142 MODEL AVIATION
Left: Ralph’s wing-incidence
adjuster. Ray photo.
Announcing the Erv Rodemsky Limited Pennyplane Pro/Am
Free Flight Indoor John Kagan
[[email protected]]
Also included in this
column:
• Indoor FF Nats 2009
review
• Participation ponderings
• An Indoor Catapult Glider
breakthrough
The launch-grip location on Ralph’s model increases stretch and
helps the stabilizer clear fingers. Ray photo.
The raised location of the launch hook on Ralph’s model reduces
the energy-wasting nose-up action on launch. Ray photo.
THEORETICAL DEBATE is fine, but sooner or later we have to sift
something concrete from it. The Jim Buxton/Don DeLoach/John Kagan
brain trust has a plan. (Yeah, I know: scary.) A Limited Pennyplane
Pro/Am will be held during the Saturday Duration session at the 2010
US Indoor Championships/Indoor FF Nats at Johnson City, Tennessee.
An amateur is anyone, high school age and older, who has an
interest in Indoor FF but has been too busy or intimidated to give it a
try. These participants will sign up in advance and be matched with a
pro by random drawing.
Each pro will build a Limited Pennyplane (LPP) to donate to the
cause. Amateurs must wind and launch, but the pros can trim, repair,
and strategize with their teammates. It’s a team event, so the winning
pro and amateur will both get tons of bragging rights—not to mention
cool prizes.
And that’s not all! (Is this starting to sound like an infomercial?)
We’ll have a pizza party for dinner on Saturday so everyone can keep
flying, as well as a Sportsman Class LPP contest on Sunday for
amateurs only. The BOM (Builder of the Model) rule will be
suspended so they can fly their new airplanes.
This is a fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for amateurs to get
some firsthand coaching from Indoor FF experts (you might get paired
with a World or National Champion) and fly competition-proven
models. You’ll have two great days of flying in one of the world’s
best sites.
Above: Ralph Ray’s
National Champion
Limited Catapult
Glider. See text for
information about
a n i n n o v a t i v e
breakthrough. Ray
photo.
10sig5.QXD 8/21/09 12:43 PM Page 142
October 2009 143
proceeds for other Indoor FF purposes.
For a day-by-day breakdown of the
action and event winners, check out
NatsNews on the AMA Web site.
Participation Ponderings: The
decreasing Nats participation numbers
spawned some interesting discussion on
the Indoor_Construction Yahoo! forum. It
mostly revolved around our activity’s
future, how to boost participation, and
what—if anything—must be changed
about our activity itself.
Almost all of the concerns and
doomsday predictions have been brought
up before—and not only in the Indoor FF
community. Many groups of whatever
activity have an internal perception that
they are on the brink of extinction, that
“outsiders” don’t know enough about
them, and that kids these days just want to
play video games.
The ideas generated in response are
similarly familiar. We need to focus on
kids. We need to make our activity more
fun. We need to “advertise” more. Some
of the ideas are headed in the right
direction. Others, maybe not so.
I’ll provide you with a summary of a
few topics that came up, with a healthy
dose of my opinion added.
• “The ‘old guys’ are passing on, and in a
few years Indoor FF will cease to exist.”
It is true that participation numbers are
on the decline; there isn’t the same
aviation fever as when air travel was big
news. Young’uns such as I tend to assume
that model airplanes (and model airplane
fliers) have been around forever, but a
large population of older fliers was lured
in during the aviation heyday. One of my
mentors even had a license that was signed
by the Wright brothers.
There was a lot of enthusiasm and
support for model airplanes during that
period, and it is unlikely that we are going
to match the resulting numbers anytime
soon.
This doesn’t mean all is lost.
First, Indoor FF is too much fun to
disappear. Even if every current
participant went away, someone would
still pick up Ron Williams’ Building and
Flying Indoor Model Airplanes someday,
think “This is pretty cool!”, and build an
airplane. We can work on boosting the
numbers, but the activity itself is as
challenging and fun as it has always been.
Second, we can achieve a stable
participation level. It might not be as big
as during the days of Lindbergh’s flight
across the Atlantic, but there is still a
selection of personalities who are
intrigued enough by the challenges and
rewards of Indoor FF to spend time doing
it.
I don’t believe that the life and death of
Indoor FF depends on us shanghaiing
newcomers into the fold. But access to the
larger flying sites is certainly easier to
obtain if we have some numbers behind
Right: Kurt Krempetz’s inspirational
photo shows the model a good 12 inches
above the launch stick. Ralph Ray and
Stan Buddenbohm worked to eliminate
that behavior.
Below: Ralph launches one of his National
Championship flights. Hood photo.
For the pros, this is a great way to prove
your mettle. If you really want to know
something, teach it!
