Looking for slope soaring glider kit

Quinlan Sauter

Active member
I'm looking for a good glider to get into slope soaring. It would preferably be a balsa build but I'm open to ideas :p
I just wanted to reach out to you guys and see if you had any good glider kits that would be good for slope soaring.
Thanks in advance!
 

Piotrsko

Master member
Depending on your slope: anything you like including your current powered stuff with the prop removed and a smaller battery placed so it balances the same. My double sized KFM by @Hai-Lee slopes exceptionally well for just a couple sheets of DTFB and the stupid thing is near indestructible. I would suggest taking something powered out and see if the slope has good enough conditions unless it is populated with slopers currently

What skill level do you need? Simple soarers seem to work OK and WILLIE NILLIES gentle lady was a decent classic from the '80s used a lot for trainers. Not bad for light days
 

GliderFlyer

Elite member
I'm looking for a good glider to get into slope soaring. It would preferably be a balsa build but I'm open to ideas :p
I just wanted to reach out to you guys and see if you had any good glider kits that would be good for slope soaring.
Thanks in advance!
There's the SIG riser, riser 100 and ninja. I haven't built these, so I can't recommend them, but they seem to be at a reasonable price.
 

Piotrsko

Master member
I'm a relatively competent pilot and builder so the complexity it not an issue… and about the slope, I have seen people slope soaring and it seems to be a good slope.
So then you're free to use what ever you wish utilizing something bigger than a meter and a half or 4ft for us 'Muricans. I still recommend the simple soarer only because it's cheap and fast to build with ailerons added. Like all things aviation, there's a steep learning curve and balsa isn't all that forgiving. Learning to land slope is the hardest part. Wish you success.
 

Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
I'm looking for a good glider to get into slope soaring. It would preferably be a balsa build but I'm open to ideas :p
I just wanted to reach out to you guys and see if you had any good glider kits that would be good for slope soaring.
Thanks in advance!
I have a student that is really hooked on gliding including slope soaring.
His partner showed an interest and so I built her a Super Turkey from scratch and made it more robust with a front mounted motor. Even with her lack of experience she flies it like a veteran. The motor was too big for the design really but we needed the weight in the nose plus the 2200 3S battery and it climbs very fast and seems to never want to descend when gliding. The last time I saw it fly the landing was done at less than walking speed and that was the flair after diving to lose height. Extremely easy to build and it uses a Jedelsky wing.

For quick and robust FB designs I like the KFM wings but in balsa it is the Jedelsky everytime.

At this moment I am redoing the Pocket Soarer design to use 3 channel control and a motor pod that can be quickly fitted if the flying is done where there is no slope or cliff that can be used. Where I live is VERY VERY flat.

Actually we are to build 2 of them, one for me and one for my student.

If you want a solid performer without hundreds of hours in construction the Super Turkey is hard to beat. Just remember to give it a wipe of varnish when finished to protect the structure!

Just my thoughts and what is happening here!

Have fun!
 

Piotrsko

Master member
VIOLA (or waller if you're from the American deep south) SOMEBODY gets what I have been pushing all along. Back in the last quarter century at my favorite sites, we started just putting the motor in a plastic bag so it wouldn't get crudded up. Some of the high performance planes flew very well. I flew a carl goldberg 1/2a cessna 182 with a freewheeling prop so I could participate in limbo contests. The favorites were schlock tourist store chinese foam 747 and junior noblers but we flew everything that was kitted including U/C combat wings.
 
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