Author: John Kagan
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/10
Page Numbers: 129,130,131,132
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42:03: Brett Sanborn’s new F1D World Record

by John Kagan [email protected]

The 2012 Indoor FF season is in full swing, and we’ve already had a number of great flying events across the country.

I attended the July 4 contest at historic Hangar 1 in Lakehurst, New Jersey, where the Junior and Senior F1D teams got in some last-minute practice for the World Championships that were held August 8–13, 2012, in Belgrade, Serbia.

The World Championships will be completed by the time you read this; use the link in the "Sources" list to find out the individual and team results.

Senior team member Brett Sanborn has been working hard on his program, reworking nearly every aspect with exceptional results. He has combined key elements from other successful designs and added his own twists.

Most striking are his sparless, carbon-outline propellers, pioneered by German Lutz Schramm, combined with the composite construction that reigning world champion Ivan Treger applied to Bernard Hunt’s variable-pitch hub design.

Brett’s propellers are on the heavier end of the spectrum, but he’s put other parts of the model on a diet to keep the overall weight reasonable.

The propellers and the model’s other improvements look great and perform even better. How much better?

Brett won the team selection contest with a national record of 38:36, bumped it up to 39:15 a couple of weeks ago, and then blew it out of the water at this contest with a national and world record of 42:03!

Brett’s success has prompted me to examine my own program, and I realized that I was flying 10-year-old models that were exhausted. The sturdier, plastic-covered models resulting from the 2000 rule change certainly last longer than their microfilm predecessors, but I’m finding that they can last too long.

As the second Senior team member, I’m taking the role seriously and have begun refurbishing my top models. There is much work to do and little time to do it.

Senior team member Nick Ray and Junior team members Parker and Spencer Tyson attended and worked hard on their preparations. Wish our team luck!

F1D Team Sponsorship

I want to offer a special thank-you and extend a welcome to Cooper Tires, new sponsors of the US F1D Team. The company’s generous support will help keep the team competitive.

Our new team jerseys will feature the Cooper Tires logo prominently displayed, along with a nifty new team logo designed by Brett Sanborn and me.

Indoor FF Nats/USIC

We had a great 2012 Indoor FF Nats/USIC at the Mini-Dome in Johnson City, Tennessee. Fifty-one competitors, plus approximately 20 kids from the Smyrna, Georgia, Flying Aces Club (FAC), battled it out in the complete suite of AMA, FAI, FAC, and National Free Flight Society (NFFS) events. Check out a daily play-by-play online in AMA’s NatsNews.

The Mini-Dome is better than ever. It received well-deserved ceiling repairs and some great-looking basketball murals at the entrances. The netting at the ends of the dome that proved troublesome to errant models has also been removed.

I was happy to see the East Tennessee State University Bucs basketball team in this year’s March Madness. It looks as though the Mini-Dome and surrounding area is benefitting from the team’s success.

On the subject of improvements, Johnson City itself is on an upswing, with a new set of interesting restaurants and attractions to enjoy when we aren’t flying. Cootie Brown’s, an eclectic family-owned eatery down the street from the Mini-Dome, gets my recommendation.

The 2013 competition is being scheduled, and we could use some new faces to join the festivities. The rest of us will continue to have fun and cover the costs, but it only gets better when there are more people involved. Next year’s theme is "bring a buddy to USIC." Even if you’ve never been before, grab a friend and start working on some models now.

Find a local gym in which to fly. Information is being compiled on the NFFS website to help you learn how to get it done. Scheduling sessions once a month is reasonable. As you get local people involved, you can plan road trips to the larger regional and national meets. Strong local activity is the key to Indoor FF's success.

2013 will see the return of the Limited Penny Plane (LPP) Pro/Am contest at the Indoor Nats. This is a great way to get the Indoor FF experience firsthand, without having to first cross the various barriers to entry. It is an excellent opportunity to learn from experienced Indoor competitors. Be sure to take advantage of it.

The Smyrna FAC group has issued an open invitation to all other FAC squadrons to come join the fun. Battle hard and earn coveted Kanones.

