We have all seen things that are similar to nature. I could not pass this one up. Steve George captured on an important landing with a side by side comparison of his favorite Gull at Pismo Beach. Life imitates Art

I have been installing servos in sailplane wings for a long time. We started using servos wrapped with masking tape held in place with 5 minute epoxy, went to rubberized CA adhesive, and now to servo frames. Prior to frames you had to hope that it all was aligned and the throws were close enough. After doing that for a few long evenings where the radio could not compensate for the mechanical alignment I quickly saw that servo frames were the easy way out. Now years down the road new digital servos have become so precise and the computer radios so amazing we can do everything to correct for mechanical misalignment. The one area that is lacking for me is the gear train for the servos. When I install them everything is tight and wonderful. As time goes on gear train slop appears and it not so wonderful.

I’ve ran across a thread here in RC groups for a “Fu Fix” that Tony Fu designed for the normal wire based linkage in using much stiffer components, resulting in a more rigidly connected control surface, with much less compliance. The video link below shows why this is a great solution.

Fu-Fix Bearing Kit demonstration in existing wing install

Fu-Fix Bearing Kit demonstration in existing wing install (4 min 47 sec)

After talking with Bob Breax from Soaring USA for years I watched as he spent time and development money on his solution for servo frames with this Fu fix solution. Bob told me from the beginning the Fu fix worked well until the servo had to be...Continue Reading

There seem to be a few people trying to pick up a Zenith 3.7 lately. It is a beautiful design from the past and a wonderful machine to fly with the newer radios. My DX18 with older digital servos makes this sailplane fly better than ever. if you have an older design you might want to try it again with a newer radio. For those lucky enough to still have a Zenith 3.7 take it back out again and have some fun with it. Nothing makes more noise in full reflex or on landing than that 8.5% HQ section with 3% camber. Your friends will all duck for cover when you dive across the field

You realize you have seen a lot when the kits you built as a kid show up for sale and you still see the guys on the labels years later better than ever. This is a great hobby.

With so much going on with drones here is what the RC plane and sailplane pilot needs to do.

Keith

Kent Nogy and Tim Johnson put on a fantastic event for 48 guys who love to fly in the ALES class. They deserve a nice round of applause for putting up with us. After all of the discussion in the ALES thread for using ‘something’ to slow a glider on the surface. I thought it is appropriate to post this video taken of my worst landing during the Pre Fall Soaring Festival ALES. My solution to this performance was to completely change my landing set up. I’ll be back next year no matter what they do. I will let each of you decide what the preferred rule change for ‘something’ simple.

When you spend as many years in this sport as some of us have there is bound to be a day where you just wish the clock could go backwards. Golf has Mulligan's but soaring needs to have a Do Over. This picture of my good friend Larry Jolly sums up what a hard day looks like. I can really relate.

It was another wild weather event for me at the Fall Soaring Festival. I can't think of a time we actually had rain on this event or when I last flew in a down pour. A minor radio issue caused me to land off field this year. You never know when it will be your turn for that to happen. Overall it was a great time seeing all of my friends. The video of my great friend Alex Eremenko landing is amazing. Super Slow motion (Iphone 6) shows the shock to his Maxa Pro on a super easy landing. We ask so much from these sailplanes. Think twice before you buy that used glider

Sony strapped its Action Cam Mini on a white-tailed eagle, named Victor, and had it fly from the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris and flew over the Seine down into the Trocadero Gardens.

The eagle's handler Jacques Olivier Travers is the head of the non-profit organization FREEDOM whose objective is to re-introduce the white-tailed eagle into its natural habitat in the French and Swiss Alps. White-tailed eagles have been extinct in France for over 50 years.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/eagle...#ixzz3IDvYccPB

I have to remember what I did for the next X2 I build at some point. Using the Dermal tool on such an expensive model can be a bit unnerving. Just take your time and enjoy the ride! These pictures may help some of you. Overall weight is 59 ounces.

All of the materials used in this build are available from Soaring USA....Continue Reading

Newsletter for August now available

July edition now available

We had a lot more on the down section this time. I was in Black and led out the descent.

Start the view at 47:00 minutes then it ends at 1:02:00 to see the nasty section of that climb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=U...yer_detailpage


Downhill on Shinn starts at 1:02:00 then ends around 1:08:00 when we have to stop for the flat tire. You may have to paste the link in the browser if it doesn't load properly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=U...ailpage#t=3811

A few of you know that I have been riding a road bike to stay fit for years. One of the guys I ride with took this video using a GoPro mounted on the handle bar. This video has Garmin GPS data overlaid on the video to show in real time what is taking place. Enjoy

Check it out by fast forwarding to 1:12:00 to save time

Shinn Loop 07-29-14 (1 hr 35 min 10 sec)

In this edition I show the latest club design and build project.

Keith

I'm adding this link for the simple technique on making a wet seamed fuselages. It is so simple and this thread really clears up the process. Enjoy!

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show....php?t=1056468

This past weekend in CVRC held another RES and WOODY 2 day contest. I am so proud to be a part of this organization for over 35 years. On Friday we flew the ALES event to kick off this weekends event. Flying in both classes has always been a challenge. This year was so hot (mid 90's) that for the three days I've never been so glad to see a 4 minute flight. Claude has really turned up the dial for flight times the past 2 years with 8 and 10 minute rounds. This event really is a marathon, not a sprint. This year I decided to swap out the first generation Supra fuselage which was all carbon for the AVA Pro. I have never been fond of the added whiskers needed for the Supra fuselage. Had the AVA Pro been around when I started the Atomic - I wish - that would never have been used. Handling seemed to be about the same with slightly better tracking on final approach using spoilers. It seemed like I had over 50% of my landing in the 2 classes down wind this year. Not what I'd say is optimal for these gliders yet the Atomic had a very good weekend.

Uploading files for the SWSA Newsletters

It is with great sadness to announce the passing of my closest friend John Rodgers. He lost his battle with Cancer on 7/30/2013. During the 35 years that I knew him there were many memorable moments. John taught me to realize that time is short on one of our many trips to Visalia. This is the most important tool he ever gave me to help me make the big choices in my life. I was in a peculiar situation with my career that caught his attention. He reminded me after mothers long term illness that, “My time is also limited and not to waste it living someone else's life or expectations. Don't be trapped by living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” He somehow already know what I wanted to become reminding me everything else is secondary.
During our life journey, we shared together personal moments which made me closer to him in each passing year. He was a coach, mentor, and leader that I could count on. When I found situations impossible he saw them as possible. He never gave up reaching what he set off to accomplish. If that was building a coy pond or a new airplane he took on the challenge with full force that only his close friends can describe only as totally “KNARLS”. I will forever miss the man who would carry two 50 pound bags of cement at full speed. He was always on a mission to explore, create, and help create a...Continue Reading

I lost a good friend yesterday that I had known for many years. I'll always look back to the great times I had with Joe Newland. He is and will always remain in my mind a great person who could make things happen in our hobby. The Summer Classic contest we attended up in South Bay was always a high light of the year. Going to breakfast in the morning with Joe was the best. He knew everyone there making it a memorable time. My thoughts are with his family and all of us who new and loved Joe. I will miss him a great deal.