John Kagan, 20100 Killians Grv., Strongsville OH 44149; E-mail: [email protected]
FREE FLIGHT INDOOR
January 2005 149
New columnist John Kagan enjoys himself in the famous Slanic
Prahova salt mine in Romania. Photo by Sandy Schaefer.
The legendary Lakehurst, New Jersey, Hangar 1 is 175 feet of
pure FF Indoor bliss. Photo by Bill Gowen.
AS YOU MAY have noticed in the heading, you have a new
Indoor FF columnist! My name is John Kagan, and I’m happy to
have the opportunity to help support an activity that is such a
large part of my life.
I’d like to recognize previous columnist Bud Tenny. As most
of the Indoor FF community knows, he has a long and
distinguished history—in his personal achievements and in his
promotion of our activity. In addition to this column, he has
edited Indoor News and Views (INAV)—one of the leading Indoor
FF publications—he chairs the Indoor Contest Board, he has
written numerous articles, he founded an Indoor FF SIG, and the
list goes on.
When you see Bud, shake his hand and thank him for all the
work he’s put into Indoor. We wouldn’t be where we are today
without him.
I’ve been flying Indoor FF for approximately 10 years—a
short time compared to many of my mentors. I’ve been to two
World Championships—in which I won with the previous F1D
rules and managed a podium finish with the new rules—and I’m
preparing for my third.
The beauty of Indoor models continuously fascinates me. I
simply can’t witness their slow-motion, fragile, gravity-defying
flight without staring in awe. Their deceiving complexity
provides endless challenges.
I saw Indoor FF models for the first time at a Glastonbury,
Connecticut, session (of Flying Aces Club fame) and knew I had
to fly them. Ron Williams’ famed, out-of-print book Building and
Flying Indoor Model Airplanes clinched the deal. His building
and flying instructions are superb, but the best part is the way he
conveys the magic of these airplanes. I will never forget reading
and rereading the chapter about microfilm models. They were
well beyond my abilities at the time, but I could not stop thinking
about them.
A succession of model-airplane legends provided further
guidance; these included Jerry “Mr. Model Airplane” Knoblauch,
Jim Grant, Gary Underwood, Steve Brown, and many more.
Numerous contests, new friends, and flying sites later, and here I am!
Column Goals: When INAV changed hands a few years ago, there
was a discussion among the Indoor FF community about what
type of information a newsletter is best suited to provide
compared with other media, such as Web sites and E-mailing
lists/online forums. The same thought process applies here.
Any information that can change quickly or frequently—
contest results, lists of flying sites, etc.—belongs on a Web site.
Topics for discussion or debate belong on a forum/mailing list.
Reference material belongs in books, on CDs/DVDs, and on the
Internet.
This column, however, is unique in its ability to reach a wide
audience that participates in relatively similar but nonidentical
activities. Let’s face it; even if your passion is CL, there are only
so many times you can reread the Speed column while sitting on
your favorite, uh, “reading chair” before you end up here. A show
of hands for the non-Indoor FFers who made it to this point. See
what I mean?
My thoughts for capitalizing on you, the crossover audience,
include:
• Sharing the magic of Indoor FF and hopefully gaining some new
participants.
• Using the broader base of people to help solve some of our
dilemmas, such as flying sites and supplies.
• Bragging about our collective accomplishments.
If you think of any others, send me an E-mail and let me know!
Open Call for Spectators: One of the challenges we currently face
is participation. Indoor FF is as beautiful and as fascinating as
ever. New materials and technical advances continually put
records within reach. Long-standing contests and newly
discovered sites provide exciting places to fly.
150 MODEL AVIATION
Model box of the month: Jim Richmond’s F1D transporter holds
five airplanes securely. Fred Tellier photo.
Another view of Jim’s F1D box. The effort and craftsmanship in
these boxes often surpass the models. Tellier photo.
It is unlikely that Indoor FF will perish; it’s one of the oldest
forms of model aviation. Heck, it’s one of the oldest forms of
aviation, period! But our relatively small numbers present
obstacles, and boosting the participation level is the best way to
ensure a future for Indoor FF as we know it.
As people on the forums have read from me many times, I
believe that the recipe for gaining a new participant is:
• Seeing Indoor models fly. I don’t mean descriptions or even
pictures, but an actual model in flight. There is something
indescribable about watching a 1.2-gram F1D or a 3.1-gram
Pennyplane climb slowly to the ceiling.
• Having self-serve information available. Almost every Indoor
FFer I know poked around on his/her own before deciding to take
the plunge. This used to mean finding books, newsletters, or
magazine articles, but now there is also tons of Indoor FF
information available on the Internet.
• Finding a place to fly and people to fly with. Nothing is as
motivating as preparing for an upcoming flying session. Flying
regularly is fun, and learning the Indoor FF game is much easier
with mentors.
Doing anything that supports any of these areas is a great way
to help Indoor FF.
Although I haven’t met many people who weren’t amazed and
intrigued by Indoor FF models once they saw them, spectators
are still relatively rare. This isn’t surprising when you think about
the places in which we typically fly (tucked-away gyms, old air
docks, and off-hour sports facilities) and the fact that we try hard
to keep air disturbances to a minimum. Our activity is often not
as spectator-friendly as, say, an event at the local RC flying field.
However, that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t love having you
come watch if you are curious. Just walk slowly and wait until
people are finished winding before asking questions. I guarantee
you’ll be amazed.
Once your curiosity is sparked, the next step is finding
information to fuel the fire. I’ve listed several Web sites at the end
of this column that are great starting points. Poke around on the
links and join the forums. The Web pages are also a great way to
find flying sites, flying buddies, and mentors. Experience the
magic of Indoor FF!
The Local Scene—Cleveland OH: As a member of the National
Free Flight Society Indoor Committee (more about that in future
columns), I’ve volunteered to continue Bud Tenny’s flying-site
inventory work. I’d like to evolve the format slightly, though.
