Electronic Second Wind 92-2

Second Wind 92-2

The NEWSLETTER for Thermaling Craftsmen in an ARF World!

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The pilot may be out-to-lunch but the Pivot puts in an Olympian performance!

by Brian Keeffe

Bob, thought you might enjoy some pictures I took while in Munich, Germany this summer. This is the "Amazing!!" Pivot flying at the Olympiad --the sight of the 1972 Olympics. I was working a concert there with Whitney Houston when I noticed this large park. There must have been at least a hundred kites in the air at the top of the hill!!

I took my "lunch" break a little early and hot-footed out to the top of the hill, gave the plane a heave, and flew 'till it was time to go back to work.

This is the Pivot that I had you send the new wing core to London for. I finished it while in London and even flew it at Hyde Park!! Wasn't supposed to, but some times the mood gets you and there's just no stopping it. That day I was able to get 3-6 minute flights off of a hand launch. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Pivot. Its wide flight envelope and transportability make it an ideal choice for an all-around travel plane. I'm looking forward to seeing the SD7037 air foil, as I think it would make it a little faster on the slope. I even have flown it on the slopes in California (Hughes Hill), and people think it's a neat little plane. With the increased popularity of slope flying, I think it would pay to advertise this little jewel a little more. Anyway, have to run-- leaving for Japan today. Maybe set some more "Dodgson Converts" over on "our" side. --Brian Keeffe - Millcreek, WA. ________________________________________________________________________________

Time For Pro-elastics

by Gary Brokaw with a tiny bit of help from Bob Dodgson

(Gary is the proud father of the AFART . . . but that was before he knew the importance of using pro-elastics)

No, this is not another article on safe sex (oh, did you hear that Bob thinks safe sex is having a car with a padded dash board?) No, this is a piece on making sure your AFART-stick rubbers are nice and stretchy. Believe me, nothing is more dangerous than an AFART elastic that has gone limp. The top flyers --the "Pros" always make sure that their elastics are fresh and resilient before entering the fray. We should take a lesson from the "pros" and check our rubbers religiously so that we can be confident that we are using pro-caliber elastics and won't be let-down by AFART at the most inopportune time. To most people of my generation, this is not a topic we treat lightly as do some of the younger more careless flyers of today. For example, I've been told that Al Doig doesn't even take any extra rubbers along to the field. Al, that's down-right risky! Now that we all agree on the importance of this vital part of maintaining our Windsongs and Camanos, the next question everyone asks is where can I get these all-important size 30 rubbers anyway? Well that, my friend, can be a real hard one. Personally, living in a conservative place like Spokane, Washington, I had a heck of a time coming up with some myself. I checked all the obvious places including the men's room at my favorite watering hole and came up empty handed, so to speak. Then it hit me, why didn't I think of it sooner . . . the local High School! Not only did they have those #30 rubbers, but they had them in different colors and all at no charge, too. As an added bonus to the more timorous souls, if you can't muster up the courage to ask for them yourself, just send in one of the kids. They are more than happy to serve as a procurer because it helps them make "prodigious user" status among their peers. There you go, a frank, up-front discussion about AFART elastics and their importance in properly neutralizing your dowel. Please do remember that for safe reflex always use fresh pro-elastics and you'll never get caught with your flaps fluttering. ________________________________________________________________________________

Your Phil of Pivotal Pfoils

by Phil Pearson

Dear Bob, I would like to share some information that I have learned about two of the new Selig/Donovan airfoils with other Second Wind readers. This information was printed in February R/C Soaring Digest. I have edited the original letter with more information. You have permission to edit this letter if you wish. As you know I have been flying a Pivot (8 oz/sq ft) very frequently for a year now with 72" vacuum bagged balsa wings (over white foam) covered with 1/2 ounce glass. Three servos are used, a standard servo for wing pivot and two S-133s (elevator and rudder). Rudder is useful for holding the nose up in slow tight turns, performing stall-turns and spins. The pivot has a powerful rudder and spins very well making it easy to lose altitude safely when the model is "specked out". I have been interested in airfoils for many years and "Soartech 8" and David Fraser's performance program prompted me to construct two alternately airfoiled wings that are instantly interchangeable. In fact, I flew one flight with a SD8000 right wing and a SD7037 left wing inadvertently! David's program predicts flight characteristics that are easily observed while flying the plane, especially in the case of the SD8000. The laminar flow characteristics of the SD7037 and SD8000 allow a more efficient use of pivoting wings than the E387 with it's inherent separation bubble. The SD7037 performance is remarkable, very smooth in pitch throughout the speed range, no sharp stall, slows down for easy hand catches, very good energy recovery, good climb, and very precise roll control for thermal centering and fantastic L/D (over a wide speed range) for this size model. I fly light-lift, small slopes with thermals most of the time and the SD7037 excels in this situation. When the wind increases, I switch to a pair of SD8000 wings. This airfoil is aerobatic (outside loops as easy as inside and very good inverted performance) and has an even better observed L/D. The stall is more pronounced but predictable and the minimum sink is greater than the SD7037. I have found the SD8000 to be an excellent airfoil for use on low sand dune (20') slopes in light shearing winds (as low as 6 MPH). The good L/D and low drag allow for flying above a hill with a very low slope angle. Interestingly the SD8000 consistently out-performs the SD7037 in this marginal lift headwind condition. The SD8000 has a slightly better glide ratio than the SD7037 and this difference allows it to penetrate at a shallower angle. This difference, predicted by David's program, shows as a peak (abrupt stall) in the L/D curve. The SD7037 has a flatter L/D curve (much softer stall), a lower sink rate and is more forgiving of small speed changes that occur when the plane is at a higher altitude thermaling. The SD7037 performs better in marginal slope conditions when the wind is straight into the hill. It is very difficult to achieve the SD8000's very narrow performance advantage (for this size plane) in thermal conditions where one's view of the plane is oblique but on the slope it is possible to fly the plane more precisely and take advantage of the SD8000's better lift/drag ratio. Of course, the maneuverability of the Pivot allows one to place the plane precisely in the narrow lift band allowing the pilot superb control in light lift conditions. The Pivot is an excellent airplane for airfoil comparison because the wings are easily interchanged and the construction is simplified by the elimination of aileron construction. Sincerely, Phil Pearson - WA

L/D is shown on the vertical axis and SPEED in feet/sec is shown on the horizontal axis.

