This thread is closed. Please visit http://tinyurl.com/GFFF2011 for http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1348826 which is a new indoor flying thread in/around Huntsville AL for 2011.

This thread is all about pilots, aircraft, and indoor flying events in the Huntsville Alabama area. There are a lot of Vapors, mCXs, mSRs, 120 SRs etc. here, plus some medium-sized indoor planes.

Indoor aerodrome schedules:
See Post #321 and beyond for info on Grace Family Fun Flys as scheduled about monthly on Sunday afternoons at:

Grace United Methodist Church, 2113 Old Monrovia Rd., Huntsville , AL. Next is Sunday January 9, 2011, 1 to 4.

See Post #7 and beyond for info on the pilots flying at:

St. Mary of the Visitation Parish Center gym, downtown Huntsville virtually every Monday evening from 6-8 PM.

See Post #13 and beyond for info on the:

MARS Micro Modelers Club which flys on Redstone Arsenal in NASA Building 4316 from 4:00 to 6:30 PM weekdays as scheduled. Next is (was) Wednesday, November 10, 2010, 4:00 to 6:30 PM. You need a CAC and DOD car stickers to get onto RSA..

I keep this post updated with the next scheduled flight dates/times, so check back often!

Jim

Jim Marconnet
114 Horseshoe Bend South,
Madison, AL

I fly out in my front yard early AM and sometimes just before dark when it's near-calm. Two packs (now four! with a spare Vapor to boot!) lets me fly as long as I wish at a time.

I've been practicing harriering outdoors, and soon should be able to try that in my sizeable, cathedral-ceiling family room. Too bad it has 3 tall support posts and 2 ceiling fans to create an in obstacle course!

I have the RTF Vapor. I also have a DX7 that I have bound to it. I enjoy the RTF because it's one compact, complete package.

Update - I got a MCX helicopter for Christmas and simply love flying it in my family room. Have shelved thoughts of flying my Vapor in there since the MCX does so well in this space.

Jim

Originally Posted by Jim_Marconnet

I've been practicing harriering...

From the videos I've seen, it appears that is what the Vapor does best. I have yet to see it in a normal flight attitude. It is always "mushing around" in high-alpha flight. Can you make it fly normally?

Don't get me wrong, I think the plane is very cool, but I don't see myself enjoying it more than my Micro Citabria. I've been proven wrong before though!

Andy

Sure, Andy, the Vapor flys "normally" if the wing is slid about an inch back from the motor, and the battery is slid far forward, instead of slid backwards, or even hanging down, like I currently do.

But in that configuration/attitude, flight is noticeably faster (well Duh! due to reduced drag) and would be difficult in a small room or up close and personal videoing. In fact, it will fly fast enough to tolerate some wind that way. But strong wind gusts or crossing the A/C vent outlet or a steep dive will make the whole plane flutter and shake dramatically like a leaf! One purchaser claimed his Vapor broke the wing mid-air! Wonder what manuever he was doing?

Jim

wing broke in mid air ? how close was the spinning ceiling fan ?

Originally Posted by dee-grose

<snip>

Don't get me wrong, I think the plane is very cool, but I don't see myself enjoying it more than my Micro Citabria. I've been proven wrong before though!

Andy

Andy, let's get our little planes together some time, perhaps over at your church so we can compare and contrast. And perhaps get some comparative video!

I'll let you fly mine if you let me fly yours!

Ken was harriering and hovering mine last night in his driveway with the battery hanging free. He observed that it had enough power to climb out of a hover! Neat!

Jim

I got to fly Monday evening 6-8 PM with Terry, Bob, and John at the St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church Parish Center, 220 Lincoln St NE, Huntsville, AL.

Mapquest: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?address...ntsville%2C+AL

Two other frequent pilots were not there last evening, for one reason or another. Father Glen Sayers, S.D.S. also visited us and spectated some.

This is a full-sized gym with a tile floor. Fortunately it has added acoustical materials on two walls, making it quite pleasant in there sound-wise. And nice, comfortable temperature. But the A/C vents all along the walls and turbulence thereof was quite a trip when you passed thru it! It affected the helis much less than the Vapor.

They flew their helis. I flew my Vapor, lower rather than higher in the A/C turbulence and lights obstacles. Terry has an Ember, but he did not bring it. He said it was not that much fun there due to its higher speed and needing to turn constantly to stay in the gym. Clearly the Vapor is the best currently available cost-effective airplane for such a gym.

Yes, Terry balanced (with real lead bullets!) and practiced ground manuevers and takeoffs and landings with that beautiful biplane, but no turns! He had a few close calls, but he took it home in one piece with just 2 flat plastic tires!

I flew in one corner of the gym at a time, keeping a respectful distance from the "choppers"!

We had a nice time, did lots of flying and also lots of chatting. Bring out your electric heli or a Vapor or other super-ultra-micro plane and come join us!

