FREE FLIGHT INDOOR - 2003/12

FROM MAY 28 to June 1, the East
Tennessee State University Mini-Dome
hosted the United States Indoor
Championships (USIC)/Indoor Nationals for
the 17th consecutive year. The Mini-Dome
saw Indoor competition for the first time in
1987, at the National Free Flight Societysponsored
USIC. Since then the AMA Indoor
Nationals has been combined with the USIC
for a joint-sponsored, five-day flying frenzy
under the massive 116-foot-high dome.
The USIC/Nats is one of the few events
on the Indoor contest calendar that offers
every conceivable Indoor category. From the
international rubber duration class of F1D to
local club “grudge match” events, if it is an
Indoor event with published rules, chances
are that it has a time slot on the schedule. The
result is 47 events packed into 65 hours of
flying; there truly is something for everyone.
If you have never attended an Indoor Free
Flight contest, you owe it to yourself to seek
one out and take a look. Indoor flying has
several inherent qualities. One is that it is an
inexpensive endeavor.
For roughly the price of an ARF (Almost
Ready-to-Fly) model, or even a top-notch
December 2003 113
I n d o o r
Jim Buxton, 550 McMurray Rd., Bethel Park PA 15102
Robert Stevens, who is a Junior from Tim Lavender’s Smyrna, Tennessee, FAC group,
flew this nice Curtiss Robin to a second-place finish in Coconut Scale.
The 116-foot-high Mini-Dome at East Tennessee State University is home for the
competitors during the five-day USIC/AMA Indoor Nationals.
Jim Grant flew this beautiful S.E.5 in the
Scale events.
FREE FLIGHT
radio system, you can purchase the three most important tools needed
to become a well-equipped Indoor flier: a good scale, a winder, and a
rubber stripper. Once you have them, they’ll last you a lifetime.
Another great aspect of Indoor is that it is weatherproof. Nothing is
worse than preparing for the Nationals all year and traveling hundreds
or thousands of miles, only to end up standing under a tarp for days,
occasionally sticking your hand out to see if it is still raining.
Other times the wind can turn the contest into a strange iteration of
“Survivor.” The Indoor community hopes to gain several Control Line
Stunt converts after this year’s Nationals, at which extremely high
winds caused the loss of several of their models.
The Indoor Nationals contest has started with the Glider events for as
long as can be recalled. Indoor Glider is a unique class and is probably
the quickest and cheapest event one can get started in. For less than
$10 of balsa and a day of building, one can be well equipped to do
battle at the Nationals. Glider is divided into two categories: Hand-
Launched and Catapult.
A Hand-Launched Glider is best described as a little javelin with
wings. The models are typically built from balsa and reinforced with
carbon to survive the launch velocity. This year I was able to throw an
83-second flight to win the event and establish an Fédération
Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) record.
In case your best javelin-throwing days are long gone, the Catapult
Gliders are launched with a loop, or several loops, of 1⁄4-inch rubber.
The vertical flight path and altitude of these models is nothing short of
amazing.
An interesting struggle developed in Unlimited Catapult Glider this
year as Kurt Krempetz and Jim Lewis battled too closely with entirely
different strategies. Kurt’s solid-winged glider eventually edged out
Jim’s built-up geodetic design to take the win. The solid-versus-builtup
debate will surely press on.
While Gliders were being launched at the roof in stage center, the
speedsters battled it out along the sidelines. Straight-Line Speed
challenged competitors to cover a 50-foot distance as quickly as
possible. Jim Lewis loaded his Quail design with two motors this year
to blister the course in a second.
Unlimited Rubber Speed is a bit more like Pylon Racing because it
requires two laps around a pair of helium-balloon pylons to get a score.
The models are simple sheet-balsa designs, but the true challenge is
getting them to carve a couple of close circuits around the pylons. This
event drew a sizable peanut gallery and loud cheers. In the end, John
Diebolt bested Jack Boone by less than two-tenths of a second.
As Day One stretched into the evening, another quality of Indoor
flying was revealed: contrast. The morning was spent with Gliders
rocketing to the ceiling and rubber-powered models competing for top
speed. In the evening, one revolution of an Intermediate Stick propeller
114 MODEL AVIATION
Bob Warmann processes his biplane for the Pennyplane event.
A few Bostonian-class models lined up for charisma judging.
John Kagan prepares to launch his F1D model as his caddy, Rob
(Fluff) Romash, stands by with the steering balloon.
FREE FLIGHT
would take nearly as long as a speed model’s entire winning flight.
The Intermediate Stick models are limited to 100 square inches of
wing area and a commercially available covering. As the Mylar films
have gotten thinner and lighter, the times in this event have risen
dramatically. In 1987 the winning flight was just more than 20 minutes;
flight times now are roughly 40 minutes.
There is no doubt that Intermediate Stick is a challenging event, but
the magic of the models’ flights are worth the effort. An Intermediate’s
propeller will turn only 60 revolutions per minute during flight, thanks
in part to the variable-pitch design. The propeller changes pitch
throughout the flight to make the best use of the wide range of torque
that the rubber motor provides between launch and landing.
John Kagan topped the field in Intermediate. He is a past F1D
World Champion, and he converted to Indoor from FAI Radio Control
December 2003 115
The dedicated and capable crew of Doug and Mary Jane Barber
and Walt Van Gorder run the Glider events each year.
John Blair’s model box held at least 10 aircraft.
Past NFFS president Tony Italiano packs turns into his
Pennyplane.
Alan Cohen built an EZB during event and placed second with it.
