Thursday, February 7, 2019

Celebrating 10 Years of VTPR

Originating in France, VTPR type of RC glider aerobatics has been flown over 3 decades. Even earlier back in the 1960's in certain forms that were called "freestyle" aerobatics here in America and abroad. There is a long rich history leading up to its concept, description and introduction by the French, to America and beyond.

This website was originally hosted by a previous server in 2009 and since 2012 has been bringing you French style VTPR content on the blogspot platform with excitement and dedication to the sport. We are very proud of our global reach in posting new content for your viewing pleasure, and will continue to do so.

Personally, I have been an RC slope glider enthusiast since 1992 in Southern California. This sport has been very enriching, fun and has made many advancements since those days and even more for those of you who have been sloping since the 60's. It’s incredible to see so many innovations in model equipment, design and flying types even in the last 10 years since this platform was launched.

Aresti type aerobatics with its pinpoint perfection figures has dominated the world and the American scene for decades and still does to this day with powered planes and slope glider modeling alike. It has been the foundation of what we do on the slope or the field aerobatically. Then around 2005, we heard about this French aerobatic type called VTPR (“Voltige Très Près du Relief”), described as “aerobatics very close to the ground”. And not within feet, but inches of the ground, even touching! It continues to gain popularity ever so slowly due to its extreme proximity to the hard ground. As a result of a core group of American VTPR pilots/modelers, since 2005 there have resulted new and exciting model designs and assembling techniques that has moved the marker forward into some amazing results. Wooden and EPP modeling has advanced into very lightweight designs all in order to hand the pilot a very neutral and highly aerobatic platform that produce maximum results in performance and fun never seen prior. Larger composite/crunchy type models have also advanced into the French VTPR mode and continues to do so. As of this writing the VTPR concept I believe has finally caught the American eye on the slope as a viable and permanent style/type from here on out.

In 2018 on this blog site, the VTPR milestone marker quietly moved again into a new concept coined PARK-VTPR or VTPR aerobatics performed not on the slope, but over the plain or flatland with electric motor assist MVG's “very close to the ground!” This new direction is going to prove both difficult and very rewarding. And we at VTPR Aerobatics are excited and happy to bring you the latest results of this slow movement into the flat with new model designs (as shown below), techniques, and flight videos we hope you enjoy and are inspired to move into your own PVTPR efforts. We are already seeing positive input and ideas from our electric power glider friends wanting to explore this concept.

Summing up, the prior 10 years have proven to be very positive and alive with advancements in the hobby. 2019 is looking like a year of new cutting-edge ideas in powered gliders, and flying low as you can go holds some positive promise as well going forward. It’s time to build and fly… EJ


Julian Benz as LOW as he can go!


MVG (motorized VTPR glider) preview video's for 2019...




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