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Electric Sailplane Clinic DVD

Electric assisted sailplanes are a fantastic way to enjoy soaring, but learning about the motors, batteries, props and speed controllers along with all of the other details needed to fly electrics is a huge and daunting task.

Learn the Essentials of Electric Powered Soaring

Soaring Master Class 3
So what's on the new DVD? Lots of cool and inspiring stuff.

I spent a long weekend in San Diego with ace instructor Mike Smith, who did such an great job on the Master Class 1. We had talked about the skills he saw lacking in pilots (even experienced ones) who he saw fly at his local field and at national meets. We both decided to make this Master Class about skill building. This DVD is not for the raw beginner, but those of all other skill levels will surely benefit from this program.

Mike is great teacher because he makes you rethink the way you fly and question those aspects of soaring you thought you knew well. I always learn a thing or two every time we get together.

We shot hours of thermal flights over the course of 3 days with Mike wired up to the camera talking about every move he made in the air and why he did it. What's really cool about this DVD is that we had a HD video camera on his new F3J Aspire which was recording the flights synced up to the ground camera. We also put a yaw indicator on the nose of the plane so you can see how adverse yaw effects flight in real time.

Mike demonstrates how to set up your rudder mixing and differentials for coordinated turns, and you see those effects on the yaw angle of the glider as he changes the mixes. The onboard camera and Mike's zen-like commentary while thermaling really makes this training DVD unique.

The Soaring Master Class 3 DVD is one of my very best instructional DVDs, I'm really happy with how it turned out. I already did many tweaks to my unlimited glider radio set up to improve rudder response. If I learned a bunch of great tips and insights, just imagine what you might learn.

Other subjects covered are thermaling technique, air reading while in flight, managing the plane's energy, speed, attitude and how to adjust the glider to changing conditions. This DVD emphasises in-flight training, but there's a nice amount of ground school tutorials as well. This DVD will be incredibly useful to all soaring pilots as the skills and tutorials taught can be applied to any type of glider. (except maybe a 4 kilo PSS sloper)

Handlaunch Master Class 3
The last 3 Handlaunch/F3K DVDs have brought you up to date on the latest techniques, developments, and gear for HLG/F3K flying. Incredible material, but some key parts of modern HLG mastery were still missing from the series.

And that's what's covered in this Master Class.

This DVD will be a bit different then some, it will be more informal, just me in the shop with a huge dry erase board, tuning tools, some planes, some radios, and the camera. 

I do a total brain dump, teaching you my techniques for tuning and optimizing a modern F3K glider to perfection. You'll learn ways to integrate your computer radio and it's program with your frontal lobe, so your plane will fly more efficiently on it's own, with minimal pilot workload. The more your plane can fly on its own at the the 3 basic speeds needed, the longer flight times you'll get. It's that simple.

While some of the subjects covered are taught in some of my other DVDs, but the tuning and programming techniques shown are specific to HLG's and their special calibration requirements. So what's covered in this DVD?

First I cover basic alignments, decalage settings, Center of Gravity tuning, both static and active, and how to get a smooth and accurate elevator system working for you. It's all about the elevator baby! If you can't get these tuning basics down, no amount of radio tweaking will get you plane to fly well.

I then combine the tuning tips together with advanced radio set ups, teaching you how to use Flight Modes/Conditions to make your plane react to changing lift and wind conditions. I also cover differentials, mixing, trim steps, snap flap, and other settings that will make your plane fly better and more efficiently, without you!  You will also see how I have my personal gliders set up, and I'll talk about some different strategies on how to use your flight modes/conditions more effectively to set trim and wing camber, both critical adjustments to get your plane flying with less pilot workload.

As a special bonus, I have my good friend and super-pro pilot Mike Smith describe how he has his HLG's set up and tuned for competition.

If you want to learn the nuances of R/C soaring, hang around world class pilots and listen to every word they say and watch what they do.
If you don't have access to those few pilots who possess that raw championship talent, then get my new DVD Soaring Master Class 1, which is is the next best thing to having a pro as your personal teacher.
Instructor Mike Smith has been flying gliders for over 25 years and has won numerous National Championships, the Soaring Masters, the huge contest at Visalia, and is a 3-time U.S. F3B team member. Besides being one of the best pilots in North America, Mike is a skilled and confident teacher, easily explaining complex subjects in an easy to understand manner.
I spent 3 days filming Mike in San Diego as he covered his techniques for plane set up, launching, and optimizing performance. You will learn an amazing amount of basic and advanced soaring skills from someone who really knows what he's talking about.
Along with the lectures and flight demos, your learning will be helped along with high quality information graphics which illustrate the subjects Mike's covering.
The launching tutorials alone are worth the price of the DVD, but Mike covers so much more in great detail that you will improve your skill set immediately. Especially cool is Mike's demonstration of high wind flying where he talks you through his techniques for finding and staying in lift in really breezy conditions.
The content of the DVD is aimed pilots of all skill levels, beginner to advanced, and the skills taught can be applied to all types of gliders, not just the higher performance ones. Combine this DVD with High Performance Thermal Soaring, and you get a potent pair of classes which will surely cut years off of your learning curve.