Here, wing and stabilizer are being covered with Mylar.
Robert Stevens with his Brewster Buffalo No-Cal design. The
aircraft flew as good as it looks.
FREE FLIGHT
glider flying. Senior flier Doug Schaefer finished in second place.
Doug is a direct result of the Science Olympiad program. He is also the
defending Junior F1D World Champion.
Jon Leblanc rounded out the field in Intermediate. This was his first
Nationals, and he brought the whole family. Jon’s two eldest sons—
Christopher, age 8, and Benji, age 5—also joined the fun. They won
many Junior events including Limited Pennyplane, Helicopter, A-6,
and Easy B. The family seemed to enjoy themselves. As they headed
home, the two boys waved and yelled, “See you next year!” to
newfound friends.
Scale began on Day Two. There are approximately a dozen different
Scale events to satisfy any building style. The most popular—Peanut
Scale—mandates that a model have a wingspan of no more than 13
inches.
If you prefer to build something a bit less space consuming,
Pistachio Scale limits the wing to 8 inches in span. Emil Schutzel’s
winning Santos-Dumont 14bis had a pair of wings and a pair of canard
surfaces to pack maximum area into the limited span.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Coconut Scale—the “Giant
Scale” of Indoor—in which a model’s wingspan must exceed 36
inches. Coconut Scale has been well attended in recent years, thanks
mainly to the young people who are involved in Tim Lavender’s
Flying Aces Club group of Smyrna, Tennessee.
The pure Scale events are based on a combination of static judging
and flying time. If you would rather keep static judging out of the
equation, the mass-launch events are the place to go. There are masslaunch
events in World War I, World War II, and Coconut Scale.
These events are usually flown in several rounds, eliminating the
first few down in each round. Strategy and “psyching” are important
skills in the mass launches. Jack McGillivray had the strategy and the
model to win the World War II division with a three-minute flight in
the finals.
The Bostonian event allows competitors to develop their own
semiscale designs. The models must span no more than 16 inches.
116 MODEL AVIATION
Richard Miller with group of fans. He is happy to introduce
newcomers to the magic of Indoor FF. Fred Tellier photo.
Tim Lavender’s (“Mr. Tim’s”) pit crew—Brandon Durham and
Joshua Jennings—assist as he winds Bristol for WW I mass
launch. He finished second.
Richard Miller, John Barker were first, third in Bostonian.
Example of event contrast: John Kagan’s Intermediate Stick
winner and his whimsical “Cleveland Clowns” Bostonian.
Jim Miller can have his own dogfight with D.H.6, Fokker D.VIII.
FREE FLIGHT
December 2003 117
Kurt Krempetz (L), Jim Lewis were first, second in Unlimited
Catapult Glider. Jim’s glider shows trend of big designs.
Gary Hodson with his winning Dime Scale entry: a Fleet trainer.
Abram VanDover awards one of numerous trophies to the
Smyrna, Tennessee, Flying Aces Club group.
Jim Richmond looks over his legendary Star Walker after winning
Hand-Launched Stick with flight of more than 34 minutes.
Contest Director Abram VanDover (L) gives Rob Romash
handshake for his third-place tie in Standard Catapult Glider.
FREE FLIGHT
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118 MODEL AVIATION
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They are judged and assigned a “charisma
factor” of 1.00 to 1.20, which is then
multiplied by the flying score. This formula
helps promote stylish creativity, even at the
cost of some duration.
Richard Miller has mastered the balance
between charisma and duration; he won
Bostonian again this year with flights
approaching six minutes. Part of that formula
includes roughly 7,000 turns in a 60-inch-long
motor.
After a morning of Scale events, the
evening decelerated for the slow-flying
duration classes of F1D, Hand-Launched
Stick, and Rise-Off-Ground Cabin. F1D has
undergone major rules changes recently,
which have made the models smaller and a bit
heavier.
The newly leveled playing field has caused
a renewed interest in the class. It was
refreshing to see many new faces on the floor
with their first F1D models. Even more
refreshing was the cluster of F1D veterans
offering help to each newcomer. On one
occasion three F1D veterans surrounded an
F1D newbie to assist and witness a new F1D
model’s maiden launch.
The enthusiasm that the veterans have
shown has not gone unnoticed by those who
are considering taking up FID, and in the long
run it could be the most important factor in
generating interest in this event.
John Kagan, the 2000 FID World Champ,
won the event, but of more interest is how
difficult it was. He struggled for most of the
night to find the right motor combination. The
rubber used to power Indoor airplanes is
bought in bulk and stripped down to a specific
cross-section and tied to a specific length to
create a “motor.”
Rubber is comparable to wine in that some
batches are good, but some batches are
fantastic. The fantastic batches are referred to
by month and year, and they are stored in
cool, dark places, or even refrigerated, to
preserve the quality.
As it turned out, John unknowingly loaned
the last of his “good batch” of rubber to a
fellow competitor to try. A splice in the batch
had combined two different rubber qualities in
the same box. Once this was determined, John
dug into a different batch and came up with
the right combination to grab the lead in the
late evening.
Tom Sova and Larry Cailliau rounded out
the top three places respectively. Young Doug
Schaefer edged out seven-time F1D World
Champion Jim Richmond for fourth place.
Hand-Launched Stick could also be
termed “unlimited”; the model must be
heavier than air and powered by rubber. This
event is one of few in which microfilm
covering is still used. Microfilm’s colorful
array once symbolized Indoor duration
models.
