2007 Equinox Electrics

The weather forecast for the 2007 Equinox Electric Event was terrible and kept a lot of pilots away. But the weather forecast was completely wrong: we had dry and calm conditions excellent for flying; granted, it could have been a little warmer... Despite the weather forecast, 15 intrepid fliers signed up and enjoyed the uncrowded air space.

Self-Contained Electric Power

During the Equinox event, we demonstrated the new self-contained electric power pods for gliders manufactured by Florian Schambeck Luftsporttechnik. These pods are made in Florian Schambeck's shop in southern Germany, and we picked these up while we visited Florian in late August. The little pods work flawlessly and have more power than we expected. In the US, they are available from SoaringUSA and Icare.

We have created a discussion and assembly thread on RCGroups.

Slope Season

The winter slope season is upon us here in western Oregon. We prefer slope soaring above all other RC flying and are hoping for a good season with lots of south wind. Nothing lifts our spirits during the dark damp days of winter like a sassy slope session.

Memories...

We had a good time in Germany, and I gained some weight consuming lots of vitamin B (beer, bread, and butter), D (dumplings), and S (sausage, schnitzel, and sauerbraten). But no worries, I'll have that off just in time for the next visit.

And here is the DM-416 thirty-four years later in 2007. Cousin Reinhard is launching.

2007 Equinox Electrics

On the first full weekend of October, we'll again hold our annual Equinox Electric Event at the Fern Prairie Modelers field. This fun-fly attracts pilots throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond, and as in the past, we will show-case selected models on air-show-style fashion.

2007 Tri-Slope Six-Pack

Canadians, Russ and Angus flying at Eagle Butte. Flapping midi-shorts indicate good flying conditions.

We're behind on photo pages, but for the 4th annual Six-Pack last May we now have a case (= four 6-packs) of launch photos. We had a record 44 registered pilots enjoying up to 40 mph wind with occasional higher gusts. We welcomed guests from as far away as (clockwise) Hawaii, British Columbia, Massachusetts, New York, Colorado, Wyoming, and California. A big thank you to everyone!
For next year, we expect a larger group from California (due to no PSS Fests), and several European guests. The date for the 5th annual 3S6P is May 16-18, 2008.

Northwest F5B Contests

For our 2-day contest on July 21 and 22, we were happy to welcome Buzz Averill from Arizona, Lenny Keer from Colorado, and Don Sciegel from California. Thank you guys for coming to our event!
We flew 7 rounds (duration shortened to 2 minutes) in two days under a sky dominated by a winter-type south flow and marine layer. Lithium-polymer equipped planes won in each category; it is clear by now, that lipos out-perform round cells.

2007 Tri-Slope Six-Pack

Thanks to good lift, the 4th annual Tri-Slope Six-Pack (3S6P) was a great success; it was the third out of 4 with good lift. We had a record 44 registered pilots enjoying up to 40 mph wind with occasional higher gusts. Aside from the Pacific Northwest, pilots came from as far away as (clockwise) Hawaii, British Columbia, Massachusetts, New York, Colorado, Wyoming, and California. A big thank you to everyone!
Next year's will be better yet, because we expect a larger group from California (due to no PSS Fests), and there is a good chance we will be able to welcome European guests. The date for the 5th annual 3S6P will be May 16-18, 2008.

Northwest F5B Contests

May 12 was our first contest of the season, and 7 pilots showed up for it despite a cold marine layer having pushed in from the Pacific ocean. Contests are scheduled monthly into October in Salem, Oregon: June 30, July 21-22 annual two-day contest, August 19, September 15, October 14 weather-permitting.
We hope that our 2-day event July 21/22 will again attract participants from all over the US.

Other contests held in North America are:

"Endless Horizons..."

...is the title of a one-page report about the Tri-Slope Six-Pack in the German Aufwind magazine. We're grateful for and happy about the international attention, particularly from the best glider and electric magazine in the world, period. Given this exposure, we may be welcoming European guests in the future.
The 2007 Tri-Slope Six-Pack (3S6P) will be held near Richland, WA, on May 18-20.

Thorn, 100 Inches of Solid Poplar

Caution: the description of this model may cause fainting in some glider pilots.

It is a 100-inch "Thorn," designed and maufactured by Andreas Mergner of Plane-Insane-Models in Albany, NY. What's "insane" is that the wing and fuselage are CNC-machined from solid poplar... yes, this plane is solid wood! (The empennage is balsa, mostly).

This is the first time I have built a plane like this, so I documented the assembly photographically.

I estimate the flying weight is about 10 lbs, which gives it a wing loading only a serious slope pilot can love. Maiden flight will be at the 3S6P, hopefully...

New E-mail Address

ShredAir has a new e-mail address: The old one, biz@shredair.com, will expire on March 1st and take with it dozens of daily spam messages to a sudden and deserved death.

Northwest Slope Flying Event

Judging from the registrations and on-line discussion, this year's Tri-Slope Six-Pack will be well attended.
We have received a few requests for on-the-slope workshops, and given demand, we "officially" will hold these Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 10 to Noon. But really, feel free to approach us any time during the event, and we'll find someone experienced to answer your question.
In these workshops, we typically inspect your plane; measure angles, decalage, and CG; and upon request will test-fly the plane and help you get it dialed in.

The 2007 Tri-Slope Six-Pack. will be held near Richland, WA, on May 18-20.

Schübeler's Vector and BAE Hawk Jets

The Vector has been discontinued to focus on delivery of the BAE Hawk. The Hawk is now entering production, and we're sorting out the shipping options for this model.

SRTL, German-made Slope Glider

The 3rd SRTL order for customers in North America is in preparation. The waiting list for this exceptional slope glider is now about 1 year. If interested, this is a good time to order one. Please feel free to contact us for detailed information.

New E-mail Address

ShredAir has a new e-mail address: The old one, biz@shredair.com, will expire on March 1st and take with it dozens of daily spam messages to a sudden and deserved death.

2007 Radio Control Flying Events

We have posted the information on the 2007 Tri-Slope Six-Pack. It'll be held near Richland, WA, on May 18-20.

Other 2007 events we will attend are the Montague Cross-Country Challenge in June, the Equinox Electric Event in September, and our monthly F5B contests May through September. As the year progresses, we hope to add some more events to this list.

Slope'n Colombia 2007

Our trip to Colombia was the best yet; we enjoyed flying in the Andes around Bogota and Medellin. I flew the Stork and the SRTL at slopes ranging in elevation from about 7000 to above 10,000 feet. Two sites offered small and turbulent but still enjoyable dynamic soaring grooves.
In general, the weather was excellent, the people warm and friendly, travel was save, the food great, and the beer rivaling a good Bavarian Pilsener. We took hundreds of photos and will work on an album over the next several weeks.

SRTL, German-made Slope Glider

Regarding the SRTL, here are some facts about getting one in North America:

--the manufacturer, Thomas Nothdurft, will coordinate sales only through us
--we make no profit aside from getting an occasional SRTL at a reduced cost
--models are hand-made at a rate of one per week
--there currently is a 7-month waiting period
--complete payment must be made at the time of order
--please e-mail us if you want one