Soaring, aka “gliding”, is a niche of the Radio Control (RC) and full-sized aviation world that features the unique challenge to stay in the air without using an engine and propeller. This endeavor has a special place in the hearts of many pilots, as it provides a simple yet dynamic aspect to model flying and has a magical silence and beauty to it. The many variations of glider types and soaring styles have created a level of depth that would never be expected from the simple challenge of staying afloat without using a motor.
Minus any propulsion system, gliders (or “sailplanes”) slowly glide back down to the earth. There are different ways to counteract this and stay in the air, like finding “lift” from columns of rising hot air (thermals) or wind updrafts off of a hill (slope soaring). However, the challenge remains roughly the same to use the external conditions as efficiently as possible to stay afloat.
Of course, some initial altitude is needed to be able to find thermals, for example, and there are various ways in which this is achieved. A powered airplane can “tow” a glider into the air. Long rubber bungee chords called “high-starts” can propel gliders on flat ground to altitudes of 500 feet and beyond. Winches with motors to pull a chord quickly can do the same. Some models may have motors for convenience to initially gain altitude - these are known as “e-gliders” - but the soaring begins once the motor is shut off. In fact, the added weight of the motor and associated electronics in e-gliders sometimes makes the challenge more difficult!
One of the most popular categories of gliders, known as Discuss Launched Gliders (DLG), are in fact launched by hand without bungees or winches. A small peg on the end of one of the wings provides a grasping point for a few fingers, and the pilot swings it like a discuss, releases, and the glider is catapulted by hand into the air - sometimes 200 feet high and beyond. This gliding style is known for its exclusive addictiveness and elegance of the extremely strong, yet very light, models to both withstand a brutally forceful launch and still float like nothing (DLGs weigh generally only 8-10oz for a standard 60'' wingspan design!).
A TopSky 1.0 DLG being launched by me. Those big puffy clouds are a good indication of thermals :)
With all these variations, once the glider is actually in the air with some altitude, piloting becomes a nuanced challenge of focus and observation. The natural variability of reality and “figuring out the air” provide a constantly moving target. Different field and weather conditions require different flying considerations. Ballasting (adding weight) in windy conditions, creating flight modes, using flaps efficiently, picking a launch direction, and even the time of day all play a much larger role in the headspace of the pilot who does not have a motor to recover their aircraft if need be!
The danger of running out of altitude is a slow type of danger, almost like playing chess with the air, and this may appear boring to those who want to fly fast. Fear not, many styles of glider construction and flying offer the thrill of fast and dangerous flying. Dynamic Soaring (DS), the niche of soaring that involves using strong wind conditions and steep mountain slopes to fly at speeds in the hundreds of miles per hour, provides an extremely thrilling and absurdly dangerous pursuit for the adrenaline focused pilot, all still, without a motor. 548 mph DS flight!
Pilots are immensely creative, and find ways to have fun in their area regardless of slopes or mountains. Here one pilot found a way to fly dynamic soaring on flat ground with a steady wind and a treeline.
Soaring can take place at grassy fields, deadly mountain cliffs, baseball fields, and sand dunes near the ocean. Truly, there’s a niche of gliding that fits all types of piloting preferences and styles, from aerobatic stunts, to 500mph speed, to the analytical pursuit of finding thermals that provide a slow gain of altitude. Soaring feels free and almost unlimited - with the right lift, you can fly all day - there’s no constant motor use required that would exhaust a battery in a few minutes. There’s no propeller sound to make the activity a nuisance. There’s no reason not to continue flying until the pilot themself gets tired of it.
What’s also particularly enticing about RC gliding is that there are really no requirements but getting the plane into the air and flying without a motor. Yet with such a simple challenge, the pilot is presented with a focused endeavor that has no real ending point. Becoming better and better at gliding doesn’t really make the activity look any different, but the internal world of making small changes and getting more and more fine tuned in the skill of staying afloat in various conditions creates a very deep and nuanced endeavor.
Pilots can optimize their aircraft, skills, and knowledge to no end with better models, flight modes, strategies, training, electronics like variometers, wind meters, etc… and all that optimization (or attempt at it) brings on new challenges to use the gear to its best capabilities, to enhance skills, and to become more internally fulfilled by nothing but the simple challenge of staying afloat.
But, there is absolutely no requirement to partake in all this fine tuning, optimization, and trial and error that could go on all year long… there is nothing stopping you from chucking a glider in the air and letting it slowly fall to the earth. Just, launch it again. Without a motor, the battery lasts forever. Without a motor, there is no noise. Without a motor, staying aloft is entirely in the hands of the pilot. Soaring, in its essence, will always be there to experience.
Happy flying,
Daniel
Me with a Parkzone Radian e-glider in the early spring, ready for the flying season.