HAND-LAUNCH sailplanes have been
around for more than 20 years. Until roughly
six years ago the launch method was a typical
throw, or javelin launch. Then in the late
1990s the “discus launch” (DL) became the
technique of choice.
The DL opened the door for virtually
everyone to enjoy hand-launch sailplanes
without ruining arms and shoulders. By 2001
DL was the only method used for
competition. The Father of Discus Launch is
Dick Barker. He said the following about the
birth of this launching style.
“I was active in Northwest thermal
competition in the 1970s but then found work
taking up all available time. I retired in 1995
and quit teaching scuba in 1997.
“I checked the Seattle Area Soaring
Society (SASS) field and found I was 10
years behind. I remembered HLG [Hand
Launched Glider] only as the test toss you
gave a new airplane to check the trim! Now
there were people bringing three identical
airplanes out just to trim them for the next
contest—the Monarch D, Orbiter II, Glass
Err, SunSpot, Climax, Chrysalis, and others,
all with a finger hole or cross peg in the
fuselage to allow a controlled overhand
throw.
“Harold Locke had designed a foam wing
that he launched almost straight up by using
an underarm swing while holding the wingtip.
He also had a very small T-tail pod-and-boom
thing that he launched the same way.
“Adam Weston put the wing (called the
Red Herring) into production, and they
multiplied like rabbits. I decided I wanted a
full-sized HLG that I could tip launch. One
problem was that you would need to be 9 feet
tall to do the underhand launch.
“I had tossed a discus around in high
school and thought that I might be able to do
something similar if I could make the HLG
strong enough. Phil Pearson had presented his
method of vacuum-bagging wings at a SASS
meeting, so I went that way for the wing and
‘borrowed’ his T-tail design for my new
airplane.
“The boom was easy; everyone in the area
was using the SkyShark P3 carbon booms
from the kite shop. I taught myself to
vacuum-form the fiberglass pod as halves
over male forms.
“The next months of the process were
mostly finding weak spots and correcting
them while learning how to control the
launch. I finally hit using a switch to allow a
preset of the rudder and elevator during the
first part of the launch.
“I entered the last SASS contest of 1998
and finished next to last. I thought the concept
had merit and spent the next year tossing
Uplinks around at IHLGF, Visalia, some LAarea
contest in an old oil field area, the
Southwest Classic in Arizona, etc.
“I also sold about 50 short kits that
shipped in a 12 x 12 x 3 box. A bunch of them
went to John Erickson of SCSA as a club
project.
“HLG advanced very quickly from 1998
to 2001, driven mainly by the Internet and a
bunch of fliers willing to share both process
and aerodynamic information. RCSE [RC
Soaring Exchange] at Yahoo and later
SALglider brought all kinds of information
and tools.
“We had Xfoil from Mark Drela, LiftDist
from John Hazel, sage advice from Don
Stackhouse, online wing design from Martin
Simons, a video on finding thermals from Joe
Wurtz and the Professor, BarnYard Science
on testing sink rate from Dave Register, and
in October of 1998 Joe Wurtz admitted to
throwing over a 50 foot power line if he had a
6063 winged toy.”
That’s interesting dialogue about how
DHL began. I remember being limited to
roughly 25-30 throws before my arm was sore
enough to stop—despite playing adult-league
baseball until my late 30s and A-level softball
until just a few years ago, where my arm was
in good shape. DL now allows nearly
unlimited throws without problems.
DL also helped neutralize the launch in
competition, letting the older and less athletic
get their models close to those of top dogs on
launch. There are always a couple pilots who
can outdistance others, and DL is no
exception.
Hand launch teaches many things, but the
most important is how to work low-level lift.
A good hand launch (especially before DL)
was almost as low as you would dare to try to
work lift with an Open-class sailplane. If you
don’t work that with a hand launch, you aren’t
going to have a very long flight.
Do you remember the first time you skied
out an HLG? What a great feeling. With hand
launch you can work lift from approximately
5 feet off the ground with minimal risk. This
produces a confidence level to work low lift
with the big iron.
