I built a Gentle Lady when I was a very young man :-) Didn't have any good slopes where I grew up so after tiring of bungee launches without finding any thermals I stuck a Cox 0,8 in her nose. A lot of fun -- and I will never forget the scent of those summer days in the long grass.
I've flown drones for 5 years or so and I bought a 100$ RTF glider and I'm telling you there is nothing like flying a glider, It's just peaceful and so fun. I'm hooked.
farmers You’re right. I remember building my first sailplane when I was 14 years old. It took a while to learn how to fly off a small slope near my house. It went from being stressful in the beginning to being super relaxing after getting comfortable with it. Thank God for CA glue. I don’t miss the old wood glue days. 😆
I made commercial drones for several years, after having done rc gliders and power in my teens, and I found operating drones to have none of the reward of a simple 2 channel slope soarer.
I fly drones for the camera part out over the water, just bought a gentle lady , I can recommend the umx radian for little money if there’s not many flying fields about.
@MrToymod I got an e flite radian 6 ft I believe with lights and fixed a go pro on top.It's not the best stability, hah, but a solid picture. It is fun to fly and capture dynamic footage as well.
Lordy Lordy, what memories this brings back. This was my very first glider I built. Flew it off a small bluff at the Whitman Mission with a dear old friend who got me started with gliders. Thank you John.
Who didn't learn on this glider? :) Flew in San Luis Obispo CA off the lower slope off Foothill. Good times. Thanks for the post. I'm actually fixing one up now that I got at a garage sale for 20 bucks. So cool!
Almost 40 years ago...... In the foothills behind Santa Barbara california. Poor Gentle Lady. Endured my first foray into R/C flying. One notable saturday had the entire vertical come loose and flap around hanging on by just the rudder linkage rod. The glider was stuck in a right turn over a field of plane eating bolders. So I did the only sensible thing I could do, handed the radio to the guy standing next to me. LOL! Turned out to be the right thing to do, Kelly did a masterful job of getting it back through bolders. Good times!
A classic! We had one in our home 35+ years ago but I always preferred the Craft-Air Drifter (72") and its big-brother the Windrifter (100"). I don't know if it was the double polyhedral or 'turbulator spars' (a couple square balsa strips inset in the top leading-edge forward of the main spar) but those were wonderful-flying gliders. Anyone else remember those gliders?
Yup, one of my first also. Here's the thing about flying gliders, you learn what a stall is, and you learn to fly off the wing. Years back some of my friends wanted me to try a powered model; they set me up with a buddy box. I taxied around a bit took off, did several touch and goes and landed -- all without intervention. They were astounded; actually I was astounded also, but damn if I would show it!
I had the Electra (electric version of Gentle Lady) which I learned to fly on in 1988 or so and I also had the "Sophisticated Lady" which I wish I could obtain and build again. It got damaged and left behind in a move, but I remember loving that model. I do have the "Spectra" which I've flown a few times but I need to completely replace all the running gear and don't know how to find direct replacement equipment. All my gear is over 30 years old.
In the USA the kit was only 20 dollars. I used to build and cover these with monocote for about 40 bucks and supply the local model store the prebuilt ones that I made. They are very easy to build and I made a whole bunch of money because once people started catching on I started getting orders of them in advance. That was at least 40 years ago. The store started selling them at a mark up and making money too.
The first R/C model I flew successfully was an overweight Gentle Lady.. she was built heavy and then flown and crashed and repaired for a decade before I got to her, and yet still a beautiful flying model. Cheers.
Mine has a slightly different scheme but it's green and yellow as well. No slopes here and got tired of messing with high starts and .049's so I converted it to electric a couple years ago.
This was my first RC plane and was so enjoyable to build and fly! I later put a small .049 engine on it, fueled it, sent to high altitude, then glided for more than 1/2 an hour or more. It was awesome.
Cool, soothing video... I've built a lot of slope soaring planes in my 59 years,, first one was a gentle lady.. built many since and still is my favorite glider...Rock on gentle lady!!!😍..
My 20 year old Gentle Lady is truely favorite sailplane! Pure relaxation and she signals the slightest lift, ( I have her CG just behind the recommended rear position) she floats like a dream when unballasted, and when winds are a bit stronger 4 oz of weight and slight CG forward helps penetration incredibly! I don't remember the weight but I as surprised she came out on the far lighter side of specs! My first RC plane was a GL I built from Carl Goldberg kit 45 years ago, heavy but still flew good enough for a novice! Thanks for sharing your time!
