THIS COLUMN will describe slope
flying at tiny hills, flying from the bottom
of a slope, and a method of building
removable tail parts.
Small Hills: What’s the littlest hill from
which you’ve flown? For me it’s a 3-foot
Armco barrier at the edge of a parking lot.
We spend plenty of time and effort
getting to large hills, and certainly the
bigger hills offer more possibilities for
stretching the flight envelope. But small
hills offer us a greater number of slopeflying
sites and they hold their own
excitement, not the least of which is
discovering what minimal topography and
how little lift we actually need to fly and
have a good time doing it.
I’m indebted to Dave Sanders for
demonstrating to me that flying from an
Armco barrier can be done. He did so by
launching one of his 30-inch-span mini
foam warbirds from the parking lot at
Head of the Meadow Beach on Cape Cod
in Truro, Massachusetts.
In the 1990s Dave scoped out the site,
gently tossed his miniature foamie, and
flew the classic slope figure-eight course
at 5- to 10-foot altitudes for a half hour.
He even performed rolls 6 feet above the
beach.
Dave turned the sticks over to me, and I
was amazed by what one could do with a
small Slope Soarer at this minimal site. In
the years since, I’ve flown a 35-inch-span
Dream Flight Weasel, a 48-inch-span
Dave’s Aircraft Works (DAW) foam
warbird, and a 72-inch-span Bob Martin
Coyote at the edge of that parking lot.
The largest sailplane I’ve flown from a small hill was the 120-inch-span DAW
Ka6E EPP-foam aero-tow trainer. Imagine
flying a 10-foot-span sailplane from an 18-
foot-high hill. Working together in that
flying session, Dave and I got the lead
photo for a kit-review article.
I would guess that there are many more
potential slope-flying sites across the
country with hills less than 20 feet tall
than with hills higher than 20 feet.
Learning to fly from them opens up
opportunities at more flying spots.
On the October coastal flying day,
when most of the photos in this column
were taken, we started on a 100-foot hill,
returned to town for breakfast, and then
headed back to the beach for more flying.
In our second flying session, just for
variety we started on the small dunes and
ended up flying there for the rest of the
day. It was that much fun.
Remembering that any size hill works
best with few turbulence-creating upwind
obstructions, having a river, a lake, or an
ocean out front contributes to having lessturbulent
air blowing against the slope.
Smooth wind improves any hill, but its
benefits are particularly noticeable when
flying from small hills, so search for spots
that are unobstructed upwind.
As for the shape of the hill, the general
guidelines apply. A smooth transition from
the flat area out front to the base of the hill
is a plus, as is having a long ridge line
because that will provide a longer course
to fly before you have to turn. The steeper
the hill, the better the lift.
Beyond those characteristics, be openminded
about whether or not the small hill
will generate sufficient lift to fly until you
try it with a light, maneuverable, welltrimmed
sailplane. You may want to start
with a light glider you have considerable
experience flying—one that’s balanced,
trimmed, and has control throws tuned to
your liking.
Launch into the lift zone out front of
the hill, and fly as smoothly as you can.
There will be limited altitude below to
recover from a stall or other awkward
maneuver. Spend some time exploring the
lift band; determine how far up it goes and
how far out it extends. Chances are that
you’ll be surprised by how flyable a 15- to
20-foot slope really is.
Your small hill may allow for loops,
rolls, and stall turns. If several fliers are
present and are flying foamies, you might
even find yourself in a combat match. It
will probably be an exciting match with a
high kill count because with limited lift
and little altitude to recover, the hapless
victims that are hit will go down and go
down all the way.
Base Flying: We usually stand at the top
of the ridge to fly slope, but have you ever
stood, launched, and flown from the
bottom? The first mention of base flying I
remember was in Paul Naton’s Endless
Lift video (available from Radio Carbon
Art), in which he flew at the base of the
Washington Monument and other spots
where the top was inaccessible.
Since then I’ve tried it at a few places
and most often found it to be worth the
effort. It certainly is a change from the
ordinary.
