Mike Bergerson participating in the 2023 ALES Nats in Muncie IN. Photo by Matt Ruddick.
Glider Camp 2024
By Mike Bergerson
So, you want to go to the AMA/League of Silent Flight 2024 RC Soaring Nats? “Glider Camp” is absolutely one of the most fun and rewarding experiences that any sailplane pilot could ask for. You get to fly everything!
Start with Cross Country (XC) and fly with several of the best XC pilots. If you want to try your hand at it, they’ll show you everything and help you to your first XC goal. If you need your 10k, they’re gonna help you get there. Winched or electric, bring your Open class or purpose-built XC airplane and give it a shot!
There be winches! Are you into Nostalgia (NOS) gliders (pre-1980), love to fly 2-meter (2M), get a kick out of the simplicity of an elegant Rudder/Elevator/Spoiler (RES) sailplane going up the line, or prefer the bells and whistles of an Unlimited class ship? How about an entire weekend of all four?! Fly one class or fly them all for the Quadfecta! Pure fun! Never flown in a competition or think you don't belong? Don’t be silly! This is the “kinder, friendlier, gentler Nats!” It’s all about fun in the sun with your old and new flying buddies! If it goes up on a winch, there's a spot for ya. Contest Director Wally Adasczik will make sure!
Interested in the latest, greatest Soaring craze? F3RES is the hot ticket. This involves a simple 2M wooden RES sailplane, launched with a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) regulation high start—this is a “man-on-man” team event. You launch at the buzzer and have a 9-minute window to make a 6-minute flight and precision landing before the second buzzer, otherwise you forfeit your landing points. You can land and relaunch as many times as you’d like during the 9-minute window, but your last flight is the one that counts. Bring a 2M wooden sailplane and you’ll have the best time that you can remember flying for a very long time! You're allowed an internal carbon wing spar and carbon tailboom. The remainder of the airplane must be wooden. FAI F3L rules can be found at https://www.fai.org/sites/default/files/sc4_vol_f3_soaring_23.pdf.
Got your winch in the nose? ALES is a 2-day Unlimited class contest for everyone with a motor glider. Do you want to give it a try but don't have a shiny, new competition sailplane? Bring your Radian! I’ve seen plenty of the best pilots get beat by a flying “cold beverage” cooler!
Are you a Discus Launch Glider flier? F3K, baby! Learn by flying with some of the best pilots that you’ve ever flown with! There’s no better way to improve (well, there is practice, discipline, and a good plan, too … eh, mostly) than flying with the best, unless you are one of the best … then you can help the other guys get better! FAI F3K rules can be found at https://www.fai.org/sites/default/files/sc4_vol_f3_soaring_23.pdf.
Now, here’s the big 3-day competition—FAI F5J. The 2024 Nats is host to the US Team Selection, where people will compete for a chance to participate in this year's world championships. It takes place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (July 26-28). This is a serious competition for those vying for a spot on the US team. For the rest of us, it’s a chance to fly, learn from the best pilots, and compare how you stack up … but mostly to see how much fun we can possibly have flying gliders! This is “Glider Camp” after all!
See ya there! Bring a friend! Blue skies!
