R/C Sailplanes are small to large models made from a variety of materials from balsa wood to carbon fiber and epoxy. Sailplanes don't have or need engines to keep them flying, although many use electric motors or gas engines powering propellers to 'tow' the sailplanes to a decent altitude. As in real (human piloted) gliders, R/C sailplanes rely on the same mechanism for gaining and keeping altitude: Thermals and slope lift. Some people think that you can just toss a sailplane into the wind and the plane will just rise, like a kite, into the air. Instead, a sailplane that has no power towing it is always descending or falling down through the air. If the air below the plane is rising faster than the plane is falling, the plane will rise upwards, and the real fun begins...

One of the best things about sailplanes is that they're noiseless, don't produce exhaust or get a coat of 'slime' over every exposed surface of the airframe after being flown.

Sailplanes have the distinct advantage of powered planes, either gas or electric, in that they can, in the right conditions, stay up for an hour or longer. You don't just launch your sailplane and then glide down to the ground. The goal is to stay aloft and that means 'looking' for thermals or flying off of a slope which gives the sailplane lift. Once your sailplane is airborne, regardless of how high, the sailplane may only remain in the air for a couple of minutes or less. If there is lift or the pilot has gained a reasonable amount of experience, the sailplane can remain in the air, for 15 minutes or even longer. My longest thermal driven flight lasted more than 1-1/2 hours!

Once you're in the 'lift', you rise or stay at the same altitude. There is something very special about launching a handlaunch glider in a small field, groping around for lift, finding some and then 'specking' it (making the sailplane go so high that it is a 'speck' in the sky). Once you've done this with a sailplane, you will be hooked into this hobby for the rest of your life. Choose your hobbies carefully.

Some sailplanes can be launched merely by throwing to get altitude, known to the 'purest' as Hand Launch Gliders or HLG, or by using a towing mechanism from the ground such as a long rubber band known as a hi-start or with an electric winch. Hi-starts are usually constructed of several hundred feet of surgical rubber tubing connected to an even longer piece of line (twice as long, typically) either braided nylon cord or a single strand of monofilament (fishing line). To get the sailplane to a high altitude means attaching your sailplane the line end of the hi-start with a ring on the hi-start and 'tow hook' on the bottom of the plane (near the plane's center of gravity) and staking the rubber end into the ground. Start by stretching the rubber downwind and when there's enough tension (depends on the weight of the sailplane) releasing (or sometimes throwing) your sailplane up and into the wind. The hi-start will cause the plane to rise quite quickly depending on the weight of the sailplane, the tension on the hi-start, and the amount of wind that is blowing. Launches can be as high as the hi-start is long or even longer under good conditions.

Winch launches can be higher than hi-start launches, and certainly are more convenient, but can also destroy a sailplane if too much force is applied to the sailplane during launch. Typically, there is a foot pedal that allows the pilot of the sailplane control over how much 'winching' occurs during a launch. Tapping the foot pedal can then control the force by turning on and off the winch.

Launching sailplanes from a slope is easy. You don't need a hi-start or winch, you just give the glider a good throw into the wind. The air rising as it touches a slope provides the lift to keep the sailplane aloft. Keep the plane in the lift and the plane will continue to stay at the same altitude or rise. On good days, the only limitation of duration is the amount of available daylight or battery power for the radio equipment.

All classes of thermal sailplanes (shown below) will work well on in a slope environment. The only potential problem about flying, say a handlaunch sailplane, on a slope is the amount of available lift can be too much for a sailplane designed for extracting every breath of lift available. I.E. You can't get the plane down! For a slope, you can sacrifice lightness of construction and other efficiency in the airframe for a plane designed for speed and strength. It is not uncommon for some slope gliders to fly at speeds in excess of 100 mph as long as the conditions permit this.

Thermal sailplanes typically fall into one of four categories:

• Handlaunch (HLG) - sailplanes with a wing span up to 1.5 meters (59-60").
• Two Meter - sailplanes with a wingspan up to 2 meters (78").
• Standard Class - sailplanes with a wingspan up to 100".
• Open Class - sailplanes that have wingspans greater than 100".

Slope sailplanes are in two categories:

• Slope - sailplanes designed for high performance on the slope.
• Combat - sailplanes designed for combat on the slope.

Here's a checklist of the things you need to do to get started in the R/C Sailplane hobby:

1.	Find a good starter sailplane kit or ARF (Almost Ready to Fly) kit. Good choices for a beginner's sailplane are planes that have 2 meter or shorter wing spans and use only rudder and elevator for controls. Really, for a beginner, there really is only one way to go when choosing your first sailplane and that is to choose a plane made mostly of Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) foam. You just can't break them, even if you dive them vertically into the ground (they just bounce!). This gives you the chance to learn from your mistakes without having to constantly re-build your plane after each flying session. You should really start with one of the EPP-based planes (for thermaling OR sloping) originally created by Dave's Aircraft Works (and still being manufactured by SkyKing RC Products). If you're a 'purist' and would rather build a more traditional kit out of balsa, there are several planes that have been teaching beginners over the years. Some of the most popular for beginners have been the Goldberg Gentle Lady, Great Planes Spirit, or the Dynaflite Wanderer. You can browse for other 2 meter planes at Northeast Sailplane Products. Don't go wild and purchase a 'full house' sailplane as your first sailplane, i.e. one that has ailerons, flaps, etc. and requires a computer radio to fly. It is ALWAYS better to buy a beginner sailplane and learn to fly before crashing a beautiful, carbon-fiber, $500 investment into the hard ground. It is good (and more fun) to have more than one plane anyway. ARF planes have been, in the recent past, heavier and harder to repair than a built up wood kit. Recently there is a rash of new ARFs that have been manufactured in Taiwan or other places, with cheap labor, that are better built, but tend to be more expensive. My choice for a beginner is to still build the plane yourself. By doing this you will know more about how it is built and what it takes to repair it if it does crash or you run over it with the car. The better kits have parts that are laser cut to a high degree of accuracy and usually go together a bit easier. I also prefer kits that have 'all hardware included' on the side of the box. For a beginner, this helps the builder understand what things like 'clevis' and 'pushrods' are and you don't go on these shopping sprees at your local hobby store, buying everything in site that you 'think' you might need. A typical investment for a training glider in kit form is about $60 including the sailplane kit, covering, and other things, like glue, that you'll need to finish the plane. Two meter gliders usually accommodate the standard size radio equipment, which usually has a lower cost as well. If you want some more information that I've written about beginner sailplanes and building them, click here. Click Soaring FAQ to get to a huge reference/ frequently asked questions page that a fellow modeler has put together.
2.	Purchase a radio control system that has at least 4 channels of control and rechargeable batteries (NiCad, NiHi, or Lithium). You can get a fairly good radio for about US$150 (these prices haven't changed much in many years!). There are cheaper radios out there too, but I wouldn't bother, as probably you'll be wishing that you didn't buy 'that cheap one' in a short amount of time. You can also spend more, initially, for a premium radio (typically a basic 'computer' radio) that can be used for more than one plane. You won't outgrow one of these radios as you gain flying skills and want more features. But... I probably wouldn't buy the top o' the line computer radio as your first radio as they can be terribly frustrating to just get those plain ol' 2 channels to work without having to understand things like mixing and all those switch settings, etc. Some of the good entry level radio brands include: Futaba SkySport 4YF, Airtronics VG400, JR Sport MD2 UL, and Hitec Laser 4 4 channel radios. Some of the better premium (the next step up from entry level) radios include: Futaba 6EXA Super , Airtronics RD6000 Super, JR 6102, and Hitec Optic 6 channel computer radios. The fanciest radio out there (money no object) is the Airtronics Stylus w/ Glider card. This radio 'does it all', but is really complicated to setup. If you can't program your VCR without giving yourself a headache, then I wouldn't recommend that you get this radio as it WILL frustrate you. It is also expensive. If you want more information about radios, how they work, and a list of commonly used and available radio control systems, click here.
3.	Build that plane! Clear a space in your garage or some nice 'extra' room in your house for a building board that can accommodate at least 3' by 5' of flat building area. (I've built planes on smaller surfaces, but it's really nice to have some extra space for piling all those glue bottles, tape, etc.) My favorite choice for building a board surface is a ceiling tile used in offices. They're available at most 'do-it-yourself' hardware stores and these tiles are cheap. Put a nice light above your board so that you can still read the plans late into the night (the 'best' time to work). Here's some tips for building: Follow the instructions in the kit. Most kits are based on original designs that experienced modelers scratch-built by hand and then continually revised over and over to get everything right. Sure, if you're one of those 'experienced' guys, you'll be making modifications or 'improvements' everytime you built anything. But, as a beginner, I'd follow the plans and the order of building each piece for minimal headaches. With sailplanes, it is really important to try to keep the plane as light as possible. This not only means installing mini or micro servos into a plane, but also trying to use the minimum amount of glue when assembling your sailplane. Don't always assume that more glue is better. Too much in a high stress area can make a joint break just due to the fact that the glue doesn't give, instead the structure breaks, right at where the glue ends in a joint. Keep everything straight and warp-free as possible. Warps are the fastest way to ruin the flyability of a beautifully built sailplane. Build on a absolutely flat surface whenever possible. Beginners probably should use Monokote or Ultracote for covering their planes or whatever is recommended by the manufacturer. Both are about the same and are fairly easy to apply to your plane. Even a first time user of Monokote can produce a great looking plane with minimal effort.
4.	Join the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). They, the organization, are on your side. They lobby for local and international interests with government organizations such as the FCC (for radio frequency regulations), the FAA (for flying interests), and Congress. The AMA is also affiliated with the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) and has representatives for the US in the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) organization. The AMA provides for up to $1,000,000 of liability insurance. Some flying clubs, organizations, fields, and contests require membership in order to fly. You also get a subscription to a magazine known as 'Model Aviation' which contains up to date information about the AMA as well as kit plans, articles, and some of the latest tips from modelers all over the world. You can join AMA by contacting them at: Academy of Model Aeronautics 5151 E. Memorial Drive Muncie, IN 47302-9252 or by calling them at: (317) 287-1256.
5.	Now learn to fly... BUT, most importantly: GET HELP FROM AN EXPERIENCED FLYER! Most 'fliers' enjoy helping new people into the hobby and you can really get a tremendous amount of experience by just talking to these 'veterans'. Most beginners that have had help on their first flight get to take their plane home without having to carry it in a bag, also known as 're-kitting' the plane. Some first time flyers assume, since they have had flying experience in full-size aircraft, that they can control their model the same way. The problem isn't that you already understand what it takes to fly, rather you need to teach your fingers or thumb to fly. Plus, the plane flies away and towards you, you need to be able to look at the plane and then determine what to do (with those fingers). Trust me, it isn't as complicated as it sounds, it just takes a bit of practice and it is absolutely more fun to fly a plane than it looks!