There has never been a better time to get started in FF modeling. For one thing, kits are much better today. For those who don’t enjoy building, expert builders are selling excellent RTF models. Great videos, books, and other resources are available, and excellent clubs and fields still exist.

 (The following makes several references to various FF suppliers and sources. Refer to the sidebars “FF Suppliers” and “FF Reading Room” for detailed information.)

Starting With Gliders: Since the early days of model aviation, simple FF gliders have been the natural starting point for most beginners. They are still a great place to start. Many glider kits are available in the $10-$20 range, producing nice-flying models and teaching much about flight trimming in the process.

Hand Launched Gliders are great for kids and beginners—anyone with at least average arm strength. If you’d rather rest your arm, rubber-band Catapult Glider kits are equally rewarding.

Three of the best small glider-kit suppliers are Stan Buddenbohm, Sting Aero Products, and Campbell’s Custom Kits. Each offers kits, plans, and supplies in all size and complexity ranges, with excellent wood and good instructions. Check John Kaufmann’s Book Building and Flying Hand-Launched Gliders or Bob Johannes’ how-to glider video, both available from www.freeflight.org.

Towline Gliders: “Nordic” Towline Gliders have been around since the 1920s. Some devotees consider Nordic Gliders to be the purest form of model airplane, and it is hard to argue the point. No engine, no control from the ground, majestic circling, silent flight—a good Nordic Glider is an object of immense beauty and simplicity.

Towlines for all competition classes are limited to 50 meters in length (164 feet). The established Glider classes fall into three basic categories of complexity:

straight tow, or “classic” style; intermediate/

circle tow; and modern bunt.

Classic-style gliders are the simple, mostly balsa “A-1”-sized models which are straight-towed and “kited” off the line within a few seconds. Good small glider kits for roughly $30 are the Lil’ Dip and Jetstream, both from BMJR Model Products.

Above and below right: Expert Glider flier Lee Hines shows the details of his legendary Sweepette HLG, originally designed in the late 1950s and still competitive. Little black rotary gadget is a lightweight DT timer. After two minutes the spring tension on the timer releases the line holding down the wing, which then hinges back abruptly, parachuting the model to the ground.

Jerry Murphy and his Russian-built F1G (Coupe d’Hiver). Such models are available from Russian builders and fly great.

Bob Hanford launches his Class C glow-engine Pilfered Pearl. It is typical of AMA Gas FF: fast and light, with a lot of power. A K&B 6.5cc (.40) hauls the 35-ounce airframe to roughly 500 feet in seven seconds.

A small step up from A-1 is the F1H kit from Campbell’s Custom Kits called the Jesse James. It is also a straight-tow model but has a better glide and more advanced design than the simpler A-1s.

Another classic Glider kit—albeit larger and more expensive—is the Thermal Probe from GlideTek. It is easy to fly and the best-performing classic Towline design available.

The intermediate style of Nordic Glider uses “circle-tow” technology. That means the flier circles the model overhead while it’s still attached to the towline. When rising air is sensed, the flier sprints forward and the glider is “zoomed” off the line, at which point the timekeeper begins timing the flight.

Good circle-tow designs are the Sija F1A from W-Hobby and the Mini Master F1H by Stan Buddenbohm. Both are available in kit form and offer high performance for relatively little money. Intermediate-tech Nordic models in experienced hands are still competitive with the best high-tech Nordics.

High-tech Nordic means mostly carbon and Kevlar, complex auto-gadgetry, and significantly greater expense. High-tech gliders also use circle-tow hooks, but with the added complexity of “bunt” transition.

 “Bunt” is simply a timer-actuated one-quarter outside loop at the top of the fast zoom launch. The bunt transition gains the model an extra 20-30 feet of altitude, which is precious at high levels of competition.

Check out the many RTF F1A and F1H Gliders available from such Eastern European builders as Beschasny, Stamov, Bolgov, Makarov & Kochkarov, glideTEK, and W-Hobby. Prepare yourself for a significant dent in your bank account for these finely engineered machines. However, their performance is nothing short of astounding, and their carbon airframes will stand up to many years of abuse.

Pete McQuade with his high-tech F1A Towline Glider. Modern F1As feature a “bunt” transition following a zoom launch; both aid in height gain.

Greg Simon launches his FF HLG at the 2005 Nats. HLGs are the simplest entry point into FF and provide excellent flying fun for little money.

Dohrman Crawford checks the air at the 2005 Nats before sending his HLG into orbit. HLG kits are readily available, easy to build, and cost approximately $10.

Getting Started in Rubber Flying: As I wrote in Part 1 of this series, rubber-powered model airplanes are the original form of heavier-than-air aviation, dating back to 1871. And rubber power is the FF class that is best known in the wider American audience. Slide-together, rubber-powered toys are still widely available at discount stores and toy shops—just as they were 100 years ago.

Rubber-powered FF is still popular, with great kits, plans, and excellent rubber strip still readily available. Hobby shops rarely carry everything you need, but some still stock kits and some supplies. See the “Free Flight Suppliers” sidebar for quality sources of kits, supplies, and information.

A good starter kit for an inexperienced modeler is the Peck R.O.G. from Peck-Polymers. It is a simple design, with a stick fuselage that goes together in a couple hours. For more ambitious beginners and those with some modeling experience, consider one of the many P-30-class kits that are available.

P-30 was conceived as an entry-level event, and it still offers excellent performance. Most P-30s will easily fly one to two minutes without thermal help, even in beginners’ hands. This makes them perfect for most average-sized fields.