This is my final column—for the foreseeable future, at least. Although I have decided to pass the torch, I consider this a positive situation. My life has gotten pretty complicated, and it is time to regroup and simplify my obligations.
I am looking forward to getting back to what I love most about Indoor FF: flying! It has taken a while, but I’ve also communicated most of what I had in my head. People I’ve chatted with are surprised to hear that I’ve been writing the column for nearly 10 years.
The main reason I’m comfortable handing off the column is because I feel there is a new, enthusiastic wave of Indoor fliers to keep things going. I like the analogy of a campfire: every Scout learns that you start with a spark and some tinder, carefully nurturing the flame until it is strong enough for kindling, and then on to fuel wood.
Although Indoor FF certainly isn’t a bonfire, it isn’t a wisp of smoke in tinder either. There are pockets of healthy activity scattered across the country and throughout the world. The Internet provides a great way for Indoor fliers to shrink the distances in between. There is plenty of discussion and information to bootstrap newcomers and satiate veterans.
We still need to continue promoting our activity and attracting new participants. Large sites and national-level contests require bodies, and we are teetering on the edge of viability in most cases. But the good news is that the best way to show people the wonder of Indoor FF is to enjoy it ourselves.
I’ll still have other Indoor-related responsibilities, for the time being anyway. Here are a few highlights and statuses:
NFFS Indoor Committee Chairman
See the latest National Free Flight Society (NFFS) Symposium for a biography of the other committee members and an outline of the mission and goals we’ve defined to support and expand Indoor FF.
Current F1D Team Selection Program Chairman
We have implemented some adjustments from the previous cycle and are contemplating a few more for the next round. The main goal, as always, is to promote F1D in the US, develop the pool of contenders, and select the best team to represent our country.
The latest twist comes from the funding-level requirements in the latest World Championships Teams “Blue Book.” Previously, teams could earn full funding through either program participation levels or performance at previous world championships. Now, however, a program needs to have both. As a result, we are looking at ways to encourage more people to attend the team selection contest (we already have a history of high performance at the WCs).
2013 Indoor FF Nationals Contest Management Team Lead
We had to find a new site after updates to our previous home at the East Tennessee State University Mini-Dome rendered it unsuitable for model airplanes. Fortunately, we were allowed access to the University of Illinois Armory in Champaign, Illinois, and had a great contest.
The site was bigger than I had remembered, the air was stable during our August timeframe, and the surrounding community was hospitable, with lots of restaurants, hotels, and entertainment. I hope we will be able to return in 2014.
I am eventually going to have to cut back on some of these obligations, too, but for now I am looking forward to getting some more flying time. See you out there!
Other Resources
In case there is any downtime before a replacement columnist takes over, you can satisfy your thirst for Indoor FF news and information via a variety of other supplements.
Nick Ray runs the latest incarnation of the long-standing chronicle, Indoor News and Views. It is now a blog featuring submitted articles about the latest technology and downloadable plans, with a full archive of the previous paper-based issues. Nick has done an excellent job with it, and the site is a must-read for anyone interested in Indoor FF.
There are at least three forums with a healthy amount of current discussion: Yahoo Groups’ Indoor Construction site, Small Flying Arts, and Hip Pocket Aeronautics. Each has its own style, with differences in the content and method of delivery.
The NFFS’s monthly Digest and annual Symposium have some great Indoor content along with the other general FF topics.
Nearly all of these depend on participation for success, so go check them out.
A New Program to Support F1D in the US
One of the hurdles to becoming a serious F1D contender is acquiring the necessary tools and materials. Some of these resources are available, although obscure, requiring a scavenger hunt to locate and collect the bits and pieces. Others are more of a challenge, such as tools that are no longer being machined or materials no longer in production.
Our 5/99 rubber falls in the latter category. It alone will not catapult an average flier to the top ranks. In fact, there is only a marginal difference between it and other top batches, including the most recent Super Sport vintages, but when everything else in your program has been refined, a small improvement can make all the difference.
A recent source, who wishes to remain anonymous, brought a stash of 5/99 to my attention. The owner, who also wishes to remain anonymous, is no longer able to fly, and wanted the rubber to go to a good cause. I decided to put together a new program around it, with the goal to promote F1D in the US, and support new and existing US F1D participants.
The rubber was offered at a reasonable cost, and an Indoor FF patron, who also wishes to remain anonymous, fronted the funds.
Approved candidates will be given the opportunity to purchase 1/4 to 1/2 pound, with proceeds used to repay the patron. The intention is to balance “distributing the rubber to worthy candidates” with “stretching the supply as long as possible.”
Successful candidates will demonstrate both a need for the rubber and an aptitude and significant interest in F1D. The goal is to provide an incentive for participating in F1D, as well as to help develop promising US F1D fliers.
The US F1D Team Selection Committee will administer the program. Any committee member may nominate a candidate, with a simple majority of voting members required for approval. To get the ball rolling, I have nominated Evan Guyett and Nick Ray.
Evan began flying Indoor FF in 2013, and has already secured the top spot on the Junior F1D team, as well as finishing near the top of the Open fliers in several categories at the last Indoor Nats. I am confident Evan would put the resource to good use.
Nick Ray is a previous Junior and Senior F1D team member, and continues significant work to develop his program. He fell victim to the great salmon tragedy of 2013, and would benefit from some replacement 5/99. [His girlfriend threw away a bunch old salmon from his freezer; however, it turns out it wasn’t salmon, but rather his entire supply of 5/99!]
I hope this program enables new participants to succeed in F1D, and also puts some pressure on the successful candidates. We expect great things from you!