Jim Richmond’s Star Walker epitomizes
the traditional large, magical microfilm
model. As in years past, the Star Walker made
its only appearance late in the evening—
almost like an encore for the fans who stayed
until the end of the show. Although there was
no 40-minute flight this year, the Star
Walker’s performance was mesmerizing and
good enough to take the win with its only
flight to bring Day Two to a close.
MiniStick is one of the most popular events
at the Nats. It is one category in which every
120 MODEL AVIATION
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card-carrying AMA member should be
flying. Those little models feature 7-inch
maximum wingspans and can be flown
successfully in any living room. They are
simple and inexpensive to build, enjoyable to
fly, and fascinating examples of model
aviation.
Flights of several minutes are possible in
the average living room; however, the
challenge just begins there. Veteran Indoor
flier Walt Van Gorder has developed a selfproclaimed
“obsession” with MiniSticks. He
and fellow competitor Rob Romash have
become masters in the “art” of high-ceiling
MiniStick flying, and it is an art.
The motor’s torque at launch will often
torque roll the model in a vertical ascent for
the first 30 seconds or so of flight. If all goes
well and the model does not power stall or
lodge into the ceiling, you can expect a flight
in excess of 13 minutes. Rob had a 13:09 to
repeat last year’s win, and Walt trailed by
approximately 20 seconds to take second
place.
Easy B—also known as EZB—has
perhaps the most misleading name in the
AMA rule book. Originally intended as a
simple event to draw newcomers, the lack of
a minimum weight requirement has turned it
into an adventure in materials management.
Current EZBs can weigh as little as threetenths
of a gram and can fly for more than 30
minutes.
Alan Cohen sold motorsticks off of his
workbench during the Nats. He had cut,
sanded, and graded at least 50 motorsticks to
find the one with the properties to meet his
demands. He built an EZB from scratch
during the event, usually with an interested
audience watching and asking questions.
Alan decided to use the new aircraft in the
event rather than one of his previously built
models, and he posted a best time of 27:07.
His time was good enough for second place
behind Larry Cailliau’s 28:28.
If your first attempts at EZB yield models
that are slightly heftier than a few tenths of a
gram, F1L may be for you. It is one of several
emerging international Indoor duration events
that should be promoted more in the US.
F1L is similar to EZB, but it carries a 1.2-
gram minimum weight limit. Another
difference is the scoring system, which uses
the best two of six flights rather than the best
one of five, as is traditional in AMA events.
This system reduces the chances of winning
with a “lucky flight” that circles through the
girders numerous times without getting hung
up.
John Kagan and Rob Romash put on quite
a show in F1L, battling closely for the top
spot late into the night. John held Rob off,
edging him out by a mere six seconds with a
two-flight total of 42 minutes and 10 seconds.
Science Olympiad models have become
popular among all Indoor fliers. Science
Olympiad is a national junior- and seniorhigh-
school science competition. One of the
events is “The Wright Stuff,” in which
students must build and fly Indoor rubberpowered
duration models. It has proven to be
a great training ground for Doug Schaefer,
Matt Chalker, and Ben Saks, who made up
the 2002 World Champion US Junior F1D
team.
This year there were divisions for juniorhigh,
senior-high, and Open-class fliers

FROM MAY 28 to June 1, the East
Tennessee State University Mini-Dome
hosted the United States Indoor
Championships (USIC)/Indoor Nationals for
the 17th consecutive year. The Mini-Dome
saw Indoor competition for the first time in
1987, at the National Free Flight Societysponsored
USIC. Since then the AMA Indoor
Nationals has been combined with the USIC
for a joint-sponsored, five-day flying frenzy
under the massive 116-foot-high dome.
The USIC/Nats is one of the few events
on the Indoor contest calendar that offers
every conceivable Indoor category. From the
international rubber duration class of F1D to
local club “grudge match” events, if it is an
Indoor event with published rules, chances
are that it has a time slot on the schedule. The
result is 47 events packed into 65 hours of
flying; there truly is something for everyone.
If you have never attended an Indoor Free
Flight contest, you owe it to yourself to seek
one out and take a look. Indoor flying has
several inherent qualities. One is that it is an
inexpensive endeavor.
For roughly the price of an ARF (Almost
Ready-to-Fly) model, or even a top-notch
December 2003 113
I n d o o r
Jim Buxton, 550 McMurray Rd., Bethel Park PA 15102
Robert Stevens, who is a Junior from Tim Lavender’s Smyrna, Tennessee, FAC group,
flew this nice Curtiss Robin to a second-place finish in Coconut Scale.
The 116-foot-high Mini-Dome at East Tennessee State University is home for the
competitors during the five-day USIC/AMA Indoor Nationals.
Jim Grant flew this beautiful S.E.5 in the
Scale events.
FREE FLIGHT
radio system, you can purchase the three most important tools needed
to become a well-equipped Indoor flier: a good scale, a winder, and a
rubber stripper. Once you have them, they’ll last you a lifetime.
Another great aspect of Indoor is that it is weatherproof. Nothing is
worse than preparing for the Nationals all year and traveling hundreds
or thousands of miles, only to end up standing under a tarp for days,
occasionally sticking your hand out to see if it is still raining.
Other times the wind can turn the contest into a strange iteration of
“Survivor.” The Indoor community hopes to gain several Control Line
Stunt converts after this year’s Nationals, at which extremely high
winds caused the loss of several of their models.
The Indoor Nationals contest has started with the Glider events for as
long as can be recalled. Indoor Glider is a unique class and is probably
the quickest and cheapest event one can get started in. For less than
$10 of balsa and a day of building, one can be well equipped to do
battle at the Nationals. Glider is divided into two categories: Hand-
Launched and Catapult.
