SlopeAerobatics.com – VTPR and slope aerobatics since 2007

Just dug this up on YouTube… looks like it was posted back in October but somehow I missed it till now. Cool Fish flying from the PNW (Pacific Northwest). Right on guys!

Was browsing YouTube for the search string voltige planeur and came across some new stuff today… quite cool fullscale video of the Swift S-1 and the MDM-1 Fox flown by Ferenc Toth, winner of the 2006 European Glider Aerobatic Championships.

4m Toons alongside 2m Voltij – photo borrowed from Aeromod

I am currently working with Alexis Maréchal from Aeromod and Tom Copp from F3X.com to try to find an economical way to import a few Aeromod Toons aerobatics gliders into the US. If you are interested in getting a Toons, feel free to contact me for more information, cost estimates, etc.

Or: “There’s more than one way to spin a cat”

On the slope and at the airport there is often discussion over what constitutes a ‘snap roll’ and the technique to get an airplane or glider to enter one. There are two common ways of snapping, both using in-spin rudder and up elevator (consider an upright, or inside, snap for now). The difference is in the direction of applied aileron, whether it’s in-spin or out-spin (i.e. cross-controlled). It’s not unusual to hear debate over which one is ““better”, so let’s look at the effects of each. (note: the real answer is “use the one that works the best for your airplane.”)

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What is “4 axis” flying?

4 axis flying is, to the best of this writer’s knowledge, another French contribution to the radio controlled soaring world. Most pilots are familiar with the more common 2 and 3 axis concepts, in which the elevator, ailerons and rudder (for 3 axis planes) provide pitch, roll and yaw control of the aircraft. In 4 axis flying, the additional axis of control comes from the use of dynamically controlled flaps or flaperons that allow the pilot to instantly deploy a variable degree of camber or reflex.

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