flag signal. At the
start of a race, callers hold up the sailplanes one at a time to identify
them to the far-turn judges.
The models are launched and given roughly 20 seconds to gain
altitude. At an audible signal four airplanes dive onto the course and
start the race. Five laps are flown, and points in each heat are awarded
according to the finishing order. Race winners are determined by
finishing order in the final round.
Lift conditions started light and got lighter throughout the afternoon.
A premium was placed on flying smoothly and efficiently, and later
rounds amounted to an “all-up/last-down” type of contest.
Foamie Warbird Racing and Unlimited Class Racing were not flown
because of light winds Saturday and rain Sunday.
Saturday evening the anticipated “Beef-Eaters Banquet” served
massive quantities of prime rib. Afterward the WOW club gave awards
for the two events completed and held an extensive raffle. We had
generous prize support from our contest sponsors. Please patronize
them when you can.
During the banquet a lifetime achievement award was presented to
Loren Blinde, who was MWSC CD from 1999 to 2004. In attendance
were two AMA representatives: District IX Vice President Mark T.
Smith and District IX Associate Vice President Jerry Tuttle.
30 MODEL AVIATION
MWSC Event Results
Foamie Combat
1. Greg Smith (Milwaukee WI)/Combat Wings XL
2. Gavin Smith (Bavaria KS)/Combat Wings XL
3. Joe Chovan (Syracuse NY)/Windrider EPP BEE
4. Todd Martin (Topeka KS)/Zagi
One-Design Racing
1. Greg Smith (Milwaukee WI)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
2. Joe Chovan (Syracuse NY)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
3. Justin Ammon (Mesa AZ)/Erik Eaton Purple Passion
4. Pat McCleave (Wichita KS)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
We also got to rub elbows and chat with six model manufacturers
and importers: Justin Ammon of Edge RC, Mike Bailey of
MidwestSlope.com, Ed Berris of Sky King RC Products, Jack Cooper
of Leading Edge Gliders, Andreas Mergner of Plane Insane Models
(www.planeinsanemodels.com), and Greg Smith of SlopeFlyer.com.
The WOW club held the traditional brief annual MWSC suggestion
meeting. An idea that made sense is to schedule four official event
days next year, to reduce the chances of bad weather canceling an
event. Pilots would be instructed to be ready each morning with all
their competition sailplanes ready, and the events would be scheduled
at the daily morning pilots’ meetings.
Another excellent idea was to assign one frequency to each pilot for
the entire event, to reduce administrative headaches and lessen the
chances of accidental radio interference during flying. With 60
frequencies available, we have enough channels to do this. Suggestions
were to assign frequencies well in advance and offer pilots who have
registered in previous years their choice of frequency.
A new component of the banquet was an auction of kits and built
sailplanes. It was particularly exciting and entertaining to watch;
auctioneer Kent Palmer has obvious experience at this task. Ten
percent of the proceeds went to the WOW club, so everybody won. I
think we’ll see the auction grow in the future.
As disappointing as the weather for the official events was, Alex and I
had a wonderful time during our trip because of the most excellent lift
conditions and relaxed flying the days before and the days after the
contest, and we got to socialize with old friends and meet new friends.
This was the first time in my eight years at the event that the
scheduled races were bagged on account of unfavorable weather. Al
and I plan to be back for next year’s MWSC.
For more photos of the event visit www.slopeflyer.com. For
more detailed information about this year’s MWSC, and about
next year’s event when it is announced, visit the Leading Edge
Gliders Web site. MA
Dave Garwood
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30
Reservoir, which is 100 miles from the geographic center of the
continental US. There are three reasons why Wilson is one of the top
10 slope-flying sites in the country and why it makes such a
memorable slope-trip destination.
1) The topography around Wilson Lake gives us five or more primo
flying sites overlooking water, supporting ridge lift in five wind
directions.
Flying sites on public land are accessible, thanks to the US Army
Corps of Engineers’ support. Beyond this, local ranchers generously
allow the use of their land, including working pastures, for more flying
sites away from the lake itself. Kansas Soaring pilots report that there
are four flyable reservoirs in the Sunflower State.
2) It’s windy on the prairie, and there are few days when you can’t
fly at least something on the slope. Depending on the weather it may be
light hand-launch and discus-launch gliders, long-wing Scale models,
heavy-wing-loading Power Scale Soaring (PSS) screamers, Foamie
Combat models, or several classes of Slope Racing aircraft.
3) The people we meet in rural Kansas. Lucas is a town of 450, and
they give the visiting slope fliers a warm welcome when we swarm
into town. They have even opened the movie theater and run a special
matinee for us when we have had to wait out a rainy day in years past.
I’ve flown in Kansas at the Midwest Slope Challenge (MWSC)
eight times in the last decade, and I never fail to meet memorable
people who help me understand what life is, or should be.Wilson Lake Kansas
This year a group of fliers walked into Linda’s Café, the sole bar
and grill in town, and found it unusually crowded; nearly all the seats
were taken. Across the room was a man who looked for all the world
like an aging Montana cowboy, sitting at a booth by himself. After one
glance across the room and without a word, he got up and took a seat at
the bar, giving up his booth for a group of visitors he had never met.
I sat with him at the bar and bought our next round as a way to say
thanks. He was a 74-year-old retired farmer, lean as a pole, who looked
like he could certainly run faster and jump higher than I could, with mySLOPE SOARING in Kansas? Yes, particularly at Wilson Lake
Reservoir, which is 100 miles from the geographic center of the
continental US. There are three reasons why Wilson is one of the top
10 slope-flying sites in the country and why it makes such a
memorable slope-trip destination.February 2006 25
Alex Paul launches a DAW foaMe-109 from a hill on the south
side of Wilson Lake on a laid-back flying day after the conclusion
of the MWSC.
Alex Paul (Nassau, Bahamas) carries a well-worn DAW foaMe-109
on a practice day. A DAW Kawafoamie Ki61 is in the foreground.
Both can fly in MWSC Foamie Combat and Foamie Warbird Racing.
View from the near turn looking toward the far turn before an ODR heat. Spotters hold up and
show models to far-turn judges so a flag color can be matched to each sailplane in the heat.
location of the Lincoln Area Soaring
Society’s (LASS, of Nebraska) MWSC for
11 years, and that makes it the longest
continuously running Slope Racing event in
the US.
The 12th MWSC, held June 10-12, 2005, had
a new host: the Wings Over Wilson (WOW)
Soaring club based in Lucas, Kansas. The
event had 51 registered pilots who traveled
from 11 states—as far north as Minnesota, as
far south as Texas, as far west as Colorado,
and as far east as New York. One
noncompetition flier came from Nassau,
Bahamas, technically making it an
international event.
Those who arrived on-site early were fed
and entertained Wednesday evening, June 7,
by Leading Edge Gliders honcho Jack
Cooper. He offered much informal
instructional time covering designing,
building, and finishing EPP-foam warbirds.
Jack’s airplanes look so good and fly so well
that some have a hard time believing they
aren’t fiberglass molded models.
Old flying buddy and overland driving
companion Alex Paul and I arrived at the lake
Tuesday and had flown for three days straight.
Photos by the author
Fiberglass and EPP-foam racers over Wilson Lake during an ODR
heat. The models meet ODR specifications and can be scratchbuilt
or constructed from a kit.
LASS club members Tom Neill and Jim Baker (both of Lincoln
NE) read the air before launching in an ODR heat.
Marley Palmer (Lucas KS) launches an EPP-foam Combat wing
during a round in the Foamie Combat competition.
The far-turn judges (flaggers) in action. The pair of poles act as a
sighting device to define the “infinite plane” that marks one end
of the racecourse.
An ODR model on the course with Wilson Lake in the
background. This class is designed to keep the cost low for a
competitive and fun-to-fly racer.
26 MODEL AVIATION
February 2006 27
ODR models in the far turn on the course. The background shows one of the more
recognizable features at the lake: the Wilson Lake reservoir dam and spillway.
ODR “air boss” Bill McClean (Kansas City
MO) talks via radio to the far-turn judges.
He ran an efficient race.
Alden Shipp’s hunter-killer F4U Corsair
makes its way through a furball of EPPfoam
Combat wings during a practice
session.
Slope Soaring doesn’t get much better than this: a sunny day with cumulus clouds across
the sky. Three ODR models bank in the near turn during a heat.
Friday, the first official day of the event, we
awoke to light rain with thunderstorms
predicted. We stayed indoors most of the
day, and a few stalwarts ventured out to fly
the gust fronts between thunderstorms. Some
launched long-wing airplanes from bungees
and others flew hand-launched gliders.
The sky cleared Saturday, but the winds
were light. At the 9 a.m. pilots’ meeting the
decision was made to start the Foamie
Combat event on the west side of Airport
Hill.
This is full-contact air combat, flown with
28 MODEL AVIATION
Gavin Smith (Salina KS) launches an EPP-foam Combat wing
during a round in the Foamie Combat match.
Foamie Combat action! A Weasel attacks a Combat Wings XL.
In this contest pilots fly bounceable EPP-foam aircraft and try to
knock their opponents out of the air.
A heat in the Foamie Combat match, flown from the west side of Airport Hill.
February 2006 29
MWSC CD Alden Shipp says he has ideas that will reduce the
effect of poor weather for the 2006 MWSC.
Texan Bruce Shipp, who pilots US Air Force F-15 Eagles as his
day job, launches hard during a heat in Combat.
The author built his 60-inch-span Bell P-63 Kingcobra from a
Leading Edge Gliders kit for the Foamie Warbird Racing class.
Midwest Slope Challenge Major Sponsors
Aerospace Composite Products (www.acp-composites.com)
Balsa USA (www.balsausa.com)
Bob Smith Industries (www.bsiadhesives.com)
Cermark (www.cermark.com)
Combat Wings (www.combatwings.com)
Edge RC (www.edgerc.com)
FMA Direct (www.fmadirect.com)
Hobby Lobby (www.hobby-lobby.com)
Horizon Hobby (www.horizonhobby.com)
Leading Edge Gliders (www.leadingedgegliders.com)
Lone Star Models (www.lonestar-models.com)
Micro Fasteners (www.microfasteners.com)
MidwestSlope.com (www.midwestslope.com)
Nelson Hobby Specialties (www.nelsonhobby.com)
North County Flying Machines (www.northcountyflying
machines.com)
Northeast Sailplane Products (www.nesail.com)
PoleCat Aeroplane Works (www.polecataero.com)
Quiet Flyer magazine (www.quietflyer.com/quiet/)
SkyKing RC Products (www.skykingrcproducts.com)
SoaringUSA.com (www.soaringusa.com)
Stan Vosburg Aviation Art (www.airartnw.com/vosburg.htm)
Tower Hobbies (www.towerhobbies.com)
Windrider Aviation (www.windrider.com.hk)
specialized “bounceable” sailplanes. They are made from tough EPP
foam, which quickly returns to its original size and shape after it’s
struck or crushed. Most times you can crash a Combat Foamie, pick it
up, launch it, and it will fly fine.
Combatants score on opponents by striking their aircraft hard
enough to cause them to “depart from controlled flight.” The attacker
must then fly a loop or a roll to demonstrate that he or she is still in
control before the next encounter. Sometimes two or more airplanes get
entangled and go down, but generally no serious damage results and the
models are launched again to rejoin the fray. The pilot with the most
“kills” wins the heat.
