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<\/a>John Jackson and his Korda Victory<\/p><\/div>\n
And there are young people, too.\u00a0 Not only kids that come with parents, but kids that BRING their parents and kids that WIN.\u00a0 It’s always great to see anyone under 20 participating, but you have to wonder if they will continue with the hobby after college and family and such, only our Dear Friend Time will tell.\u00a0 However, I do need to mention two bright young stars in the FAC:\u00a0 Marie Kondrat and Oliver Stone.\u00a0 Both are in their early teens and have been mentioned here before, but they deserve mentioning again.<\/p>\n
A year or so ago, Marie won her first kanone in WWII-Combat in a smaller contest that she attended.\u00a0 Last year at the Nats, she placed 4th in the BLUR Race (flying in a straight line, consistently and quickly) and this year she won the event.\u00a0 Her plane was first across the line in every heat she entered and was clearly the most consistent plane and pilot.\u00a0 Her father, Gerard, said she had been practicing a lot and he was justifiably proud of her win.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Marie Kondrat, Gerard Kondrad, and Bernard Dion in the BLUR Race<\/p><\/div>\n
Oliver is an interesting case – he discovered Free Flight on his own, without the traditional introduction from his father.\u00a0 I met him last year and observed great potential in his flying.\u00a0 Well, one year makes a difference.\u00a0 This year he placed 3rd in Embryo (51 entries!) and was the only contestant in Embryo to record two max flights.\u00a0 He also placed FIRST in Dime Scale.\u00a0 In fact, he flew two planes in Dime, but the lower scoring plane is eliminated by rule – however, it scored high enough that it would have been 4th place.\u00a0 Oliver has done an amazing job learning Free Flight and Stick & Tissue.\u00a0 He has even brought his father, Michael, into the hobby and Michael has started building and flying.\u00a0 It is my strong hope that we continue to see these two young people at Free Flight events for years and years to come.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Matt King, Oliver Sand, and Pete Kateris in the BLUR Race<\/p><\/div>\n
While this has been focused on the Flying Aces Club (Rubber Scale Free Flight), I know that there are younger people finding NFFS and AMA Free Flight, also, whether it is Indoor, or Outdoor Rubber, Gas, Glider, or even FAI Team Selection.\u00a0 Us old, older, and oldest fogies can breathe a small sigh of relief that Free Flight still has life and will continue into the future.\u00a0 We can always clamor for more participation and more new blood, but let’s not forget to acknowledge that the next generation is seeping in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I just returned from 5 days of Flying Aces Club fun at the “non-Nats” (the FAC has a “Nationals” level contest every two years, however, they have a large contest yearly – alternate years are call the “non-Nats”).\u00a0 This year … Continue reading