1993 USOC/FF NATS
AMA's National Flying Site was the venue for a combined 1993 Free Flight Nationals/United States Outdoor Championships. Problems with the original Nats site in Lubbock, Texas, forced combination of the two contests into a massive five-day free flight gathering. (The Lubbock problems have since been resolved, and a "unified" Nats will be held there next July.) Rather than give a blow-by-blow account of the action (virtually impossible with an event of this scope), we'll focus on a few of the highlights, with a mixture of noted trends and other observations.
Free Flight Duration
THE FINAL FRONTIER: This will be my last Duration column-I have accepted a full-time position as an editor with this magazine. Since it's considered a conflict of interest to be a columnist and an editor, I will turn this space over to an as-yet-unnamed successor. I can then chop up his stuff the same way mine was! Ha! Anyway, I am hopeful that my new role with Model Aviation will be one that is good for all free flighters. I'd like to do what I can to upgrade the quality and quantity of incoming FF materials. Send us your best stuff.
Lost Hills Free Flight Team Finals
Great weather and the nation's top fliers combined to produce the highest-quality competition in many years. The U.S. Free Flight Team Selection Finals was held at Lost Hills, California, October 8-11, 1992. Three-person teams were selected in each of the FF disciplines: F1A, F1B, and F1C (or Nordic, Wakefield, and Power, for the traditionalists). Together they will represent the U.S. at the 1993 World Championships, also to be held at Lost Hills. The United States' successful bid to host the World Champs led to the normal east-west rotation of Finals sites being abandoned this time - the idea being to select a team that would do well on its "home field."
Free Flight: Duration
GOOD STUFF: A recent Florida Modelers' Association newsletter included an interesting note about a source for 1/4-mil clear Mylar. Dayton Plastics was the source, and since it's only 45 minutes from my house, I decided to investigate. I'd been looking for a source for 1/4 mil for covering on my Nordic stabs and figured it might be useful on small models as well. Turns out that Dayton Plastics stocks plenty of 1/4 mil, as well as 1/2 mil and 1 mil. The 1/4 mil is 12 1/2-in. wide, and is sold by the linear foot. The price is unbelievable: $.006 per linear foot! That's correct-six-tenths of a cent per foot! The 1/2 mil is 42-in. wide and sells for 5 cents per linear foot; the 1 mil is 56-in. wide and 10 cents per linear foot.
Free Flight: Duration
GAINING popularity in free flight contests is the Hand-Held Catapult Glider event. Although the rules vary in different regions of the country, the basics tend to be similar: a single loop of rubber-perhaps eight or nine inches maximum length-and unrestricted model design. Scoring is as in standard Hand-Launched Glider-i.e., the best three of six flights count, with a two minute max.