Do you and your model have what it takes to outlast Indoor expert Larry Loucka's Peanut in World War I Combat? Can you build a No-Cal Profile Scale model that will take advantage of Indoor weather conditions and deal with the ceiling-height restrictions? Do you enjoy helping kids get the most out of a model they built themselves? Trek to USIC 2013 and find out.

The banner problem is a thing of the past. The removal and replacement cost was generously funded by the AMA for 2012. Donations have already covered the cost for 2013, and subsequent years will be covered by proceeds from the raffle and other donations.

The contest runs for five days, so you can enjoy as much or as little flying as you like. Many contestants stay the entire time and fly a variety of events. Some stay only a day or two and hit their favorites.

The dates aren't firm yet, but it will be near Memorial Day. If you live within driving distance—which is practically anywhere east of Kansas—start planning your trip now!

Kibbie Dome

For those in the northwest part of the country, the Kibbie Dome event in Moscow, Idaho, is considered the sister contest to the Johnson City Nats. The site received its own set of improvements and the two ends of the building were rebuilt. This year's event was the first after the full renovation, and the results are positive.

John Sayre won Hand-Launched Glider with two 90-second flights. It was an outstanding performance. Legendary flier Larry Coslick took first in EZB with 29:12, and also in the prototype 0.6-gram EZB event inspired by his Hobby Shopper construction article. (Get your copy of the excellent treatise using the link in the "Sources" list.)

Former Junior F1D team member and Junior World Championships silver medalist Tim Chang returned to win Intermediate Stick over Coslick.

Rising star Royce Chung, a Junior, beat everyone in LPP with a 13:42. Word has it that Royce will be competing for a Junior F1D Team spot in 2013. Keep an eye out.

This year's event roughly broke even, but it is in dire need of more participants to join in the fun. A group from Britain has announced its intention to attend in 2013, and the US F1D team selection contest is slated to be held during the event. If you've been thinking about checking out the Kibbie Dome, 2013 will be a great year to do it.

Indoor Flying

The Detroit Balsa Bugs and Cloudbusters Model Airplane Club joined forces and gained access to a 70-foot site at the Ultimate Indoor Soccer Arenas in Pontiac, Michigan. Members are able to fly a few hours every Thursday. This past spring, the clubs hosted an indoor contest featuring AMA and FAC events, with a large number of enthusiastic attendees.

It is hard enough to find an affordable, decent-size site with reasonable air. These fliers won the Indoor lottery. The full-size indoor soccer fields are gigantic. AMA events ran at one end and the faster FAC events flew at the other, with plenty of space in between. The air is superb. I made a 28-minute F1D flight that did not require a single steer.

This contest is worth traveling for. Watch for the 2013 edition.

Glastonbury Aeromodelers

In my last column I called for "leader" personalities to step up and organize local Indoor activity, a key ingredient for the overall health of the Indoor community. John Koptonak is one of these leaders.

John organized Indoor endeavors in Norwich, Connecticut, when I was just getting started, and was instrumental in getting me hooked on what has become a lifelong pursuit. John now runs the Glastonbury, Connecticut, Indoor scene. He wrote:

“Since returning to Connecticut 6 1/2 years ago, I have been the Indoor flying leader for flying activities at Glastonbury High School. I have maintained the same schedule of sessions that George [Armstead] had and act as CD for the two full-day contests each season.

“The club maintains a mailing list of over 120 members and continues to promote Indoor flying on a local level.

“We have new faces flying with us and our contests continue to draw at least 20 contestants. We have a good mix of events, both AMA and FAC. P-24 continues to be a popular and competitive event, along with LPP. We've even added Manhattan Cabin to the agenda hoping some of the FAC guys might give that a try.

“We have a great group of fliers who are enthusiastic and have lots of fun. I actually consider the Glastonbury Aeromodelers one of the more active, strictly FF Indoor groups in the US.”

I've asked John to join the NFFS Indoor Committee so that he can share his successes with a wider audience. We need people such as John organizing Indoor activity in local groups across the country.

The more people flying, the more fun we'll all have. Plus, it will be easier to afford the national-level sites.

SOURCES

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.