The HLGs also teach how a model reacts
when a thermal is encountered. Even with
light lift, the indications provided by a hand
launch are quite pronounced. Something that
is subtle and barely noticeable with an Openclass
aircraft is significant with a hand launch.
With the knowledge gained from handlaunch
experience, you should be able to
recognize and work light lift with your larger
airplanes that you might not have before. I
don’t know of any Open-class flier who has
not benefited from hand-launch experience.
The advent of the DL spawned an entire
new breed of sailplane; the extreme forces of
the DL required a much stouter airframe.
Specifically, the fuselage boom had to be built
to minimize flexing. I have seen video of a
DL in slow motion, and it is amazing how
much the tailbooms flex. Much more carbon
and Kevlar are used in construction.
You don’t have to mortgage your home to
get a DL airplane that will teach you the
basics and help your thermaling ability.
Several are available for a reasonable price.
The Great Planes Fling and the Hobby Club
Long Shot are good starters.
The Fling is inexpensive and basic. The
Long Shot is more advanced but still less
expensive than the all-out competition
models. You probably aren’t going to win the
big trophy with one of these, but they will
teach you what we discussed.
The 18th edition of the International Hand
Launch Glider Festival (IHLGF) hosted by
the Torrey Pines Gulls (TPG) was held June
3-4, 2006, in Poway, California. This year
heat was an issue, with temperatures hitting
the high 90s both days.
This event has evolved into the premier
hand-launch competition in the world. This
year three countries and 18 states were
represented.
Although the competition is fierce, the
IHLGF is a great social event with a fairly
relaxed atmosphere. This is one of the most
enjoyable contests I have ever attended. I
hung around the Kiwis for most of the event
and had many laughs and made lifelong
friends. I forgot to mention: these boys can
fly!
This year attendance was down from the
usual 90-plus contestants. I suspect the high
gas prices and increased airfares have cut
many peoples’ discretionary income for such
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Soaring Darwin Barrie
Dick Barker—the “Father of Discus Launch”—speaks out on the birth of the technique
The advent of the DL
spawned an entire new
breed of sailplane ...
Also included in this column:
• Additional thoughts on discus
launching
• Notes on the 18th International
Hand Launch Glider Festival
• Update on the author’s RV-7
November 2006 127
11sig4.QXD 9/26/06 9:07 AM Page 127events. Sixty-five pilots posted scores.
The IHLGF involves 10 rounds of
competition and then a top-10 flyoff to
determine the winner. You can find the
specific tasks for each round and a final finish
order on the TPG Web site at www.torrey
pinesgulls.org.
The newest airplane on the block was the
Vandal flown by Paul Anderson. It featured
Kevlar construction with complete RADS
system for the ailerons and flaps. This was the
cleanest aerodynamic model at the contest,
with no linkages exposed.
Paul was able to range out and get back,
although he had a couple close calls. His
gutsy take-no-prisoners flying style earned
him the top honors. I’ll bet there will be
more Vandals next year; many will go after
what the top guy flew. It’s a great airplane,
but it still depends on the pilot.
Nonobvious improvements included
hybrid airfoils by Mark Drela. Improved
technology in the form of smaller, more
powerful servos has contributed to the
airplanes being lighter. Most pilots used
two models: an extremely light sailplane
for the morning light lift and heavier or
ballasted sailplanes for the afternoon. The
trend is definitely toward building an
aerodynamically clean airframe.
Other hand-launch events are beginning
to gain prominence. The Polecat Challenge
and the East Coast Hand Launch contest
are worth attending. The Polecat Challenge
is on my list for next year.
I have received several E-mails asking me
about the status of my full-scale Van’s RV-
7 airplane. It is all painted now and has
135 hours of flight time. I flew it to the
IHLGF in Poway with two airplanes and
gear. I also took trips to South Dakota;
Denver, Colorado; and Oshkosh,
Wisconsin.
