Author: B. Tenny
Edition: Model Aviation - 1996/11
Page Numbers: 114, 115, 116, 118, 120, 121
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FREE FLIGHT INDOOR

Bud Tenney, Box 830545, Richardson TX 75083

CLIPPINGS WANTED!

John Martin needs clippings that report instances where Goodyear has sponsored model airplane activity since 1920, when they first began. Current Goodyear officials have no such knowledge, and these clippings may help the MIAMA club (and perhaps other clubs) gain access to Goodyear facilities.

Legal Eagle Update

Just over a year ago the Legal Eagle event was launched. By now, times in the MIAMA contests held at MacDill AFB have reached almost nine minutes. Competition is keen; the March 1996 meet showed less than four minutes spread between first and ninth place.

1996 Easy B Postal

Tom Vallee announced that the 1996 Japan vs USA Easy B Postal will run August 1–October 31, 1996. Three-man teams. Cat. Ceiling, using AMA Easy B rules. For rules and entry forms:

  • Tom Vallee, 444 Henryton St., Laurel MD 20724; Tel.: (301) 498-0790.

Records

MiniStick

  • Op. II — 9:58 — Andy Tagliafico — 2/25/96 — MiniQuark
  • Op. IV — 12:33 — Andy Tagliafico — 5/11/96 — MiniQuark
  • Op. IV — 14:03 — Larry Coslick — 5/19/96 — Coslick Scooter
  • Sr. IV — 11:36 — Rob Eberle — 5/27/96 — Original Design

Catapult Glider — Standard Class

  • Op. III — 64.0 + 66.4 — Bob Bienenstein — 5/05/96 — Original Design
  • Op. III — 64.3 + 63.7 — Wayne Triven — 5/18/96 — Original Design

Catapult Glider — Unlimited Class

  • Op. III — 68.6 + 69.5 — Charles Primbs — 5/27/96 — Original Design

    • Other Flights of Note

    • ROG Stick, Op. I — 14:32 — Larry Coslick — 4/11/96 — Original Design
    • Limited Pennyplane, Op. I — 16:14 — Warren Williams — 5/10/96 — Original Design

    Mystery Modelers

    Several columns ago I published photos of two Japanese fliers and their ducted-fan models but had lost the identification of the fliers and who sent the photo. Thanks to Bill Hannan, who identifies the fliers as Kazuhiro Suzuki (left) and Jiro Sugimoto. Bill notes that these two are "among the most accomplished" Indoor Scale fliers in Japan.

    Additional information from Glenn Campbell: Kazuhiro and Jiro are members of the very active Shonai Peanut Powers of Nagoya, Japan. The models they are holding are their Peanut MiG-15s. Both models are rubber powered, with the motor driving lightweight ducted-fan units. Jiro reported that he has had 20-second flights indoors and 30-second outdoor flights on a consistent basis.

    Mass-Launch

    John Martin, of MIAMA fame, recounted the story of one MiniStick mass launch at an earlier USIC. John flew his best model into the mass launch and had a friend proxy-fly another of his models. He watched as his model had a mid-air collision. When the models landed, he learned that the other model was also his!

    Tillamook Blimp Hangar

    (From the Boeing Hawks Newsletter, edited by Gene Stubbs)

    This site has been arranged for by Andy Tagliafico a number of times and was under consideration as a Team Finals site in 1995. It has also become a very popular fun-fly site. The building is 157 feet high inside, 250 feet wide, and about 3/4 mile long. It is (or was) the largest wooden structure in the world. About one quarter of the floor at one end is used for storage; the other end has a couple dozen WWII-era aircraft and other items on display. Because of the high ceiling there are normally few hangups. There are a few other safety concerns; once, a baseball-sized glob of owl dung landed six feet from a bystander!

    Flying Opportunities

    The sessions listed below are the latest information available. Contact persons for other areas are included. CDs with events beginning in December 1996: send schedules ASAP! Always verify a contest date by phone before leaving home.

