The Trailing Edge
So long 2021, it’s been…well…interesting.
It seems like yesterday we were just kicking off the New RC Soaring Digest with the January issue and here it is December already. The year 2021 has come and gone. If you were born on January 1st, 2021, that’s going to seem like a lifetime. Because it is. But for the rest of us it’s a frighteningly smaller and smaller fraction of our allotted span. Where does the time go?
This year started out with such promise, with the general sentiment that if it is any better than 2020 it will be a great thing. However that set a pretty low bar and it’s nice to see that we certainly met that. But around the world we seem to be adjusting to the idea that while things may be returning to normal, we certainly are not there yet. In fact, it’s a little disturbing to think that they may never be quite like The Before Days.
In thinking about the year gone by, we choose to focus on some positive things that under other circumstances would have taken decades to achieve, if they ever happened at all:
First is a profound appreciation for those who in the past were largely invisible until we needed them. Frontline workers — whether they be truck drivers, grocery store clerks, highly trained medical professionals or countless others who keep our world turning— should never be allowed to disappear into the woodwork again. We owe them a debt we cannot hope to repay, and are truly thankful for helping us get through this.
Next amongst these is the ability to both live and work at home, with that home being anywhere there is decent internet access. In proximity to great flying sites will be the primary criteria for many of us — instead of stuck an hours drive from a decent slope or field. We do realise and are respectful of the fact this is not an option for all. But for those of us for whom it is, we are truly thankful.
Finally — and yes, there are many other things that we simply can’t cover in this short piece — is the isolation we have felt during this period has made us truly understand the value of community. Simply getting together with friends and family to fly our ‘toy gliders’ is just a little sweeter because, well, we missed it so damn much when we couldn’t.
Novelty sharpens the senses and makes us pay attention. It’s simply the way our DNA is wired up (as Yogi Berra might have said). If we appreciate these things in a conscious, present way for at least a little while — hopefully a long while — then what we’ve been through will have been a little more worth it.
We take great pains to find just the right sunset or other ‘end of day’ photo for The Trailing Edge. RCSD contributor Iain Medley-Rose came up with a corker for our year end issue. We’ll turn it over to Iain to tell you about it:
“The Salto [left, is by] Baudis… from 2008/2009. It weighs 6kg and is 4m in span. I would say that the Baudis GP 15 is the successor in that manufacturer’s range. The plane is new to me as it popped up for sale about a month ago. I nearly bought it when the original owner sold it but couldn’t justify the expenditure. It is very good to fly and doesn’t exhibit the usual tail waggle of most Salto copies.
The K 8B is from the Flair kit and was bought a few months ago as something for me to learn how to fly slow old gliders. I am so used to skinny plastic missiles I wanted to be prepared for the test flight of my father’s 1/4-scale ASK 13 that he has been building since 1986. It is hopefully going to be ready in spring 2022.”
Iain is also a very talented videographer — keep an eye on the RCSD Twitter feed where we are regularly featuring his work. Thanks, Iain, for all of your contributions in 2021 and we look forward to seeing more of them in 2022.
New in the RCSD Shop
As regular RCSD readers know, we also carry Japanese-language articles: currently Norimichi Kawakami’s magnificent twelve part series 1/3rd Scale Mita Type 3 Production Notes presented in its original Japanese. To reflect this unique editorial principle, we have a special new feature to announce: both English and Japanese versions of our very popular Cover Photo T-Shirts. We are starting with the the August issue and will eventually expand the line to reflect all issues of the New RC Soaring Digest. As an added bonus purchasing one — or anything in the Shop — helps keep RCSD commercial free because all proceeds from the RCSD Shop directly support the operating costs of the New RC Soaring Digest.
Make Sure You Don’t Miss the New Issue
If you don’t want to miss the December issue of the New RC Soaring Digest make sure you subscribe to our Groups.io mailing list or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn. And please share RCSD with your friends — we would love to have them as readers, too.
That’s it for this month…and this year! Thanks to all of our contributors and above all, thank you, the RCSD reader — without you, we’re nothing.
Now get out there and fly!
Read the previous article or go to the table of contents. A PDF version of this article, or the entire issue, is available upon request.
