An all-moving tailplane. In this case the drive rod is forward of
the pivot rod but the opposite arrangement is also common.
This is what can happen
if the pivot and drive rod
tubes are perfectly
aligned and parallel.
The columnist's Sagitta 600 with
all-moving, not all-flying, tailplane.
League of Silent Flight
A few days ago I was recruited by a member of
my club to act as a witness for an attempt to
achieve an eight hour slope soaring flight. Such a
flight is one of several tasks that must be completed by a pilot to achieve Level 5, the highest
level, in the League of Silent Flight's Soaring Accomplishments Program. This event reminded me
that it is quite a while since the LSF has been mentioned in this column and that new readers may not
even be aware of the existence of the organisation.
The LSF was formed in the United States in
1968 to promote and support the sport of flying
model sailplanes. Since then it has grown substantially, both in the United States and elsewhere. An Australian Chapter was formed in 1978.
The LSF has no membership fees. The only way
to become a member is to complete Level 1 of the
Soaring Accomplishments Program. According to
the LSF web site about 7,500 people have become members by that method but only 132, only
three of them Australians, have successfully completed Level 5.
Working your way up through the Levels provides structure and motivation to help you improve
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Airborne
your soaring skills. Improving your skills will definitely increase the enjoyment you get from gliding.
It does not have to be a high pressure activity. You
can progress at your own pace.
Level 1 is really quite simple and any pilot who
is competent to fly solo should have little trouble
achieving it. All that is required is to complete a
five minute thermal flight, a fifteen minute slope
flight, and five spot landings within three metres
of a target spot. For those who don't have access
to a slope soaring site a second five minute thermal flight can be substituted providing it is not
made on the same day as the first one. After that
the Levels become progressively more difficult.
Competition flying is introduced in Level 2 and
cross country soaring in Level 3. You will need to
be a capable soaring pilot to complete Level 3 but
you don't need to be a star; organisation and planning are more important than brilliant piloting
skills. Level 4 is tough, but within the capability of
most pilots who are prepared to put in the necessary effort. As you may have guessed from the relatively small number of people who have achieved
it, Level 5 is quite difficult. You need to make a two
hour thermal flight, an eight hour slope flight and
a goal and return cross country flight to a goal ten
kilometres from the starting point. On top of this
you will need to register three wins in soaring
competitions with at least twenty competitors together with good results in three other similar
events. At every level there are other requirements such as restrictions on launching methods
and how performances are verified. Though you
will need to pay careful attention to these as you
progress through the levels, there is no point in
describing them in detail here.
Administering the Soaring Accomplishments
Program is not the LSF's only activity. It also,
amongst other things, runs Australia's biggest thermal soaring competition over a three day period
each June at Jerilderie in Southern New South
Wales and advises the Model Aeronautical Association of Australia on soaring related issues such
as competition rules, safe operating procedures,
and the selection of teams to compete at World
Championships.
To find out more about the LSF, and to make a
start on the Soaring Accomplishments Program,
refer to LSF Australia's web site at:
www.lsfaustralia.org.au/