Launching and Thermalling: a 3.7m Sharon, of course!!!! and if you just set up your landing early and consistently, you can be very competitive there as well!! It's been awhile since I've flown TD or any sailplane at all for that matter, but I'm going to get back into it, and my weapon of choice will be the Sharon.
The last time I flew TD was in 2000, and both at Pasadena and at Visalia, I was told by the winchmasters to back off because I was pulling so hard I was burning up the winches. In one contest, in the first early morning round with foggy, misting conditions and no appreciable wind, I launched hard enough to make an 8 minute time without trying very hard. Just flew one big square pattern over the field. With the combo RG-15/7037 airfoil, big span and high aspect ration, it flies very efficeintly and penetrates well in even moderate winds, which is good because it doesn't have provisions for ballast unless you modify it. Making time is a non-issue by comparison with many other models out there. It IS big, so for you guys that tend to do a lot of maneuvering in close when going for your landing, it will push you to become much more consistent in your approaches and get set up properly much earlier. And it's heavier, with all that that implies, simply because of it's sheer size. That will affect landings also, and again requires more skill and lower landing speeds at the tape. Which brings me back to what John Erickson posted earlier. He really hits the nail on the head there. It's YOU, the pilot, that makes the real difference! Skill can't be bought with a particular airplane. Guys like Joe and Daryl have proven time and again that they can win with almost anything, but I also know for a fact that they fly more than most and have put more time into the hobby than most. If you don't push your personal "envelope" then you'll never get any better. The "fastest" plane does not always win the race on the slopes for example. A pilot who's smooth on the sticks, flies the straightest course in the best lift zone and maintains energy better in the turns will usually win if he has at least a competitive plane. Soaring is much like that. Knowing your plane and being consistent will do more for you than chasing after the latest and greatest every season or two. Keith McLellan Bizjet driver "Go really, really fast... and turn left!" RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off.
