Free Flight Scale — 2011/09
The Kent State Indoor contest
Dennis Norman [[email protected]]
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 on the day of the contest, you might have thought it was a lovely spring day suitable even for an early outdoor contest. However, a video of the same scene would have shown the trees being buffeted by near gale-force winds that 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 in 2010. Even so, 24 fliers and four juniors from seven states participated.
Participants and schedule
- States represented: California, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania.
- Total participants: 24 fliers and 4 juniors.
- Flying schedule: 7:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.
Event highlights
- Zany mass launch of balloon-powered free-flight toys provided by Shorty’s Basement.
- Several AMA record trials conducted during the day.
- CD Mike Zand was ably assisted by CFFS president Rich Weber and CFFS vice president Jim Gaffney, who handled the scoring table.
- FAC Hall of Famer Russ Brown judged the Flying Aces Club (FAC) entries; CFFS stalwart Larry Mzik presided over the AMA entries.
- Attractive certificates for the KSU events were designed and provided by Steve Griebling. Steve and Bruce Pike provided kit prizes for event winners.
Float — the documentary
Ben Saks and Phil Kibbe, co-creators and producers of Float, attended the 2011 KSU Indoor meet. Float is a documentary that explores the competitive international subculture of indoor free-flight duration aircraft.
- Ben Saks: In his second decade with indoor free flight, Ben has competed in both the Nats and World Championships. He brings intimate knowledge of the sport and extensive management experience to Float. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture with honors from Carnegie Mellon University; his work has been displayed and published internationally.
- Phil Kibbe: Director/cinematographer of the documentary. Phil was inspired after seeing a video of F1D and was moved by the models' grace in flight and the sport’s emphasis on patience. He has film-industry experience and has worked extensively in the Cleveland area.
Float captures the fascination of indoor rubber-powered airplanes, a hobby pursued by people from many walks of life and many countries. For more information about Ben Saks, Phil Kibbe, and Float, see Sources.
Indoor free flight: history and concerns
- The hobby echoes early powered flying devices by pioneers such as Alphonse Penaud, who built rubber-powered prototypes as early as 1871.
- Modern indoor duration models often fly for more than 30 minutes on a single wound-rubber motor; the world record for time aloft exceeds one hour.
- The models are fragile and must fly indoors in large open spaces such as university fieldhouses or aircraft and blimp hangars.
- The majority of participants are over the age of 50, and the hobby is aging. As the digital age envelops younger generations, indoor free flight risks becoming a lost art. Float aims to document the current state of the hobby and bring attention to it, potentially inspiring younger modelers to continue the tradition.
Society of Air Racing Historians (SARH) Symposium
On April 29–30, 2011, I attended the 27th Annual Symposium of the Society of Air Racing Historians (SARH) at the Holiday Inn near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland, Ohio.
Historical background
Cleveland hosted the majority of the National Air Races held between 1929 and 1939. Many of the era's famous racing pilots flew in the airspace above the area now occupied by the Holiday Inn. World War II suspended U.S. air racing, but racing resumed in 1946 using surplus military types (P-51D Mustangs, F4U Corsairs, P-63 Kingcobras, etc.). In 1949 a tragic crash of a modified P-51 in a nearby residential area resulted in multiple deaths and raised serious questions about air racing over urban areas. Plans for a 1950 race evaporated with the outbreak of the Korean War.
2011 Symposium program
The 2011 Symposium focused on the rebirth of U.S. air racing in the mid-1960s over the open spaces of the American West. Internationally acclaimed aviation historian and writer Don Berliner headed the program and is the editor of Golden Pylons, SARH’s journal.
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)
- Walt Ohlrich (#10 F8F-2 Bearcat)
Tim Weinschenker, SARH technical editor, narrated a slide show by engineer/photographer Jim Larsen. All speakers delivered well-organized, engaging presentations accompanied by displays of accurate air-racing aircraft models.
Exhibits, kits, and auction
Air Ace Models presented photos, drawings, and paintings of air race subjects, several models, and a large assortment of free-flight scale kits from manufacturers including:
- Cleveland Model & Supply Company
- Dare Designs
- Dumas Products
- Easy Built Models
- Golden Age Reproductions
- Guillow’s Models
- Herr Engineering Corporation
- Sterling-Estes
Plastic kits from Hawk, Life-Like Hobby, Lindberg, Testors, and Williams Brothers Model Products were also offered. Many kits came from modelers’ estates and were sold to benefit families. The Symposium’s large silent auction of air-racing memorabilia benefited SARH’s operational funds.
Relevance to free-flight scale
Symposia like SARH’s inspire modelers to create flying replicas of famous aircraft that no longer fly or are in museums. By building and flying these models, new generations can experience some of the joy of historic air racing. Accurate historical research by modelers keeps the history, glamour, and mystique of famous aircraft alive.
Sources
- Air Ace Models
Phone: (216) 631-7774 Website: www.airacemodels.com
- Crosswinds / Russ Brown
4909 N. Sedgewick, Lyndhurst, OH 44124
- Alphonse Penaud
www.flyingmachines.org/pend.html
- Cleveland Model & Supply Company
Phone: (317) 257-7878 Website: www.clevelandairline.com
- Float documentary
Email: [email protected] Website: http://floatdocumentary.com
- Shorty’s Basement
Phone: (740) 225-8671 Website: www.shortysbasement.com
- The Society of Air Racing Historians (SARH)
Email: [email protected] Website: www.airrace.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
