May 2001 7
In noveMBer of last year, my very good
friend Don Ross invited me to visit one of the
Wednesday-morning flying sessions of the
Metropolitan Sport Squadron (MSS).
This group is made up of Radio Control
(RC) and Free Flight (FF) types, who meet
once a week and share one of the finest
indoor sites in the East—the Teaneck Armory
in Teaneck, New Jersey.
Indoor FF has been with us for decades. In
1953, when I was a very young boy, my father
took me to watch the Indoor portion of the
Nationals (Nats). In those days the Indoor events
were flown in one of the behemoth blimp hangars
at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, New
Jersey. (I understand that Indoor models are still
being flown there on a regular basis!)
I can still remember the awe I felt watching
the graceful microfilm models slowly circle their
way to just below the ceiling beams. Once you’ve
seen these gossamer models fly, your perspective
on modeling will never be the same. It’s an
experience every modeler should enjoy—often.
I guess I was thinking of those days when
I opened the door of the armory and walked
onto the 110-yard-long, 60-yard-wide floor.
There is something mysterious, and even
spiritual, about Indoor FF, and whatever
building it is being done in always feels very
much like a church to me.
I soon learned that indoor RC flying has at
least an equal amount of mystery and
spirituality. This was to be my first
experience with the type of models that have
come to be known as “slow flyers.”
As a young teenager, I lived with my family in a
northern suburb of Philadelphia. The house we
lived in at that time had a huge back yard. I flew
lots of Control Line (CL) there, but I had this
recurring vision of a small scale “airport” from
which I could fly small RC Scale models.
Never mind that the RC technology of the era
(1961) was not nearly at a point that made this
dream even remotely possible (pun intended).
The thought of a backyard airport was so
overwhelming that I did the most logical
thing (at least from the viewpoint of a 13-
year-old): I began building the airport! I
figured that the easy part would be to figure
out how to make and control the airplanes.
The dream died when mom and dad put
their collective feet down and used—of all
things—logic to sway me from ripping up
too much grass!
The thought of having the ability to fly
an RC model from my back yard, and land it
confidently on the runway at the end of each
flight, has remained carefully tucked away
all these years.
Now, some 40 years later, the easy part
appears to be the making and controlling of
the models. Getting my wife to allow me to
rip up the grass to install the runways in the
back yard is going to be the challenge!
I guess these thoughts were going through my
mind when the first RC slow flyer took wing
that day at the Teaneck Armory. I was truly
mesmerized by the reality of the type of
flying I had envisioned so many years earlier.
I want to take this opportunity to thank
and heartily commend those who have long
labored to bring the state of the art in radio
control technology to the point where this
type of model airplane flying is easily
achievable for any who wish to try it.
This relatively new type of flying has
taken several forms, and has been given
several labels; slow flyers, park flyers,
micro flyers, etc., are all descriptors for an
entirely new genre of model airplanes.
Its growth has been meteoric in a way that
has rarely been seen in any other type of
model flying. Perhaps this is partly because of
many other modelers who have had the same
dream I had when I was young, and were just
waiting for technology to make it all possible.
Whatever the reason for the popularity, I
predict that this form of flying is here to
stay, and we have just seen the beginning of
what will be possible in the near future.
In celebration of slow/park/micro RC
flying, we are announcing the establishment
of a new department in Model Aviation that
will be authored in alternate months by
Larry Marshall and Dave Robelen.
Larry will write about and report on
developments in the realm of the slow
flyer and park flyer; Dave will cover the
Bob Hunt Aeromodeling Editor
… I predict that
this form of flying
is here to stay …
Photo by Paul Vliet
Modeling Spoken Here
more esoteric and—dare I say—fringe
sport of micro RC flyers.
To get things going in the right direction
for Larry and Dave, we’ve scheduled a few
related articles that make up a “theme” issue.
The first article, also written by Larry,
is “Small Radio Control Modeling—Where
Less Is More.” In this piece, he explains
the reasons for the sudden popularity of the
smaller models.
Larry also makes it clear that the movement
is not strictly confined to the common Electric
slow flyer type of model, but encompasses the
entire spectrum of flying that can be enjoyed in
confined spaces with diminutive models of all
types and motive power.
MA will publish many slow flyer designs
in the coming years; in fact, we have already
“banked” several outstanding designs. The
first is this month’s RC construction feature:
Clark Salisbury’s SkyCrawler.
The SkyCrawler is a bit larger than the
average slow flyer. It features a 48-inch span,
22-ounce all-up weight, and a Graupner
Speed 480 motor. If you have access to a
large indoor facility (like the Teaneck
Armory), this model will serve double duty as
an indoor and outdoor flier. If not, just use it
for enjoyable outdoor sessions.
The SkyCrawler has some aesthetics that
are similar to the popular French Demoiselle
lightplane. With a few simple modifications,
it could be built as a semiscale version of
that famous design.
I mentioned visiting the Teaneck
Armory. The main reason for that visit was
to learn how the Metropolitan Sport
Squadron had acquired such a fantastic
facility for its weekly activities.
Don Ross explained that the local Civil Air
Patrol (CAP) squadron and National Guard
units have been extremely cooperative, and
have interfaced with the MSS to establish
model airplane building and flying sessions for
the CAP junior members. In return, the MSS
gets to use the site one morning each week.
