Introduction to the Hobby of

RC Model Sailplanes

Copyright (c) 2002 by Bill Kuhl. Right is granted to use this

material for non-commercial purposes. All other rights are
reserved.
Introduction -The Hobby of RC
Sailplanes
Is This a Hobby for Me? Some reasons it might be:
•You can start out fairly inexpensively.
•It is clean, quiet, and environmentally friendly.
• You can have success as a beginner, but there are
always new challenges as your level of proficiency
advances.
•With a dependency on atmospheric conditions there is a
good deal of randomness, you never really get it all
figured out.
•It can be very educational; you learn about meteorology,
aerodynamics, and strength of materials as you advance.
 The Origins of Soaring
The first creatures to soar upon slope and thermal lift
were large winged creatures a couple hundred million
years ago. With wingspans well over 20 feet and
weighing well in excess of 100 pounds, huge muscles
would have been required to maintain flapping flight even
with the denser air of that time providing more lift, so it is
thought these creatures flew exclusively in lift by jumping
off mountain tops.

In more recent times

large soaring birds
such as eagles and
hawks, rely on finding
lift for much of their
flight.
Paul Naton Image
 The Origins of Soaring

Public domain image of one of the Wright Brother’s gliders.

The Wright Brothers spent years experimenting with gliders

before attempting powered flight. Much of their effort was
spent developing more efficient airfoils and perfecting their
control system before building a powered plane.
 Advances in the Hobby
There Has Never Been a Better Time to Take up Soaring
A Few Good Reasons Why:
•Reliable radio equipment available at low cost. Size and
weight of equipment available makes planes practical that
were not 10 years ago.
•High quality kits and Almost-ready-to-Fly planes at a
reasonable cost.
•Composite construction materials available
•Important technical information made available to
everyone.
 Radio Equipment
Two or three function
radio equipment is
available for $50 to $100.
Close-up compact radio
installation in discus launch
sailplane, complete plane weighs
under 10 ounces.

Computer radios will handle many

functions such as flaps, ailerons, and
spoilers, capable of mixing
combinations of functions. As you
progress through the hobby, most
likely this is the type of radio system
you will want. Prices around $500 and
up.
ARF - Almost Ready to Fly
High-quality sailplanes are
available at a reasonable cost.
The Primera A.R.F. glider that I
am holding, came completely
constructed of wood and
covered with plastic covering,
required only minor assembly of
major components. Received
third place in two-meter division
at 2001 Southwest Classic flying
this plane.
Sailplane Design & Construction

Design is related to creating a light, strong

structure with minimum drag. Because of
these goals, many planes use composite
materials to get maximum strength from
minimum amount and weight of materials.

The wing of a sailplane launched by electric

winch must be able to withstand a force
equal to up to ten times the weight of the
aircraft because of the stress placed on the
wing during a zoom launch.
 Laser Cut Pieces
Many of the balsa wood kits come with laser-cut pieces
that come out of the wood sheets much easier and
cleaner than the die-cut procedure used in the past.

Laser cut pieces are very

accurate, although the
edges of the wood is
brown from burning
process.
 Composite Materials

Carbon or carbon fiber is found in various forms such as

strips, rods, and woven into cloth. It has a high strength to
weight ratio, but the primary strength is in tension.

Kevlar is a trade name

for this material
developed by DuPont.
Used in sailplanes for
dent resistance, it also
used in the making of
bullet-proof vests.
 Composite Construction
Note:
sheeting,
leading edge,
and trailing
edge have not
been added, to
show spar
assembly of
mid panel.

The Allegro Lite spar construction consists of end grain

balsa sandwiched between carbon fiber strips. This is
wrapped with kevlar tow (loose fibers) and then painted
with a slow curing epoxy.
 Free Information & Plans
Significant advances in model sailplane design were made free for
downloading in the form of plans over the Internet by Dr. Mark Drela,
professor at MIT. These designs utilize composite construction or
balsa wood construction with clever use of hi-tech materials such as
carbon fiber and kevlar.
Dr Drela has also developed airfoils that offer performance gains for
model sailplanes. He has created a computer program “XFOIL” that
will analyze airfoils for a variety of flow conditions. XFOIL is free for
download for academic use.
Dr Drela is also noted for setting the human-powered hydrofoil speed
record of 21.3 mph in 1991 and the Daedalus human-powered aircraft
that flew 199 kilometers across the Mediterranean Sea.

