Find the right indoor model flight facility for your RC airplane flying
Your local community has a wide range of indoor model flight facilities
It is absolutely crucial to secure suitable indoor plane model flight facilities for flying your homemade indoor radio control model aircraft. As you network with your fellow RC model airplane pilots, sources on the internet, and local RC model airplane clubs, you will quickly find a wide variety of indoor model flight facilities that can be made available for your model aviation activities. The Academy of Model Aeronautics will also have great information on indoor flight locations and fun fly events.
Piloto Ready to Fly indoor RC airplane
The notion of flying RC model airplanes indoors is a fairly new aspect of the model airplane hobby. Up until just a few years ago, the technology simply did not permit production of the small, lightweight electronic equipment needed for practical indoor RC model airplane flight. This has all now changed due to widely available and affordable ready to fly indoor foam RC model airplanes such as the ParkZone Cessna 210 and Ember.
Fly in your living room or a local gym
For the very smallest RC model airplanes, a large living or great room may be suitable for indoor flying. Model airplanes for these constricted areas need to be lightweight, fly at a slow airspeed, and be able to absorb a bump or two when they hit a wall or ceiling. Also, the new class of miniature electric RC helicopters, such as the Proto Max, work just fine when flying indoors at home.
The next step up regarding a larger flying facility is the local school basketball gymnasium. A school gym is generally just big enough for the smaller foam indoor RC flyers such as the Aero Ace or Piloto. If you are lucky, your local school may have a double basketball court that can be reserved for your indoor flying sessions. Schools are always interested in ways they can serve their communities. You may be able to gain access to these gym facilities during off hours, or with the plan of conducting a model airplane class for the local students. Another option would be to arrange an evening RC model class under the sponsorship of continuing adult education.
Blackburn RC model airplane in a field house
Lots of space in a field house
The next step up for an indoor model flight facility is a field house. A field house is typically a larger clear space that can host a wider variety of indoor athletic events, ranging from an running track to a full size soccer field. These larger field house facilities are the goal for indoor RC flying. Oftentimes, you can fly quite large electric powered models in these full size indoor model flight facilities. A field house is also a great place to fly an acrobatic plane like the Extra 300, or a scale model airplane of one of the earlier pioneers of flight, such as the 1909 Demoiselle or 1912 Blackburn monoplane. These early aircraft designs have larger wing areas to compensate for the low horse power engines of the day, and are very susceptible to wind gusts. The use of an indoor model airplane flight facility, fully sheltered from the wind, provides an immediate remedy to this situation
Another indoor model aircraft flight location can be an inflatable golf dome. These large domes are used in various areas of the country to provide golfers a chance to practice their swings during the inclement winter months. Many golf domes owners are more than happy to arrange late night indoor RC model flight sessions, to de-conflict from the daytime golfers. Modelers can organize to pay a small rental fee for use of the golf dome.
Golf domes offer lots of flying space
Check with your local model clubs
Local model airplane clubs are a great source of information for potential indoor model flight venues. It is always interesting to see the links and networks individual modelers have within the community that can lead to an introduction and access to indoor flight facilities. Very often the owners of these varied indoor model flight locations are not even aware that someone wants access for indoor RC model airplane flying. However, once approached, they are almost always willing to assist with these sorts of worthwhile requests.
The E-Fest field house is tops!
Once the owners are apprised of the situation and flying location request, it is usually not a problem with gaining permissions. The two main concerns with access to a typical outdoor model airplane field are aircraft noise from the gas engines (with ensuing neighbor complaints) and the financial liability if someone gets hurt by a crashing model airplane. Happily, both of these very valid concerns with an outdoor field can quickly be put to rest with the typical indoor RC model airplane. Just about any indoor model airplane suitable for a gym or field house is light, small and slow enough to be harmless should it accidentally hit a spectator or fellow pilot. By the same token, the low weight and flight speeds of an indoor RC model airplane are such that no insurance coverage is needed for any indoor model flight facility. You just will not fly fast enough with these lightweight model airplanes to cause any damage.
Indoor Model Flight Facilities