If you are interested in participating, as
either an amateur or a pro, contact me at my
e-mail address at the top of the column.
More details will follow as we think of
them. The contest is named after Erv
Rodemsky, an F1D World Champ, who
originated the Pennyplane event.
Indoor FF Nats: The 2009 AMA Indoor FF
Nats is a wrap. Fifty-seven competitors
signed up to do battle in more than 180
events—similar numbers as last year,
although still down from earlier years.
Those in attendance seemed to have a
great time in the sealed East Tennessee State
University Mini-Dome air. Thunderstorms
raged outside, but the flying inside was
perfect. The notorious scoreboard remained
a source of grief, affecting the Glider fliers
more than most. But once their launches
were dialed in, even they were able to work
around it adequately.
Our second annual raffle was a huge
success again. Many thanks to those who
contributed products.
Tim Goldstein of A2Z Corp (parent
company of Peck-Polymers, Indoor Model
Supply, A2Z CNC, F1D.biz, Tru Weight
Indoor Balsa, and Sting Aero Products)
donated a huge box of scale and Indoor
kits, tools, and supplies. Check out the
extensive collection of cool Indoor stuff at
the A2Z Corp Web site.
Ray Harlan contributed a sampling of
his affordable, high-tech tools and
supplies. You can peruse his line of MIT
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)-
smart, scientifically sound products at the
Indoor Specialties Web site.
Jeff Hood tossed in some nice packs of
Hood’s Wood, organized by airplane type.
Roy White from Y2K Films sent in a
generous check. And a few of the
competitors brought items from their
workshops.
The raffle and donations generated
approximately $1,100. As they were last
year, the proceeds were allocated for a
donation to support the Indoor FF Nats, in
light of the hopefully temporary
diminished numbers. If we can boost
participation a bit (see preceding contest
announcement), perhaps we can use future
10sig5.QXD 8/21/09 12:35 PM Page 143
people rather than alone.
Whatever the reason, thinking about
promoting participation is time well spent.
• “We need to be more ‘newcomer’
friendly.”
Some lament that a newcomer’s first
experience with Indoor FF is often being
yelled at to “stop running!” by grumpy,
introverted old-timers.
It is an unfortunate fact that the stressfilled
moments of our slow-motion Indoor
FF world are completely invisible to
visitors. When we carefully try to squeeze
in one last turn on a hypertensioned motor,
nervously anticipating the snap of it
breaking, the guest sees us twiddling our
thumbs—the perfect time to ask a question
about our model.
While we watch a potential recordsetting
flight settle in, anxiously guarding
the circle against wanderers who would
disturb the air, they see us idly staring off
into space.
We could try to eliminate these tense
situations so a newcomer would be free to
pipe up at anytime, but that would defeat
the whole purpose of our contests and
record trials. A better solution is to be
honest with ourselves about what it means
to have guests around.
Kids run. Awestruck spectators ask
questions. Without some information to
guide them, it is unreasonable to expect
them to just “know” proper etiquette.
A recurring suggestion is to have
readily available handouts that tell visitors
how to move around the airplanes and
when to hold off asking questions. It can
also give them information about the
activity, as well as links for further
independent research. This is the perfect
way to change many fliers’ pet peeves into
a recruiting opportunity.
• “We need to focus on getting kids
involved” or “Kids only want to play video
games these days.”
Kids are great; I own two of them. And
building and flying models with them is
great too. It’s fun, and it plants a model
aviation seed that is probably far more
likely to sprout than we expect.
But young kids, if we are again honest
with ourselves, are not our primary target
audience (with a few rare exceptions).
Fathers or grandpas “with kids,” sure.
Individual elementary school kids,
probably not. There is a certainly level of
mental and physical maturity required to
have any degree of success with Indoor FF,
and high school age is generally a
minimum.
It is common to hear tales of “failed”
Delta Dart programs that didn’t produce a
single new kid and only a scattering of
adult recruits—mostly retired. I think this
is a misread of the situation. The gestation
period for kids is much longer than that,
and the new adults are exactly those at
whom we should be aiming.
Let’s face it: the Indoor FF ranks are
eccentric. We’ve got artists and engineers,
race car drivers and mechanics, airline
pilots, and even secret agents. It takes a
unique personality to thrive in this
activity. We are never going to be as
mainstream as baseball. But for the people
who enjoy Indoor FF, that’s okay.
We need to start directing some energy
toward the kind of people who would tend
to have the right disposition, recognizing
that we’ll get only a small percentage.
Whether you agree with my slant or
have an alternate perspective, you can join
the discussion at the link listed at the end
of this column.
Catapult Glider Breakthrough: Fifty
years ago, Ralph Ray won the National
Championship title in A Gas at the Dallas
Nats, edging out model airplane legend
Carl Goldberg. The Veco Model Airplane
Company later manufactured Ralph’s
winning design as a kit.