Thank you John Many people have learned to fly rc from this lady, I have one completely ready to fly in my garage hanging 40 years ago, am afraid to take it out, the transparent yellow and red tips it's get brittle and hobby hawk rtf with old radio in original styrofoam box from 70's Just sub and thx for bringing back the childhood memories.
Phet Houayxay : hello, I think you should take it down off the hanger, install some modern 2.4 gig radio gear , give it a once over and fly it, there is no time like the present, we only get one shot at life ☺️
Fun flying glider. Cox .074 r/c engine on a pylon got me up for good flights. Got some electric conversions with small brushless in the nose, powerful nose weight.
A beautiful old glider. It doesn't get old watching you fly. I'm soooo jealous of your cliffs and the view. Nice to see you attracted an audience in addition to the seabirds. I'm deciding which airplane to build from a plan. I think you helped nail down the decision.
Wow, lovely countryside, brilliant camera work by your wife. My 30 yr old GL is still flying, albeit with an outrunner in the nose for thermal soaring. Great video as usual.
I crashed mine accidentally between to trees about 3' apart. So funny the wing stopped when rubber bands popped off the pegs but the fuselage kept going for 20' untill it hit the ground!
I’ve got some tails and a wing from a Gentle Lady that a mate gave me, waiting for the inspiration to kick in and build a new fuse, I think you just helped me 😀 Now to find a plan on line... 👍
John Woodfield RC Gliders nice one ! We need to get more kids involved in this hobby ! Did you hear that Aeroflyte here in Australia has been rehashed and are building the Brolga 2 ?
This looks like a different flying location for you? The Gentle Lady was my second glider after the Wanderer, but what a difference. It turned very well whereas the Wanderer was a little flat and slow in the turns. One day at my favorite hill, I figured I had enough altitude off the slope and flew it over the neighborhood below where you could find a lot of thermals. I picked up one giant one and it almost soared out of sight. The only way I could tell which way it was going was too dive it every now and then.
Thank you. Yes, this is very much a beginners sailplanes. Many people have learnt to fly with the Gentle Lady. But in the modern day of foam ‘ready to fly’ models not many people take the time to build balsa aircraft anymore.
Well you may find a Gentle Lady on ebay. OR you can get the plans off of The OuterZone GREAT resource for out of production kit plans and magazine plans going back to the 1920s !! outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=5961
Sig Manufacturing STILL sells the competitor to the GL the Sig Riser. sigmfg.com/collections/sig-kits/products/sig-riser-kit Sig also makes a 100in span version. I have a Riser 2M still in the box, that I must have bought 25 years ago.
John, I saw some small spanwise rectangles on the top of the wings center panels. Were those spoilers? If so, I did not see them deployed for landing. I have problems landing on slopes. If the lift is good enough for me to fly well ending the flight gracefully like you do eludes me. You have made another first-rate airplane, video and flying experience. Thank you.
Thank you. This model doesn’t have any spoilers. I think it must be some strengthening panels you can see. I’m lucky that the slope I normally fly from is very easy to land at. The lift slowly drops away the further back you fly, but the wind is also smooth right down to the ground, with no rotor or turbulence. I have flown at places where spoilers would be a massive help. But I generally don’t build models with them as they are not needed at my local slope and they only add weight and complexity.
Beautiful! I still have the wing from my Great Planes Spirit and fly it on various models. Rudder/elevator models are just so relaxing to watch and fly. Are the kits or plans still available?
Fantastic video as always. Do you have any tips for a beginner? I have recently finished my second plane (the first one was heavily remodeled by newtons law) and i wish to keep the new one in the air for just a minute more than the last. Thank you and i look forward to your next video.
@@SlopeRCGliders Don't be sorry. It's part of the learning. I'm trying my hands on a sg38 kit that i hope to fly soon when i'm better at it. Until then i'll fly easier kits. I'm not so much into the computer as i work on compputers daily. The building is more than half of the fun.
The wind was in a different direction so I thought I’d try a different slope. It made a pleasant change. The nearest City you might know is about 50 miles away called Plymouth.
