May 2023
Our world has been turned upside down — but in a good way.
Sometimes photographs come our way which are beautiful while also offering up a great visual surprise. Such was the case with our key photo above from our good friend and popular contributor Pierre Rondel. What caught our attention in particular are the reflections that appear on the inverted wing. So should manufacturer of the Quantum 2 — Sanda Models — make the claim of a “mirror-like finish” you would do best to believe them. You’ve just seen the proof.
Of course, it’s hard to know whether the star of the show is the plane and it’s accompanying reflections or the magnificent French countryside. For no better reason that we just think they’re gorgeous, here are a few more from the same series:
Better yet, you will want to watch Pierre’s video from which these stills were taken. We have linked the video in Resources below.
Coming Up in This Issue
We have a bumper crop of new articles for you this month starting with ‘the usual suspects’ which lead off each new issue:
- The Launch Zone — Last month’s In the Air editorial — subtitled The trouble with Canada — expectedly triggered lots of feedback much of which we’ll be featuring in this month’s Letters to the Editor. Next, we have more breaking news about the Silent Arrow. We’ll also help you spend your allowance with Cool New Stuff. In this month’s editorial, The Ed returns to more tranquil pastures with a stream-of-conciousness stew subtitled The joy of meaningful work.
- Features — We have two new great contributors in May: Jan Sime has a delightful piece entitled Manfred Derschug: A retrospective on the designer and his legendary Brillant V and Mike Goulette — whose name you might recognise from his excellent contributions to the Letters to the Editor section. Mike makes his New RCSD debut with The History of Electric Flight. We also are happy to continue with the next instalments in two series we have on the go at the moment: Tiberiu Atudorei’s Project ALTius and Bill Kuhlman’s Twist Distributions for Swept Wings.
- Ongoing Series — Scott Manley contributes the next article in his Condor Corner series and Tom Broeski has another great time- and money-saving tip. We had to laugh: Tom’s articles don’t usually stir up any controversy but last month’s did.
- Retrospectives — Similarly, you wouldn’t think our regular Glider Patents feature would stir up much commentary but the last few have. This new one should be no different, we think. Simine Short is also back with another Stamps That Tell a Story which has developed a devoted following. Who knew stamp collecting would become a thing again!
- That’s a Wrap —We’ll round out the issue with our usual ‘end-of-a-perfect-day’ photo and some punchy prose which will — hopefully — leave you wanting more as opposed to looking for the digital equivalent of the exit sign.
All these great articles and, yes, we have “a few things percolating along the margins”. This is the way we cover off those stories we either have in development and are ready earlier than expected or just turn up completely unexpectedly. Either way, it’s a pleasant surprise for all of us to see what finally ends up in a given issue.
Oh, yes, just one more thing: for those who are into social media, we’ll be making a significant announcement in this regard in the upcoming issue. If you look closely in this article, you will find a pretty strong hint of what that is.
New in the RCSD Shop
We’re delighted to announce the addition of a new product line to the store that riffs on our Cover Photo T-Shirt series: our first Cover Photo Mug. Featured on the April 2023 edition is the beautiful photography of Uroš Šoštarič, who captured this gorgeous 5m DG–1000 at Mangert in the Julian Alps of his native Slovenia. His photograph is custom formatted just for this particular use and wraps all around the hearty 444ml (15oz) mug.
Whether you’re drinking your morning pre-flight coffee, evening tea, or maybe something stronger — this mug’s for you! It’s sturdy and glossy with a vivid print that’ll withstand the microwave and dishwasher. Order yours today.
Also, did you know all of our products are made especially for you as soon as you place an order — which is why it sometimes takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. However, making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions! Your planet thanks you.
Don’t Want to Miss the Upcoming May Issue?
It’s out in just a few days, so if you don’t want to miss the upcoming issue of the New RC Soaring Digest make sure you connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Post News or subscribe to our Groups.io mailing list. And please share this issue of Lift over Drag with your friends because we would love to have them as readers, too!
Now, without further ado get out there and fly!
©2023 The New RC Soaring Digest Staff
Resources
- Quantum 2 DP F3G by Pierre Rondel on YouTube. — “Flying the Sanda Models’ Quantum 2 DP F3G on a nice afternoon with beautiful weather and superb scenery.” This is no raw footage soup but rather one of Pierre’s finely crafted videos worthy of both the subject material and your attention.
- Sanda Models — The manufacturer of the Quantum 2 featured in Pierre Rondel’s photographs and video.
- In The Air: The trouble with Canada by Terence C. Gannon, Managing Editor of the New RCSD. — “It landed in my inbox ironically on Wright-mas, which regular readers of this column will know as December 17th. If email was capable of make the sickening thump of a dead-blow hammer, this incoming email would have made that sound…”
- Silent Arrow — The reportage from the New RCSD which has been provided to date on this exciting aircraft and concept. We’ll be bringing you the latest update in May.
- Super Strong Clevis Rods: Don’t let them be the weakest link by Tom Broeski — We still can’t believe how many comments this article elicited and not about what you think.
