The Ernest Kopecky high-time perpetual trophy, which the
author received at the 2004 World Championships.
Indoor goodies. Top: Harlan balance. Second row: F1D.biz balsa
stripper, pocket thickness gauge, torque meter, GPM rubber
winder. Third row: GPM rubber stripper, electronic scale.
Bottom: Harlan balsa cutter.
SINCE WE ARE smack in the middle of the holidays and the building
season, I figured it would be fun to look at some of the cool Indoor FF
gadgets that are available. As I’ve pointed out in previous columns, you
don’t need special tools to build or fly an Indoor FF model—but they
certainly can make life easier.
Besides, as a friend once told me, there is
only one real hobby: buying things. You
might want to circle a few items and leave this
magazine out in a conspicuous place!
A winder is probably the first thing to land
in any FF modeler’s toolbox. You can
theoretically wind sturdy propellers by hand,
but a rubber winder does a much better job.
A great start is the yellow plastic Knight &
Pridham winder. It is available from several
sources including F1D.biz (www.f1d.biz) and
Also included in this column:
• Origins of the Ernest Kopecky
perpetual trophy
• A farewell to Charles Stiles
Dreaming of the flying season. Tony D’Alessandro prepares his Autogiro. Brett
Sanborn photo.
Torque meters by GPM. You can build
your own meter or purchase one.
Indoor Model Supply, or IMS (www.indoor
modelsupply.com). Inexpensive but
durable, this winder has a fairly smooth
feel and is available in three ratios.
When you decide you want more, look
at the winder from Geauga Precision
Models, or GPM
(www.mindspring.com/~thayer5/
ffpages/tools/winder/geauga.html). This
aluminum beauty is based on the out-ofproduction
Bob Wilder design. It features a
super-smooth feel, built-in counter, and is
available with or without an integral brake.
This winder is a bit of a splurge, but it
will last a lifetime of flying. Take a look
around at any big contest; if someone isn’t
using a trusty Wilder winder, he or she
probably has one of these.
The next thing you’ll find—on the other
end of the motor—is a torque meter. You
can do a lot of flying without one, but
torque measurements are extremely helpful
for packing maximum winds into a motor
and for accurately reaching a desired
altitude.
There are several plans online if you
want to build your own torque meter (e.g.,
www.so
inc.org/events/wrightstuff/harlan/torquemet
er.htm and
www.modelflight.com/torque.html). If
you’d rather buy one, you can find several
types at GPM, IMS, and F1D.biz. They
vary in price and features, but they all work
decently. I’ve seen them all used by top
fliers.
Finding the right motor for a particular
propeller/site is an integral part of Indoor
flying. You can either stock up on every
possible motor size (which is impractical)
or cut your own using a rubber stripper
(aka slitter or cutter). There are several
kinds floating around, built by people who
are no longer with us; Leeson and
Oppegard come to mind.
Since these tools last more than a
lifetime, you may be able to find one for
sale every once in awhile. Fortunately a
few current versions are still being
produced. F1D.biz has a nice, lower-priced
cutter. It looks a little rough but does a nice
job cutting and is a good choice for those
on a budget.
Ray Harlan (www.indoorduration.com/
HarlanBrochure.htm) makes a little gem
that many competitors use. GPM has a
limited-production model that is two to
three times as expensive as the others, but
it really does offer a few nice advantages in
precision and ease of use.
Building contest-winning Indoor models
requires fine-tuning the weight and strength
of each balsa component. The piece needs
to be strong enough to do its job and be in
balance with the rest of the parts, but not
overly sturdy, thus too heavy. Since balsa
is an organic material, variations in
strength and stiffness are to be expected.
Many builders adjust wood sizes to
obtain desired strength/weight results rather
than cut exactly what is specified on plans.
This can be accomplished with a ruler, a
fine-tip marker, and a straightedge, but a
special balsa stripper makes the job much
easier and more predictable.
F1D.biz produces a rerelease of the
popular Jim Jones balsa stripper. It is small
enough to put in a travel toolbox and is
perfect for cutting precision nontapered
pieces. With the addition of a few tapered
guides, it will even cut great tapered parts
(spars, etc.).
Ray Harlan makes a different type that
uses two micrometers to make straight
single or multiple tapers; it is great for
making a single-piece F1D wing spar. The
tool is useful in different ways. I have both
kinds in my workshop.
After several models and much trial and
error, you have a light and strong airplane
that flies great. But aircraft don’t last
forever, and sooner or later you’ll need to
build another one. That’s not a problem if
you kept detailed building notes and
weighed each component! A good scale is a
critical building tool and a requirement for
any workshop.
For Indoor FF purposes a scale should
have a resolution of .005-.001 gram
(anything finer is too sensitive to use
without a draft shield and is probably much
too expensive). Electronic balances are
quick and convenient, but they can be
pricey. If you hunt and are lucky, you can
find great used lab-quality balances on
eBay for reasonable prices.
There are decent lower-cost models
available through sites such as
www.balances
.com. These work well for weighing
model parts but can sometimes have
repeatability and creep (change in
measurement over time) problems that
make such tasks as tying .6-gram F1D
motors frustrating.
Mechanical balances are more timeconsuming
to use, but they don’t exhibit
creep and can have good repeatability.
You can find plans online to make your
own or get Ray Harlan’s carbon-fiber
beam balance. It’s my choice for motormaking
sessions.
Whether you are measuring balsa or
rubber motors, a handheld thickness
gauge is great to have. Some people use
micrometers successfully, but they require
a careful touch and it is easy to
overcompress whatever you are
measuring. A thickness gauge uses a
spring-loaded anvil instead and is
repeatable.
I have a pocket gauge from Sears (part
number 15-0046-15). It doesn’t look like
Sears has this product anymore (at least
not as that part number), but there are
others like it on the Internet.
You will generally need to open this
kind of gauge and stretch out the spring a
little to reduce the pressure it generates.
This can be a little tricky, but it is worth
the effort.
The preceding are just a few of the neat
tools that can make Indoor FF more
enjoyable. Take a look at the sites I’ve
listed for even more goodies.
Ernest Kopecky: As I write this column I
am in the final stages of preparation for the
2006 F1D World Championships. One of
my tasks has been to pack and ship back
the Ernest Kopecky perpetual trophy for
the longest flight at the World
Championships. Getting that award is
different from winning the competition
because in F1D your total flight time is the
top two flights combined.
I had the honor of receiving this trophy
at the 2004 World Championships, and it
has graced my mantel for the last two
years. There is a small card on the bottom
that reads that the trophy and the case were
constructed by Don Garafalow,
coordinated by the East Coast Indoor
Model Club.
The model encased in the Lucite block
on top is “Pete” Andrews’ Time Machine.
Sixteen of the 18 nameplates have been
engraved so far, beginning with Karol
Rybecky of the CSSR at Lakehurst in
1974.
It wasn’t until I began putting the
trophy back in its box that I started to
wonder about its namesake. The Internet
search engine Google didn’t produce any
results, so I put out a query on the Yahoo
Indoor_construction list. Several people
responded. Nick Aikman wrote:
“There’s a picture on page 4 of INAV
[Indoor News and Views] 200 (Archive
CD) of a big Kopecky D class Mike
record holder (with the builder) that flew
43:42 at Santa Ana, August 2nd, 1963. A
plan and description of the model is in
issue 240—pages 3 and 4. This plan was
also reproduced in a Frank Zaic Year
Book of the time.