The SD8000 is shown dark blue, the SD7037 is shown in red and the Clark-Y is shown in light blue. I find it humorous that the Clark-Y is about Martin Simon's favorite airfoil! Much of my amusement comes from the "experts". [Unbeknownst to Phil, I have included a computer polar comparing the SD7037, SD8000 and the Clark Y. It appears to me that the 8000 has only the tiniest advantage over the 7037 in maximum L/D (20.4 to 1 vs 20.2 to 1). At higher speeds, the L/D of the two airfoils sees to converge, giving equal higher speed performance. On the other hand, the 7037 on the Pivot yields a significantly lower sinking speed (1.26 ft/sec vs 1.39 ft/sec) than does the 8000. For choosing a single airfoil for the Pivot, I had to five the nod to the 7037 as the better over-all performer in light air while giving up next to nothing in L/D over the speed spectrum. The 80-00 definitely offers better inverted performance, however, than does the 7037. --Bob D]

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Pivot 7037 Accolades

August 29, 1992

Dear Mr. Dodgson, I recently built and have flown your Picot 7037 kit. As a consummate builder I have built and flown many kits. And many high flying claims have crashed and burned on my flying field. But, your Pivot has really ruined me. It is so superb that all I want to do is fly the Pivot, fly the Pivot.

The kit instructions, the plans, the materials (fit and finish) are nearly perfect. And the little glider, with only two or three minor trim changes has flown perfectly right off the building board. It tracks as though it were on rails. A little nose down trim really gets it across the field penetrating nicely and it thermals --probably better than any two meter (and perhaps longer wing span) glider out there. It also takes a full foot RAHM'S winch launch --unbelievable.

 I know you specify not to change the spar but I built it with 18" carbon fiber, full width vertical-grain balsa shear web and full length spruce spars. Out-board, I filled shear webs with foam. I sheeted the wings using an aliphatic resin glue called Titebond II. I have been experimenting with this for a while. There are a few tricks with it but over all, it is quite simple, does not require vacuum bagging and the wings come out quite light-weight.

You fully deserve the bragging rights. My neighbor and flying partner, Robert Heisner, is now building an Anthem (amongst five or six of your kits). I am convinced that the Anthem will have to be knight of the hill. Thank you, Roz. (Wayne M. Rozan - MD)

October 9, 1992 Dear Bob, . . . My new Pivot 7037 is flying very well. It certainly out-performs the old one. I tested it on the slope in lift so light that Gentle Ladies landed after one circle. The Pivot stayed up. In thermals it is great! It stands on a wing-tip even better than my Anthem Well that's it for now. Please send the wing kit and transfer tap to me at the address above. Thanks, Robert Carson - Victoria, B.C. ________________________________________________________________________________

Letter Rip

The Uplifting Song

July 14, 1992 Dear Bob, in a previous issue of Second Wind (91-2), you printed a couple of letters from Kay Fisher of Orange, Massachusetts, regarding his experience with his Lovesong. Last year, Kay entered most of the contests sponsored by our local club --the DownEast Soaring Club and I had the opportunity to see his Lovesong fly under wide-ranging conditions throughout the season. In fact, at the final contest of the season, last November, Kay and I timed for each other during the entire contest, giving me a good chance to see him fly his Lovesong "up close and personal." This contest seemed to confirm what I had noticed earlier in the season when I had a chance to see Kay fly. His Lovesong seemed to indicate light lift better than virtually any other plane I had the chance to watch. In some cases, these other ships, flying in the same air as the Lovesong, did not show that there was any loft present, but the Lovesong, did not show that there was any loft present, but the Lovesong would jiggle a wing tip, bob and bounce a little or otherwise show the presence of weak lift where there appeared to be none --at least from the way the other planes responded to the same air. Obviously this is valuable information for a contest pilot trying to scratch out a max on a day with poor thermal activity, but it's also important to the flyer who isn't contest oriented yet enjoys being able to get the most out of each flight. Quite frankly, Bob, watching Kay Fisher's Lovesong fly in competition did more to interest me in Dodgson Designs sailplanes than anything you have written about the theoretical L/D advantages of a tripped E214 or SD7037. For many of us the proof is in the flying, and the way Kay's Lovesong flew impressed me. Now, I'd really like to see the Saber in action. One of our club members is building a Saber and I'm anxious to see it fly, but it looks like he won't have it ready for this season. Have you given any though to sheeting a new Dodgson video extravaganza showing the complete new lineup, including the Saber and Anthem? If so, this time around, how 'bout giving Dolly and John Denver a rest and using Spiro Gyra, or the Rippingtons or Billy Cobham for the music bed? By the way, the idea of using Anthem wings on a Saber fuselage sounds good. I prefer the looks of the Saber fuse and the fact that it's one piece makes it even more appealing. Sincerely, Jack Russell - NH

More bang for the buck!

March 26, 1992 Thank you for continuing to kit the Lovesong, Camano and Pixy. You are providing a real service to glider enthusiasts by providing kits that perform and construct better than anything else currently available in the glider marketplace. Hopefully you will continue to get enough orders for these kits to make them available on a longer basis than you may have planned for.

It is gook that you will continue the "Song" tradition with the Saber/Anthem models but I fear I'll wait to get these models as I think the "total cost," NOT the model cost, is too high. When choosing a new project to build last Winter ('91), I estimated that it would cost me around $400 to build a Lovesong with a new 4 channel PCM Vanguard radio. The Saber/Anthem kit was only at $50 more, but the least expensive (with discounts considered) radio/servo combination was $650 ($400+ for radio and $200 for 4 servos and tax). Ironically, I own a Futaba 1024 7 channel radio but I can't bring myself to pay the $200+ for servos.

Anyway, I'll breakdown later (not sooner) and get either a Saber or Anthem, but I'll finish my 3rd Lovesong first!! I'm planning to use the Songs for my LSF attempts and one model will be specifically for cross-country competition. The x-country plane is 2/3 done as of today and will use a thermal sniffer, 1/2 oz. fiberglass wing covering and 20 oz. removable lead.

I'm looking forward to using those Song's as described above. It's good, clean, inexpensive fun! Your new instruction books and CAD plans are super! You're trying and it shows very well! Someday I will convert to multi-servo soaring. Keep up the good work! Thanks for listening, John Swain.