B. Rod, take the time to find someone near you who can help you. Trying to teach yourself can be very frustrating, and too often leads to broken dreams.
Best RC channel there is! I must have 500 + hours on my Gentle Lady from the past 44 years! Built her when I was 20. She looks quite the sight with all the countless minor and major repairs! Still flyes great as ever too! She's my favorite mountain thermalling machine, nearly lost her numerous times specking out and almost disappearing... Slow pull back on the stick... put the stick in the aft corner and keep it there for 5-10+ minutes to spin back down into the terrain .... Still into it since my first built at 6. Fly full size sailplane too! Ever think about climbing into your RC sailplane? Well you can! ua-cam.com/video/OTN8J-lpQGM/v-deo.html
Lordy Lordy, what memories this brings back. This was my very first glider I built. Flew it off a small bluff at the Whitman Mission with a dear old friend who got me started with gliders. Thank you John.
The Gentle Lady is a fantastic glider. It was also my first ever build back in the 80’s (although the one in the video I only built a couple of years ago)
I built a Gentle Lady when I was a very young man :-) Didn't have any good slopes where I grew up so after tiring of bungee launches without finding any thermals I stuck a Cox 0,8 in her nose. A lot of fun -- and I will never forget the scent of those summer days in the long grass.
Same but riser and cox .049 after getting bored running out a bungee only to have the wind change direction
I've flown drones for 5 years or so and I bought a 100$ RTF glider and I'm telling you there is nothing like flying a glider, It's just peaceful and so fun. I'm hooked.
farmers You’re right. I remember building my first sailplane when I was 14 years old. It took a while to learn how to fly off a small slope near my house. It went from being stressful in the beginning to being super relaxing after getting comfortable with it. Thank God for CA glue. I don’t miss the old wood glue days. 😆
Specially slope soaring I call it the "cocaine" of the RC world!!
I made commercial drones for several years, after having done rc gliders and power in my teens, and I found operating drones to have none of the reward of a simple 2 channel slope soarer.
I fly drones for the camera part out over the water, just bought a gentle lady , I can recommend the umx radian for little money if there’s not many flying fields about.
@MrToymod I got an e flite radian 6 ft I believe with lights and fixed a go pro on top.It's not the best stability, hah, but a solid picture. It is fun to fly and capture dynamic footage as well.
20 year ago I flew a Carl Goldberg Sophisticated Lady in the same spot. Gosh I miss Cornwall.
All the walkers taking an interest made me smile. :)
Your models just prove, simple can be stunning. A simple colour scheme always catches the eye.
It never gets old John. Thank You!
Thank you!
Lordy Lordy, what memories this brings back. This was my very first glider I built. Flew it off a small bluff at the Whitman Mission with a dear old friend who got me started with gliders. Thank you John.
Who didn't learn on this glider? :) Flew in San Luis Obispo CA off the lower slope off Foothill. Good times. Thanks for the post.
I'm actually fixing one up now that I got at a garage sale for 20 bucks. So cool!
Almost 40 years ago......
In the foothills behind Santa Barbara california. Poor Gentle Lady. Endured my first foray into R/C flying. One notable saturday had the entire vertical come loose and flap around hanging on by just the rudder linkage rod.
The glider was stuck in a right turn over a field of plane eating bolders. So I did the only sensible thing I could do, handed the radio to the guy standing next to me. LOL! Turned out to be the right thing to do, Kelly did a masterful job of getting it back through bolders. Good times!
A classic! We had one in our home 35+ years ago but I always preferred the Craft-Air Drifter (72") and its big-brother the Windrifter (100"). I don't know if it was the double polyhedral or 'turbulator spars' (a couple square balsa strips inset in the top leading-edge forward of the main spar) but those were wonderful-flying gliders. Anyone else remember those gliders?
Yup, one of my first also. Here's the thing about flying gliders, you learn what a stall is, and you learn to fly off the wing. Years back some of my friends wanted me to try a powered model; they set me up with a buddy box. I taxied around a bit took off, did several touch and goes and landed -- all without intervention. They were astounded; actually I was astounded also, but damn if I would show it!
A gracious lady, as always, but a lot of experience also! Thanks for these fabulous moments of reverie...
