505MPH Radio Controlled Plane – DS World Record

In the world of RC anything seems possible, we’ve seen everything from a remote control Corvette (Yes, a real C6 with a remote control) to steam punk inspired drift trikes with animated drivers, to 1/4 scale monster trucks with working V8 engines. This one is something we hadn’t seen before!

This RC jet is on a new level of speed! In fact, it’s faster than a nitro top fuel car! So how does a powerless aircraft achieve such great speeds? Well in simple terms by using the wind speed, perfect weather conditions, and terrain to make it happen.

So what is Dynamic Soaring? Dynamic Soaring increases an aircrafts airspeed by exploiting the differences in velocity of two adjacent air masses. The stronger the wind, the faster the plain can go. Typically done a few feet above the ground. A Hill with both an upwind (front) side, and a steep downwind (backside) side would be the ideal terrain to use for Dynamic Soaring, the steep drop of the slope on the back of the hill causes the wind to separate from the hill, leaving a zone of still air. This causes a spinning vortex of air underneath the wind flowing over the ridge is much like an eddy seen behind a rock in a flowing stream. The area that separates the normal flow and reverse flow is called a shear and typically is turbulent air. This separation is what makes Dynamic Soaring possible.