P.S. From page 1-- The "old" Futaba 1024 PCM radio will only allow you to either have aileron differential or flaperon-- NOT both! Thus, I'm stuck with getting a "Super 7" or new Airtronics Infinity at $400+ and $200 for servos. This isn't your problem, but you can see why the Camano/Pixy/Song have a tremendous cost advantage with NO loss of performance. John Swain - CA

La Rubber-arm Orbiteer

April 24, 1992 I thought you might like to hear from the "Orbiter" world. I bought the "Orbiter" kit some time back. I studied the plans, kit and instructions and thought it was too much trouble for something one had to throw with a worn-out arm. I've tried the hand-launch thing before! But then one of my friends, who likes hand-launch, said he was promoting "mini-hi-starts" for contests to equalize the Gorilla Syndrome. Then Airtronics introduced their 4-channel FM dual-conversion receiver. I was running out of "squsus," so I sprung for the receiver and had it modified to enable me to use "spoilerons" with my Vision. The Vision manual is misleading-- no matter which template, or how sneaky, you can't do it without modifying the receiver. I spent the better part of forever building the "Orbiter" and fully understand why you no longer kit it! I made a few minor improvements (changes to suit me) during construction and ended up with a very neat looking and great flying glider! It came out at 20 oz. with four Airtronics 501 servos and a 225 ma. battery. I'm launching with a mini-hi-start that puts it up about where one of the young good arms (Gorillas) would get it. It really flies great! The "expert" hand launch locals are amazed that my overweight machine flies so well! Anyway, I'm happy with all my Dodgson airplanes-- they all fly great! I included the picture of my fleet-- the only planes I own right now. The Lovesong has been flying for almost three years now. You market very durable stuff! Best regards, Dick La Barre - CA

Nats winning Songs never die, they just fly and fly

September 7, 1992

Good to talk to you again the other day. I sold the Maestro and K-Minnow fuses and miscellaneous the next day. I sold them to a Gene Frame in Southern Florida who apparently likes to scratch build. Its the only "Dodgson coupler" I've ever seen and the K-Minnow instructions included the Camano E-214 airfoil drawings. Looking over the drawings and plans makes me wonder if the old Camano couldn't be stretched a bit (say 110") with a SD 7037 and six servos? I flew one a couple of years ago (with AFART) that Byron Blakeslee built (absolutely perfect) and was most impressed except I thought it was a little weak on the "distance" side. With a little more span and the 7037 the thing could be deadly at the multitask contests that seem to be becoming popular. Anyway, just ruminating. . . .

I'm enclosing a couple of stamps and a couple of dollars. The stamps are for your latest catalog. The dollars are for a 2-year extension of my "Second Wind" subscription. I enjoy the frankness and opinion(s) greatly.

I'm in the process of rebuilding the tripped Lovesong that Dan Hesselius won the Nats with (Junior) a couple of years ago. I'm going to put a servo on every control surface and mix everything with my Airtronics 8SP (with version 3.0 upgrade). The plane was so light I don't think I'll notice the slight weight gain but look forward to having a "crisper" flying 'Song. This is probably the best duration glider I have ever flown. I'll send you a photo when done. Thanks again for your time and information. I may order another Pivot+ next and make removable tips a la LeRoy Saterlee. He has a great method for removable tips you might want to incorporate into your plans at some point. I still think that with the removable tips, the Pivot+ is the most fun and versatile R/C glider around-- all these years later! Sincerely, Craig Angus - CO

Maestro metamorphose

September 2, 1992

I recently obtained an unbuilt Maestro Mark III kit which was originally purchased in 1980 (?). The plans are dated 1977. I plan to assemble the plane this Winter, but before I start, I wanted to consider updating the wing airfoil. In reading the plans I could find no reference to the airfoil used. I am hoping that you can tell me which airfoil was used so that I can use it as a starting point to evaluate other candidates. Any suggestions regarding airfoils which you feel might be suited to this design would also be greatly appreciated. Lastly, I would like to commend you on the quality of your kit, as the materials are in perfect condition after having been in storage for at least twelve years. Thank you in advance for you help. Sincerely, Bruce Zelus - WI [The airfoil was a Dodgson original which I had tested at the U. of Wash. wind tunnel. It was designed to be thin foil that was thick in the flapperon area to provide maximum torsional rigidity to the very long inboard-powered flapperons. Since the Maestro kit came out in 1974, the wings were stressed for 6 volt winch launches. You will need to pulse it up on a 12 volt winch. Also, use the Lovesong or Anthem control system of separate flaps and ailerons, to offer state-of-the-art control. To bring the Maestro up to Anthem performance in all realms, you could get an Anthem wing kit and it on the Maestro fuselage. They have the same root chord and a nearly identical wing planform. --Bob D]

A slice of California with the Saber

January 4, 1992

Thank you for your unsolicited discount coupon. I rarely write letters as friends and family can verify, however I think that a response is in order. I received a Saber kit from you back in about early January 1991. I built it pretty much to your plans and modified it only slightly. I do that with all the kits I buy, so don't be offended. I had the Saber and a Falcon 880 I had been flying for about a year both ready to go in early spring. The Falcon 880 took a radio hit and screwed itself into the ground in about April/May. I was transitioning over to the Saber anyway so I really concentrated on developing my flying skills around the Saber. I preferred the Falcon's longer tail-moment thinking that it tracked a little better than the Saber, but overall think the Saber was a better thermaling machine, especially in light lift and it suited my style of flying. I seemed to progress (develop faster as a flyer) with the Saber than I have with any RC glider over the past 10 years. In 1991 it rewarded me and Dodgson Designs --I finished top point flyer and also best 7 of 10 contest flyer in the North County Clouds Sailplane Club (NCC) in San Marcos, California. The NCC membership varies but it was about 80 members in 1991. I flew the Saber in a club challenge between the Torrey Pines Gulls and the NCC in December 1991. 30 contestants were there in some of the weakest lift dead air I had seen that year. The Saber maxed every flight and bested most in landing. I finished first overall in this level V contest, although our team unfortunately lost the challenge. There are many Falcon 880s in the area, so seeing a Saber in the winners circle is refreshing. I repaired the Falcon 880 and sold it. I bought another Saber kit and am waiting for the time to build it. I will make some mods to the kit-- 1) the thick wing rod will be replaced by an 11/32 hardened steel rod so more dihedral can be had, I already had shortened the bottom carbon fiber at the root of the top spar to make more dihedral in my current Saber but believe even more dihedral would help. My goal is 3 deg. per panel, but 2.5 is okay. 2) The rudder hinges need reinforcement and I add a strip of 4 oz. glass to the inside of the hinges. . . . Your kit is well thought out and cleverly engineered, the double pushrod idea is very good and obechi covered wings is definitely the way to go. . . . Sincerely, Ken Raymond - CA

A polybagger takes the plunge

January 11, 1992

I have finally succumbed to the message and am ordering another Dodgson Designs plane. After my Maestro III was destroyed during a zoom launch many years ago, I put multichannel on the list of things to try again later. Well, now is later. . I retire in May of this year and if I can keep my wife from taking me on all of the trips that she has mentioned, I may be able to spend more time on flying. I am looking forward to getting started on this plane. Sounds great! I have found the Second Wind very enjoyable. I love your barbs at the polyhedral crowd (I currently am a practitioner) and take them with the appropriate humor they were intended. Keep up the good work. Sincerely, Allan K. Scidmore - WI