Several 10-minute heats of 12-15 airplanes are flown, and kill points
are accumulated across heats to determine who will fly in the final heat.
Scores are restarted in the final round.
The wind was light when we started and got lighter at intervals
throughout the morning. This made for a tight and close lift zone,
increasing the contact rate. It also made for active aerobic workouts on
the part of spotters who ran down to relaunch fallen aircraft.
One-Design Racing (ODR) was contested Saturday afternoon at a
new site: a tall ridge along the south side of the lake. The ODR
specification was developed by the Torrey Pines Gulls and was
designed to lower the cost of a racing sailplane. Kits for this class are
available in fiberglass and EPP foam.
A course is set up along the ridge, with turn points at each end. Turn
markers are sighting devices which “define a plane” perpendicular to
the length of the racecourse. To complete a lap the aircraft’s nose must
“cross the plane” at both ends of the racecourse.
Far turns are called by a group of four turn judges, or “flaggers.”
Near turns are self-called and verified by near-turn judges, who also
keep the official lap count.
With each pilot is a caller who launches the model, watches for
traffic in the air, and notifies the flier of the far-turn flag signal. At the
start of a race, callers hold up the sailplanes one at a time to identify
them to the far-turn judges.
The models are launched and given roughly 20 seconds to gain
altitude. At an audible signal four airplanes dive onto the course and
start the race. Five laps are flown, and points in each heat are awarded
according to the finishing order. Race winners are determined by
finishing order in the final round.
Lift conditions started light and got lighter throughout the afternoon.
A premium was placed on flying smoothly and efficiently, and later
rounds amounted to an “all-up/last-down” type of contest.
Foamie Warbird Racing and Unlimited Class Racing were not flown
because of light winds Saturday and rain Sunday.
Saturday evening the anticipated “Beef-Eaters Banquet” served
massive quantities of prime rib. Afterward the WOW club gave awards
for the two events completed and held an extensive raffle. We had
generous prize support from our contest sponsors. Please patronize
them when you can.
During the banquet a lifetime achievement award was presented to
Loren Blinde, who was MWSC CD from 1999 to 2004. In attendance
were two AMA representatives: District IX Vice President Mark T.
Smith and District IX Associate Vice President Jerry Tuttle.
30 MODEL AVIATION
MWSC Event Results
Foamie Combat
1. Greg Smith (Milwaukee WI)/Combat Wings XL
2. Gavin Smith (Bavaria KS)/Combat Wings XL
3. Joe Chovan (Syracuse NY)/Windrider EPP BEE
4. Todd Martin (Topeka KS)/Zagi
One-Design Racing
1. Greg Smith (Milwaukee WI)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
2. Joe Chovan (Syracuse NY)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
3. Justin Ammon (Mesa AZ)/Erik Eaton Purple Passion
4. Pat McCleave (Wichita KS)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
We also got to rub elbows and chat with six model manufacturers
and importers: Justin Ammon of Edge RC, Mike Bailey of
MidwestSlope.com, Ed Berris of Sky King RC Products, Jack Cooper
of Leading Edge Gliders, Andreas Mergner of Plane Insane Models
(www.planeinsanemodels.com), and Greg Smith of SlopeFlyer.com.
The WOW club held the traditional brief annual MWSC suggestion
meeting. An idea that made sense is to schedule four official event
days next year, to reduce the chances of bad weather canceling an
event. Pilots would be instructed to be ready each morning with all
their competition sailplanes ready, and the events would be scheduled
at the daily morning pilots’ meetings.
Another excellent idea was to assign one frequency to each pilot for
the entire event, to reduce administrative headaches and lessen the
chances of accidental radio interference during flying. With 60
frequencies available, we have enough channels to do this. Suggestions
were to assign frequencies well in advance and offer pilots who have
registered in previous years their choice of frequency.
A new component of the banquet was an auction of kits and built
sailplanes. It was particularly exciting and entertaining to watch;
auctioneer Kent Palmer has obvious experience at this task. Ten
percent of the proceeds went to the WOW club, so everybody won. I
think we’ll see the auction grow in the future.
As disappointing as the weather for the official events was, Alex and I
had a wonderful time during our trip because of the most excellent lift
conditions and relaxed flying the days before and the days after the
contest, and we got to socialize with old friends and meet new friends.
This was the first time in my eight years at the event that the
scheduled races were bagged on account of unfavorable weather. Al
and I plan to be back for next year’s MWSC.
For more photos of the event visit www.slopeflyer.com. For
more detailed information about this year’s MWSC, and about
next year’s event when it is announced, visit the Leading Edge
Gliders Web site. MA
Dave Garwood
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30
Reservoir, which is 100 miles from the geographic center of the
continental US. There are three reasons why Wilson is one of the top
10 slope-flying sites in the country and why it makes such a
memorable slope-trip destination.
1) The topography around Wilson Lake gives us five or more primo
flying sites overlooking water, supporting ridge lift in five wind
directions.
Flying sites on public land are accessible, thanks to the US Army
Corps of Engineers’ support. Beyond this, local ranchers generously
allow the use of their land, including working pastures, for more flying
sites away from the lake itself. Kansas Soaring pilots report that there
are four flyable reservoirs in the Sunflower State.
2) It’s windy on the prairie, and there are few days when you can’t
fly at least something on the slope. Depending on the weather it may be
light hand-launch and discus-launch gliders, long-wing Scale models,
heavy-wing-loading Power Scale Soaring (PSS) screamers, Foamie
Combat models, or several classes of Slope Racing aircraft.
3) The people we meet in rural Kansas. Lucas is a town of 450, and
they give the visiting slope fliers a warm welcome when we swarm
into town. They have even opened the movie theater and run a special
matinee for us when we have had to wait out a rainy day in years past.
I’ve flown in Kansas at the Midwest Slope Challenge (MWSC)
eight times in the last decade, and I never fail to meet memorable
people who help me understand what life is, or should be.Wilson Lake Kansas
This year a group of fliers walked into Linda’s Café, the sole bar
and grill in town, and found it unusually crowded; nearly all the seats
were taken. Across the room was a man who looked for all the world
like an aging Montana cowboy, sitting at a booth by himself. After one
glance across the room and without a word, he got up and took a seat at
the bar, giving up his booth for a group of visitors he had never met.
I sat with him at the bar and bought our next round as a way to say
thanks. He was a 74-year-old retired farmer, lean as a pole, who looked
like he could certainly run faster and jump higher than I could, with mySLOPE SOARING in Kansas? Yes, particularly at Wilson Lake
Reservoir, which is 100 miles from the geographic center of the
continental US. There are three reasons why Wilson is one of the top
10 slope-flying sites in the country and why it makes such a
memorable slope-trip destination.February 2006 25
Alex Paul launches a DAW foaMe-109 from a hill on the south
side of Wilson Lake on a laid-back flying day after the conclusion
of the MWSC.
Alex Paul (Nassau, Bahamas) carries a well-worn DAW foaMe-109
on a practice day. A DAW Kawafoamie Ki61 is in the foreground.
Both can fly in MWSC Foamie Combat and Foamie Warbird Racing.
View from the near turn looking toward the far turn before an ODR heat. Spotters hold up and
show models to far-turn judges so a flag color can be matched to each sailplane in the heat.
location of the Lincoln Area Soaring
Society’s (LASS, of Nebraska) MWSC for
11 years, and that makes it the longest
continuously running Slope Racing event in
the US.
The 12th MWSC, held June 10-12, 2005, had
a new host: the Wings Over Wilson (WOW)
Soaring club based in Lucas, Kansas. The
event had 51 registered pilots who traveled
from 11 states—as far north as Minnesota, as
far south as Texas, as far west as Colorado,
and as far east as New York. One
noncompetition flier came from Nassau,
Bahamas, technically making it an
international event.
Those who arrived on-site early were fed
and entertained Wednesday evening, June 7,
by Leading Edge Gliders honcho Jack
Cooper. He offered much informal
instructional time covering designing,
building, and finishing EPP-foam warbirds.
Jack’s airplanes look so good and fly so well
that some have a hard time believing they
aren’t fiberglass molded models.
Old flying buddy and overland driving
companion Alex Paul and I arrived at the lake
Tuesday and had flown for three days straight.
Photos by the author
Fiberglass and EPP-foam racers over Wilson Lake during an ODR
heat. The models meet ODR specifications and can be scratchbuilt
or constructed from a kit.
LASS club members Tom Neill and Jim Baker (both of Lincoln
NE) read the air before launching in an ODR heat.
Marley Palmer (Lucas KS) launches an EPP-foam Combat wing
during a round in the Foamie Combat competition.
The far-turn judges (flaggers) in action. The pair of poles act as a
sighting device to define the “infinite plane” that marks one end
of the racecourse.
An ODR model on the course with Wilson Lake in the
background. This class is designed to keep the cost low for a
competitive and fun-to-fly racer.
26 MODEL AVIATION
February 2006 27
ODR models in the far turn on the course. The background shows one of the more
recognizable features at the lake: the Wilson Lake reservoir dam and spillway.
ODR “air boss” Bill McClean (Kansas City
MO) talks via radio to the far-turn judges.
He ran an efficient race.
Alden Shipp’s hunter-killer F4U Corsair
makes its way through a furball of EPPfoam
Combat wings during a practice
session.
Slope Soaring doesn’t get much better than this: a sunny day with cumulus clouds across
the sky. Three ODR models bank in the near turn during a heat.
Friday, the first official day of the event, we
awoke to light rain with thunderstorms
predicted. We stayed indoors most of the
day, and a few stalwarts ventured out to fly
the gust fronts between thunderstorms. Some
launched long-wing airplanes from bungees
and others flew hand-launched gliders.
The sky cleared Saturday, but the winds
were light. At the 9 a.m. pilots’ meeting the
decision was made to start the Foamie
Combat event on the west side of Airport
Hill.
This is full-contact air combat, flown with
28 MODEL AVIATION
Gavin Smith (Salina KS) launches an EPP-foam Combat wing
during a round in the Foamie Combat match.
Foamie Combat action! A Weasel attacks a Combat Wings XL.
In this contest pilots fly bounceable EPP-foam aircraft and try to
knock their opponents out of the air.
A heat in the Foamie Combat match, flown from the west side of Airport Hill.
February 2006 29
MWSC CD Alden Shipp says he has ideas that will reduce the
effect of poor weather for the 2006 MWSC.
Texan Bruce Shipp, who pilots US Air Force F-15 Eagles as his
day job, launches hard during a heat in Combat.
The author built his 60-inch-span Bell P-63 Kingcobra from a
Leading Edge Gliders kit for the Foamie Warbird Racing class.