I got phone numbers for all 3 pilots there Monday. Bob is the apparent "ringleader" and "keymaster" at the Parish Center.

Because major remodeling may start soon (long-since completed!) on the Church sanctuary, this gym may become temporarily unavailable for a while. But the guys have some other gyms in mind if that happens.

Jim

Here is some nice Vapor action for you Jim.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=913261

That's one of the more entertaining videos I've seen in awhile. Caught myself giggling a time or two.

Thanks for taking the time to point to that one...

Chuck

Originally Posted by wheatfly

Here is some nice Vapor action for you Jim.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=913261

No problem. I have not really seen a Vapor do more than fly circles in small areas so that was pretty good to see it can do a bit more. Also pretty entertaining.

What is your current plane building status? You were really building pretty hot and heavy a year or so ago. I was wishing I had that kind of ummpphh from start to finish but I'm very slow and scattered in most of the stuff I do.

Shannon

Shannon

PM sent.

Chuck

Originally Posted by wheatfly

No problem. I have not really seen a Vapor do more than fly circles in small areas so that was pretty good to see it can do a bit more. Also pretty entertaining.

What is your current plane building status? You were really building pretty hot and heavy a year or so ago. I was wishing I had that kind of ummpphh from start to finish but I'm very slow and scattered in most of the stuff I do.

Shannon

Shannon

Sorry, no flying tonight at the Parish gym. I hear Bob got ordered to attend a concert! (HoneyGo!)

Also from Terry: Work starts on the church retaining wall Tomorrow, and all the services and masses will be brought to the parish center gym for the duration of the work. I don't know if the chairs and lecterns will be left in the gym during the week as this all takes place or whether the gym will be open.

So I'll share here later, as I hear.

Hopefully the several of us who are working to obtain other indoor flying sites will have them arranged in the next few months, before winter sets in.

Jim

PS: I briefly had my two Vapors flying, but then one suffered the dreaded mid-air sudden death by failure to bind, and it's awaiting dead brick disposition. This is the second time I've had that happen. And others report it too. I hope ParkZone/Horizon can get a long-term fix for this frustrating problem. Fortunately the Vapor auto-lands well when suddenly-dead, so I have safely recovered both airframes.

PPS: Both my Vapors are now flying well, and I'm a very happy camper!

I just got the following great news from Al Clark:

Folks,

The MARS Micro Modelers Club will be having our first flying session tomorrow at the MSFC Activities Building 4316, from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm.

Please bring your indoor RC or free flight models, or just come as a spectator and have some fun.

Building 4316 is located on Digney Road, just west of Morris Road (map attached).

Also, please tell anyone else you know that might be interested.

NASA and Redstone Civil Service and their dependents, NASA and Redstone Civil Service retirees, and NASA and Redstone on-site contractors can all be Club members.

Originally Posted by Jim_Marconnet

I just got the following great news from Al Clark:

Folks,

The MARS Micro Modelers Club will be having our first flying session tomorrow at the MSFC Activities Building 4316, from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm.

Please bring your indoor RC or free flight models, or just come as a spectator and have some fun.

Building 4316 is located on Digney Road, just west of Morris Road (map attached).

Also, please tell anyone else you know that might be interested.

NASA and Redstone Civil Service and their dependents, NASA and Redstone Civil Service retirees, and NASA and Redstone on-site contractors can all be Club members.

Jim,
Drove by the bld on my way home. It is big but looked filled with stuff (at least from the road while looking thru a door that was open). I hope there is not much stuff in it, I have been wanting to try indoor pattern.

I am in.

Thanks for posting this, Ken

Tonight was the first official MARS Micro Modelers Fly-In. Al and his buddy John had flown there 3 times already by themselves and knew how great this facility is.

The NASA activity building 4316 is HUGE! Al walked it off as 90 x 120 clear inside. I think it's somewhat bigger than that. And nice high ceilings! Plus clean restrooms, an ice machine, water fountain, and a kitchen! Not to mention all the folding chairs you'd ever want! And the price is right!

We had 7 pilots tonight. One visitor. And Al's known prospects list of names and phones, etc. had 9 more pilots, none of whom I knew. That's not to mention the folks I contacted today, very last-minute.

Vapors Rule! I think I counted 6 Vapors there tonight. 1 IFO mini. One Ember. We had most but not all of them in the air at once, no problemo. Spread spectrum radios makes life so easy! But 72 should work just fine in there too, with a little frequency coordination.

We set up a table, and several pilots practiced carrier landings. One landing was two at a time! I practiced slow fly-bys, working towards sufficient depth perception to land someday.

Al hopes to meet weekly in the winter and about every other week the rest of the year. Building access is by reservation and NASA employee swipe card.

If you have arsenal access, please come join the fun!

I'll post here when Al reserves the aerodrome again. He's open to suggestions what days and hours work better for the various pilots.

Jim