My Eight Hour LSF Slope Flight
by Guy Russo

This is a report on my preparation and 8-hour LSF flight March 22, 2003. Thank you to all who shared information and experiences regarding the LSF 8-hour flight. A special thank you to my official witnesses Frank Smith and Doug Russell. I also want to extend my personal thanks to CD Curt Nead, Columbia president Glenn Whitcomb and all the pilots and helpers for supporting my 8-hour attempt while the Slope Wars were on - all that activity helped the time "fly." Several friends stayed on the hill all day and were there when I landed.

Left to Right: IESS club members Art Sweeten, Erick Merkel, Curt Nead, Frank Smith, Doug Russell, Guy Russo, Bruce Bumgarner, Mike Cole, and Frank Wheeler at the end of the successful eight hour slope flight.

I am 54 and live in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, just over the border from Spokane, Washington. I reached LSF level I in 1974, completed the level V contest requirements in 1978, and did the 2-hour thermal with a quarter scale Jantar 1 in 1984. I am a member of the Inland Empire Soaring Society, an enthusiastic group that supports all kinds of flying activities. IESS works in conjunction with the Mid Columbia Soarers to promote all soaring and to sponsor Slope Wars.

For those of you who are interested, the LSF website has some interesting stories in the section on "history." For example, Scott Christensen LSF 001, has a great tale of what may be the first spot-landing event. Edwin Wilson's story is entertaining but I don’t think it was much fun for him! Of particular interest to me is the story told by Barry Kurath, a North West Soaring Society pilot and friend, who achieved level V by overcoming great physical challenges. We lost Barry to cancer in 1975, one year after his level V achievement. It is to his memory that I dedicate my eight-hour attempt and success.

One of the first things I did in preparation for my flight was to make a post asking for suggestions about power for a six digital servo model (I received many responses to "get a Paragon!"). The most help came from level V Patrick Dionisio who made his 8 with a NYX. Patrick shared his battery testing information and inspired me to get a battery cycler that would record mAh usage. In brief, Patrick flew the NYX using a 2300 NiMh pack with the flaps and rudder disconnected and taped in place. After the flight he had only used 1100mAh or 138 per hour. Patrick checked and found that the "JR 368 digital servos used about 25mAh at idle (assuming no friction or load on them). They pump up to ~ 100~150 when in normal use and reach as high as 250+ under huge loads." Patrick flew "smooth and small inputs" for the entire flight. He also did another test with his Sharon Pro X tail and 6 digitals where he flew for two hours of TD work including four launches and leaving the power on while retrieving the chute. His usage was ~183 mAh.

I flew a Sharon Pro X tail with three modifications:

1. I removed and replaced the stock pushrods with very smooth precise slop-free carbon rods in tubes. The Sharon has a very thin tail and fuse and is a challenge in which to mount equipment!

2. I added 5-degree wing joiners and the wider tips from the standard Sharon.

3. I cut off the wide tips outboard of the ailerons and reattached them at 17 degrees (these tips look like Graphite tips).

Sharon prior to modifications. Note blue lines on "hanger" door indicating standard dihedral.

Sharon with 5 degree joiners. Note relationship to blue lines.

Sharon with five degree joiners wing and tips mounted at 17 degrees.

The customized Sharon Pro

These modifications gave me a very stable model with the speed range I wanted for flying at Eagle Butte (a 1,000 foot slope that can be a monster when wind conditions are working). I did two hours of testing, at a local inland slope in 30 mph winds, where I coupled the ailerons to the flaps and rudder to work 5 servos. This yielded ~400 mAh usage. Alarmed by this, I went totally overboard with my battery solution. After the 8H flight I repeated this test and used only 270 mAh. I discovered that I did not have a full charge for the first test and the 400 read was false.

