Cal state Hayward(west wind), Rattlesnake hill , Berkely hills (north wind), Oat hill-American Canyon (probably Private property,Fenced off now?) , Mission peak-Milpitas/San Jose, There are more that I have forgotten I'm sure!
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Slope MOMs Racing - Lets get this going!
- Thread starter Wayne
- Start date
smirkracing2024
Strong User
Guys, wind is forecast hit a max of about 15mph around 2pm tomorrow (Jul 23) at Thornton. How good is that for some slingshot practice?
15 should be good.
Friendly reminder! I printed 10 more airplanes from the last batch, and 6 are already gone!
So if you:
Need a spare...
Want a replacement...
Or you've been thinking about joining the next race but still don't have an airplane...Now is the time to order!
You definitely don't want to miss the next race!
It's an awesome group of people, the racing is incredibly fun, and I can honestly say I'm already super excited for the next one! 
I was actually leading the race... right up until I completely lost control of my airplane in the third heat!
That's racing! Even with the spectacular crash, I had an absolute blast, and I can't wait to do it all over again.Once these are gone, I honestly don't know when I'll have time to print another batch, so if you're thinking about joining us, don't wait too long!
See you all on the slope!
Slingshot 3D Printed Kit
These are only available for folks that are competing in the Man on Man slope racing series. We may ask for confirmation that you are actually in one of the race groups to be eligible to buy this kit. There is no profit in there, each plane takes 25+ hours to print, $12 in filament, and misc...
alofthobbies.com
Conditions look pretty solid for Sunday at Thornton with more than ample wind speed and a good direction. For anyone trekking through SF or crossing the GG Bridge, the SF Marathon is happening on Sunday morning. It creates a huge mess. It should be well over by the time we fly but residual disruptions could still be a factor. Let Google Maps be your savior
.See ya there,
Ollie
Ollie
OldElectric
New User
Hi All,
I have the Slingshot built and will come to Thornton tomorrow. I have never been to Thorton, mostly Sunset and Davenport. It seems like I should find it okay, I'll be coming from Santa Cruz. I don't think I have met many of you, look forward to meeting and flying. I will be the guy with the blue nose....
-Glen
I have the Slingshot built and will come to Thornton tomorrow. I have never been to Thorton, mostly Sunset and Davenport. It seems like I should find it okay, I'll be coming from Santa Cruz. I don't think I have met many of you, look forward to meeting and flying. I will be the guy with the blue nose....
-Glen
I was out at Coyote Hills this afternoon again. Wow, the winds were howling! On the lower hill it was blowing steadily in the high 20s mph to low 30s mph with gusts to 40 mph. The conditions were easily twice what was forecast--not that I'm complaining . I got a chance to fly a version of the Slingshot based on a faster airfoil from the series used for the racer in the MoM events. It is sluggish unless the lift is extremely strong and, fortunately, today it was. It's great fun at times but would have made a poor candidate airfoil for the MoM-series.
See some of you tomorrow out at Thornton Beach,
Ollie
. I got a chance to fly a version of the Slingshot based on a faster airfoil from the series used for the racer in the MoM events. It is sluggish unless the lift is extremely strong and, fortunately, today it was. It's great fun at times but would have made a poor candidate airfoil for the MoM-series.See some of you tomorrow out at Thornton Beach,
Ollie
OldElectric
New User
Not that anyone is gonna read this in real time but where exactly do you guys launch from once you're parked at Thornton Beach? I'm assuming you're parked in the big circle parking lot.
zeo0nie1
Strong User
walk down the trail to the right, across the "valley" and over the ice plants to the cliff along the beach.
Four of us met a Thornton Beach this afternoon for a little friendly practice. Glenn, @OldElectric, got a chance to maiden his Slingshot. Sadly, he went home with a few repairs that need attention, but all fixable.
The wind was blowing much stronger than during the contest. The rotors behind the hill really reared their ugly side. We didn't have to travel even 10 feet from the cliff before the wind was blowout back toward the edge of the slope. It's brutal. There's a relatively small landing zone with a mild downward slope toward the north that suffers much less the ill-effects of the rotors.