Individual flying sites can come and go, but local flying groups
tend to last. Therefore, I propose that we start a collection of
descriptions of the groups that keep Indoor FF alive.
Please send me the story of what’s going on in your area: flying
sites, coordinators, participants, events, history, etc. Get a little bit
of fame and help newcomers and traveling modelers figure out
where to go and who to contact. I’ll start the ball rolling with the
scene in my area: Cleveland, Ohio.
The current godfather of Cleveland Indoor FF is Vernon
Hacker (whose contact info is at the end of the column). He keeps
us all in line, maintains the relationship with our main practice site,
and is the one to get in touch with for information about flying
sessions and local mentors. He has also been a longtime advocate
of Junior participation, coordinating fund-raisers and motivating
the kids.
The Cleveland Clowns boasts veteran top-caliber competitors
such as Don and Chuck Slusarczyk, Larry Loucka, Tom Sova
(although Tom is more of a crossover from the Detroit, Michigan,
group), and many relatively new participants who are making
names for themselves. Other big names from nearby areas travel to
Cleveland, but I’ll let them make the roll call when they describe
their local scene.
During the school year we fly Sundays at the Andrew’s School
in Willoughby. Several national records have been set in the new
Category I open-girder-ceiling gym, although more records have
probably been set in the smaller, 18-foot flat-ceiling old gym.
We used to fly three times a year in the Akron Airdock, one of
the few remaining worldwide tall sites, but a new blimp contract
has bumped us out—hopefully only temporarily.
Cleveland is within a comfortable driving distance of several
popular contests during the year, including Buffalo, New York;
Flint, Michigan; Kent, Ohio; Champaign, Illinois; West Baden,
Indiana; and even the US Indoor Championships at Johnson City,
Tennessee.
There is a great deal of Science Olympiad (SO) Wright Stuff
activity, with many school teams appearing regularly to practice
and share information. The extra effort and preparation shows
when the SO invitations and states roll around.
Local SO dad Wayne Johnson has even started a cottage
industry—Geauga Precision Model—
providing Indoor FF supplies such as
winders, torque meters, and various
building accessories.
Support of the SO program has paid off
richly in returns to the Indoor community
in the following ways.
• The last two FAI F1D Junior Team
Selection Finals have actually been contests
to reduce the competitors to three-person
teams, as opposed to previous years when
we were glad if we had even one Junior to
represent the US.
• A small but steady stream of new Indoor
FF participants has flowed in from the SO
program. Many have proven to be
exceptionally competitive, even against the
“experts.”
• Parents of SO kids have been motivated
to participate—and learn that it’s not so
easy to “just make it stop stalling.”
Whether you are visiting the Cleveland
area or moving near our great city, come
out and fly with us!
PFSIP: Finding and maintaining
relationships with good Category II, III,
and IV sites is one of our bigger challenges.
It seems like all the great places to fly are
trickling away. I’m convinced, however,
that there are new great sites—such as the
sports domes in Johnson City and Moscow,
Idaho—just waiting to be “discovered.”
Granted, no new airdocks are going up
to replace the legendary sites such as
Cardington, Akron, and Santa Ana. But the
smaller sports domes, while lacking in
ultimate record-setting potential, offer
some great benefits.
The air is often superb—well insulated
from whatever might be going on outside.
They are usually easier to access, without
the military restrictions that accompany
most of the airdocks. And, best of all, they
exist.
As one of the goals of this column, I’d
like to start something called the Potential
Flying Site Inventory Project, or PFSIP
(pronounced “puh-fsss-ip”). Yeah, yeah,
it’s not the best acronym, but it’s a worthy
project anyway.
Maybe there’s a sports hall at your local
university. Or maybe there’s an armory or
convention center downtown. Maybe you
know the manager at your local sports
team’s indoor stadium. Maybe you are the
manager.
If you know of a place that is more than
50 feet high, has plenty of open space, and
is enclosed, I’d love to hear about it. It
could be the next legendary Indoor site.
Send me an E-mail with as much of the
following info as you can.
• Site name/location
• Height (actual or estimated)
• Floor space (actual or estimated)
• Availability (dates, time of year, etc.)
• Site contact info (name, number, address,
etc.)
• Referral name (It’s all about who you
know.)
I’ll put together a list that will reside in
the files section of the Yahoo! Groups
Indoor mailing list. Local Indoor fliers can
check out the site and contact the leads. It
would only take one great new site to make
this project a booming success.
Spectator FAQ: Just for fun, I’m going to
include one frequently asked spectator
question per column. We’ll see how long it
lasts. Send me your favorites. This
quarter’s is, “How do you get the propeller
to turn so slowly?”
Because I’ve answered this inquiry so
many times, I now reply, “I make the
airplane light.” This usually generates a
puzzled/annoyed look and a “No, I mean
how do you keep the rubber band from
spinning the prop around really fast?”
It seems many people think back to
their days with something such as a
Guillow’s Strato Streak, picturing the
propeller going around as fast as it could.
The propeller only needs to turn as fast as
required to generate as much thrust as
required to keep the model aloft. And a
light airplane needs less thrust and fewer
rpm.
But usually a more satisfying response
is to ask those who ask that question to
visualize moving a thin stick through
water, and then imagine doing the same
thing with a paddle. Minus all the
mathematics, this seems to give them a
decent feel for what the propeller is doing.
’Til next time. MA
Sources:
Vernon Hacker
25599 Breckenridge
Euclid OH 44117
(216) 486-4990
[email protected]
Wayne Johnson
Geauga Precision Models
9113 Robinson Rd.
Chardon OH 44024
[email protected]
Web sites:
Yahoo! Indoor group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/indoor
Indoor Duration
www.indoorduration.com
Small Flying Arts
www.smallflyingarts.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/01
Page Numbers: 149,150,151,152
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/01
Page Numbers: 149,150,151,152
John Kagan, 20100 Killians Grv., Strongsville OH 44149; E-mail: [email protected]
FREE FLIGHT INDOOR
January 2005 149
New columnist John Kagan enjoys himself in the famous Slanic
Prahova salt mine in Romania. Photo by Sandy Schaefer.
