What Is Free Flight? Simply stated, a Free
Flight model aircraft is one in which there is
no physical connection between the
aeromodel and the competitor during flight.
There are no control lines; there is no radio
control. But how does the model fly? Careful
design, construction, and adjustments allow it
to fly on its own, balancing the forces of
flight.
Free Flight is the oldest form of model
aviation. In fact, it is the oldest form of fixedwing
aviation. A century before the Wright
brothers made their first flight, Sir George
Cayley was experimenting with kite-based
gliders. The results of his scientific
experiments were published in a book titled
On Aerial Navigation.
In 1871 Frenchman Alphonse Penaud’s
Planophore flew 40 meters (approximately
131 feet) and stayed aloft 11 seconds. (The
statistics are surprisingly close to those of the
Wrights’ first powered flight in 1903 of 120
feet, 12 seconds.) Penaud’s 18-inch-wingspan
model used a pusher propeller, powered by a
rubber motor. It was the first sustained, stable
flight by an aircraft.
Hundreds of models of the Planophore and
Penaud’s rubber-powered helicopter were sold
in Paris. Bishop Wright brought one of these
helicopter models back to his sons Wilbur and
Orville, sparking their interest in aviation.
Free Flight is very much alive today.
Internationally, sportsmen from more than 30
countries compete in the Free Flight World
Championships, most recently held at Lost
Hills, California, in October 2001. The Free
Flight Nationals regularly draws more than
200 contestants from the across the United
States. The National Free Flight Society’s
Louis Joyner, 6 Saturday Rd., Mt. Pleasant SC 29464
FREE FLIGHT DURATION
Leonid Fuzeyev’s folding-wing F1C Power model placed second at 2001 World Champs.
Outer wing panels are folded under before launch, giving it a symmetrical airfoil.
Viewed from the bottom, the hinge lines on the Rose Pelican are readily apparent.
Reduced chord of tip panel allows it to fold inside other sections.
(NFFS) membership exceeds 1,600 members.
Free Flight models range from simple
stick-and-tissue models to complex, high-tech
craft constructed from carbon fiber, Kevlar,
and aluminum. Costs can run from a few
dollars to more than $2,000.
Although some people do fly Free Flight
models strictly for the fun of watching the
aircraft climb against the sky and glide slowly
downward, competition is the essence of Free
Flight for most of us.
Almost all Free Flight events are scored
based on duration: the time the model stays
aloft. To limit the distance a model flies,
there is a maximum limit on the duration of a
single flight. These times vary from event to
event and can be changed to fit the size of the
field or weather conditions. A typical max for
smaller-field contests is two minutes. Any
time surpassing the set max does not count.
A device called a dethermalizer is used to
bring the model down after it has reached the
max. The most popular type simply allows
the horizontal stabilizer to pop up to roughly
40°, causing the model to go into a deep stall
and descend parachutelike to the ground.
Binoculars are used to follow the flight from
the ground.
Since the models can drift considerable
distances, especially in windy weather or
when there are strong thermals, bicycles and
motorbikes are often used for retrieval. In
addition, many modelers use small, lowpower
tracking transmitters in the models to
aid in finding them; this has all but
eliminated the loss of Free Flight models.
However, Free Flight is not a cutthroat,
win-at-all-costs type of competition. The
amount of help that more-experienced
competitors are willing to give to aid new
modelers is often a surprise to people coming
to Free Flight from other hobbies or sports.
Tools, advice, and even spare parts are given
freely. Tips and techniques are shared
130 M ODEL AVIATION
willingly. There are few secrets. Having a
friend, or even someone you just met, spend
hours in a cornfield helping you find a model
is common.
Free Flight includes a wide variety of
events, allowing most modelers to find
categories that suit their abilities, interests,
budgets, and temperaments. Small rubberpowered
models such as in the popular P-30
class are easy and inexpensive to build, yet
offer surprisingly good performance. Power
models offer the exciting sound of an engine
turning at more than 30,000 rpm.
Simple Hand-Launched or Catapult
Gliders, carefully built from solid balsa, can
provide hours of enjoyment when practicing
at a nearby soccer field as well as the thrill of
a contest-winning thermal flight. Old-Timer
and Nostalgia events allow modelers to build
and fly designs dating back to the earlier days
of model aviation.
Models can be as simple, or as complex,
as you want. For AMA events the competitor
must build the model from a kit or from
scratch. There is no Builder of the Model rule
in the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
(FAI) international classes, which allows
contestants to purchase manufactured
components or even complete models.
Yet some modelers continue to build their
own aircraft, often stretching the envelope
with innovative and ingenious models such as
Leonid Fuzeyev’s Rose Pelican folding-wing
F1C Power model, which the NFFS selected
as one of the Models of the Year.
The best place to find out more about Free
Flight is the NFFS Web site:
www.freeflight.org. There you will see
information about a wide range of Free Flight
activities and about joining the society and
The plan shows the complex folding mechanism. The span is 1,004mm during climb,
opening to 2,644mm (roughly 104 inches) for the glide. Drawing courtesy NFFS.
Besides building models, Leonid makes his own engines. Note venturi cover used to
close off air intake and help stop engine at end of five-second run.
Walter Boyer’s O.S. Pet-powered Da Box
is typical of the simpler, unautomated
Nostalgia Gas models.
January 2003 131
subscribing to its publication, Free Flight
digest.
You can also write to the NFFS
membership office in care of Hank Nystrom,
3317 Pine Timbers Dr., Johnson City TN
37604-1404. The membership is $39 for two
years. A one-year membership is available for
$20. Check about Junior and non-US-resident
memberships. A membership roster is
available to members only.