A Hand-Launched Glider is best described as a little javelin with
wings. The models are typically built from balsa and reinforced with
carbon to survive the launch velocity. This year I was able to throw an
83-second flight to win the event and establish an Fédération
Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) record.
In case your best javelin-throwing days are long gone, the Catapult
Gliders are launched with a loop, or several loops, of 1⁄4-inch rubber.
The vertical flight path and altitude of these models is nothing short of
amazing.
An interesting struggle developed in Unlimited Catapult Glider this
year as Kurt Krempetz and Jim Lewis battled too closely with entirely
different strategies. Kurt’s solid-winged glider eventually edged out
Jim’s built-up geodetic design to take the win. The solid-versus-builtup
debate will surely press on.
While Gliders were being launched at the roof in stage center, the
speedsters battled it out along the sidelines. Straight-Line Speed
challenged competitors to cover a 50-foot distance as quickly as
possible. Jim Lewis loaded his Quail design with two motors this year
to blister the course in a second.
Unlimited Rubber Speed is a bit more like Pylon Racing because it
requires two laps around a pair of helium-balloon pylons to get a score.
The models are simple sheet-balsa designs, but the true challenge is
getting them to carve a couple of close circuits around the pylons. This
event drew a sizable peanut gallery and loud cheers. In the end, John
Diebolt bested Jack Boone by less than two-tenths of a second.
As Day One stretched into the evening, another quality of Indoor
flying was revealed: contrast. The morning was spent with Gliders
rocketing to the ceiling and rubber-powered models competing for top
speed. In the evening, one revolution of an Intermediate Stick propeller
114 MODEL AVIATION
Bob Warmann processes his biplane for the Pennyplane event.
A few Bostonian-class models lined up for charisma judging.
John Kagan prepares to launch his F1D model as his caddy, Rob
(Fluff) Romash, stands by with the steering balloon.
FREE FLIGHT
would take nearly as long as a speed model’s entire winning flight.
The Intermediate Stick models are limited to 100 square inches of
wing area and a commercially available covering. As the Mylar films
have gotten thinner and lighter, the times in this event have risen
dramatically. In 1987 the winning flight was just more than 20 minutes;
flight times now are roughly 40 minutes.
There is no doubt that Intermediate Stick is a challenging event, but
the magic of the models’ flights are worth the effort. An Intermediate’s
propeller will turn only 60 revolutions per minute during flight, thanks
in part to the variable-pitch design. The propeller changes pitch
throughout the flight to make the best use of the wide range of torque
that the rubber motor provides between launch and landing.
John Kagan topped the field in Intermediate. He is a past F1D
World Champion, and he converted to Indoor from FAI Radio Control
December 2003 115
The dedicated and capable crew of Doug and Mary Jane Barber
and Walt Van Gorder run the Glider events each year.
John Blair’s model box held at least 10 aircraft.
Past NFFS president Tony Italiano packs turns into his
Pennyplane.
Alan Cohen built an EZB during event and placed second with it.
Here, wing and stabilizer are being covered with Mylar.
Robert Stevens with his Brewster Buffalo No-Cal design. The
aircraft flew as good as it looks.
FREE FLIGHT
glider flying. Senior flier Doug Schaefer finished in second place.
Doug is a direct result of the Science Olympiad program. He is also the
defending Junior F1D World Champion.
Jon Leblanc rounded out the field in Intermediate. This was his first
Nationals, and he brought the whole family. Jon’s two eldest sons—
Christopher, age 8, and Benji, age 5—also joined the fun. They won
many Junior events including Limited Pennyplane, Helicopter, A-6,
and Easy B. The family seemed to enjoy themselves. As they headed
home, the two boys waved and yelled, “See you next year!” to
newfound friends.
Scale began on Day Two. There are approximately a dozen different
Scale events to satisfy any building style. The most popular—Peanut
Scale—mandates that a model have a wingspan of no more than 13
inches.
If you prefer to build something a bit less space consuming,
Pistachio Scale limits the wing to 8 inches in span. Emil Schutzel’s
winning Santos-Dumont 14bis had a pair of wings and a pair of canard
surfaces to pack maximum area into the limited span.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Coconut Scale—the “Giant
Scale” of Indoor—in which a model’s wingspan must exceed 36
inches. Coconut Scale has been well attended in recent years, thanks
mainly to the young people who are involved in Tim Lavender’s
Flying Aces Club group of Smyrna, Tennessee.
The pure Scale events are based on a combination of static judging
and flying time. If you would rather keep static judging out of the
equation, the mass-launch events are the place to go. There are masslaunch
events in World War I, World War II, and Coconut Scale.
These events are usually flown in several rounds, eliminating the
first few down in each round. Strategy and “psyching” are important
skills in the mass launches. Jack McGillivray had the strategy and the
model to win the World War II division with a three-minute flight in
the finals.
The Bostonian event allows competitors to develop their own
semiscale designs. The models must span no more than 16 inches.
116 MODEL AVIATION
Richard Miller with group of fans. He is happy to introduce
newcomers to the magic of Indoor FF. Fred Tellier photo.
Tim Lavender’s (“Mr. Tim’s”) pit crew—Brandon Durham and
Joshua Jennings—assist as he winds Bristol for WW I mass
launch. He finished second.
Richard Miller, John Barker were first, third in Bostonian.
Example of event contrast: John Kagan’s Intermediate Stick
winner and his whimsical “Cleveland Clowns” Bostonian.
Jim Miller can have his own dogfight with D.H.6, Fokker D.VIII.