After the brief distraction of launching
a successful company, earning numerous
patents and design awards, and amassing a
long list of enviable accomplishments,
Ralph has notched his second National
Championship win; this time he beat eighttime
National Champion Kurt Krempetz in
Standard Catapult Glider. Kurt flew a
personal best time, but Ralph responded
with a site record.
In the following, Ralph explains how
he did it.
“I’ve been flying Stan Buddenbohm’s
superb Lit’l Sweep for a few years and had
a bit of a breakthrough recently. A photo
was circulated of Kurt Krempetz launching
his catapult glider. The model was about
10 inches above the top of the launch stick
right after the release, and I suspected that
it must be loopy and wasting energy.
“That wasn’t the case. Stan spoke with
Kurt and found out that the photo was of a
mass launch winning flight. Instead of
excessive incidence, the rubber attach
point in combination with the grip must
have been pulling the nose up.
“Stan and I designed a new hook and
grip system to nearly eliminate the ‘noseup
effect’ and incorporated it into the
Outdoor CLG Spayed Cat kit. [The new
hook is higher on the fuselage, and the
grip is low under the wing. You can find
plans and kits for the Spayed Cat at the
address located at the of this column.] We
also used this system on our indoor
catapult gliders.
“With the new setup, Stan was easily
hitting the ceiling and destroyed the site
record in Unlimited Catapult. I set the site
record in Standard Catapult. Kurt, Stan,
and I did our best times ever at Johnson
City this year and, with this new
development, I suspect that Kurt will be
unbeatable next year.”
In addition to aligning the launch hook
with the wing incidence line, Ralph’s
model features an incidence-adjusting
mechanism that he says is a luxury in
trimming the model. (See the photos.)
Ralph credits some of the biggest
names in FF Gliders for his success (and I
think it’s clear that he has earned a spot
among them).
“I’ve been tutored and encouraged by a
gaggle of the greatest glider flyers in the
world—in the order that I met them:
Conover, Hines, Buddenbohm, Krempetz,
and Batiuk.
“I visited Larry and Dotty Conover’s
home and later set the outdoor HLG record
with three of Larry’s DT equipped
Flangers. Lee Hines and I worked and flew
together for many years. Stan
Buddenbohm has been a huge influence on
many of us and shares his knowledge and
research generously. Kurt Krempetz taught
me the importance of the launch. Tim
Batiuk is a great example of the elements
of a champion: hard work, practice, and
fitness.” MA
Sources:
A2Z Corp
(720) 833-9300
www.a2zcorp.us/store
Indoor Specialties
(508) 358-4013
http://indoorspecialties.com
NatsNews
www.modelaircraft.org/events/nats/natsne
ws.aspx
Indoor_Construction Indoor FF forum:
http://Groups.yahoo.com/group/Indoor_Co
nstruction
Stan Buddenbohm’s Glider products:
www.schnable.net/hosted/amaglider/assets/
outdoor-gliders/handlaunch_gliders/stansstuff-
2009.html
National Free Flight Society
http://freeflight.org
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/10
Page Numbers: 142,143,144
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/10
Page Numbers: 142,143,144
142 MODEL AVIATION
Left: Ralph’s wing-incidence
adjuster. Ray photo.
Announcing the Erv Rodemsky Limited Pennyplane Pro/Am
Free Flight Indoor John Kagan
[[email protected]]
Also included in this
column:
• Indoor FF Nats 2009
review
• Participation ponderings
• An Indoor Catapult Glider
breakthrough
The launch-grip location on Ralph’s model increases stretch and
helps the stabilizer clear fingers. Ray photo.
The raised location of the launch hook on Ralph’s model reduces
the energy-wasting nose-up action on launch. Ray photo.
THEORETICAL DEBATE is fine, but sooner or later we have to sift
something concrete from it. The Jim Buxton/Don DeLoach/John Kagan
brain trust has a plan. (Yeah, I know: scary.) A Limited Pennyplane
Pro/Am will be held during the Saturday Duration session at the 2010
US Indoor Championships/Indoor FF Nats at Johnson City, Tennessee.
An amateur is anyone, high school age and older, who has an
interest in Indoor FF but has been too busy or intimidated to give it a
try. These participants will sign up in advance and be matched with a
pro by random drawing.
Each pro will build a Limited Pennyplane (LPP) to donate to the
cause. Amateurs must wind and launch, but the pros can trim, repair,
and strategize with their teammates. It’s a team event, so the winning
pro and amateur will both get tons of bragging rights—not to mention
cool prizes.
And that’s not all! (Is this starting to sound like an infomercial?)