The legendary Lakehurst, New Jersey, Hangar 1 is 175 feet of
pure FF Indoor bliss. Photo by Bill Gowen.
AS YOU MAY have noticed in the heading, you have a new
Indoor FF columnist! My name is John Kagan, and I’m happy to
have the opportunity to help support an activity that is such a
large part of my life.
I’d like to recognize previous columnist Bud Tenny. As most
of the Indoor FF community knows, he has a long and
distinguished history—in his personal achievements and in his
promotion of our activity. In addition to this column, he has
edited Indoor News and Views (INAV)—one of the leading Indoor
FF publications—he chairs the Indoor Contest Board, he has
written numerous articles, he founded an Indoor FF SIG, and the
list goes on.
When you see Bud, shake his hand and thank him for all the
work he’s put into Indoor. We wouldn’t be where we are today
without him.
I’ve been flying Indoor FF for approximately 10 years—a
short time compared to many of my mentors. I’ve been to two
World Championships—in which I won with the previous F1D
rules and managed a podium finish with the new rules—and I’m
preparing for my third.
The beauty of Indoor models continuously fascinates me. I
simply can’t witness their slow-motion, fragile, gravity-defying
flight without staring in awe. Their deceiving complexity
provides endless challenges.
I saw Indoor FF models for the first time at a Glastonbury,
Connecticut, session (of Flying Aces Club fame) and knew I had
to fly them. Ron Williams’ famed, out-of-print book Building and
Flying Indoor Model Airplanes clinched the deal. His building
and flying instructions are superb, but the best part is the way he
conveys the magic of these airplanes. I will never forget reading
and rereading the chapter about microfilm models. They were
well beyond my abilities at the time, but I could not stop thinking
about them.
A succession of model-airplane legends provided further
guidance; these included Jerry “Mr. Model Airplane” Knoblauch,
Jim Grant, Gary Underwood, Steve Brown, and many more.
Numerous contests, new friends, and flying sites later, and here I am!
Column Goals: When INAV changed hands a few years ago, there
was a discussion among the Indoor FF community about what
type of information a newsletter is best suited to provide
compared with other media, such as Web sites and E-mailing
lists/online forums. The same thought process applies here.
Any information that can change quickly or frequently—
contest results, lists of flying sites, etc.—belongs on a Web site.
Topics for discussion or debate belong on a forum/mailing list.
Reference material belongs in books, on CDs/DVDs, and on the
Internet.
This column, however, is unique in its ability to reach a wide
audience that participates in relatively similar but nonidentical
activities. Let’s face it; even if your passion is CL, there are only
so many times you can reread the Speed column while sitting on
your favorite, uh, “reading chair” before you end up here. A show
of hands for the non-Indoor FFers who made it to this point. See
what I mean?
My thoughts for capitalizing on you, the crossover audience,
include:
• Sharing the magic of Indoor FF and hopefully gaining some new
participants.
• Using the broader base of people to help solve some of our
dilemmas, such as flying sites and supplies.
• Bragging about our collective accomplishments.
If you think of any others, send me an E-mail and let me know!
Open Call for Spectators: One of the challenges we currently face
is participation. Indoor FF is as beautiful and as fascinating as
ever. New materials and technical advances continually put
records within reach. Long-standing contests and newly
discovered sites provide exciting places to fly.
150 MODEL AVIATION
Model box of the month: Jim Richmond’s F1D transporter holds
five airplanes securely. Fred Tellier photo.
Another view of Jim’s F1D box. The effort and craftsmanship in
these boxes often surpass the models. Tellier photo.
It is unlikely that Indoor FF will perish; it’s one of the oldest
forms of model aviation. Heck, it’s one of the oldest forms of
aviation, period! But our relatively small numbers present
obstacles, and boosting the participation level is the best way to
ensure a future for Indoor FF as we know it.
As people on the forums have read from me many times, I
believe that the recipe for gaining a new participant is:
• Seeing Indoor models fly. I don’t mean descriptions or even
pictures, but an actual model in flight. There is something
indescribable about watching a 1.2-gram F1D or a 3.1-gram
Pennyplane climb slowly to the ceiling.
• Having self-serve information available. Almost every Indoor
FFer I know poked around on his/her own before deciding to take
the plunge. This used to mean finding books, newsletters, or
magazine articles, but now there is also tons of Indoor FF
information available on the Internet.
• Finding a place to fly and people to fly with. Nothing is as
motivating as preparing for an upcoming flying session. Flying
regularly is fun, and learning the Indoor FF game is much easier
with mentors.
Doing anything that supports any of these areas is a great way
to help Indoor FF.
Although I haven’t met many people who weren’t amazed and
intrigued by Indoor FF models once they saw them, spectators
are still relatively rare. This isn’t surprising when you think about
the places in which we typically fly (tucked-away gyms, old air
docks, and off-hour sports facilities) and the fact that we try hard
to keep air disturbances to a minimum. Our activity is often not
as spectator-friendly as, say, an event at the local RC flying field.
However, that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t love having you
come watch if you are curious. Just walk slowly and wait until
people are finished winding before asking questions. I guarantee
you’ll be amazed.
Once your curiosity is sparked, the next step is finding
information to fuel the fire. I’ve listed several Web sites at the end
of this column that are great starting points. Poke around on the
links and join the forums. The Web pages are also a great way to
find flying sites, flying buddies, and mentors. Experience the
magic of Indoor FF!
The Local Scene—Cleveland OH: As a member of the National
Free Flight Society Indoor Committee (more about that in future
columns), I’ve volunteered to continue Bud Tenny’s flying-site
inventory work. I’d like to evolve the format slightly, though.