FREE FLIGHT
December 2003 117
Kurt Krempetz (L), Jim Lewis were first, second in Unlimited
Catapult Glider. Jim’s glider shows trend of big designs.
Gary Hodson with his winning Dime Scale entry: a Fleet trainer.
Abram VanDover awards one of numerous trophies to the
Smyrna, Tennessee, Flying Aces Club group.
Jim Richmond looks over his legendary Star Walker after winning
Hand-Launched Stick with flight of more than 34 minutes.
Contest Director Abram VanDover (L) gives Rob Romash
handshake for his third-place tie in Standard Catapult Glider.
FREE FLIGHT
TIRED OF PAYING
$1.29 FOR 6 SCREWS?
Our 4-40x1/2 socket
caps sell for $4.35/100
for alloy steel, or
$6.65/100 stainless, or $7.50/50 aluminum.
For fair prices on sensible quantities of the fasteners
you need for model building, call, write or
fax for our free catalog!
Micro Fasteners 800-892-6917
24 Cokesbury Rd., Suite 2 908-236-8120
Lebanon, NJ 08833 fax 908-236-8721
e-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://microfasteners.com
118 MODEL AVIATION
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They are judged and assigned a “charisma
factor” of 1.00 to 1.20, which is then
multiplied by the flying score. This formula
helps promote stylish creativity, even at the
cost of some duration.
Richard Miller has mastered the balance
between charisma and duration; he won
Bostonian again this year with flights
approaching six minutes. Part of that formula
includes roughly 7,000 turns in a 60-inch-long
motor.
After a morning of Scale events, the
evening decelerated for the slow-flying
duration classes of F1D, Hand-Launched
Stick, and Rise-Off-Ground Cabin. F1D has
undergone major rules changes recently,
which have made the models smaller and a bit
heavier.
The newly leveled playing field has caused
a renewed interest in the class. It was
refreshing to see many new faces on the floor
with their first F1D models. Even more
refreshing was the cluster of F1D veterans
offering help to each newcomer. On one
occasion three F1D veterans surrounded an
F1D newbie to assist and witness a new F1D
model’s maiden launch.
The enthusiasm that the veterans have
shown has not gone unnoticed by those who
are considering taking up FID, and in the long
run it could be the most important factor in
generating interest in this event.
John Kagan, the 2000 FID World Champ,
won the event, but of more interest is how
difficult it was. He struggled for most of the
night to find the right motor combination. The
rubber used to power Indoor airplanes is
bought in bulk and stripped down to a specific
cross-section and tied to a specific length to
create a “motor.”
Rubber is comparable to wine in that some
batches are good, but some batches are
fantastic. The fantastic batches are referred to
by month and year, and they are stored in
cool, dark places, or even refrigerated, to
preserve the quality.
As it turned out, John unknowingly loaned
the last of his “good batch” of rubber to a
fellow competitor to try. A splice in the batch
had combined two different rubber qualities in
the same box. Once this was determined, John
dug into a different batch and came up with
the right combination to grab the lead in the
late evening.
Tom Sova and Larry Cailliau rounded out
the top three places respectively. Young Doug
Schaefer edged out seven-time F1D World
Champion Jim Richmond for fourth place.
Hand-Launched Stick could also be
termed “unlimited”; the model must be
heavier than air and powered by rubber. This
event is one of few in which microfilm
covering is still used. Microfilm’s colorful
array once symbolized Indoor duration
models.
Jim Richmond’s Star Walker epitomizes
the traditional large, magical microfilm
model. As in years past, the Star Walker made
its only appearance late in the evening—
almost like an encore for the fans who stayed
until the end of the show. Although there was
no 40-minute flight this year, the Star
Walker’s performance was mesmerizing and
good enough to take the win with its only
flight to bring Day Two to a close.
MiniStick is one of the most popular events
at the Nats. It is one category in which every
120 MODEL AVIATION
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• 4 Outputs – 1 Amp Each!
• No Switches, Knobs or Buttons!
• No Programming!
• Eliminates Cycling!
• Just Plug, Charge and Maintain!
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card-carrying AMA member should be
flying. Those little models feature 7-inch
maximum wingspans and can be flown
successfully in any living room. They are
simple and inexpensive to build, enjoyable to
fly, and fascinating examples of model
aviation.
Flights of several minutes are possible in
the average living room; however, the
challenge just begins there. Veteran Indoor
flier Walt Van Gorder has developed a selfproclaimed
“obsession” with MiniSticks. He
and fellow competitor Rob Romash have
become masters in the “art” of high-ceiling
MiniStick flying, and it is an art.
The motor’s torque at launch will often
torque roll the model in a vertical ascent for
the first 30 seconds or so of flight. If all goes
well and the model does not power stall or
lodge into the ceiling, you can expect a flight
in excess of 13 minutes. Rob had a 13:09 to
repeat last year’s win, and Walt trailed by
approximately 20 seconds to take second
place.
Easy B—also known as EZB—has
perhaps the most misleading name in the
AMA rule book. Originally intended as a
simple event to draw newcomers, the lack of
a minimum weight requirement has turned it
into an adventure in materials management.
Current EZBs can weigh as little as threetenths
of a gram and can fly for more than 30
minutes.
Alan Cohen sold motorsticks off of his
workbench during the Nats. He had cut,
sanded, and graded at least 50 motorsticks to
find the one with the properties to meet his
demands. He built an EZB from scratch
during the event, usually with an interested
audience watching and asking questions.
Alan decided to use the new aircraft in the
event rather than one of his previously built
models, and he posted a best time of 27:07.