“The model has elliptical dihedral that
was in vogue after the 1961/2 World
Champs at Cardington, where Germans
Hacklinger and Reike flew 45 minutes and
blew everyone away.
Bilgri/Kopecky/Kowalski and others
started building elliptical models in the
States—a tradition that continues with
Schramm/Krause today.”
Hermann Andresen wrote:
“Jim Richmond should be replying as
he not only won the trophy a lot but also
seemed to follow the Kopecky philosophy
of very light construction and low rubber
weight.
“He was an early member of the 40
minute club with a record-setting 90cm
F1D which appeared in one of the last
Zaic Year Books (early 1960s). As I recall
it had curved dihedral, differential chord,
small stab and small (like 18 inches)
prop.”
Jim Richmond wrote:
“I actually met Ernest Kopecky once
and I remember what he looked like and
what he said at the time. It was at the team
selection finals at West Baden in 1967 ...
His claim to fame as you mentioned was
holding the Indoor Stick record for a
number of years … Ernie placed about 5th
at that finals and the next thing I saw
about him was that he had undergone
heart surgery the following year …
“The Indoor model in the trophy is, of
course, Pete Andrews’ Time Machine
which I believe he made himself, but it
would have been more appropriate to have
modeled Ernie’s airplane for the Kopecky
trophy.”
Thanks, guys, for the background
information on a beautiful trophy! It
apparently has only two more cycles left
in its life. I wonder what will replace it.
Charles Stiles: I received the following
sad news from Thomas Hybiske.
“I’m writing to you to inform you of
the death of Charles Stiles, a well-known
Indoor modeler in the Philadelphia
region. I’m not a flier myself, so I have
no idea if he is known beyond the
Philadelphia area.
“I do know that he was friendly with,
and flew with, Pete Andrews many years
ago, as well as Jim Richmond and Ray
Harlan. He also was a mentor of Mark
Drela, a one-time world record holder in
several categories of Indoor Hand
Launched Gliders and now a professor of
aeronautical engineering at MIT.
“Charlie, or ‘Pop’ as he was known to
me and many others, was my father-inlaw
of 34 years. He passed away
September 11 at the age of 84, after a
year-long battle with renal failure. He
was an electrical engineer by profession,
pioneering thin film precision resistors,
but his job required a lot of fine
mechanical and machinery skills and he
brought these to bear on his hobby.
“Charlie began building Indoor
aircraft of all kinds back in the mid-1930s
and pursued it throughout his life. He was
a devoted husband, father, grandfather,
and great-grandfather, which took much
of his free time. Consequently, there
wasn’t much time left to compete, so he
flew mainly for the pure joy of the
hobby.
“A skilled builder, he flew often at
Lakehurst [NJ] and other places around
Philadelphia. He was a longtime member
of the SOTS ‘Scale Old Timers Society’
of Philadelphia and was known for his
ability to make any fellow member’s
model fly regardless of how poorly
constructed it was.
“I accompanied him many times to
flying sessions, where he appointed me
as his ‘official winder,’ spy, timer, and
all-around gopher. I often saw the pure
joy in his face as he carefully released
his microfilm ‘ship,’ as he referred to
them, and watched it corkscrew upward
under the torque of the rubber motor.
“He was known for having his pocket
protector stuffed with every imaginable
pen, pencil, scale, tweezer, and
screwdriver. On his eyeglasses he kept
jeweler’s magnifiers which were always
at hand if needed.
“He was wise, kind, and generous
and was known for often giving his
models or tools to an admirer. Even at
age 84, his hands were steady and calm,
and his building skills were second to
none.
“His death is no doubt a huge blow to
Indoor modeling in the Philadelphia
area, but in keeping with his generous
nature he requested that all of his
aircraft, balsa, miles of rubber, propeller
fixtures, and anything else used in
building, of which there were huge
amounts to be given to his friends and
donated to his club upon his death.
“He has left behind boxes of
microfilmed wings, lovingly stripped
and inventoried rubber, stripped balsa,
and dozens upon dozens of propellers
and thrust bearings, which will no doubt
help many area builders.
“If you knew Charlie, you no doubt
liked him. If you didn’t know him, you
missed a one-of-a-kind, old-school
builder.”
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/01
Page Numbers: 129,130,132,134,136
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/01
Page Numbers: 129,130,132,134,136
The Ernest Kopecky high-time perpetual trophy, which the
author received at the 2004 World Championships.
Indoor goodies. Top: Harlan balance. Second row: F1D.biz balsa
stripper, pocket thickness gauge, torque meter, GPM rubber
winder. Third row: GPM rubber stripper, electronic scale.
Bottom: Harlan balsa cutter.
SINCE WE ARE smack in the middle of the holidays and the building
season, I figured it would be fun to look at some of the cool Indoor FF
gadgets that are available. As I’ve pointed out in previous columns, you
don’t need special tools to build or fly an Indoor FF model—but they
certainly can make life easier.
Besides, as a friend once told me, there is
only one real hobby: buying things. You
might want to circle a few items and leave this
magazine out in a conspicuous place!
A winder is probably the first thing to land
in any FF modeler’s toolbox. You can
theoretically wind sturdy propellers by hand,
but a rubber winder does a much better job.
A great start is the yellow plastic Knight &
Pridham winder. It is available from several
sources including F1D.biz (www.f1d.biz) and
Also included in this column:
• Origins of the Ernest Kopecky
perpetual trophy
• A farewell to Charles Stiles
Dreaming of the flying season. Tony D’Alessandro prepares his Autogiro. Brett
Sanborn photo.
Torque meters by GPM. You can build
your own meter or purchase one.
Indoor Model Supply, or IMS (www.indoor
modelsupply.com). Inexpensive but
durable, this winder has a fairly smooth
feel and is available in three ratios.
When you decide you want more, look
at the winder from Geauga Precision
Models, or GPM
(www.mindspring.com/~thayer5/
ffpages/tools/winder/geauga.html). This
aluminum beauty is based on the out-ofproduction
Bob Wilder design. It features a
super-smooth feel, built-in counter, and is
available with or without an integral brake.
This winder is a bit of a splurge, but it
will last a lifetime of flying. Take a look
around at any big contest; if someone isn’t
using a trusty Wilder winder, he or she
probably has one of these.
The next thing you’ll find—on the other
end of the motor—is a torque meter. You
can do a lot of flying without one, but
torque measurements are extremely helpful
for packing maximum winds into a motor
and for accurately reaching a desired
altitude.
There are several plans online if you
want to build your own torque meter (e.g.,
www.so
inc.org/events/wrightstuff/harlan/torquemet
er.htm and
www.modelflight.com/torque.html). If
you’d rather buy one, you can find several
types at GPM, IMS, and F1D.biz. They
vary in price and features, but they all work
decently. I’ve seen them all used by top
fliers.
Finding the right motor for a particular
propeller/site is an integral part of Indoor
flying. You can either stock up on every
possible motor size (which is impractical)
or cut your own using a rubber stripper
(aka slitter or cutter). There are several
kinds floating around, built by people who
are no longer with us; Leeson and
Oppegard come to mind.