When flying from the bottom we don’t
have the opportunity to let the sailplane
dive to gather flying speed; it must be
launched with sufficient speed to fly and
get hooked in the lift. Perhaps the best
type of sailplane to start with is a Hand-
Launched Glider (HLG)—either a
“discus”- or traditional “javelin”-launched
60-inch-span model.
The normal flight envelope for these
aircraft includes quick acceleration to
flying speed, a flat glide when searching
for lift, and tight maneuvering to stay in
lift once it’s found. It helps to fly a
familiar model; it’s frustrating to try to
find lift and trim a new airplane at the
same time.
I found that launching parallel to the
ridge gets my model into the lift zone
more quickly and reliably than launching
into the wind, as we do when flying from
the top. The flight mission is to launch and
fly a hand-launch pattern, and during the
flight explore the areas near the slope
where lift might lurk.
If the wind is blowing perpendicular to
the hill or other feature, even just a
building or a line of vehicles, chances are
you’ll find slope lift. Once you’ve found
it, work it. Your glider will find the better
lift as it gains altitude, and you’ll often be
able to work a model from the base up to
the top of the hill and above, and fly along
the ridge as far as you can see it in either
direction.
After some practice with an HLG you
can transition to slope sailplanes, perhaps
starting with lighter foamies. Shown in the
photographs, at our 18-foot hill Jim
Harrigan launched and flew his DAW 48-
inch Kawafoamie, and Andreas Mergner
had many launches and long flights with
his Pat Bowman JW foamie Dynamic
Soaring sailplane.
Don’t pass up an opportunity to fly
slope just because you can’t get to the top.
Try flying from the bottom.
Bolt-On Removable Tail Parts: A couple
readers have asked about methods for
building removable tail parts. We go to the
trouble to make the fin and horizontal
stabilizer removable because it greatly
reduces the size of the fuselage for
shipping and storage.
The main requirements are that the
mounting method be stiff and strong, yet
not difficult to mount and dismount. I’ve
had success with small bolts inserted
through the fuselage bottom to hold the
tail parts in place.
Get suitable-length and -diameter bolts
at a hobby shop or hardware store. For my
CR Fun-One One-Design Racer I used 1.5-
inch-long, 4-40-size steel bolts. What
about using sacrificial nylon bolts? Fine, if
they are sized correctly.
I’ve used both, and in case of damage I
prefer to repair the split wood and broken
fiberglass to digging out snapped-off
nylon bolts. Your own preference will
determine the bolt material you select. For threads for the bolts to screw into,
you can add a block of hardwood (spruce
or pine) or a plywood plate to the base of
the fin. Tap threads into the wood block or
fit blind nuts (also called T-nuts) to the
plywood to receive the bolts. Simple holes
are drilled in the horizontal stabilizer, and
the bolts pass through it and into the fin
bolt holes. Tightening the bolts secures the
vertical and clamps the horizontal to the
fuselage.
To locate the bolts, I drilled from top to
bottom through the fuselage and then
drilled up from the bottom through the
horizontal stabilizer and into the fin. You
may want to drill small locator holes and
then final-drill the parts separately on the
bench, where they are easier to hold firmly.
For appearance and added strength in
the fin, add triangle stock or balsa blocks,
sand to shape, and add spackle or other
light filler to smoothly fair the transition
between the flat part of the fin to the base.
Then cover with heat-shrink material or
paint the part, according to your
preference.
This method of building removable tail
parts has worked well for years for me on
my CR Fun-One, PIM Thorn, and CR
Renegade, and I plan to continue using it.
Good Supplier: I just had a super-smooth
transaction with Pete Hagedoorn, who
runs the Jokers Graphics online vinylcutting
service. I sent Pete a computergraphics
file, and in three days I received
a pile of New York Slope Dogs logo
stickers in my mail. He supplied fast,
accurate service and quality work. MA
Sources:
Jokers Graphics
www.jokersgraphics.com
Radio Carbon Art
(888) 834-2261
www.radiocarbonart.com
Dream Flight
(805) 687-6735
www.dream-flight.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/02
Page Numbers: 134,135,136
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/02
Page Numbers: 134,135,136
THIS COLUMN will describe slope
flying at tiny hills, flying from the bottom
of a slope, and a method of building
removable tail parts.