Midwest Slope Challenge Major Sponsors
Aerospace Composite Products (www.acp-composites.com)
Balsa USA (www.balsausa.com)
Bob Smith Industries (www.bsiadhesives.com)
Cermark (www.cermark.com)
Combat Wings (www.combatwings.com)
Edge RC (www.edgerc.com)
FMA Direct (www.fmadirect.com)
Hobby Lobby (www.hobby-lobby.com)
Horizon Hobby (www.horizonhobby.com)
Leading Edge Gliders (www.leadingedgegliders.com)
Lone Star Models (www.lonestar-models.com)
Micro Fasteners (www.microfasteners.com)
MidwestSlope.com (www.midwestslope.com)
Nelson Hobby Specialties (www.nelsonhobby.com)
North County Flying Machines (www.northcountyflying
machines.com)
Northeast Sailplane Products (www.nesail.com)
PoleCat Aeroplane Works (www.polecataero.com)
Quiet Flyer magazine (www.quietflyer.com/quiet/)
SkyKing RC Products (www.skykingrcproducts.com)
SoaringUSA.com (www.soaringusa.com)
Stan Vosburg Aviation Art (www.airartnw.com/vosburg.htm)
Tower Hobbies (www.towerhobbies.com)
Windrider Aviation (www.windrider.com.hk)
specialized “bounceable” sailplanes. They are made from tough EPP
foam, which quickly returns to its original size and shape after it’s
struck or crushed. Most times you can crash a Combat Foamie, pick it
up, launch it, and it will fly fine.
Combatants score on opponents by striking their aircraft hard
enough to cause them to “depart from controlled flight.” The attacker
must then fly a loop or a roll to demonstrate that he or she is still in
control before the next encounter. Sometimes two or more airplanes get
entangled and go down, but generally no serious damage results and the
models are launched again to rejoin the fray. The pilot with the most
“kills” wins the heat.
Several 10-minute heats of 12-15 airplanes are flown, and kill points
are accumulated across heats to determine who will fly in the final heat.
Scores are restarted in the final round.
The wind was light when we started and got lighter at intervals
throughout the morning. This made for a tight and close lift zone,
increasing the contact rate. It also made for active aerobic workouts on
the part of spotters who ran down to relaunch fallen aircraft.
One-Design Racing (ODR) was contested Saturday afternoon at a
new site: a tall ridge along the south side of the lake. The ODR
specification was developed by the Torrey Pines Gulls and was
designed to lower the cost of a racing sailplane. Kits for this class are
available in fiberglass and EPP foam.
A course is set up along the ridge, with turn points at each end. Turn
markers are sighting devices which “define a plane” perpendicular to
the length of the racecourse. To complete a lap the aircraft’s nose must
“cross the plane” at both ends of the racecourse.
Far turns are called by a group of four turn judges, or “flaggers.”
Near turns are self-called and verified by near-turn judges, who also
keep the official lap count.
With each pilot is a caller who launches the model, watches for
traffic in the air, and notifies the flier of the far-turn flag signal. At the
start of a race, callers hold up the sailplanes one at a time to identify
them to the far-turn judges.
The models are launched and given roughly 20 seconds to gain
altitude. At an audible signal four airplanes dive onto the course and
start the race. Five laps are flown, and points in each heat are awarded
according to the finishing order. Race winners are determined by
finishing order in the final round.
Lift conditions started light and got lighter throughout the afternoon.
A premium was placed on flying smoothly and efficiently, and later
rounds amounted to an “all-up/last-down” type of contest.
Foamie Warbird Racing and Unlimited Class Racing were not flown
because of light winds Saturday and rain Sunday.
Saturday evening the anticipated “Beef-Eaters Banquet” served
massive quantities of prime rib. Afterward the WOW club gave awards
for the two events completed and held an extensive raffle. We had
generous prize support from our contest sponsors. Please patronize
them when you can.
During the banquet a lifetime achievement award was presented to
Loren Blinde, who was MWSC CD from 1999 to 2004. In attendance
were two AMA representatives: District IX Vice President Mark T.
Smith and District IX Associate Vice President Jerry Tuttle.
30 MODEL AVIATION
MWSC Event Results
Foamie Combat
1. Greg Smith (Milwaukee WI)/Combat Wings XL
2. Gavin Smith (Bavaria KS)/Combat Wings XL
3. Joe Chovan (Syracuse NY)/Windrider EPP BEE
4. Todd Martin (Topeka KS)/Zagi
One-Design Racing
1. Greg Smith (Milwaukee WI)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
2. Joe Chovan (Syracuse NY)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
3. Justin Ammon (Mesa AZ)/Erik Eaton Purple Passion
4. Pat McCleave (Wichita KS)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
We also got to rub elbows and chat with six model manufacturers
and importers: Justin Ammon of Edge RC, Mike Bailey of
MidwestSlope.com, Ed Berris of Sky King RC Products, Jack Cooper
of Leading Edge Gliders, Andreas Mergner of Plane Insane Models
(www.planeinsanemodels.com), and Greg Smith of SlopeFlyer.com.
The WOW club held the traditional brief annual MWSC suggestion
meeting. An idea that made sense is to schedule four official event
days next year, to reduce the chances of bad weather canceling an
event. Pilots would be instructed to be ready each morning with all
their competition sailplanes ready, and the events would be scheduled
at the daily morning pilots’ meetings.
Another excellent idea was to assign one frequency to each pilot for
the entire event, to reduce administrative headaches and lessen the
chances of accidental radio interference during flying. With 60
frequencies available, we have enough channels to do this. Suggestions
were to assign frequencies well in advance and offer pilots who have
registered in previous years their choice of frequency.
A new component of the banquet was an auction of kits and built
sailplanes. It was particularly exciting and entertaining to watch;
auctioneer Kent Palmer has obvious experience at this task. Ten
percent of the proceeds went to the WOW club, so everybody won. I
think we’ll see the auction grow in the future.
As disappointing as the weather for the official events was, Alex and I
had a wonderful time during our trip because of the most excellent lift
conditions and relaxed flying the days before and the days after the
contest, and we got to socialize with old friends and meet new friends.
This was the first time in my eight years at the event that the
scheduled races were bagged on account of unfavorable weather. Al
and I plan to be back for next year’s MWSC.
For more photos of the event visit www.slopeflyer.com. For
more detailed information about this year’s MWSC, and about
next year’s event when it is announced, visit the Leading Edge
Gliders Web site. MA
Dave Garwood
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30
Reservoir, which is 100 miles from the geographic center of the
continental US. There are three reasons why Wilson is one of the top
10 slope-flying sites in the country and why it makes such a
memorable slope-trip destination.
1) The topography around Wilson Lake gives us five or more primo
flying sites overlooking water, supporting ridge lift in five wind
directions.
Flying sites on public land are accessible, thanks to the US Army
Corps of Engineers’ support. Beyond this, local ranchers generously
allow the use of their land, including working pastures, for more flying
sites away from the lake itself. Kansas Soaring pilots report that there
are four flyable reservoirs in the Sunflower State.
2) It’s windy on the prairie, and there are few days when you can’t
fly at least something on the slope. Depending on the weather it may be
light hand-launch and discus-launch gliders, long-wing Scale models,
heavy-wing-loading Power Scale Soaring (PSS) screamers, Foamie
Combat models, or several classes of Slope Racing aircraft.
3) The people we meet in rural Kansas. Lucas is a town of 450, and
they give the visiting slope fliers a warm welcome when we swarm
into town. They have even opened the movie theater and run a special
matinee for us when we have had to wait out a rainy day in years past.
I’ve flown in Kansas at the Midwest Slope Challenge (MWSC)
eight times in the last decade, and I never fail to meet memorable
people who help me understand what life is, or should be.Wilson Lake Kansas
This year a group of fliers walked into Linda’s Café, the sole bar
and grill in town, and found it unusually crowded; nearly all the seats
were taken. Across the room was a man who looked for all the world
like an aging Montana cowboy, sitting at a booth by himself. After one
glance across the room and without a word, he got up and took a seat at
the bar, giving up his booth for a group of visitors he had never met.
I sat with him at the bar and bought our next round as a way to say
thanks. He was a 74-year-old retired farmer, lean as a pole, who looked
like he could certainly run faster and jump higher than I could, with mySLOPE SOARING in Kansas? Yes, particularly at Wilson Lake
Reservoir, which is 100 miles from the geographic center of the
continental US. There are three reasons why Wilson is one of the top
10 slope-flying sites in the country and why it makes such a
memorable slope-trip destination.February 2006 25
Alex Paul launches a DAW foaMe-109 from a hill on the south
side of Wilson Lake on a laid-back flying day after the conclusion
of the MWSC.
Alex Paul (Nassau, Bahamas) carries a well-worn DAW foaMe-109
on a practice day. A DAW Kawafoamie Ki61 is in the foreground.
Both can fly in MWSC Foamie Combat and Foamie Warbird Racing.
View from the near turn looking toward the far turn before an ODR heat. Spotters hold up and
show models to far-turn judges so a flag color can be matched to each sailplane in the heat.
location of the Lincoln Area Soaring
Society’s (LASS, of Nebraska) MWSC for
11 years, and that makes it the longest
continuously running Slope Racing event in
the US.
The 12th MWSC, held June 10-12, 2005, had
a new host: the Wings Over Wilson (WOW)
Soaring club based in Lucas, Kansas. The
event had 51 registered pilots who traveled
from 11 states—as far north as Minnesota, as
far south as Texas, as far west as Colorado,
and as far east as New York. One
noncompetition flier came from Nassau,
Bahamas, technically making it an
international event.
Those who arrived on-site early were fed
and entertained Wednesday evening, June 7,
by Leading Edge Gliders honcho Jack
Cooper. He offered much informal
instructional time covering designing,
building, and finishing EPP-foam warbirds.
Jack’s airplanes look so good and fly so well
that some have a hard time believing they
aren’t fiberglass molded models.
Old flying buddy and overland driving
companion Alex Paul and I arrived at the lake
Tuesday and had flown for three days straight.
Photos by the author
Fiberglass and EPP-foam racers over Wilson Lake during an ODR
heat. The models meet ODR specifications and can be scratchbuilt
or constructed from a kit.
LASS club members Tom Neill and Jim Baker (both of Lincoln
NE) read the air before launching in an ODR heat.
Marley Palmer (Lucas KS) launches an EPP-foam Combat wing
during a round in the Foamie Combat competition.
The far-turn judges (flaggers) in action. The pair of poles act as a
sighting device to define the “infinite plane” that marks one end
of the racecourse.
An ODR model on the course with Wilson Lake in the
background. This class is designed to keep the cost low for a
competitive and fun-to-fly racer.
26 MODEL AVIATION
February 2006 27
ODR models in the far turn on the course. The background shows one of the more
recognizable features at the lake: the Wilson Lake reservoir dam and spillway.
ODR “air boss” Bill McClean (Kansas City
MO) talks via radio to the far-turn judges.
He ran an efficient race.
Alden Shipp’s hunter-killer F4U Corsair
makes its way through a furball of EPPfoam
Combat wings during a practice
session.
Slope Soaring doesn’t get much better than this: a sunny day with cumulus clouds across
the sky. Three ODR models bank in the near turn during a heat.
Friday, the first official day of the event, we
awoke to light rain with thunderstorms
predicted. We stayed indoors most of the
day, and a few stalwarts ventured out to fly
the gust fronts between thunderstorms. Some
launched long-wing airplanes from bungees
and others flew hand-launched gliders.
The sky cleared Saturday, but the winds
were light. At the 9 a.m. pilots’ meeting the
decision was made to start the Foamie
Combat event on the west side of Airport
Hill.
This is full-contact air combat, flown with
28 MODEL AVIATION
Gavin Smith (Salina KS) launches an EPP-foam Combat wing
during a round in the Foamie Combat match.
Foamie Combat action! A Weasel attacks a Combat Wings XL.
In this contest pilots fly bounceable EPP-foam aircraft and try to
knock their opponents out of the air.
