June 2005 — Vol. 22, No. 6 - Rcsoaring.com

meter molded scale ships ripping up the
slope.
A good way to introduce yourself to alpine
soaring would be to take an electric
powered sailplane. This way if the tricky
alpine air or thin atmosphere at 6,000 feet
caught you off guard, you could power up
to get home. Unlike flat land or American
style slope soaring, with Alpine soaring
often you are flying with the sailplane
below the horizon. This can be daunting at
first, but it adds a third dimension to the
experience. I saw many pilots climb to
high above the launch point then dive at
tremendous speed through the launch
altitude and down to the valley below.
Then using the tremendous energy stored,
literally zoom back up to eye level.
The accommodations are very reasonable
from 20 euro to 100 euro per night for
deluxe four star service. Your only expense
after that is your lift ticket at about 25 Euro
for the week end per person. Flying is free.
My good friend Jan Kurt Hoffman runs a
state of the art frequency control and
transmitter impound, so sophisticated
that he can tell when a pilot is about to
deplete his transmitter battery. All
computer controlled with real time
frequency scanning all day long.
German and Austrian castles are within a
day or less drive including
Neuschwanstein the famous castle which
Disney modeled for Disneyworld. This
part of Europe is very compact and many
German, Swiss, and Austrian points of
interest are less than a days drive. Even if
you do not intend to Alpine soar, there is
plenty to do see and participate in.
Endless Mountain Models
http://www.scalesoaring.com
e-mail: johnders@npacc.net
JD
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“Out over the edge.” Photo by John Derstine
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