It's hard to live a straight-winged life, when you have a tips-up wife

January 14, 1992

I'm one of your happy customers who has just recently finished and learned to fly the Camano I bought from you (actually my wife bought it for me as a birthday present) six years ago. It was the first high performance anything I had ever built; it was my primer for fiberglass fuselages and balsa covered foam wings. It was not easy, but I persevered, though my career got in the way, and at last, with the invaluable help of Robin Robinson of the Portland Area Sailplane Society (who has taken so many beginners like me under his wings), she now flies like an eagle. Lately I bought a Pivot from you and, my building skills having greatly improved in the interim, and having put my career in it's rightful place, I was able to quickly finish it without difficulty. It flies great, too, but more like a Falcon. Very responsive. Ahem, er, speaking of Falcons, I am now putting together an 880 (also, believe it or not, a birthday present from my wife!). While I am in no position to comment on its flying abilities, I can say that, although it builds fairly straight-forwardly, and I have had no great problems so far, nevertheless I have come to greatly appreciate your detailed instructions. I do understand that all advanced kits, like the Falcon and the ones you make, were never really meant for tyros like me, yet we often can't help ourselves. Especially after seeing a high performance sailplane fly. And when we then go straight down to the deep end and jump off, it really helps, especially the first time, to have a complete kit with detailed instructions, as yours are. I would also advise an upwardly mobile beginner to sacrifice a tiny bit of aesthetics, and even performance if necessary, for durability. This stuff is expensive and it's no good having to replace big chunks of it all the time. (Yes, I am nervous about lowered flaps hanging under the fuselage because I do occasionally fail to raise them in time before touching down. My pocketbook simply doesn't allow me to casually shove in an expensive new wing servo whenever I strip a gear. It's been like that ever since I put my career in its rightful place, if you know what I mean.) I don't really know anything about tips up, down, or sideways, but I complement you on how well your planes fly and how well thought out they are. Soon, very soon I hope, the Falcon will be finished (I mean completed, not destroyed!) and I will order an Anthem for my next project. (It's too long a wait until my next birthday!) Best regards, Scott Miller - OR ________________________________________________________________________________

Saber in Paradise

by Adrian L. Kinimaka Jr.

I've been flying a Saber for about eight months and I'd like to give you my impression of the kit. Enclosed is a photo of the ship just before its initial flight; I have since dressed it up with Saber decals. R/C sailplanes have been my primary interest in this hobby for 15 years (with a few breaks) and my collection has included a Windsong and Pivot. My taste has been shifting toward high performance designs and the Saber was a step in the right direction. I'd like to thank you for designing a faster building model than the Windsong that took me over two years to finish. In contrast, I finished the Saber in about a month. I'm a pilot for Aloha Airlines and the Hawaii Air National Guard; jobs that take up quite a bit of "building time." An experienced group of Mid Pacific Soaring Society members were on hand for the first launch of the Saber. It went up fine and hooked on to a thermal right off the line. After a bit of down elevator trim and adjustments to the Vision's Ail/Rud mix, I passed around the transmitter so the other guys could check it out. They were impressed, and it even prompted one of our better pilots to declare it the "Best of the Pack." Or should I say "Pile," as our group had just experienced a rash of unlucky crashes. The Saber pressed on for nearly a half hour before I brought it down to manually adjust some throws. The airplane flew as advertised; it was quick and responsive yet thermaled very well. The only thing the Windsong could do better was to slow for landings. After another flight and listening to spectator comments, I figured I owned possibly the two best thermal sailplanes on the island. In the interest of sharing the enjoyment of flying a Dodgson design, I promptly sold my Windsong. Since its first flight, I've had many hours of great thermal soaring; landing only to socialize with the other fliers. A month ago I tried the Saber on a new slope with a rocky landing area. I was surprised at the performance; the SD7037 could really move out with the T.E. reflexed. The wind I guess was around 15 gusting to 25 knots, and after 45 minutes of hairy flying (thanks for the CF spar!) I dorked it into the gravel. Besides scratches on the bottom of the fuselage and a rock dent on the underside of the wing, the damage looked pretty minor. However when I got home, I noticed the Obechi had buckled around the area of the ballast tubes, which had about 4 oz in each wing. This lead to some surgery on both wings that called for filling the gaps around the tubes and replacing the damaged wood. I also reinforced the area with glass cloth. Otherwise, the structural integrity seemed fine and the ship has since survived Gorilla launches (pulling out the turnaround) and high G turns. Another failure worth mentioning occurred with the flap horn. As directed in the plans, I hollowed out the horn area and filled it with epoxy before installing the horn. After showing off the Saber's ability to maintain energy coming out of a dive, I rolled into a low turn and dropped some flaps to slow for a landing. To everyone's surprise and enjoyment, only one flap came down and the airplane gently rolled over on its back (no damage). It seems the flap horn plus some obechi, epoxy, and foam came unglued. I fixed the horn back into the flap but this time I reinforced the area with two layers of glass on the bottom and one on top. [We now have the builder use a balsa reinforcer between the top and bottom obechi as reinforcement. We also provide 3/4 oz. glass cloth to apply over the flaps and ailerons. --Bob D]

I would recommend reinforcing these two areas for anyone building a Saber. The foam surface above the ballast tubes or the entire root area can benefit from a layer of glass under the sheeting. I hope you don't think I'm abusing this airplane; it just loves to fly! Aloha, A.L. Kinimaka - HI

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Titillating Tips

Yeti nother bust

I just wanted to drop you a note about my Lovesong. I have nearly completed it after only 9 months of building (this is a local area record!). I came across an interesting technique for attaching the plywood root ribs to the wing and thought I would share it with you.

Follow the plans to the letter about the grease and all, but use some left over sheeting tape (you did use sheeting tape didn't you?) to stick the root rib to the fuselage side. Three small pieces about 1/2" square are plenty. This assures that the root rib will conform to the fuselage side when glued to the wing. In so doing, the air gap (read that DRAG) will be reduced. Oh yeah, where did Al Doig get his Bob Dodgson bust? I have been tutoring my Labrador Retriever Yeti in the subtle ways of life, pheasants, and thermals lately. I thought a bust like Al's would go good with our lessons. Sincerely, Paul Wright - NE

The theory of trickle-down epoxy

Bill informed me that when using thin epoxy to saturate the 3/4 oz. glass cloth over the obechi at the servo well openings, flaps and ailerons, etc. be sure to brush it out immediately and remove the excess with toilet paper. Bill pooled on the slow setting epoxy and got distracted with his scale model rug rat. When he came back to brush it out, to his horror, he found that the obechi had buckled up just as if he had left water sitting on it! Put the epoxy on thin and remove the excess without delay. Bill Nichols- AZ