Small Hills: What’s the littlest hill from
which you’ve flown? For me it’s a 3-foot
Armco barrier at the edge of a parking lot.
We spend plenty of time and effort
getting to large hills, and certainly the
bigger hills offer more possibilities for
stretching the flight envelope. But small
hills offer us a greater number of slopeflying
sites and they hold their own
excitement, not the least of which is
discovering what minimal topography and
how little lift we actually need to fly and
have a good time doing it.
I’m indebted to Dave Sanders for
demonstrating to me that flying from an
Armco barrier can be done. He did so by
launching one of his 30-inch-span mini
foam warbirds from the parking lot at
Head of the Meadow Beach on Cape Cod
in Truro, Massachusetts.
In the 1990s Dave scoped out the site,
gently tossed his miniature foamie, and
flew the classic slope figure-eight course
at 5- to 10-foot altitudes for a half hour.
He even performed rolls 6 feet above the
beach.
Dave turned the sticks over to me, and I
was amazed by what one could do with a
small Slope Soarer at this minimal site. In
the years since, I’ve flown a 35-inch-span
Dream Flight Weasel, a 48-inch-span
Dave’s Aircraft Works (DAW) foam
warbird, and a 72-inch-span Bob Martin
Coyote at the edge of that parking lot.
The largest sailplane I’ve flown from a small hill was the 120-inch-span DAW
Ka6E EPP-foam aero-tow trainer. Imagine
flying a 10-foot-span sailplane from an 18-
foot-high hill. Working together in that
flying session, Dave and I got the lead
photo for a kit-review article.
I would guess that there are many more
potential slope-flying sites across the
country with hills less than 20 feet tall
than with hills higher than 20 feet.
Learning to fly from them opens up
opportunities at more flying spots.
On the October coastal flying day,
when most of the photos in this column
were taken, we started on a 100-foot hill,
returned to town for breakfast, and then
headed back to the beach for more flying.
In our second flying session, just for
variety we started on the small dunes and
ended up flying there for the rest of the
day. It was that much fun.
Remembering that any size hill works
best with few turbulence-creating upwind
obstructions, having a river, a lake, or an
ocean out front contributes to having lessturbulent
air blowing against the slope.
Smooth wind improves any hill, but its
benefits are particularly noticeable when
flying from small hills, so search for spots
that are unobstructed upwind.
As for the shape of the hill, the general
guidelines apply. A smooth transition from
the flat area out front to the base of the hill
is a plus, as is having a long ridge line
because that will provide a longer course
to fly before you have to turn. The steeper
the hill, the better the lift.
Beyond those characteristics, be openminded
about whether or not the small hill
will generate sufficient lift to fly until you
try it with a light, maneuverable, welltrimmed
sailplane. You may want to start
with a light glider you have considerable
experience flying—one that’s balanced,
trimmed, and has control throws tuned to
your liking.
Launch into the lift zone out front of
the hill, and fly as smoothly as you can.
There will be limited altitude below to
recover from a stall or other awkward
maneuver. Spend some time exploring the
lift band; determine how far up it goes and
how far out it extends. Chances are that
you’ll be surprised by how flyable a 15- to
20-foot slope really is.
Your small hill may allow for loops,
rolls, and stall turns. If several fliers are
present and are flying foamies, you might
even find yourself in a combat match. It
will probably be an exciting match with a
high kill count because with limited lift
and little altitude to recover, the hapless
victims that are hit will go down and go
down all the way.
Base Flying: We usually stand at the top
of the ridge to fly slope, but have you ever
stood, launched, and flown from the
bottom? The first mention of base flying I
remember was in Paul Naton’s Endless
Lift video (available from Radio Carbon
Art), in which he flew at the base of the
Washington Monument and other spots
where the top was inaccessible.
Since then I’ve tried it at a few places
and most often found it to be worth the
effort. It certainly is a change from the
ordinary.