His time was good enough for second place
behind Larry Cailliau’s 28:28.
If your first attempts at EZB yield models
that are slightly heftier than a few tenths of a
gram, F1L may be for you. It is one of several
emerging international Indoor duration events
that should be promoted more in the US.
F1L is similar to EZB, but it carries a 1.2-
gram minimum weight limit. Another
difference is the scoring system, which uses
the best two of six flights rather than the best
one of five, as is traditional in AMA events.
This system reduces the chances of winning
with a “lucky flight” that circles through the
girders numerous times without getting hung
up.
John Kagan and Rob Romash put on quite
a show in F1L, battling closely for the top
spot late into the night. John held Rob off,
edging him out by a mere six seconds with a
two-flight total of 42 minutes and 10 seconds.
Science Olympiad models have become
popular among all Indoor fliers. Science
Olympiad is a national junior- and seniorhigh-
school science competition. One of the
events is “The Wright Stuff,” in which
students must build and fly Indoor rubberpowered
duration models. It has proven to be
a great training ground for Doug Schaefer,
Matt Chalker, and Ben Saks, who made up
the 2002 World Champion US Junior F1D
team.
This year there were divisions for juniorhigh,
senior-high, and Open-class fliers

FROM MAY 28 to June 1, the East
Tennessee State University Mini-Dome
hosted the United States Indoor
Championships (USIC)/Indoor Nationals for
the 17th consecutive year. The Mini-Dome
saw Indoor competition for the first time in
1987, at the National Free Flight Societysponsored
USIC. Since then the AMA Indoor
Nationals has been combined with the USIC
for a joint-sponsored, five-day flying frenzy
under the massive 116-foot-high dome.
The USIC/Nats is one of the few events
on the Indoor contest calendar that offers
every conceivable Indoor category. From the
international rubber duration class of F1D to
local club “grudge match” events, if it is an
Indoor event with published rules, chances
are that it has a time slot on the schedule. The
result is 47 events packed into 65 hours of
flying; there truly is something for everyone.
If you have never attended an Indoor Free
Flight contest, you owe it to yourself to seek
one out and take a look. Indoor flying has
several inherent qualities. One is that it is an
inexpensive endeavor.
For roughly the price of an ARF (Almost
Ready-to-Fly) model, or even a top-notch
December 2003 113
I n d o o r
Jim Buxton, 550 McMurray Rd., Bethel Park PA 15102
Robert Stevens, who is a Junior from Tim Lavender’s Smyrna, Tennessee, FAC group,
flew this nice Curtiss Robin to a second-place finish in Coconut Scale.
The 116-foot-high Mini-Dome at East Tennessee State University is home for the
competitors during the five-day USIC/AMA Indoor Nationals.
Jim Grant flew this beautiful S.E.5 in the
Scale events.
FREE FLIGHT
radio system, you can purchase the three most important tools needed
to become a well-equipped Indoor flier: a good scale, a winder, and a
rubber stripper. Once you have them, they’ll last you a lifetime.
Another great aspect of Indoor is that it is weatherproof. Nothing is
worse than preparing for the Nationals all year and traveling hundreds
or thousands of miles, only to end up standing under a tarp for days,
occasionally sticking your hand out to see if it is still raining.
Other times the wind can turn the contest into a strange iteration of
“Survivor.” The Indoor community hopes to gain several Control Line
Stunt converts after this year’s Nationals, at which extremely high
winds caused the loss of several of their models.
The Indoor Nationals contest has started with the Glider events for as
long as can be recalled. Indoor Glider is a unique class and is probably
the quickest and cheapest event one can get started in. For less than
$10 of balsa and a day of building, one can be well equipped to do
battle at the Nationals. Glider is divided into two categories: Hand-
Launched and Catapult.
A Hand-Launched Glider is best described as a little javelin with
wings. The models are typically built from balsa and reinforced with
carbon to survive the launch velocity. This year I was able to throw an
83-second flight to win the event and establish an Fédération
Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) record.
In case your best javelin-throwing days are long gone, the Catapult
Gliders are launched with a loop, or several loops, of 1⁄4-inch rubber.
The vertical flight path and altitude of these models is nothing short of
amazing.
An interesting struggle developed in Unlimited Catapult Glider this
year as Kurt Krempetz and Jim Lewis battled too closely with entirely
different strategies. Kurt’s solid-winged glider eventually edged out
Jim’s built-up geodetic design to take the win. The solid-versus-builtup
debate will surely press on.
While Gliders were being launched at the roof in stage center, the
speedsters battled it out along the sidelines. Straight-Line Speed
challenged competitors to cover a 50-foot distance as quickly as
possible. Jim Lewis loaded his Quail design with two motors this year
to blister the course in a second.
Unlimited Rubber Speed is a bit more like Pylon Racing because it
requires two laps around a pair of helium-balloon pylons to get a score.
The models are simple sheet-balsa designs, but the true challenge is
getting them to carve a couple of close circuits around the pylons. This
event drew a sizable peanut gallery and loud cheers. In the end, John
Diebolt bested Jack Boone by less than two-tenths of a second.
As Day One stretched into the evening, another quality of Indoor
flying was revealed: contrast. The morning was spent with Gliders
rocketing to the ceiling and rubber-powered models competing for top
speed. In the evening, one revolution of an Intermediate Stick propeller
114 MODEL AVIATION
Bob Warmann processes his biplane for the Pennyplane event.
A few Bostonian-class models lined up for charisma judging.