    California — Burbank

    • The Blacksheep Exhibition Squadron (VMF-214) has monthly sessions on second Fridays; flying in Cat. I site at Luther Burbank Middle School, 7–10 p.m.
    • Weekly Cat. I sessions at Stonehurst Park in Sun Valley, CA, 10 a.m.–noon each Wednesday and at Gleason Middle School in Tujunga, CA, 6:30–9 p.m. on Monday.
    • Contact: Tony Naccarato, 2121 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank CA 91507; Tel.: (818) 842-5062.

    California — Garden Grove

    • Access to sites at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove every Tuesday evening from 7–10 p.m.; welcome all types of indoor models and modelers of every experience level.
    • Contact: John Wenk, 4621 Silverleaf Ave, Orange CA 92669; Tel.: (714) 633-8546.

    California — Marin County (20 miles north of San Francisco)

    • Year-round mini-contests, 8 a.m.–2 p.m., fourth Sunday each month. The site is a standard basketball court with 28 feet clear.
    • Contact: George Benson, 204 Benson Circle, Mill Valley CA 94941; Tel.: (415) 388-1809.

    California — San Diego

    • Fun-Fly and Scale sessions 2nd Friday each month; monthly sessions on 4th Friday; all in Colina Del Sol Community Center (Cat. I), 5316 Orange Ave., San Diego.
    • Contact: Howard Haupt; Tel.: (619) 272-5656.

    Canada — Ontario area

    • Contact: Dan O'Grady, 50 Largo Crescent, Nepean, Ontario K2G 3C7; Tel.: (613) 224-3424.

    Canada — Winnipeg, Manitoba

    • Flying sessions Oct. 1996–May 1997 twice a month in a 23-foot gym on Fridays and one session each month in an 80-foot hangar. The hangar is a commercial airline maintenance hangar subject to work schedules, but no sessions have been canceled yet. The hangar is very tight, with minimal drift and is the locale for several Canadian Cat. III records.
    • Contact: Barrie Taylor, 2 Thackeray, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3K 0H1; Tel.: (204) 889-4737.

    Connecticut — Glastonbury

    • Flying sessions beginning Nov. 1996 through April 1997.
    • Contact: George Armstead, 89 Harvest Lane, Glastonbury CT 06033; Tel.: (203) 633-7836.

    Connecticut — Norwich

    • Sessions planned Oct. 1996–May 1997 at Teachers' Memorial Junior High School in Norwich. Beginners welcome with assistance from veteran aeromodellers. Saturdays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
    • Contact: John Koptonak, 3 Wiemes Ct., Waterford CT 06385; Tel.: (203) 442-9003.

    Connecticut — Wilton

    • Contact: Roger Kleinert, 17 Gardiner St., Darien CT 06820; Tel.: (203) 655-1585.

    Florida

    • Contact: Dr. John Martin, 2180 Tigertail Ave., Miami FL 33133; Tel.: (305) 858-6363.

    Georgia — Atlanta area

    • The TTOMA group has fairly frequent access to Cat. I sites.
    • Contact: John Barker; Tel.: (770) 436-9912.

    Idaho — Kibbie Dome and Tillamook Hangar

    • Andy Tagliafico has year-round access to the Tillamook hangar and plans an F1D Regional Elims in Nov. or Dec. 1996.
    • Contact: Andy Tagliafico, 10039 Quail Post Road, Portland OR 97219; Tel.: (503) 452-0546.

    Illinois — Chicago area

    • Year-round weekly sessions in a 25-foot gym at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, currently 6:30–11 p.m. on Monday evenings.
    • Contact: Bob Warmann, 245 N. Oaklawn, Elmhurst IL 60126; Tel.: (708) 834-9075.

    Iowa — Cedar Rapids

    • Non-sanctioned indoor flying Nov. 1996 through Feb. 1997.
    • Contact: Peter Shawinsky, 326 3rd Ave. SW, Atkins IA 52206; Tel.: (319) 446-7394.

