Portland, Oregon · AMA Chartered · EST. 1976
Portland Area Soaring Society
— PASS —
"The purest form of flight."
What is R/C Soaring?
More Than a Model Plane. A Flying Laboratory.
Ask a PASS member why they drive 45 minutes to a grass field on a Saturday morning and they'll struggle to explain it. Then a plane catches a thermal and climbs silently to 500 feet — and you understand immediately.
RC gliders fly without engines, riding the same atmospheric forces that carry hawks and eagles aloft. To fly well, you have to understand the sky — thermals, ridge lift, wind gradients. Many of our members went on to aeronautical engineering, commercial aviation, and aerospace careers. It starts here.
For Educators & Students
A Living STEM Curriculum
Every flight session is a hands-on lesson that sticks because it's real.
Aerodynamics
Lift, drag, and glide ratios become real when you're trimming a sailplane for a 10-minute flight on a single launch.
Meteorology
Reading thermals and wind gradients isn't optional — it's how you stay up. Real atmospheric science, every session.
Systems Engineering
Radio systems, servos, composite airframes, control surfaces — a sailplane is a miniature aerospace system.
ASPECT RATIO: 24 : 1
ALL-UP WEIGHT: 310 g
MATERIAL : Carbon / Kevlar
Math & Strategy
Flight window optimization, scoring, trajectory decisions — applied mathematics under real competitive pressure.
Flight
Flights
Last
Ladder
What's Coming Up
Events & Contests
Sanctioned competitions throughout the year, open to all AMA members. PASS competes regionally through NWSS — across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Canada.
Add to Google Calendar · All times Pacific
In Action
Soaring Gallery
Real flights. Real pilots. Real community.
St. Paul Field — Live Conditions
Where We Fly
World-Class Flying Sites
From Willamette Valley thermals to Pacific coast cliffs — some of the finest soaring in North America.
No Experience Needed
Come Watch Us Fly
Stand on the field while a sailplane thermals overhead — spectators always welcome.
Club Leadership
Meet the Board
The volunteers who keep PASS running — reach out anytime.
