A History of the beginning of RC Soaring

This is the original Mark's Model kit, long before laser cutting and CAD plans. Windfree kits were the top seller back then and I flew them in contests starting in 1973. The kit was introduced in 1971 and flown very successfully by designers Mark Smith and his father Rod in all the major contests during the seventies. Prior to the Windfree, much of the USA market relied on European kits. The average flying weight is 26 oz. and the design uses a thin airfoil. The Windfree kit is easy to build and is absolutely beautiful in the sky.

1975 S.O.A.R. NATS, L-R: Ted Strohm with his Graupner Cumulus, Walt Hill ready to time Ted's flight (they were inseparable), Otto Hietecker with his Challenger, Bud Pell and someone from the great Torrey Pines R/C Soaring club of California. The pilots and their timers are grouped, waiting to be led to the winches. The S.O.A.R. club of Chicago pioneered group launching that made huge contests ( 200 plus contestants) possible. Photo by Taylor Collins

The Cumulus was introduced in the late 60's - early 70's and was actually an ARF. The fuse was a one piece, very durable nylon plastic, more durable than the Cirrus's three piece ABS plastic fuse. Tail feathers and wings were foam cores pre sheeted with balsa wood. Just install the R/C and wing rods, cover the flying surfaces and launch. A little on the heavy side, but it is a good flyer. The canopy has a different shape than the Cirrus, but used the same canopy tray.