Mark Drela’s RC Sailplane Designs on the Internet

Apogee Allegro Bubble Dancer SuperGee
 Where Can Model Sailplanes be
Flown?
It is best to fly at an approved soaring club field as a member.
If you must fly from private land, make sure to get permission.

Thermal Fields – need big enough area for high start or winch
and room to drift downwind over. As there is no glow fuel to
be spilled, often sailplane clubs are allowed to fly from sod
farms that power fliers can not.

Slope Sites - many concerns; access to the site, obstacles,

and will there be consistent lift for wind conditions.
Safety is a concern, although noise should not be. Do not fly
over populated areas.
 How Does a Sailplane Stay Aloft?
No matter how efficient a sailplane is, the glide path will
always be downward unless a source of lift is found. Lift is air
that is moving upward faster than the sailplane is descending,
(sink rate).
Lift is found in two majors ways; slope lift - air moving
horizontal is deflected upward, or thermal lift - air rising from
the ground because it is warmer than surrounding air.
Slope Lift Thermal Lift
 Staying Aloft - Thermals
Thermals - sailplane enthusiasts have such a fondness
for the thermal lift that keep their sailplane’s aloft, many
sign their emails and letters with “Thermals” instead of
Sincerely.
As the ground is warmed by the
sun, thermal bubbles are formed
and break way from the ground.
These bubbles can combine and
mature to form thermal columns.
Thermals will normally drift with
the wind, so the pilot circles the
sailplane downwind adjusting to
stay within the thermal.
 Staying Aloft - Slope Lift

Popular California Inland Slope

On large slopes such as this one, strong lift is
created when the wind blows straight into the
slope.
 Learning to Fly
Bob Harold’s TG-3 EPP is a good looking
glider. Wooden gliders that are more fragile, will
be easier to thermal with if lighter.

Learning to fly RC sailplanes is easier than RC power

planes because sailplane trainers fly slower but it is best to
have an instructor. The new “bounce-able” EPP training
sailplanes will survive all but the hardest knocks with no
damage.
E. P. P.
Expanded PolyPropylene foam
 Learning to Fly
Many radio systems include a
“buddy box” option, a cable
connects two radio systems
allowing the instructor to give or
take control from the student’s
radio.

Gentle Lady has been a

favorite training glider for
many years.
 How Does the Sailplane Get the
Initial Altitude?
Slope sailplanes normally are thrown directly into the lift off hills or mountains.
Thermal sailplanes normally need a fair amount of altitude to begin searching
for thermal lift.

Methods Used to Reach Thermal Lift are:

Hand Launch - plane is launched in an overhand throw.
Discus Launch - plane is spun by wingtip and released upward.
Hi-Start - stretchable tubing and length of string pulls sailplane
upwards like a kite, string detaches from plane.
Electric Winch - ground-based electric motor pulls sailplane up.
Electric Motor with Propeller - electric motor in sailplane powers to
altitude, often prop folds for less drag.
Aero Tow - sailplane is towed behind a RC power plane.
 Winch Launching
Winch on the
left and
retriever on
the right.

For most larger sailplanes, an

electric winch is the preferred
method for getting a sailplane to an
altitude of a few hundred feet.
Pilot holds some tension Electric retrievers are also available
as the winch line that pull back the winch line.
stretches before pilot give
the plane a toss.
 Hi Start Launch

Hi-Start consists of
stretchable tubing,
Paul Naton launching larger
stake for anchoring in
sailplane by hi-start. Hi-starts are
ground, string, and
available in a variety of sizes.
parachute.
 Electric Powered Sailplanes

Paul Naton photo of

Dieter Mahlein with
high-performance
electric powered
sailplane.