Individual flying sites can come and go, but local flying groups
tend to last. Therefore, I propose that we start a collection of
descriptions of the groups that keep Indoor FF alive.
Please send me the story of what’s going on in your area: flying
sites, coordinators, participants, events, history, etc. Get a little bit
of fame and help newcomers and traveling modelers figure out
where to go and who to contact. I’ll start the ball rolling with the
scene in my area: Cleveland, Ohio.
The current godfather of Cleveland Indoor FF is Vernon
Hacker (whose contact info is at the end of the column). He keeps
us all in line, maintains the relationship with our main practice site,
and is the one to get in touch with for information about flying
sessions and local mentors. He has also been a longtime advocate
of Junior participation, coordinating fund-raisers and motivating
the kids.
The Cleveland Clowns boasts veteran top-caliber competitors
such as Don and Chuck Slusarczyk, Larry Loucka, Tom Sova
(although Tom is more of a crossover from the Detroit, Michigan,
group), and many relatively new participants who are making
names for themselves. Other big names from nearby areas travel to
Cleveland, but I’ll let them make the roll call when they describe
their local scene.
During the school year we fly Sundays at the Andrew’s School
in Willoughby. Several national records have been set in the new
Category I open-girder-ceiling gym, although more records have
probably been set in the smaller, 18-foot flat-ceiling old gym.
We used to fly three times a year in the Akron Airdock, one of
the few remaining worldwide tall sites, but a new blimp contract
has bumped us out—hopefully only temporarily.
Cleveland is within a comfortable driving distance of several
popular contests during the year, including Buffalo, New York;
Flint, Michigan; Kent, Ohio; Champaign, Illinois; West Baden,
Indiana; and even the US Indoor Championships at Johnson City,
Tennessee.
There is a great deal of Science Olympiad (SO) Wright Stuff
activity, with many school teams appearing regularly to practice
and share information. The extra effort and preparation shows
when the SO invitations and states roll around.
Local SO dad Wayne Johnson has even started a cottage
industry—Geauga Precision Model—
providing Indoor FF supplies such as
winders, torque meters, and various
building accessories.
Support of the SO program has paid off
richly in returns to the Indoor community
in the following ways.
• The last two FAI F1D Junior Team
Selection Finals have actually been contests
to reduce the competitors to three-person
teams, as opposed to previous years when
we were glad if we had even one Junior to
represent the US.
• A small but steady stream of new Indoor
FF participants has flowed in from the SO
program. Many have proven to be
exceptionally competitive, even against the
“experts.”
• Parents of SO kids have been motivated
to participate—and learn that it’s not so
easy to “just make it stop stalling.”
Whether you are visiting the Cleveland
area or moving near our great city, come
out and fly with us!
PFSIP: Finding and maintaining
relationships with good Category II, III,
and IV sites is one of our bigger challenges.
It seems like all the great places to fly are
trickling away. I’m convinced, however,
that there are new great sites—such as the
sports domes in Johnson City and Moscow,
Idaho—just waiting to be “discovered.”
Granted, no new airdocks are going up
to replace the legendary sites such as
Cardington, Akron, and Santa Ana. But the
smaller sports domes, while lacking in
ultimate record-setting potential, offer
some great benefits.
The air is often superb—well insulated
from whatever might be going on outside.
They are usually easier to access, without
the military restrictions that accompany
most of the airdocks. And, best of all, they
exist.
As one of the goals of this column, I’d
like to start something called the Potential
Flying Site Inventory Project, or PFSIP
(pronounced “puh-fsss-ip”). Yeah, yeah,
it’s not the best acronym, but it’s a worthy
project anyway.
Maybe there’s a sports hall at your local
university. Or maybe there’s an armory or
convention center downtown. Maybe you
know the manager at your local sports
team’s indoor stadium. Maybe you are the
manager.
If you know of a place that is more than
50 feet high, has plenty of open space, and
is enclosed, I’d love to hear about it. It
could be the next legendary Indoor site.
Send me an E-mail with as much of the
following info as you can.
• Site name/location
• Height (actual or estimated)
• Floor space (actual or estimated)
• Availability (dates, time of year, etc.)
• Site contact info (name, number, address,
etc.)
• Referral name (It’s all about who you
know.)
I’ll put together a list that will reside in
the files section of the Yahoo! Groups
Indoor mailing list. Local Indoor fliers can
check out the site and contact the leads. It
would only take one great new site to make
this project a booming success.
Spectator FAQ: Just for fun, I’m going to
include one frequently asked spectator
question per column. We’ll see how long it
lasts. Send me your favorites. This
quarter’s is, “How do you get the propeller
to turn so slowly?”
Because I’ve answered this inquiry so
many times, I now reply, “I make the
airplane light.” This usually generates a
puzzled/annoyed look and a “No, I mean
how do you keep the rubber band from
spinning the prop around really fast?”
It seems many people think back to
their days with something such as a
Guillow’s Strato Streak, picturing the
propeller going around as fast as it could.
The propeller only needs to turn as fast as
required to generate as much thrust as
required to keep the model aloft. And a
light airplane needs less thrust and fewer
rpm.
But usually a more satisfying response
is to ask those who ask that question to
visualize moving a thin stick through
water, and then imagine doing the same
thing with a paddle. Minus all the
mathematics, this seems to give them a
decent feel for what the propeller is doing.
’Til next time. MA
Sources:
Vernon Hacker
25599 Breckenridge
Euclid OH 44117
(216) 486-4990
[email protected]
Wayne Johnson
Geauga Precision Models
9113 Robinson Rd.
Chardon OH 44024
[email protected]
Web sites:
Yahoo! Indoor group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/indoor
Indoor Duration
www.indoorduration.com
Small Flying Arts
www.smallflyingarts.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/01
Page Numbers: 149,150,151,152
John Kagan, 20100 Killians Grv., Strongsville OH 44149; E-mail: [email protected]
FREE FLIGHT INDOOR
January 2005 149
New columnist John Kagan enjoys himself in the famous Slanic
Prahova salt mine in Romania. Photo by Sandy Schaefer.