Radio Carbon Art's latest DVD High Performance Thermal Soaring teaches you advanced techniques for catching thermals and flying them more efficiently. You will learn to fly smart and smooth, and develop an understanding of the importance of trim, rudder use, tuning and air reading.
Along with detailed technical tutorials, you will learn by watching one of the world's most talented pilots, 2 time world F3J thermal soaring champion David Hobby. David thermals on camera and describes his every move, teaching you his techniques for successful performance thermal soaring.
David also teaches you some great plane setup and air-calling techniques. You will learn cutting edge techniques from Dave and I know you will impressed with the information he shares with you.
You might think of this DVD as the sequel to the Secrets of Thermals Soaring DVD, with more of an emphasis on advanced flying techniques. Covered subjects are CG methods, trimming with flight modes, rudder theory, ballast strategies, bank angles, and minimum sink and lift over drag ratio.
As a DVD extra, Paul Naton teaches a tutorial describing his thermal plane set-up.
Combine all of these subjects with an hour of David Hobby's teaching, and you have a DVD that contains a great wealth of useful information.

Soaring expert Paul Naton takes you through all of the steps required to maximize the performance of your sailplane. You will learn how to properly rig and balance your plane so it will fly great from the first test flight. Paul teaches you how to build your plane straight, set the incidence and decalage angles, choose the right center of gravity, and set up your control throws with a computer radio. You will also learn about adverse yaw and
how to set differentials to control it. Flight demonstrations of common flight problems are included along with detailed explanations of cures. This high quality DVD will have you flying at a new level of performance in no time.

Radio Clinic For Gliders

The Radio Clinic For Sailplanes DVD will teach you how to program your computer radio so you can fly more efficiently and get top performance from your model. You will learn not only what all of the radio functions are, but how to apply them to a variety of different glider types from simple 2 channel rudder and elevator planes to modern high performance 6 channel models including electric gliders.
The techniques taught can be applied to any slope or thermal glider including hotliners and electric-assisted sailplanes. This high quality DVD covers complex flight mode programming, dual rates, exponentials, programmable mixing, camber changing, compensation mixers, and more.

Secrets of Thermal Soaring

This extensive educational film covers the complex art of thermal soaring and meteorology. Using high quality illustrations and graphics along with video, the viewer learns the basics of thermal formation and movement as well as aircraft thermaling techniques. This revolutionary video is required class work for anyone interested in improving his R/C glider or free flight model flying technique. DVD Running time: 1 hour & 15 minutes

F3 Building Clinic

The F3 Building Clinic takes you through all of the construction and preparation procedures needed to complete today's high performance glider kits. This 2 hour training DVD will help you build up your modeling skill set with detailed tutorials and pro-level tips. You will learn how to build all of the subsystems of a 3 meter moulded glider kit including wiring, servo installation, radio set up, push rod builds, battery packs, and detailing. The F3 Building Clinic is an excellent visual building guide and all of the skills you will learn can applied to most modern ARF glider kits of any size.

Handlaunch Pro Clinic

This exciting 2 DVD set covers the latest techniques in Discus/SAL handlaunch glider preparation, tuning, and flying. With over 3.5 hours of content, this intensive training film will help you maximize your glider performance and improve your throwing and flying technique. Disk 1 covers basic building tips, equipment choices, air frame tuning, and radio set ups. Disk 2 is filled with expert level tips on throwing, plane preparation, tuning, and flying techniques. Handlaunch Pro Clinic is perfect for beginning, intermediate, and advanced HLG pilots looking to perfect their technique. DVD Running time: 3.5 hours

Handlaunch Building Clinic

Sailplane expert Paul Naton takes you through the construction of 2 popular Handlaunch glider kits, the XP-4 and the Raptor. You will learn many basic modeling skills including soldering, fiber-glassing, radio installations, push rod building, and techniques for building light and straight. This high quality program will help you build most of today's modern HLG kits and all of the skills learned can be applied to almost any building project. DVD Running time: 3.7 hours

Best of Scale Soaring

The Best of Scale Soaring is a collection of the best large scale glider footage from .filmmaker and soaring pro Paul Naton.
You will first visit the prestigious 2007 JR aero tow event where North America's top pilots gathered to fly the biggest and baddest 1/3 to 1/2 scale gliders. We're talking BIG planes here guys!
Featured sailplanes include a 1/2 scale ASW-28 with on-board video camera, soaring champion Mike Smith's 1/3 carbon DG-800, a rare 1/3 Horton Parabola flying wing, and Eric Myers amazing jet-powered Fox aerobatic plane. The flight sequences flown by these pro pilots set to classical music are amazingly cool. You’ll be impressed too when you see these big scale planes fly.
After you settle down from the aero tow event, check out the extensive extras on the DVD. You will find four informative interviews with some of the JR pilots who talk about their models in great detail.
There’s lots more flying too, with hot aerobatic sequences flown by the sport’s best like Peter Goldsmith’s 1/3 DG-800 show-stopping aerobatics at the SEFF and Steve Condon’s epic Discus flight during a thunderstorm at Los Banos.
Other extras include a classic Minimoa cruising the cliffs of Torrey Pines, and Paul Naton flies his 1/3 Discus in huge air conditions at Oregon’s gorgeous Peterson Butte slope.
After watching all of this scale flying, if you don’t yet own a scale glider, you soon will!