When flying from the bottom we don’t
have the opportunity to let the sailplane
dive to gather flying speed; it must be
launched with sufficient speed to fly and
get hooked in the lift. Perhaps the best
type of sailplane to start with is a Hand-
Launched Glider (HLG)—either a
“discus”- or traditional “javelin”-launched
60-inch-span model.
The normal flight envelope for these
aircraft includes quick acceleration to
flying speed, a flat glide when searching
for lift, and tight maneuvering to stay in
lift once it’s found. It helps to fly a
familiar model; it’s frustrating to try to
find lift and trim a new airplane at the
same time.
I found that launching parallel to the
ridge gets my model into the lift zone
more quickly and reliably than launching
into the wind, as we do when flying from
the top. The flight mission is to launch and
fly a hand-launch pattern, and during the
flight explore the areas near the slope
where lift might lurk.
If the wind is blowing perpendicular to
the hill or other feature, even just a
building or a line of vehicles, chances are
you’ll find slope lift. Once you’ve found
it, work it. Your glider will find the better
lift as it gains altitude, and you’ll often be
able to work a model from the base up to
the top of the hill and above, and fly along
the ridge as far as you can see it in either
direction.
After some practice with an HLG you
can transition to slope sailplanes, perhaps
starting with lighter foamies. Shown in the
photographs, at our 18-foot hill Jim
Harrigan launched and flew his DAW 48-
inch Kawafoamie, and Andreas Mergner
had many launches and long flights with
his Pat Bowman JW foamie Dynamic
Soaring sailplane.
Don’t pass up an opportunity to fly
slope just because you can’t get to the top.
Try flying from the bottom.
Bolt-On Removable Tail Parts: A couple
readers have asked about methods for
building removable tail parts. We go to the
trouble to make the fin and horizontal
stabilizer removable because it greatly
reduces the size of the fuselage for
shipping and storage.
The main requirements are that the
mounting method be stiff and strong, yet
not difficult to mount and dismount. I’ve
had success with small bolts inserted
through the fuselage bottom to hold the
tail parts in place.
Get suitable-length and -diameter bolts
at a hobby shop or hardware store. For my
CR Fun-One One-Design Racer I used 1.5-
inch-long, 4-40-size steel bolts. What
about using sacrificial nylon bolts? Fine, if
they are sized correctly.
I’ve used both, and in case of damage I
prefer to repair the split wood and broken
fiberglass to digging out snapped-off
nylon bolts. Your own preference will
determine the bolt material you select. For threads for the bolts to screw into,
you can add a block of hardwood (spruce
or pine) or a plywood plate to the base of
the fin. Tap threads into the wood block or
fit blind nuts (also called T-nuts) to the
plywood to receive the bolts. Simple holes
are drilled in the horizontal stabilizer, and
the bolts pass through it and into the fin
bolt holes. Tightening the bolts secures the
vertical and clamps the horizontal to the
fuselage.
To locate the bolts, I drilled from top to
bottom through the fuselage and then
drilled up from the bottom through the
horizontal stabilizer and into the fin. You
may want to drill small locator holes and
then final-drill the parts separately on the
bench, where they are easier to hold firmly.
For appearance and added strength in
the fin, add triangle stock or balsa blocks,
sand to shape, and add spackle or other
light filler to smoothly fair the transition
between the flat part of the fin to the base.
Then cover with heat-shrink material or
paint the part, according to your
preference.
This method of building removable tail
parts has worked well for years for me on
my CR Fun-One, PIM Thorn, and CR
Renegade, and I plan to continue using it.
Good Supplier: I just had a super-smooth
transaction with Pete Hagedoorn, who
runs the Jokers Graphics online vinylcutting
service. I sent Pete a computergraphics
file, and in three days I received
a pile of New York Slope Dogs logo
stickers in my mail. He supplied fast,
accurate service and quality work. MA
Sources:
Jokers Graphics
www.jokersgraphics.com
Radio Carbon Art
(888) 834-2261
www.radiocarbonart.com
Dream Flight
(805) 687-6735
www.dream-flight.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/02
Page Numbers: 134,135,136
THIS COLUMN will describe slope
flying at tiny hills, flying from the bottom
of a slope, and a method of building
removable tail parts.
