Free Flight Scale-2011/09

FLIERS AND GUESTS from California,
Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska,
Ohio, and Pennsylvania attended this
year’s Cleveland Free Flight Society
(CFFS) Annual Indoor Contest held at the
Kent State University (KSU) Fieldhouse in
Kent, Ohio, on Sunday, April 17.
If you saw a color photo of the sunny
sky over Kent, Ohio, on the day of the
contest, you might have thought that it was
a lovely spring day suitable even for an
early Outdoor contest. However, a video
of the same scene would have shown that
the trees were being buffeted by near galeforce
winds which howled all day.
The “breeze” was so strong that
standing or walking in it took major effort.
Thankfully the day was spent in the calm
and comfort of KSU’s huge fieldhouse.
Attendance at this year’s event was
down from the record-setting crowd that
came to the 2010 event. Even so, there
were 24 fliers and four juniors from the
seven states who participated in this year’s
event.
Flying fun, which ranged from a zany
mass launch of balloon-powered FF toys
provided by Shorty’s Basement to several
AMA record trials, occurred during the
generous day of flying that lasted from
7:30 a.m. until 9 p.m.
CD Mike Zand was ably assisted by
CFFS president, Rich Weber, and CFFS
vice president, Jim Gaffney, who handled
the scoring table. Flying Aces Club (FAC)
Hall of Famer Russ Brown judged the FAC
entries, while CFFS stalwart, Larry Mzik,
presided over the AMA entries.
Handsome certificates for the KSU
events were designed and provided by
CFFS’s legendary Steve Griebling. Steve
and Bruce Pike also provided kit prizes for
this year’s event winners.
Also attending the 2011 KSU Indoor
Meet were Ben Saks and Phil Kibbe, the
cocreators and producers of
Float, a documentary that
will explore the competitive
international subculture of
Indoor FF Duration aircraft.
Ben is in his second decade with Indoor
FF and has competed in both the Nats and
World Championships. He brings intimate
knowledge of the sport, as well as
extensive management experience, to the
creation of Float. He holds a Bachelor’s of
Architecture with honors from Carnegie
Mellon University in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. His work has been
displayed and published internationally.
Phil is the director/cinematographer of
the documentary. He was inspired to
pursue the beauty of Indoor FF after
seeing a video of F1D. He was moved by
the models’
grace in flight
and by the
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The Kent State Indoor contest
[[email protected]]
Free Flight Scale Dennis Norman
Also included in this column:
• Float, a new FF documentary in the making
• The 27th Annual Symposium of the Society
of Air Race Historians
Large balloons help steer and retrieve
models caught high in the KSU rafters.
Larry Loucka (L) and Tom Sova prepare a
colorful balloon for duty. Jeffrey Hood
photo.
Brothers Pete (L) and Joe Norman hold different versions of their
grandpa’s Phantom Flash II Sport model, based on the 1930s
Phantom Flash ROG stick model. Both enjoyed flights in the
magnificent KSU facility. Zbasnik photo.
Peter Zbasnik Sr.’s impressive Mitsubishi Zero
is intended for the FAC No-Cal Profile Scale
event. Zbasnik photo.
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120 MODEL AVIATION
A portion of your columnist’s display at
this year’s annual SARH Symposium. Air
Ace’s partially constructed FF Walnut
Scale Travel Air Mystery Ship was
presented for consideration. Dennis
Norman photo.
Below: A French duo composed of the colorful
Mauboussin, and the Don Slusarczyk’s elegant Voisin
canard await their moments of glory. The Mauboussin won
the Dime Scale event. Hood photo.
Left: Yuan Kang Lee shows zen-like satisfaction as one of
his fragile models climbs into a long flight. Silence and
grace are among the things that distinguish Indoor FF
modeling. Hood photo.
Tim Corwen took first
place at this year’s
Westerville Model
A e r o n a u t i c s
Association show in
Columbus OH, with this striking model of
the famous Hall Bulldog Racer. Based on
plans from Cleveland Model & Supply
Company, this version is enlarged to 1-inch
scale. Corwen photo.
Top three finishers in the CFFS Indoor contest
AMA Events:
EZB
1. Jim Richmond
2. Y.K. Lee
3. Larry Mzik
F1L
1. Leo Plachowski
2. Larry Loucka
3. Yuan Kang Lee
Limited Penny Plane
1. John Kagan
2. Leo Plachowski
3. Tom Sova
No-Cal Profile Scale
1. Don Slusarczyk
(Hosler Fury)
2. Chuck Slusarczyk
(Hosler Fury)
3. Peter Zbasnik, Sr.
(P-51D Mustang)
Phantom Flash
1. Don Slusarczyk
2. Herb Schubert
3. Four other contestants
not rated
Mini Stick
1. Tom Sova
2. Leo Plachowski
3. Spencer Tyson
FAC Events:
Dime Scale
1. Don Slusarczyk
(Mauboussin)
2. Roy Divis
(Fokker D. VII)
3. Jack Karn
(Stinson 105)
sport’s emphasis on patience, which is
counter to our contemporary on-demand
culture. Phil has experience in the film
industry and has practiced extensively in
the Cleveland area.