Since these tools last more than a
lifetime, you may be able to find one for
sale every once in awhile. Fortunately a
few current versions are still being
produced. F1D.biz has a nice, lower-priced
cutter. It looks a little rough but does a nice
job cutting and is a good choice for those
on a budget.
Ray Harlan (www.indoorduration.com/
HarlanBrochure.htm) makes a little gem
that many competitors use. GPM has a
limited-production model that is two to
three times as expensive as the others, but
it really does offer a few nice advantages in
precision and ease of use.
Building contest-winning Indoor models
requires fine-tuning the weight and strength
of each balsa component. The piece needs
to be strong enough to do its job and be in
balance with the rest of the parts, but not
overly sturdy, thus too heavy. Since balsa
is an organic material, variations in
strength and stiffness are to be expected.
Many builders adjust wood sizes to
obtain desired strength/weight results rather
than cut exactly what is specified on plans.
This can be accomplished with a ruler, a
fine-tip marker, and a straightedge, but a
special balsa stripper makes the job much
easier and more predictable.
F1D.biz produces a rerelease of the
popular Jim Jones balsa stripper. It is small
enough to put in a travel toolbox and is
perfect for cutting precision nontapered
pieces. With the addition of a few tapered
guides, it will even cut great tapered parts
(spars, etc.).
Ray Harlan makes a different type that
uses two micrometers to make straight
single or multiple tapers; it is great for
making a single-piece F1D wing spar. The
tool is useful in different ways. I have both
kinds in my workshop.
After several models and much trial and
error, you have a light and strong airplane
that flies great. But aircraft don’t last
forever, and sooner or later you’ll need to
build another one. That’s not a problem if
you kept detailed building notes and
weighed each component! A good scale is a
critical building tool and a requirement for
any workshop.
For Indoor FF purposes a scale should
have a resolution of .005-.001 gram
(anything finer is too sensitive to use
without a draft shield and is probably much
too expensive). Electronic balances are
quick and convenient, but they can be
pricey. If you hunt and are lucky, you can
find great used lab-quality balances on
eBay for reasonable prices.
There are decent lower-cost models
available through sites such as
www.balances
.com. These work well for weighing
model parts but can sometimes have
repeatability and creep (change in
measurement over time) problems that
make such tasks as tying .6-gram F1D
motors frustrating.
Mechanical balances are more timeconsuming
to use, but they don’t exhibit
creep and can have good repeatability.
You can find plans online to make your
own or get Ray Harlan’s carbon-fiber
beam balance. It’s my choice for motormaking
sessions.
Whether you are measuring balsa or
rubber motors, a handheld thickness
gauge is great to have. Some people use
micrometers successfully, but they require
a careful touch and it is easy to
overcompress whatever you are
measuring. A thickness gauge uses a
spring-loaded anvil instead and is
repeatable.
I have a pocket gauge from Sears (part
number 15-0046-15). It doesn’t look like
Sears has this product anymore (at least
not as that part number), but there are
others like it on the Internet.
You will generally need to open this
kind of gauge and stretch out the spring a
little to reduce the pressure it generates.
This can be a little tricky, but it is worth
the effort.
The preceding are just a few of the neat
tools that can make Indoor FF more
enjoyable. Take a look at the sites I’ve
listed for even more goodies.
Ernest Kopecky: As I write this column I
am in the final stages of preparation for the
2006 F1D World Championships. One of
my tasks has been to pack and ship back
the Ernest Kopecky perpetual trophy for
the longest flight at the World
Championships. Getting that award is
different from winning the competition
because in F1D your total flight time is the
top two flights combined.
I had the honor of receiving this trophy
at the 2004 World Championships, and it
has graced my mantel for the last two
years. There is a small card on the bottom
that reads that the trophy and the case were
constructed by Don Garafalow,
coordinated by the East Coast Indoor
Model Club.
The model encased in the Lucite block
on top is “Pete” Andrews’ Time Machine.
Sixteen of the 18 nameplates have been
engraved so far, beginning with Karol
Rybecky of the CSSR at Lakehurst in
1974.
It wasn’t until I began putting the
trophy back in its box that I started to
wonder about its namesake. The Internet
search engine Google didn’t produce any
results, so I put out a query on the Yahoo
Indoor_construction list. Several people
responded. Nick Aikman wrote:
“There’s a picture on page 4 of INAV
[Indoor News and Views] 200 (Archive
CD) of a big Kopecky D class Mike
record holder (with the builder) that flew
43:42 at Santa Ana, August 2nd, 1963. A
plan and description of the model is in
issue 240—pages 3 and 4. This plan was
also reproduced in a Frank Zaic Year
Book of the time.
“The model has elliptical dihedral that
was in vogue after the 1961/2 World
Champs at Cardington, where Germans
Hacklinger and Reike flew 45 minutes and
blew everyone away.
Bilgri/Kopecky/Kowalski and others
started building elliptical models in the
States—a tradition that continues with
Schramm/Krause today.”
Hermann Andresen wrote:
“Jim Richmond should be replying as
he not only won the trophy a lot but also
seemed to follow the Kopecky philosophy
of very light construction and low rubber
weight.
“He was an early member of the 40
minute club with a record-setting 90cm
F1D which appeared in one of the last
Zaic Year Books (early 1960s). As I recall
it had curved dihedral, differential chord,
small stab and small (like 18 inches)
prop.”
Jim Richmond wrote:
“I actually met Ernest Kopecky once
and I remember what he looked like and
what he said at the time. It was at the team
selection finals at West Baden in 1967 ...
His claim to fame as you mentioned was
holding the Indoor Stick record for a
number of years … Ernie placed about 5th
at that finals and the next thing I saw
about him was that he had undergone
heart surgery the following year …
“The Indoor model in the trophy is, of
course, Pete Andrews’ Time Machine
which I believe he made himself, but it
would have been more appropriate to have
modeled Ernie’s airplane for the Kopecky
trophy.”
Thanks, guys, for the background
information on a beautiful trophy! It
apparently has only two more cycles left
in its life. I wonder what will replace it.
Charles Stiles: I received the following
sad news from Thomas Hybiske.
“I’m writing to you to inform you of
the death of Charles Stiles, a well-known
Indoor modeler in the Philadelphia
region. I’m not a flier myself, so I have
no idea if he is known beyond the
Philadelphia area.
“I do know that he was friendly with,
and flew with, Pete Andrews many years
ago, as well as Jim Richmond and Ray
Harlan. He also was a mentor of Mark
Drela, a one-time world record holder in
several categories of Indoor Hand
Launched Gliders and now a professor of
aeronautical engineering at MIT.
“Charlie, or ‘Pop’ as he was known to
me and many others, was my father-inlaw
of 34 years. He passed away
September 11 at the age of 84, after a
year-long battle with renal failure. He
was an electrical engineer by profession,
pioneering thin film precision resistors,
but his job required a lot of fine
mechanical and machinery skills and he
brought these to bear on his hobby.
“Charlie began building Indoor
aircraft of all kinds back in the mid-1930s
and pursued it throughout his life. He was
a devoted husband, father, grandfather,
and great-grandfather, which took much
of his free time. Consequently, there
wasn’t much time left to compete, so he
flew mainly for the pure joy of the
hobby.