Free Flight kits and supplies are available
by mail order from a number of sources across
the country and, indeed, from around the
world. The NFFS Web site has links to some
of these suppliers and to other Free Flight
organizations around the globe. Check
previous Duration columns for names of
suppliers. If you need help, send me a selfaddressed,
stamped envelope with a note
about what type of Free Flight kits or supplies
you are looking for. I’ll try to help.
If you are interested in getting started in
Free Flight, following are some suggested
steps: join NFFS, find a Free Flight modeler
in your area, build a simple kit (a P-30 is a
good choice), go to a contest, and fly.
2002 Symposium: Free Flight is a sport based
on the knowledge of aerodynamics and
structures. Each year the NFFS publishes a
symposium report. The 2002 edition, edited
by Joseph “Bucky” Servaites, is the 35th
annual Sympo. The range of papers and
articles in this 142-page book shows the
breadth of interests and abilities of the Free
Flight community.
Just a few of the articles this year are
“Nostalgia Engine Hop Up” by Bo Clinton;
Performance Analysis of the Playboy Sr.” by
Dick Huang; “Eliminating Untrimmable FF
Troubles” by William F. McCombs; “De-
Mystifying Molding Techniques” by Larry
Norval; “Composite Wings for Outdoor &
Indoor Hand Launched Gliders” by Len
Surtees; and “The Zeek Chronicles” by the
late Harry Murphy, who wrote this column
for many years.
Fritz Mueller wrote a paper about his
experiments with simple, low-cost electronic
timers. There are also two articles about
F1E—magnet-steered slope soaring—which
is a branch of Free Flight that is little known
in this country but popular in Europe.
Two technical papers provide insight into
the scientific aspects of Free Flight:
“Aerodynamic Measurements of Cambered
Thin Plate Airfoils at Low Reynolds
Numbers” by James E. Parry and W. Jerry
Bowman, Ph.D. and “Aerodynamic
Measurements of Flat Plate Wings at Low
Reynolds Number and Low Aspect Ratio” by
Kevin A. Paulson and Dr. Bowman.
Other articles of interest include “Flying
Aces Club” by Dave Rees, Dave Stott, and
Lin Reichel; “Remembering Endless October,
2001” by Bob Johannes; “Fixtures, Jigs,
Tools, and Techniques for Balsawood
Construction” by Chuck Markos; and “The
Rose Pelican, a Folding Wing F1C Power
Model” by Leonid Fuzeyev. Laurie Barr’s
piece entitled “Wanted: Large Air Space”
explores the possibilities of flying Indoor
models in one of the new CargoLifter
hangars.
132 M ODEL AVIATION
Included in the Sympo are profiles of
André Schandel and the late Tom
McLaughlan, who are 2002 inductees into
the Free Flight Hall of Fame.
The 2002 Models of the Year, selected
by Mike Roberts and committee, include
Andrey Burdov’s Sweet G F1G, Joe
Clawson’s Espirit 620 Large AMA Power,
Leonid Fuzeyev’s Rose Pelican F1C, Thom
Greenhalge’s Majestyk P-30, Clarence
Mather’s Lean Machine Dawn Unlimited,
and Chris Starleaf’s Fokker 100 Flying Aces
Club Scale. Jim Crocket received a special
award for his cast-aluminum rubber hooks
and other Free Flight accessories.
You can order a 2002 Sympo from NFFS
Publications, c/o Robert McLinden, Box
7967, Baltimore MD 21221. The price is
$25 for NFFS members and $30 for
nonmembers. Postage is $4.
2003 Sympo: I’ll be editing the 2003 Sympo.
We are soliciting papers on all aspects of
Indoor and Outdoor Free Flight. The papers
can be technical or nontechnical. If you are
interested in contributing, please E-mail me
at [email protected] or write me at the
address at the top of the column.
Lee Hines has agreed to chair the
committee for the Models of the Year
selection. If you would like to nominate a
model, please contact Lee by E-mail at
[email protected].
Indoor Wood and Carbon Pultrusions: That
may seem like a strange combination. I was
a bit surprised when I opened the package
and found samples of carbon-fiber trailingedge
stock suitable for an F1A Glider and
1⁄100 inch sheet balsa you could read through.
But that’s what Tim Goldstein is selling,
along with sharp double-edge razor blades
and a few other Indoor supplies.
The carbon-fiber pultrusions come in a
variety of shapes and sizes for use as spars,
trailing edges, and rib caps. The trailingedge
material is trapezoidal in shape to
match the curve of a typical undercambered
airfoil. It is available in three widths:
1.6mm, 3.0mm, and 3.8mm. Rectangular
stock comes in three widths: 2.0mm,
4.0mm, and 6.0mm. The narrow strip,
suitable for rib capping, is available in
1.0mm, 1.5mm, 2.0mm, and 3.0mm. For
more information and how to order, visit
Tim’s Web site at
www.outdoorduration.com.
The Indoor balsa is custom-cut to order
and is only available via the Web site
www.f1d.biz. This site also lists Tim’s other
Indoor specialty items such as precision glue
bottles, razor blades, boron filament, and
glue and dope plasticizer. Also available are
a propeller pitch gauge, a torque meter, and
a balsa stripper, all designed for Indoor
modelers.
Tim edits Indoor News and Views, which
is the international newsletter for Indoor
Duration. A subscription to the bimonthly
publication is $15 per year in the US. You
can find out more about INAV at
www.indoorduration.com or by writing Tim
Goldstein at 13096 W. Cross Dr., Littleton
CO 80127. His E-mail address is
[email protected]. MA
