I contacted Associate Vice President (AVP) Reeves Lippincott about which event would be a good one to attend and when would be a good time to visit some Alaskan fliers. He suggested a Pattern event on June 21, followed by an International Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAA) event on June 22. The two longest days of the year provided ample flying time to hold two events on the same weekend.
A rainstorm canceled the Pattern event, but the weather cleared for the Big Bird event the following day. The scenery was breathtaking!
The annual IMAA Gary Rude Memorial Fun Fly was held at Groeshel Field, near Wasilla, Alaska, on June 22. Gary founded the Alaska IMAA chapter.
There were big, impressive electric gliders and World War I aircraft, but everyone kept an eye on Patrick Martin to see when he would fly his CARF-Models F4U Corsair with the big gas radial engine. Patrick put on a thrilling and masterful scale flying presentation.
I presented Reeves Lippincott with a Certificate of Appreciation for 25 years of service in District XI during the lunch gathering.
Reeves was recovering from back surgery and wanted to introduce Robert Stephens to me. Bob, who will replace Reeves as the Alaska AVP, is an AMA Life Member and has been involved in RC as a competitor and CD. Contact Bob if you find yourself in the Anchorage, Alaska, area and want to check out what’s going on.
There are several large clubs close to Anchorage and I was told that they find a way to fly all year!
A 1/4-scale Balsa USA D7 flown by Reeves Lippincott. Alaska photos by Bob Stevens.
The 2014 Indoor Free Flight Nats was held June 26-30 at the Kibbie Dome, in Moscow, Idaho.
With a more than 150-foot ceiling, this is a world-class Indoor FF site. It’s big enough to split the flying into two areas (light and lighter).
Phil Sullivan was the contest coordinator and kept track of the times for all 40 contest categories. The 23 contestants each entered several events. Phil stayed close to the laptop to enter times.
The building was open to flying from 6:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. for glider flights, then 9:30 a.m.-10 p.m. for rubber and electric flying. Only one door was used to enter the dome to minimize drafts. When the contestants walked out in slow motion to launch their airplanes! The airplanes are so fragile that the contestants walked at their flying speeds—very slow.
When a jogger ran through the dome, loud voices yelled, “No running, really! No running!” The jogger seemed to be oblivious to what was going on around him.
There are many names for the events that don’t mean a thing to novice pilots, such as Easy B, Bostonian, Manhattan, Coconut, and Penny Plane, which is the weight of a penny (3.1 grams). The F1D, with a wingspan of 21.65 inches and a weight of 1.4 grams, is truly a wonder! It’s easy to count the rpms when they only turn 45 revolutions per minute. Some 34-minute flights were recorded in the Kibbie Dome.
These competitors are the true artists of our hobby!
The Esquire was a rudder-only airplane designed in the early 1950s. This is Bruce Thorpe’s Esquire. kill this if you still need more room.
The Rogue Eagles Radio Control Club will host its fifth annual Vintage R/C Northwest Fly-In on August 29-30, 2014. RC airplanes that were designed before 1978 qualify for this relaxed Vintage flying event.
This event, held in Medford, Oregon, is all about revisiting our memories of the good old days of RC. It’s the only event of its kind in the Northwest. Come and enjoy!
For more information, call Bruce Thorpe at (541) 583-1708 or email him at [email protected].
There are still many more events this year, so you may see me at one near you.[dingbat]
Packing these models for travel is a delicate matter. The craftsmanship of the shipping containers is equal that of the models. Pictured is Kang Lee’s shipping crate.
Zevi Aronstein with his ornithopter. Zevi and his father, David, would often lie side-by-side on their backs in the middle of the floor, watching their airplanes fly.
Nick Ray with his F1D entry that placed second. The strings are used to check the wingspan.
Many thanks to my new friend, Ray Harlan, for his explanations of what I was looking at. His wealth of information helped me understand the 2014 Indoor FF Nats.