Info for Novices
If you're new to sloping, this beginners' article should help you get airborne faster and with less stress!
Slope Soaring EPP R/C Planes for Beginners - (PDF)
Other general tips
Slope gliding can be lots of fun and very rewarding, however when you are first starting out it can be quite a challenge. Normally when you build your first glider there won't be wind for days - typical! Finally hanging out for the right conditions pays off, the wind is blowing and you go to your flying location. You take your perfectly covered glider, say "here goes" and launch your bird. What happens next in most cases is a short moment of flight until you totally lose control and crash!
To avoid many of these early frustrations the best tip of all is to get someone to teach you how to fly. This can be done with a buddy cable, which links your control with the instructor's, giving the instructor the ablility to take over once things start to get out of shape. Having someone who flies regularly look at your plane can also make sure that your plane is trimmed and weighted correctly. If it's not, it's going to make it even harder to learn to fly by yourself.
Someone that has been flying for some time can pass on tips and advice which would take you many attempts and crashes to learn. With even the best instructions and assistance you will crash, that's expected, however EPP gliders are designed to withstand some serious crashes.
Another important thing that you need to get right is understanding the weather conditions, if there isn't a nice breeze you won't get any lift. You also need to make sure that the breeze that you have is coming from the right direction. There's no point trying to fly on a slope that faces an eastly direction when the wind is coming from the south.
Often I see people taking too many risks. There are always risks involved with slope gliding, but I believe it's important to try to minimse the risks you take. For example, sometimes when I find a new location I inspect the slope. Take time to anaylse the surroundings, eg:
- Which way is the breeze blowing from e.g. E or SE?
- Is the wind too strong and gusty?
- What are the danger areas?
- What trees do I need to avoid?
- Is there enough lift being produced?
- Can I easily retrieve my plane?
- Is there an area to land?
- Which direction do I most likely need to approach a landing from?
Many questions but once you have studied the surroundings and analysed the risks you'll decide if the risks are too high or if the location is suitable. There have been some locations which I have decided not to fly at, it may be due a number of conditions but if the risk is too great I won't take the chance.
Once the plane is flying, don't try to become an expert over night. Like anything new, it takes practice. Try just flying your glider to the left and then back to the right. Once you build your confidence doing one move, try another.
Most importantly give yourself room to move. If you're going to attempt a loop or roll or some other new move, make sure that you leave yourself enough room to pull out or stop the attempt. Often people who fly too close to the ridge of the cliff find themselves in all sorts of troubles when they try to exit the move but find that they have no momentum left. Often this will result in the plane flying over their head with the glider out of control. Try flying away from the top of the ridge when trying something new, give yourself room to 'fall' and 'recover'.
At the end of the day practice makes perfect. Even the most practiced flier will still occasionally 'stuff up'. The most important thing is to make sure you have fun.
Happy Flying!
Check out the following external link, great tips: http://www.shallowsky.com/planes/weasel/slopetips.html