Small Hills: What’s the littlest hill from
which you’ve flown? For me it’s a 3-foot
Armco barrier at the edge of a parking lot.
We spend plenty of time and effort
getting to large hills, and certainly the
bigger hills offer more possibilities for
stretching the flight envelope. But small
hills offer us a greater number of slopeflying
sites and they hold their own
excitement, not the least of which is
discovering what minimal topography and
how little lift we actually need to fly and
have a good time doing it.
I’m indebted to Dave Sanders for
demonstrating to me that flying from an
Armco barrier can be done. He did so by
launching one of his 30-inch-span mini
foam warbirds from the parking lot at
Head of the Meadow Beach on Cape Cod
in Truro, Massachusetts.
In the 1990s Dave scoped out the site,
gently tossed his miniature foamie, and
flew the classic slope figure-eight course
at 5- to 10-foot altitudes for a half hour.
He even performed rolls 6 feet above the
beach.
Dave turned the sticks over to me, and I
was amazed by what one could do with a
small Slope Soarer at this minimal site. In
the years since, I’ve flown a 35-inch-span
Dream Flight Weasel, a 48-inch-span
Dave’s Aircraft Works (DAW) foam
warbird, and a 72-inch-span Bob Martin
Coyote at the edge of that parking lot.
The largest sailplane I’ve flown from a small hill was the 120-inch-span DAW
Ka6E EPP-foam aero-tow trainer. Imagine
flying a 10-foot-span sailplane from an 18-
foot-high hill. Working together in that
flying session, Dave and I got the lead
photo for a kit-review article.
I would guess that there are many more
potential slope-flying sites across the
country with hills less than 20 feet tall
than with hills higher than 20 feet.
Learning to fly from them opens up
opportunities at more flying spots.
On the October coastal flying day,
when most of the photos in this column
were taken, we started on a 100-foot hill,
returned to town for breakfast, and then
headed back to the beach for more flying.
In our second flying session, just for
variety we started on the small dunes and
ended up flying there for the rest of the
day. It was that much fun.
Remembering that any size hill works
best with few turbulence-creating upwind
obstructions, having a river, a lake, or an
ocean out front contributes to having lessturbulent
air blowing against the slope.
Smooth wind improves any hill, but its
benefits are particularly noticeable when
flying from small hills, so search for spots
that are unobstructed upwind.
As for the shape of the hill, the general
guidelines apply. A smooth transition from
the flat area out front to the base of the hill
is a plus, as is having a long ridge line
because that will provide a longer course
to fly before you have to turn. The steeper
the hill, the better the lift.
Beyond those characteristics, be openminded
about whether or not the small hill
will generate sufficient lift to fly until you
try it with a light, maneuverable, welltrimmed
sailplane. You may want to start
with a light glider you have considerable
experience flying—one that’s balanced,
trimmed, and has control throws tuned to
your liking.
Launch into the lift zone out front of
the hill, and fly as smoothly as you can.
There will be limited altitude below to
recover from a stall or other awkward
maneuver. Spend some time exploring the
lift band; determine how far up it goes and
how far out it extends. Chances are that
you’ll be surprised by how flyable a 15- to
20-foot slope really is.
Your small hill may allow for loops,
rolls, and stall turns. If several fliers are
present and are flying foamies, you might
even find yourself in a combat match. It
will probably be an exciting match with a
high kill count because with limited lift
and little altitude to recover, the hapless
victims that are hit will go down and go
down all the way.
Base Flying: We usually stand at the top
of the ridge to fly slope, but have you ever
stood, launched, and flown from the
bottom? The first mention of base flying I
remember was in Paul Naton’s Endless
Lift video (available from Radio Carbon
Art), in which he flew at the base of the
Washington Monument and other spots
where the top was inaccessible.
Since then I’ve tried it at a few places
and most often found it to be worth the
effort. It certainly is a change from the
ordinary.
