Leprechaun RC Glider sloping

[@beegee22]

Marvelous! As though it were choreographed. The "catch and release" and nose-stops are like watching someone work with a well trained pet. Truly special. Thanks for sharing.

[@SammyBFilms]

I love the way you let go, and the glider just sort of, sits in the air for a second. :-)

[@theflyinghamster8442]

Beautiful old school build!! I love it!

[@beegee22]

The way you get them to hover for a hand capture makes it look as if the glider is alive and obedient. Lovely.

[@johanbergkvist8834]

That is magical! Please please please consider posting a video where you describe the model close up and point out how this or that was built. Materials, tools, plans, electronics, hints or anything that would help those of us aspiring to build something similar. :)

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Johan Bergkvist will do

[@clearprop]

I second this! :-) I've downloaded the plan but I can see you've made quite a few changes and I'd also like to know how you've achieved a lighter model. Looks better without the polyhedral, too.

[@robertkibbey1065]

And no pylon either

[@robosokol]

Dan Seymour please where you download the plan? Thanks

[@ronaldmccleave6055]

I want to build this ship...anybody know where I can get plans...Where is he flying?

[@ScoutCrafter]

What a beautiful Old timer design!!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!!!!

[@miniphase]

Superb! It doesn't get more elegantly gravity defying than this!

[@stourglassboy]

Absolutely brilliant, I lusted after this glider when I was a kid in the early 60s but couldn't afford it. Lovely to see it in flight

[@CarlosMoreno-xu5lu]

Beautiful model, beautiful flight, wonderful landscape and great pilot, thanks for sharing

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Carlos Moreno thank you

[@X-OR_]

I used to sloping fly back in the 70s. Your video makes me want to build again !!!

[@richarddarlington1139]

Now, that's a pretty thing. I'm in the middle of building a Bird of Time as I write this. The variety of designs available is seemingly endless, for anyone who wants to build one of their own. Cheers from Las Vegas, Nevada!

[@doogle-gf3fi]

-RD: The BOT's another beautiful sailplane; good luck with your build! Apologies to all for my tangent to John's Leprechaun post. Just imagine- both of these wheeling about gently overhead. :-)

[@richarddarlington1139]

doogle1110 Yes, I've been a Dave Thornburg fan since I started in this great hobby a lifetime ago. After nearly 40 years, I've finally cleared the bench for this legendary sailplane. Thanks for the reply.

[@edwardhasiak7961]

Richard; is there kits available for this sailplane? I'm looking for a winter build.any information would be appreciated.

[@richarddarlington1139]

edward hasiak The original Leprechaun was a free flight model. John made several changes to convert it to R/C. There is no kit for it that I am aware of. However, you can download free plans for the original design are available through Outerzone. My advice is to not get hung up on one particular design as kits are getting harder to find these days. Maybe a Bird of Time might suit you. Although I would recommend it for experienced builders only.

[@edwardhasiak7961]

Thanks for the reply Richard. It's funny You mention the Bird of Time, I built one twenty five years ago, I believe it was my third sailplane build. Since then I built a few from Ray Hayes kits(Sky Bench Aerotech). But He isn't taking any orders at this time. I never built from plans but will check out Outerzone. Thanks again.

[@Dreams-and-Castles]

It has a beautiful "old school" look and reminds me of why I fell in love with flying. Thank you.

[@ronaldmiller6520]

the glider is gorgeous, and you my friend are one good pilot, you play with plane like it is a pet, you bring it to you so slow and hold the nose like a dog, then gently release it, you have good control and feel the of the plane .

[@SlopeRCGliders]

ronald miller thank you, but it’s quite an easy plane to fly. It’s nice and stable.

[@microbuilder]

Fantastic, loved that it just seemed to want to stay aloft...great control for 2 channel.

