Slope PSS - aka, "My glider is heavier & faster than your jet"

[Mid7night]

I don't see a lot of this over here on the FT forums, but it's what I fly the most of and want to share. Feel free to share your own PSS glider fun here!

My most recent flight (yesterday), was a re-maiden of my Focke Wulf at Point Fermin:

Other PSS fun I've had...

"Shredda" at Pt. Fermin:

El Cajon PSS Fest:

 

[FAI-F1D]

Some cool stuff there. Nice footage!

 

[nerdnic]

Very cool! I really want to do this type of flying. Any tips for a first time sloper?

 

[Mid7night]

Very cool! I really want to do this type of flying. Any tips for a first time sloper?

Watch the birds; they've been doin it WAY longer!

Seriously, visit a slope and watch how the locals fly. Slope patterns are not intuitive from powered flight, and even change from site to site based on topology and wind direction/strength.

Normal circular patterns don't work on the slope, the basic beginner pattern is just back and forth.

While you're learning: NEVER TURN TOWARDS THE HILL! That's just asking to get blown in.

Survey the landing site and approach, and watch others land a few times before throwing out. Landing a sloper, IMO, always has more potential to be more "interesting" than powered.

Stay close to the ridge, that's where all the updraft "compression" lift is (again; watch the seagulls on a sand ridge). If you get too far from the lift band, you'll be in for a walk.

Your nnDLG would actually be a good starter plane; light wing loading makes for good floatation. Wings are also good to start with; the Versa is a decent candidate, also the Alula is pretty forgiving.

If you're ever in So.Cal, hit me up; I'll show you around the hills.

 

[Balu]

Very cool! I really want to do this type of flying. Any tips for a first time sloper?

Bring a lot of planes and have someone at the bottom of the cliff to collect the parts?

That looked really cool.

 

[nerdnic]

Watch the birds; they've been doin it WAY longer!

Seriously, visit a slope and watch how the locals fly. Slope patterns are not intuitive from powered flight, and even change from site to site based on topology and wind direction/strength.

Normal circular patterns don't work on the slope, the basic beginner pattern is just back and forth.

While you're learning: NEVER TURN TOWARDS THE HILL! That's just asking to get blown in.

Survey the landing site and approach, and watch others land a few times before throwing out. Landing a sloper, IMO, always has more potential to be more "interesting" than powered.

Stay close to the ridge, that's where all the updraft "compression" lift is (again; watch the seagulls on a sand ridge). If you get too far from the lift band, you'll be in for a walk.

Your nnDLG would actually be a good starter plane; light wing loading makes for good floatation. Wings are also good to start with; the Versa is a decent candidate, also the Alula is pretty forgiving.

If you're ever in So.Cal, hit me up; I'll show you around the hills.

Awesome! I actually moved from the bar area to austin tx just a few months ago. So I don't know the next time I'll be around your neck of the woods but I'll definitely let you know!

Bring a lot of planes and have someone at the bottom of the cliff to collect the parts?

That looked really cool.

:applause:

 

[Mid7night]

Bring a lot of planes and have someone at the bottom of the cliff to collect the parts?

That looked really cool.

Thanks! And...you're not entirely wrong...

During one of our "Beach Runs" (where we dive down from the left pump towards the beach, then pull up over the palm tree and turn around), there was a guy down on the beach picking up one of his um...landings...and he called one of the guys up top on the phone to say "do another Beach Run, I'll judge!" On the next run, the guy on the far right really dove for it...and stuck his plane right in the sand. XD Watch from this run, and watch the curly-blond guy on the right drop his controller and raise his fist in triumph; "I won!"

Four went down, three came up. That's sloping for ya.

 

[rotozuk]

Beach runs at Fermin - Not for the faint of heart.

I have some PSS planes in my collection, but honestly have hardly flown them since moving up the the SF Bay Area. The big planes call to me up here. LOL

The reality is that you can build one of these planes for a reasonable amount of money if you are willing to go beyond foam board construction methods. Real gliders need real airfoils, once you fly something good, you will be sold for the rest of your life.

I love taking electric pilots out to the slope. They usually sell of the electrics and dedicate to the slope, it is that addictive. I can tell you this. You will probably not fly slower, nor fly faster than you will with gliders on a good slope. You will have a ton of fun, and most slope pilots are a lot of fun to fly with. More relaxed and maybe a bit more crazy. Dang, makes me want to get out and fly...

-Wayne

 

[thenated0g]

Wayne, it would be nice if you guys did a low key event north of San Francisco. Seems like all the events are down towards Santa Cruz or la. Way too far from lake county. For me.

 

[sprzout]

Watch the birds; they've been doin it WAY longer!

Seriously, visit a slope and watch how the locals fly. Slope patterns are not intuitive from powered flight, and even change from site to site based on topology and wind direction/strength.

Normal circular patterns don't work on the slope, the basic beginner pattern is just back and forth.

While you're learning: NEVER TURN TOWARDS THE HILL! That's just asking to get blown in.

Survey the landing site and approach, and watch others land a few times before throwing out. Landing a sloper, IMO, always has more potential to be more "interesting" than powered.