We’ll have a pizza party for dinner on Saturday so everyone can keep
flying, as well as a Sportsman Class LPP contest on Sunday for
amateurs only. The BOM (Builder of the Model) rule will be
suspended so they can fly their new airplanes.
This is a fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for amateurs to get
some firsthand coaching from Indoor FF experts (you might get paired
with a World or National Champion) and fly competition-proven
models. You’ll have two great days of flying in one of the world’s
best sites.
Above: Ralph Ray’s
National Champion
Limited Catapult
Glider. See text for
information about
a n i n n o v a t i v e
breakthrough. Ray
photo.
10sig5.QXD 8/21/09 12:43 PM Page 142
October 2009 143
proceeds for other Indoor FF purposes.
For a day-by-day breakdown of the
action and event winners, check out
NatsNews on the AMA Web site.
Participation Ponderings: The
decreasing Nats participation numbers
spawned some interesting discussion on
the Indoor_Construction Yahoo! forum. It
mostly revolved around our activity’s
future, how to boost participation, and
what—if anything—must be changed
about our activity itself.
Almost all of the concerns and
doomsday predictions have been brought
up before—and not only in the Indoor FF
community. Many groups of whatever
activity have an internal perception that
they are on the brink of extinction, that
“outsiders” don’t know enough about
them, and that kids these days just want to
play video games.
The ideas generated in response are
similarly familiar. We need to focus on
kids. We need to make our activity more
fun. We need to “advertise” more. Some
of the ideas are headed in the right
direction. Others, maybe not so.
I’ll provide you with a summary of a
few topics that came up, with a healthy
dose of my opinion added.
• “The ‘old guys’ are passing on, and in a
few years Indoor FF will cease to exist.”
It is true that participation numbers are
on the decline; there isn’t the same
aviation fever as when air travel was big
news. Young’uns such as I tend to assume
that model airplanes (and model airplane
fliers) have been around forever, but a
large population of older fliers was lured
in during the aviation heyday. One of my
mentors even had a license that was signed
by the Wright brothers.
There was a lot of enthusiasm and
support for model airplanes during that
period, and it is unlikely that we are going
to match the resulting numbers anytime
soon.
This doesn’t mean all is lost.
First, Indoor FF is too much fun to
disappear. Even if every current
participant went away, someone would
still pick up Ron Williams’ Building and
Flying Indoor Model Airplanes someday,
think “This is pretty cool!”, and build an
airplane. We can work on boosting the
numbers, but the activity itself is as
challenging and fun as it has always been.
Second, we can achieve a stable
participation level. It might not be as big
as during the days of Lindbergh’s flight
across the Atlantic, but there is still a
selection of personalities who are
intrigued enough by the challenges and
rewards of Indoor FF to spend time doing
it.
I don’t believe that the life and death of
Indoor FF depends on us shanghaiing
newcomers into the fold. But access to the
larger flying sites is certainly easier to
obtain if we have some numbers behind
Right: Kurt Krempetz’s inspirational
photo shows the model a good 12 inches
above the launch stick. Ralph Ray and
Stan Buddenbohm worked to eliminate
that behavior.
Below: Ralph launches one of his National
Championship flights. Hood photo.
For the pros, this is a great way to prove
your mettle. If you really want to know
something, teach it!
If you are interested in participating, as
either an amateur or a pro, contact me at my
e-mail address at the top of the column.
More details will follow as we think of
them. The contest is named after Erv
Rodemsky, an F1D World Champ, who
originated the Pennyplane event.
Indoor FF Nats: The 2009 AMA Indoor FF
Nats is a wrap. Fifty-seven competitors
signed up to do battle in more than 180
events—similar numbers as last year,
although still down from earlier years.
Those in attendance seemed to have a
great time in the sealed East Tennessee State
University Mini-Dome air. Thunderstorms
raged outside, but the flying inside was
perfect. The notorious scoreboard remained
a source of grief, affecting the Glider fliers
more than most. But once their launches
were dialed in, even they were able to work
around it adequately.
Our second annual raffle was a huge
success again. Many thanks to those who
contributed products.
Tim Goldstein of A2Z Corp (parent
company of Peck-Polymers, Indoor Model
Supply, A2Z CNC, F1D.biz, Tru Weight
Indoor Balsa, and Sting Aero Products)
donated a huge box of scale and Indoor
kits, tools, and supplies. Check out the
extensive collection of cool Indoor stuff at
the A2Z Corp Web site.
Ray Harlan contributed a sampling of
his affordable, high-tech tools and
supplies. You can peruse his line of MIT
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)-
smart, scientifically sound products at the
Indoor Specialties Web site.
Jeff Hood tossed in some nice packs of
Hood’s Wood, organized by airplane type.
Roy White from Y2K Films sent in a
generous check. And a few of the
competitors brought items from their
workshops.