A heat in the Foamie Combat match, flown from the west side of Airport Hill.
February 2006 29
MWSC CD Alden Shipp says he has ideas that will reduce the
effect of poor weather for the 2006 MWSC.
Texan Bruce Shipp, who pilots US Air Force F-15 Eagles as his
day job, launches hard during a heat in Combat.
The author built his 60-inch-span Bell P-63 Kingcobra from a
Leading Edge Gliders kit for the Foamie Warbird Racing class.
Midwest Slope Challenge Major Sponsors
Aerospace Composite Products (www.acp-composites.com)
Balsa USA (www.balsausa.com)
Bob Smith Industries (www.bsiadhesives.com)
Cermark (www.cermark.com)
Combat Wings (www.combatwings.com)
Edge RC (www.edgerc.com)
FMA Direct (www.fmadirect.com)
Hobby Lobby (www.hobby-lobby.com)
Horizon Hobby (www.horizonhobby.com)
Leading Edge Gliders (www.leadingedgegliders.com)
Lone Star Models (www.lonestar-models.com)
Micro Fasteners (www.microfasteners.com)
MidwestSlope.com (www.midwestslope.com)
Nelson Hobby Specialties (www.nelsonhobby.com)
North County Flying Machines (www.northcountyflying
machines.com)
Northeast Sailplane Products (www.nesail.com)
PoleCat Aeroplane Works (www.polecataero.com)
Quiet Flyer magazine (www.quietflyer.com/quiet/)
SkyKing RC Products (www.skykingrcproducts.com)
SoaringUSA.com (www.soaringusa.com)
Stan Vosburg Aviation Art (www.airartnw.com/vosburg.htm)
Tower Hobbies (www.towerhobbies.com)
Windrider Aviation (www.windrider.com.hk)
specialized “bounceable” sailplanes. They are made from tough EPP
foam, which quickly returns to its original size and shape after it’s
struck or crushed. Most times you can crash a Combat Foamie, pick it
up, launch it, and it will fly fine.
Combatants score on opponents by striking their aircraft hard
enough to cause them to “depart from controlled flight.” The attacker
must then fly a loop or a roll to demonstrate that he or she is still in
control before the next encounter. Sometimes two or more airplanes get
entangled and go down, but generally no serious damage results and the
models are launched again to rejoin the fray. The pilot with the most
“kills” wins the heat.
Several 10-minute heats of 12-15 airplanes are flown, and kill points
are accumulated across heats to determine who will fly in the final heat.
Scores are restarted in the final round.
The wind was light when we started and got lighter at intervals
throughout the morning. This made for a tight and close lift zone,
increasing the contact rate. It also made for active aerobic workouts on
the part of spotters who ran down to relaunch fallen aircraft.
One-Design Racing (ODR) was contested Saturday afternoon at a
new site: a tall ridge along the south side of the lake. The ODR
specification was developed by the Torrey Pines Gulls and was
designed to lower the cost of a racing sailplane. Kits for this class are
available in fiberglass and EPP foam.
A course is set up along the ridge, with turn points at each end. Turn
markers are sighting devices which “define a plane” perpendicular to
the length of the racecourse. To complete a lap the aircraft’s nose must
“cross the plane” at both ends of the racecourse.
Far turns are called by a group of four turn judges, or “flaggers.”
Near turns are self-called and verified by near-turn judges, who also
keep the official lap count.
With each pilot is a caller who launches the model, watches for
traffic in the air, and notifies the flier of the far-turn flag signal. At the
start of a race, callers hold up the sailplanes one at a time to identify
them to the far-turn judges.
The models are launched and given roughly 20 seconds to gain
altitude. At an audible signal four airplanes dive onto the course and
start the race. Five laps are flown, and points in each heat are awarded
according to the finishing order. Race winners are determined by
finishing order in the final round.
Lift conditions started light and got lighter throughout the afternoon.
A premium was placed on flying smoothly and efficiently, and later
rounds amounted to an “all-up/last-down” type of contest.
Foamie Warbird Racing and Unlimited Class Racing were not flown
because of light winds Saturday and rain Sunday.
Saturday evening the anticipated “Beef-Eaters Banquet” served
massive quantities of prime rib. Afterward the WOW club gave awards
for the two events completed and held an extensive raffle. We had
generous prize support from our contest sponsors. Please patronize
them when you can.
During the banquet a lifetime achievement award was presented to
Loren Blinde, who was MWSC CD from 1999 to 2004. In attendance
were two AMA representatives: District IX Vice President Mark T.
Smith and District IX Associate Vice President Jerry Tuttle.
30 MODEL AVIATION
MWSC Event Results
Foamie Combat
1. Greg Smith (Milwaukee WI)/Combat Wings XL
2. Gavin Smith (Bavaria KS)/Combat Wings XL
3. Joe Chovan (Syracuse NY)/Windrider EPP BEE
4. Todd Martin (Topeka KS)/Zagi
One-Design Racing
1. Greg Smith (Milwaukee WI)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
2. Joe Chovan (Syracuse NY)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
3. Justin Ammon (Mesa AZ)/Erik Eaton Purple Passion
4. Pat McCleave (Wichita KS)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
We also got to rub elbows and chat with six model manufacturers
and importers: Justin Ammon of Edge RC, Mike Bailey of
MidwestSlope.com, Ed Berris of Sky King RC Products, Jack Cooper
of Leading Edge Gliders, Andreas Mergner of Plane Insane Models
(www.planeinsanemodels.com), and Greg Smith of SlopeFlyer.com.
The WOW club held the traditional brief annual MWSC suggestion
meeting. An idea that made sense is to schedule four official event
days next year, to reduce the chances of bad weather canceling an
event. Pilots would be instructed to be ready each morning with all
their competition sailplanes ready, and the events would be scheduled
at the daily morning pilots’ meetings.
Another excellent idea was to assign one frequency to each pilot for
the entire event, to reduce administrative headaches and lessen the
chances of accidental radio interference during flying. With 60
frequencies available, we have enough channels to do this. Suggestions
were to assign frequencies well in advance and offer pilots who have
registered in previous years their choice of frequency.
A new component of the banquet was an auction of kits and built
sailplanes. It was particularly exciting and entertaining to watch;
auctioneer Kent Palmer has obvious experience at this task. Ten
percent of the proceeds went to the WOW club, so everybody won. I
think we’ll see the auction grow in the future.
As disappointing as the weather for the official events was, Alex and I
had a wonderful time during our trip because of the most excellent lift
conditions and relaxed flying the days before and the days after the
contest, and we got to socialize with old friends and meet new friends.
This was the first time in my eight years at the event that the
scheduled races were bagged on account of unfavorable weather. Al
and I plan to be back for next year’s MWSC.
For more photos of the event visit www.slopeflyer.com. For
more detailed information about this year’s MWSC, and about
next year’s event when it is announced, visit the Leading Edge
Gliders Web site. MA
Dave Garwood
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30
Reservoir, which is 100 miles from the geographic center of the
continental US. There are three reasons why Wilson is one of the top
10 slope-flying sites in the country and why it makes such a
memorable slope-trip destination.
1) The topography around Wilson Lake gives us five or more primo
flying sites overlooking water, supporting ridge lift in five wind
directions.
Flying sites on public land are accessible, thanks to the US Army
Corps of Engineers’ support. Beyond this, local ranchers generously
allow the use of their land, including working pastures, for more flying
sites away from the lake itself. Kansas Soaring pilots report that there
are four flyable reservoirs in the Sunflower State.
2) It’s windy on the prairie, and there are few days when you can’t
fly at least something on the slope. Depending on the weather it may be
light hand-launch and discus-launch gliders, long-wing Scale models,
heavy-wing-loading Power Scale Soaring (PSS) screamers, Foamie
Combat models, or several classes of Slope Racing aircraft.
3) The people we meet in rural Kansas. Lucas is a town of 450, and
they give the visiting slope fliers a warm welcome when we swarm
into town. They have even opened the movie theater and run a special
matinee for us when we have had to wait out a rainy day in years past.
I’ve flown in Kansas at the Midwest Slope Challenge (MWSC)
eight times in the last decade, and I never fail to meet memorable
people who help me understand what life is, or should be.Wilson Lake Kansas
This year a group of fliers walked into Linda’s Café, the sole bar
and grill in town, and found it unusually crowded; nearly all the seats
were taken. Across the room was a man who looked for all the world
like an aging Montana cowboy, sitting at a booth by himself. After one
glance across the room and without a word, he got up and took a seat at
the bar, giving up his booth for a group of visitors he had never met.
I sat with him at the bar and bought our next round as a way to say
thanks. He was a 74-year-old retired farmer, lean as a pole, who looked
like he could certainly run faster and jump higher than I could, with mySLOPE SOARING in Kansas? Yes, particularly at Wilson Lake
Reservoir, which is 100 miles from the geographic center of the
continental US. There are three reasons why Wilson is one of the top
10 slope-flying sites in the country and why it makes such a
memorable slope-trip destination.February 2006 25
Alex Paul launches a DAW foaMe-109 from a hill on the south
side of Wilson Lake on a laid-back flying day after the conclusion
of the MWSC.
Alex Paul (Nassau, Bahamas) carries a well-worn DAW foaMe-109
on a practice day. A DAW Kawafoamie Ki61 is in the foreground.
Both can fly in MWSC Foamie Combat and Foamie Warbird Racing.
View from the near turn looking toward the far turn before an ODR heat. Spotters hold up and
show models to far-turn judges so a flag color can be matched to each sailplane in the heat.
location of the Lincoln Area Soaring
Society’s (LASS, of Nebraska) MWSC for
11 years, and that makes it the longest
continuously running Slope Racing event in
the US.
The 12th MWSC, held June 10-12, 2005, had
a new host: the Wings Over Wilson (WOW)
Soaring club based in Lucas, Kansas. The
event had 51 registered pilots who traveled
from 11 states—as far north as Minnesota, as
far south as Texas, as far west as Colorado,
and as far east as New York. One
noncompetition flier came from Nassau,
Bahamas, technically making it an
international event.
Those who arrived on-site early were fed
and entertained Wednesday evening, June 7,
by Leading Edge Gliders honcho Jack
Cooper. He offered much informal
instructional time covering designing,
building, and finishing EPP-foam warbirds.
Jack’s airplanes look so good and fly so well
that some have a hard time believing they
aren’t fiberglass molded models.
Old flying buddy and overland driving
companion Alex Paul and I arrived at the lake
Tuesday and had flown for three days straight.
Photos by the author
Fiberglass and EPP-foam racers over Wilson Lake during an ODR
heat. The models meet ODR specifications and can be scratchbuilt
or constructed from a kit.
LASS club members Tom Neill and Jim Baker (both of Lincoln
NE) read the air before launching in an ODR heat.
Marley Palmer (Lucas KS) launches an EPP-foam Combat wing
during a round in the Foamie Combat competition.
The far-turn judges (flaggers) in action. The pair of poles act as a
sighting device to define the “infinite plane” that marks one end
of the racecourse.
An ODR model on the course with Wilson Lake in the
background. This class is designed to keep the cost low for a
competitive and fun-to-fly racer.
26 MODEL AVIATION
February 2006 27
ODR models in the far turn on the course. The background shows one of the more
recognizable features at the lake: the Wilson Lake reservoir dam and spillway.
ODR “air boss” Bill McClean (Kansas City
MO) talks via radio to the far-turn judges.
