Dynaflite DYFA2018 - Manual (Page 29)

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 flips over.
Concentrate - Keep your eye on your sailplane
during your contest flights. Have a helper or
your counter watch the other sailplanes in the
air. Sometimes your sailplane will wiggle so
quickly or gently that you may miss it if you are
not paying close attention. If you find a
productive thermal, don't leave it because your
helper tells you that someone else has found a
different one.
Know your sailplane! - Learn what your sailplane
will and won't do and fly 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 fly 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.
FLYING
Slope soaring is a type of flying 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 flowing 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 fly in.The faster the wind is blowing the
stronger the lift and turbulence will be.
To fly off a slope, stand near the edge and throw
the sailplane (nose down) into the wind. As the
sailplane flies out into the "band" of lift it will
begin to gain altitude.Turn and fly 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 flying 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 fly very close to the
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