Greater Detroit Soaring and Hiking Society

04/01/2026

Wow!

BREAKING NEWS: Major Open-Source Firmware + Sensor Breakthrough for F5J and F3K Pilots!

After months of closed-beta testing, the "Air Stream Intelligence" (v4.01) patch is finally dropping, and it’s a game-changer for the soaring community and competitions.

The "Neural Gimbal" Integration
They’ve finally bridged the gap between telemetry and physical haptics. By utilizing the ultra-low latency of modern protocols, your transmitter can now interpret vertical air mass movement in real-time.

For F5J Pilots, the firmware now includes a "Launch-Height Optimization." Once you cut the motor, the radio analyzes the pressure gradient. If you aren't in lift, the elevator stick will physically vibrate and "shove" forward to force a search pattern until a 0.5m/s climb is detected. No more wasting your 30 seconds in dead air!

For the F3K Crew, the "Auto-Core" Haptic Feedback is insane. During the zoom move after a launch, the hall-effect sensors in your gimbals will "lock" into the direction of the nearest bubble. You’ll feel a physical "pull" on the aileron stick toward the wing that’s being lifted. It’s basically "Power Steering" for thermals.

Technical Specs:
Protocol: Adaptive Thermal Displacement (ATD)

Hardware Req: High-torque digital gimbals and a specific variometer with a refresh rate of >100 Hz.

Compatibility: EdgeTX, Ethos, and Jeti (v4.0 or higher).

⚠️ CAUTION: Beta testers have reported "Gimbal Snap" when flying near strong dust devils. Please maintain a firm grip on your transmitter to avoid the sticks snapping to full deflection during high-alpha turns.

Download the patch via the link you can find on https://planet-soaring.blogspot.com/ (if the server

01/18/2026

The AMA is saddened to share the news that Tim Jesky (AJ Aircraft) passed away on January 15th. Tim was a wonderful ambassador for the AMA and our hobby, and above all, a truly kind and generous person. Tim served as AMA District VII Vice President, was a member of the AMA Foundation Board, and was deeply involved in FAI competitions.

Please keep the Jesky family and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. More information will be provided soon.

12/08/2025

We had our annual holiday party yesterday. Here's a few photos from the event! Some of the items shown with for sale info here may still be available for purchase.

12/08/2025

🎉 Congratulations to Lon McClure! 🎉
We’re proud to share that Lon has been recognized with the Carl & Beth Goldberg Vital People Award — honoring those who quietly go above and beyond to support model aviation and their clubs.
Since joining the Greater Detroit Soaring and Hiking Society in 2018, Lon has been a true backbone of our club. From showing up early to set up contests, staying late to pack everything away, managing our website, and even lending his technical skills (like 3D printing parts for fellow members!), Lon’s dedication has been nothing short of inspiring.
He’s the kind of member who makes everything run smoother, whether he’s flying or just pitching in behind the scenes.
👏 Please join us in celebrating Lon for this well-deserved recognition!

10/06/2025

Here's the photos from yesterday's final F5J contest of the season. Photos courtesty of John Masters.

09/28/2025

Photos from our 2 day F3K contest from this weekend. We had a few visitors fly in, and a few drive in from far away for this one. Thanks to John Masters for these photos!

09/15/2025

Thanks for everyone who came out for the GDSHS 4th 2025 F5L Soaring event.
Including Sue who helped organized and score the event, Roger, Rich and John Maters who always takes great pictures, and everyone else not mentioned who always helps out. We have a great group!

It started out overcast with a few rain drops occasionally and then turned very nice soaring day with very light winds (5mph) for the whole contest and comfortable temp's in the low to mid 70's.
We ended up flying 7 rounds with 3 flight groups and ended shortly after 3:00 pm.
Very enjoyable day and soaring conditions!!

Thermals were very hard to find when we started out and then became more present as the day went on.
We had some mishaps with Rick Wait putting his plane in the tree at the east side of the field and me smashing my Purito just after
launch because of lost radio control ?! #?!

It was nice to see Lon flying his new Ecanto and Mike Wiz spending time to help with set-up.
Our club has a great group of people always willing to help out.

Congrats to Podium finishers: 1st Place Mike Wade (Purito), 2nd Place Mike Wiz (Purito), and 3rd Place Tom Kelly (Medina).

Attached are the final scores, average landing point scores.

Thanks again for everyone's help and support. As usual a great group of guys (and girls) with good camaraderie.
Hopefully everyone had fun and it was a great end to the 2025 F5L soaring season!

Best Regards,
John Ferguson F5L C/D

Photos courtesy of John Masters.

08/25/2025

08/24/2025

Today we had our club contest F5J #3. COntrats to Tom Kelley for taking 1st, Ted Flack 2nd, and John Ferguson 3rd. Attached are the results for the contest.

08/17/2025

Congratulations to club member Tom Kelley for taking first place in the 2025 Woody contest hosted by the West Michigan Soaring Society!

We had fun today at our 2025 Woody contest! Cloud cover made conditions challenging to start the day, but then the sun came out and boy did it get hot! Tom Kelly took first place, and John Winstanley had the longest flight at 47 minutes.