What a great way to travel without the
hassles of the airlines. Long-distance travel
is fun and easy with autopilot and GPS
steering and, most important, the XM
Satellite Radio. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/11
Page Numbers: 127,128
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/11
Page Numbers: 127,128
HAND-LAUNCH sailplanes have been
around for more than 20 years. Until roughly
six years ago the launch method was a typical
throw, or javelin launch. Then in the late
1990s the “discus launch” (DL) became the
technique of choice.
The DL opened the door for virtually
everyone to enjoy hand-launch sailplanes
without ruining arms and shoulders. By 2001
DL was the only method used for
competition. The Father of Discus Launch is
Dick Barker. He said the following about the
birth of this launching style.
“I was active in Northwest thermal
competition in the 1970s but then found work
taking up all available time. I retired in 1995
and quit teaching scuba in 1997.
“I checked the Seattle Area Soaring
Society (SASS) field and found I was 10
years behind. I remembered HLG [Hand
Launched Glider] only as the test toss you
gave a new airplane to check the trim! Now
there were people bringing three identical
airplanes out just to trim them for the next
contest—the Monarch D, Orbiter II, Glass
Err, SunSpot, Climax, Chrysalis, and others,
all with a finger hole or cross peg in the
fuselage to allow a controlled overhand
throw.
“Harold Locke had designed a foam wing
that he launched almost straight up by using
an underarm swing while holding the wingtip.
He also had a very small T-tail pod-and-boom
thing that he launched the same way.
“Adam Weston put the wing (called the
Red Herring) into production, and they
multiplied like rabbits. I decided I wanted a
full-sized HLG that I could tip launch. One
problem was that you would need to be 9 feet
tall to do the underhand launch.
“I had tossed a discus around in high
school and thought that I might be able to do
something similar if I could make the HLG
strong enough. Phil Pearson had presented his
method of vacuum-bagging wings at a SASS
meeting, so I went that way for the wing and
‘borrowed’ his T-tail design for my new
airplane.
“The boom was easy; everyone in the area
was using the SkyShark P3 carbon booms
from the kite shop. I taught myself to
vacuum-form the fiberglass pod as halves
over male forms.
“The next months of the process were
mostly finding weak spots and correcting
them while learning how to control the
launch. I finally hit using a switch to allow a
preset of the rudder and elevator during the
first part of the launch.
“I entered the last SASS contest of 1998
and finished next to last. I thought the concept
had merit and spent the next year tossing
Uplinks around at IHLGF, Visalia, some LAarea
contest in an old oil field area, the
Southwest Classic in Arizona, etc.
“I also sold about 50 short kits that
shipped in a 12 x 12 x 3 box. A bunch of them
went to John Erickson of SCSA as a club
project.
“HLG advanced very quickly from 1998
to 2001, driven mainly by the Internet and a
bunch of fliers willing to share both process
and aerodynamic information. RCSE [RC
Soaring Exchange] at Yahoo and later
SALglider brought all kinds of information
and tools.
“We had Xfoil from Mark Drela, LiftDist
from John Hazel, sage advice from Don
Stackhouse, online wing design from Martin
Simons, a video on finding thermals from Joe
Wurtz and the Professor, BarnYard Science
on testing sink rate from Dave Register, and
in October of 1998 Joe Wurtz admitted to
throwing over a 50 foot power line if he had a
6063 winged toy.”
That’s interesting dialogue about how
DHL began. I remember being limited to
roughly 25-30 throws before my arm was sore
enough to stop—despite playing adult-league
baseball until my late 30s and A-level softball
until just a few years ago, where my arm was
in good shape. DL now allows nearly
unlimited throws without problems.
DL also helped neutralize the launch in
competition, letting the older and less athletic
get their models close to those of top dogs on
launch. There are always a couple pilots who
can outdistance others, and DL is no
exception.
Hand launch teaches many things, but the
most important is how to work low-level lift.
A good hand launch (especially before DL)
was almost as low as you would dare to try to
work lift with an Open-class sailplane. If you
don’t work that with a hand launch, you aren’t
going to have a very long flight.
Do you remember the first time you skied
out an HLG? What a great feeling. With hand
launch you can work lift from approximately
5 feet off the ground with minimal risk. This
produces a confidence level to work low lift
with the big iron.
