Slope Soaring

[sham]

I've been told the cliffs where I live may present a good sloping site. (Thanks Fly).

I know nothing about it. At all.

I'm going to research a little, but anyone here do it and have any tips on getting started with this branch of flying?

[flydiver]

Doubt you'll find that info in this forum. I've been promoting it occasionally for years with no takers. RCGroups has a large and active forum. That's where I got started. Do a search on [flytrap].

[sham]

Well, I'd like to learn about it.. With an aim of figuring out if its worth investing in a glider.

Question 1. Can I uses the same glider for being towed into the air as for sloping?

[flydiver]

Yes, but you may not want to. Thermal gliders and slopers have similar traits (high lift, low drag) but are also specialized planes.
You certainly don't want balsa, at least to start.
For a beginner sloper with a 'bailout' a Bixler with motor will work, which I think is a better platform for a camera than the Cub.

Addendum: Flytrap - cheap scratchbuild sloper:
www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2164254

[coupe1942]

You can also look up Bixlers on YouTube and see many flying from slopes with great results. I can't remember seeing videos of SC's being flown like that, but plenty of Bixlers with GoPros attached to them. I have been living in an area that didn't have a lot of local slopes to try it out on though. There was a really great video from someone out in CA who flew his Bixler off cliffs and caught it in his hands as it returned. Where I am moving to, I don't recall any large cliffs, either, but I will have to check it out when I get settled. My part of Texas has way too many mesquite shrubs, rattle snakes and prickly pears to make all areas flight worthy. Not to mention the multiple days of about 100 degree heat. However, I did see several areas that look as if they may make really good flight fields, as long as the owners don't object. Many don't have the long grass to make landings a challenge, too.

[flydiver]

It's about lift to drag. IMO the Bixler type plane is clearly superior to the Cub for learning. It flies better, floats better, and you don't ruin the motor with the (inevitable) nose in crash. You can still break it, I've seen it done repeatedly but in general it works better.
But for lots of folks it simply doesn't look like a 'real' airplane, can't take off and land on wheels, so is unacceptable.

BTW, the Bixler is a Chinese knock-off of the Multiplex Easy Star, a German plane that is more expensive, and of course built better, but it's not RTF.
www.horizonhobby.com/products/easy-star-ii-airplane-kit-MPU214260

Guess which one is going extinct?

[coupe1942]

The Bixler is likely one of the easiest planes to add wheels to of various sizes and the cheapest to perform such a mod to. My ARF and RTF Bixlers both have this mod to them. They take off and land on the wheels pretty easily, but like anything, it is all practice, practice, practice in learning the skill to landing with wheels. They can indeed be broken, especially since they are made of foam. Still, they are easy to repair. There are tons of Easy Star material on the RC web sites and lots of photos there too. For the inexperienced pilot, the Bixlers are pretty easy to contend with learning on. There are differences between the new models and the older ones, but mainly cockpit changes. Me, I enjoy mine, as they are easily adapted for camera mods, even with the heavier GoPro cameras. I try not to compare them to my SC's, as there are pros and cons to each and differences that are unique to each, as well. Both are great planes and I enjoy both for various reasons.

Slope flying seems like great fun and I am hoping I can find such a place to try it out in my new home location when I get settled. Just like flying with pontoons though, there are some skills that need to be developed for the best advantage and fun. 

[sham]

I do really like the idea of a plane that will glide for long periods but also has a small motor to climb back up with should it be needed.
That way I can fly it anywhere and not only take advantage of the slopes and wind.

My camera is only 15g, so weight isn't an issue - but something with the ability to glide for extended periods with no engine vibrations is appealing..

I love the cub, because I love scale flying.. But I want to expand my hanger to a glider of some kind and a 5 channel plane for more practice and more challenging flying. I'll keep Cubby though.

[flydiver]

Jun 4, 2014 12:35:09 GMT 1 coupe1942 said:

The Bixler is likely one of the easiest planes to add wheels to

You realize wheels, especially big wheels, seriously impact the drag?
It's a fine belly lander. You aren't going to get your fingers in the prop when hand launching, plus it glides well so is easy to hand launch. Why bother, especially if you were after the superior glide?

OTOH, that camera kind of impacts the glide a bit also I would imagine.

[coupe1942]

The planes shown above have larger wheels, but may opt for those skinny ones. Personally, I just done care for the looks of those skinny wheels, myself. I can't really say much about the drag, as the planes fly very well, as modified by me. I like landing on the asphalt as much as in the fields, so that is one reason I added wheels to mine. The belly landings actually will often tear the foam of the Bixlers and most often reinforced tape is used to help minimize this on the bottom of the nose area.

To remove the drag, I removed the Bixler decals. That was about 10 pounds gone, I suppose. :-)

Yup, the camera can add drag okay, but so it is with any GoPro or any camera for that fact. You have to trade off some things for other things you may want in the long run. It is amazing that I am willing to add any camera to a plane these days, as my maiden SC flight took out my Mobius right away when I crashed it. I guess it is because the GoPro offers more protection that I am willing to risk it in this manner. Many, many, many fly the Bixlers with good success with the GoPro cameras added, so I guess the drag issue is minimized a bit in their minds. I guess I am too new to flying these things to be worried over a superior glide, as I just enjoy any flight at all, regardless if superior or not.

I am hoping to find something bigger than an ant hill in size in Wichita Falls so I can try out the slope flights. My mention of how easy it was to add wheels on a Bixler is just to say it really is not handicap to do so if you want to make such a mod. Much easier than adding floats to a SC, but even that is a personal choice and not something that everyone wishes to do. I have to admit that I don't chop on my fingers in tossing this baby into the air for flight time, but I still like the flexibility to land it on asphalt and if I want to remove the wheels, it is an easy enough task to do so for belly landings. Again, it is all in what the person likes and what skills they possess, I suppose.

A photo of the thin wheels mentioned above: