FREE FLIGHT INDOOR
Bud Tenny, Box 830545, Richardson TX 75083
It is with sadness and somewhat of a sense of relief that I announce that I must give up this column after so many years. There are several reasons for this decision. First, although my physical condition is reasonably stable, it remains that way because I work at it; that requires an increasing amount of time and effort.
For the last few years, the aftermath of my supposedly fatal cancer in 1997 has resulted in my being unable to swallow anything, so I take all medications and nourishment through a feeding tube. Maintaining the feeding tube and using it requires approximately three hours a day and a source of running water to dilute or dissolve (or both) food and medications. This last problem essentially requires either a carefully planned trip that allows stops where I can feed or a travel vehicle that has running water. In addition, a three-day trip requires a 24-can case of my liquid food to be carried along.
The second reason is that, despite my repeated requests, only a few readers helped by sending photos and reports of technical innovations. There have been several standout contributors. Dave Linstrum is one of the most prolific. In fact, he wanted me to stress that he has not been a staff photographer! Stan Chilton and the late Jim Clem consistently shared their new ideas and innovations. This is far from a complete list, but the total number of contributors simply wasn’t large enough to adequately support the column.
On the European scene, Andras Ree of Hungary and Laurie Barr of England contributed fairly often several years ago. Steve Brown and Jim Richmond have kept us up to date on the FF Indoor World Championships and records.
Reminder: My E-mail address has changed to [email protected]. I look forward to any comments you care to make.
Who Is This?
Larry Kruse was the first to identify the mystery person in the photo as Mike Clem as a junior. Mike is the late Jim Clem’s second son and is married with children.
Rules Cycle
There was a joint meeting of the Contest Board chairmen and the Executive Council. One important decision that was made is that the rules cycle will be shortened to two years instead of the current three years. This will be accomplished by using E-mail for all Contest Board communications. It may also require future rules-change proposals to be E-mail messages.
By the time you see this, I expect that this information might have been announced by AMA in MA and other suitable venues. This announcement should define when proposals can be submitted and when proposals will be voted on. You should send your E-mail address to the Indoor Contest Board member in your AMA district so that he can interact with you.
Boron Safety
Although this piece is old, the safety information is pertinent as long as boron is being used. Read and heed; the skin you save is probably yours. However, careless use of boron can injure anyone, including children.
In the December 1993 Boeing Hawks newsletter (Gene Stubbs, editor), Gil Coughlin described the following useful tips for the safe use of boron fiber. Gil uses a 0.004-inch fiber consisting of a tungsten core with a vapor-deposited coating of boron. It comes on a roll and has a tensile strength and stiffness similar to 0.020-inch piano wire. Its typical use is to add stiffness to, say, a motorstick or stabilizer framework by cementing fibers to the structure. To apply the fiber, Gil coats it with Duco cement by drawing it through a drop of cement between his fingers. Then, with the coated fiber positioned on the structure, he activates the cement with a swipe of acetone.
Anyone who uses boron fiber should be careful:
- Remove and launder clothing contaminated with boron fibers separately.
- If fibers get into the skin, try to remove them with adhesive tape or wash thoroughly with soap and water.
- If fibers get into the eyes, flush with water and seek medical attention.
- When cutting or sanding boron-coated wire, wear gloves and eye protection and use adequate ventilation.
- Keep children away from boron fiber.
Balloon Size
Let's put balloon size into perspective. Lift varies with the cube of the radius of the inflated balloon. The lift of a 24-inch-diameter balloon is eight times more than the lift of a 12-inch-diameter balloon.
A huge balloon is unnecessary in Category I sites and may pose a problem in a flat-ceiling site. If your model is ceiling-scrubbing, you can't catch it with a big balloon. If you bump it, the model may stall and lose a great deal of altitude. Steering with a pole is allowed, but you must use extreme care to avoid snagging its tip in the ceiling. If it whips loose, the model may be damaged.
Category I Flying
For Category I flying, it is helpful to back off the model's flight trim. A model trimmed for maximum duration in still, unobstructed air is flying on the edge of a stall. In Category I sites and turbulent air, the model should be trimmed to fly slightly faster so it can recover more easily from disturbances.
A Steering Drone?
Do you have a sturdy model that doesn't fly as well as you would like? Take off the big propeller and rebalance it to fly "low and slow" using smaller rubber and a smaller propeller. Now you have a model with which you can practice steering.
Since you're not going all-out for first place or a record, you can use a site with odd ceiling height, rafters with an attitude, and a drift problem. You can also practice retrieval if it hangs up. A bonus is that without the pressure to win, you will be more relaxed—an excellent learning environment! MA
Editor's Note
The staff of MA thanks Bud for his many years of faithful service. His columns have helped many to better enjoy the art and sport of indoor modeling. He is a legend in the world of aeromodeling, and we wish him well in his future endeavors.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