I had the Electra (electric version of Gentle Lady) which I learned to fly on in 1988 or so and I also had the "Sophisticated Lady" which I wish I could obtain and build again. It got damaged and left behind in a move, but I remember loving that model. I do have the "Spectra" which I've flown a few times but I need to completely replace all the running gear and don't know how to find direct replacement equipment. All my gear is over 30 years old.
What a great video! My Gentle Lady is over 30 yo and still flies. I did the trans-yellow wing too. She has a special hanging spot in my office.
They do fly great!
The beauty in simplicity. Thanks for sharing.
In the USA the kit was only 20 dollars. I used to build and cover these with monocote for about 40 bucks and supply the local model store the prebuilt ones that I made. They are very easy to build and I made a whole bunch of money because once people started catching on I started getting orders of them in advance. That was at least 40 years ago. The store started selling them at a mark up and making money too.
The first R/C model I flew successfully was an overweight Gentle Lady.. she was built heavy and then flown and crashed and repaired for a decade before I got to her, and yet still a beautiful flying model. Cheers.
Mine has a slightly different scheme but it's green and yellow as well. No slopes here and got tired of messing with high starts and .049's so I converted it to electric a couple years ago.
I'd be interested in what size electric motor is suitable and what size battery worked for you.
Nice change of perspective. Thanks for the beautiful videos.
Thank you for watching!
This was my first RC plane and was so enjoyable to build and fly! I later put a small .049 engine on it, fueled it, sent to high altitude, then glided for more than 1/2 an hour or more. It was awesome.
She's got some wild moves for a Gentle Lady!
Cool, soothing video... I've built a lot of slope soaring planes in my 59 years,, first one was a gentle lady.. built many since and still is my favorite glider...Rock on gentle lady!!!😍..
Yes, it’s a fantastic glider. It was also my first build about 30 years ago. Building another one was a bit of nostalgia for me.
beautiful plane and flight! i never flew mine that well...
My 20 year old Gentle Lady is truely favorite sailplane! Pure relaxation and she signals the slightest lift, ( I have her CG just behind the recommended rear position) she floats like a dream when unballasted, and when winds are a bit stronger 4 oz of weight and slight CG forward helps penetration incredibly! I don't remember the weight but I as surprised she came out on the far lighter side of specs! My first RC plane was a GL I built from Carl Goldberg kit 45 years ago, heavy but still flew good enough for a novice! Thanks for sharing your time!
Thank you. I also fly the Gentle Lady with the CG as far back as it will go and built it as light as I could. It does fly incredibly well!
Love how she flies with John at the controls.
Thank you!
Awesome. Such a beautiful place to fly.
You deserve a bigger audience ! 👏👏
Such a graceful flight. Beautiful spot too!
👍🏻 Keep going, the Audience need more Videos like this, Greetings from Vienna🇦🇹, Anton
A Still Beautiful L@@Kin Ole Gal! Thanks
Peaceful beauty!
Great pilot
Thank you John
Many people have learned to fly rc from this lady, I have one completely ready to fly in my garage hanging 40 years ago, am afraid to take it out, the transparent yellow and red tips it's get brittle and hobby hawk rtf with old radio in original styrofoam box from 70's
Just sub and thx for bringing back the childhood memories.
Thank you!
Phet Houayxay : hello, I think you should take it down off the hanger, install some modern 2.4 gig radio gear , give it a once over and fly it, there is no time like the present, we only get one shot at life ☺️
Fun flying glider. Cox .074 r/c engine on a pylon got me up for good flights. Got some electric conversions with small brushless in the nose, powerful nose weight.
Got one in the basement converted to brushless a lot of fun to fly
A beautiful old glider. It doesn't get old watching you fly. I'm soooo jealous of your cliffs and the view. Nice to see you attracted an audience in addition to the seabirds. I'm deciding which airplane to build from a plan. I think you helped nail down the decision.
Thank you. The gliders normally get interest from passing walkers.
What kind of glider are you thinking of building?
@@SlopeRCGliders The Gentle Lady, of course!
Watching this reduced my stress level by half. Thinking of my old Electra....
Wow, lovely countryside, brilliant camera work by your wife.
My 30 yr old GL is still flying, albeit with an outrunner in the nose for thermal soaring.
