MAAA Wingspan

26 WING SPAN NOVEMBER The League of Silent Flight is an international organisation that promotes all forms of Radio Controlled Soaring. https://www.silentflight.org/ It was formed in 1969 by a group of young gliding enthusiasts in the San Francisco area and has grown over the last 50 years to now having 8,000 members globally, including over 700 Australians. LSF Australia was formed in 1972 by a small group of enthusiasts from the newly started Heathcote Soaring League in Sydney’s southern suburbs. http://www. lsfaustralia.org.au/ Led by Keith Lindsay (who became the first Australian to achieve Level One #223) and using the postal system, telephone calls and articles in model magazines (this was pre-internet remember) the LSF Achievement Program got under way in Australia. LSF is about improving your flying to achieve certain levels in the program. Level One requires the pilot to have 2 flights in excess of 5 minutes duration and to perform 5 landings within 3 metres of a pre-designated spot. The tasks get harder to the point that to achieve Level 5 the pilot has to fly a 2-hour thermal flight, fly for 8 hours continuously on the slope, do a 10-kilometre goal and return flight and have success in 5 major soaring competitions. There are 4 Australian pilots who have achieved Level 5. Mal Pring, Eddie Smith, Rob Benton and Bill Pettigrew. The LSF Achievement program now allows for the use of electric powered gliders which were unheard of back in 1969. In August 1978, the first LSF tournament was held at the Jerilderie Racecourse in southern NSW. Featuring Standard Class competition for models of less than 100” wingspan and Open Thermal for larger models. Around 60 pilots from NSW, Victoria and South Australia attended. The event was such a success that it has been held every year since (until COVID-19 came along). Ever since that first event, the LSF Tournament has been held at the Jerilderie Racecourse on the June LSF AUSTRLIA: THE MAAA SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP FOR RC SOARING ARTICLE BY MIKE O’REILLY