A slim, graceful, long-winged craft arcs upward smoothly and steeply into the summer sky, accompanied by the faint whistle of air accelerating past its gleaming surfaces. All eyes on the machine as dwindles with each passing second a surging aerial trout playing out yards of taut singing line. A tine parachute blossoms gently returns the shining nylon filament to earth. Someone hurries to pluck the blossom before it touches the ground and soon other sailplanes are on their way in a quest to find lift. Flying a pure sailplane requires a modicum of learned skill, having it gain altitude in the heat of a thermal is an art.

Along comes technology. Perhaps some of those sailplanes, accompanied by the quiet whirr of an electrically driven propeller, will leave the launchers hand bound for a predetermined altitude at which the motor will stop and the propeller will fold snugly against the fuselage and where the pilots to, will join the hunt for elusive lift.

After the launch, little sound or movement is evident among the small group of pilots who gazes pierce the sky. Yet there is tension and knees tremble in anticipation, all are alert for the subtle lift of a wing that signals a bubble of warm, rising air. Now, a turn begins and thenm at a ttightening sweep into the lift, the pilot curves his obedient ship upward, betraying his or her satisfaction by just a smile or noticeable relaxation. Minutes, or perhaps hours later, the sailplane reappears at a lower altitude and is electronically grooved to a perfect landing on the grass at the feet of its once-remote master. Such a scene is repeated thousands of times during the soaring season all over the world by men and woman of all agents and talents.

A call is given by the pilot, "Lads...mount up...I have crossed the starting line and heading on course!". The team of driver observer and pilot scramble into the back of a pickup or convertible and head out onto the course. The variometer plugged into the car radio or pilot headset is wailing with the telemetry data sent back from the sailplane...telling the pilot to clib, climb until you cant see the tail anymore and only the wings. Higher the sailplane goes, 300, 400, 600, 800 meters until it is a speck. The pilot is telling the driver to pick speed, "Up 5 they say then up 10, then down 5". They are out on the course chasing the glider, trying to get 10 kilometers down the road to the turn point. A command of stop the car is given periodically as the pilot getting low on altitude tries to find another thermal to take him higher, and higher, and hopefully back to the starting point. This is wind your hair, sun in your face, and a challenge for all to take, a challenge they call cross country.

Another call is given in a different part of the earth. Here the wind is fierce and so is the pilot and his skills. The sailplane rises gently out of the hand and accelerates flying away from the mountain. A turn is given and the dance begins. Circles become smaller and the speed is increasing. A helper with a radar gun yells over the wind, "480mph, 490 mph, 497mph". A record is set, and all on the side of the mountain know...yes this is dynamic soaring at its best!

Now ask yourself...who are these people? What are they doing and why? 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!

 

2018 will be a record breaker for sure. Here in New England it has been in the single digits for a few weeks and sub zero at night. Ice fishing season is upon us now and while most of us will not catch much we will eat good for sure out on the ice. A little bagel hockey in between checking the traps will keep us warm too.

 

With that being said welcome to all our LSF brethren, male and female, young, semi-young, and young at heart. NATS preparations are underway and the schedule will be released shortly. We are combining up a few events and adding two more official events to the schedule this year, F3RES and F5J. I am counting on these events to be Level 5 opportunities for those individuals that need those premium level contests.

 

The "Big Nutz" Trophy makes its guest appearance this year. It may even contain a few trinkets (servos, hardware, trim tool etc.) and some cash within too? Hopefully I can get the prizes up to a few hundred dollars worth of cool stuff. Its a winner takes all kind of thing.

How do you abscond with this beautiful trophy and trinkets you may wonder...well, you have to fly a smidge at the NATS. Do to contest overlap you have to pick your events wisely. Wait a minute, who threw XC in there as a contest? That event may be the deciding contest on who is the top all around well rounded, in a good way, competitor.

Participation in 6 of the 8 contest events is required for you to win/become the Big Nut using total LSF Points in:

- F3H (XC)

- F3K

- 2 Meter

- RES

- NOS

- Unlimited

- F3J

- ALES.

 

 The "About Us/Contact the LSF" page is current whenever you are ready to contact the Officers. I have been in touch with a few folks already around the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain letting them know the organization is alive and well.

 

2018 may also bring an "Interglide" series between LSF Countries. I am trying to work out the details now. Most likely a weekend event in the fall here in the states and the spring for those on the bottom of this third rock from the sun.

 

Check the website from time to time, pay attention to your email, and if you have a chance, and want to, update your information on the LSF website so email can get to you. Don't have an LSF account you say, drop me a line at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I will create one for you!

 

Enough ramblings for January. Stay warm, get your build on, and send pictures to me of what you got going. I will post to the LSF website.

