Indoor Nats has a
new home for 2015
by Don Slusarczyk
don@donsrc.com
It was feared that the Indoor Nats/United States Indoor Championships (USIC) would not have a home for the 2015 season; however, thanks to the Magnificent Mountain Men Free Flight Club of Colorado, the 2015 Nats/USIC was held June 8-12 at the Colorado Springs Historic Auditorium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The Magnificent Mountain Men have been flying at this facility for many years and hold the club’s annual Pike’s Peak Ceiling Climb Indoor contest at this venue. Kudos to all involved in keeping the Indoor Nats alive for this flying season. Contest results should now be available on the AMA website.
EAA Flight Fest
The Bong Eagles hosted the EAA Family Flight Fest Indoor contest March 13-15, 2015. This contest is unique in the fact that it is held inside a hangar at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Contestants fly their models alongside historical aircraft including a de Havilland Mosquito!
A variety of events are flown at this contest, such as FAC events Phantom Flash and No-Cal, as well as AMA Indoor events like MiniStick, F1L, and Catapult Glider. They also have a few specialized events including Ross Flyer and Garbage Glider, so there is something for everyone.
This year’s EAA contest was a special event for longtime Indoor flier, Chuck Slusarczyk. This was Chuck’s first time attending the contest, but that is not all that made it special. Chuck also has one of his ultralight aircraft hanging in the EAA AirVenture Museum and is an inductee into the EAA Ultralight Hall of Fame.
Chuck has not been to the museum for many years, so making the trip with fellow modeler Larry Loucka to see the museum and fly in an Indoor contest made the contest even more meaningful. They are looking forward to going back next year. If you can spare the time to make it to the EAA Family Flight Fest Indoor contest, it is worth the trip!
AMA Records Update
A few new Indoor records were set at the record trials held at the
West Baden Springs Hotel near French Lick, Indiana, on March 28-29. Jim Richmond set a new Open Category III FID record with a flight of 24:35. Nick Ray set the Open Category III FIR record of 21:11, and Bill Gowen set the Open Category III A-6 record with a flight time of 10:09. Congratulations to each of them for their great flight times.
The dates for next year’s contest are still being negotiated, but they’ll likely be in late March or early April.
Additionally, at a record trials session held on January 24 in Catonsville, Maryland, Brett Sanborn set the Category II Open FIR record of 15:07 and a Category II Open FID record of 19:15. With the Kent State record trials in late April in Ohio, there are sure to be more records to report in the next column.
Durabatics Foam
Durabatics foam was successfully used for several years on low-ceiling gliders as flap material. It was available in .025-inch sheets and had a light density of approximately 3 pounds per cubic foot. Unfortunately, Durabatics foam is no longer being made, so a substitute will have to be found.
Great Planes sells a product called Pro-Formance Foam that can be bought in 1mm (.039 inch) thickness with a density of 3.8 pounds per cubic foot. It is slightly heavier than Durabatics foam, but at least it is readily available. It can be purchased from Tower Hobbies (part number GPMR7500).
The sheets are 111/2 x 111/2 inches, and you get three sheets for approximately $6. You may also be able to find this foam at your local hobby shop because it is used for indoor RC models.
There is another foam source that I have come across that is even lighter. It is 0.5mm (.020 inches) thick EPS foam that has been cut with hot wire.
This foam has roughly 2 pounds per cubic foot density. It is more fragile than the Pro-Formance Foam, but it might be perfect for low-ceiling gliders. It only comes in small precut sheets that are approximately 4 x 8 inches and is normally used for walkalong gliders. I built one Standard Catapult Glider with this foam in the wing for test-flying in a local gymnasium and will report on its success (or lack of) in my next column.
In the meantime, if you are interested in trying some of this foam for yourself, you can buy it in a 100-piece bulk container for $20, plus $4 shipping, from the Science Toy Maker website (see “Sources” listing). As a bonus, the company also includes a premade ready-to-fly glider that flies rather well in your living room.
Until next time, keep the weights down and the times up!
SOURCES:
National Free Flight Society (NFFS)
www.freeflight.org
Science Toy Maker
science@sciencetoymaker.org
www.sciencetoymaker.org/airsurf/store.html#Bulk100
Tower Hobbies
(800) 637-6050
www.towerhobbies.com