Stay close to the ridge, that's where all the updraft "compression" lift is (again; watch the seagulls on a sand ridge). If you get too far from the lift band, you'll be in for a walk.

Your nnDLG would actually be a good starter plane; light wing loading makes for good floatation. Wings are also good to start with; the Versa is a decent candidate, also the Alula is pretty forgiving.

If you're ever in So.Cal, hit me up; I'll show you around the hills.

Ok, dumb question - where are you flying in SoCal? I'm in North County San Diego area, and looking to try slope soaring (as is my father). I know there's Torrey Pines, but is there anywhere else where I won't instantly have someone trying to give me crap for flying?

 

[Mid7night]

Ok, dumb question - where are you flying in SoCal? I'm in North County San Diego area, and looking to try slope soaring (as is my father). I know there's Torrey Pines, but is there anywhere else where I won't instantly have someone trying to give me crap for flying?

The video at the top was taken at Point Fermin, San Pedro. But we also fly in Laguna Hills area at a park called Lilly Shapell, or just "Lilly's". You have to be AMA and get checked out to fly at Lilly's but it's worth it. Beautiful drive-up and fly, and almost always blowing, at least for light stuff. You can also fly bigger stuff when the wind turns on.

 

[sprzout]

The video at the top was taken at Point Fermin, San Pedro. But we also fly in Laguna Hills area at a park called Lilly Shapell, or just "Lilly's". You have to be AMA and get checked out to fly at Lilly's but it's worth it. Beautiful drive-up and fly, and almost always blowing, at least for light stuff. You can also fly bigger stuff when the wind turns on.

AMA's not an issue - I have to be AMA to fly at my current field, and my dad's field, and if I'm a visitor at other fields, I have to be AMA; it's just easier to pay the membership and carry the insurance via the organization.

Getting checked out might be a little more difficult, if only because I'd have to find someone to sign off on me flying there, but Lilly's might be a nice spot to throw a bird into the air! I'll have to check it out; Laguna Hills is like, 30-45 min. from where I live now.

 

[shopintex]

Very cool! I really want to do this type of flying.

تشک بادی
تخت بادی
استخر بادی
استخر پیش ساخته
قایق بادی​

 

[UCChris]

Currently building my first slope soaring 60" glider

 

[thenated0g]

Currently building my first slope soaring 60" glider

whatcha building specifically?

 

[cranialrectosis]

I started in 1985 flying a balsa Wanderer in the hills around Thousand Oaks.

What a fantastic way to fly. You have to be so in tune with the wind and the thermals... miss it muchly.

 

[UCChris]

whatcha building specifically?

A glider? I don't know how to describe it more than that. Carbon fiber tube fuselage, simple rudder elevator setup. I have a build thread in my profile.

Edit: I re read this and I can see how this might come across as sarcastic or snarky. That was NOT my intention. I'm simply very new to this hobby and have no idea if there are different types of gliders?

 

[thenated0g]

A glider? I don't know how to describe it more than that. Carbon fiber tube fuselage, simple rudder elevator setup. I have a build thread in my profile.

Edit: I re read this and I can see how this might come across as sarcastic or snarky. That was NOT my intention. I'm simply very new to this hobby and have no idea if there are different types of gliders?

Glider stuff is new to me too. So it has a tail, so its more like a 4 channel sail plane? IF it only has elevons i think people generally refer to them as "planks". And than you have the Racing planes (f3 ???), Dynamic slope stuff, Front side stuff, Power Scale Slope (PSS)..... Lots of new terms to figure out.

 

[UCChris]

Glider stuff is new to me too. So it has a tail, so its more like a 4 channel sail plane? IF it only has elevons i think people generally refer to them as "planks". And than you have the Racing planes (f3 ???), Dynamic slope stuff, Front side stuff, Power Scale Slope (PSS)..... Lots of new terms to figure out.

It's a three channel bank and yank. I hesitate to call it a sailplane because the wing surface area/loading ratio to the rest of the plane might be too small. I'm building it beefy enough to slope soar at a popular mountain here that gets winds up to 50+ mph.

 

[DKchris]

Not PSS, but here's an idea if big slopes are scarce near you:

Here's the build thread. Simple to build. Works just great.
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?1456458-Wisel-just-the-glider-you-need

The "light" version in the first vid, intended for small slopes and light winds is the exact same hotwired styrofoam core with covering reduced to a strip of tape at LE and TE, smaller battery and servos cut into the wing in stead of in a nose, and depron elevons and fin.

PS: I do know Speedster could have picked a name a bit further from the Dreamflight plane, but while he might have had that plane in mind as inspiration, he did not plagieurize anything. Came up with the planform and airfoil by himself, having never held the Dreamflight version in his hands. He only posted his own plans, and has never made a single cent of of it. He did however make both fiberglassed versions for fast DS, as well as a 63"/1.6m "Mega wisel" and a 5ft/3.8m "Giga wisel", that have gone through a bunch of slope flying ans well as odball experiments( ), and many other experimental versions

Nice and aircooled .......