The legendary Lakehurst, New Jersey, Hangar 1 is 175 feet of
pure FF Indoor bliss. Photo by Bill Gowen.
AS YOU MAY have noticed in the heading, you have a new
Indoor FF columnist! My name is John Kagan, and I’m happy to
have the opportunity to help support an activity that is such a
large part of my life.
I’d like to recognize previous columnist Bud Tenny. As most
of the Indoor FF community knows, he has a long and
distinguished history—in his personal achievements and in his
promotion of our activity. In addition to this column, he has
edited Indoor News and Views (INAV)—one of the leading Indoor
FF publications—he chairs the Indoor Contest Board, he has
written numerous articles, he founded an Indoor FF SIG, and the
list goes on.
When you see Bud, shake his hand and thank him for all the
work he’s put into Indoor. We wouldn’t be where we are today
without him.
I’ve been flying Indoor FF for approximately 10 years—a
short time compared to many of my mentors. I’ve been to two
World Championships—in which I won with the previous F1D
rules and managed a podium finish with the new rules—and I’m
preparing for my third.
The beauty of Indoor models continuously fascinates me. I
simply can’t witness their slow-motion, fragile, gravity-defying
flight without staring in awe. Their deceiving complexity
provides endless challenges.
I saw Indoor FF models for the first time at a Glastonbury,
Connecticut, session (of Flying Aces Club fame) and knew I had
to fly them. Ron Williams’ famed, out-of-print book Building and
Flying Indoor Model Airplanes clinched the deal. His building
and flying instructions are superb, but the best part is the way he
conveys the magic of these airplanes. I will never forget reading
and rereading the chapter about microfilm models. They were
well beyond my abilities at the time, but I could not stop thinking
about them.
A succession of model-airplane legends provided further
guidance; these included Jerry “Mr. Model Airplane” Knoblauch,
Jim Grant, Gary Underwood, Steve Brown, and many more.
Numerous contests, new friends, and flying sites later, and here I am!
Column Goals: When INAV changed hands a few years ago, there
was a discussion among the Indoor FF community about what
type of information a newsletter is best suited to provide
compared with other media, such as Web sites and E-mailing
lists/online forums. The same thought process applies here.
Any information that can change quickly or frequently—
contest results, lists of flying sites, etc.—belongs on a Web site.
Topics for discussion or debate belong on a forum/mailing list.
Reference material belongs in books, on CDs/DVDs, and on the
Internet.
This column, however, is unique in its ability to reach a wide
audience that participates in relatively similar but nonidentical
activities. Let’s face it; even if your passion is CL, there are only
so many times you can reread the Speed column while sitting on
your favorite, uh, “reading chair” before you end up here. A show
of hands for the non-Indoor FFers who made it to this point. See
what I mean?
My thoughts for capitalizing on you, the crossover audience,
include:
• Sharing the magic of Indoor FF and hopefully gaining some new
participants.
• Using the broader base of people to help solve some of our
dilemmas, such as flying sites and supplies.
• Bragging about our collective accomplishments.
If you think of any others, send me an E-mail and let me know!
Open Call for Spectators: One of the challenges we currently face
is participation. Indoor FF is as beautiful and as fascinating as
ever. New materials and technical advances continually put
records within reach. Long-standing contests and newly
discovered sites provide exciting places to fly.
150 MODEL AVIATION
Model box of the month: Jim Richmond’s F1D transporter holds
five airplanes securely. Fred Tellier photo.
Another view of Jim’s F1D box. The effort and craftsmanship in
these boxes often surpass the models. Tellier photo.
It is unlikely that Indoor FF will perish; it’s one of the oldest
forms of model aviation. Heck, it’s one of the oldest forms of
aviation, period! But our relatively small numbers present
obstacles, and boosting the participation level is the best way to
ensure a future for Indoor FF as we know it.
As people on the forums have read from me many times, I
believe that the recipe for gaining a new participant is:
• Seeing Indoor models fly. I don’t mean descriptions or even
pictures, but an actual model in flight. There is something
indescribable about watching a 1.2-gram F1D or a 3.1-gram
Pennyplane climb slowly to the ceiling.
• Having self-serve information available. Almost every Indoor
FFer I know poked around on his/her own before deciding to take
the plunge. This used to mean finding books, newsletters, or
magazine articles, but now there is also tons of Indoor FF
information available on the Internet.
• Finding a place to fly and people to fly with. Nothing is as
motivating as preparing for an upcoming flying session. Flying
regularly is fun, and learning the Indoor FF game is much easier
with mentors.
Doing anything that supports any of these areas is a great way
to help Indoor FF.
Although I haven’t met many people who weren’t amazed and
intrigued by Indoor FF models once they saw them, spectators
are still relatively rare. This isn’t surprising when you think about
the places in which we typically fly (tucked-away gyms, old air
docks, and off-hour sports facilities) and the fact that we try hard
to keep air disturbances to a minimum. Our activity is often not
as spectator-friendly as, say, an event at the local RC flying field.
However, that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t love having you
come watch if you are curious. Just walk slowly and wait until
people are finished winding before asking questions. I guarantee
you’ll be amazed.
Once your curiosity is sparked, the next step is finding
information to fuel the fire. I’ve listed several Web sites at the end
of this column that are great starting points. Poke around on the
links and join the forums. The Web pages are also a great way to
find flying sites, flying buddies, and mentors. Experience the
magic of Indoor FF!
The Local Scene—Cleveland OH: As a member of the National
Free Flight Society Indoor Committee (more about that in future
columns), I’ve volunteered to continue Bud Tenny’s flying-site
inventory work. I’d like to evolve the format slightly, though.