Great video as usual.
Thanks You!
Nice catch. I built three of them. A very good design.
New venue!!! Wonderful!
She is the fastest one I have seen from your collection,the Sinbad was I believe alot more mellow.
Love it mate great flying brilliant vid don 🤠🇬🇧👍👍👍👌👌👌👌
I used to fly a Gentle Lady, and btw I still have mine.
I think there's a market to manufacture the GL again.
muito bom mesmo parabéns, pelo belo aeromodelo.
I crashed mine accidentally between to trees about 3' apart. So funny the wing stopped when rubber bands popped off the pegs but the fuselage kept going for 20' untill it hit the ground!
Love it! My first balsa glider. :)
Magic...G.Lady👍😉🌠
The Classy Classic Lady !!!!!
I’ve got some tails and a wing from a Gentle Lady that a mate gave me, waiting for the inspiration to kick in and build a new fuse, I think you just helped me 😀 Now to find a plan on line... 👍
Darrin Ray Go to outerzone.co.uk/search/results.asp?keyword=gentle+lady
I had one of those I still have parts of my sophisticated lady 😉😃 and I blew up the wing on one to a 12 foot wingspan.
Still haven't finished it yet
always nice to watch..
It remebers me on a Graupner glider modell I had as young boy
Hi John,
Nice flight with the Gentle Lady and also camera work. You had some spectators with you today. :-)
Thanks. I let them have a go with the Gentle Lady and they flew it really well.
John Woodfield RC Gliders nice one ! We need to get more kids involved in this hobby ! Did you hear that Aeroflyte here in Australia has been rehashed and are building the Brolga 2 ?
This looks like a different flying location for you? The Gentle Lady was my second glider after the Wanderer, but what a difference. It turned very well whereas the Wanderer was a little flat and slow in the turns. One day at my favorite hill, I figured I had enough altitude off the slope and flew it over the neighborhood below where you could find a lot of thermals. I picked up one giant one and it almost soared out of sight. The only way I could tell which way it was going was too dive it every now and then.
I drove down about 20 minutes to the South coast that day as the wind was in a completely different direction.
@@SlopeRCGliders Coming in from English Channel vs the Atlantic?
Muito bom John, por causa de seus videos eu me apaixonei em planadores, eu só tinha aeromodelo, agora tenho 3 planadores.
Tem como pegar os projetos destes planadores?
Pure class 👍
Still hoping to build mine at some point. The plans remain rolled up for now. I enjoy seeing others fly theirs in the meantime.
Is this consided a beginner sailplane ? How would one start. Thanx... absolutely beautiful hobby
Thank you. Yes, this is very much a beginners sailplanes. Many people have learnt to fly with the Gentle Lady. But in the modern day of foam ‘ready to fly’ models not many people take the time to build balsa aircraft anymore.
Well you may find a Gentle Lady on ebay. OR you can get the plans off of The OuterZone GREAT resource for out of production kit plans and magazine plans going back to the 1920s !! outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=5961
Sig Manufacturing STILL sells the competitor to the GL the Sig Riser. sigmfg.com/collections/sig-kits/products/sig-riser-kit Sig also makes a 100in span version. I have a Riser 2M still in the box, that I must have bought 25 years ago.
Building it is the satisfying part of the hobby .
@@orbitalair2103 thank you for that reply
Who does the filming please ? So nice ........ ☆☆☆☆☆
I’m lucky that my wife comes out and films my flying. She is very good at it.
Absolutely agree. She is extremely good at the motion picture/cinematography .
Many happy greetings from Tasmania.
Nara ......... (｡◕‿◕｡)
I have built a couple of these. They are so fun ans easy to fly. I still have one that I converted to electric.
They are great little gliders!
Un vuelo muy agradecido...
John, I saw some small spanwise rectangles on the top of the wings center panels. Were those spoilers? If so, I did not see them deployed for landing. I have problems landing on slopes. If the lift is good enough for me to fly well ending the flight gracefully like you do eludes me.
You have made another first-rate airplane, video and flying experience. Thank you.
Thank you. This model doesn’t have any spoilers. I think it must be some strengthening panels you can see.
I’m lucky that the slope I normally fly from is very easy to land at. The lift slowly drops away the further back you fly, but the wind is also smooth right down to the ground, with no rotor or turbulence.