“A skilled builder, he flew often at
Lakehurst [NJ] and other places around
Philadelphia. He was a longtime member
of the SOTS ‘Scale Old Timers Society’
of Philadelphia and was known for his
ability to make any fellow member’s
model fly regardless of how poorly
constructed it was.
“I accompanied him many times to
flying sessions, where he appointed me
as his ‘official winder,’ spy, timer, and
all-around gopher. I often saw the pure
joy in his face as he carefully released
his microfilm ‘ship,’ as he referred to
them, and watched it corkscrew upward
under the torque of the rubber motor.
“He was known for having his pocket
protector stuffed with every imaginable
pen, pencil, scale, tweezer, and
screwdriver. On his eyeglasses he kept
jeweler’s magnifiers which were always
at hand if needed.
“He was wise, kind, and generous
and was known for often giving his
models or tools to an admirer. Even at
age 84, his hands were steady and calm,
and his building skills were second to
none.
“His death is no doubt a huge blow to
Indoor modeling in the Philadelphia
area, but in keeping with his generous
nature he requested that all of his
aircraft, balsa, miles of rubber, propeller
fixtures, and anything else used in
building, of which there were huge
amounts to be given to his friends and
donated to his club upon his death.
“He has left behind boxes of
microfilmed wings, lovingly stripped
and inventoried rubber, stripped balsa,
and dozens upon dozens of propellers
and thrust bearings, which will no doubt
help many area builders.
“If you knew Charlie, you no doubt
liked him. If you didn’t know him, you
missed a one-of-a-kind, old-school
builder.”
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/01
Page Numbers: 129,130,132,134,136
The Ernest Kopecky high-time perpetual trophy, which the
author received at the 2004 World Championships.
Indoor goodies. Top: Harlan balance. Second row: F1D.biz balsa
stripper, pocket thickness gauge, torque meter, GPM rubber
winder. Third row: GPM rubber stripper, electronic scale.
Bottom: Harlan balsa cutter.
SINCE WE ARE smack in the middle of the holidays and the building
season, I figured it would be fun to look at some of the cool Indoor FF
gadgets that are available. As I’ve pointed out in previous columns, you
don’t need special tools to build or fly an Indoor FF model—but they
certainly can make life easier.
Besides, as a friend once told me, there is
only one real hobby: buying things. You
might want to circle a few items and leave this
magazine out in a conspicuous place!
A winder is probably the first thing to land
in any FF modeler’s toolbox. You can
theoretically wind sturdy propellers by hand,
but a rubber winder does a much better job.
A great start is the yellow plastic Knight &
Pridham winder. It is available from several
sources including F1D.biz (www.f1d.biz) and
Also included in this column:
• Origins of the Ernest Kopecky
perpetual trophy
• A farewell to Charles Stiles
Dreaming of the flying season. Tony D’Alessandro prepares his Autogiro. Brett
Sanborn photo.
Torque meters by GPM. You can build
your own meter or purchase one.
Indoor Model Supply, or IMS (www.indoor
modelsupply.com). Inexpensive but
durable, this winder has a fairly smooth
feel and is available in three ratios.
When you decide you want more, look
at the winder from Geauga Precision
Models, or GPM
(www.mindspring.com/~thayer5/
ffpages/tools/winder/geauga.html). This
aluminum beauty is based on the out-ofproduction
Bob Wilder design. It features a
super-smooth feel, built-in counter, and is
available with or without an integral brake.
This winder is a bit of a splurge, but it
will last a lifetime of flying. Take a look
around at any big contest; if someone isn’t
using a trusty Wilder winder, he or she
probably has one of these.
The next thing you’ll find—on the other
end of the motor—is a torque meter. You
can do a lot of flying without one, but
torque measurements are extremely helpful
for packing maximum winds into a motor
and for accurately reaching a desired
altitude.
There are several plans online if you
want to build your own torque meter (e.g.,
www.so
inc.org/events/wrightstuff/harlan/torquemet
er.htm and
www.modelflight.com/torque.html). If
you’d rather buy one, you can find several
types at GPM, IMS, and F1D.biz. They
vary in price and features, but they all work
decently. I’ve seen them all used by top
fliers.
Finding the right motor for a particular
propeller/site is an integral part of Indoor
flying. You can either stock up on every
possible motor size (which is impractical)
or cut your own using a rubber stripper
(aka slitter or cutter). There are several
kinds floating around, built by people who
are no longer with us; Leeson and
Oppegard come to mind.
Since these tools last more than a
lifetime, you may be able to find one for
sale every once in awhile. Fortunately a
few current versions are still being
produced. F1D.biz has a nice, lower-priced
cutter. It looks a little rough but does a nice
job cutting and is a good choice for those
on a budget.
Ray Harlan (www.indoorduration.com/
HarlanBrochure.htm) makes a little gem
that many competitors use. GPM has a
limited-production model that is two to
three times as expensive as the others, but
it really does offer a few nice advantages in
precision and ease of use.
Building contest-winning Indoor models
requires fine-tuning the weight and strength
of each balsa component. The piece needs
to be strong enough to do its job and be in
balance with the rest of the parts, but not
overly sturdy, thus too heavy. Since balsa
is an organic material, variations in
strength and stiffness are to be expected.
Many builders adjust wood sizes to
obtain desired strength/weight results rather
than cut exactly what is specified on plans.
This can be accomplished with a ruler, a
fine-tip marker, and a straightedge, but a
special balsa stripper makes the job much
easier and more predictable.
F1D.biz produces a rerelease of the
popular Jim Jones balsa stripper. It is small
enough to put in a travel toolbox and is
perfect for cutting precision nontapered
pieces. With the addition of a few tapered
guides, it will even cut great tapered parts
(spars, etc.).
Ray Harlan makes a different type that
uses two micrometers to make straight
single or multiple tapers; it is great for
making a single-piece F1D wing spar. The
tool is useful in different ways. I have both
kinds in my workshop.
After several models and much trial and
error, you have a light and strong airplane
that flies great. But aircraft don’t last
forever, and sooner or later you’ll need to
build another one. That’s not a problem if
you kept detailed building notes and
weighed each component! A good scale is a
critical building tool and a requirement for
any workshop.
For Indoor FF purposes a scale should
have a resolution of .005-.001 gram
(anything finer is too sensitive to use
without a draft shield and is probably much
too expensive). Electronic balances are
quick and convenient, but they can be
pricey. If you hunt and are lucky, you can
find great used lab-quality balances on
eBay for reasonable prices.
There are decent lower-cost models
available through sites such as
www.balances
.com. These work well for weighing
model parts but can sometimes have
repeatability and creep (change in
measurement over time) problems that
make such tasks as tying .6-gram F1D
motors frustrating.
Mechanical balances are more timeconsuming
to use, but they don’t exhibit
creep and can have good repeatability.
You can find plans online to make your
own or get Ray Harlan’s carbon-fiber
beam balance. It’s my choice for motormaking
sessions.
Whether you are measuring balsa or
rubber motors, a handheld thickness
gauge is great to have. Some people use
micrometers successfully, but they require
a careful touch and it is easy to
overcompress whatever you are
measuring. A thickness gauge uses a
spring-loaded anvil instead and is
repeatable.
I have a pocket gauge from Sears (part
number 15-0046-15). It doesn’t look like
Sears has this product anymore (at least
not as that part number), but there are
others like it on the Internet.
