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.
Inspiring the Next Generation
Bringing PASS to Local Schools
PASS members visit schools to share the wonder of silent flight with students discovering science.
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.
