Favorite local FF Scale clubs
by Dennis Norman
dennis@airac emodels.com
This is the first of an intermittent series of columns devoted to Free Flight (FF) Scale clubs. Local clubs are the bedrock of FF Scale. They speak not only to area interests, but also to matters that impact our wonderful hobby.
No doubt inspired by the success of the Flying Aces Club (FAC), the Cleveland Free Flight Society (CFFS) was founded by Lee Campbell and Scott Crozier in the spring of 1972. Its officers were Gordon Roberts, president, and Dave Pishnery, secretary. Early meetings were usually held at Gordon’s home.
On May 4, 1973, the CFFS held its first Indoor FF meet at the Mayfield Center School in suburban Cleveland. The first events included rise-off-ground (ROG) and Peanut Scale. By the fall of 1973, members decreed that the CFFS was “an organization for the advancement and enjoyment of Free Flight modeling.”
The club’s early roster listed 20 members. Membership has grown throughout the years and now the number is nearly 60. In early 1974, Jim Hyka was elected president, Russ Brown was secretary, and Dave Pishnery was the editor of the club’s first newsletter, which was christened Crosswinds.
Early in the summer of 1974, several members of the Detroit Cloudbusters made a legendary appearance at the Savage Road field in Chagrin, Ohio, to attend one of the CFFS club’s early Outdoor
Above: Gordon Roberts (L) winds his Fokker D.VII, while Russ Brown serves as his ground crew. Gordon became the FAC’s “Ace of Aces” with more than 500 first-place wins. Brown photo. Right: “Colonel” Dennis Norman, in full uniform, at the 1990 FAC Nats with his Scale B-24J. He is repairing and updating the B-24J to fly at this year’s FAC Nats. Copies of Dennis’ colorful proof-of-scale documentation are available. Photo by Tom Timmons.
FF contests. In preparation for the visit, the club painted an old Edsel in camouflage colors and put loudspeakers on its roof.
As the Cloudbusters arrived, the speakers blared “Stars and Stripes Forever” by Heimie Schwartz’s Guggenheim Band. After half a dozen members exited the Edsel, the speakers commanded them to line up for model inspection.
Bob Mosher, wearing a spiked helmet and carrying a riding crop, was the inspector. The first model passed muster, but the second did not and Mosher grabbed it, threw it on the ground, and stomped it flat! Unbelieving CFFS members were stunned.
In response, Mosher quickly dispatched three more models! Everybody howled with laughter at the Cloudbusters’ determination to be taken “seriously” as competitors. It was later learned that Mosher’s victims were all old models suitable only for their fate.
Fun is at the heart of the CFFS. Some, such as I, enjoy dressing in period costumes as we fly our masterpieces. Others, such as Del Balunek, occasionally dress in colorful outfits when flying in mass launch events such as World War II Combat.
CFFS has held its outdoor contests at Lorain Community
College in Elyria, Ohio, for the past few decades. Six contests are usually scheduled on Sundays between May and October, with the contests beginning at 10 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. As many as 47 possible events are listed, including five mass launches. Contestants are required to document their models, and judging follows FAC rules.
Amazingly, some CFFS founders have served the club since its inception. Russ Brown, now in his late 80s, has faithfully handled contest registration, Crosswinds publication, and contest reporting. Jim Hyka, also in his 80s, has helped set up tents, registration tables, etc. Mike Zand has done an outstanding job as CFFS secretary/treasurer. All three retired from their duties in 2015.
Rich Weber, CFFS president, has just completed five years of service as the editor of Flying Aces News, but remains active in CFFS activities. Rich presides over Saturday morning building sessions that take place from early January through mid-April at the Parma Hobby Shop in Parma, Ohio. Attendance at these sessions frequently includes a dozen or more CFFS veterans, together with a healthy contingent of young modelers who are learning to build.
Crosswinds will continue as a quarterly publication. Typical issues contain 16 pages of mostly new plans with documentation, a couple of pages of relevant color photos, and a current contest calendar. It is very much worth having. Contact Rich for details.
2016 Events
It is important that you be aware of a few major events of interest in 2016.
- ‘Weak Signals’ The Toledo Show: R/C Model Expo, Toledo, Ohio: April 1-3.
- 2016 FAC Nats, Geneseo, New York: July 13-16.
- World War I Dawn Patrol Rendezvous, National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, Ohio: October 1-2.
These are all spectacular events for you to enjoy.
SOURCES:
National Free Flight Society (NFFS)
www.freeflight.org
CFFS
Rich Weber, president
se5weber@cox.net
Cloudbusters Model Airplane Club
http://cloudbustermac.tripod.com/home.html
FAC
Ross P. Mayo, president
skyami@att.net
Flying Aces Club News
Stew Myers, editor
newsletter@flyingacesclub.com
National Museum of the United States Air Force
(937) 255-3286
www.nationalmuseum.af.mil
Parma Hobby
(216) 741-6440
www.parmahobby.com
WW I Dawn Patrol Rendezvous
David Thomas, event coordinator
(937) 255-1716
david.thomas.11@us.af.mil
Weak Signals RC Club
www.toledoweaksignals.com
The Toledo Show: R/C Model Expo
www.toledoshow.com
Right: Del Balunek, in his Japanese tribute uniform that he wears at WW II Combat events. Both he and the author have been given to sartorial expressions befitting their modeling efforts. Brown photo.