I asked Don to write about this for our
“Finding and Keeping Flying Sites” feature
in this month’s issue. There are lots of
progressive ideas there for those of you
looking for a suitable indoor site for RC
slow flyer and/or FF activities.
Actually, the armory was first used
exclusively for Indoor FF sessions. Now the
FF and RC groups coexist in the facility.
I’d be lying if I told you there weren’t a
few initial problems between the
disciplines. But the good news is that
modelers will usually work together to
find some common ground and respect
each other’s interest. And this is the case
with the MSS group.
I want to thank Hector Santemma for
offering me a couple of flights on his Lite Stik
slow flyer. This was my first experience with
Continued on page 182
182 M ODEL AVIATION
flying an RC model indoors, and I enjoyed
myself completely.
Hector’s model was capable of roughly
15 minutes of useable flying time. I circled
the armory several times, shot numerous
touch-and-gos, played around near the
floor in ground effect, and circled up near
the armory lights.
I had not expected such outstanding
performance, and am now itching to get my
own slow flyer going!
Another interesting thing happened while I
was at the Teaneck Armory. There was this
fellow who had several Peanut Scale-type FF
models with him. All of his models appeared
to be well-trimmed great fliers.
One model in his fleet was a Profile FF
MiG-15 that was made from sheet expanded
polystyrene foam.
Although it was not even remotely an
Endurance design, this model had a
compelling flight profile. Its designer/builder,
Tony Peters, would launch it into its shallow
climb, right circling flight path, then walk to a
specific spot on the floor and wait for the MiG
to complete its “mission.”
Each time (and Tony made several flights
with the MiG), the model would descend to
the exact point where Tony was standing, and
he’d simply raise his hand slightly and let the
little “jet” fly right between his thumb and
forefinger. What a showman!
This impressed me, but, more
importantly, it seemed to impress even the
most experienced FF modelers there. I
began watching the crowd of spectators
whenever Tony flew the MiG, and they all
stopped what they were doing to enjoy this
practiced “show.”
I asked Tony to work up an article about the
MiG for this issue; even though it’s not an RC
slow flyer, I felt it was relevant to this issue.
You can enjoy RC and FF in the same flying
session! This design is really fun. Build one!
The last article in this park flyer/slow flyer
theme came in as an unsolicited submission,
but fit the subject matter perfectly.
Alex “Sandy” Morton is a longtime RC
modeler who is beginning to feel the effects
of aging as it relates to his modeling. His
eyesight and reflexes are beginning to
diminish, and he is smart enough to
acknowledge the safety issues these natural
changes will cause.
Instead of continuing on with the larger,
faster, heavier, and, by his own admission,
more dangerous models, Sandy has begun to
enjoy the park flyer type of model for the
benefits it affords him at this point in his life.
These models are lighter, they fly slower,
and they can be flown at close proximity,
where their image size seems relatively large
to the pilot. They are a safer way for seniors
who are experiencing the aforementioned
eyesight and reflex problems to continue
enjoying the RC sport.
Sandy’s article is “Don’t Quit The
Greatest Sport On Earth!” Please take time to
read and consider Sandy’s thoughts if you are
nearing the age where these issues will, or
might, be something you will soon have to
address in your modeling life.
This new form of modeling is exciting in
many nonobvious ways. For the first time
in many years, RC models can be flown
in urban areas where noise, space, and
safety considerations have combined to
exclude the sport.
In those years, whole generations have
grown up without firsthand knowledge of
model airplanes, what fun they are, and what
they are capable of.
Many of those who have never
watched a model airplane fly are those
who have grown up with a distinct digital
awareness. Video games and computer
simulators are not foreign to them, and
they are used to joystick movements.
Radio control is a natural progression—
sort of a real video game!
If we play our cards right, this new part
of the sport could usher in a fresh generation
of modelers. It’s up to us to expose them to
our passion, then to guide them into safe
modeling practices.
It’s no secret that RC frequency control in
the vicinity of an AMA sanctioned field is of
great concern these days. The proliferation of
Almost Ready-to-Fly (ARF) and Ready-to-
Fly (RTF) versions of slow/park flyers has
already caused a few accidents.
There is no easy answer to this problem,
and those who fly these models safely and
courteously in accordance with local field
rules should not be made to feel guilty for the
transgressions of an uninformed, and
sometimes careless, few.
These models are easy and relatively
inexpensive to build, so the average modeler
can afford to have several at one time or
augment his/her fleet of “normal” RC models
with one or two for some alternative flying fun.
If you can’t make it home from work in
time to grab your “big” stuff and get to the
field for a quick evening flight, you can most
certainly walk to the local ballfield and get a
couple of flights with a park flyer-type model
before the sun goes down.
at each of the trade shows I’ve attended in the
past year or so, the most common denominator
in purchased products seen under the arms of
the attendees has been park flyer/slow
flyer/micro flyer kits and accessories.
This is a strong new trend, and is
certainly not a fad. I predict that in less than
a year we will see local, regional, and even
national events conducted specifically for
this class of RC model.
Imagine a “Nats” for them, with Pylon
Racing, Scale, Aerobatics, carrier-deck
landing, spot landing, and maybe even
Combat events!
This is an exciting time to be in this sport!
as always, contact and/or correspondence
on any modeling or Model Aviation
magazine-related subject is welcome. My
address is Box 68, Stockertown PA
18083; Tel.: (610) 614-1747; E-mail:
[email protected]. MA
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Aeromodeling Editor