    Kansas — Topeka

    • TOPMAC flies sessions at an old school in Auburn, KS, and a Boys' Club site in Kansas City (Ozanam). Tentative dates: Auburn — Sunday, Nov. 10; Ozanam — Sunday, Nov. 24 and Sunday, Dec. 29, 1996.
    • Contact: Jack Koehler, 3310 SW Evensindge Dr., Topeka KS 66614-3726; Tel.: (913) 273-9554.

    Kansas — Wichita

    • Contact: Stan Chilton, 725 E. Lincoln, Wichita KS 67211-3302; Tel.: (316) 686-9634.

    Kentucky — Louisville

    • Flying sessions every Tuesday at the Sawyer Park site, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Also one Saturday each month (subject to military schedules) at the Kentucky Air National Guard site, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
    • Contact: Mason Plunk, 3207 Oriole Dr., Louisville KY 40213; Tel.: (502) 634-8191.

    Maryland — Goddard NAS

    • Efforts under way to resurrect access to the auditorium at Goddard.
    • Contact: Tom Vallee, 444 Henryton St., Laurel MD 20707; Tel.: (301) 498-0790.

    Massachusetts — Cambridge (M.I.T.)

    • Contact: Ray Harlan, 15 Happy Hollow Rd., Wayland MA 01778; Tel.: (617) 358-4013.

    Minnesota — Burnsville

    • Contact: John O'Leary, 11425 Kell Circle, Bloomington MN 55437; Tel.: (612) 888-0638.

    New Jersey — Lakehurst

    • 1996 flying sessions/record trials continue until the end of November. For information on the remaining season send a SASE to Gary Underwood, 24 Kennebec Ct., Bordentown NJ 08505 or call (609) 324-9004.

    New Jersey — Northern Area & Blue Nose hangar and Brooklyn

    • Contact: Don Ross, 38 Churchill Rd., Cresskill NJ 07626; Tel.: (201) 568-5272.

    New York — NYC

    • Contact: Dan Marek, 210 West 101st St., #10F, New York NY 10025; Tel.: (212) 222-1546.

    New York — Farmingdale

    • Contact: Bob Bender, 159 Raff Ave., Mineola NY 11501; Tel.: (516) 248-5118.

    North Carolina — Charlotte

    • Flying sessions at a 25-foot gym every Friday night, year-round.
    • Contact: Cliff Culpepper, 1401 Ferncliffe Rd., Charlotte NC 28211; Tel.: (704) 366-7350.

    Ohio — Cleveland area

    • Weekly sessions year-round in a Cat. I site in Willoughby at the Andrews School. Site has a 20-foot flat ceiling with 60 x 80-foot floor area.
    • Contact: Vern Hacker, 25599 Breckenridge Dr., Euclid OH 44117-1807; Tel.: (216) 486-4990.

    Oklahoma — Oklahoma City

    • 1996–97 flying sessions/contests at the Armory beginning in Oct. 1996.
    • Contact: Ed Ford, 10613 W. Country Drive, Oklahoma City OK 73170; Tel.: (405) 691-5411.

    Oklahoma — Tulsa

    • Flying sessions in the National Guard Armory Nov. 1996 through March 1997.
    • Contact: Bob Hanford; Tel.: (918) 251-7564.

    Oregon — Albany

    • Contact: Bob Stalick, 5066 NW Picadilly Cir., Albany OR 97321 or John Lenderman, 17086 Hall Road, Clatskanie OR 97016; Tel.: (503) 728-3884.

    Pennsylvania — Eastern

    • Contact: Walt Eggert, Jr., 26 Merodden Rd., Huntingdon Valley PA 19006; Tel.: (215) 947-4387.

    Pennsylvania — Philadelphia

    • Contact: Joe Krush, 409 Warner Rd., Wayne PA 19087; Tel.: (215) 688-3927.