The raffle and donations generated
approximately $1,100. As they were last
year, the proceeds were allocated for a
donation to support the Indoor FF Nats, in
light of the hopefully temporary
diminished numbers. If we can boost
participation a bit (see preceding contest
announcement), perhaps we can use future
10sig5.QXD 8/21/09 12:35 PM Page 143
people rather than alone.
Whatever the reason, thinking about
promoting participation is time well spent.
• “We need to be more ‘newcomer’
friendly.”
Some lament that a newcomer’s first
experience with Indoor FF is often being
yelled at to “stop running!” by grumpy,
introverted old-timers.
It is an unfortunate fact that the stressfilled
moments of our slow-motion Indoor
FF world are completely invisible to
visitors. When we carefully try to squeeze
in one last turn on a hypertensioned motor,
nervously anticipating the snap of it
breaking, the guest sees us twiddling our
thumbs—the perfect time to ask a question
about our model.
While we watch a potential recordsetting
flight settle in, anxiously guarding
the circle against wanderers who would
disturb the air, they see us idly staring off
into space.
We could try to eliminate these tense
situations so a newcomer would be free to
pipe up at anytime, but that would defeat
the whole purpose of our contests and
record trials. A better solution is to be
honest with ourselves about what it means
to have guests around.
Kids run. Awestruck spectators ask
questions. Without some information to
guide them, it is unreasonable to expect
them to just “know” proper etiquette.
A recurring suggestion is to have
readily available handouts that tell visitors
how to move around the airplanes and
when to hold off asking questions. It can
also give them information about the
activity, as well as links for further
independent research. This is the perfect
way to change many fliers’ pet peeves into
a recruiting opportunity.
• “We need to focus on getting kids
involved” or “Kids only want to play video
games these days.”
Kids are great; I own two of them. And
building and flying models with them is
great too. It’s fun, and it plants a model
aviation seed that is probably far more
likely to sprout than we expect.
But young kids, if we are again honest
with ourselves, are not our primary target
audience (with a few rare exceptions).
Fathers or grandpas “with kids,” sure.
Individual elementary school kids,
probably not. There is a certainly level of
mental and physical maturity required to
have any degree of success with Indoor FF,
and high school age is generally a
minimum.
It is common to hear tales of “failed”
Delta Dart programs that didn’t produce a
single new kid and only a scattering of
adult recruits—mostly retired. I think this
is a misread of the situation. The gestation
period for kids is much longer than that,
and the new adults are exactly those at
whom we should be aiming.
Let’s face it: the Indoor FF ranks are
eccentric. We’ve got artists and engineers,
race car drivers and mechanics, airline
pilots, and even secret agents. It takes a
unique personality to thrive in this
activity. We are never going to be as
mainstream as baseball. But for the people
who enjoy Indoor FF, that’s okay.
We need to start directing some energy
toward the kind of people who would tend
to have the right disposition, recognizing
that we’ll get only a small percentage.
Whether you agree with my slant or
have an alternate perspective, you can join
the discussion at the link listed at the end
of this column.
Catapult Glider Breakthrough: Fifty
years ago, Ralph Ray won the National
Championship title in A Gas at the Dallas
Nats, edging out model airplane legend
Carl Goldberg. The Veco Model Airplane
Company later manufactured Ralph’s
winning design as a kit.
After the brief distraction of launching
a successful company, earning numerous
patents and design awards, and amassing a
long list of enviable accomplishments,
Ralph has notched his second National
Championship win; this time he beat eighttime
National Champion Kurt Krempetz in
Standard Catapult Glider. Kurt flew a
personal best time, but Ralph responded
with a site record.
In the following, Ralph explains how
he did it.
“I’ve been flying Stan Buddenbohm’s
superb Lit’l Sweep for a few years and had
a bit of a breakthrough recently. A photo
was circulated of Kurt Krempetz launching
his catapult glider. The model was about
10 inches above the top of the launch stick
right after the release, and I suspected that
it must be loopy and wasting energy.
“That wasn’t the case. Stan spoke with
Kurt and found out that the photo was of a
mass launch winning flight. Instead of
excessive incidence, the rubber attach
point in combination with the grip must
have been pulling the nose up.
“Stan and I designed a new hook and
grip system to nearly eliminate the ‘noseup
effect’ and incorporated it into the
Outdoor CLG Spayed Cat kit. [The new
hook is higher on the fuselage, and the
grip is low under the wing. You can find
plans and kits for the Spayed Cat at the
address located at the of this column.] We
also used this system on our indoor
catapult gliders.
“With the new setup, Stan was easily
hitting the ceiling and destroyed the site
record in Unlimited Catapult. I set the site
record in Standard Catapult. Kurt, Stan,
and I did our best times ever at Johnson
City this year and, with this new
development, I suspect that Kurt will be
unbeatable next year.”