The modified Sharon Pro X tail balanced at 96mm (about 43%) and was perfect for the attempt. I inserted two packs of 2700mAh NimH batteries into that skinny fuse by removing the elevator servo and the tow hook. They were taped together and wedged between the tow hook block and the servo tray and some weight was added to balance. The battery packs were charged separately, Y harnessed in parallel and charged again. This cycled to 4860 mAh. I have been on Eagle Butte in a measured 74 MPH wind and I went overboard with caution to prepare for constant servo use if necessary, as I only wanted to do this once! As an additional precaution, I disconnected the flaps and taped them in place. I kept the rudder (I love rudder) and hoped to fly rudder only if in light conditions. This left the ailerons free to crow or reflex and gave me flexibility for varying conditions.

Friday at Eagle was wonderful with 25 mph winds - the Sharon trimmed and tested just fine. Saturday’s weather reports were for 35mph winds right on the slope, 46-degree temps and 35% chance of rain - PERFECT! UGGH! I was the second pilot on the slope at 7:30 and was greeted by cold and strong winds. All my plans for the wind break tarp and EZ up were literally BLOWN away. I knew I was in trouble when I tried to open the truck door! I watched from the truck as a Zagi War pilot launched and his model was blown downwind doing cartwheels. At 9, when the witnesses arrived, winds were measured at 48. Since the East Side Fly Guys have a tradition of going for it, they said, "Lets do it!" I put on more layers of clothes, moved the truck into the wind with the Tonneau cover propped open and got set up for the 8-hour tailgate party. By arranging my food, water, and flight box in the truck bed I had access to all I needed and my observers had access to the "bribe beer" I brought for them. I also placed the model transport box under the tailgate to block the wind under the truck and set up some chairs for guests. This system worked.

Guy Russo stands (for a time) downwind of his truck bed cover while flying his Sharon

The sky was overcast and the wind never dropped below 25. When the storm systems moved through, the wind edged over 60 as per measurements taken by three pilots with hand held gauges. I used an Airtronics Vision radio and changed the 1700-mAh batteries twice during the flight. I did not want to be tethered to an external battery or carry the weight. It was great to be able to move around and "take a hike" now and then! The PCM RX never blinked when I shut the power down. The worst part was when the rainstorms moved through - twice they came right at us and my flying buddies secured camp and got me into the truck. It was nice to have company, heat and windshield wipers but the model was tossed about and I had to wrench my neck to stuff the antenna out the window and see it. The longest of the storms was about 30 minutes and was the toughest part of the flight. The only advantage of 60 mph winds is that the systems move through quickly. Eagle Butte has another slope ridge facing it across the valley and I believe this ridge compounds the lift on Eagle. At our local 300-foot slope, the lift and winds quit when a thermal approaches. The exact opposite happened at Eagle - the oncoming rainstorm created a huge downdraft on the facing slope and this turbulent, wet, cold air raced across the valley right up Eagle and at the Sharon.

I had hoped the modified model would give me great latitude in performance. The 79 oz Sharon Pro X tail with the 5-degree joiners is a joy to fly. The 8-hour Sharon at 90 oz and with the modified tips was the right choice for this slope. The launch was tricky but the model plowed right through and we were able to "get on step" and search the slope for the laminar air at altitude. We found the moving sweet spot many times and the model reached an equilibrium where I could fly rudder only or hands off. Six times the air was smooth enough to fly rudder only for ten minutes or more. Among many challenges was balancing the model at an altitude where the trim matched the conditions- sometimes this was way high. I built a TX stand and was able to set the TX down on the tailgate. I sat in a chair and gave occasional minor inputs. Guys would come by for a visit and I got to tell the LSF story to many who had never heard of the Soaring Accomplishments Program. Almost always my visitor’s questions were about batteries and what model I was flying.

Flying conservatively with a well-trimmed model used a remarkably low amount of battery power and I was amazed to see that 3608 mAh remained in the packs that had never charged higher than 4860 - that is a TOTAL use of 1252 mAh or 156 per hour!

I learned a lot from this experience and gained a great respect for all level V pilots. I still have the 10K goal-and-return to complete and hope to do it this summer. Thanks again to those who encouraged me and shared information. I hope this information is useful and may encourage you to begin or continue your own Soaring Accomplishments.

Guy Russo LSF 898