158 MODEL AVIATION
What is Limited Pennyplane?
Free Flight Indoor John Kagan
[[email protected]]
Also included in this column:
• Notes on 2007 USIC/AMA
Nats, Kibbie Dome Annual
• OSFilm update
• New INAV collection
Don DeLoach gets ready to fly his LPP. Jeff Hood photo. John Kagan prepares his LPP. Hood photo.
Max Zaluska and his LPP. Hood photo.
LIMITED PENNYPLANE (LPP) is one
of the best classes for newcomers to fly to
get their feet wet in Indoor FF, and it is a
great low-stress event for more experienced
fliers. Its popularity speaks for itself; LPP
regularly attracts a large number of entrants
at meets such as the recent US Indoor
Championships (USIC).
The events that are the simplest to fly have
the most rules, such as LPP. Almost every
dimension of the model is defined, from the
airplane and motorstick length to the span and
chord of the stabilizer. However, there is just
enough leeway to allow for a significant visual
variety of aircraft.
A result of the restrictive rules is a much
smaller set of things to learn and master to
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Tom Sova’s LPP. Hood photo.
Steve Brown and his LPP. Hood photo.
Walt VanGorder’s LPP. Hood photo.
Aeromodeling Day proclamation recognizing the first day of the
2007 FF Indoor Nats in Johnson City, Tennessee.
reach the top times, providing those who are new to Indoor FF with a
satisfying way to showcase their efforts. You still need to build a
strong airplane, but you get a great deal of weight with which to do it;
no rolled tubes or bracing is required.
There are no flying complications, such as variable-geometry
propellers to adjust; you just need to develop good winding and flying
techniques. The most complicated thing about flying top times with an
LPP is working out the propeller-and-rubber combination.
That doesn’t mean it is easy to win an LPP contest. The best fliers
still come out on top. But since there are fewer variables to play with, a
newcomer can quickly work his or her way toward being one of those
best fliers.
Scott Fultz finished third in LPP at this year’s Nats, despite having
started flying Indoor FF only five months earlier. He certainly
wouldn’t have had enough time to master the many intricacies of
something such as F1D, but he flew frequently, received support from
World Champ Larry Cailliau and Indoor FF master Larry Coslick, and
clearly got a handle on LPP.
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