Roberto & Konrad in a little MoM racing action with their Slingshots
Part of the Slingshot Air Force this afternoon
The wind was blowing much stronger than during the contest. The rotors behind the hill really reared their ugly side. We didn't have to travel even 10 feet from the cliff before the wind was blowout back toward the edge of the slope. It's brutal. There's a relatively small landing zone with a mild downward slope toward the north that suffers much less the ill-effects of the rotors.
Roberto & Konrad in a little MoM racing action with their Slingshots
Part of the Slingshot Air Force this afternoon
OldElectric
New User
Hi,
Thanks for all the coaching, my setup for elevator, flaps, and crow all required adjusment, and made a big difference from my stock setup. While my landing looked ok, I hit the small patch of sand alittle hard and that was enough to crack the fuse under the wing. I think if I would have landing in the plants I would have been ok.
I had no problems with the Ahi
I am thinking I should get a "tougher" sloper linke the Slingshot where I can use it mostly to dial in a softer landing technique so I don't continually destroy Slingshots. Any pointers?
Thanks for allowing me to fly with you all, very fun and informative.
-Glen
Thanks for all the coaching, my setup for elevator, flaps, and crow all required adjusment, and made a big difference from my stock setup. While my landing looked ok, I hit the small patch of sand alittle hard and that was enough to crack the fuse under the wing. I think if I would have landing in the plants I would have been ok.
I had no problems with the Ahi
I am thinking I should get a "tougher" sloper linke the Slingshot where I can use it mostly to dial in a softer landing technique so I don't continually destroy Slingshots. Any pointers?Thanks for allowing me to fly with you all, very fun and informative.
-Glen
Glen,I had no problems with the Ahi
The conditions on Sunday were challenging for all, even more so if you’re trying your first landings on an untrimmed model. The rotors that day made anything but the most controlled approach end in a near crash. Pick your favorite flying site, preferably one with smoother air in the landing zone. Coyote Hills isn’t a bad option. Trim out the model and get comfortable with landing. Don’t be afraid to land without flaps/crow if it needs too much manual control input.
Fortunately the damage Sunday wasn’t that bad. Fiberglass around the wing saddle area will greatly improve its robustness to less than perfect landings.
i still have 5 slingshots avaliable.
Mussel Rock
I took a quick trip out to Mussel Rock in Pacifica this afternoon. My recollection was that it would be a challenge to hold a slope race there and the visit did little to change my mind. The area south of the parking lot is where, I believe, most people fly. The lack of wide landing area and questionable possibility for recovery after a crash make it a nonstarter in my estimation.
I took a quick video of the area north of the parking lot to give you guys an idea of the area. While not inconceivable that an event could be held there, I didn't see a clear choice for an area in which to setup a course. Perhaps in the flat area in the pic below. While perhaps not obvious, there are quite a number of walkers/hikers on the path. Also, the number of paragliders is quite a bit more than Thornton, but I didn't see any crossing the area in front of the photo while I was there.
I didn't try flying. I wasn't sure where I'd land and the hikers were also a concern. The wind direction wasn't ideal. This portion of Mussel Rock likely takes a bit more northerly wind direction than Thornton.
I did see an area a bit south of the site that might be a possibility. There are sand dunes perhaps half a mile south where I had seen people fly in the now distant past. It might be a possibility but I didn't check it out this trip. Has anyone flown there?
Ollie
I took a quick trip out to Mussel Rock in Pacifica this afternoon. My recollection was that it would be a challenge to hold a slope race there and the visit did little to change my mind. The area south of the parking lot is where, I believe, most people fly. The lack of wide landing area and questionable possibility for recovery after a crash make it a nonstarter in my estimation.
I took a quick video of the area north of the parking lot to give you guys an idea of the area. While not inconceivable that an event could be held there, I didn't see a clear choice for an area in which to setup a course. Perhaps in the flat area in the pic below. While perhaps not obvious, there are quite a number of walkers/hikers on the path. Also, the number of paragliders is quite a bit more than Thornton, but I didn't see any crossing the area in front of the photo while I was there.
I didn't try flying. I wasn't sure where I'd land and the hikers were also a concern. The wind direction wasn't ideal. This portion of Mussel Rock likely takes a bit more northerly wind direction than Thornton.
I did see an area a bit south of the site that might be a possibility. There are sand dunes perhaps half a mile south where I had seen people fly in the now distant past. It might be a possibility but I didn't check it out this trip. Has anyone flown there?
Ollie