When flying from the bottom we don’t
have the opportunity to let the sailplane
dive to gather flying speed; it must be
launched with sufficient speed to fly and
get hooked in the lift. Perhaps the best
type of sailplane to start with is a Hand-
Launched Glider (HLG)—either a
“discus”- or traditional “javelin”-launched
60-inch-span model.
The normal flight envelope for these
aircraft includes quick acceleration to
flying speed, a flat glide when searching
for lift, and tight maneuvering to stay in
lift once it’s found. It helps to fly a
familiar model; it’s frustrating to try to
find lift and trim a new airplane at the
same time.
I found that launching parallel to the
ridge gets my model into the lift zone
more quickly and reliably than launching
into the wind, as we do when flying from
the top. The flight mission is to launch and
fly a hand-launch pattern, and during the
flight explore the areas near the slope
where lift might lurk.
If the wind is blowing perpendicular to
the hill or other feature, even just a
building or a line of vehicles, chances are
you’ll find slope lift. Once you’ve found
it, work it. Your glider will find the better
lift as it gains altitude, and you’ll often be
able to work a model from the base up to
the top of the hill and above, and fly along
the ridge as far as you can see it in either
direction.
After some practice with an HLG you
can transition to slope sailplanes, perhaps
starting with lighter foamies. Shown in the
photographs, at our 18-foot hill Jim
Harrigan launched and flew his DAW 48-
inch Kawafoamie, and Andreas Mergner
had many launches and long flights with
his Pat Bowman JW foamie Dynamic
Soaring sailplane.
Don’t pass up an opportunity to fly
slope just because you can’t get to the top.
Try flying from the bottom.
Bolt-On Removable Tail Parts: A couple
readers have asked about methods for
building removable tail parts. We go to the
trouble to make the fin and horizontal
stabilizer removable because it greatly
reduces the size of the fuselage for
shipping and storage.
The main requirements are that the
mounting method be stiff and strong, yet
not difficult to mount and dismount. I’ve
had success with small bolts inserted
through the fuselage bottom to hold the
tail parts in place.
Get suitable-length and -diameter bolts
at a hobby shop or hardware store. For my
CR Fun-One One-Design Racer I used 1.5-
inch-long, 4-40-size steel bolts. What
about using sacrificial nylon bolts? Fine, if
they are sized correctly.
I’ve used both, and in case of damage I
prefer to repair the split wood and broken
fiberglass to digging out snapped-off
nylon bolts. Your own preference will
determine the bolt material you select. For threads for the bolts to screw into,
you can add a block of hardwood (spruce
or pine) or a plywood plate to the base of
the fin. Tap threads into the wood block or
fit blind nuts (also called T-nuts) to the
plywood to receive the bolts. Simple holes
are drilled in the horizontal stabilizer, and
the bolts pass through it and into the fin
bolt holes. Tightening the bolts secures the
vertical and clamps the horizontal to the
fuselage.
To locate the bolts, I drilled from top to
bottom through the fuselage and then
drilled up from the bottom through the
horizontal stabilizer and into the fin. You
may want to drill small locator holes and
then final-drill the parts separately on the
bench, where they are easier to hold firmly.
For appearance and added strength in
the fin, add triangle stock or balsa blocks,
sand to shape, and add spackle or other
light filler to smoothly fair the transition
between the flat part of the fin to the base.
Then cover with heat-shrink material or
paint the part, according to your
preference.
This method of building removable tail
parts has worked well for years for me on
my CR Fun-One, PIM Thorn, and CR
Renegade, and I plan to continue using it.
Good Supplier: I just had a super-smooth
transaction with Pete Hagedoorn, who
runs the Jokers Graphics online vinylcutting
service. I sent Pete a computergraphics
file, and in three days I received
a pile of New York Slope Dogs logo
stickers in my mail. He supplied fast,
accurate service and quality work. MA
Sources:
Jokers Graphics
www.jokersgraphics.com
Radio Carbon Art
(888) 834-2261
www.radiocarbonart.com
Dream Flight
(805) 687-6735
www.dream-flight.com
