About A470 Soaring


This is the blog for a few guys who spend their time flying radio controlled gliders, or slope soarer's, from the many and varied slopes around SE Wales.

This usually begins at the northern end of Cardiff, driving north up the A470 up to the Heads of the Valley's and the southern fringe of the Brecon Beacons. But the A470 road continues its windy way all the way to N Wales.

There are many slopes available for most wind directions, the most famous being the area between Nant-y-Moel and Treorchi known as The Bwlch, which has some of the best slopes and flying in Europe with many F3F competitions being held there each year and visited by many fliers from Europe and around the world. At 1500 feet (450m) above sea level, there is usually more wind than not, and certainly more than at sea level.

If you require any further information, are new to slope soaring or are visiting the area, please contact Steve at steve.houghton59@gmail.com . I look forward to hearing from you.

Take a look at Page 2 (look below and to the left here) for Google maps of our most popular Flying Sites.


Friday 5 December 2014

Decisions, decisions

Once Christmas is over, I shall be looking to purchase a new glider. I want to take up flat field thermal soaring for those days when the forecast is showing wind speeds of 10 mph and less from Spring through to early Autumn and it isn't worth the drive to the slopes. Also it would be handy to fly in the evenings when I get home from work as the slopes are too far away for me to do that.

So I've been thinking long and hard about my requirements. It needs to be electric powered as I may be limited to field size for launching. My high start is 100m long and stretches to double its length, so on my current fields, I'm limited by the wind direction for that.

I want something of at least 2.5m span, preferably with a GF fuselage, with ailerons and flaps, and of ARTF build as I am limited to building on my dining room table, which still has to be used as a dining table.

T9 Hobbysport has a range of models from Topmodel, a supplier from the Czech Republic and I have shortlisted 4, the Avia 2.5m V tail with built up wings, Gracia 3.07m V tail with built up wings, Grafas 3.07m cross tail with built up wings, and the Fascination F5J 3.6m cross or V tail with balsa veneered foam wings.

If anyone has any experience of any of these, I would love to hear from you.

Avia 2.5m

Fascination F5J 3.6m

Gracia 3.07m 

Grafas 3.07m 

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