Dynamic Soaring Gliders

Dynamic Soaring is all about extreme speed and adrenaline rush!

Words can’t really do justice in conveying the awesomeness of RC Dynamic Soaring. You can see, hear, and feel the energy of the model as it thunders by nearly half the speed of sound… The model buzzes as the extreme G-forces push the airframe to its max… Pure adrenaline is pumping through the veins of the pilot as the model gets faster and faster each pass!

Most people think gliders are for the faint at heart. A silent powerless RC model riding the summer thermals high into air before gracefully floating around the clear blue summer sky as it descends back to the ground. I enjoy that type of gliding myself from time to time. Dynamic Soaring, also known as DS’ing, is entirely different from the “stereo typical” gliding experience!

So what is exactly Dynamic Soaring?

You’re probably wondering how in the heck a motor-less glider can reach these insane speeds, right? I’ll admit it sounds kind of far fetched the first time you hear about it. You may even have to see a video or two before you’re a believer.

Dynamic Soaring involves harnessing the energy that exists between air masses with different wind velocities. The famous “Wandering Albatross” stays in the air for days at a time without flapping its wings simply by harnessing the energy from the difference in wind speed from the oceans surface to the faster moving air above the oceans surface.

Instead of harnessing the energy between two masses of differing wind speeds for longevity, DS enthusiasts harness this energy for reaching unbelievably high speeds!

The video below probably does a better job of explaining this than I can, but here goes. Picture a hill or slope with wind blowing over it, lets say at 35 mph. The wind is deflected upward by the slope. This is where the “lift” comes from for traditional slope gliding.

Lets say you’re standing at the bottom of the hill opposite the direction the wind is coming from. You won’t feel the wind at all because the hill is blocking the wind and deflecting it upward. So the air velocity is basically 0 MPH at the bottom of the backside of the hill (AKA the dark side).

So you have nice smooth “laminar” airflow of 35 MPH swooping upward over the hill, and 0 MPH air flow at the bottom of the backside of the hill. The border between these two air masses is a very turbulent area called the “boundary layer”.

Here is the trick. The glider is launched into the wind where it picks up airspeed from the tailwind. It then turns downward through the boundary layer back towards the hill. Since the airspeed is zero under the boundary layer, the glider looses very little energy because there is no headwind on its way back towards the hill.

The model picks up speed from gravity then turns back upward through the boundary layer into the wind where it picks up even more speed. This process is repeated over and over gaining more energy each time.

The energy gained from gravity on the way down is cancelled out by the energy required by gravity on the way back up. In a nut shell the model will keep getting faster and faster each revolution until the energy lost from the turns is equal to the energy gained by the tail wind on the top side.

Finding Good Dynamic Gliding Sites and Gliders

Dynamic Soaring can't be done just anywhere. You'll need a hill that is steep on both sides and one that has a narrow ridge at the top. The direction of the wind is also critical for creating the separation in airflows that is needed for dynamic gliding. Depending on the geography of your area, it could be very difficult to find a suitable site for DS'ing.

If you're lucky you will be able to find some people in your area that have found the best slopes for you. Sometimes these slopes are relatively easy to get to. However, some of the best slopes may be assessable only by a treacherous hike through the wilderness! Slopeflyer.com has fairly comprehensive list of Soaring Sites throughout the US, many of which are suitable for Synamic Soaring.

Photo: RCSpeeds.com

Most any RC glider can be used for getting started with DS'ing. As a general rule, the faster you want to go the more expensive your model will be. At speeds approaching 400MPH you can imagine the extreme forces exerted on the airframe and control surfaces. In addition to an extremely strong airframe, high quaility servos and linkages are also critical. Some of the top end DS gliders will set you back over a grand!

RCSpeeds.com keeps track of the top speed records, best DS gliders, and the best DS'ing sites around the world wide. It's pretty much the "unofficial" official DS'ing organization if you will.

Experience Dynamic Souring with Real Flight G5

The best way to get started with DS'ing is to pick up a copy of Real Flight G5 . As you can see in the below video, it provides arrows showing you how the different air masses are moving to help you identify the boundary layer. Not only is this a cheap and quick way of getting started, it gives you a much better idea of what you're looking for when searching for the perfect Dynamic Soaring site. It also shortens your learning curve tremendously by helping you to identify the boundary layer.