He ran an efficient race.
Alden Shipp’s hunter-killer F4U Corsair
makes its way through a furball of EPPfoam
Combat wings during a practice
session.
Slope Soaring doesn’t get much better than this: a sunny day with cumulus clouds across
the sky. Three ODR models bank in the near turn during a heat.
Friday, the first official day of the event, we
awoke to light rain with thunderstorms
predicted. We stayed indoors most of the
day, and a few stalwarts ventured out to fly
the gust fronts between thunderstorms. Some
launched long-wing airplanes from bungees
and others flew hand-launched gliders.
The sky cleared Saturday, but the winds
were light. At the 9 a.m. pilots’ meeting the
decision was made to start the Foamie
Combat event on the west side of Airport
Hill.
This is full-contact air combat, flown with
28 MODEL AVIATION
Gavin Smith (Salina KS) launches an EPP-foam Combat wing
during a round in the Foamie Combat match.
Foamie Combat action! A Weasel attacks a Combat Wings XL.
In this contest pilots fly bounceable EPP-foam aircraft and try to
knock their opponents out of the air.
A heat in the Foamie Combat match, flown from the west side of Airport Hill.
February 2006 29
MWSC CD Alden Shipp says he has ideas that will reduce the
effect of poor weather for the 2006 MWSC.
Texan Bruce Shipp, who pilots US Air Force F-15 Eagles as his
day job, launches hard during a heat in Combat.
The author built his 60-inch-span Bell P-63 Kingcobra from a
Leading Edge Gliders kit for the Foamie Warbird Racing class.
Midwest Slope Challenge Major Sponsors
Aerospace Composite Products (www.acp-composites.com)
Balsa USA (www.balsausa.com)
Bob Smith Industries (www.bsiadhesives.com)
Cermark (www.cermark.com)
Combat Wings (www.combatwings.com)
Edge RC (www.edgerc.com)
FMA Direct (www.fmadirect.com)
Hobby Lobby (www.hobby-lobby.com)
Horizon Hobby (www.horizonhobby.com)
Leading Edge Gliders (www.leadingedgegliders.com)
Lone Star Models (www.lonestar-models.com)
Micro Fasteners (www.microfasteners.com)
MidwestSlope.com (www.midwestslope.com)
Nelson Hobby Specialties (www.nelsonhobby.com)
North County Flying Machines (www.northcountyflying
machines.com)
Northeast Sailplane Products (www.nesail.com)
PoleCat Aeroplane Works (www.polecataero.com)
Quiet Flyer magazine (www.quietflyer.com/quiet/)
SkyKing RC Products (www.skykingrcproducts.com)
SoaringUSA.com (www.soaringusa.com)
Stan Vosburg Aviation Art (www.airartnw.com/vosburg.htm)
Tower Hobbies (www.towerhobbies.com)
Windrider Aviation (www.windrider.com.hk)
specialized “bounceable” sailplanes. They are made from tough EPP
foam, which quickly returns to its original size and shape after it’s
struck or crushed. Most times you can crash a Combat Foamie, pick it
up, launch it, and it will fly fine.
Combatants score on opponents by striking their aircraft hard
enough to cause them to “depart from controlled flight.” The attacker
must then fly a loop or a roll to demonstrate that he or she is still in
control before the next encounter. Sometimes two or more airplanes get
entangled and go down, but generally no serious damage results and the
models are launched again to rejoin the fray. The pilot with the most
“kills” wins the heat.
Several 10-minute heats of 12-15 airplanes are flown, and kill points
are accumulated across heats to determine who will fly in the final heat.
Scores are restarted in the final round.
The wind was light when we started and got lighter at intervals
throughout the morning. This made for a tight and close lift zone,
increasing the contact rate. It also made for active aerobic workouts on
the part of spotters who ran down to relaunch fallen aircraft.
One-Design Racing (ODR) was contested Saturday afternoon at a
new site: a tall ridge along the south side of the lake. The ODR
specification was developed by the Torrey Pines Gulls and was
designed to lower the cost of a racing sailplane. Kits for this class are
available in fiberglass and EPP foam.
A course is set up along the ridge, with turn points at each end. Turn
markers are sighting devices which “define a plane” perpendicular to
the length of the racecourse. To complete a lap the aircraft’s nose must
“cross the plane” at both ends of the racecourse.
Far turns are called by a group of four turn judges, or “flaggers.”
Near turns are self-called and verified by near-turn judges, who also
keep the official lap count.
With each pilot is a caller who launches the model, watches for
traffic in the air, and notifies the flier of the far-turn flag signal. At the
start of a race, callers hold up the sailplanes one at a time to identify
them to the far-turn judges.
The models are launched and given roughly 20 seconds to gain
altitude. At an audible signal four airplanes dive onto the course and
start the race. Five laps are flown, and points in each heat are awarded
according to the finishing order. Race winners are determined by
finishing order in the final round.
Lift conditions started light and got lighter throughout the afternoon.
A premium was placed on flying smoothly and efficiently, and later
rounds amounted to an “all-up/last-down” type of contest.
Foamie Warbird Racing and Unlimited Class Racing were not flown
because of light winds Saturday and rain Sunday.
Saturday evening the anticipated “Beef-Eaters Banquet” served
massive quantities of prime rib. Afterward the WOW club gave awards
for the two events completed and held an extensive raffle. We had
generous prize support from our contest sponsors. Please patronize
them when you can.
During the banquet a lifetime achievement award was presented to
Loren Blinde, who was MWSC CD from 1999 to 2004. In attendance
were two AMA representatives: District IX Vice President Mark T.
Smith and District IX Associate Vice President Jerry Tuttle.
30 MODEL AVIATION
MWSC Event Results
Foamie Combat
1. Greg Smith (Milwaukee WI)/Combat Wings XL
2. Gavin Smith (Bavaria KS)/Combat Wings XL
3. Joe Chovan (Syracuse NY)/Windrider EPP BEE
4. Todd Martin (Topeka KS)/Zagi
One-Design Racing
1. Greg Smith (Milwaukee WI)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
2. Joe Chovan (Syracuse NY)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
3. Justin Ammon (Mesa AZ)/Erik Eaton Purple Passion
4. Pat McCleave (Wichita KS)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
We also got to rub elbows and chat with six model manufacturers
and importers: Justin Ammon of Edge RC, Mike Bailey of
MidwestSlope.com, Ed Berris of Sky King RC Products, Jack Cooper
of Leading Edge Gliders, Andreas Mergner of Plane Insane Models
(www.planeinsanemodels.com), and Greg Smith of SlopeFlyer.com.
The WOW club held the traditional brief annual MWSC suggestion
meeting. An idea that made sense is to schedule four official event
days next year, to reduce the chances of bad weather canceling an
event. Pilots would be instructed to be ready each morning with all
their competition sailplanes ready, and the events would be scheduled
at the daily morning pilots’ meetings.
Another excellent idea was to assign one frequency to each pilot for
the entire event, to reduce administrative headaches and lessen the
chances of accidental radio interference during flying. With 60
frequencies available, we have enough channels to do this. Suggestions
were to assign frequencies well in advance and offer pilots who have
registered in previous years their choice of frequency.
A new component of the banquet was an auction of kits and built
sailplanes. It was particularly exciting and entertaining to watch;
auctioneer Kent Palmer has obvious experience at this task. Ten
percent of the proceeds went to the WOW club, so everybody won. I
think we’ll see the auction grow in the future.
As disappointing as the weather for the official events was, Alex and I
had a wonderful time during our trip because of the most excellent lift
conditions and relaxed flying the days before and the days after the
contest, and we got to socialize with old friends and meet new friends.
This was the first time in my eight years at the event that the
scheduled races were bagged on account of unfavorable weather. Al
and I plan to be back for next year’s MWSC.
For more photos of the event visit www.slopeflyer.com. For
more detailed information about this year’s MWSC, and about
next year’s event when it is announced, visit the Leading Edge
Gliders Web site. MA
Dave Garwood
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30
Reservoir, which is 100 miles from the geographic center of the
continental US. There are three reasons why Wilson is one of the top
10 slope-flying sites in the country and why it makes such a
memorable slope-trip destination.
1) The topography around Wilson Lake gives us five or more primo
flying sites overlooking water, supporting ridge lift in five wind
directions.
Flying sites on public land are accessible, thanks to the US Army
Corps of Engineers’ support. Beyond this, local ranchers generously
allow the use of their land, including working pastures, for more flying
sites away from the lake itself. Kansas Soaring pilots report that there
are four flyable reservoirs in the Sunflower State.
2) It’s windy on the prairie, and there are few days when you can’t
fly at least something on the slope. Depending on the weather it may be
light hand-launch and discus-launch gliders, long-wing Scale models,
heavy-wing-loading Power Scale Soaring (PSS) screamers, Foamie
Combat models, or several classes of Slope Racing aircraft.
3) The people we meet in rural Kansas. Lucas is a town of 450, and
they give the visiting slope fliers a warm welcome when we swarm
into town. They have even opened the movie theater and run a special
matinee for us when we have had to wait out a rainy day in years past.
I’ve flown in Kansas at the Midwest Slope Challenge (MWSC)
eight times in the last decade, and I never fail to meet memorable
people who help me understand what life is, or should be.Wilson Lake Kansas
This year a group of fliers walked into Linda’s Café, the sole bar
and grill in town, and found it unusually crowded; nearly all the seats
were taken. Across the room was a man who looked for all the world
like an aging Montana cowboy, sitting at a booth by himself. After one
glance across the room and without a word, he got up and took a seat at
the bar, giving up his booth for a group of visitors he had never met.
I sat with him at the bar and bought our next round as a way to say
thanks. He was a 74-year-old retired farmer, lean as a pole, who looked
like he could certainly run faster and jump higher than I could, with mySLOPE SOARING in Kansas? Yes, particularly at Wilson Lake
Reservoir, which is 100 miles from the geographic center of the
continental US. There are three reasons why Wilson is one of the top
10 slope-flying sites in the country and why it makes such a
memorable slope-trip destination.February 2006 25
Alex Paul launches a DAW foaMe-109 from a hill on the south
side of Wilson Lake on a laid-back flying day after the conclusion
of the MWSC.
Alex Paul (Nassau, Bahamas) carries a well-worn DAW foaMe-109
on a practice day. A DAW Kawafoamie Ki61 is in the foreground.
Both can fly in MWSC Foamie Combat and Foamie Warbird Racing.
View from the near turn looking toward the far turn before an ODR heat. Spotters hold up and
show models to far-turn judges so a flag color can be matched to each sailplane in the heat.
location of the Lincoln Area Soaring
Society’s (LASS, of Nebraska) MWSC for
11 years, and that makes it the longest
continuously running Slope Racing event in
the US.
The 12th MWSC, held June 10-12, 2005, had
a new host: the Wings Over Wilson (WOW)
Soaring club based in Lucas, Kansas. The
event had 51 registered pilots who traveled
from 11 states—as far north as Minnesota, as
far south as Texas, as far west as Colorado,
and as far east as New York. One
noncompetition flier came from Nassau,
Bahamas, technically making it an
international event.
Those who arrived on-site early were fed
and entertained Wednesday evening, June 7,
by Leading Edge Gliders honcho Jack
Cooper. He offered much informal
instructional time covering designing,
building, and finishing EPP-foam warbirds.
