I want to start my first column by thanking John Kagan for his dedication in writing the Indoor column for the past 10 years. Indoor FF has a long heritage and ensuring that Indoor activities are regularly published can be difficult. On behalf of the Indoor FF community, please accept a heartfelt thank-you!
Now is a great time for me to introduce myself to those who are unfamiliar with me. My name is Don Slusarczyk and I have been flying Indoor FF for 30 years.
My first exposure to Indoor FF was as a kid digging through the attic of my house. I found two boxes and inside one box was a microfilm rise-off-ground (ROG) Cabin model and in the other a condenser-paper-covered stick model. I had no idea what they were, so I brought the paper stick model downstairs and asked my dad what it was.
The rubber was half rotted and the wood was dry and brittle, but I saw it fly across our living room and I was fascinated. It seemed as though I broke something with every touch, but I did not care. This airplane was cool!
My father, Chuck Slusarczyk, had flown Indoor models for many years and had saved some of his old models. A short time after finding these airplanes, my dad heard of a local Indoor contest and we decided to go. It was 1984 and I was 12 years old.
I built and flew a Jetco ROG in that contest. Although I finished in last place, I was hooked. My eyes were opened up to a new, exciting hobby and with strong support from my parents (and plenty of balsa wood), Indoor became not only my hobby, but one my father and I have shared since.
I plan to keep the joy of Indoor FF alive in this column. We have reasons why we fly Indoor and we share in the fascination and satisfaction of what we build and fly. I hope you will find my column useful, educational, and even inspirational for building or trying out a new event or technique.
I have always been encouraged by the Indoor community’s ability to freely share knowledge. If you have anything you want to impart—a photo of your latest build, a fixture you designed that you find useful, or a contest announcement—email me anytime.
Facebook Page
A few months ago I started a Facebook page for Indoor FF. The URL is www.facebook.com/IndoorFreeFlight and I encourage all Facebook users to stop by.
There is not much activity going on there yet, but all Indoor enthusiasts are welcome to stop by and post. The page is meant for all to enjoy, so please feel free to post photos of your latest Indoor creations and also chat with Indoor modelers worldwide.
2015-2016 Rules-Change Cycle
Any rules-change proposals for this cycle had to be submitted to the AMA by March 15, 2014. I encourage everyone to go to the AMA website and look at the Indoor FF rules proposals that have been submitted and contact your district Indoor Contest Board member and voice your opinions about them.
Multiple proposals have been submitted for this rules-change cycle that I would like to discuss. A number of these proposals are ones I have submitted. The majority of them are clerical in nature in an attempt to clarify and clean up portions of the rulebook that have needed updating for several years.
For example, Class A ROG does not have the event number listed in the rulebook. However, it is listed on the sanction application and in the national record listing. There are several other events such as this and similar proposals have been submitted to add the event number to those as well.
Another clerical issue in the rulebook concerns how FAI Indoor events are scored for AMA national records. The rulebook specifies how it is to be done for FAI Indoor but only F1D is listed in that section. Because F1L and F1M are now official AMA events, that definition needs to be expanded to include them as well for consistency.
There is also a proposal regarding the 35cm event. This has been popular for many years and the FAI has recently adopted the event under the designation of F1R. This rule proposal would add F1R to the AMA rulebook as a record-setting event, in the same manner that F1L and F1M were added to the rulebook when adopted by the FAI.
The next proposals are likely to cause some debate. Two regarding A-6 propose removing the paper-covering requirement and allowing plastic film to be used. The reason is that it is hard to find lightweight condenser paper, and when combined with the minimum wood size requirements, using 4-pound balsa is necessary to achieve the 1.2-gram minimum weight.
The last two proposals concern deleting two events from the rulebook. The first event, Experimental Autogiro, has been provisional for more than 20 years. It has not progressed since its initial proposal and deleting it seems appropriate. The other event proposed for deletion is Kit/Plan Scale, because Dime Scale has rendered it obsolete.
2014 International Postal Contest
This contest runs from January 1, 2014, until May 1, 2014. The events for this year’s Postal are A-6, MiniStick, and 1/2A.
1/2A Indoor is a new event that has a maximum 15-square-inch wing area and has to weigh a minimum of .010 ounces (283 mg). The complete rules for 1/2A, as well as the International Postal Contest flyer, can be found on the Willamette Modelers Club website. The URL is listed in “Sources.”
Cleveland Free Flight Society
The Cleveland Free Flight Society (CFFS) will again host an Indoor contest at the Kent State University Fieldhouse. Two full days are reserved for Indoor flying at this record-setting Category II site. The dates are Friday and Saturday, April 26-27, 2014. Saturday will be dedicated record trials from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. Sunday will be a combination of the annual CFFS club contest followed by record trials until 10 p.m.
The Kent State Fieldhouse has been the site for many of the current Indoor Category II records. If you have a chance to come fly at the fieldhouse, you will not be disappointed. The contest flyer can be downloaded from the address listed in “Sources.”
Until next time, keep your weights down and your times up!
