Free Flight: Indoor
NEW F1D RULES: Some drastic changes were made in the F1D event rules, to be effective after the 2000 Indoor World Championships. For those who haven't heard, minimum model weight was increased to 1.2 grams, maximum span was reduced to 55cm, and the rubber was limited to .5 gram. The proposal was generated by Andras Ree, a prominent Indoor flier from Hungary. He cited concerns over a worldwide decline in F1D participation, stating "Some of us are talking about the `freedom' of the present rules, but if you look on successful designs, nearly all are within, let's say, 10% of tolerances."
Free Flight: Indoor
Health Watch at USIC: As expected, Jim Grant made it back, looking as well as he always has. It was also good to see Jim Buxton flying HLG, almost as well as he had before his accident. Before the competition, Jim had expressed some doubt about how well he would do. He had been working out, and had consulted a physical therapist about specific training. As it turned out, he very nearly won HLG-only a fraction of a second behind Bernie Boehm, his longtime mentor. Although Bob Champine hasn't flown Indoor for several years, he returned this year. Bob is in a long recovery from a serious stroke, and was able to fly several events. Welcome back, Bob! Dick Hardcastle learned early this year that he had melanoma on his back and cancer in one lung. In a dual operation, the melanoma was removed, and exploratory surgery was done on the lung. Dick said the doctors cheered when the lung cancer wasn't melanoma-and then they removed the lung. Dick was upbeat at USIC, flying several events. He is getting stronger by the day, with very good prognosis.
Free Flight: Indoor
THIS IS A NEW column in a new magazine, so if we team up, we can make it something to benefit us all. My name is Bud Tenny, and my address is P.O. Box 545, Richardson, TX 75080. The topic is Indoor modeling; with your help and feedback, we can cover the whole field. Indoor modeling covers many different types of models-almost literally, there is something for everyone. The "classic" Indoor model is the superlight endurance design, which is described by the AMA Rule Book under the heading Hand-Launched Stick Model. The wing area must not exceed 300 sq. in. There is no limit on how light the model may be built except the skill and perseverance of the builder. The flight of a maximum-area Indoor job is perhaps the most graceful and beautiful of any kind of model flight.
Free Flight: Indoor
Indoor Props: Indoor duration models are almost the only kind of free-flight model that use (and depend on) the prop for the whole flight. It is small wonder that the indoor prop is considered to be almost the most important part of the model; a poor prop will hold the model back for the whole flight! What makes a bad prop? That is hard to define, since a particular prop may be good on one model and almost a disaster on another model. The best we can do is to examine all the factors and learn to select the best prop for each model. Prop Pitch: This is a measurement of the distance a prop pulls the model through the air in one revolution, and is related to the blade angle. Think of a machine screw turning in its nut-the pitch of the screw is given as threads per inch. For 40 threads per inch, the screw moves 1/40 inch per revolution. Propellers have been called airscrews, for obvious reasons, and a similar measurement can be made for a propeller. The distance a model moves forward with each revolution of the prop is called the effective pitch. The reason this distinction is made is that, because air isn't solid like the nut, props slip a little each revolution and the effective pitch is lower than the design pitch. The design pitch is what most people talk about in regard to props, and this is usually set by the shape of the prop block or jig used to build the prop.
Free Flight: Indoor
THE 1975 NATS Indoor events at the beautiful Civic Center in downtown Lake Charles, La., had fewer entrants than the 1974 event, as did the rest of the Nats. Most of the same faces, along with a few new ones, engaged in close competition to post about the same times as in 1974. Time-a-flight, fly-a-flight has become a way of life at the Nats, and volunteer timers worked hard to fill the gaps during rush periods. Maybe the resulting lack of formality is good-at least, the timers had unexcelled opportunity for learning by close-range observation. HL glider times on Sunday were similar to 1974 times, in spite of the much cooler air resulting from the steady rain most of the day. Also, one flier observed that air turbulence at floor level seemed to be higher than last year. In low ceiling HLG flying, floor turbulence is a very important factor; even at this medium ceiling site such rough air can shave over one second off the potential time of a well-trimmed glider.