In addition to aligning the launch hook
with the wing incidence line, Ralph’s
model features an incidence-adjusting
mechanism that he says is a luxury in
trimming the model. (See the photos.)
Ralph credits some of the biggest
names in FF Gliders for his success (and I
think it’s clear that he has earned a spot
among them).
“I’ve been tutored and encouraged by a
gaggle of the greatest glider flyers in the
world—in the order that I met them:
Conover, Hines, Buddenbohm, Krempetz,
and Batiuk.
“I visited Larry and Dotty Conover’s
home and later set the outdoor HLG record
with three of Larry’s DT equipped
Flangers. Lee Hines and I worked and flew
together for many years. Stan
Buddenbohm has been a huge influence on
many of us and shares his knowledge and
research generously. Kurt Krempetz taught
me the importance of the launch. Tim
Batiuk is a great example of the elements
of a champion: hard work, practice, and
fitness.” MA
Sources:
A2Z Corp
(720) 833-9300
www.a2zcorp.us/store
Indoor Specialties
(508) 358-4013
http://indoorspecialties.com
NatsNews
www.modelaircraft.org/events/nats/natsne
ws.aspx
Indoor_Construction Indoor FF forum:
http://Groups.yahoo.com/group/Indoor_Co
nstruction
Stan Buddenbohm’s Glider products:
www.schnable.net/hosted/amaglider/assets/
outdoor-gliders/handlaunch_gliders/stansstuff-
2009.html
National Free Flight Society
http://freeflight.org
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/10
Page Numbers: 142,143,144
142 MODEL AVIATION
Left: Ralph’s wing-incidence
adjuster. Ray photo.
Announcing the Erv Rodemsky Limited Pennyplane Pro/Am
Free Flight Indoor John Kagan
[[email protected]]
Also included in this
column:
• Indoor FF Nats 2009
review
• Participation ponderings
• An Indoor Catapult Glider
breakthrough
The launch-grip location on Ralph’s model increases stretch and
helps the stabilizer clear fingers. Ray photo.
The raised location of the launch hook on Ralph’s model reduces
the energy-wasting nose-up action on launch. Ray photo.
THEORETICAL DEBATE is fine, but sooner or later we have to sift
something concrete from it. The Jim Buxton/Don DeLoach/John Kagan
brain trust has a plan. (Yeah, I know: scary.) A Limited Pennyplane
Pro/Am will be held during the Saturday Duration session at the 2010
US Indoor Championships/Indoor FF Nats at Johnson City, Tennessee.
An amateur is anyone, high school age and older, who has an
interest in Indoor FF but has been too busy or intimidated to give it a
try. These participants will sign up in advance and be matched with a
pro by random drawing.
Each pro will build a Limited Pennyplane (LPP) to donate to the
cause. Amateurs must wind and launch, but the pros can trim, repair,
and strategize with their teammates. It’s a team event, so the winning
pro and amateur will both get tons of bragging rights—not to mention
cool prizes.
And that’s not all! (Is this starting to sound like an infomercial?)
We’ll have a pizza party for dinner on Saturday so everyone can keep
flying, as well as a Sportsman Class LPP contest on Sunday for
amateurs only. The BOM (Builder of the Model) rule will be
suspended so they can fly their new airplanes.
This is a fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for amateurs to get
some firsthand coaching from Indoor FF experts (you might get paired
with a World or National Champion) and fly competition-proven
models. You’ll have two great days of flying in one of the world’s
best sites.
Above: Ralph Ray’s
National Champion
Limited Catapult
Glider. See text for
information about
a n i n n o v a t i v e
breakthrough. Ray
photo.
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October 2009 143
proceeds for other Indoor FF purposes.
For a day-by-day breakdown of the
action and event winners, check out
NatsNews on the AMA Web site.
Participation Ponderings: The
decreasing Nats participation numbers
spawned some interesting discussion on
the Indoor_Construction Yahoo! forum. It
mostly revolved around our activity’s
future, how to boost participation, and
what—if anything—must be changed
about our activity itself.
Almost all of the concerns and
doomsday predictions have been brought
up before—and not only in the Indoor FF
community. Many groups of whatever
activity have an internal perception that
they are on the brink of extinction, that
“outsiders” don’t know enough about
them, and that kids these days just want to
play video games.
The ideas generated in response are
similarly familiar. We need to focus on
kids. We need to make our activity more
fun. We need to “advertise” more. Some
of the ideas are headed in the right
direction. Others, maybe not so.
I’ll provide you with a summary of a
few topics that came up, with a healthy
dose of my opinion added.