Jack’s airplanes look so good and fly so well
that some have a hard time believing they
aren’t fiberglass molded models.
Old flying buddy and overland driving
companion Alex Paul and I arrived at the lake
Tuesday and had flown for three days straight.
Photos by the author
Fiberglass and EPP-foam racers over Wilson Lake during an ODR
heat. The models meet ODR specifications and can be scratchbuilt
or constructed from a kit.
LASS club members Tom Neill and Jim Baker (both of Lincoln
NE) read the air before launching in an ODR heat.
Marley Palmer (Lucas KS) launches an EPP-foam Combat wing
during a round in the Foamie Combat competition.
The far-turn judges (flaggers) in action. The pair of poles act as a
sighting device to define the “infinite plane” that marks one end
of the racecourse.
An ODR model on the course with Wilson Lake in the
background. This class is designed to keep the cost low for a
competitive and fun-to-fly racer.
26 MODEL AVIATION
February 2006 27
ODR models in the far turn on the course. The background shows one of the more
recognizable features at the lake: the Wilson Lake reservoir dam and spillway.
ODR “air boss” Bill McClean (Kansas City
MO) talks via radio to the far-turn judges.
He ran an efficient race.
Alden Shipp’s hunter-killer F4U Corsair
makes its way through a furball of EPPfoam
Combat wings during a practice
session.
Slope Soaring doesn’t get much better than this: a sunny day with cumulus clouds across
the sky. Three ODR models bank in the near turn during a heat.
Friday, the first official day of the event, we
awoke to light rain with thunderstorms
predicted. We stayed indoors most of the
day, and a few stalwarts ventured out to fly
the gust fronts between thunderstorms. Some
launched long-wing airplanes from bungees
and others flew hand-launched gliders.
The sky cleared Saturday, but the winds
were light. At the 9 a.m. pilots’ meeting the
decision was made to start the Foamie
Combat event on the west side of Airport
Hill.
This is full-contact air combat, flown with
28 MODEL AVIATION
Gavin Smith (Salina KS) launches an EPP-foam Combat wing
during a round in the Foamie Combat match.
Foamie Combat action! A Weasel attacks a Combat Wings XL.
In this contest pilots fly bounceable EPP-foam aircraft and try to
knock their opponents out of the air.
A heat in the Foamie Combat match, flown from the west side of Airport Hill.
February 2006 29
MWSC CD Alden Shipp says he has ideas that will reduce the
effect of poor weather for the 2006 MWSC.
Texan Bruce Shipp, who pilots US Air Force F-15 Eagles as his
day job, launches hard during a heat in Combat.
The author built his 60-inch-span Bell P-63 Kingcobra from a
Leading Edge Gliders kit for the Foamie Warbird Racing class.
Midwest Slope Challenge Major Sponsors
Aerospace Composite Products (www.acp-composites.com)
Balsa USA (www.balsausa.com)
Bob Smith Industries (www.bsiadhesives.com)
Cermark (www.cermark.com)
Combat Wings (www.combatwings.com)
Edge RC (www.edgerc.com)
FMA Direct (www.fmadirect.com)
Hobby Lobby (www.hobby-lobby.com)
Horizon Hobby (www.horizonhobby.com)
Leading Edge Gliders (www.leadingedgegliders.com)
Lone Star Models (www.lonestar-models.com)
Micro Fasteners (www.microfasteners.com)
MidwestSlope.com (www.midwestslope.com)
Nelson Hobby Specialties (www.nelsonhobby.com)
North County Flying Machines (www.northcountyflying
machines.com)
Northeast Sailplane Products (www.nesail.com)
PoleCat Aeroplane Works (www.polecataero.com)
Quiet Flyer magazine (www.quietflyer.com/quiet/)
SkyKing RC Products (www.skykingrcproducts.com)
SoaringUSA.com (www.soaringusa.com)
Stan Vosburg Aviation Art (www.airartnw.com/vosburg.htm)
Tower Hobbies (www.towerhobbies.com)
Windrider Aviation (www.windrider.com.hk)
specialized “bounceable” sailplanes. They are made from tough EPP
foam, which quickly returns to its original size and shape after it’s
struck or crushed. Most times you can crash a Combat Foamie, pick it
up, launch it, and it will fly fine.
Combatants score on opponents by striking their aircraft hard
enough to cause them to “depart from controlled flight.” The attacker
must then fly a loop or a roll to demonstrate that he or she is still in
control before the next encounter. Sometimes two or more airplanes get
entangled and go down, but generally no serious damage results and the
models are launched again to rejoin the fray. The pilot with the most
“kills” wins the heat.
Several 10-minute heats of 12-15 airplanes are flown, and kill points
are accumulated across heats to determine who will fly in the final heat.
Scores are restarted in the final round.
The wind was light when we started and got lighter at intervals
throughout the morning. This made for a tight and close lift zone,
increasing the contact rate. It also made for active aerobic workouts on
the part of spotters who ran down to relaunch fallen aircraft.
One-Design Racing (ODR) was contested Saturday afternoon at a
new site: a tall ridge along the south side of the lake. The ODR
specification was developed by the Torrey Pines Gulls and was
designed to lower the cost of a racing sailplane. Kits for this class are
available in fiberglass and EPP foam.
A course is set up along the ridge, with turn points at each end. Turn
markers are sighting devices which “define a plane” perpendicular to
the length of the racecourse. To complete a lap the aircraft’s nose must
“cross the plane” at both ends of the racecourse.
Far turns are called by a group of four turn judges, or “flaggers.”
Near turns are self-called and verified by near-turn judges, who also
keep the official lap count.
With each pilot is a caller who launches the model, watches for
traffic in the air, and notifies the flier of the far-turn flag signal. At the
start of a race, callers hold up the sailplanes one at a time to identify
them to the far-turn judges.
The models are launched and given roughly 20 seconds to gain
altitude. At an audible signal four airplanes dive onto the course and
start the race. Five laps are flown, and points in each heat are awarded
according to the finishing order. Race winners are determined by
finishing order in the final round.
Lift conditions started light and got lighter throughout the afternoon.
A premium was placed on flying smoothly and efficiently, and later
rounds amounted to an “all-up/last-down” type of contest.
Foamie Warbird Racing and Unlimited Class Racing were not flown
because of light winds Saturday and rain Sunday.
Saturday evening the anticipated “Beef-Eaters Banquet” served
massive quantities of prime rib. Afterward the WOW club gave awards
for the two events completed and held an extensive raffle. We had
generous prize support from our contest sponsors. Please patronize
them when you can.
During the banquet a lifetime achievement award was presented to
Loren Blinde, who was MWSC CD from 1999 to 2004. In attendance
were two AMA representatives: District IX Vice President Mark T.
Smith and District IX Associate Vice President Jerry Tuttle.
30 MODEL AVIATION
MWSC Event Results
Foamie Combat
1. Greg Smith (Milwaukee WI)/Combat Wings XL
2. Gavin Smith (Bavaria KS)/Combat Wings XL
3. Joe Chovan (Syracuse NY)/Windrider EPP BEE
4. Todd Martin (Topeka KS)/Zagi
One-Design Racing
1. Greg Smith (Milwaukee WI)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
2. Joe Chovan (Syracuse NY)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
3. Justin Ammon (Mesa AZ)/Erik Eaton Purple Passion
4. Pat McCleave (Wichita KS)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
We also got to rub elbows and chat with six model manufacturers
and importers: Justin Ammon of Edge RC, Mike Bailey of
MidwestSlope.com, Ed Berris of Sky King RC Products, Jack Cooper
of Leading Edge Gliders, Andreas Mergner of Plane Insane Models
(www.planeinsanemodels.com), and Greg Smith of SlopeFlyer.com.
The WOW club held the traditional brief annual MWSC suggestion
meeting. An idea that made sense is to schedule four official event
days next year, to reduce the chances of bad weather canceling an
event. Pilots would be instructed to be ready each morning with all
their competition sailplanes ready, and the events would be scheduled
at the daily morning pilots’ meetings.
Another excellent idea was to assign one frequency to each pilot for
the entire event, to reduce administrative headaches and lessen the
chances of accidental radio interference during flying. With 60
frequencies available, we have enough channels to do this. Suggestions
were to assign frequencies well in advance and offer pilots who have
registered in previous years their choice of frequency.
A new component of the banquet was an auction of kits and built
sailplanes. It was particularly exciting and entertaining to watch;
auctioneer Kent Palmer has obvious experience at this task. Ten
percent of the proceeds went to the WOW club, so everybody won. I
think we’ll see the auction grow in the future.
As disappointing as the weather for the official events was, Alex and I
had a wonderful time during our trip because of the most excellent lift
conditions and relaxed flying the days before and the days after the
contest, and we got to socialize with old friends and meet new friends.
This was the first time in my eight years at the event that the
scheduled races were bagged on account of unfavorable weather. Al
and I plan to be back for next year’s MWSC.
For more photos of the event visit www.slopeflyer.com. For
more detailed information about this year’s MWSC, and about
next year’s event when it is announced, visit the Leading Edge
Gliders Web site. MA
Dave Garwood
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30
Reservoir, which is 100 miles from the geographic center of the
continental US. There are three reasons why Wilson is one of the top
10 slope-flying sites in the country and why it makes such a
memorable slope-trip destination.
1) The topography around Wilson Lake gives us five or more primo
flying sites overlooking water, supporting ridge lift in five wind
directions.
Flying sites on public land are accessible, thanks to the US Army
Corps of Engineers’ support. Beyond this, local ranchers generously
allow the use of their land, including working pastures, for more flying
sites away from the lake itself. Kansas Soaring pilots report that there
are four flyable reservoirs in the Sunflower State.
2) It’s windy on the prairie, and there are few days when you can’t
fly at least something on the slope. Depending on the weather it may be
light hand-launch and discus-launch gliders, long-wing Scale models,
heavy-wing-loading Power Scale Soaring (PSS) screamers, Foamie
Combat models, or several classes of Slope Racing aircraft.
3) The people we meet in rural Kansas. Lucas is a town of 450, and
they give the visiting slope fliers a warm welcome when we swarm
into town. They have even opened the movie theater and run a special
matinee for us when we have had to wait out a rainy day in years past.
I’ve flown in Kansas at the Midwest Slope Challenge (MWSC)
eight times in the last decade, and I never fail to meet memorable
people who help me understand what life is, or should be.Wilson Lake Kansas
This year a group of fliers walked into Linda’s Café, the sole bar
and grill in town, and found it unusually crowded; nearly all the seats
were taken. Across the room was a man who looked for all the world
like an aging Montana cowboy, sitting at a booth by himself. After one
glance across the room and without a word, he got up and took a seat at
the bar, giving up his booth for a group of visitors he had never met.
I sat with him at the bar and bought our next round as a way to say
thanks. He was a 74-year-old retired farmer, lean as a pole, who looked
like he could certainly run faster and jump higher than I could, with mySLOPE SOARING in Kansas? Yes, particularly at Wilson Lake
Reservoir, which is 100 miles from the geographic center of the
continental US. There are three reasons why Wilson is one of the top
10 slope-flying sites in the country and why it makes such a
memorable slope-trip destination.February 2006 25
Alex Paul launches a DAW foaMe-109 from a hill on the south
side of Wilson Lake on a laid-back flying day after the conclusion
of the MWSC.