You will generally need to open this
kind of gauge and stretch out the spring a
little to reduce the pressure it generates.
This can be a little tricky, but it is worth
the effort.
The preceding are just a few of the neat
tools that can make Indoor FF more
enjoyable. Take a look at the sites I’ve
listed for even more goodies.
Ernest Kopecky: As I write this column I
am in the final stages of preparation for the
2006 F1D World Championships. One of
my tasks has been to pack and ship back
the Ernest Kopecky perpetual trophy for
the longest flight at the World
Championships. Getting that award is
different from winning the competition
because in F1D your total flight time is the
top two flights combined.
I had the honor of receiving this trophy
at the 2004 World Championships, and it
has graced my mantel for the last two
years. There is a small card on the bottom
that reads that the trophy and the case were
constructed by Don Garafalow,
coordinated by the East Coast Indoor
Model Club.
The model encased in the Lucite block
on top is “Pete” Andrews’ Time Machine.
Sixteen of the 18 nameplates have been
engraved so far, beginning with Karol
Rybecky of the CSSR at Lakehurst in
1974.
It wasn’t until I began putting the
trophy back in its box that I started to
wonder about its namesake. The Internet
search engine Google didn’t produce any
results, so I put out a query on the Yahoo
Indoor_construction list. Several people
responded. Nick Aikman wrote:
“There’s a picture on page 4 of INAV
[Indoor News and Views] 200 (Archive
CD) of a big Kopecky D class Mike
record holder (with the builder) that flew
43:42 at Santa Ana, August 2nd, 1963. A
plan and description of the model is in
issue 240—pages 3 and 4. This plan was
also reproduced in a Frank Zaic Year
Book of the time.
“The model has elliptical dihedral that
was in vogue after the 1961/2 World
Champs at Cardington, where Germans
Hacklinger and Reike flew 45 minutes and
blew everyone away.
Bilgri/Kopecky/Kowalski and others
started building elliptical models in the
States—a tradition that continues with
Schramm/Krause today.”
Hermann Andresen wrote:
“Jim Richmond should be replying as
he not only won the trophy a lot but also
seemed to follow the Kopecky philosophy
of very light construction and low rubber
weight.
“He was an early member of the 40
minute club with a record-setting 90cm
F1D which appeared in one of the last
Zaic Year Books (early 1960s). As I recall
it had curved dihedral, differential chord,
small stab and small (like 18 inches)
prop.”
Jim Richmond wrote:
“I actually met Ernest Kopecky once
and I remember what he looked like and
what he said at the time. It was at the team
selection finals at West Baden in 1967 ...
His claim to fame as you mentioned was
holding the Indoor Stick record for a
number of years … Ernie placed about 5th
at that finals and the next thing I saw
about him was that he had undergone
heart surgery the following year …
“The Indoor model in the trophy is, of
course, Pete Andrews’ Time Machine
which I believe he made himself, but it
would have been more appropriate to have
modeled Ernie’s airplane for the Kopecky
trophy.”
Thanks, guys, for the background
information on a beautiful trophy! It
apparently has only two more cycles left
in its life. I wonder what will replace it.
Charles Stiles: I received the following
sad news from Thomas Hybiske.
“I’m writing to you to inform you of
the death of Charles Stiles, a well-known
Indoor modeler in the Philadelphia
region. I’m not a flier myself, so I have
no idea if he is known beyond the
Philadelphia area.
“I do know that he was friendly with,
and flew with, Pete Andrews many years
ago, as well as Jim Richmond and Ray
Harlan. He also was a mentor of Mark
Drela, a one-time world record holder in
several categories of Indoor Hand
Launched Gliders and now a professor of
aeronautical engineering at MIT.
“Charlie, or ‘Pop’ as he was known to
me and many others, was my father-inlaw
of 34 years. He passed away
September 11 at the age of 84, after a
year-long battle with renal failure. He
was an electrical engineer by profession,
pioneering thin film precision resistors,
but his job required a lot of fine
mechanical and machinery skills and he
brought these to bear on his hobby.
“Charlie began building Indoor
aircraft of all kinds back in the mid-1930s
and pursued it throughout his life. He was
a devoted husband, father, grandfather,
and great-grandfather, which took much
of his free time. Consequently, there
wasn’t much time left to compete, so he
flew mainly for the pure joy of the
hobby.
“A skilled builder, he flew often at
Lakehurst [NJ] and other places around
Philadelphia. He was a longtime member
of the SOTS ‘Scale Old Timers Society’
of Philadelphia and was known for his
ability to make any fellow member’s
model fly regardless of how poorly
constructed it was.
“I accompanied him many times to
flying sessions, where he appointed me
as his ‘official winder,’ spy, timer, and
all-around gopher. I often saw the pure
joy in his face as he carefully released
his microfilm ‘ship,’ as he referred to
them, and watched it corkscrew upward
under the torque of the rubber motor.
“He was known for having his pocket
protector stuffed with every imaginable
pen, pencil, scale, tweezer, and
screwdriver. On his eyeglasses he kept
jeweler’s magnifiers which were always
at hand if needed.
“He was wise, kind, and generous
and was known for often giving his
models or tools to an admirer. Even at
age 84, his hands were steady and calm,
and his building skills were second to
none.
“His death is no doubt a huge blow to
Indoor modeling in the Philadelphia
area, but in keeping with his generous
nature he requested that all of his
aircraft, balsa, miles of rubber, propeller
fixtures, and anything else used in
building, of which there were huge
amounts to be given to his friends and
donated to his club upon his death.
“He has left behind boxes of
microfilmed wings, lovingly stripped
and inventoried rubber, stripped balsa,
and dozens upon dozens of propellers
and thrust bearings, which will no doubt
help many area builders.
“If you knew Charlie, you no doubt
liked him. If you didn’t know him, you
missed a one-of-a-kind, old-school
builder.”
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/01
Page Numbers: 129,130,132,134,136
The Ernest Kopecky high-time perpetual trophy, which the
author received at the 2004 World Championships.
Indoor goodies. Top: Harlan balance. Second row: F1D.biz balsa
stripper, pocket thickness gauge, torque meter, GPM rubber
winder. Third row: GPM rubber stripper, electronic scale.
Bottom: Harlan balsa cutter.
SINCE WE ARE smack in the middle of the holidays and the building
season, I figured it would be fun to look at some of the cool Indoor FF
gadgets that are available. As I’ve pointed out in previous columns, you
don’t need special tools to build or fly an Indoor FF model—but they
certainly can make life easier.
Besides, as a friend once told me, there is
only one real hobby: buying things. You
might want to circle a few items and leave this
magazine out in a conspicuous place!
A winder is probably the first thing to land
in any FF modeler’s toolbox. You can
theoretically wind sturdy propellers by hand,
but a rubber winder does a much better job.
A great start is the yellow plastic Knight &
Pridham winder. It is available from several
sources including F1D.biz (www.f1d.biz) and
Also included in this column:
• Origins of the Ernest Kopecky
perpetual trophy
• A farewell to Charles Stiles
Dreaming of the flying season. Tony D’Alessandro prepares his Autogiro. Brett
Sanborn photo.
Torque meters by GPM. You can build
your own meter or purchase one.
Indoor Model Supply, or IMS (www.indoor
modelsupply.com). Inexpensive but
durable, this winder has a fairly smooth
feel and is available in three ratios.