• “The ‘old guys’ are passing on, and in a
few years Indoor FF will cease to exist.”
It is true that participation numbers are
on the decline; there isn’t the same
aviation fever as when air travel was big
news. Young’uns such as I tend to assume
that model airplanes (and model airplane
fliers) have been around forever, but a
large population of older fliers was lured
in during the aviation heyday. One of my
mentors even had a license that was signed
by the Wright brothers.
There was a lot of enthusiasm and
support for model airplanes during that
period, and it is unlikely that we are going
to match the resulting numbers anytime
soon.
This doesn’t mean all is lost.
First, Indoor FF is too much fun to
disappear. Even if every current
participant went away, someone would
still pick up Ron Williams’ Building and
Flying Indoor Model Airplanes someday,
think “This is pretty cool!”, and build an
airplane. We can work on boosting the
numbers, but the activity itself is as
challenging and fun as it has always been.
Second, we can achieve a stable
participation level. It might not be as big
as during the days of Lindbergh’s flight
across the Atlantic, but there is still a
selection of personalities who are
intrigued enough by the challenges and
rewards of Indoor FF to spend time doing
it.
I don’t believe that the life and death of
Indoor FF depends on us shanghaiing
newcomers into the fold. But access to the
larger flying sites is certainly easier to
obtain if we have some numbers behind
Right: Kurt Krempetz’s inspirational
photo shows the model a good 12 inches
above the launch stick. Ralph Ray and
Stan Buddenbohm worked to eliminate
that behavior.
Below: Ralph launches one of his National
Championship flights. Hood photo.
For the pros, this is a great way to prove
your mettle. If you really want to know
something, teach it!
If you are interested in participating, as
either an amateur or a pro, contact me at my
e-mail address at the top of the column.
More details will follow as we think of
them. The contest is named after Erv
Rodemsky, an F1D World Champ, who
originated the Pennyplane event.
Indoor FF Nats: The 2009 AMA Indoor FF
Nats is a wrap. Fifty-seven competitors
signed up to do battle in more than 180
events—similar numbers as last year,
although still down from earlier years.
Those in attendance seemed to have a
great time in the sealed East Tennessee State
University Mini-Dome air. Thunderstorms
raged outside, but the flying inside was
perfect. The notorious scoreboard remained
a source of grief, affecting the Glider fliers
more than most. But once their launches
were dialed in, even they were able to work
around it adequately.
Our second annual raffle was a huge
success again. Many thanks to those who
contributed products.
Tim Goldstein of A2Z Corp (parent
company of Peck-Polymers, Indoor Model
Supply, A2Z CNC, F1D.biz, Tru Weight
Indoor Balsa, and Sting Aero Products)
donated a huge box of scale and Indoor
kits, tools, and supplies. Check out the
extensive collection of cool Indoor stuff at
the A2Z Corp Web site.
Ray Harlan contributed a sampling of
his affordable, high-tech tools and
supplies. You can peruse his line of MIT
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)-
smart, scientifically sound products at the
Indoor Specialties Web site.
Jeff Hood tossed in some nice packs of
Hood’s Wood, organized by airplane type.
Roy White from Y2K Films sent in a
generous check. And a few of the
competitors brought items from their
workshops.
The raffle and donations generated
approximately $1,100. As they were last
year, the proceeds were allocated for a
donation to support the Indoor FF Nats, in
light of the hopefully temporary
diminished numbers. If we can boost
participation a bit (see preceding contest
announcement), perhaps we can use future
10sig5.QXD 8/21/09 12:35 PM Page 143
people rather than alone.
Whatever the reason, thinking about
promoting participation is time well spent.
• “We need to be more ‘newcomer’
friendly.”
Some lament that a newcomer’s first
experience with Indoor FF is often being
yelled at to “stop running!” by grumpy,
introverted old-timers.
It is an unfortunate fact that the stressfilled
moments of our slow-motion Indoor
FF world are completely invisible to
visitors. When we carefully try to squeeze
in one last turn on a hypertensioned motor,
nervously anticipating the snap of it
breaking, the guest sees us twiddling our
thumbs—the perfect time to ask a question
about our model.
While we watch a potential recordsetting
flight settle in, anxiously guarding
the circle against wanderers who would
disturb the air, they see us idly staring off
into space.
We could try to eliminate these tense
situations so a newcomer would be free to
pipe up at anytime, but that would defeat
the whole purpose of our contests and
record trials. A better solution is to be
honest with ourselves about what it means
to have guests around.
Kids run. Awestruck spectators ask
questions. Without some information to
guide them, it is unreasonable to expect
them to just “know” proper etiquette.
A recurring suggestion is to have
readily available handouts that tell visitors
how to move around the airplanes and
when to hold off asking questions. It can
also give them information about the
activity, as well as links for further
independent research. This is the perfect
way to change many fliers’ pet peeves into
a recruiting opportunity.