Individual flying sites can come and go, but local flying groups
tend to last. Therefore, I propose that we start a collection of
descriptions of the groups that keep Indoor FF alive.
Please send me the story of what’s going on in your area: flying
sites, coordinators, participants, events, history, etc. Get a little bit
of fame and help newcomers and traveling modelers figure out
where to go and who to contact. I’ll start the ball rolling with the
scene in my area: Cleveland, Ohio.
The current godfather of Cleveland Indoor FF is Vernon
Hacker (whose contact info is at the end of the column). He keeps
us all in line, maintains the relationship with our main practice site,
and is the one to get in touch with for information about flying
sessions and local mentors. He has also been a longtime advocate
of Junior participation, coordinating fund-raisers and motivating
the kids.
The Cleveland Clowns boasts veteran top-caliber competitors
such as Don and Chuck Slusarczyk, Larry Loucka, Tom Sova
(although Tom is more of a crossover from the Detroit, Michigan,
group), and many relatively new participants who are making
names for themselves. Other big names from nearby areas travel to
Cleveland, but I’ll let them make the roll call when they describe
their local scene.
During the school year we fly Sundays at the Andrew’s School
in Willoughby. Several national records have been set in the new
Category I open-girder-ceiling gym, although more records have
probably been set in the smaller, 18-foot flat-ceiling old gym.
We used to fly three times a year in the Akron Airdock, one of
the few remaining worldwide tall sites, but a new blimp contract
has bumped us out—hopefully only temporarily.
Cleveland is within a comfortable driving distance of several
popular contests during the year, including Buffalo, New York;
Flint, Michigan; Kent, Ohio; Champaign, Illinois; West Baden,
Indiana; and even the US Indoor Championships at Johnson City,
Tennessee.
There is a great deal of Science Olympiad (SO) Wright Stuff
activity, with many school teams appearing regularly to practice
and share information. The extra effort and preparation shows
when the SO invitations and states roll around.
Local SO dad Wayne Johnson has even started a cottage
industry—Geauga Precision Model—
providing Indoor FF supplies such as
winders, torque meters, and various
building accessories.
Support of the SO program has paid off
richly in returns to the Indoor community
in the following ways.
• The last two FAI F1D Junior Team
Selection Finals have actually been contests
to reduce the competitors to three-person
teams, as opposed to previous years when
we were glad if we had even one Junior to
represent the US.
• A small but steady stream of new Indoor
FF participants has flowed in from the SO
program. Many have proven to be
exceptionally competitive, even against the
“experts.”
• Parents of SO kids have been motivated
to participate—and learn that it’s not so
easy to “just make it stop stalling.”
Whether you are visiting the Cleveland
area or moving near our great city, come
out and fly with us!
PFSIP: Finding and maintaining
relationships with good Category II, III,
and IV sites is one of our bigger challenges.
It seems like all the great places to fly are
trickling away. I’m convinced, however,
that there are new great sites—such as the
sports domes in Johnson City and Moscow,
Idaho—just waiting to be “discovered.”
Granted, no new airdocks are going up
to replace the legendary sites such as
Cardington, Akron, and Santa Ana. But the
smaller sports domes, while lacking in
ultimate record-setting potential, offer
some great benefits.
The air is often superb—well insulated
from whatever might be going on outside.
They are usually easier to access, without
the military restrictions that accompany
most of the airdocks. And, best of all, they
exist.
As one of the goals of this column, I’d
like to start something called the Potential
Flying Site Inventory Project, or PFSIP
(pronounced “puh-fsss-ip”). Yeah, yeah,
it’s not the best acronym, but it’s a worthy
project anyway.
Maybe there’s a sports hall at your local
university. Or maybe there’s an armory or
convention center downtown. Maybe you
know the manager at your local sports
team’s indoor stadium. Maybe you are the
manager.
If you know of a place that is more than
50 feet high, has plenty of open space, and
is enclosed, I’d love to hear about it. It
could be the next legendary Indoor site.
Send me an E-mail with as much of the
following info as you can.
• Site name/location
• Height (actual or estimated)
• Floor space (actual or estimated)
• Availability (dates, time of year, etc.)
• Site contact info (name, number, address,
etc.)
• Referral name (It’s all about who you
know.)
I’ll put together a list that will reside in
the files section of the Yahoo! Groups
Indoor mailing list. Local Indoor fliers can
check out the site and contact the leads. It
would only take one great new site to make
this project a booming success.
Spectator FAQ: Just for fun, I’m going to
include one frequently asked spectator
question per column. We’ll see how long it
lasts. Send me your favorites. This
quarter’s is, “How do you get the propeller
to turn so slowly?”
Because I’ve answered this inquiry so
many times, I now reply, “I make the
airplane light.” This usually generates a
puzzled/annoyed look and a “No, I mean
how do you keep the rubber band from
spinning the prop around really fast?”
It seems many people think back to
their days with something such as a
Guillow’s Strato Streak, picturing the
propeller going around as fast as it could.
The propeller only needs to turn as fast as
required to generate as much thrust as
required to keep the model aloft. And a
light airplane needs less thrust and fewer
rpm.
But usually a more satisfying response
is to ask those who ask that question to
visualize moving a thin stick through
water, and then imagine doing the same
thing with a paddle. Minus all the
mathematics, this seems to give them a
decent feel for what the propeller is doing.
’Til next time. MA
Sources:
Vernon Hacker
25599 Breckenridge
Euclid OH 44117
(216) 486-4990
[email protected]
Wayne Johnson
Geauga Precision Models
9113 Robinson Rd.
Chardon OH 44024
[email protected]
Web sites:
Yahoo! Indoor group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/indoor
Indoor Duration
www.indoorduration.com
Small Flying Arts
www.smallflyingarts.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/01
Page Numbers: 149,150,151,152
John Kagan, 20100 Killians Grv., Strongsville OH 44149; E-mail: [email protected]
FREE FLIGHT INDOOR
January 2005 149
New columnist John Kagan enjoys himself in the famous Slanic
Prahova salt mine in Romania. Photo by Sandy Schaefer.
