Wind flying without engine running

[John Fitzgerald]

I have heard of flying in a strong wind without engine running, or even launching without engine running and continuing to fly lazy eights. I never had the nerve to try it.  How strong does the wind have to be to accomplish this with a Flite Streak or similar design?  How do you launch and build up momentum?  We have 25-30 mph winds today.

[Clint Ormosen]

Yes, it's possible. I don't know about launching it, but if it's already up you can keep it in the air by downwind whipping.

......but 25-30 mph? I think I would just go buy a kite for today.

[Sean McEntee]

I could do continuous lazy 8s with my Primary Force in about a 20kts winds.  Flapless models probably bake the best "energy managers" since they have allot less drag.  Its exciting and allot of fun!

[RC Storick]

Yes it is exciting. At the NATS a few years ago Bene Rodriguez flew many loops and 8 in the wind. It was blowing about 20MPH.

[Dick Pacini]

I had heard that Gene Schaffer was able to wind fly for as long as he desired.

[Dennis Moritz]

I saw Gene Shaffer do it at the Lake Charles NATs 1974. He took off, flew a couple of laps, the engine cut and he kept flying. Loops and figure eights. Maybe other shapes too. Bob Hunt, among others, was there. I think Gene used to wind fly all the time.

[Avaiojet]

I was able to keep my T-Bird in ground effect for many laps just by trotting backwards.

Sure, occasionally you could whip the thing and pick up some speed, but repeated eights or loops? I knew if I pulled the nose up, it'd be all done.

I was a teenager!

CB

[Jim Kraft]

I watched Jim Lee wind fly his Skyray 35 in the wind. It was blowing at least 25 mph, and he did about 15 consecutive lazy 8's. The plane seemed to pick up a lot of speed and energy on each 1/2 loop. He made it look easy, but I have never tried it.

[Avaiojet]

Way way back, didn't they fly the Tiger Shark on a wire on a stick?

CB

[Lee Thiel]

I have watched Joe Gilbert wind fly until he was literally tired of it. He very seldom steps back, mostly leans forward on down and leans backwards for up.
Lee TGD

[bill bischoff]

The wind flying technique is not that hard to learn. Most stunt pilots know how to position their insides and outsides to avoid "wind up" in the wind. You simply do the opposite and try to get the wind to accelerate the model. Start by doing lazy eights with the intersection directly downwind. As the model comes around the circle into the headwind, flip it inverted with a half loop, and the wind will blow it back towards downwind. Go past downwind the other direction inverted, then flip it back upright. Once again, the wind will blow you back downwind. Practice with the engine running first to develop the feel. Similarly, do inside loops where you would normally place your outsides, and vice versa.
Keep doing these maneuvers when the engine is telling you it is about to quit. If you've found the rhythm, you can keep going as long as you want. We used to take the props off of 1/2A combat ships, wrap the engines in plastic bags to keep the dirt out, and wind fly without ever running the engine. The launch would be kind of side-arm/ discus style.
We could routinely get 1/2A's wound up and pulling so hard we would snap dacron lines. We used dacron lines because they were cheap, totally expendable, and we felt that full length 1/2A combat lines were too long to get a good reliable launch.

[Jim Thomerson]

I think I saw George Aldrich, in 1955, wind fly a complete stunt pattern with a Nobler he had just built.  I was not flying stunt at the time, so I could be mistaken.  I clearly remember him flying overhead and vertical eights.  That day was the first time I had seen a stunt airplane fly.  I thought no way could I learn to do that and took up Free Flight.  Bill Winter in one of his columns stated that George wind flew a complete pattern at one of the Nats.

When I lived in Lubbock I used to wind fly lazy eights and loops.

[John Fitzgerald]

When the wind is strong enough to "wind fly" how would I make any laps at all with the engine running, without the plane getting turned inward on the upwind side?  I suppose I could launch straight downwind, and as I came around into the wind the first time, then do a lazy-8, if I could get up enough flying speed in a little less than half a lap.  I would like to try this tomorrow if the wind is 25-30 mph like today.  Maybe I should try it on some much shorter lines, say 55 foot or even less?

[Avaiojet]

When the wind is strong enough to "wind fly" how would I make any laps at all with the engine running, without the plane getting turned inward on the upwind side?  I suppose I could launch straight downwind, and as I came around into the wind the first time, then do a lazy-8, if I could get up enough flying speed in a little less than half a lap.  I would like to try this tomorrow if the wind is 25-30 mph like today.  Maybe I should try it on some much shorter lines, say 55 foot or even less?

John,

It won't take you long to realise not to try it.   

CB

[jim ivey]

Gma was the first one I ever saw do a lazy 8. I could do 3 . I also could fly a  lap inverted then do 2 outside loops with any of my good stunt planes. You need some wind, a strong arm and a lot of nerve.  you wouldnt get xtra points for this, but a lot of oooh aaahs we caled em' dead stick manuevers. ..... nothing new under the sun.    jim ivey

[Larry Cunningham]

Friends,

It's called a KITE! 

L.

"Whip it good.." -Devo

[john e. holliday]

When the wind is strong enough to "wind fly" how would I make any laps at all with the engine running, without the plane getting turned inward on the upwind side?  I suppose I could launch straight downwind, and as I came around into the wind the first time, then do a lazy-8, if I could get up enough flying speed in a little less than half a lap.  I would like to try this tomorrow if the wind is 25-30 mph like today.  Maybe I should try it on some much shorter lines, say 55 foot or even less?

Very easy to fly/take off in high winds.   Make your take off on the up wind side of the circle.   The wind will blow the rudder in so the plane will nose out.   Did that a few times in competition as I had heard about it and it works.  Then Allen Brickhouse told us that secret in flying before judges.    Remember to make as smooth a take off as you can.   By the time you come around into the wind the plane should be fast enough to continue.   But, then in Dallas one year I watched a 1/2A Mouse take off and stop about 4 feet above the ground/pavement with the engine screaming and would not go any further.   The pilot didn't keep it there long as he gave it down elevator.

[Paul Taylor]

II's windy enough here today I bet you could fly an entire pattern including take off. And I bet it could be done with a bislob and after the pattern you could 3-D for ever.

[Will Moore]

I  remember going to the field, before college, and we went no matter what the wind was doing.
If it was too windy to really do any precision work, I would launch my Veco T-bird and after it cut out, I would wind fly
as long as I wanted to, and as long as the winds would allow.  My friend and helper, Dave Bates, would hand launch
in higher winds, where I could whip it a quarter circle, and then climb away into a large lifting loop, ready for the next
approach to continue the precess and build speed.  Once you did that, you could perform more challenging maneuvers.
I actually got so that I could do square loops and triangles, consecutively.  My reach was
about 150-165 degrees of the globe. side to side.  You could go big and relatively  high ( 45-50 deg.) as long as you could feel
the lift in the lines.  You need a keen idea about wind effects on your model, and an intuitive sense of wind strength and direction.

It's a lot easier than you think - you just need to understand how it feels and what to do next when it does.
If you have line tension, then where you are in the hemisphere, works. When you sense that line tension is getting
less you learn to move to another direction to regain it. Then it becomes almost like flying one of those
stunt kites you control with two hands.   
And you need clean air, away from buildings and trees. A large field is  best. Near the sea, perhaps.
As far as line length is concerned, you can fly any normal line length you have - 60-66 feet  eye to eye
My field was located next to Narraganset Bay, Warwick, R.I..    it was always a blast.