Free Flight Duration - 2004/01
PERHAPS THE MOST frequently asked question I hear from
Radio Control modelers and the general public is, How do you
control a model without a radio? The answer is simple and
complex.
FREE FLIGHT DURATION - 2001/05
icaRex coveRing: At the 1996 Nationals (Nats), Art Ellis
showed me a sample of a kite fabric called Icarex. His son David
was using it on his F1A towline glider wings.
The material looked like the ripstop nylon often seen on tents
and other camping gear, but it was a good bit thinner. The sample
they showed me was a bright, almost fluorescent yellow-green, but
Art mentioned that a wide variety of other colors were available.
Since then I’ve seen more and more modelers using the ripstop
covering on towline and larger Power models. The consensus
seems to be that Icarex is strong and easy to use.
The range of available colors is a big plus compared to
materials such as Polyspan and clear Micafilm®, in which white is
the only option.
At the 2000 Nats I noticed that Frank Parmenter used red Icarex
on the stabilizer of one of his Jay’s Bird B Nostalgia models. He
said the Icarex only added roughly three grams compared to the
same-size stab covered with Japanese tissue. (Frank double-covers
the bottom surfaces when he uses tissue, to reduce puncture
wounds from landing in rough areas.)
FREE FLIGHT DURATION - 2003/01
What Is Free Flight? Simply stated, a Free
Flight model aircraft is one in which there is
no physical connection between the
aeromodel and the competitor during flight.
There are no control lines; there is no radio
control. But how does the model fly? Careful
design, construction, and adjustments allow it
to fly on its own, balancing the forces of
flight.
Free Flight is the oldest form of model
aviation. In fact, it is the oldest form of fixedwing
aviation. A century before the Wright
brothers made their first flight, Sir George
Cayley was experimenting with kite-based
gliders. The results of his scientific
experiments were published in a book titled
On Aerial Navigation.
FREE FLIGHT DURATION - 2001/04
When i was a Junior in the late 1950s, ground-support equipment
was basic. For the Gas events, a 11⁄2-volt dry cell, leads with
alligator clips, a pint can of glow fuel, and a rubber squeeze bulb
were all I used. (The rubber fuel bulb would soften from the fuel
and the red-orange rubber would stain your hand. That’s one aspect
of that era I can’t get nostalgic about.)
My older brother had a fuel-soaked plywood field box that held
a dry cell (or perhaps two wired in parallel and taped together), fuel,
a fuel bulb, and a propeller wrench or two.
The family supply of glow plugs, propellers, and other spares
were kept in a battered gray tackle box that stayed in the trunk of
the car.
A winder was it for the Rubber events, with a length of
clothesline to pull motors through the fuselage.
We did have one of those belt-drive towline winches, which was
the envy of some of the local glider fliers who still used a ball of
kite string and a paper clip for towing.
The only electric starter I remember seeing was an elaborate
flex-shaft affair used to start a Control Line Scale Constellation at
the local contest each year.
FREE FLIGHT DURATION - 2001/03
TEam SElEcTioN FiNalS: This past
October, the top Fédération Aéronautique
Internationale (FAI) fliers in the country met
at Lost Hills CA to select the nine team
members who will represent the United
States at the 2001 World Championships.
The team members are: F1A Glider—
Steve Spence, Lee Hines, Andrew Barron;
F1C Power—Ed Keck, Randy Archer, Ken
Oliver; and F1B Wakefield—Roger
Morrell, Blake Jensen, Walt Ghio.
All are former team members. Steve
Spence and Ed Keck are the only repeaters
from the 1999 team that flew at the World
Championships in Israel. The 2001 World
Championships will be held at Lost Hills
October 8-13.
There were 25 contestants in F1A, 40 in
F1B, and 24 in F1C. The contest consisted
of 14 rounds, held during two days. Only
four maxed out in Glider; five maxed in
Wakefield; and 10 maxed in Power.
Glider was decided with a five-minute
max immediately following the second day
of flying. Andy Barron and Steve Spence
made the 300 seconds, and Lee Hines
outglided Chuck Markos by less than half a
minute to secure the third team spot.