[As an added point of interest, Bill had me scale up the Autocad Anthem plans to 134%. He wants to build a big Anthem for cross country work to show the last pocket of polyhedral revivalists that a real plane (without training tips) can be competitive in the event. It was only a few years ago that most of the soaring pundits thought that straight winged gliders could not win in thermal competition! I guess that cross country is that last frontier to conquer. Good luck, Bill. --Bob D]

A frank stickler on the Saber

October 23, 1991

Enclosed are some photos of my Saber. Sorry about the quality, but it is the best I could do with a cheap instant camera. As you can see, I have elected to go with elliptical wing tips. I find them to be esthetically pleasing, and they also seem to help performance in the turns. (Good before, better now!) Another small modification to the plane was to put a small 1" x 1.75" hatch in the top of the fuselage which facilitates installation of the "Deans" connectors, and also allows for a wing retainer spring (or rubber bands). As you can see by the enclosed drawings, the hatch is clean, simple and has no detrimental effect on fuselage strength. Also, since it is hinged from the front, no latch is really necessary to hold it closed. Believe me, pulling rubber bands or springs through the fuselage with a pull device is a drag! Also, it scratches the paint! I hope this is useful or at least enjoyable stuff. Please send me a new updated spiffy catalogue if you could. Thanks, Frank Stickle - VA

A satisfying piece of tailboom

To repair a broken fiberglass tailboom, such as is on the Saber, wrap waxed paper around the inside of the aft end of the fuselage. Use 2 layers of Kevlar or 3 layers of 6 oz glass cloth. Make the cloth about 2 in. long and saturate it with resin When the resin sets and you slide it out of the fuselage, you will have a 2 in long repair plug. Trim it up and sand the surface, then slide it halfway into the forward end of the fuselage and CA or resin it in place leaving a 1" flange protruding. CA or resin the aft-end over the flange, while holding the fuselage in alignment until the adhesive sets. Tony Farentino - FL

Towing the line with a Camano

Jon Weyle had just sold his Camano to Carl Bice and wanted to walk Carl through the fist flights with it. Jon and Carl found themselves at a power field for the flights and Jon discovered that he had forgotten his hi-start. Not one to be denied, Jon found 150 feet of twin in his car that he had forgotten to throw away. Two hand tow attempts later, they had two fifteen minute flights under their belts. Jon Weyle - FL

One point of light is better than a thousand

When inspecting a wing during final sanding turn out the overhead lights and shine a single light-source from the LE so that it hits the wing-surface at a very oblique angle. This will cause sanding irregularities, that do not normally show until after the wing is covered, to leap out at you before covering the wing. Walt Volhard - WA

Hot wiring an Anthem

The most sportsman-like way to fry your wing servos and melt the servo leads through the wing is to first precisely land your Anthem on a high-tension power line. The next step is even trickier --have the glider slowly rotate itself so that the wings are contacting two wires at one time and you are in for the greatest fireworks display of all time. Gary is so good, that he was able to provide the entertainment for contestants during a major NWSS contest using these proven techniques of his. -Gary Brokaw WA

A quiller with a Saber

For thermaling his Saber, Dennis puts in about four clicks of up elevator when he hooks the thermal and uses rudder only in the turns. When he gets so high that he can hardly see the glider, he can tell when he is out of the lift because the Saber starts stalling. He then puts the trim back to normal and goes elsewhere. By the way, the Saber was only the second glider that Dennis has ever had. His first was an Aquilia. Dennis Wagner - OK ________________________________________________________________________________

Anthem Review from Venezuela

When I bought the Anthem Back in August, you were just making your first run on this new kit. You asked me to do a kit review so here it is. I had not built a Dodgson kit since 1987, so naturally I was excited to see what was new.

The Anthem lives up to the Dodgson tradition of working off a basic structure, but introducing subtle changes that enhance building ease, radio installation, structural integrity, and course performance.

Kit presentation - the kit itself is well packed coming in two boxes. The obechi material comes rolled in a large square box to insure the integrity of this covering material. The rest of the kit is contained in the other box. My kit went from Washington State to NY City, and then later Pan Am to Venezuela. Over 6,000 miles of the gorilla treatment. No problem.

Subtle Enhancements

1) The obechi sheeting material - replaces the balsa sheeting method. The only disadvantage that obechi has vs. balsa is that it splits easily. This can be overcome by using masking tape as instructed by Dodgson and handle with care. The advantages are that it can be applied in one sheet, without the need for splicing (a real time saver). After it is applied it requires much less sanding (saving more time) and makes for a better representation of the airfoil. Also, the trailing edge is a lot easier to get right with the obechi. Definitely go with the transfer tape. It is clean, neat, and fast. This is your best option period.

2) wing mounted servos - I had the servo extensions so I did not go with the plug-in system. With the next Anthem I will definitely go with the plug-in system as designed. It is just a neater installation. With the servos buried in the wing with computer mixing capabilities; there now exists the possibility to have flapperons -- full ailerons along the entire surface for aerobatics . . . the sky is the limit. This modification also frees up a lot of space in the fuselage. This is a real step forward, one that Dodgson avoided previously for commercial reasons.

[Commercial reasons? People like former Nats Winner (circa 1980) Bob Baucher and world F3B champion, Dwight Holley among others, mounted servos in the wings of their Maestros in the 1970s! My models led the way in providing a platform for computer radio development. They invented and defined the present control systems that created the need and desire for computer radios. --Bob Dodgson.]

3) Carbon fiber wing spar - it is strong and light and not difficult to build. I had never worked with carbon fiber before. I just cuts and bonds differently than balsa or plywood. Just a matter of getting used to working with it. If you are inclined to pay the US $65.00 for the prebuilt spars, it will really cut the building time down. [We no longer offer the prebuilt spars --Bob Dodgson].

4) Elevator/rudder pushrod - this is damned ingenious. Far superior to pull-pull and it is maintenance free. An arrow shaft linked to the elevator an a 1/16" music wire that passes through the arrow shaft and is connected to the rudder. This gives you a straight line to the elevator bell crank. Each supports the other and also saves building time. No slop either. This is great stuff. A+ here.

5) The fuselage is clutter-free now that all the mechanical linkages are gone. More room for battery capacity and more strength, but the same basic design. I happen to like the Taco Shell. Easy to build, repair, and easy to get it right.

6) New airfoil - the SD 7037 seems to have a little less undercamber that the Eppler 214. I never worry about the airfoils that Dodgson decides on. I just trust that he has done his homework. With the computer work and wind tunnel data available, the performance predictions today are scientific. I notice several kit manufacturers have jumped on the 7037, so something must be right.