The HLGs also teach how a model reacts
when a thermal is encountered. Even with
light lift, the indications provided by a hand
launch are quite pronounced. Something that
is subtle and barely noticeable with an Openclass
aircraft is significant with a hand launch.
With the knowledge gained from handlaunch
experience, you should be able to
recognize and work light lift with your larger
airplanes that you might not have before. I
don’t know of any Open-class flier who has
not benefited from hand-launch experience.
The advent of the DL spawned an entire
new breed of sailplane; the extreme forces of
the DL required a much stouter airframe.
Specifically, the fuselage boom had to be built
to minimize flexing. I have seen video of a
DL in slow motion, and it is amazing how
much the tailbooms flex. Much more carbon
and Kevlar are used in construction.
You don’t have to mortgage your home to
get a DL airplane that will teach you the
basics and help your thermaling ability.
Several are available for a reasonable price.
The Great Planes Fling and the Hobby Club
Long Shot are good starters.
The Fling is inexpensive and basic. The
Long Shot is more advanced but still less
expensive than the all-out competition
models. You probably aren’t going to win the
big trophy with one of these, but they will
teach you what we discussed.
The 18th edition of the International Hand
Launch Glider Festival (IHLGF) hosted by
the Torrey Pines Gulls (TPG) was held June
3-4, 2006, in Poway, California. This year
heat was an issue, with temperatures hitting
the high 90s both days.
This event has evolved into the premier
hand-launch competition in the world. This
year three countries and 18 states were
represented.
Although the competition is fierce, the
IHLGF is a great social event with a fairly
relaxed atmosphere. This is one of the most
enjoyable contests I have ever attended. I
hung around the Kiwis for most of the event
and had many laughs and made lifelong
friends. I forgot to mention: these boys can
fly!
This year attendance was down from the
usual 90-plus contestants. I suspect the high
gas prices and increased airfares have cut
many peoples’ discretionary income for such
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Soaring Darwin Barrie
Dick Barker—the “Father of Discus Launch”—speaks out on the birth of the technique
The advent of the DL
spawned an entire new
breed of sailplane ...
Also included in this column:
• Additional thoughts on discus
launching
• Notes on the 18th International
Hand Launch Glider Festival
• Update on the author’s RV-7
November 2006 127
11sig4.QXD 9/26/06 9:07 AM Page 127events. Sixty-five pilots posted scores.
The IHLGF involves 10 rounds of
competition and then a top-10 flyoff to
determine the winner. You can find the
specific tasks for each round and a final finish
order on the TPG Web site at www.torrey
pinesgulls.org.
The newest airplane on the block was the
Vandal flown by Paul Anderson. It featured
Kevlar construction with complete RADS
system for the ailerons and flaps. This was the
cleanest aerodynamic model at the contest,
with no linkages exposed.
Paul was able to range out and get back,
although he had a couple close calls. His
gutsy take-no-prisoners flying style earned
him the top honors. I’ll bet there will be
more Vandals next year; many will go after
what the top guy flew. It’s a great airplane,
but it still depends on the pilot.
Nonobvious improvements included
hybrid airfoils by Mark Drela. Improved
technology in the form of smaller, more
powerful servos has contributed to the
airplanes being lighter. Most pilots used
two models: an extremely light sailplane
for the morning light lift and heavier or
ballasted sailplanes for the afternoon. The
trend is definitely toward building an
aerodynamically clean airframe.
Other hand-launch events are beginning
to gain prominence. The Polecat Challenge
and the East Coast Hand Launch contest
are worth attending. The Polecat Challenge
is on my list for next year.
I have received several E-mails asking me
about the status of my full-scale Van’s RV-
7 airplane. It is all painted now and has
135 hours of flight time. I flew it to the
IHLGF in Poway with two airplanes and
gear. I also took trips to South Dakota;
Denver, Colorado; and Oshkosh,
Wisconsin.
What a great way to travel without the
hassles of the airlines. Long-distance travel
is fun and easy with autopilot and GPS
steering and, most important, the XM
Satellite Radio. MA