BMFA Free Flight Scale Nationals 2022

BMFA Free Flight Nationals 2022
Held at North Luffenham in Rutland on a disused MOD airfield. A great event organised by Mike Smith with BMFA Judge Chris Allen.
I must apologise for not filming the best flights but as I entered two classes myself filming had to be around that - hence a couple of shots of Ivan Taylor's very impressive Mitsubishi 'Claude' as Ivan was the other end of the flying schedule to me.
Huge thanks too to Pete Fardell for filming my Hawker Tomtit, it's not pretty at the end of the 'flight' but no lasting damage.
Other models
Andrew Hewitt's Fokker - sorry I didn't get it flying
Bill Dennis's RE8 - very much not it's best flight it was going well later and was 2nd in class
Mike Smith's Hp/400 again it went so well later in won the class
Pete Fardell's Compte AC Gentleman - 2nd in intermediate scale
Mike Smith's DH Tiger Moth winner of Intermediate Scale
Pete's superb Bleriot XI
Mike Kelsey's SE5a

[@freeflight7750]

I pay tribute to the courage to bravely launch in strong winds. I once again realized the splendor of the free flight scale. thank you for sharing.

[@billg7205]

Absolutely. I won't risk my scratch builds on windy days, and they're rc.

[@ericboehm9457]

That A5M is amazing! Congrats to the builder/flyer for such a wonderful flyer!

[@stuartburgess2409]

Spent a very damp time at N Luffenham doing my RAF MFT there in the early eighties , but would much rather have been flying these super aeroplanes, only found the BMFA vids by accident , most enjoyable!

[@dansmith7617]

That Spit is pretty darn amazing! They all fly better than mine. I also echo the folks paying tribute to windy bravery! Well done...-Dan

[@paulschmolke188]

Beautiful day for flying and great looking planes to boot👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[@PGFardell]

Many thanks for making this lovely little film. Not so easy to do when you were so busy taming your own fine models. What a super day we had!

[@ShockeWulf190]

That A5M4 sure is pretty!

[@backtosleep]

I do RC planes and a friend of mine now does free flight. I was amazed at how technical it is and how hard it is to max flight time.

[@paulbizard3493]

One must like wind to live in the UK. Brave men. 😀👍

[@gertnood]

All the power models going in with wind/ trim problems, and the rubber powered Spitfire shows them how it's done and climbs out beautifully. The Tiger Moth did well too, a little more Welly than the others seemed to help.

[@squirrelnet28]

Perhaps the video is a bit deceptive as the IC powered RE8 for example actually achieved the same flight score as the Spitfire with a flight I didn't video. Best flight score of the day was the IC powered DH4 Mail plane, again I missed that as was next in the flying order so a bit frantic at the time !

[@gertnood]

@@squirrelnet28 Yeah of course we only see these flights. That Spit was a beaut for sure!

[@andrewbolig6995]

At 4:55 'Ivan's flyin' again. Somebody go get the car!' You guys need to buy him a smaller fuel tank for his birthday! 😁

[@tonyfrench2574]

Show each model close-up before flight !

[@kenkingsflyingmachines2382]

Wow! What a fantastic day! Was that a diesel powered Val that flew away at the end? To think I complain about too much wind for free flight scale. Thanks for taking the time to film and post.

[@ivantaylor8965]

Hi Ken, it was my Claude. It did about 2min plus retrieved just fine Best wishes ivan

[@f4udhorn]

Pretty spectacular scale ships! The best for diesel power!

[@Franky46Boy]

With Jap fighter aircraft you have to make extremely long walks... 😃

[@wendellhughes2184]

Was that A5M was in lift?, the video ended when it was climbing near the ground

[@squirrelnet28]

Yes it was in lift , luckily it fell out and retrieval wasn't too bad for Ivan as ..er Mark went

[@veegeew.1141]

This is like going back to the 1960s scale model magazines of my older brothers only the pictures move & are in colour, I take it a lot of plans would be of that error?

[@squirrelnet28]

Some are but the majority are new own designs by the modellers

[@wmcwings4343]

Great video. Was the A5M ever recovered? How far away was it?

[@squirrelnet28]

Thanks, A5M was not as far as it appeared and we were a huge ex RAF base so it was easily found

[@paulhelman2376]

Breezy day.

[@scottobrien3484]

Is this event open for the public to spectate?

