Heart of America Float Fly

40 Model Aviation May 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
Darrell Watts taxis his de Havilland Otter. The 26-pound model is
scratch-built, has a 10.5-foot wingspan, and is powered by a Moki 210.
Photos by the author
www.ModelAviation.com May 2012 Model Aviation 41
Lake Miola provides the perfect backdrop for this annual event
FLOAT FLY
by Darrell Watts
The Heart of America Float Fly is held annually on
the first weekend in June in Paola, Kansas, located 20
miles southwest of Kansas City. Coordinated by Pat
McGhee, the event is sponsored by the R/C Barnstormers
Model Airplane Club.
Thirty-two pilots attended and brought roughly 60 models
with them. Along with local modelers, pilots came from as far
away as Michigan, Arkansas, Nebraska, southern Missouri, and
southern Kansas.
With the support of the local newspaper, which included a
quarter-page article with a color photo the week preceding the
event and a three-quarter page article in full color following
the event, we had a large number of spectators both days.
The Lake Miola venue is wonderful for a float-flying site.
The spectator and pit area are in well-groomed park picnic
grounds with large shade trees.
There is an easy step down to the launch point and a large
open lake area. We have developed an excellent rapport with
the park management and we’re allowed to put out buoys
restricting boat traffic on the entire north end of the lake.
The park staff brings in extra picnic tables and two portapotties,
and our pilots are allowed to camp at no charge at the
flying site. (See more about securing and retaining float fly sites
in the sidebar.)
Saturday dawned with bright sunshine and roughly 10 mph
winds. My wife handled the registration and Pat’s wife ran
Balsa USA 1/4-scale Pup lifts off. The YS 120-powered Pup
weighs 14 pounds and has SeaPlane Supply antique-style floats.
Darrell Watts taxis his Super Stearman to shore after a successful flight.
The Great Planes model has a 72-inch wingspan and is powered by a
Saito 150 four-stroke engine. The floats are from SeaPlane Supply.
42 Model Aviation May 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
www.ModelAviation.com May 2012 Model Aviation 43
Alex Curtis thrilled the crowd
with his U-CAN-DO 46. The model
has a 56-inch wingspan and is
powered by an O.S. .55AX.
These efforts will build good rapport with the park management and are crucial to
having a successful float fly.
In my experience, after your second or third event at this location, you will find
that your park manager and staff will be much more willing to extend extra effort
for you, i.e. bring in porta-potties, extra picnic tables, additional site grooming,
and if possible, restricting boat traffic during your flight hours.
Good luck in your efforts to promote float flying!
—Darrell Watts
With few exceptions, convincing a private-property owner to allow you to hold a float fly
on his or her lake is rare. Because of the liability, they simply think, why take the risk? This
leaves you with dealing with public park officials; however, should you find an interested
private owner, the following suggestions still apply.
Make an appointment to meet with the park official. Telephone requests to
use the park will likely be unsuccessful. When you attend the meeting, take
photographs of float airplanes with you. Discuss the range of demographics of
your club members to illustrate that our hobby is not restricted to a narrow group
of people.
Discuss the approximate number of pilots you expect at your event. Outline what
you intend to do to draw local spectators to your float fly. Park managers want
new people to come see their park.
Explain the site-owner liability insurance that you will provide through AMA. Try
to minimize anything you might ask the park official or staff to do. They are not
looking for extra work.
When you secure permission for a float fly, take exceptional care of the site and
pay meticulous attention to safety. Be particularly courteous to other park users.
Perhaps you can assign someone who is outgoing and friendly to circulate among
the spectators explaining what is going on and offering details about the hobby.
Stay far away from boat traffic. If a boat parks under the flight pattern, go out in
your retrieval boat and explain the potential danger. Invite the boat crew to join
you at the shoreline or suggest a safer location to park the boat and watch.
Finding a Park Venue
the kitchen. We know the importance of
having their support!
After a brief pilots’ meeting, we were
off and flying. There were all types of
models in the air, from a 29-inch span,
all-foam Polaris to a 10.5-foot span de
Havilland Otter.
Power systems used in the models
ranged from small electrics to large gas
engines. The vintage airplanes modeled
encompassed everything from a World
War I Sopwith Pup and a Fokker
Eindecker to a modern Extra 300.
Saturday’s wind presented a challenge
for some of the pilots and kept Frank
Perez and his retrieval boat busy. Another
requirement for a good float fly is a
retrieval boat at the ready and a skilled
captain to pick up models in distress in a
hurry!
Sunday was another beautiful, sunshiny
day with mild breezes. With less wind,
there were plenty of aerobatics and touchand-
gos. There’s nothing prettier, or more
rewarding, for a pilot than a “grease-iton”
touch-and-go on water. Some of the
Scale models that were a little timid in
Saturday’s wind were active on Sunday.
If you haven’t tried float flying, you
are missing a lot of fun! Here are five key
elements for a successful float airplane:
• The float size should be between
75% and 80% of the fuselage length
(propeller disk to the rudder hinge).
• The step should be located 1/2 to 1 inch
behind the CG.
• The floats should be positioned so that
10% of the float length is ahead of the
propeller disk.
• Wing incidence should be 1° to 3°
positive to the top of the float.
• The aircraft should have enough power
for brisk performance off of grass.
If you follow these guidelines carefully,
your chances of having a successful float
fly are high.
There you have it. During my 23 years
of active float flying, I have seen nearly
every kind of model you can think of—on
floats!
It’s not too early to start planning to
attend the sixth annual Heart of America
Float Fly, June 2-3, 2012.
—Darrell Watts
[email protected]
SOURCE S:
R/C Barnstormers Model Airplane Club
www.rcbarnstormers.org