[@nerys71]

god that thing is so pretty. my last stick and cover plane was a gentle lady nearly 20 years ago. watch it fly away on me (no radio contact no idea why fresh batteries all around will never know now) never got up the muster to do another. but this plane. wow. gorgeous colors too. would love to find a place to slope. looks like crazy peaceful fun flying.

[@flymrc77]

Maginificent! Thank you for sharing, just what I needed to see as it's pouring with rain outside.

[@maljohn6584]

So nice to see a R/C glider. LIKE THIS BUILD FROM PLANS AND FLOWN TO THIS STANDARD. AS A MODELER MY SELF FOR OVER 50 YEARS. I JUST GET FED UP WITH TRYING TO FIND ANY THING WORTH WHATCHING ANY MORE . AS ITS ALL R.T.F. AND FOAMY INTERNET TOYS . WELL DONE 👍

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Thank you so much. It’s so much more rewarding flying something you have built yourself.

[@CARoss-wx2yy]

Beautifully constructed model, flown with grace. It came to you as a puppy might, seeking a master's reassuring pat on the nose. Well done, lad, and thank you for posting such a gentle, lovely piece of video.

[@SlopeRCGliders]

C. A. Ross thank you for the kind words

[@larjkok1184]

A dog’s nose is quite sensitive, you shouldn’t pat them.

[@stacyp4534]

Wow these gliders are awesome. This is my favorite so far. Looks like gos is just holding it up.

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Thank you

[@Wintergatan]

so cool!

[@historypreserved7495]

Wintergatan marble man!

[@rafaelcalvache8264]

Quisiera saber las medidas de tu maravilloso modelo y qué tipo de perfil alar has utilizado.y por supuesto si tienes copia de los planos para yo comprar uno

[@cardinaldriver]

Another gorgeous build and flight John. Love what you do with 2 channels. You're a good stick.

[@Laxxtzor]

This is the best sloping video i've seen, truly amazing pilot and plane. Thank you for posting this :)

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Acuic thank you so much

[@rafaelcalvache8264]

@@SlopeRCGliders hola.me gustaría saber si tienes plano de este glider.me gustaría hacerlo

[@Bobmox13]

One of the most relaxing sloping videos I have seen! Beautiful plane and the ease of flying superb! I just have to learn to fly now!

[@wowguy3562]

This is the best rc video I've seen on youtube. Great camera work and the pilot is superb. I love the clear coating, thats an elegant sailplane

[@SlopeRCGliders]

WoW Guy thank you ever so much for the kind words!

[@stevejones9815]

That's what life's all about, flying your Glider and having fun. Beautiful!

[@SlopeRCGliders]

steve jones thanks Steve

[@RcAircraft]

That`s a big beautiful plane John.

[@gregt5996]

Just gorgeous... reminds me of when I used to design and build gliders when I was a kid. I recall having flown one in particular quite a lot...it had a lot of damage and wear, so I patched it as best I could. I trimmed it for free flight and threw it off a peak near my home. I watched it fly off, never to return.

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Greg T happy times!

[@gregt5996]

The area looks breathtakingly beautiful...Similar to where I plan on moving to in Oregon in a few more years. I may just have to build myself a glider and fly it there. Its been 40 years, hope I remember how !!

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Greg T I’m lucky that this slope is just a short walk from my house.

[@rodneysmart9774]

Looks and flys like a dream. Nice work.

[@rodneysmart9774]

I've watched this like five times.

[@howardsmith8771]

Oh the Leprechaun caught my eye in a plans handbook I purchased in the playground at school. More flights over 15 minutes than under I seem to recall it stated. Our club had a load of plans donated some years ago including this model. The sheer volume of wood, plus the fact that no DT was shown put me off. However for an RC sloper it looks perfect. Brilliant model and flying.

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Howard Smith thank you

[@JimZinVT]

:-) I've got to try that "palm stop" sometime when conditions are right.

[@davescopes249]

Absolute bliss. And great control. It just sits in the sky like a seagull.