John Kagan prepares to launch his F1D model as his caddy, Rob
(Fluff) Romash, stands by with the steering balloon.
FREE FLIGHT
would take nearly as long as a speed model’s entire winning flight.
The Intermediate Stick models are limited to 100 square inches of
wing area and a commercially available covering. As the Mylar films
have gotten thinner and lighter, the times in this event have risen
dramatically. In 1987 the winning flight was just more than 20 minutes;
flight times now are roughly 40 minutes.
There is no doubt that Intermediate Stick is a challenging event, but
the magic of the models’ flights are worth the effort. An Intermediate’s
propeller will turn only 60 revolutions per minute during flight, thanks
in part to the variable-pitch design. The propeller changes pitch
throughout the flight to make the best use of the wide range of torque
that the rubber motor provides between launch and landing.
John Kagan topped the field in Intermediate. He is a past F1D
World Champion, and he converted to Indoor from FAI Radio Control
December 2003 115
The dedicated and capable crew of Doug and Mary Jane Barber
and Walt Van Gorder run the Glider events each year.
John Blair’s model box held at least 10 aircraft.
Past NFFS president Tony Italiano packs turns into his
Pennyplane.
Alan Cohen built an EZB during event and placed second with it.
Here, wing and stabilizer are being covered with Mylar.
Robert Stevens with his Brewster Buffalo No-Cal design. The
aircraft flew as good as it looks.
FREE FLIGHT
glider flying. Senior flier Doug Schaefer finished in second place.
Doug is a direct result of the Science Olympiad program. He is also the
defending Junior F1D World Champion.
Jon Leblanc rounded out the field in Intermediate. This was his first
Nationals, and he brought the whole family. Jon’s two eldest sons—
Christopher, age 8, and Benji, age 5—also joined the fun. They won
many Junior events including Limited Pennyplane, Helicopter, A-6,
and Easy B. The family seemed to enjoy themselves. As they headed
home, the two boys waved and yelled, “See you next year!” to
newfound friends.
Scale began on Day Two. There are approximately a dozen different
Scale events to satisfy any building style. The most popular—Peanut
Scale—mandates that a model have a wingspan of no more than 13
inches.
If you prefer to build something a bit less space consuming,
Pistachio Scale limits the wing to 8 inches in span. Emil Schutzel’s
winning Santos-Dumont 14bis had a pair of wings and a pair of canard
surfaces to pack maximum area into the limited span.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Coconut Scale—the “Giant
Scale” of Indoor—in which a model’s wingspan must exceed 36
inches. Coconut Scale has been well attended in recent years, thanks
mainly to the young people who are involved in Tim Lavender’s
Flying Aces Club group of Smyrna, Tennessee.
The pure Scale events are based on a combination of static judging
and flying time. If you would rather keep static judging out of the
equation, the mass-launch events are the place to go. There are masslaunch
events in World War I, World War II, and Coconut Scale.
These events are usually flown in several rounds, eliminating the
first few down in each round. Strategy and “psyching” are important
skills in the mass launches. Jack McGillivray had the strategy and the
model to win the World War II division with a three-minute flight in
the finals.
The Bostonian event allows competitors to develop their own
semiscale designs. The models must span no more than 16 inches.
116 MODEL AVIATION
Richard Miller with group of fans. He is happy to introduce
newcomers to the magic of Indoor FF. Fred Tellier photo.
Tim Lavender’s (“Mr. Tim’s”) pit crew—Brandon Durham and
Joshua Jennings—assist as he winds Bristol for WW I mass
launch. He finished second.
Richard Miller, John Barker were first, third in Bostonian.
Example of event contrast: John Kagan’s Intermediate Stick
winner and his whimsical “Cleveland Clowns” Bostonian.
Jim Miller can have his own dogfight with D.H.6, Fokker D.VIII.
FREE FLIGHT
December 2003 117
Kurt Krempetz (L), Jim Lewis were first, second in Unlimited
Catapult Glider. Jim’s glider shows trend of big designs.
Gary Hodson with his winning Dime Scale entry: a Fleet trainer.
Abram VanDover awards one of numerous trophies to the
Smyrna, Tennessee, Flying Aces Club group.
Jim Richmond looks over his legendary Star Walker after winning
Hand-Launched Stick with flight of more than 34 minutes.
Contest Director Abram VanDover (L) gives Rob Romash
handshake for his third-place tie in Standard Catapult Glider.
FREE FLIGHT
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They are judged and assigned a “charisma
factor” of 1.00 to 1.20, which is then
multiplied by the flying score. This formula
helps promote stylish creativity, even at the
cost of some duration.
Richard Miller has mastered the balance
between charisma and duration; he won
Bostonian again this year with flights
approaching six minutes. Part of that formula
includes roughly 7,000 turns in a 60-inch-long
motor.
After a morning of Scale events, the
evening decelerated for the slow-flying
duration classes of F1D, Hand-Launched
Stick, and Rise-Off-Ground Cabin. F1D has
undergone major rules changes recently,
which have made the models smaller and a bit
heavier.
The newly leveled playing field has caused
a renewed interest in the class. It was
refreshing to see many new faces on the floor
with their first F1D models. Even more
refreshing was the cluster of F1D veterans
offering help to each newcomer. On one
occasion three F1D veterans surrounded an
F1D newbie to assist and witness a new F1D
model’s maiden launch.
The enthusiasm that the veterans have
shown has not gone unnoticed by those who
are considering taking up FID, and in the long
run it could be the most important factor in
generating interest in this event.