    Virginia — Hampton area

    • For the Langley Brainbusters 1996–1997 winter indoor contest schedule, contact Abram Van Dover, 112 Tillerson Dr., Newport News VA 23602; Tel.: (804) 877-2830.

    Washington state — Seattle area

    • The Boeing Hawks have flying sessions on the third Saturday at the Naval Reserve Center in Lake Union, from 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
    • Contact: Gene Stubbs, NWS 67-ML 237@19, 5505 Ann Arbor NE, Seattle WA 98105; Tel.: (206) 523-6148.

    Wisconsin — Milwaukee

    • The Bong Eagles have scheduled flying sessions at the Hamilton High School Auditorium (6214 W. Warnimont Ave.) on Oct. 3, Nov. 7 and Dec. 5, 1996, and a contest at Memorial Hall (72 Seventh St.) on Nov. 17, 1996.
    • Contact: Tony Italiano, 1655 Revere Dr., Brookfield WI 53005; Tel.: (414) 782-6256.

    Steering Followup — Balloon/Pole Combinations

    High-ceiling fliers often use a short (three to five feet) rod with a heavy-duty casting reel holding the steering line. A typical high-ceiling steering rig uses inflated tubing (available from Ray Harlan) as the first 20 feet or so of line. This tubing virtually eliminates any chance of hanging the prop in the steering line.

    An option that may help Cat. I fliers who have reduced ability to move around is to use a smaller balloon on about ten feet of string attached to an 18-foot pole. The 12-inch balloon gives greater margin to steer models close to the ceiling. Because the balloon has to carry only a short line, it recovers to the vertical quickly, partially compensating for the lower lift of a small balloon.

    Note: The larger (24-inch) balloon has roughly nine times as much gross lift as the 12-inch balloon (lift varies with the cube of the radius).

    Steering strategy: If you fail to catch the model at point A, pivot opposite to the model circle to try to catch the model at B. Learning this type of steering may be slightly more difficult unless you have excellent depth perception, but you don't have to move very far to snag the model.

    Mylar™ Balloons

    Mylar balloons have advantages over rubber balloons:

    1. Low-pressure Mylar balloons don't explode when snagged on a splinter or rusty metal in the top of the site.
    2. Mylar balloons lose helium much more slowly than rubber balloons.
    3. Mylar is lighter per unit volume than rubber, and filler fixtures can be lighter with low-pressure Mylar.

    Where do you get Mylar balloons big enough for high-altitude steering? Ray Harlan made his. He made a heated roller to seal the edges of five gores that, when assembled, made a Mylar balloon about 20 inches in diameter. The fill nozzle wasn't strong enough to attach the line, so he has a three-strand cradle that surrounds the balloon and provides an anchor for the line.

    Ray notes that this balloon only has to be topped off daily during a multiday meet. He cautions that the balloon is too fragile to take outside while still inflated—an "indoor" balloon.

    (The heated roller was machined from aluminum and consisted of a cylinder just large enough to fit over a 200-watt soldering iron. The roller conducted heat to the Mylar. A variable-voltage transformer allows the heat to be set high enough to seal the plastic but not hot enough to melt through.)

    New Event?

    (From the Tulsa Glue Dobbers Free Flight Group newsletter)

    The object of Target Time is to achieve a flight of exactly the target time, using any type of model, which earns you 100 points. One point is deducted for each second either above or below the target time; highest total of three flights wins; reentry is permitted. Last time the target time was one minute for all three flights, and all participants were very close on each flight (Harwood's winning score was three points from perfect).

    To increase difficulty, the target time was varied from 50 to 60 to 70 seconds. Fliers used No-Cals, five-gram ROGs, Canards, and Bostonians, with Willard Kehr finishing on top. Entry fee is only $1, with the loot split 60/40. Sounds like loads of fun, judging by participants' attitudes.

    Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.