R/C Sailplanes

[Mark Hatcher]

Before building guitars, sea kayaks, jewelry, and furniture I designed and made R/C sailplanes. This was in the 70s and 80s and we did a lot of ridge flying. We'd fly alongside vultures and hawks working the lift along the the ridges.

I loved being able to read the wind by the movement of clouds, tree tops, insects and birds. I used to think of it as learning how envision and surf an invisible ocean.

With a good ridge flyer we could top 200mph! I'd probably still be involved if I had ever figured out how to make a living at it. It was guitar building that eventually won me over.

When I look inside an acoustic guitar and consider the many ways the air inside this resonate chamber is marinating the guitars' tone and voice I get that familiar feeling of once again envisioning that invisible ocean.

Here is a peak at what they are doing with RC sailplanes in more modern times:



Mark

[perttime]

Dynamic Soaring on the back side of a ridge. Exploiting the different wind speeds and directions there, to get the energy for pretty incredible speeds.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_soaring

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by perttime

Dynamic Soaring on the back side of a ridge. Exploiting the different wind speeds and directions there, to get the energy for pretty incredible speeds.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_soaring

In the 80s I lived at the shore in Asbury Park NJ. I used to watch the seagulls cork screwing their way up using the wind sheer off the sides of taller buildings.
I only had a vague idea how they were doing it. It’s fascinating.

[Merak]

Not much margin for error at those speeds. If I was ever to go back into RC flying it would be sailplanes. Very cool.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Merak

Not much margin for error at those speeds. If I was ever to go back into RC flying it would be sailplanes. Very cool.

You’re right about the margin for error. I imagine you’d need a butterfly net to collect the remains of a 500mph+ crash!