7) Material quality - everything that is supplied in the kit is top quality. All the precut parts are top quality. The design work and match-up of the composite materials and how they enhance the structural integrity of the plane really match up nicely. These gliders are not cheap, but you get what you pay for, so as a modeler, I feel that they are a good value.

Most modelers are unaware of how the manufacturer/dealer network that supplies the hobby shops really works. Without getting into that, Dodgson Designs is a complete departure from this. Dodgson has a niche market and it is remarkable how he has survived all these years going direct. Congratulations Bob, I an sure it has not been easy.

Final comments: one of the reasons I consider these gliders such a good value is that as a modeler; one learns new building techniques. A lot of these new materials and techniques can be carried over to other areas of the hobby, such as the hinging methods, pushrod system . . . it really makes the hobby fun this way. The Anthem is just the continued and latest in a long series of high-performance high-quality gliders that one expects from the Dodgson mill. Rest assured, there will be more to follow. Best regards, Christopher L. Scliris - Venezuela ________________________________________________________________________________

Back To The Future

The 132" span Lovesong is still the performance cutting edge! Flyers, who moved on to "hi-tech heaven" gliders, are finding they are not flying as well as they had been flying with their Lovesongs. Many are calling their faithful Lovesongs back into action and are blowing away the best that "techi-dumb" has to offer.

The Windsong/Lovesong had it all in 1982 (before computer radios were invented) --high aspect ratio wings with full TE reflex, crow, flaps and ailerons (while the competition could not see past polyhedral and spoilers.) With the Lovesong, a simple radio and just 3 or 4 servos, you can make kevlar-dudu out of the newest all-glass wonders with servos and computers up their gazoos! The fact is, a Lovesong just thermals right up through everything else at the field in light lift and in medium to heavy lift it does great too! A notable example is: Erik Eiche - BC Canada, who with his Lovesong won many major regional competitions in both the US and Canada including the 1992 Northwest Soaring Society Annual Championship Contest. This is the major regional contest for the Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, British Columbia and Alberta region. Erik pulled his seven-year-old Windsong out of the closet last year after having lost his hot new competition ship and his back-up. Erik had retired his Windsong four or five years earlier and had not flown it since. While always one of the top regional flyers, Eric was surprised at how his contest performances and win ratio improved after reactivation of his Windsong. In light of this, Eric built a Lovesong to campaign in the 1992 season --and what a season he has had! Congratulations Erik! Another Love(song) story was told to me by Asher Cannichael - AL. Several years ago, Asher had started flying Windsong/Lovesongs. Seven months ago, Asher decided to retire his Lovesong in favor of a new Thermal Eagle. After a subsequent fall-off in his contest winnings, Asher began analyzing what was causing his contest slump. Finally, he eliminated every other possible cause except his change in gliders. Desperate, in mid September 1992, Asher put a radio back into his battle-scarred Lovesong and took it to the next contest. He carried his old Lovesong (which he had not flown for 7 months) onto the flying field amid guffaws, smirks, laughter and Comets, Eagles and Falcons etc. With his Lovesong, he won the day by 300 points over the second place flyer. Even though the Windsong/Lovesong kit came out over 10 years ago, former Lovesong flyers are discovering that when they moved on to other "state-of-the-art" designs that they left behind a plane whose only problem was that it had performance potential beyond where they were as flyers at that point in time. After flying the "latest and greatest" designs for a while, they were able to go back and better take advantage of and appreciate the true potential of the design and to subsequently out-fly the best of the latest. ________________________________________________________________________________

Catcher On The Fly

On September 23, 1992, I recently received a call from Gary Knapp who slope flies at Torrey Pines, CA. He mentioned that he flew with Larry Fogel, whose name set off a string of long-time and pleasant memories. I think that I first met Larry at the old "Soar Nats" in the mid 1970s. He was a guest speaker --and a memorable one. These were during my Todi and Maestro days. Later, Larry bought a few of my kits and wrote a soaring column in one of the modeling magazines. The last that I had heard from Larry was several years ago. He was no longer very active in glider competition but he was still flying one of my old Pivots on the slope.

Well, after my musing over my remembrances of Larry Fogel, Gary Knapp went on to relate the following tale:

"I was flying the slope at Torrey Pines with Larry and his Pivot. Suddenly, Larry's Pivot started experiencing radio problems." (Now my recollection of Torrey Pines is that it is a rock cliff that is about two hundred feet high with no practical access to the (nude bathing) beach below. This is not an ideal setting in which to lose your radio! "The lift was good and the Pivot was pretty high when the radio problems caused it to go into uncontrollable and indescribable gyrations as it was being blown back over pit-area. By the time the Pivot assumed its final glide path, it was diving vertically right into the pits at a thousand miles per hour. You can imagine the feelings of panic, despair and helplessness that were surging through the pilots momentarily supercharged brain! An instant before the disaster was to strike, destroying a grand old Pivot and possibly inflicting lethal damage to the skull of another flyer, the intended victim, calmly determined that the nose of the Pivot would just miss his seated body. Under the circumstances, the seated target flyer saw no need to stand up or to move. Instead, one nanosecond before impact, the unflappable intended victim, shot one arm out and safely caught the doomed Pivot! Without getting up or ruffling a hair, the catcher serenely handed over the Pivot, in perfect condition, to an awe-struck and extremely grateful, Larry Fogel!" ________________________________________________________________________________