The legendary Lakehurst, New Jersey, Hangar 1 is 175 feet of
pure FF Indoor bliss. Photo by Bill Gowen.
AS YOU MAY have noticed in the heading, you have a new
Indoor FF columnist! My name is John Kagan, and I’m happy to
have the opportunity to help support an activity that is such a
large part of my life.
I’d like to recognize previous columnist Bud Tenny. As most
of the Indoor FF community knows, he has a long and
distinguished history—in his personal achievements and in his
promotion of our activity. In addition to this column, he has
edited Indoor News and Views (INAV)—one of the leading Indoor
FF publications—he chairs the Indoor Contest Board, he has
written numerous articles, he founded an Indoor FF SIG, and the
list goes on.
When you see Bud, shake his hand and thank him for all the
work he’s put into Indoor. We wouldn’t be where we are today
without him.
I’ve been flying Indoor FF for approximately 10 years—a
short time compared to many of my mentors. I’ve been to two
World Championships—in which I won with the previous F1D
rules and managed a podium finish with the new rules—and I’m
preparing for my third.
The beauty of Indoor models continuously fascinates me. I
simply can’t witness their slow-motion, fragile, gravity-defying
flight without staring in awe. Their deceiving complexity
provides endless challenges.
I saw Indoor FF models for the first time at a Glastonbury,
Connecticut, session (of Flying Aces Club fame) and knew I had
to fly them. Ron Williams’ famed, out-of-print book Building and
Flying Indoor Model Airplanes clinched the deal. His building
and flying instructions are superb, but the best part is the way he
conveys the magic of these airplanes. I will never forget reading
and rereading the chapter about microfilm models. They were
well beyond my abilities at the time, but I could not stop thinking
about them.
A succession of model-airplane legends provided further
guidance; these included Jerry “Mr. Model Airplane” Knoblauch,
Jim Grant, Gary Underwood, Steve Brown, and many more.
Numerous contests, new friends, and flying sites later, and here I am!
Column Goals: When INAV changed hands a few years ago, there
was a discussion among the Indoor FF community about what
type of information a newsletter is best suited to provide
compared with other media, such as Web sites and E-mailing
lists/online forums. The same thought process applies here.
Any information that can change quickly or frequently—
contest results, lists of flying sites, etc.—belongs on a Web site.
Topics for discussion or debate belong on a forum/mailing list.
Reference material belongs in books, on CDs/DVDs, and on the
Internet.
This column, however, is unique in its ability to reach a wide
audience that participates in relatively similar but nonidentical
activities. Let’s face it; even if your passion is CL, there are only
so many times you can reread the Speed column while sitting on
your favorite, uh, “reading chair” before you end up here. A show
of hands for the non-Indoor FFers who made it to this point. See
what I mean?
My thoughts for capitalizing on you, the crossover audience,
include:
• Sharing the magic of Indoor FF and hopefully gaining some new
participants.
• Using the broader base of people to help solve some of our
dilemmas, such as flying sites and supplies.
• Bragging about our collective accomplishments.
If you think of any others, send me an E-mail and let me know!
Open Call for Spectators: One of the challenges we currently face
is participation. Indoor FF is as beautiful and as fascinating as
ever. New materials and technical advances continually put
records within reach. Long-standing contests and newly
discovered sites provide exciting places to fly.
150 MODEL AVIATION
Model box of the month: Jim Richmond’s F1D transporter holds
five airplanes securely. Fred Tellier photo.
Another view of Jim’s F1D box. The effort and craftsmanship in
these boxes often surpass the models. Tellier photo.
It is unlikely that Indoor FF will perish; it’s one of the oldest
forms of model aviation. Heck, it’s one of the oldest forms of
aviation, period! But our relatively small numbers present
obstacles, and boosting the participation level is the best way to
ensure a future for Indoor FF as we know it.
As people on the forums have read from me many times, I
believe that the recipe for gaining a new participant is:
• Seeing Indoor models fly. I don’t mean descriptions or even
pictures, but an actual model in flight. There is something
indescribable about watching a 1.2-gram F1D or a 3.1-gram
Pennyplane climb slowly to the ceiling.
• Having self-serve information available. Almost every Indoor
FFer I know poked around on his/her own before deciding to take
the plunge. This used to mean finding books, newsletters, or
magazine articles, but now there is also tons of Indoor FF
information available on the Internet.
• Finding a place to fly and people to fly with. Nothing is as
motivating as preparing for an upcoming flying session. Flying
regularly is fun, and learning the Indoor FF game is much easier
with mentors.
Doing anything that supports any of these areas is a great way
to help Indoor FF.
Although I haven’t met many people who weren’t amazed and
intrigued by Indoor FF models once they saw them, spectators
are still relatively rare. This isn’t surprising when you think about
the places in which we typically fly (tucked-away gyms, old air
docks, and off-hour sports facilities) and the fact that we try hard
to keep air disturbances to a minimum. Our activity is often not
as spectator-friendly as, say, an event at the local RC flying field.
However, that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t love having you
come watch if you are curious. Just walk slowly and wait until
people are finished winding before asking questions. I guarantee
you’ll be amazed.
Once your curiosity is sparked, the next step is finding
information to fuel the fire. I’ve listed several Web sites at the end
of this column that are great starting points. Poke around on the
links and join the forums. The Web pages are also a great way to
find flying sites, flying buddies, and mentors. Experience the
magic of Indoor FF!
The Local Scene—Cleveland OH: As a member of the National
Free Flight Society Indoor Committee (more about that in future
columns), I’ve volunteered to continue Bud Tenny’s flying-site
inventory work. I’d like to evolve the format slightly, though.
