Someone pointed out that slope foamies were a 'weird' choice for
teaching beginners, and while I'll admit that I momentarily forgot that
RCSE is 95% about thermal flying, a fine and noble pursuit in itself, I
think that giving beginners their first flights at a slope has some
benefits.
First and foremost, the lift is always 'on.' While you can glide for
awhile after launch at a thermal site if no lift is found, lift is
abundant on a slope.
Another benefit is that the glider can be flown close to the pilot, and
even hovered into the wind. It isn't even necessary to fly the glider
toward the beginner pilot, so they can learn the habit of moving the
sticks opposite its apparent movement after they get used to flying
normally. It isn't typical to spend much time flying toward yourself at
the slope anyhow.
Flights also tend to last longer at the slope, so a lot of practice can
be packed into one session. Obviously all kinds of gliders can be flown
at the slope, depending on wind conditions.
Jeff
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