FREE FLIGHT INDOOR - 2001/01
the fOllOwIng hangar reports are
from Steve Brown, who continues to
develop his FID55 models using mostly
half-motors.
Steve reports the need for “tiny”
propellers—19 inches in diameter, with
pitches between 24 and 27 inches. After all,
.6 grams of rubber is roughly what we used
to run on Easy B!
Thanks, Steve!
• Famous Site Lost: The gymnasium at
Bedford Boy’s Ranch in Bedford, Texas has
been the venue for many Cat. I records
during the past 20+ years.
An outside door was left unlocked
recently, with the air-conditioning blowers
turned off. When the air-conditioning was
turned on later, a unit froze up while trying
to cool the building.
Building management has decreed that
the blowers will not be turned off for any
reason, so the site is no longer usable for
model-flying.
• Tustin Reprise: Despite earlier reports that
Hangar #2 was to be demolished, it hasn’t
been. Both hangars are quiet and dark, and
the base is populated by military police and
weeds.
Indoor fliers currently have no avenue of
access, so one of the world’s best sites
stands unused.
• One Hangar Left! Thanks to hard work by
George Xenakis and Herb Robbins, the
NASA hangar formerly known as the
Moffet hangar is available on a generous
schedule.
George often shows up with a large
number of kids who fly A-6 and similar
models. This hangar has several internal
obstructions that make it difficult to fly
65cm FlD models, but FlD55 airplanes fare
well.
FF Indoor
ELECTRIC RECORDS: Bob Wilder has been busy again. He has filed for a flight of 11:14 in Indoor Electric Free Flight (FF) and a flight of 15:08 in Electric Indoor Radio Control (RC). Both flights took place in the gym at Bedford Boys Ranch (Bedford TX), which is a slightly domed Cat. I site. Because of the curved ceiling, models must either stay below the curve of the ceiling or be adjusted for ceiling scrubbing (more about that later). Early flights in the Electric FF attempts mostly resulted in the model coming down the wall or running into a comer after it touched the ceiling.
Free Flight: Indoor
SPECIAL NOTES FOR CDs: AMA Technical Director Bob Underwood has released preliminary contest participation figures for the first nine months of 1990. Some of you may have seen that the numbers for Indoor participation are down significantly from the reports of last year. There are three reasons that participation seemed lower: First, due to an oversight, the attendance figures for the Johnson City USIC were not included. Some CDs have not been returning their contest reports, and some contest reports were improperly filled out (see next section). Finally, approximately 20% of the total year's activity occurs between October 1 and December 31, and won't be included until the year-end wrap-up.
Free Flight: Indoor
SAD NEWS! Frank Kieser, who was taking over publication of Indoor News and Views, has had a stroke and is partially paralyzed. Frank is now into the rehabilitation center and doing fairly well. He would welcome cards and letters of encouragement; send them to 2595 Whippoorwill Lane, Vero Beach FL 32960. The USIC Lives! Tony Italiano is taking a well-earned retirement from running the NFFS-sponsored U.S. Indoor Championships. He has served well, and far longer than we had a right to expect. In spite of fairly high expenses, the meet has approached break-even status. For the meet to continue after 1992, attendance must continue to grow. Meanwhile, the event is set for June 4-7, 1992 at the Minidome of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Free Flight: Indoor
THE FAI EASY B event set, a new Indoor class (F1L-Indoor EZB model) has been announced. This event has provisional status with FAI, which essentially means that it will not be formally added to the FAI Sporting Code until the next printing (1994). The model specifications for the new event correspond exactly to AMA Easy B except that this class has a minimum 1.2-gram weight limit. Flight rules specify scoring on the best two of six flights.