Sailplanes powered by electric motors are available in all sizes and

performance ranges. The weight of the motor and battery is not as much
of a handicap as it once was. Often it is helpful to be able to use electric
power to avoid landing off field.
 The Need for Efficiency
Normally flying in thermal lift and often under slope
conditions, there is no excess lift, so a sailplane needs to be
as efficient as possible. This means creating adequate lift
while creating the least amount of drag, known as the
Lift/Drag ratio.

Wings of sailplanes are normally long and narrow, the ratio

of wing’s length (wingspan) to wing’s width (chord); is
known as the “aspect ratio” or AR. Wings with higher
aspect ratios have a better glide ratio, but require strong
construction.
 Efficiency - L/D Glide Ratio

Steeper glide
angle result of
greater drag.

Half the drag results in

twice the glide ratio.
 Airfoils
Shape of the wing cross-section (airfoil) is a major
factor in the performance of the sailplane. Airfoils are
optimized for the conditions that the plane is most
likely to be flown under. Factors such as speed,
weight, launching factors, wind penetration, and size
of aircraft are considered.
The following individuals have done considerable
research in developing airfoils for model
sailplanes and other applications:
Dr. Michael S. Selig University of Illinois
Dr. Richard Eppler Stuggart Germany
Dr. Mark Drela MIT
Airfoil Performance Issue
In designing airfoils,
desirable to avoid the
“laminar separation
bubble” on the airfoil
upper surface that can
lead to high airfoil drag.
On the diagram this
appears between A & B.
The picture below is of
oil sprayed on airfoil in
wind tunnel observed
under black light.

Image by permission of
Dr. Michael Selig
 Competition
Sailplane competitions of many types are very popular.
Most competitions are low key with entrants more
interested in the social aspects of flying with others with
the same interests. Tasks are simple enough that pilots
with only moderate skills can accomplish.

Competition is always a
learning experience. You
compare your plane and
piloting ability with others, and
often you find there is much
room for improvement.

The following is only a small

sample of sailplane events.
 Thermal Duration Contests
Thermal duration
contests such as the
Southwest Classic
held near Phoenix,
Arizona every
February draw pilots
from all over the
United States as well
as many vendors.
Planes are launched off electric winches, pilots try to keep
their planes aloft as close as possible to a specified time and
then land as close as possible to a small circle on the field.
Discus Launch

Once known as “Hand Launch”

competition, everyone has
switched to launching by
swinging the plane by a wingtip.

Flight tasks are performed within a time window, normally

ten minutes. Typical tasks might be to get maximum flight
time as close to a target time as possible with a limited
amount of throws. Penalty for each throw after specified
number of throws. The best score for round is given 1000
points and the rest of the scores are normalized, this is
“man-on-man” competition. There is a lot of strategy in
picking your air and less emphasis on landing.
 Slope Racing

Photo by
permission of
Gliderking.com

Sailplanes race between poles on a course that

runs parallel to top of hill. Racing requires very
smooth flying.
Hand Launch Golf or DLG Golf

Pilots fly hand launch gliders between holes on a golf

course using foam noodles that planes must land against.
Some pilots have achieved one throw for each hole on the
course. The pilot may run or ride in golf cart between holes.
 Scale
In scale competition, models that
are replicas of full-size sailplanes
are judged for appearance and
flight maneuvers.

“Scale flying points are judged by

at least two judges. Each of the
ten maneuvers is scored from one
to 10. Flying score is added to the
static score for the total score.”

Bob Harold
 The End
Special Thanks to the following companies or individuals for
allowing me to use their graphics images:
Paul Naton www.radioncarbonart.com
Robert Bingham GliderKing.com
Klaus K Weiss www.h.s.l.rcclubs.com
Steve Henke Spring Fling Image
Bob Harold Scale Competition Description
Dr. Michael Selig Laminar Separation Bubble Image

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