FREE FLIGHT INDOOR - 2003/11

118 MODEL AVIATION
I HAVE PERIODICALLY asked Steve Brown about the hangars at
Santa Ana MCIF. His answers have grown steadily more gloomy.
Apparently the hangars, once one of the world’s best sites, had
collapsed, probably from lack of repairs.
The 2003 US Indoor Championships (USIC), or Indoor Nationals,
had lower attendance than in previous years. I asked Steve Brown his
opinion about why. He replied:
“I think the cumulative failure of the hobby to attract newcomers
and keep them. During the 1980s, other than myself, and of the 1990s
guys, only John Kagan is still flying. So many people we counted on
(Coslick, Underwood, the Lenards, etc.) drifted away.
“With the loss of our flying sites and with the aging of the 1960s
and 1970s fliers, things are really not good. We really can’t promote
the hobby without regular flying sessions in high sites. This is quite a
contrast to the ‘golden years’ of the 1960s and 1970s.”
Sites We Have: Carl Bakay, editor of Indoor News and Views, has
been cataloging and profiling Indoor sites worldwide. I asked him
about currently active US Indoor sites. He produced the following
list.
“Here is what I have, including some very active high school
sites; I have included them.”
“Gymnasium of the Willamette Modelers, Albany OR
“Kibbie Dome, University of Idaho, Moscow ID
“Tropicana Dome, Saint Petersburg FL
“North Springs High School, Sandy Springs GA
“Teachers Memorial Junior High School, Norwich CT
“City Auditorium, Beatrice NE
“National Guard Armory, Oklahoma City OK
“University of Illinois Armory, Champaign IL
“Kent State University, Kent OH
“National Guard Armory, Tampa FL
“MiniDome Field House, East Tennessee State University,
Johnson City TN
“Everett and Oxblow Recreation Center, Seattle WA
“Hangars #1 and #6, Lakehurst NJ
“Massachusetts Institute of Technology Du Pont gym, Cambridge
MA
“UniDome, University of Iowa, Cedar Falls IA
“National Gallery, Washington DC
“Bedford Boys Ranch, Bedford TX
Bud Tenny, Box 830545, Richardson TX 75083
FREE FLIGHT INDOOR
Edgar Seay, pioneer Texas hobby-shop owner, has brought merchandise and display
models to US Indoor Championships for years. Dave Linstrum photo.
Len Surtees, Australian HLG Champ,
came to a recent USIC to try to beat Lee
Hines’ Cat. IV record. Linstrum photo.
The late Richard Doig was a superb craftsman; that is evident by
looking at this spring scale. Doig photo.
120 MODEL AVIATION
“Inside Swing Golf Dome, Burton (Flint) MI
“New Covenant Fellowship, Penfield (Rochester) NY
“Heritage Junior High School, Sterling MI
“Akron Air Dock, Akron OH
“West Baden Resort, West Baden IN”
Steering Basics: Steering is either a necessary strategy or an
emergency action undertaken with trepidation, usually too little and
too late. Any serious Indoor flier, regardless of which events he or
she flies in, needs to know a lot about steering.
Models that hang up are quite often damaged, sometimes
severely. Models can hang up during test-flying and at contests. At a
contest you should have a backup model, but it is a shame to lose a
good airplane before you get it trimmed!
Models in any class in which the rules do not prohibit steering
can be steered. The next limit is how fast the model flies. If you are
nimble enough, you can learn to steer it. Don’t try to steer a model
for the first time at a contest. You may desperately want to steer it,
but you need to know ahead of time if it has strange quirks in
response to steering. Otherwise, you may wreck it or someone else’s
model.
Some contest directors may define no-steer areas in a site. If a
faster model gets over bleachers or seats in a stadium, it is safer to
try to capture the model than to lead it back over the floor. You must
devote a great deal of attention to keeping the model on the line, and
you are likely to fall over a seat, step, or railing, possibly injuring
yourself and almost surely wrecking the model unless it is very
stable.
For years, steering was done using balloons. Extendible steering
poles were permitted later, which made it possible to steer in areas
where balloons couldn’t be easily used—in corners and under
building hardware that might puncture the balloon. A microfilm
model that is too close to an exploding balloon instantly becomes a
wad of scraps! So two tools and two steering techniques exist to
enhance the safety of wayward models.
The discipline of steering began with using balloons to retrieve
models that were stuck in the ceiling hardware or in crossbraces that
tie the building framework together. The art of steering is simple in
concept, but lots of practice is required to make it work well for you.
The accompanying drawing shows the most basic steering action.
The solid circle shows the current orbit, and the dashed circle shows
where you want the new orbit. Raise the balloon higher than the
model, and move it so that the string passes behind the propeller and
ahead of the wing. When the string contacts the motorstick, let the
model fly forward until the wing touches the string.
