National Free Flight Society

Jury Report on 1982 Indoor Free Flight World Championship F1D

FAI Jury

I W KaynesGBRPresident
C StanaRomaniaMember
W J WilliamsUSAMember

Dates

September 22 to 26.

Location

Slanic Prahova, Romania.

Accommodation

The hotel accommodation was of good quality. The fees for additional nights of accommodation were rather high. Main meals were taken in a restaurant at the mine head and adequate facilities were available in the mine during the day. A coach service was provided for the short distance from the mine to the hotel.

Flying site

The flying site in the salt mines at Slanic is very different from the other venues used for FlD competitions, having a high ceiling and a constant cool temperature.

Participation

13 countries were represented by 38 competitors plus the defending Champion.

Competition

Although the mine had been open for practice flying for several days prior to the competition, it was possible to use the actual competition room only during the last day. In view of the great deal of adaption needed to fly in the conditions of the mine, there was a strong request for more practice time. The organisers allowed this by rescheduling the contest for an extra day, with a practice session preceding two rounds on each of the first two days. Model processing and control of the flying was organised smoothly and timekeeping was to a high standard. On some occasions the air became significantly turbulent, despite the stringent efforts to seal the lift shaft and other sources of draught. It became apparent that the cause was convection from the body heat of the flyers and timekeepers in the main hall. A large number of flights ended with models being stuck on the rough walls of the mine. This resulted from the drift combined with the difficulties of steering models safely at great height and in dim lighting. Competitors were allowed to use their own equipment for steering models.

Awards

The FAI Trophies and trophies and diploma from the Romanian Aero Club were presented to the winners, but the FAI Diploma and medals were not available for presentation at the closing ceremony. It has not yet been confirmed that these FAI awards have been sent to the winners.

Conclusion

The organisation and hospitality were generally fine from the moment of arrival in Romania. There were no protests, a tribute to the smooth running of the competition. The Jury wishes to thank the Romanian Modelling Federation and its officials for a successful Championships.