Float explores the fascination of
Indoor Rubber-Powered airplanes. Indoor
modeling is pursued by people from all
walks of life and many countries around
the world. This is captured in remarkable
detail by the documentary.
This hobby is responsive to many of
the current technologies used in modern
civil aviation. It echoes the first powered
flying devices by pioneers such as
Alphonse Penaud who built rubberpowered
prototypes as early as 1871.
Today’s FF Indoor Duration types
often fly for more than 30 minutes on a
single wound-rubber motor. The world
record for time aloft is more than 1 hour!
The models are fragile and must fly
indoors in large open spaces such as
KSU’s facility or aircraft and blimp
hangars.
The majority of participants are past
the age of 50 and the hobby itself is aging.
As the digital age envelops the younger
generations, Indoor FF may become a lost
art. The goal of Float is to document the
Indoor FF’s current state and bring muchneeded
attention to it. This may inspire
younger generations to perpetuate the
beautiful hobby.
For more information about Ben Saks,
Phil Kibbe, and Float, visit the website
listed in “Sources.”
On April 29-30, 2011, I had the pleasure
of attending the 27th Annual Symposium
of the Society of Air Racing Historians
(SARH) held at the Holiday Inn near the
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Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
in Cleveland, Ohio.
As you may know, Cleveland was
host to the majority of National Air
Races held between 1929 and 1939. Most
of the era’s world-famous racing pilots
streaked overhead in the air space above
the area where the Holiday Inn now
stands.
World War II caused the suspension
of US air racing, but in 1946 competitive
flying over Cleveland resumed. Gone
were the privately built airplanes of the
1930s; they were replaced by surplus
military types such as P-51D Mustangs,
F4U Corsairs, P-63 Kingcobra fighters,
etc. Crowds also thrilled to the sights and
sounds of the first generation of post-war
jets.
In 1949, the tragic crash of a modified
P-51 in a nearby residential area resulted
in the deaths of the pilot, a housewife, and
her small child. The tragedy shook the
nation. Air racing over urban areas was
brought into serious question. Promoters
resolved to hold another National Air
Race in Cleveland in 1950, but plans
evaporated with the outbreak of the
Korean War.
The 2011 Symposium focused on the
rebirth of US air racing in the mid-1960s
over the wide open spaces of the
American West. Internationally acclaimed
aviation historian and writer, Don
Berliner, headed the program.
Don is also the editor of Golden
Pylons, the official journal of the SARH.
This year’s speakers included Chuck
Lyford (#8 P-51 Mustang); Clay Lacy
(#64 P-51 Mustang); Mira Slovak
(Unlimited Class winner of Bill Stead’s #
80 F8F-2 Bearcat); and Walt Ohlrich (#10
F8F-2 Bearcat). SARH technical editor,
Tim Weinschenker, narrated a superb slide
show from engineer/photographer Jim
Larsen.
All Symposium speakers were well
versed on their subjects and gave
engaging, well-organized presentations,
which delighted and informed the many
experts and enthusiasts in attendance.
Their efforts were accompanied by
handsome displays of accurate models of
air racing aircraft.
Air Ace Models (AAM) presented a
display of photos, drawings, and paintings
of air race subjects. AAM also displayed
several handsome models together with a
large assortment of FF Scale kits by
manufacturers including Cleveland Model
& Supply Company, Dare Designs, Dumas
Products, Easy Built Models, Golden Age
Reproductions, Guillow’s Models, Herr
Engineering Corporation, and Sterling-
Estes.
Plastic kits from Hawk, Life-Like
Hobby, Lindberg Models, Testors Plastic
Models; Testor/Hawk, and Williams
Brothers Model Products were also
offered. Many of the kits were from
modelers’ estates and offered for sale to
benefit modelers’ families. For a list of
these kits see Air Ace Models in the
“Sources” at the end of this article.
Another popular tradition of the
Symposium is its large silent auction of air
racing memorabilia. Proceeds of the
auction benefited SARH and contributed
to its operational funds.
The Symposium was fun, educational,
and definitely worth attending. If you race
airplanes, have any interest in air racing,
or interest in the daring souls who made
air racing happen, you should attend the
2012 Symposium which will be held in
Cleveland in early May 2012.
Some might question how events such
as the SARH Symposium are relevant to
FF Scale. They inspire modelers to create
flying replicas of famous aircraft which no
longer exist or are resting permanently in
museums. By creating flying models of
such aircraft, generations who never saw
these airplanes in flight are given a chance
to experience some of the joy of those
who attended the original air races long
ago.
The history of famous aircraft is kept
alive by accurate, historical research
undertaken by modelers. Thanks to them,
the glamour and mystique of historical
aircraft live on. MA
Sources:
Air Ace Models
(216) 631-7774
www.airacemodels.com
Crosswinds
Russ Brown
4909 N. Sedgewick
Lyndhurst OH 44124
Alphonse Penaud
www.flyingmachines.org/pend.html
Cleveland Model & Supply Company
(317) 257-7878
www.clevelandairline.com
Float documentary
[email protected]
http://floatdocumentary.com
Shorty’s Basement
(740) 225-8671
www.shortysbasement.com
The Society of Air Racing Historians
[email protected]
www.airrace.com