John Kagan, the 2000 FID World Champ,
won the event, but of more interest is how
difficult it was. He struggled for most of the
night to find the right motor combination. The
rubber used to power Indoor airplanes is
bought in bulk and stripped down to a specific
cross-section and tied to a specific length to
create a “motor.”
Rubber is comparable to wine in that some
batches are good, but some batches are
fantastic. The fantastic batches are referred to
by month and year, and they are stored in
cool, dark places, or even refrigerated, to
preserve the quality.
As it turned out, John unknowingly loaned
the last of his “good batch” of rubber to a
fellow competitor to try. A splice in the batch
had combined two different rubber qualities in
the same box. Once this was determined, John
dug into a different batch and came up with
the right combination to grab the lead in the
late evening.
Tom Sova and Larry Cailliau rounded out
the top three places respectively. Young Doug
Schaefer edged out seven-time F1D World
Champion Jim Richmond for fourth place.
Hand-Launched Stick could also be
termed “unlimited”; the model must be
heavier than air and powered by rubber. This
event is one of few in which microfilm
covering is still used. Microfilm’s colorful
array once symbolized Indoor duration
models.
Jim Richmond’s Star Walker epitomizes
the traditional large, magical microfilm
model. As in years past, the Star Walker made
its only appearance late in the evening—
almost like an encore for the fans who stayed
until the end of the show. Although there was
no 40-minute flight this year, the Star
Walker’s performance was mesmerizing and
good enough to take the win with its only
flight to bring Day Two to a close.
MiniStick is one of the most popular events
at the Nats. It is one category in which every
120 MODEL AVIATION
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enclosure! The CHARGE+ pocket glowstart
charger, smart charges your pocket glow
starter, with positive peak detection. You’ll
always get a hot start. NO MORE GUESSING
with simple wall chargers. Charges FAST and
conditions your battery.
ONLY $4495
+S&H
LIFE IS TOO SHORT
to spend time shuffling chargers
from one battery pack to another.
Hughes RC 1-800-786-0802
For More Information,Visit Our web Site – www.hughesrc.com
The CHARGE+ TXRX is a complete battery pack maintenance
system for ni-cad and NiMh packs. Charges at 1 amp (1000 mAh)
at each of the four outputs. Four stage charging system fast
charges and maintains 4-8 cell packs from 500 mAh and larger.
Just plug them in and leave them. You’ll always be ready to go.
12VDC for field use. Power supply available for use on 120VAC.
Read the complete
manual on our
web site!
• 4 Outputs – 1 Amp Each!
• No Switches, Knobs or Buttons!
• No Programming!
• Eliminates Cycling!
• Just Plug, Charge and Maintain!
FIBERGLASS CLOTH
Premium Grade
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Lower Prices 30 yds. & up
Other Weights Available
TinLin’s
17 Andrews Drive • Daleville, AL 36322
(334) 598-2287 • 4:00 - 10:00 CST
card-carrying AMA member should be
flying. Those little models feature 7-inch
maximum wingspans and can be flown
successfully in any living room. They are
simple and inexpensive to build, enjoyable to
fly, and fascinating examples of model
aviation.
Flights of several minutes are possible in
the average living room; however, the
challenge just begins there. Veteran Indoor
flier Walt Van Gorder has developed a selfproclaimed
“obsession” with MiniSticks. He
and fellow competitor Rob Romash have
become masters in the “art” of high-ceiling
MiniStick flying, and it is an art.
The motor’s torque at launch will often
torque roll the model in a vertical ascent for
the first 30 seconds or so of flight. If all goes
well and the model does not power stall or
lodge into the ceiling, you can expect a flight
in excess of 13 minutes. Rob had a 13:09 to
repeat last year’s win, and Walt trailed by
approximately 20 seconds to take second
place.
Easy B—also known as EZB—has
perhaps the most misleading name in the
AMA rule book. Originally intended as a
simple event to draw newcomers, the lack of
a minimum weight requirement has turned it
into an adventure in materials management.
Current EZBs can weigh as little as threetenths
of a gram and can fly for more than 30
minutes.
Alan Cohen sold motorsticks off of his
workbench during the Nats. He had cut,
sanded, and graded at least 50 motorsticks to
find the one with the properties to meet his
demands. He built an EZB from scratch
during the event, usually with an interested
audience watching and asking questions.
Alan decided to use the new aircraft in the
event rather than one of his previously built
models, and he posted a best time of 27:07.
His time was good enough for second place
behind Larry Cailliau’s 28:28.
If your first attempts at EZB yield models
that are slightly heftier than a few tenths of a
gram, F1L may be for you. It is one of several
emerging international Indoor duration events
that should be promoted more in the US.
F1L is similar to EZB, but it carries a 1.2-
gram minimum weight limit. Another
difference is the scoring system, which uses
the best two of six flights rather than the best
one of five, as is traditional in AMA events.
This system reduces the chances of winning
with a “lucky flight” that circles through the
girders numerous times without getting hung
up.
John Kagan and Rob Romash put on quite
a show in F1L, battling closely for the top
spot late into the night. John held Rob off,
edging him out by a mere six seconds with a
two-flight total of 42 minutes and 10 seconds.
Science Olympiad models have become
popular among all Indoor fliers. Science
Olympiad is a national junior- and seniorhigh-
school science competition. One of the
events is “The Wright Stuff,” in which
students must build and fly Indoor rubberpowered
duration models. It has proven to be
a great training ground for Doug Schaefer,
Matt Chalker, and Ben Saks, who made up
the 2002 World Champion US Junior F1D
team.
This year there were divisions for juniorhigh,
senior-high, and Open-class fliers