 

V/R,

Wally

 

 

                                                LEAGUE of SILENT FLIGHT

                                                                  Application for Membership

 

 

To:  LSF Executive Board                                                                             

 

I, __________________________________________ (please print first and last name) will support the philosophies, concepts and criteria set forth in the Bylaws of THE LEAGUE of SILENT FLIGHT and give notice herewith of my intention to become an  ASPIRANT and attain Level 1 of the:

 

_____LSF Soaring Accomplishments Program

______LSF Electric Soaring Accomplishments Program

 (Please check one or both programs)

 

and by so doing, earn full recognition and privilege of membership.

If already a member by previously completing Level I of either the SAP or ESAP

 

Enter LSF member # : ____________

 

AMA or FAI license Number ___________________ (Required)

 

Signature: ____________________________________

 

Mailing address: _________________________________________________

 

City: ________________________  State: ____ ZIP: ________________

 

Country: ___________________________________

 

E-mail address_____________________________ (optional)

 

email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 Please email all completed LSF task sheets to the LSF secretary

Upon the LSF Secretary’s receipt of this application and entry into the LSF database you will be granted Aspirant status.  When you have properly completed the tasks for Level 1, return the voucher to LSF and you will be given an LSF member Number. This member number is for life.

If not already a member, upon acceptance by the LSF Secretary of a correctly completed Level 1 voucher,  you will become a full member of the League of Silent Flight.   You will then be issued an LSF membership number.  Members will retain their same membership number through both the SAP or ESAP.

There are no membership dues with LSF. The LSF is an honor system and your cooperation will assure prompt attention to your voucher submissions.

January & February - 17 Aspirants
LSF Nbr Fname Lname City State Level
8223 Jim Sullivan Cheshire CT 1
8224 Mitchell Todd Lilli Pilli NSW -Australia 1
8199 Louis Fox Davis CA 2

 

March Upgrades - 3 Aspirants
LSF Nbr Fname Lname City State Level
8225 John McNeil La Jolla CA 1
8226 John Graves Titusville FL 1
8227 James Adolf Salome AZ 1
5533 W. M. KENT Paradise SA 1
7893 Donald Farrar Blackbutt NSW- Australia
2
8205 Dillon Graves Titusville FL 3

 

April 2013 Upgrades - 1 Aspirant
LSF Nbr Fname Lname City State Level
8230 Burney Williams Upper Marlboro MD 1
8231 Andrew Fox Chuluota FL 1
8232 Matthew Wiwczar Charlestown RI 1
8203 Gordon Buckland Sanford FL 4

 

May Upgrades - 6 Aspirants
LSF Nbr Fname Lname City State Level
8229 Larry Storie Frankfort MI 2
8233 Clive Warman Belmont NSW 1
8207 Christopher Braman Fort Wayne IN 2
8237 Mark Stone Golden Grove South 2
8113 Richard Schwemmer La Quinta
CA 3
3894 Wayne Messner West Liberty IA 4

 

June Upgrades - 6 Aspirants
LSF Nbr Fname Lname City State Level
8234 Kevin Wilmunder Novato CA 1
8235 Felix Tang Bethany CT 1
8229 Larry Storie Frankfort MI 2
8215 James (Tim) Johnson Visalia CA 3
8039 Normand Poti New Carlisle OH 4

 

July Upgrades - 7 Aspirants
LSF Nbr Fname Lname City State Level
8236 Gordon Grimm Traverse City MI 1
8239 Henry Ramm Seabrook TX 1
8240 Charles Thomas Knoxville TN 1
7961 Dan Berg Watertown SD 2
8062 Robert Deis Peyton CO 2
6519 R. Thomas Galloway Maitland FL 3

 

               August 2013 Upgrades - 5 Aspirants

/

LSF Nbr

Fname

Lname

City

State

Level

8241

Michael

Kucera

Niagra Falls

ONT

1

8242

David

Quist

Wildwood

MO

1

8154

MARTIN

RUDOLPH

GREENVILLE

NC

2

8209

Robert

Schrader

Schertz

TX

2

8201

ALEXANDER

HALL

NEWPORT

RI

3

5393

PAUL D.

BELL

Lk. Ronkonkoma

NY

4

5949

FRANK

STROMMER

Island Park

NY

4

7900

DAVID

BEACH

AMHERST

NH

5

 

           
           

 

September 2013  Upgrades 2 Aspirants

LSF Nbr

Fname

Lname

City

State

8243

Anthony

Procino

Boonton

NJ

8244

Joseph

Ward

Mobile

AL

8245

Roy

Hippert

Franklin

WI

8246

Steven

Robbins

Houston

TX

2443

RAY

MUNRO

Hamilton

ON

7080

RICHARD

TELLER

RIVERSIDE

CA

8101

JAMES R

GOLLA

ORONOCO

MN

6644

ROBERT F.