Fixing Broken Lovesong Wings

And Other Trivia

as told to Al Doig The old Professor was dozing in front of a roaring fire in the fireplace. Suddenly, the front door burst open and Yeti dashed in, out of breath and red of face. "I made the team" Yeti yelled, reaching an estimated 120 decibels. As Yeti swooshed past the soaring closet, the Old Professors favorite Lovesong wing was swept out, right under the rather large Yeti feet. CRUNCH! The wing suddenly took on the "Tips Up" look decried by the soaring guru, Dodgson. "OOps" said Yeti. He was truly repentant for he knew what that wing meant to the Old Professor. The color in the Old Professor's face, starting with the top of a rather bald pate, began to return to normal. "Yeti, please be more careful" The Old Professor was trying to apply the Parenting Suggestions contained in the latest PTA Newsletter from Yeti's school. Young Sasquatch tend to over exuberance, he reasoned. After all he had found Yeti under a bush near Walla Walla during an NWSS meet whilst looking for a Canadian's lost sailplane. Yeti was still not fully accustomed to civilization, such as it is. "Anyway", said Yeti, I made the basketball team at school. "Gee whiz, that's great said the Professor, proudly. Looking at the damaged wing in the glow of the fire, the Old Professor said, "Well, it's not all that bad. I think we can fix it up right enough. The break is typical of lots of Lovesong wing breaks. It occurs right at the end of the main spar. The two outer panel spars shear the adhesive in the three quarter inch overlap with the main spar. It is a rather easy repair and should be as good as new in short order. In the corner of the "Thinking Room" where the Old Professor was lecturing Yeti was the bust of Bob Dodgson, on its pedestal. The Professor strode to the pedestal and clapped the pair of earmuffs on Dodgson's ears. "I think it best we maintain security" said the Professor. "This guy thinks his designs are unbreakable." Yeti settled down to another boring lecture, he had heard before. This was not the first wing repair made by the Old Professor. Therefore the Professor had a complete slide show set up. His Stereopticon was the latest and used a carbon arc as a light source. He had long since traded in his kerosene fired model. The Old Professor tucked a thumb under his vest, as he had done for many years whilst addressing classes at Tijuana Tech, from which he emerged as Professor Emeritus. "Wing and spar breaks are usually beyond repair and demand a new wing panel. A clean wing break in the outer panel can usually be repaired and the wing restored to normal strength. This repair description applies to foam core wings with 1/16" balsa sheeting. I suppose thin obechi sheeting can be repaired, but I think it to be most difficult. The repair starts with cleaning up the break. The wing panel is held flat. The foam should be cleared from around the spar area. A vertical spar joiner should be made from 3/32" plywood with the outside grain running spanwise. This should bridge the break for one inch on each side. If you have some sheet carbon fiber, apply it the width of the spar, top and bottom. All patches should be carefully epoxied.

The broken leading edge should be removed and a new section fitted and glued into place. This new section should extend will beyond the break in both directions. Preparing for the sheeting patch depends on how much foam is missing. Small sections can be carved from scrap foam. If a large volume is gone, it can be replaced with a foam sealant. This is a spray can product used for insulation and is available at hardware and paint product stores. It is sprayed into the voids to about 40% of the volume. It then expands into cracks and crevices and fills the void. After curing, the foam can be cut and shaped to the contour of the airfoil." Yeti was rubbing his eyes. The ozone developed by the carbon arc of the stereopticon always made his eye sting. The Old Professor droned on; "A top and bottom sheeting patch section is made extending will beyond the limits of the break. This patch section is made from joined pieces of 1/16" balsa sheet to cover the entire patch area. Using an new Xacto knife blade, points are cut into the patch as shown in the lower part of fig 1. The points are spaced at 1" apart and the wells are 2" deep. Precision cutting is important. The prepared wing repair wing section is shown in the top half of fig 1.

Figure 1

Unfortunately, the picture of the top half of fig 1 is confusing. It shows a break in a wing panel that has been prepared for repair. The confusion lies in the blotchy black areas in the center of the repair. The foam core of this particular wing had been covered with a carbon fiber mat material. Some has been removed and some left intact. The leading edge repair spar is seen in mid picture. The patch section is used as a pattern to cut the wing sheeting, as shown in fig 1. It is important to do this with extreme accuracy, so the patch fit will be perfect. Adhering the patch in place is a matter of personal preference. If the original adhesive was epoxy, this should be used. I have used transfer tape with no problem. The points of the patch should be secured with Titebond, Or equivalent, very carefully applied to both surfaces. The top surface should be wiped clean with a damp paper towel to remove excess Titebond. Fig 2 shows the finished results. The patch is smooth and cannot be detected when covered with film covering. I've never had a second break in the repaired panel."

Figure 2

The Old Professor cut the power to the stereopticon. Yeti sat bolt upright. It was obvious he had been sound asleep. "Gee Dad, that was a good lecture." The Professor didn't want to embarrass Yeti by asking questions, so he said "Off you go to bed, son." Get a good night's sleep. There's team practice tomorrow." As Yeti stumbled up the stairs to his room, the Professor's brow wrinkled a bit. He wasn't sure how he could answer a phone call from the coach. Apparently some parents were complaining of a six foot seven sixth grade basketball player dominating the court. "Oh well, tomorrow's another day" HOWZAT! ________________________________________________________________________________

Anthem Updates

Center of Gravity Location

Pinning down the best universal center of gravity on the Anthem is as hard as getting a straight answer out of Bill Clinton. The forward end of the spectrum is 3/32 in. in front of the front edge of the wing rod or 2-7/8 in. back from the wing LE at the root (this is with the wings on and the plane ready to fly). In general, we recommend that you start with this forward position. If you are flying with a further aft C.G. and the handling is not so predictable and docile that you can safely stand it up on a wing in a turn 10 feet off the ground, you should try the more forward C.G. location. The furthest aft that we recommend trying is about 1/8 in. behind the center of the wingrod. As far as flying efficiency goes, the Anthem has no equal. The important thing for you, to get the most out of the plane, is to locate the C.G. where you can fly it the smoothest and with the least correction in a thermal turn. Forget the dive test! Interestingly, the Anthem is carving out quite an elite mark et niche for itself in an overly crowded field of thermal competition machines. More and more people are discovering that the Anthem simply out-thermals anything else. It gently and smoothly broadcasts lift that other gliders do not sense and it can climb in lift that the rest of them are slowing descending in. It is the one glider that still gives its pilot an observable performance edge. The best part is that not just anyone can have an Anthem to fly! Only the hobby's builder-flyers have Anthems. It is not like a Modi, Saturn or Synergy etc. that anyone with six or eight hundred bucks can fly. To get the performance advantage of the Anthem, it takes less than $300 but you have to have the skills of a caring craftsman. Therefore, you are among a small number of skilled builder/flyers who are not competing against the "Toys R Us" crowd of plastic instant soarers. With the performance advantage of the Anthem, you can eat them for lunch when the lift is marginal or hard to find. Your skill and the glider's performance is what will bring home the trophy. At the field you may be asked by some neophyte "taco-phobe" "Why don't you buy a presheeted Falcon kit or . . . etc. for the same price as an Anthem kit and have it come already sheeted" With a contest savvy smile, you will just look the poor devil in the eye and say "oh, you might save some building time but if you buy a presheeted Falcon, all you will ever have is Falcon performance. There is only one way to get the Anthem edge and that is to build an Anthem" If you won't or can't build an Anthem, you won't be able to fly an Anthem and so you are doomed to spending endless sessions with your local Anthemologist to try to cure your deprived condition.