Alex Paul (Nassau, Bahamas) carries a well-worn DAW foaMe-109
on a practice day. A DAW Kawafoamie Ki61 is in the foreground.
Both can fly in MWSC Foamie Combat and Foamie Warbird Racing.
View from the near turn looking toward the far turn before an ODR heat. Spotters hold up and
show models to far-turn judges so a flag color can be matched to each sailplane in the heat.
location of the Lincoln Area Soaring
Society’s (LASS, of Nebraska) MWSC for
11 years, and that makes it the longest
continuously running Slope Racing event in
the US.
The 12th MWSC, held June 10-12, 2005, had
a new host: the Wings Over Wilson (WOW)
Soaring club based in Lucas, Kansas. The
event had 51 registered pilots who traveled
from 11 states—as far north as Minnesota, as
far south as Texas, as far west as Colorado,
and as far east as New York. One
noncompetition flier came from Nassau,
Bahamas, technically making it an
international event.
Those who arrived on-site early were fed
and entertained Wednesday evening, June 7,
by Leading Edge Gliders honcho Jack
Cooper. He offered much informal
instructional time covering designing,
building, and finishing EPP-foam warbirds.
Jack’s airplanes look so good and fly so well
that some have a hard time believing they
aren’t fiberglass molded models.
Old flying buddy and overland driving
companion Alex Paul and I arrived at the lake
Tuesday and had flown for three days straight.
Photos by the author
Fiberglass and EPP-foam racers over Wilson Lake during an ODR
heat. The models meet ODR specifications and can be scratchbuilt
or constructed from a kit.
LASS club members Tom Neill and Jim Baker (both of Lincoln
NE) read the air before launching in an ODR heat.
Marley Palmer (Lucas KS) launches an EPP-foam Combat wing
during a round in the Foamie Combat competition.
The far-turn judges (flaggers) in action. The pair of poles act as a
sighting device to define the “infinite plane” that marks one end
of the racecourse.
An ODR model on the course with Wilson Lake in the
background. This class is designed to keep the cost low for a
competitive and fun-to-fly racer.
26 MODEL AVIATION
February 2006 27
ODR models in the far turn on the course. The background shows one of the more
recognizable features at the lake: the Wilson Lake reservoir dam and spillway.
ODR “air boss” Bill McClean (Kansas City
MO) talks via radio to the far-turn judges.
He ran an efficient race.
Alden Shipp’s hunter-killer F4U Corsair
makes its way through a furball of EPPfoam
Combat wings during a practice
session.
Slope Soaring doesn’t get much better than this: a sunny day with cumulus clouds across
the sky. Three ODR models bank in the near turn during a heat.
Friday, the first official day of the event, we
awoke to light rain with thunderstorms
predicted. We stayed indoors most of the
day, and a few stalwarts ventured out to fly
the gust fronts between thunderstorms. Some
launched long-wing airplanes from bungees
and others flew hand-launched gliders.
The sky cleared Saturday, but the winds
were light. At the 9 a.m. pilots’ meeting the
decision was made to start the Foamie
Combat event on the west side of Airport
Hill.
This is full-contact air combat, flown with
28 MODEL AVIATION
Gavin Smith (Salina KS) launches an EPP-foam Combat wing
during a round in the Foamie Combat match.
Foamie Combat action! A Weasel attacks a Combat Wings XL.
In this contest pilots fly bounceable EPP-foam aircraft and try to
knock their opponents out of the air.
A heat in the Foamie Combat match, flown from the west side of Airport Hill.
February 2006 29
MWSC CD Alden Shipp says he has ideas that will reduce the
effect of poor weather for the 2006 MWSC.
Texan Bruce Shipp, who pilots US Air Force F-15 Eagles as his
day job, launches hard during a heat in Combat.
The author built his 60-inch-span Bell P-63 Kingcobra from a
Leading Edge Gliders kit for the Foamie Warbird Racing class.
Midwest Slope Challenge Major Sponsors
Aerospace Composite Products (www.acp-composites.com)
Balsa USA (www.balsausa.com)
Bob Smith Industries (www.bsiadhesives.com)
Cermark (www.cermark.com)
Combat Wings (www.combatwings.com)
Edge RC (www.edgerc.com)
FMA Direct (www.fmadirect.com)
Hobby Lobby (www.hobby-lobby.com)
Horizon Hobby (www.horizonhobby.com)
Leading Edge Gliders (www.leadingedgegliders.com)
Lone Star Models (www.lonestar-models.com)
Micro Fasteners (www.microfasteners.com)
MidwestSlope.com (www.midwestslope.com)
Nelson Hobby Specialties (www.nelsonhobby.com)
North County Flying Machines (www.northcountyflying
machines.com)
Northeast Sailplane Products (www.nesail.com)
PoleCat Aeroplane Works (www.polecataero.com)
Quiet Flyer magazine (www.quietflyer.com/quiet/)
SkyKing RC Products (www.skykingrcproducts.com)
SoaringUSA.com (www.soaringusa.com)
Stan Vosburg Aviation Art (www.airartnw.com/vosburg.htm)
Tower Hobbies (www.towerhobbies.com)
Windrider Aviation (www.windrider.com.hk)
specialized “bounceable” sailplanes. They are made from tough EPP
foam, which quickly returns to its original size and shape after it’s
struck or crushed. Most times you can crash a Combat Foamie, pick it
up, launch it, and it will fly fine.
Combatants score on opponents by striking their aircraft hard
enough to cause them to “depart from controlled flight.” The attacker
must then fly a loop or a roll to demonstrate that he or she is still in
control before the next encounter. Sometimes two or more airplanes get
entangled and go down, but generally no serious damage results and the
models are launched again to rejoin the fray. The pilot with the most
“kills” wins the heat.
Several 10-minute heats of 12-15 airplanes are flown, and kill points
are accumulated across heats to determine who will fly in the final heat.
Scores are restarted in the final round.
The wind was light when we started and got lighter at intervals
throughout the morning. This made for a tight and close lift zone,
increasing the contact rate. It also made for active aerobic workouts on
the part of spotters who ran down to relaunch fallen aircraft.
One-Design Racing (ODR) was contested Saturday afternoon at a
new site: a tall ridge along the south side of the lake. The ODR
specification was developed by the Torrey Pines Gulls and was
designed to lower the cost of a racing sailplane. Kits for this class are
available in fiberglass and EPP foam.
A course is set up along the ridge, with turn points at each end. Turn
markers are sighting devices which “define a plane” perpendicular to
the length of the racecourse. To complete a lap the aircraft’s nose must
“cross the plane” at both ends of the racecourse.
Far turns are called by a group of four turn judges, or “flaggers.”
Near turns are self-called and verified by near-turn judges, who also
keep the official lap count.
With each pilot is a caller who launches the model, watches for
traffic in the air, and notifies the flier of the far-turn flag signal. At the
start of a race, callers hold up the sailplanes one at a time to identify
them to the far-turn judges.
The models are launched and given roughly 20 seconds to gain
altitude. At an audible signal four airplanes dive onto the course and
start the race. Five laps are flown, and points in each heat are awarded
according to the finishing order. Race winners are determined by
finishing order in the final round.
Lift conditions started light and got lighter throughout the afternoon.
A premium was placed on flying smoothly and efficiently, and later
rounds amounted to an “all-up/last-down” type of contest.
Foamie Warbird Racing and Unlimited Class Racing were not flown
because of light winds Saturday and rain Sunday.
Saturday evening the anticipated “Beef-Eaters Banquet” served
massive quantities of prime rib. Afterward the WOW club gave awards
for the two events completed and held an extensive raffle. We had
generous prize support from our contest sponsors. Please patronize
them when you can.
During the banquet a lifetime achievement award was presented to
Loren Blinde, who was MWSC CD from 1999 to 2004. In attendance
were two AMA representatives: District IX Vice President Mark T.
Smith and District IX Associate Vice President Jerry Tuttle.
30 MODEL AVIATION
MWSC Event Results
Foamie Combat
1. Greg Smith (Milwaukee WI)/Combat Wings XL
2. Gavin Smith (Bavaria KS)/Combat Wings XL
3. Joe Chovan (Syracuse NY)/Windrider EPP BEE
4. Todd Martin (Topeka KS)/Zagi
One-Design Racing
1. Greg Smith (Milwaukee WI)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
2. Joe Chovan (Syracuse NY)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
3. Justin Ammon (Mesa AZ)/Erik Eaton Purple Passion
4. Pat McCleave (Wichita KS)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
We also got to rub elbows and chat with six model manufacturers
and importers: Justin Ammon of Edge RC, Mike Bailey of
MidwestSlope.com, Ed Berris of Sky King RC Products, Jack Cooper
of Leading Edge Gliders, Andreas Mergner of Plane Insane Models
(www.planeinsanemodels.com), and Greg Smith of SlopeFlyer.com.
The WOW club held the traditional brief annual MWSC suggestion
meeting. An idea that made sense is to schedule four official event
days next year, to reduce the chances of bad weather canceling an
event. Pilots would be instructed to be ready each morning with all
their competition sailplanes ready, and the events would be scheduled
at the daily morning pilots’ meetings.
Another excellent idea was to assign one frequency to each pilot for
the entire event, to reduce administrative headaches and lessen the
chances of accidental radio interference during flying. With 60
frequencies available, we have enough channels to do this. Suggestions
were to assign frequencies well in advance and offer pilots who have
registered in previous years their choice of frequency.
A new component of the banquet was an auction of kits and built
sailplanes. It was particularly exciting and entertaining to watch;
auctioneer Kent Palmer has obvious experience at this task. Ten
percent of the proceeds went to the WOW club, so everybody won. I
think we’ll see the auction grow in the future.
As disappointing as the weather for the official events was, Alex and I
had a wonderful time during our trip because of the most excellent lift
conditions and relaxed flying the days before and the days after the
contest, and we got to socialize with old friends and meet new friends.
This was the first time in my eight years at the event that the
scheduled races were bagged on account of unfavorable weather. Al
and I plan to be back for next year’s MWSC.
For more photos of the event visit www.slopeflyer.com. For
more detailed information about this year’s MWSC, and about
next year’s event when it is announced, visit the Leading Edge
Gliders Web site. MA
Dave Garwood
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30
Reservoir, which is 100 miles from the geographic center of the
continental US. There are three reasons why Wilson is one of the top
10 slope-flying sites in the country and why it makes such a
memorable slope-trip destination.
1) The topography around Wilson Lake gives us five or more primo
flying sites overlooking water, supporting ridge lift in five wind
directions.
Flying sites on public land are accessible, thanks to the US Army
Corps of Engineers’ support. Beyond this, local ranchers generously
allow the use of their land, including working pastures, for more flying
sites away from the lake itself. Kansas Soaring pilots report that there
are four flyable reservoirs in the Sunflower State.
2) It’s windy on the prairie, and there are few days when you can’t
fly at least something on the slope. Depending on the weather it may be
light hand-launch and discus-launch gliders, long-wing Scale models,
heavy-wing-loading Power Scale Soaring (PSS) screamers, Foamie
Combat models, or several classes of Slope Racing aircraft.
3) The people we meet in rural Kansas. Lucas is a town of 450, and
they give the visiting slope fliers a warm welcome when we swarm
into town. They have even opened the movie theater and run a special
matinee for us when we have had to wait out a rainy day in years past.