When you decide you want more, look
at the winder from Geauga Precision
Models, or GPM
(www.mindspring.com/~thayer5/
ffpages/tools/winder/geauga.html). This
aluminum beauty is based on the out-ofproduction
Bob Wilder design. It features a
super-smooth feel, built-in counter, and is
available with or without an integral brake.
This winder is a bit of a splurge, but it
will last a lifetime of flying. Take a look
around at any big contest; if someone isn’t
using a trusty Wilder winder, he or she
probably has one of these.
The next thing you’ll find—on the other
end of the motor—is a torque meter. You
can do a lot of flying without one, but
torque measurements are extremely helpful
for packing maximum winds into a motor
and for accurately reaching a desired
altitude.
There are several plans online if you
want to build your own torque meter (e.g.,
www.so
inc.org/events/wrightstuff/harlan/torquemet
er.htm and
www.modelflight.com/torque.html). If
you’d rather buy one, you can find several
types at GPM, IMS, and F1D.biz. They
vary in price and features, but they all work
decently. I’ve seen them all used by top
fliers.
Finding the right motor for a particular
propeller/site is an integral part of Indoor
flying. You can either stock up on every
possible motor size (which is impractical)
or cut your own using a rubber stripper
(aka slitter or cutter). There are several
kinds floating around, built by people who
are no longer with us; Leeson and
Oppegard come to mind.
Since these tools last more than a
lifetime, you may be able to find one for
sale every once in awhile. Fortunately a
few current versions are still being
produced. F1D.biz has a nice, lower-priced
cutter. It looks a little rough but does a nice
job cutting and is a good choice for those
on a budget.
Ray Harlan (www.indoorduration.com/
HarlanBrochure.htm) makes a little gem
that many competitors use. GPM has a
limited-production model that is two to
three times as expensive as the others, but
it really does offer a few nice advantages in
precision and ease of use.
Building contest-winning Indoor models
requires fine-tuning the weight and strength
of each balsa component. The piece needs
to be strong enough to do its job and be in
balance with the rest of the parts, but not
overly sturdy, thus too heavy. Since balsa
is an organic material, variations in
strength and stiffness are to be expected.
Many builders adjust wood sizes to
obtain desired strength/weight results rather
than cut exactly what is specified on plans.
This can be accomplished with a ruler, a
fine-tip marker, and a straightedge, but a
special balsa stripper makes the job much
easier and more predictable.
F1D.biz produces a rerelease of the
popular Jim Jones balsa stripper. It is small
enough to put in a travel toolbox and is
perfect for cutting precision nontapered
pieces. With the addition of a few tapered
guides, it will even cut great tapered parts
(spars, etc.).
Ray Harlan makes a different type that
uses two micrometers to make straight
single or multiple tapers; it is great for
making a single-piece F1D wing spar. The
tool is useful in different ways. I have both
kinds in my workshop.
After several models and much trial and
error, you have a light and strong airplane
that flies great. But aircraft don’t last
forever, and sooner or later you’ll need to
build another one. That’s not a problem if
you kept detailed building notes and
weighed each component! A good scale is a
critical building tool and a requirement for
any workshop.
For Indoor FF purposes a scale should
have a resolution of .005-.001 gram
(anything finer is too sensitive to use
without a draft shield and is probably much
too expensive). Electronic balances are
quick and convenient, but they can be
pricey. If you hunt and are lucky, you can
find great used lab-quality balances on
eBay for reasonable prices.
There are decent lower-cost models
available through sites such as
www.balances
.com. These work well for weighing
model parts but can sometimes have
repeatability and creep (change in
measurement over time) problems that
make such tasks as tying .6-gram F1D
motors frustrating.
Mechanical balances are more timeconsuming
to use, but they don’t exhibit
creep and can have good repeatability.
You can find plans online to make your
own or get Ray Harlan’s carbon-fiber
beam balance. It’s my choice for motormaking
sessions.
Whether you are measuring balsa or
rubber motors, a handheld thickness
gauge is great to have. Some people use
micrometers successfully, but they require
a careful touch and it is easy to
overcompress whatever you are
measuring. A thickness gauge uses a
spring-loaded anvil instead and is
repeatable.
I have a pocket gauge from Sears (part
number 15-0046-15). It doesn’t look like
Sears has this product anymore (at least
not as that part number), but there are
others like it on the Internet.
You will generally need to open this
kind of gauge and stretch out the spring a
little to reduce the pressure it generates.
This can be a little tricky, but it is worth
the effort.
The preceding are just a few of the neat
tools that can make Indoor FF more
enjoyable. Take a look at the sites I’ve
listed for even more goodies.
Ernest Kopecky: As I write this column I
am in the final stages of preparation for the
2006 F1D World Championships. One of
my tasks has been to pack and ship back
the Ernest Kopecky perpetual trophy for
the longest flight at the World
Championships. Getting that award is
different from winning the competition
because in F1D your total flight time is the
top two flights combined.
I had the honor of receiving this trophy
at the 2004 World Championships, and it
has graced my mantel for the last two
years. There is a small card on the bottom
that reads that the trophy and the case were
constructed by Don Garafalow,
coordinated by the East Coast Indoor
Model Club.
The model encased in the Lucite block
on top is “Pete” Andrews’ Time Machine.
Sixteen of the 18 nameplates have been
engraved so far, beginning with Karol
Rybecky of the CSSR at Lakehurst in
1974.
It wasn’t until I began putting the
trophy back in its box that I started to
wonder about its namesake. The Internet
search engine Google didn’t produce any
results, so I put out a query on the Yahoo
Indoor_construction list. Several people
responded. Nick Aikman wrote:
“There’s a picture on page 4 of INAV
[Indoor News and Views] 200 (Archive
CD) of a big Kopecky D class Mike
record holder (with the builder) that flew
43:42 at Santa Ana, August 2nd, 1963. A
plan and description of the model is in
issue 240—pages 3 and 4. This plan was
also reproduced in a Frank Zaic Year
Book of the time.
“The model has elliptical dihedral that
was in vogue after the 1961/2 World
Champs at Cardington, where Germans
Hacklinger and Reike flew 45 minutes and
blew everyone away.
Bilgri/Kopecky/Kowalski and others
started building elliptical models in the
States—a tradition that continues with
Schramm/Krause today.”
Hermann Andresen wrote:
“Jim Richmond should be replying as
he not only won the trophy a lot but also
seemed to follow the Kopecky philosophy
of very light construction and low rubber
weight.
“He was an early member of the 40
minute club with a record-setting 90cm
F1D which appeared in one of the last
Zaic Year Books (early 1960s). As I recall
it had curved dihedral, differential chord,
small stab and small (like 18 inches)
prop.”
Jim Richmond wrote:
“I actually met Ernest Kopecky once
and I remember what he looked like and
what he said at the time. It was at the team
selection finals at West Baden in 1967 ...
His claim to fame as you mentioned was
holding the Indoor Stick record for a
number of years … Ernie placed about 5th
at that finals and the next thing I saw
about him was that he had undergone
heart surgery the following year …
“The Indoor model in the trophy is, of
course, Pete Andrews’ Time Machine
which I believe he made himself, but it
would have been more appropriate to have
modeled Ernie’s airplane for the Kopecky
trophy.”