Weight Savings

In general the Anthem carries weight extremely well. If your flying weight is not much over 85 ounces, you need not be worried about measurable performance loss due to excess weight. If however, you wish to have your Anthem come out as light-weight as possible, here are some simple, special techniques that you can use. 1) Find some extremely light-weight 1/32 in. thick balsa and cover the rudder with it rather than using the supplied obechi. 2) Move the rudder and elevator servos to the font of the servo tray. This will mean that you will have to put in a support for the rudder and elevator pushrods between the end of the arrow-shaft pushrod and the servos, but this will get the servo weight a bit farther forward. 3) Another option is to put a single flap servo forward in the fuselage and use the Lovesong's HDL-2 flap linkage to power the flaps. This has been done many times but it may lead in some cases, to minor high-speed flap flutter since the flaps will be powered from the root rather than mid span. If you have had a Love song, you will know how to install this linkage. 4) While Oracover works extremely well as a covering over obechi wings, some believe that it is heavier than EconoKote and that some weight can be saved by using EconoKote [or lighter yet, TowerKote]. EconoKote [and TowerKote] works nearly as well with obechi as does Oracover. Getting as many servos forward as possible means that less nose ballast will be needed to properly locate the Anthem's C.G. and that can save several ounces. This is true of lightening the rudder as well. ________________________________________________________________________________

Potpourri

Sharks

It looks like the AMA is charging ahead on its crusade to ban landing skids on gliders. Barry Kurath of Portland, OR put it in perspective when he said "Talk to us about taking landing skids off gliders when you take the props off power planes, electrics and helicopters." Gliders are the safest phase of the radio control hobby now already. Ironically, forcing thermal competition pilots to fly skidless will make the sport more dangerous --not safer. Presently, you go to a typical contest and you see most of the pilots landing at an angle of 20 degrees or less and setting down on the bottom of the nose or the belly. The landing skids stop the glider within a couple of feet. Contact with the earth is not lethal to the glider so landing damage is rare. This means that the glider is safe to fly for the next round. Having watched the different landing methods cycle over the past 22 years, I can predict what will happen when effective landing skids are outlawed. Prior to the days of sharks teeth and other reliable arresting skids, most top contest pilots were forced to rely on the "dork" landing to insure accuracy. Around here, they call it the "Dodgson Dork" as I was an "occasional" practitioner. The dork is a great landing technique. You fly over the spot with your glider four feet high and when you get to the spot you give full down elevator stick. On the East Coast, I am told that they call this the Woody Blanchard "Corn Stalk" landing. Woody (a proud perfectionist by nature) gives himself a zero landing if his glider does not remain in the vertical position after impact. Even the slower among us (those who fly both power or electric and gliders) can figure out that in the heat of competition and the frequency conflicts, a pilot may not detect a servo tray knocked loose in the last dork or a striped servo gear or a broken pushrod support etc. As a result, this eager eagle may launch a dangerous plane during the next round and even crash-and-burn over the winches, pits or spectator area. In this hobby, the damage is done by a plane that runs amuck and has enough altitude to convert to lethal speed. This unsafe aircraft condition is what the dork will promote --after all, only a dork will make a good skidless landing. The real danger is not the shark's teeth on our gliders, it is the sharks in the AMA trying to bring their stupidity to an otherwise intelligent sport. As one noted Anthem flyer suggested to me, "it looks like the AMA is just trying to be 'politically correct' in making us give up landing skids. See, their primary interest is truly safe flying because without skids, in order to stop our gliders, we will all have to slip ribbed condoms over their noses." (This particular flyer wanted to go unnamed) Not surprisingly however, his last name contains the following words "?ol' hard". Let your AMA representative know how you feel and if your support is soft or hard for skids. Do you think they are just jerking us off? Maybe we can conn-dom into allowing us freedom of choice --ribs or teeth. They will be voting soon.

Two meter or not to meet her? That is the question.

The one thing that I really enjoyed about living out on Camano Island was that I had my own flying field to test out my new designs in private. There, I could work out the bugs and show up at the big flying field when I had a design all sorted out and refined. Not so now! When I trotted out my new experimental two meter to test it, there must have been thirty experts at the field to tell me all about what was wrong and what I should do based on their six months in the hobby. Now, I can tell when a glider is flying like I hope it will and I am a pretty good diagnostician as to pin-pointed problems and finding solutions to bring it up to speed. I have been doing this for 22 years. Unfortunately, however, I have not yet gotten the new two meter to where I am happy with it. Perhaps my problem is that the Pixy flies so darn well that it makes a tough measuring stick I may reconsider the new design altogether and just come out with a new version of the Pixy and Camano with the SD7037 wings. Several of these are being built and tested. I will let you know as any new developments occur.

A sportsman class flyer + an Anthem = world-class results

Ken Mosca flew in competitor class all last year in the LISF club in NY. This year competitor class was eliminated Fortunately, he finished his Anthem before the 1992 season ended and that gave him the edge he needed to place 1st in expert in the first contest he flew it in. He was flying against Magics, Thermal Eagles, Falcon etc. Ken said he had been flying a Falcon for 10 months. The first day with his Anthem, he was out-flying his Falcon. He marveled at the Anthems incredible response to and performance m light air. He also won a 1st and 2nd in two meter expert class with his Pixy.

A Windsong with tenyear

Conrad Lesh of Indiana is still flying a first-run 1982 Windsong. He recently called and said that he believes his ten-year-old Windsong still out-flys anything that he has flown since. That includes all the latest "plastic wonders" etc.

A "tips up" win? Snow way!

Eric Sanders had only 15 flights on his new Anthem and yet he won sportsman class by 200 points at the big Greater Detroit Soaring and Hiking Society's 1992 Annual "Snow Fly".

Sometimes Lenci is more

One of the major contests in 1992 was the South West Winter Soaring Championships in Arizona. Many top flyers came from California and other States. Shawn Lenci and his Anthem put in a show-stopping performance and placed 2nd.

TOM BRIGHTBILL with Saber, BlLL HANSON with Pixy and ERlK EICHE with Lovesong are the big NWSS winners for 1992!

The NWSS encompasses the States and Provinces of WA, OR, ID, MT, BC, and Alberta Canada Early in the season, Tom Brightbill whipped out his awe inspiring Saber and didn't put it back until he won the open Season Championship! Extremely close on his heels was Geoff Almvig and his (accidentally) clipped-wing Lovesong. Bill Hanson, named his beautiful, black Pixy Zephyros and flew it to glory and the NWSS two meter Season Championship. Erik Eiche, showed us all how to fly at the big NWSS annual Championship Contest. In spite of the high winds, Erik and his Lovesong out-performed a field of sophisticated gliders.

Wacko quote of the year

The following priceless quote appeared in a recent (8-19-92 issue) of the "WACO Hot Sheet" from Weston Aerodesign: "Magic is within one contest of being North West Soaring Society Champ". For an accurate account of what really happened. see the Preceding paragraph. Magic lost to both a Saber and a Lovesong! Is there something wacko at WACO or what? ________________________________________________________________________________

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21230 Damson Road Bothell, WA 98021

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