SWET

CAMARILLO

CA

7403

LUIS

BUSTAMANTE

HACKETTSTOWN

NJ

   October 2013 - 2 Aspirants


N

October Upgrades 2 Aspirants

LSF Nbr

Fname

Lname

City

State

Level

502

W.R.

MOORE

Huntsville

AL

1

7364

JONATHAN

OWENS

LOUISVILLE

KY

2

8189

KEVIN

GILLETTE

FLOWER MOUND

TX

2

8214

Ann

Tekatch

Hamilton

ON

2

8221

Robert

Johnson

Pensacola

FL

2

8226

John

Graves

Titusville

FL

1

 

      November 2013 - 5 Aspirants

LSF Nbr

Fname

Lname

City

State

Level

8247

Richard

Bennett

Palm Desert

CA

1

8087

JOHN DANIEL

VESTER

DEWEY

AZ

3

8118

PAUL

MITTENDORFF

Coral Springs

FL

3

8199

Louis

Fox

Davis

CA

3

 

 

           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           

 

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lsf logo

SHORT LINES - LSF Newsletter #6

January 6, 2015

SAP & ESAP:  This year saw the addition of the ESAP in late June. This table shows SAP & ESAP activity for this year:

Achieved LEVEL

SAP

ESAP

I

12

43 (25 ESAP only)

II

3

6

III

4

1

IV

9

-

V

1

-

Aspirants

18

31 ESAP only *

·        A significant number of current LSF members also participating in the SAP have enrolled in the ESAP as well.  LSF members wishing to do so need only to request a Level I ESAP voucher from the LSF Secretary.

2014 NATS: Once more, a skilled cadre of volunteers helped make the LSF/AMA NATS a success with their efforts.  Thanks to all who lent  a hand.  Some noteworthy items from this year:

·        2 Meter : This event was very closely contested with lead changes nearly every round and the final outcome decided in the final round.  This event demonstrated competitive soaring at its best and remains a true challenge.

·        RES & NOS:  Thank goodness this is a two day event as Muncie served up a breezy first day followed by a day ideal for this event.  Why not dust off the older wooden sailplane hanging in your shop’s rafters and stuff a 2.4 radio in it for 2015?

·        F3J:  This year, this event was a stop in the newly instituted F3J Tour.  The event demonstrated that even the most serious, dedicated competitors can both compete and have fun doing so.

·        ALES: This event introduced many of its entrants to Site 4 at Muncie.  “It’s like flying in different air!!” was heard.  Attendance was good and, once more, highly competitive.  The event will be back at Site 4 in 2015.

2015 NATS: Here is the schedule for the 2015 NATS:

Dates

Event(s)

Sat. July 25 – Sun. July 26

F3K (site 4), 2M

Mon. July 27 – Tues. July 28

RES/NOS

Wed. July 29 – Thur. July 30

UNL

Fri. July 31 –Sat Aug. 1

F3J, ALES (Site 4)

(Unless otherwise specified, events will be held at Site 5)

Here are some things you need to know about the 2015 NATS:

·         XC: Sorry, but there just isn’t enough participation to justify the expense of this event so it won’t be held in 2015.

·         2015 Open age group Soaring entrants will pay the basic AMA entry fee of $45 plus the event  fees.

·         NOS: Early next year, those wishing to enter NOS will be provided with the capability to communicate early on with the NOS CD about the legality of a sailplane they wish to fly in this event. The CD’s decisions are final.

·         Trolls: In 2015, we will once more use the Muncie Boy scouts as retrieval cart drivers for our winch based events and pay them from a tip jar.  This means we will not use entrants’ children.

·         In 2015, the LSF will once more share the Muncie site with the NFFS (Free Flighters) from July 27th through July 31st.  Please remember that they too are AMA members trying to hold their NATs and extend every courtesy to them and their models.

·         As always, the success of “Glider Camp” depends upon  qualified, willing volunteers.  If you’d like to help in 2015, please contact the LSF President.

Greetings and Happy New Year from your LSF Secretary, now for some news.

 

·        It’s been a busy year, with a new program, lots of new applicants, members, and vouchers

·         

·        The ESAP is off to a good start. LSF voucher traffic has increased quite a bit since the ESAP inception. It’s nice to see that a fair percentage of ESAP participants are existing LSF members. It’s also great to see many new members joining our ranks. Welcome to you all.

·         

·        We continue to receive applicants and returned vouchers for the SAP at about the same rate as prior to start of the ESAP. Several applicants and existing members are participating in both programs.

