John Erickson

THE PILOT LOOKED worried as his 60-inch glider sank steadily toward the
ground. Suddenly one wing tipped upward. The pilot immediately circled the
model back toward an invisible thermal, and it slowly began to rise. He continued
making tight 15-foot circles, and the glider magically corkscrewed skyward. A
look of relief washed over the pilot’s face; he had just performed a “save.” He
was safe for the next minute or two, and then the next task was at hand.
His timer counted down the seconds left, and as he said “clear,” the pilot
caught the glider, spun 360°, and launched the model up at an initial speed of 90
mph. It climbed to approximately 150 feet, where he leveled it out to begin a
thermal search pattern.