I’ve flown in Kansas at the Midwest Slope Challenge (MWSC)
eight times in the last decade, and I never fail to meet memorable
people who help me understand what life is, or should be.Wilson Lake Kansas
This year a group of fliers walked into Linda’s Café, the sole bar
and grill in town, and found it unusually crowded; nearly all the seats
were taken. Across the room was a man who looked for all the world
like an aging Montana cowboy, sitting at a booth by himself. After one
glance across the room and without a word, he got up and took a seat at
the bar, giving up his booth for a group of visitors he had never met.
I sat with him at the bar and bought our next round as a way to say
thanks. He was a 74-year-old retired farmer, lean as a pole, who looked
like he could certainly run faster and jump higher than I could, with mySLOPE SOARING in Kansas? Yes, particularly at Wilson Lake
Reservoir, which is 100 miles from the geographic center of the
continental US. There are three reasons why Wilson is one of the top
10 slope-flying sites in the country and why it makes such a
memorable slope-trip destination.February 2006 25
Alex Paul launches a DAW foaMe-109 from a hill on the south
side of Wilson Lake on a laid-back flying day after the conclusion
of the MWSC.
Alex Paul (Nassau, Bahamas) carries a well-worn DAW foaMe-109
on a practice day. A DAW Kawafoamie Ki61 is in the foreground.
Both can fly in MWSC Foamie Combat and Foamie Warbird Racing.
View from the near turn looking toward the far turn before an ODR heat. Spotters hold up and
show models to far-turn judges so a flag color can be matched to each sailplane in the heat.
location of the Lincoln Area Soaring
Society’s (LASS, of Nebraska) MWSC for
11 years, and that makes it the longest
continuously running Slope Racing event in
the US.
The 12th MWSC, held June 10-12, 2005, had
a new host: the Wings Over Wilson (WOW)
Soaring club based in Lucas, Kansas. The
event had 51 registered pilots who traveled
from 11 states—as far north as Minnesota, as
far south as Texas, as far west as Colorado,
and as far east as New York. One
noncompetition flier came from Nassau,
Bahamas, technically making it an
international event.
Those who arrived on-site early were fed
and entertained Wednesday evening, June 7,
by Leading Edge Gliders honcho Jack
Cooper. He offered much informal
instructional time covering designing,
building, and finishing EPP-foam warbirds.
Jack’s airplanes look so good and fly so well
that some have a hard time believing they
aren’t fiberglass molded models.
Old flying buddy and overland driving
companion Alex Paul and I arrived at the lake
Tuesday and had flown for three days straight.
Photos by the author
Fiberglass and EPP-foam racers over Wilson Lake during an ODR
heat. The models meet ODR specifications and can be scratchbuilt
or constructed from a kit.
LASS club members Tom Neill and Jim Baker (both of Lincoln
NE) read the air before launching in an ODR heat.
Marley Palmer (Lucas KS) launches an EPP-foam Combat wing
during a round in the Foamie Combat competition.
The far-turn judges (flaggers) in action. The pair of poles act as a
sighting device to define the “infinite plane” that marks one end
of the racecourse.
An ODR model on the course with Wilson Lake in the
background. This class is designed to keep the cost low for a
competitive and fun-to-fly racer.
26 MODEL AVIATION
February 2006 27
ODR models in the far turn on the course. The background shows one of the more
recognizable features at the lake: the Wilson Lake reservoir dam and spillway.
ODR “air boss” Bill McClean (Kansas City
MO) talks via radio to the far-turn judges.
He ran an efficient race.
Alden Shipp’s hunter-killer F4U Corsair
makes its way through a furball of EPPfoam
Combat wings during a practice
session.
Slope Soaring doesn’t get much better than this: a sunny day with cumulus clouds across
the sky. Three ODR models bank in the near turn during a heat.
Friday, the first official day of the event, we
awoke to light rain with thunderstorms
predicted. We stayed indoors most of the
day, and a few stalwarts ventured out to fly
the gust fronts between thunderstorms. Some
launched long-wing airplanes from bungees
and others flew hand-launched gliders.
The sky cleared Saturday, but the winds
were light. At the 9 a.m. pilots’ meeting the
decision was made to start the Foamie
Combat event on the west side of Airport
Hill.
This is full-contact air combat, flown with
28 MODEL AVIATION
Gavin Smith (Salina KS) launches an EPP-foam Combat wing
during a round in the Foamie Combat match.
Foamie Combat action! A Weasel attacks a Combat Wings XL.
In this contest pilots fly bounceable EPP-foam aircraft and try to
knock their opponents out of the air.
A heat in the Foamie Combat match, flown from the west side of Airport Hill.
February 2006 29
MWSC CD Alden Shipp says he has ideas that will reduce the
effect of poor weather for the 2006 MWSC.
Texan Bruce Shipp, who pilots US Air Force F-15 Eagles as his
day job, launches hard during a heat in Combat.
The author built his 60-inch-span Bell P-63 Kingcobra from a
Leading Edge Gliders kit for the Foamie Warbird Racing class.
Midwest Slope Challenge Major Sponsors
Aerospace Composite Products (www.acp-composites.com)
Balsa USA (www.balsausa.com)
Bob Smith Industries (www.bsiadhesives.com)
Cermark (www.cermark.com)
Combat Wings (www.combatwings.com)
Edge RC (www.edgerc.com)
FMA Direct (www.fmadirect.com)
Hobby Lobby (www.hobby-lobby.com)
Horizon Hobby (www.horizonhobby.com)
Leading Edge Gliders (www.leadingedgegliders.com)
Lone Star Models (www.lonestar-models.com)
Micro Fasteners (www.microfasteners.com)
MidwestSlope.com (www.midwestslope.com)
Nelson Hobby Specialties (www.nelsonhobby.com)
North County Flying Machines (www.northcountyflying
machines.com)
Northeast Sailplane Products (www.nesail.com)
PoleCat Aeroplane Works (www.polecataero.com)
Quiet Flyer magazine (www.quietflyer.com/quiet/)
SkyKing RC Products (www.skykingrcproducts.com)
SoaringUSA.com (www.soaringusa.com)
Stan Vosburg Aviation Art (www.airartnw.com/vosburg.htm)
Tower Hobbies (www.towerhobbies.com)
Windrider Aviation (www.windrider.com.hk)
specialized “bounceable” sailplanes. They are made from tough EPP
foam, which quickly returns to its original size and shape after it’s
struck or crushed. Most times you can crash a Combat Foamie, pick it
up, launch it, and it will fly fine.
Combatants score on opponents by striking their aircraft hard
enough to cause them to “depart from controlled flight.” The attacker
must then fly a loop or a roll to demonstrate that he or she is still in
control before the next encounter. Sometimes two or more airplanes get
entangled and go down, but generally no serious damage results and the
models are launched again to rejoin the fray. The pilot with the most
“kills” wins the heat.
Several 10-minute heats of 12-15 airplanes are flown, and kill points
are accumulated across heats to determine who will fly in the final heat.
Scores are restarted in the final round.
The wind was light when we started and got lighter at intervals
throughout the morning. This made for a tight and close lift zone,
increasing the contact rate. It also made for active aerobic workouts on
the part of spotters who ran down to relaunch fallen aircraft.
One-Design Racing (ODR) was contested Saturday afternoon at a
new site: a tall ridge along the south side of the lake. The ODR
specification was developed by the Torrey Pines Gulls and was
designed to lower the cost of a racing sailplane. Kits for this class are
available in fiberglass and EPP foam.
A course is set up along the ridge, with turn points at each end. Turn
markers are sighting devices which “define a plane” perpendicular to
the length of the racecourse. To complete a lap the aircraft’s nose must
“cross the plane” at both ends of the racecourse.
Far turns are called by a group of four turn judges, or “flaggers.”
Near turns are self-called and verified by near-turn judges, who also
keep the official lap count.
With each pilot is a caller who launches the model, watches for
traffic in the air, and notifies the flier of the far-turn flag signal. At the
start of a race, callers hold up the sailplanes one at a time to identify
them to the far-turn judges.
The models are launched and given roughly 20 seconds to gain
altitude. At an audible signal four airplanes dive onto the course and
start the race. Five laps are flown, and points in each heat are awarded
according to the finishing order. Race winners are determined by
finishing order in the final round.
Lift conditions started light and got lighter throughout the afternoon.
A premium was placed on flying smoothly and efficiently, and later
rounds amounted to an “all-up/last-down” type of contest.
Foamie Warbird Racing and Unlimited Class Racing were not flown
because of light winds Saturday and rain Sunday.
Saturday evening the anticipated “Beef-Eaters Banquet” served
massive quantities of prime rib. Afterward the WOW club gave awards
for the two events completed and held an extensive raffle. We had
generous prize support from our contest sponsors. Please patronize
them when you can.
During the banquet a lifetime achievement award was presented to
Loren Blinde, who was MWSC CD from 1999 to 2004. In attendance
were two AMA representatives: District IX Vice President Mark T.
Smith and District IX Associate Vice President Jerry Tuttle.
30 MODEL AVIATION
MWSC Event Results
Foamie Combat
1. Greg Smith (Milwaukee WI)/Combat Wings XL
2. Gavin Smith (Bavaria KS)/Combat Wings XL
3. Joe Chovan (Syracuse NY)/Windrider EPP BEE
4. Todd Martin (Topeka KS)/Zagi
One-Design Racing
1. Greg Smith (Milwaukee WI)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
2. Joe Chovan (Syracuse NY)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
3. Justin Ammon (Mesa AZ)/Erik Eaton Purple Passion
4. Pat McCleave (Wichita KS)/Charlie Richardson Fun-1
We also got to rub elbows and chat with six model manufacturers
and importers: Justin Ammon of Edge RC, Mike Bailey of
MidwestSlope.com, Ed Berris of Sky King RC Products, Jack Cooper
of Leading Edge Gliders, Andreas Mergner of Plane Insane Models
(www.planeinsanemodels.com), and Greg Smith of SlopeFlyer.com.
The WOW club held the traditional brief annual MWSC suggestion
meeting. An idea that made sense is to schedule four official event
days next year, to reduce the chances of bad weather canceling an
event. Pilots would be instructed to be ready each morning with all
their competition sailplanes ready, and the events would be scheduled
at the daily morning pilots’ meetings.
Another excellent idea was to assign one frequency to each pilot for
the entire event, to reduce administrative headaches and lessen the
chances of accidental radio interference during flying. With 60
frequencies available, we have enough channels to do this. Suggestions
were to assign frequencies well in advance and offer pilots who have
registered in previous years their choice of frequency.
A new component of the banquet was an auction of kits and built
sailplanes. It was particularly exciting and entertaining to watch;
auctioneer Kent Palmer has obvious experience at this task. Ten
percent of the proceeds went to the WOW club, so everybody won. I
think we’ll see the auction grow in the future.
As disappointing as the weather for the official events was, Alex and I
had a wonderful time during our trip because of the most excellent lift
conditions and relaxed flying the days before and the days after the
contest, and we got to socialize with old friends and meet new friends.
This was the first time in my eight years at the event that the
scheduled races were bagged on account of unfavorable weather. Al
and I plan to be back for next year’s MWSC.
For more photos of the event visit www.slopeflyer.com. For
more detailed information about this year’s MWSC, and about
next year’s event when it is announced, visit the Leading Edge
Gliders Web site. MA
Dave Garwood