[@josipvrandecic2472]

Thanks John , graciously , also every praise to your cameraman.

[@davidlentz4618]

Beautiful flight and glider!!!!! I had an Oldtimer rc Privateer an almost I identical color scheme!!!

[@fireantsarestrange]

hehehe..... way cool. Late at night when i sleep i have to lay my body on this plane to keep it from flying away... then i realize it is lifting me up and away and there is no sink or despair. Only a calm breeze and my soul floating along like a fish in a stream and a lone seagull high above the ocean cliff.

[@karls6802]

Love the "Seat launch" At 0:26 second in, I think she's toying with you, John. Certainly living up to her namesake. Beautiful, I can't get the smile off my face.

[@clearwaterhydrofoils4313]

Crazy to see it fly nose down as if there is too much lift

[@4edward61]

So insanely awesome there are just not enough words to say about it! Way, way, way cool!! Thank you so much for sharing such artistry and elegance together!! Gorgeous plane! Gorgeous place! Gorgeous conditions! Just perfect!

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Chris Gresham thank you so much for the kind words!

[@doogle-gf3fi]

So glad to see you’re back! I wondered you were busy at your build board.. Anyway; This is in all ways truly magical- Very well done! Love your ‘touch & release’ moments. Your plane, for me, perfect. A Special Well Done to your videographer on this one: the close-ups are wonderful! 10/10 across the board. TY for sharing.

[@SlopeRCGliders]

doogle1110 Thank you for the kind words!

[@benhitchcock3057]

There's just something special about a built up wing and translucent film. Lovely!

[@reefer2917]

Beautiful plane, relaxing to watch :-)

[@johnc6919]

Gorgeous glider, beautifully flown.

[@dicktwomey9457]

Leprachaun was designed by my cousin, when he was still at school around 1950.

[@biko9824]

That’s quite a big flex to flex.

[@philipr.6090]

Very cool -- looks like it performs beautifully. I wonder if anyone still makes the kit.

[@campbellshaw8698]

I knew that with such a wait between vids, it was going to be something great! You guys are excelling yourselves. Thanks.

[@timmy101able]

Coolest thing i saw on the internet today!!

[@marktate3431]

Beautiful model and great flying, have been thinking of building a glider and I certainly have no shortage of great spots to fly it :)

[@Andres_Suarez]

In more than 30 years flying models this is the most beautiful flight I've ever seen, it's so peaceful, and the plane is so simple, thanks for sharing. Which plane is it? Are plans available?

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Andres Suarez thank you so much! I built it from a Leprechaun plan downloaded from Outerzone website. But the plan is for a freeflight model so I changed quite a bit from the original plan.

[@robertschmid8971]

That is one beautiful glider, and also great workmanship on the construction.

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Robert Schmid thank you

[@GrandadIsAnOldMan]

That is stunning

[@ritesh6487]

you should think of making a mini version of this...

[@GrandadIsAnOldMan]

That would spoil the beauty and functionality of the model. I would love to build one this size and fly it. I just cannot consider any project that takes more than an hour or so as I need to clear the work space (dining table), so something like this that would take several days would need a proper work room so I could work on it in background to my regular projects.

[@glebz7294]

Really beautiful glider and awesomr video! Such an amazing balance of wind speed

[@luisgbbn]

Where is this clif ?, beautiful place

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Luis Nogueira it’s Perranporth, Cornwall

[@luisgbbn]

I must go there with my planes :)

[@pops9190]