Individual flying sites can come and go, but local flying groups
tend to last. Therefore, I propose that we start a collection of
descriptions of the groups that keep Indoor FF alive.
Please send me the story of what’s going on in your area: flying
sites, coordinators, participants, events, history, etc. Get a little bit
of fame and help newcomers and traveling modelers figure out
where to go and who to contact. I’ll start the ball rolling with the
scene in my area: Cleveland, Ohio.
The current godfather of Cleveland Indoor FF is Vernon
Hacker (whose contact info is at the end of the column). He keeps
us all in line, maintains the relationship with our main practice site,
and is the one to get in touch with for information about flying
sessions and local mentors. He has also been a longtime advocate
of Junior participation, coordinating fund-raisers and motivating
the kids.
The Cleveland Clowns boasts veteran top-caliber competitors
such as Don and Chuck Slusarczyk, Larry Loucka, Tom Sova
(although Tom is more of a crossover from the Detroit, Michigan,
group), and many relatively new participants who are making
names for themselves. Other big names from nearby areas travel to
Cleveland, but I’ll let them make the roll call when they describe
their local scene.
During the school year we fly Sundays at the Andrew’s School
in Willoughby. Several national records have been set in the new
Category I open-girder-ceiling gym, although more records have
probably been set in the smaller, 18-foot flat-ceiling old gym.
We used to fly three times a year in the Akron Airdock, one of
the few remaining worldwide tall sites, but a new blimp contract
has bumped us out—hopefully only temporarily.
Cleveland is within a comfortable driving distance of several
popular contests during the year, including Buffalo, New York;
Flint, Michigan; Kent, Ohio; Champaign, Illinois; West Baden,
Indiana; and even the US Indoor Championships at Johnson City,
Tennessee.
There is a great deal of Science Olympiad (SO) Wright Stuff
activity, with many school teams appearing regularly to practice
and share information. The extra effort and preparation shows
when the SO invitations and states roll around.
Local SO dad Wayne Johnson has even started a cottage
industry—Geauga Precision Model—
providing Indoor FF supplies such as
winders, torque meters, and various
building accessories.
Support of the SO program has paid off
richly in returns to the Indoor community
in the following ways.
• The last two FAI F1D Junior Team
Selection Finals have actually been contests
to reduce the competitors to three-person
teams, as opposed to previous years when
we were glad if we had even one Junior to
represent the US.
• A small but steady stream of new Indoor
FF participants has flowed in from the SO
program. Many have proven to be
exceptionally competitive, even against the
“experts.”
• Parents of SO kids have been motivated
to participate—and learn that it’s not so
easy to “just make it stop stalling.”
Whether you are visiting the Cleveland
area or moving near our great city, come
out and fly with us!
PFSIP: Finding and maintaining
relationships with good Category II, III,
and IV sites is one of our bigger challenges.
It seems like all the great places to fly are
trickling away. I’m convinced, however,
that there are new great sites—such as the
sports domes in Johnson City and Moscow,
Idaho—just waiting to be “discovered.”
Granted, no new airdocks are going up
to replace the legendary sites such as
Cardington, Akron, and Santa Ana. But the
smaller sports domes, while lacking in
ultimate record-setting potential, offer
some great benefits.
The air is often superb—well insulated
from whatever might be going on outside.
They are usually easier to access, without
the military restrictions that accompany
most of the airdocks. And, best of all, they
exist.
As one of the goals of this column, I’d
like to start something called the Potential
Flying Site Inventory Project, or PFSIP
(pronounced “puh-fsss-ip”). Yeah, yeah,
it’s not the best acronym, but it’s a worthy
project anyway.
Maybe there’s a sports hall at your local
university. Or maybe there’s an armory or
convention center downtown. Maybe you
know the manager at your local sports
team’s indoor stadium. Maybe you are the
manager.
If you know of a place that is more than
50 feet high, has plenty of open space, and
is enclosed, I’d love to hear about it. It
could be the next legendary Indoor site.
Send me an E-mail with as much of the
following info as you can.
• Site name/location
• Height (actual or estimated)
• Floor space (actual or estimated)
• Availability (dates, time of year, etc.)
• Site contact info (name, number, address,
etc.)
• Referral name (It’s all about who you
know.)
I’ll put together a list that will reside in
the files section of the Yahoo! Groups
Indoor mailing list. Local Indoor fliers can
check out the site and contact the leads. It
would only take one great new site to make
this project a booming success.
Spectator FAQ: Just for fun, I’m going to
include one frequently asked spectator
question per column. We’ll see how long it
lasts. Send me your favorites. This
quarter’s is, “How do you get the propeller
to turn so slowly?”
Because I’ve answered this inquiry so
many times, I now reply, “I make the
airplane light.” This usually generates a
puzzled/annoyed look and a “No, I mean
how do you keep the rubber band from
spinning the prop around really fast?”
It seems many people think back to
their days with something such as a
Guillow’s Strato Streak, picturing the
propeller going around as fast as it could.
The propeller only needs to turn as fast as
required to generate as much thrust as
required to keep the model aloft. And a
light airplane needs less thrust and fewer
rpm.
But usually a more satisfying response
is to ask those who ask that question to
visualize moving a thin stick through
water, and then imagine doing the same
thing with a paddle. Minus all the
mathematics, this seems to give them a
decent feel for what the propeller is doing.
’Til next time. MA
Sources:
Vernon Hacker
25599 Breckenridge
Euclid OH 44117
(216) 486-4990
[email protected]
Wayne Johnson
Geauga Precision Models
9113 Robinson Rd.
Chardon OH 44024
[email protected]
Web sites:
Yahoo! Indoor group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/indoor
Indoor Duration
www.indoorduration.com
Small Flying Arts
www.smallflyingarts.com