Now you can walk forward toward the new orbit. The model will
follow the string as you move toward the new location. Release the
model when you get there. Carefully move the balloon straight away
from the model, avoiding the propeller. If you do catch the propeller,
have a helper stand by as you lower the balloon just fast enough so
that the model stays level as it descends.
The late John “Doc” Martin (R) discusses finer points of his new
Indoor Scale model with Ed Seay. Linstrum photo.
Doc Martin shows off several of his Indoor Scale models. He
could make any Scale model fly well. Linstrum photo.
Plano-brand fishing tackle boxes make excellent flight kits.
Basic steering technique. Path A shows last possible time to
steer from current orbit (solid line) to new (dashed line). Path B
shows optimum capture point. Author sketch.
When your helper can reach the string,
have him or her pull the balloon lower to
slacken the string. With his or her other
hand, the helper can steady the model,
leaving you both hands to deal with the
aircraft. Hold the propeller with your left
hand and remove the string from the model.
Then have the helper lower the balloon
slowly so that it doesn’t snag another
model.
If you want to capture the model instead
of steer it, move the string against the
motorstick as before, but move forward to
snag the propeller. Lead the model away
from danger, and lower it as before. You
and your helper can then unhook the model.
After any balloon/aircraft contact,
inspect the model carefully to make sure it
hasn’t been damaged. Repair it even if it
was only slightly harmed. Otherwise, the
next launch might cause more damage. Be
safe, not sorry! The minute it takes to
inspect the model is time well spent.
Steering in low-ceiling sites is different
because there may not be room to get the
balloon above the model. Almost all you
122 MODEL AVIATION
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can do is let the propeller or wingtip touch
the balloon. The model will stall and drop
lower, where you can safely catch it and
move it to the new orbit.
Dedicated Cat. I fliers have their own
extendible steering poles. When steering
poles were first permitted, the legal length
was between 2 and 8 meters. After the
length restriction was removed, Richard
Doig pointed out that even toothpicks were
legal for steering!
As noted before, extendible poles
adapted from crappie fishing poles became
common. Until Kevlar poles became
available, the poles were heavy and so
flexible that shaky hands caused the tip to
wiggle like a nervous snake, endangering the
model. The Kevlar poles were much lighter
and much stiffer. Precise steering became
much easier to learn.
In ceilings within reach of the top of the
pole, there is another danger in flat-ceiling
sites; it is possible to snag the tip so that it
could whip forward into the model. This
disrupts your aim and timing, and it can ruin
your whole day if you hit the model! If you
really need to steer, be careful to avoid
leaving the pole in the flight area when you
finish. Someone might trip on it and fall or
crush it.
A balloon should be selected according
to the site, which helps you steer more
accurately. If the pole isn’t quite long
enough, you might be tempted to steer on
tiptoe—which is unsafe for you and the
model! It is often possible to modify your
November 2003 125
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pole to better fit the site.
1) Aluminum tubing attached to the
bottom of the pole makes it reach
higher.
2) Precision aluminum tubing attached in
place of the floppy top section makes a
stiffer pole that works better.
3) Attach a scrap of brightly colored rag to
the tip; that helps you see exactly where
the tip is if the ceiling area isn’t well lit.
Be sure that your balloon has enough lift
to maintain a tight line; otherwise, you are
trying to control a long, limp noodle! If the
balloon has lost helium it will lag behind so
that it isn’t right above your hand—sort of
like trying to steer with a kite. It can’t be
done.
I once experimented with some red 11-
inch-diameter party balloons using light white
thread. I could steer pretty well at 30 feet, but
only for roughly two hours before the
balloons lost too much lift.
A high-ceiling balloon can’t be used safely
in a low-ceiling site such as an armory; the
iron supporting the roof is typically a lattice of
rusty steel that may quickly pop any balloon
that doesn’t hang up in the trusses. If you
underinflate the balloon to make it fit, it may
quickly run out of lift.
A true high-ceiling balloon, such as a
weather balloon, can hold enough helium to
lift several pounds. A deep-sea-fishing reel
with an extended handle will hold it down,
quickly play out line to get the balloon to
working altitude, then wind it down quickly.
The reel should have only enough line to
reach from the floor to approximately 4 feet
from the ceiling.
You can raise your hand to reach high
enough, but if the line accidentally unwinds,
the balloon can’t get into trouble. The line
must be attached to the spool in the reel, or it
could fly away. If the reel isn’t heavy enough,
it will float up to the ceiling and stay there
until the balloon loses lift. Hang a wrench on
the reel to hold it down! MA