·         

·        I am now able to email vouchers to members who would like to receive them in that format. You will need to print the voucher yourself once I’ve sent it to you. It will come to you with your name, LSF and AMA numbers pre-installed. Once you’ve printed it out treat it the same as one that I mailed to you. The vouchers I mail are double sided, and on colored paper. I won’t require that you print on both sides of colored paper. White, single sided is fine, as long as the information is legible and correct. If you’d like one mailed it will cost the traditional $2, or I can email one for free. For now I can’t extend this offer to aspirants, I still need the application with signature for them. Level V vouchers will also still be mailed, you will want the colored card stock mounted on the plaque when you complete it. Bottom line: If you are already an LSF member and need a new voucher drop me an email and I can make the process a bit quicker and cheaper.

·         

·        Several ESAP participants have had their vouchers sent back without approval due to confusion about the contest task. Each contest needs to be a 1 day (minimum) contest. You can’t fly 18 rounds in one day against the same pilots and receive credit for 6 contests on a voucher.

·         

·        If you do fly in multiple separate contests on the same day they can be counted, if they are in fact separate contests. The Nats, where Nostalgia and RES are flown concurrently over a two day period is such an example.

·         

·        I realize that the above does not explicitly appear in the rules on the voucher. However, it has been done this way in the SAP as long as any of the current officers can remember. We have extended this tradition into the ESAP.

·         

·        I’ve received comments and had discussions with several Level V members from across the US and abroad regarding this, as well as my fellow LSF Board Members. There is generally agreement with the current board’s decision, our senior membership who contacted me mostly like the idea of keeping this tradition in place. There are a couple of notable exceptions who think that this should be relaxed, but after listening to various viewpoints and considering their merits the LSF Board has decided to stay the course in this instance.

·         

·        If the weather is nice wherever you are I hope that you can get out and fly. If not, then it’s time to build something.

·        Thermals – Rob Glover, LSF Secretary

·         

·          

·          

 

A few words about the SAP & ESAP: The LSF Secretary had to reject some recently submitted vouchers as they contained more than one contest occurring on the same date.  About multiple contests on a single day, there are two components to either LSF SAP - rules and spirit.  While one could interpret the rules as allowing multiple contests per day via the "3 rounds make a contest" clause by taking it out of context, doing so would open the door to "cheap" wins which, while perhaps increasing participation, would certainly dilute the accomplishments of those whose wins were accomplished in contests of greater length.  This violates the spirit of the LSF’s SAPs.  Remember, they were established to provide participants with a way to increase their soaring skills not to provide “merit badges” with which to strut and crow about. The founders of the LSF put the 3 round  clause in there to give entrants of weather-affected contests a fair shake.  Charged with keeping the integrity of both LSF SAPs, the current LSF Board therefore agreed with the Secretary’s decision to reject the vouchers. 

A letter was received claiming that the LSF had ruined a soaring club.  The writer felt that overly zealous LSF members pushed participation in the SAP or ESAP so hard that members who showed up at the club field to soar for fun were made to feel guilty or like 2nd class citizens.  Fellow LSF members, it is true that the SAP programs will make participants better pilots – that’s the objective.  But, while achieving that objective, please don’t become become a “Glider Gestapo Agent”.  There is room for all in soaring.

The 800 Pound Gorilla:  There are encouraging signs that forward thinking LSF members are beginning to form ideas on how to deal with R/C soaring’s 800 Pound Gorilla, the increasingly high cost of competitive soaring.  These members are seeking to lower the cost of soaring competition but not the value.  The LSF Board applauds these efforts and offers the LSF Forum on the LSF website as a sounding board to help move these efforts along.  Feel free to share ideas there.

About 2015: 2015 will be the last year that current LSF Board members can serve in their positions.  Later in the year, there will be a call for nominees to fill these positions followed by an election. If you are interested in a position, any LSF Board member will be happy to let you know what committing to that position requires.

About “These Days”  With the advent of so many easy to “buy & fly” devices these days, it’s up to us who are serious about our hobby to stay the course and fly our sailplanes safely.  Please do so and help preserve the future of R/C soaring.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!



 

 

 

 

 

In order to contribute to the LSF forum conversation, you must be an LSF member level I or greater. The process is easy and you can signup online. We do ask for your LSF and AMA numbers so we can verify you as a member, so please have your LSF and AMA numbers available. If you're unsure what your LSF number is, please fill out the update form and put unknown in the field for LSF number and we will look it up and send it to you by email.

 

Very Important: Once you have signed up, please click the link in the email we send you to verify your email address. After you verify your email address, an LSF official will check your membership and approve your access. This may take a day or two so please be patient.

 

Thank you and have fun!

 

LSF Officers

 

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