I fly Sea Cliffs too. I love to fly in super close and slow like this too! Great film work you do. One building tip if I may... I see you secure your wing with cross strapped bands to dowels that run through your fuselage, both in front of the wing and behind the wing. ... traditional setup. When you hit hard you often break your wing to some degree. Think ski bindings! No broken bones! If you use only the two forward dowels, and lead the 2 bands back to single dowel located in the center of the top surface of your fuselage, and oriented that dowel in the 'fore & aft' position, thus forming a "V" over the top of your wing with the rubberbands inplace, (the bottom of the V being the back of the wing) So... when you hit the ground , or anything else for that matter with the wing, the wing gets shoved aft and forces the bands off the end of the single rear dowel allowing the wing to pop free of the fuselage and not breaking. It's like a ski binding in a way. No amount of aerobatic wildness will cause the wing to release. I do a lot of terrain cliff flying and this has saved me countless times. Don't make the rear dowel to long or you can defeat the purpose, and don't over band the wing. There is never any stress between the wing and the fuselage, so allow the wing to pop free easily. Bottom line .... less repair time!

[@SlopeRCGliders]

POPS that’s a very thorough explanation! I can certainly see the benefits of your method. I’m guessing you need to ply to the bulkhead holding the longitudinal dowel, or it could twist up out of shape. Having two cross dowels is certainly easy to build and easy to attach the wing.

[@ImeanFFS]

Might sound weird but kinda reminds me of a guy playing with his pet dog.

[@SmoochyRoo]

A dog with wings, I have the same sense too.

[@MrBobWareham]

Absolutely lovely looks so good I used to go slope soaring many years ago and loved it seeing your model it brought back memories of the summer evening when I used to go near corf castle in Dorset, thanks for the memory

[@sassyrc1901]

Beautiful flight spiritual heart ♪

[@robertz5958]

Beautiful model and it flies as majestically as a Bird of Prey! Brilliant!! Well done!!;; Robert (Tasmania Australia)

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Robert Zygmant thank you

[@Twobarpsi]

A Gentle Lady, on steroids!

[@InfoWithheld]

That's ridiculously cool!

[@fardeanjoseph8879]

The engine is so quiet...

[@tomglover4211]

fardean joseph ;8

[@garryperrin2408]

You have a beautiful spot all to yourself! Thanks, makes me smile🤠

[@suzukit9604]

Surprisingly, it's beautiful. And it's graceful.

[@camarosteve312]

This has to be one of the most beautiful planes to watch floating around!

[@ianashton886]

Great stuff, excellent building and flying skills !

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Ian Ashton thanks Ian

[@martingates1]

bugger i want one so much, flying for fifty years....prettiest thing I have seen.

[@maxmeister6355]

Wow great plane! Wish i had a spot to go sloping to 😂

[@sidneyrobinson3258]

Wow! Beautiful - Perfect plane, tuned for the perfect spot.... perfect flying.... even the hawks where watching you crow... Wow! My favorite..... that’s right....

[@wordreet]

WoW man, just WoW! Right now I have to say this is my favourite RC gliding video, from 10+ years watching RC on KZbin. Sorry Franny, your Valkyrie is still my fave balsa built Planes I've seen. But this flight is just wonderful!!!

[@SlopeRCGliders]

wordreet Thank you so much for the kind words!

[@wordreet]

I really haven't got into proper slope soaring yet, but there's inspiration here. The undercamber of your wings says it all. :¬)

[@MrSteve2714740]

A beautiful video of a stunningly beautifully built traditional Glider. Pilots pretty good too. Lol.

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Steve Easton thank you

[@patrickradcliffe3837]

Perfect conditions! Great stick skills for the pilot.

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Patrick Radcliffe thanks Patrick

[@seatroutyt]

just mesmerising very beautiful a great build and flight well done almost like war horse the way it comes to your hand amazing thanks

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Nick Rae thank you

[@awuma]

The most beautiful video of RC soaring I have ever seen! Encourages me to finish my Sunbird :-) This modified Leprechaun looks very nice indeed, with balanced lines. Its stability is very obvious, though no doubt CG position is very important with that huge stab. My very first glider was a "Corsair A/2" of similar vintage and general idea.

[@SlopeRCGliders]

awuma Thank you so much! And yes, it’s a slightly modified Leprechaun.