• “We need to focus on getting kids
involved” or “Kids only want to play video
games these days.”
Kids are great; I own two of them. And
building and flying models with them is
great too. It’s fun, and it plants a model
aviation seed that is probably far more
likely to sprout than we expect.
But young kids, if we are again honest
with ourselves, are not our primary target
audience (with a few rare exceptions).
Fathers or grandpas “with kids,” sure.
Individual elementary school kids,
probably not. There is a certainly level of
mental and physical maturity required to
have any degree of success with Indoor FF,
and high school age is generally a
minimum.
It is common to hear tales of “failed”
Delta Dart programs that didn’t produce a
single new kid and only a scattering of
adult recruits—mostly retired. I think this
is a misread of the situation. The gestation
period for kids is much longer than that,
and the new adults are exactly those at
whom we should be aiming.
Let’s face it: the Indoor FF ranks are
eccentric. We’ve got artists and engineers,
race car drivers and mechanics, airline
pilots, and even secret agents. It takes a
unique personality to thrive in this
activity. We are never going to be as
mainstream as baseball. But for the people
who enjoy Indoor FF, that’s okay.
We need to start directing some energy
toward the kind of people who would tend
to have the right disposition, recognizing
that we’ll get only a small percentage.
Whether you agree with my slant or
have an alternate perspective, you can join
the discussion at the link listed at the end
of this column.
Catapult Glider Breakthrough: Fifty
years ago, Ralph Ray won the National
Championship title in A Gas at the Dallas
Nats, edging out model airplane legend
Carl Goldberg. The Veco Model Airplane
Company later manufactured Ralph’s
winning design as a kit.
After the brief distraction of launching
a successful company, earning numerous
patents and design awards, and amassing a
long list of enviable accomplishments,
Ralph has notched his second National
Championship win; this time he beat eighttime
National Champion Kurt Krempetz in
Standard Catapult Glider. Kurt flew a
personal best time, but Ralph responded
with a site record.
In the following, Ralph explains how
he did it.
“I’ve been flying Stan Buddenbohm’s
superb Lit’l Sweep for a few years and had
a bit of a breakthrough recently. A photo
was circulated of Kurt Krempetz launching
his catapult glider. The model was about
10 inches above the top of the launch stick
right after the release, and I suspected that
it must be loopy and wasting energy.
“That wasn’t the case. Stan spoke with
Kurt and found out that the photo was of a
mass launch winning flight. Instead of
excessive incidence, the rubber attach
point in combination with the grip must
have been pulling the nose up.
“Stan and I designed a new hook and
grip system to nearly eliminate the ‘noseup
effect’ and incorporated it into the
Outdoor CLG Spayed Cat kit. [The new
hook is higher on the fuselage, and the
grip is low under the wing. You can find
plans and kits for the Spayed Cat at the
address located at the of this column.] We
also used this system on our indoor
catapult gliders.
“With the new setup, Stan was easily
hitting the ceiling and destroyed the site
record in Unlimited Catapult. I set the site
record in Standard Catapult. Kurt, Stan,
and I did our best times ever at Johnson
City this year and, with this new
development, I suspect that Kurt will be
unbeatable next year.”
In addition to aligning the launch hook
with the wing incidence line, Ralph’s
model features an incidence-adjusting
mechanism that he says is a luxury in
trimming the model. (See the photos.)
Ralph credits some of the biggest
names in FF Gliders for his success (and I
think it’s clear that he has earned a spot
among them).
“I’ve been tutored and encouraged by a
gaggle of the greatest glider flyers in the
world—in the order that I met them:
Conover, Hines, Buddenbohm, Krempetz,
and Batiuk.
“I visited Larry and Dotty Conover’s
home and later set the outdoor HLG record
with three of Larry’s DT equipped
Flangers. Lee Hines and I worked and flew
together for many years. Stan
Buddenbohm has been a huge influence on
many of us and shares his knowledge and
research generously. Kurt Krempetz taught
me the importance of the launch. Tim
Batiuk is a great example of the elements
of a champion: hard work, practice, and
fitness.” MA
Sources:
A2Z Corp
(720) 833-9300
www.a2zcorp.us/store
Indoor Specialties
(508) 358-4013
http://indoorspecialties.com
NatsNews
www.modelaircraft.org/events/nats/natsne
ws.aspx
Indoor_Construction Indoor FF forum:
http://Groups.yahoo.com/group/Indoor_Co
nstruction
Stan Buddenbohm’s Glider products:
www.schnable.net/hosted/amaglider/assets/
outdoor-gliders/handlaunch_gliders/stansstuff-
2009.html
National Free Flight Society
http://freeflight.org