I have flown at places where spoilers would be a massive help. But I generally don’t build models with them as they are not needed at my local slope and they only add weight and complexity.
@@SlopeRCGliders Thanks, John.
AClassic i have 2 of these!
My first glider many years ago
I think it was many people’s first glider
Where was this at? Beautiful scenery !
Thank you. It’s Cornwall UK
Beautiful! I still have the wing from my Great Planes Spirit and fly it on various models. Rudder/elevator models are just so relaxing to watch and fly. Are the kits or plans still available?
I know that the plans are free to download from the Outerzone website
Can you please recommend servos thx
Doesn't look like your usual Perranporth slope? Lovely video as usual :)
The sun was out and the breeze was gentle. But the wind was in the wrong direction so I dove half an hour to the South Coast.
John Woodfield RC Gliders so very blessed by available slope sites, gosh I miss the UK sometimes
Nice 'old-school' glider. Ever had to go down the cliff and fish one out?
Not yet.........
@@SlopeRCGliders One day … one day ….
Fantastic video as always. Do you have any tips for a beginner? I have recently finished my second plane (the first one was heavily remodeled by newtons law) and i wish to keep the new one in the air for just a minute more than the last.
Thank you and i look forward to your next video.
Sorry to hear about your first model. Time on a computer sim is always good practice.
@@SlopeRCGliders Don't be sorry. It's part of the learning. I'm trying my hands on a sg38 kit that i hope to fly soon when i'm better at it. Until then i'll fly easier kits. I'm not so much into the computer as i work on compputers daily. The building is more than half of the fun.
i still have my eagle 63. she's retired now.
I’d better get mine covered and airworthy already! It is -10 and snowy out, so I have a few months yet! Do you washout in the outer panels?
Looks like it - like 5mm / 3/16".
I rescued a "carrier bag" one of these many years ago.
Wow good 👍👍👍👍
I have two unbuilt GL kits under my bed. I learned on a Wanderer a long long time ago. Which one do you like better?
The Gentle Lady is my favourite but only because it was the first model I ever built
John Woodfield RC Gliders That was the case with my Wanderer. Built my first one when I was 14 years old. Thank God for CA glue these days!!! 😆
Gentle lady has a stronger wing than a Wanderer. The 5/8” spar will break at the center sheeting.
Is that a different hill? I don't remember seeing all those trees. Where's the nearest city we in California might recognize?
The wind was in a different direction so I thought I’d try a different slope. It made a pleasant change. The nearest City you might know is about 50 miles away called Plymouth.
@@SlopeRCGliders I saw the setting sun so your slope must be north of Pymouth near Bideford. Is that right?
@@walterdennisclark This slope is on the South coast but further west. Its near St Austell, if you are able to look that up.
Similar to the Wanderer glider.
Wow😎😎
I don't remember my lady flying that fast ???
Wheres the venue?
South coast of Cornwall
My grandfather gave me a Gentle Lady as my first plane! I crashed it first flight and haven't flown since. I definitely want to try it again.
B. Rod, take the time to find someone near you who can help you. Trying to teach yourself can be very frustrating, and too often leads to broken dreams.
@@tcsyme I really appreciate that. Thank you.
i built a goldberg gentle lady and didn't get to fly it.a tornado hit our house and destroyed it and my glider
Best RC channel there is!
I must have 500 + hours on my Gentle Lady from the past 44 years! Built her when I was 20. She looks quite the sight with all the countless minor and major repairs! Still flyes great as ever too! She's my favorite mountain thermalling machine, nearly lost her numerous times specking out and almost disappearing...
Slow pull back on the stick... put the stick in the aft corner and keep it there for 5-10+ minutes to spin back down into the terrain .... Still into it since my first built at 6. Fly full size sailplane too!
Ever think about climbing into your RC sailplane? Well you can! ua-cam.com/video/OTN8J-lpQGM/v-deo.html
Fantastic stuff!
Lordy Lordy, what memories this brings back. This was my very first glider I built. Flew it off a small bluff at the Whitman Mission with a dear old friend who got me started with gliders. Thank you John.
The Gentle Lady is a fantastic glider. It was also my first ever build back in the 80’s (although the one in the video I only built a couple of years ago)