Free Flight: Duration
NFFS NEWS: Apparently the green light is now burning brightly for both the Indoor and Outdoor Free Flight portions of the AMA Nationals to be relinquished to the National Free Flight Society (NFFS) in 1990. The plan is for the Indoor portion to be married with the traditional U.S. Indoor Champs at the fine facilities at Johnson City, TN on June 7-10, and the Outdoor FF portion to be separated from the July 14-22 RC and CL Nats activities by being delayed until the third week of October at Lawrenceville, IL.
Free Flight: Duration
NFFS News: Free Flight Digest, the official monthly publication of the National Free Flight Society (NFFS), has a new editor in the person of Chris Weinrich. Bob Meuser, who was Model Aviation 's "Free Flight Duration" columnist for many years, had also been performing as editor ("Redacteur en Chef") of the Digest for some 18 years - and doing an admirable job. Bob announced the change in editorship with a formal letter to the various newsletter editors and magazine columnists. I think we should all thank Bob for his past service to the NFFS and wish him well in future endeavors. Chris Weinrich will henceforth be accepting all associated correspondence to the Digest at 905 West 5th Ave., Olympia, WA 98502. Welcome aboard, Chris! The NFFS also has a new Membership Chairman in Nat Comfort, who replaced Sal Fruciano as of January 1, 1990. Sal had served about two years in this volunteer capacity, and his efforts are most appreciated as well.
Free Flight: Duration
NEW FF CLUB: I should like to welcome the "new kid on the block"-literally speaking, that is. The new "kid" is the West Michigan Free Flight Club, and its membership roster shows that about half are young people. The accompanying photo shows most of the members, and I'll introduce them beginning in the front row (left to right): Chris Mauw, Joel Postma, Tim Leugs, Mike Holtz, Chris Tanas, and Lisa Sarber. The middle row has Joe Kresnak, Tim Anderson, Steve Baker, Rayon Wanble, and Rodnee Shank. The ones in the back row are Bob Pattison, Bob Hoffman, Tim Sarber, Dave Shank, Bill Butenhius, Jim Tanas, and Bill Schottey. One of the group's kingpins is missing from the photo, namely "Krazy Karl" Spielmaker, who we shall assume is the photographer.
Free Flight: Duration
SELF-TIMER: The state-of-the-art FAI Power model comes equipped with a mechanical brain in the form of a five-function clockwork timer. This device serves as an onboard controller for such preset disciplines as fuel cutoff, bunt transition from power into glide mode, and dethermalizer. The timer also acts as a controller for autorudder and/or flapper control, if either or both are incorporated in the model. Obviously, it takes many flights and many trips to the test flying site to fine tune all of the incorporated gadgetry to achieve optimum power, transition and glide in a given model. Oftentimes these flight sessions are lonesome affairs, with the persistent flier finding himself alone at the test site as he seeks the ultimate trim from his sophisticated flying machine.
Free Flight: Duration
KITS: By the time this column sees print we shall have had our Christmas goose with all of the trimmings and be fast at work laying out our two usual after-the-holidays strategies, namely, our new year's diet plan and our new year's building plan. It's time to decide what new models we'll have to build in order to get ourselves prepared for the coming outdoor spring flying season. Whereas nibbling on balsa scraps may not be a recommended method of adding fiber to one's diet, one of the three new kit offerings by Campbell Custom Kits may aid in solving the problem of the winter building project.