[@squirrelnet28]

FF Sport flyers are very welcome so I can't see why spectators wouldn't be though you may need to turn up at a specific time to get in ( it's a gated airfield) Check out hippocketaeronauticsfor more info and the latest updates - www.hippocketaeronautics.com/hpa_forum/index.php?topic=26218.50. ( You may need to register to see the post )

[@aidanwelly]

Lapangan yang sangat luas, sejauh mata memandang, pasti sangat menyenangkan bisa menerbangkan pesawat model di tempat itu. 🥰🥰🙏🙏

[@squirrelnet28]

(We are lucky at the moment but sites like this are becoming harder to find ) Kami beruntung saat ini tetapi situs seperti ini semakin sulit ditemukan

[@aidanwelly]

@@squirrelnet28 oooowh, saya sungguh prihatin mendengar kabar tersebut 🙏🙏 Sejatinya tempat seperti itu perlu dilestarikan. Di tempat saya, Indonesia, provinsi Jawa timur, khususnya kota malang sangat susah menemukan tempat seperti itu kecuali bandara. 😁👍👍🙏🙏

[@squirrelnet28]

Ini adalah pangkalan Angkatan Udara lama yang akan segera dibangun :-( ( It is an old Airforce base soon to be built on :-( )

[@aidanwelly]

@@squirrelnet28 oooh, ternyata seperti itu.. Sungguh sangat disayangkan, saya sebagai penggemar aeromodelling turut bersedih akan hal itu😢🙏🙏

[@paulhelman2376]

Underpowered give no wind conditions . Tighter circle would have helped.

[@kingpinboogie]

Looks kinda breezy-

[@Henrique_geek13]

What is the name of this type of rc?

[@squirrelnet28]

Henrique there is no form of external control, once launched the model is on its own. They are trimmed to fly using their own aerodynamic stability in a circular flight pattern - it's Free Flight

[@brettbuck7362]

It is not RC. It is FF (Free-Flight), no control once it is launched. Its one of the 4 basic categories of model aviation - FF, RC, CL (Control-line), and Indoor.

[@redriver4447]

I am not a FF guy, but why do these guys use those POS diesel engines and not electric ones?

[@squirrelnet28]

Because we like using them and it's a hobby for our own enjoyment. There were electric powered models there too

[@redriver4447]

I appreciate that, heck, the local RC club looks at me kind of like a freak for flying sailplanes.

[@paulgarner3541]

What is “free flight”?

[@squirrelnet28]

Hi Paul Free flight is the segment of Aeromodelling involving aircraft with no active external control after launch. The essence of free-flight is that the aircraft have no need for external control, for instance by radio. Aircraft of this type have been flown for over two centuries. They are designed to be inherently stable in flight; if disturbed by a gust of wind or a thermal current they will return automatically to stable flight. Their stability is achieved by a combination of design and trim, - the relationship between centre of gravity, wing and tailplane incidence and rudder setting. Free Flight scale is particularly challenging as many of the subjects are NOT inherently stable. Get it right through careful trimming and the mental reward is huge

[@paulgarner3541]

Thank you for taking the trouble to provide a thorough response; I can see that it is an exacting and rewarding hobby. Are these models all powered and if so by what? Does "free flight" include gliding?@@squirrelnet28

[@squirrelnet28]

Hi Paul . There are a variety of power sources, many here are powered by small 'diesel' compression ignition engines, but also rubber, electric and Co2. Co2 engines use compressed gas and work pretty much like a steam engine. Free flight gliders are the oldest form of model aircraft, many fullsize designers like the Wright Brothers began with working models. In addition to Free Flight Scale there is whole world of FF Duration flying where , as the name suggests , duration is the key to success. Have a look at - kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXymo4WBr56ZfKM

[@paulgarner3541]

Once again I appreciate your definitive response, thank you. I am at the very beginning of building scale models as a hobby in my retirement. I'm starting out with a Guillow's DH Chipmunk, a simple (?) "stick and tissue" build. I had intended it for static display, something on which to practice basic skills, but now I am encouraged to try and fly it! @@squirrelnet28

[@squirrelnet28]

Hi Paul. Great idea they make nice static models. If you fancy trying a flying model have a look at some of the kits from VMC. Something like the Buddy would make a great first flying model and something you learn the basics of trimming with .www.vintagemodelcompany.com/free-flight-kits/vmc-buddy

[@tonywright8294]

Down thrust available at all good model shops 🤣

[@stevenflattum156]

All that time effort and money and no control. I don't get it.

[@squirrelnet28]

The 'Control' is much more subtle and hard to do than having direct control . The models are carefully trimmed to fly in a set pattern when you get it right and model does what you intended the reward is huge, way more than flying RC in my opinion

[@brettbuck7362]

It takes vastly more skill and knowledge to successfully fly FF than it does RC.

[@tonyfrench2574]

Show each model close-up before flight !

[@tonyfrench2574]

Show each model close-up before flight !