District IV-2011/09
National Building Museum Flying
The free-flight (FF) club D.C. Maxecuters hosted indoor flying at the National Building Museum on March 6, 2011. Flying in this historic building in the heart of Washington, D.C., is a perfect way to introduce the general public to the gentle magic of indoor flying.
Working with the museum staff, the club volunteered to conduct a Delta Dart building session followed by the always-exciting mass launch. Club members helped the kids trim their airplanes.
The Delta Darts were followed by an indoor contest, with FF airplanes in one atrium and RC airplanes in another. The museum was packed with visitors as families escaped the driving rain outside and enjoyed some family fun indoors.
Spectators could clearly see who was ahead during the numerous mass-launch events and cheer on their favorite Peanut Scale or No-Cal models. The four-story atriums provided lots of flying space. A favorite spot for spectators was the upper floors, where models flew up toward them.
The National Building Museum is an extraordinary structure with stately columns dating from 1887. The D.C. Maxecuters have been flying there several times a year since 1997. The flying models clearly demonstrate the same principles of good design seen in buildings: balancing forces, structural strength, and designed-in functionality.
Credit
Text and photos by Glen Simpers.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
