Carl Goldberg GPMA1960 Gentle Lady Glider ARF - Manual (Page 15)

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When encountering sink, immediately turn and fl y 90 degrees
to the direction of the wind (towards you if possible). Apply
a little “down elevator” and pick up some speed to get out of
the sink as fast as possible. Every second you stay in the
sink is precious altitude lost.
POINTERS FOR CONTEST FLYING
Pay Attention! – Pay close attention to the sailplanes fl ying
before you, watch them and try to establish where and when
the thermals are being formed. Thermals are often formed in
cycles and can be fairly regular, so if you keep track of the
time intervals you will have a pretty good idea of when and
where a thermal may be generated.
Watch The Birds! – Thermals suck up small insects that
many birds love to eat. A bunch of swallows fl ying around
in one area may indicate a thermal. Soaring birds (hawks,
vultures, eagles etc.) are the best thermal indicators. They
not only show you where the thermal is but they also show
you where the center is. These “Masters of the Sky” will often
fl y right along with sailplanes.
Practice Those Landings! – Most thermal contests are won
or lost during the landing. Establish a particular landing pattern
and try to stick to it for all landings. Learn to shift your pattern to
account for the wind and particular fl ying fi eld characteristics.
Spoilers can be very useful during contest landings. They
allow you to bring the sailplane in for a landing higher or faster
than normal to guard against any last minute sink or gusts and
dump the extra altitude and speed at the last second. They can
also be used to help control your skid. Opening the spoilers will
stop the plane from sliding a little quicker. You can also “steer”
the plane while it is sliding along the ground. Don’t expect to
be able to “horse it around” but you can gain valuable inches
by using the rudder to guide it toward the spot as it slides to a
stop. Be very careful not to “ground loop” the plane since you
will lose your landing points if the plane fl ips over.
Know Your Sailplane! – Learn what your sailplane will and
won’t do and fl y within this envelope. This will allow you to
ride thermals downwind while knowing when you have to
head back to make your landing safely.
Learn From The Wind! – Keep track of which way the wind
is blowing. If the wind suddenly shifts, there is some thermal
action fairly close to you. The air is probably being either
sucked up into a thermal or falling out of some sink. In either
case it is often a good idea to fl y in the direction the wind is
blowing if your sailplane is in the general area. This will take
you towards a thermal if there is one or away from the sink,
both of which are desirable.
SLOPE SOARING
Slope soaring is a type of fl ying that is very popular in hilly
regions and along the coasts. This type of soaring is possible
when the wind is blowing directly up a hill or cliff. As the wind hits
the slope it is forced up, producing lift which can be utilized by
real sailplanes, hang gliders, birds and even model sailplanes.
To be able to slope soar, you need a slope with a smooth
piece of land (or water) out in front of it and a breeze blowing
pretty close to straight up the slope. The higher and steeper
the hill or cliff the better. Also the larger and smoother the
land out in front the better. The air fl owing along hits the
hill, is forced up and can generate a very large area of lift.
Behind the hill is a large area of turbulent air that can be very
dangerous to try to fl y in. The faster the wind is blowing, the
stronger the lift and turbulence will be.
To fl y off a slope, stand near the edge and throw the sailplane
(nose down) into the wind. As the sailplane fl ies out into the
“band” of lift it will begin to gain altitude. Turn and fl y parallel to
the slope and make all of your turns into the wind (especially
when you are close to the slope). You will be surprised at
the altitude you can gain just from slope lift. Thermals will
often be “popped loose” by these slopes. If you catch a
thermal and follow it downwind, be very careful to stay high
enough to make it back to the slope without fl ying through
the turbulent air behind the slope. If you don’t have enough
altitude you may want to land a good distance behind the
slope if possible to avoid this turbulent air.
SLOPE LANDINGS
Landings can be very tricky on some slopes. On gentle slopes
you can often fl y very close to the top of the slope and “slide”
into the top of the slope without encountering any turbulent air.
On steeper slopes you may have to be a little more aggressive
to get the plane out of the lift. In any case it is a good idea to
plan your landing before launching your plane.
BALLASTING
In strong wind conditions, you may want to add ballast
(weight) to the sailplane to increase its wing loading which
increases its normal fl ying speed. Increasing the weight of
your sailplane does not change its “glide ratio” but it does
make it fl y faster which makes it sink a proportional amount
faster. Because of this faster sink rate, you need to be very
cautious when ballasting for a thermal contest. In duration
type contests only use ballast on very windy days that also
have a lot of thermal activity.
Add the weight as near as possible to the C.G. of the plane.
Adding 6 – 8 oz. will make a noticeable difference in the
sailplane’s fl ying speed and more can be added later, if
needed. Make sure to recheck the C.G. of the plane after
adding ballast–it should remain where it was.
Have a ball! But always stay in control and fl y in a safe
manner. GOOD LUCK AND GREAT FLYING!