Thanks, guys, for the background
information on a beautiful trophy! It
apparently has only two more cycles left
in its life. I wonder what will replace it.
Charles Stiles: I received the following
sad news from Thomas Hybiske.
“I’m writing to you to inform you of
the death of Charles Stiles, a well-known
Indoor modeler in the Philadelphia
region. I’m not a flier myself, so I have
no idea if he is known beyond the
Philadelphia area.
“I do know that he was friendly with,
and flew with, Pete Andrews many years
ago, as well as Jim Richmond and Ray
Harlan. He also was a mentor of Mark
Drela, a one-time world record holder in
several categories of Indoor Hand
Launched Gliders and now a professor of
aeronautical engineering at MIT.
“Charlie, or ‘Pop’ as he was known to
me and many others, was my father-inlaw
of 34 years. He passed away
September 11 at the age of 84, after a
year-long battle with renal failure. He
was an electrical engineer by profession,
pioneering thin film precision resistors,
but his job required a lot of fine
mechanical and machinery skills and he
brought these to bear on his hobby.
“Charlie began building Indoor
aircraft of all kinds back in the mid-1930s
and pursued it throughout his life. He was
a devoted husband, father, grandfather,
and great-grandfather, which took much
of his free time. Consequently, there
wasn’t much time left to compete, so he
flew mainly for the pure joy of the
hobby.
“A skilled builder, he flew often at
Lakehurst [NJ] and other places around
Philadelphia. He was a longtime member
of the SOTS ‘Scale Old Timers Society’
of Philadelphia and was known for his
ability to make any fellow member’s
model fly regardless of how poorly
constructed it was.
“I accompanied him many times to
flying sessions, where he appointed me
as his ‘official winder,’ spy, timer, and
all-around gopher. I often saw the pure
joy in his face as he carefully released
his microfilm ‘ship,’ as he referred to
them, and watched it corkscrew upward
under the torque of the rubber motor.
“He was known for having his pocket
protector stuffed with every imaginable
pen, pencil, scale, tweezer, and
screwdriver. On his eyeglasses he kept
jeweler’s magnifiers which were always
at hand if needed.
“He was wise, kind, and generous
and was known for often giving his
models or tools to an admirer. Even at
age 84, his hands were steady and calm,
and his building skills were second to
none.
“His death is no doubt a huge blow to
Indoor modeling in the Philadelphia
area, but in keeping with his generous
nature he requested that all of his
aircraft, balsa, miles of rubber, propeller
fixtures, and anything else used in
building, of which there were huge
amounts to be given to his friends and
donated to his club upon his death.
“He has left behind boxes of
microfilmed wings, lovingly stripped
and inventoried rubber, stripped balsa,
and dozens upon dozens of propellers
and thrust bearings, which will no doubt
help many area builders.
“If you knew Charlie, you no doubt
liked him. If you didn’t know him, you
missed a one-of-a-kind, old-school
builder.”
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/01
Page Numbers: 129,130,132,134,136
The Ernest Kopecky high-time perpetual trophy, which the
author received at the 2004 World Championships.
Indoor goodies. Top: Harlan balance. Second row: F1D.biz balsa
stripper, pocket thickness gauge, torque meter, GPM rubber
winder. Third row: GPM rubber stripper, electronic scale.
Bottom: Harlan balsa cutter.
SINCE WE ARE smack in the middle of the holidays and the building
season, I figured it would be fun to look at some of the cool Indoor FF
gadgets that are available. As I’ve pointed out in previous columns, you
don’t need special tools to build or fly an Indoor FF model—but they
certainly can make life easier.
Besides, as a friend once told me, there is
only one real hobby: buying things. You
might want to circle a few items and leave this
magazine out in a conspicuous place!
A winder is probably the first thing to land
in any FF modeler’s toolbox. You can
theoretically wind sturdy propellers by hand,
but a rubber winder does a much better job.
A great start is the yellow plastic Knight &
Pridham winder. It is available from several
sources including F1D.biz (www.f1d.biz) and
Also included in this column:
• Origins of the Ernest Kopecky
perpetual trophy
• A farewell to Charles Stiles
Dreaming of the flying season. Tony D’Alessandro prepares his Autogiro. Brett
Sanborn photo.
Torque meters by GPM. You can build
your own meter or purchase one.
Indoor Model Supply, or IMS (www.indoor
modelsupply.com). Inexpensive but
durable, this winder has a fairly smooth
feel and is available in three ratios.
When you decide you want more, look
at the winder from Geauga Precision
Models, or GPM
(www.mindspring.com/~thayer5/
ffpages/tools/winder/geauga.html). This
aluminum beauty is based on the out-ofproduction
Bob Wilder design. It features a
super-smooth feel, built-in counter, and is
available with or without an integral brake.
This winder is a bit of a splurge, but it
will last a lifetime of flying. Take a look
around at any big contest; if someone isn’t
using a trusty Wilder winder, he or she
probably has one of these.
The next thing you’ll find—on the other
end of the motor—is a torque meter. You
can do a lot of flying without one, but
torque measurements are extremely helpful
for packing maximum winds into a motor
and for accurately reaching a desired
altitude.
There are several plans online if you
want to build your own torque meter (e.g.,
www.so
inc.org/events/wrightstuff/harlan/torquemet
er.htm and
www.modelflight.com/torque.html). If
you’d rather buy one, you can find several
types at GPM, IMS, and F1D.biz. They
vary in price and features, but they all work
decently. I’ve seen them all used by top
fliers.
Finding the right motor for a particular
propeller/site is an integral part of Indoor
flying. You can either stock up on every
possible motor size (which is impractical)
or cut your own using a rubber stripper
(aka slitter or cutter). There are several
kinds floating around, built by people who
are no longer with us; Leeson and
Oppegard come to mind.
Since these tools last more than a
lifetime, you may be able to find one for
sale every once in awhile. Fortunately a
few current versions are still being
produced. F1D.biz has a nice, lower-priced
cutter. It looks a little rough but does a nice
job cutting and is a good choice for those
on a budget.
Ray Harlan (www.indoorduration.com/
HarlanBrochure.htm) makes a little gem
that many competitors use. GPM has a
limited-production model that is two to
three times as expensive as the others, but
it really does offer a few nice advantages in
precision and ease of use.
Building contest-winning Indoor models
requires fine-tuning the weight and strength
of each balsa component. The piece needs
to be strong enough to do its job and be in
balance with the rest of the parts, but not
overly sturdy, thus too heavy. Since balsa
is an organic material, variations in
strength and stiffness are to be expected.
Many builders adjust wood sizes to
obtain desired strength/weight results rather
than cut exactly what is specified on plans.
This can be accomplished with a ruler, a
fine-tip marker, and a straightedge, but a
special balsa stripper makes the job much
easier and more predictable.
F1D.biz produces a rerelease of the
popular Jim Jones balsa stripper. It is small
enough to put in a travel toolbox and is
perfect for cutting precision nontapered
pieces. With the addition of a few tapered
guides, it will even cut great tapered parts
(spars, etc.).
Ray Harlan makes a different type that
uses two micrometers to make straight
single or multiple tapers; it is great for
making a single-piece F1D wing spar. The
tool is useful in different ways. I have both
kinds in my workshop.
