National Free Flight Society

SEN 2093

Table of Contents – SEN 2093

  1. FAA, AMA and NFFS
  2. 5 or 7

FAA Registration – from the NFFS Web Site
Post by JLorbiecki

Mon Jan 04, 2016 7:50 am
After a long conversation with Dave Mathewson of AMA, I verified that Free Flight models DO NOT need to be registered. We, as FFers, are under the radar in this instance and it is best that we remain that.
RDT does not institute a control device.

So, I request that the membership does not contact any FAA officials in regards to questions pertaining to this matter. If there are questions, they should be directed to AMA.

AMA has spent years with this process and they do have our best interests in mind. Dealing with a federal agency such as the FAA is very frustrating (Dave stated that just when they started to get comfortable with a member of the committee, that person would be replaced with another individual and the process would have to start all over again). We need to trust AMA.

So, unless you are flying a radio assist model (radios controlling rudder, elevator, motor, and/or ailerons) we do not need to register.

I hope this clears up the matter with our members. Please pass this information around to any free flighters that have not seen this.

Thanks

John Lorbiecki
NFFS President

5 or 7 , this and that
editorial

One of the changes to the FAI Rules that seemed to slip in un-noticed was the reduction of number of rounds from 5 to 7 . This was a proposal from the FFTSC. The complete reasoning was not clear and not well received in all quarters. – See a posting from Martin Schroedter in an earlier SEN. It was clarified by Ian Kaynes that this applied to World Cup Contests.

Some World Cup organizers wish to continue to give participants “their money’s worth” by having 7 round events. In the Fab Feb both the North American Cup and the MaxMen International are 7 round events. It has to be posted in advance and has been done so by the CDs of those events. We will see how this evolves over the year for other events.

For the Kiwi Cup we decided on a different approach. We are flying 5 x 75 minute rounds. This would give people the opportunity to fly in 2 World Cup events or to fly a World Cup event and one of the AMA events. At the Ike Winter Classic (the host event for the Kiwi Cup) we have some world class hand launch and catapult glider events organized by World record holder Stan Buddenbohm and his friend and event promoter Ralph Ray. Small glider aficionados in the USA rate the Ike hand launch and catapult glider events as the best in the USA along with the US Nationals and the Rocky Mountain Champs. So this is a chance for international visitors to fly with the best small glider guys in the USA. The Ike/Kiwi event is designed to be complete on the Saturday and Sunday so that those locals who have to work or attend school can take part, part of our effort to reduce the mean age of the participating sportsmen.

The reduction the number of rounds in some of the World Cup events has caught some team selection programs in different countries by surprise if they used the number of seconds scored. Note that this was already an issue in some cases as for a number of years there have been 5 round world Cup events. One of the programs is the USA with the minutes accumulation preliminary selection. It is my understanding that there is no intent to change the USA selection program for the current cycle however a number of creative solutions have emerged.

……………..
Roger Morrell