[@MrDino1953]

That is an excellent cliff to be gliding on. Such a non-turbulent airstream and a lot of unobstructed area behind you for landing if required. Sites like that are rare where I live.

[@marekprochniak5762]

Klasyka modelarstwa lotniczego. Piękny lot. BRAWO ! GRATULACJE !

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Marek Prochniak Dziękuję Ci

[@e36s50b30]

That is one graceful plane and video! Very well done!

[@machia0705]

Tried and true design , beautiful . Nice piece of flying .

[@DPSJAVIATION]

*_Nice video. Nice channel. Subscribed today. July 31st of 2018. Proud to be part of your channel._*

[@SlopeRCGliders]

DPSJ AVIATION thank you

[@9traktor]

Gentle people also like to play - must be a lucky man. Great!

[@Friendroid]

You make it look easy! This is the juice of slope soaring...

[@tonyrobinson3744]

I fly all RC but I'd rather fly a glider than anything. My first RC plane was a Great Planes Spirit. Awesome video dude!!!

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Beautiful!!!

[@sato4kaiba]

You fly these gliders so gracefully. Nice. xD

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Satobatsu Kaiba thank you.

[@daveoblivion4753]

Like a beautiful dragonfly. Reminds me of my happy days spent slope soaring RC gliders off Cornish cliffs. Happy daze.

[@jo2lovid]

Very nice control on the slope. I'll confess I like aileron control for rolls and aerobatricks, but your flying is very smooooooth. Subbed.

[@richardbradbury9105]

Wonderful aircraft enjoyed watching. This is how I see slope soaring . This to me is what the hobby is all about. Making, creating and being the Eagle

[@SlopeRCGliders]

Richard Bradbury thank you Richard

[@mountaindewdude76]

I think "Majestic" says it all. That's too cool!

[@mreckes9967]

These videos are soooooo addictive, well done that man.

[@rscarawa]

Digging the old school stylings of that sloper.

[@extrastype]

Amazing skills. Wood, paper, wind, flight, and a box of electronics.....

[@isaaclyonsf1]

That's fantastic! Awesome flyer! It just sits there👍👍👍👍

[@richardcrowe2965]

Stunning work John love all your designs

[@SH1974]

I just watched this again and again and again... Just beautiful plane anf flight and location and video. Thanks for sharing.

[@SlopeRCGliders]

SH1974 thank you for watching!

[@bogdog999]

I use to do that in the 1980s. Brings back memories. it was fun to do touch-and-go's with an unpowered aircraft.

[@joshuawfinn]

This is the first time I've ever seen your channel, and wow! You are an excellent pilot and that bird is a true classic. Well done!

[@SlopeRCGliders]

joshuawfinn thank you so much

[@Timsfpvshow]

brother that is such an awesome glider. great video

[@vitale6633]

Gorgeous !!! Great Flying.

[@harrykeel8557]

That is cool , just fly up to where you are standing and pluck it out of the sky. It must be fun to do that all day.

[@freddy7700]

this video shows the beauty of RC glider soaring... excellent... thank you...

[@SlopeRCGliders]

freddy7700 thank you

[@grahammay6917]

Takes me back forty five years to my slope soaring days........ Many thanks John.........the fun I had......pure magic!👍

[@marcinb2369]

piękna klasyczna konstrukcja! Lata fantastycznie ! To się nazywa prawdziwe latanie 😊

[@the10thleper]

That really is a beautiful glider, Good job. Nice flying location.

[@aerotellez]

John, dá un poco de miedo ver como te acercas al acantilado. No quiero quedarme sin esos maravillosos vídeos!!

[@SlopeRCGliders]

aerotellez la cámara es engañosa estoy en realidad a unos 50 metros del acantilado.

[@jonathansteiner3251]

Just beautiful, I had a smile on my face the hole time. Thank you 🙏🏻.

[@MojaveRedRocks]

Beautiful glider, nice video!