After several models and much trial and
error, you have a light and strong airplane
that flies great. But aircraft don’t last
forever, and sooner or later you’ll need to
build another one. That’s not a problem if
you kept detailed building notes and
weighed each component! A good scale is a
critical building tool and a requirement for
any workshop.
For Indoor FF purposes a scale should
have a resolution of .005-.001 gram
(anything finer is too sensitive to use
without a draft shield and is probably much
too expensive). Electronic balances are
quick and convenient, but they can be
pricey. If you hunt and are lucky, you can
find great used lab-quality balances on
eBay for reasonable prices.
There are decent lower-cost models
available through sites such as
www.balances
.com. These work well for weighing
model parts but can sometimes have
repeatability and creep (change in
measurement over time) problems that
make such tasks as tying .6-gram F1D
motors frustrating.
Mechanical balances are more timeconsuming
to use, but they don’t exhibit
creep and can have good repeatability.
You can find plans online to make your
own or get Ray Harlan’s carbon-fiber
beam balance. It’s my choice for motormaking
sessions.
Whether you are measuring balsa or
rubber motors, a handheld thickness
gauge is great to have. Some people use
micrometers successfully, but they require
a careful touch and it is easy to
overcompress whatever you are
measuring. A thickness gauge uses a
spring-loaded anvil instead and is
repeatable.
I have a pocket gauge from Sears (part
number 15-0046-15). It doesn’t look like
Sears has this product anymore (at least
not as that part number), but there are
others like it on the Internet.
You will generally need to open this
kind of gauge and stretch out the spring a
little to reduce the pressure it generates.
This can be a little tricky, but it is worth
the effort.
The preceding are just a few of the neat
tools that can make Indoor FF more
enjoyable. Take a look at the sites I’ve
listed for even more goodies.
Ernest Kopecky: As I write this column I
am in the final stages of preparation for the
2006 F1D World Championships. One of
my tasks has been to pack and ship back
the Ernest Kopecky perpetual trophy for
the longest flight at the World
Championships. Getting that award is
different from winning the competition
because in F1D your total flight time is the
top two flights combined.
I had the honor of receiving this trophy
at the 2004 World Championships, and it
has graced my mantel for the last two
years. There is a small card on the bottom
that reads that the trophy and the case were
constructed by Don Garafalow,
coordinated by the East Coast Indoor
Model Club.
The model encased in the Lucite block
on top is “Pete” Andrews’ Time Machine.
Sixteen of the 18 nameplates have been
engraved so far, beginning with Karol
Rybecky of the CSSR at Lakehurst in
1974.
It wasn’t until I began putting the
trophy back in its box that I started to
wonder about its namesake. The Internet
search engine Google didn’t produce any
results, so I put out a query on the Yahoo
Indoor_construction list. Several people
responded. Nick Aikman wrote:
“There’s a picture on page 4 of INAV
[Indoor News and Views] 200 (Archive
CD) of a big Kopecky D class Mike
record holder (with the builder) that flew
43:42 at Santa Ana, August 2nd, 1963. A
plan and description of the model is in
issue 240—pages 3 and 4. This plan was
also reproduced in a Frank Zaic Year
Book of the time.
“The model has elliptical dihedral that
was in vogue after the 1961/2 World
Champs at Cardington, where Germans
Hacklinger and Reike flew 45 minutes and
blew everyone away.
Bilgri/Kopecky/Kowalski and others
started building elliptical models in the
States—a tradition that continues with
Schramm/Krause today.”
Hermann Andresen wrote:
“Jim Richmond should be replying as
he not only won the trophy a lot but also
seemed to follow the Kopecky philosophy
of very light construction and low rubber
weight.
“He was an early member of the 40
minute club with a record-setting 90cm
F1D which appeared in one of the last
Zaic Year Books (early 1960s). As I recall
it had curved dihedral, differential chord,
small stab and small (like 18 inches)
prop.”
Jim Richmond wrote:
“I actually met Ernest Kopecky once
and I remember what he looked like and
what he said at the time. It was at the team
selection finals at West Baden in 1967 ...
His claim to fame as you mentioned was
holding the Indoor Stick record for a
number of years … Ernie placed about 5th
at that finals and the next thing I saw
about him was that he had undergone
heart surgery the following year …
“The Indoor model in the trophy is, of
course, Pete Andrews’ Time Machine
which I believe he made himself, but it
would have been more appropriate to have
modeled Ernie’s airplane for the Kopecky
trophy.”
Thanks, guys, for the background
information on a beautiful trophy! It
apparently has only two more cycles left
in its life. I wonder what will replace it.
Charles Stiles: I received the following
sad news from Thomas Hybiske.
“I’m writing to you to inform you of
the death of Charles Stiles, a well-known
Indoor modeler in the Philadelphia
region. I’m not a flier myself, so I have
no idea if he is known beyond the
Philadelphia area.
“I do know that he was friendly with,
and flew with, Pete Andrews many years
ago, as well as Jim Richmond and Ray
Harlan. He also was a mentor of Mark
Drela, a one-time world record holder in
several categories of Indoor Hand
Launched Gliders and now a professor of
aeronautical engineering at MIT.
“Charlie, or ‘Pop’ as he was known to
me and many others, was my father-inlaw
of 34 years. He passed away
September 11 at the age of 84, after a
year-long battle with renal failure. He
was an electrical engineer by profession,
pioneering thin film precision resistors,
but his job required a lot of fine
mechanical and machinery skills and he
brought these to bear on his hobby.
“Charlie began building Indoor
aircraft of all kinds back in the mid-1930s
and pursued it throughout his life. He was
a devoted husband, father, grandfather,
and great-grandfather, which took much
of his free time. Consequently, there
wasn’t much time left to compete, so he
flew mainly for the pure joy of the
hobby.
“A skilled builder, he flew often at
Lakehurst [NJ] and other places around
Philadelphia. He was a longtime member
of the SOTS ‘Scale Old Timers Society’
of Philadelphia and was known for his
ability to make any fellow member’s
model fly regardless of how poorly
constructed it was.
“I accompanied him many times to
flying sessions, where he appointed me
as his ‘official winder,’ spy, timer, and
all-around gopher. I often saw the pure
joy in his face as he carefully released
his microfilm ‘ship,’ as he referred to
them, and watched it corkscrew upward
under the torque of the rubber motor.
“He was known for having his pocket
protector stuffed with every imaginable
pen, pencil, scale, tweezer, and
screwdriver. On his eyeglasses he kept
jeweler’s magnifiers which were always
at hand if needed.
“He was wise, kind, and generous
and was known for often giving his
models or tools to an admirer. Even at
age 84, his hands were steady and calm,
and his building skills were second to
none.
“His death is no doubt a huge blow to
Indoor modeling in the Philadelphia
area, but in keeping with his generous
nature he requested that all of his
aircraft, balsa, miles of rubber, propeller
fixtures, and anything else used in
building, of which there were huge
amounts to be given to his friends and
donated to his club upon his death.
“He has left behind boxes of
microfilmed wings, lovingly stripped
and inventoried rubber, stripped balsa,
and dozens upon dozens of propellers
and thrust bearings, which will no doubt
help many area builders.
“If you knew Charlie, you no doubt
liked him. If you didn’t know him, you
missed a one-of-a-kind, old-school
builder.”