WELCOME TO
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF

INDOOR FREE-FLIGHT MODEL AIRPLANES

We are hosting a World Championships here at the Kibbie Dome this week.

History

Since 1962, every even numbered year, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) has
organized a World Championships for the international class of Free Flight Indoor Model Aircraft (F1D). Countries

from around the world field a team of their best competitors to compete for the title WORLD CHAMPION!

SEE A LIST OF ALL PREVIOUS WORLD CHAMPIONS HERE

Today

In 2026 the USA will be hosting the World Championships at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho June 15- June 20, 2026.

This will mark the 30th anniversary since the last time the World Championships was held in this facility.

What is Indoor Free Flight and F1D?

Free flight model airplanes are designed, built, and trimmed to fly without benefit of user intervention after launch. Indoor free flight models do so indoors, requiring even greater thought and care about trimming the aircraft to remain aloft inside the confines of a building. These models are typically very light and fly at slow speeds powered by twisted rubber strips driving a large propeller. 

While different countries have different types of events they fly, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), our international governing body, defines the parameters of F1D as our World Championship class event. Generally the

parameters are:

• Limited to a 55cm Wingspan
• Must have a minimum weight of 1.4g
• Allowed a maximum of 0.4g of rubber motor
• The competitor must build their own model

Indoor free flight models are most often flown for endurance where the longest flight (or best two flights in FAI competition) determines the winner. Thus, every detail or extra bit of weight makes a difference. Modelers attempt to convert as much
of the potential energy in the wound rubber band into extra time on the stopwatch! This is a sport, a hobby and a puzzle, and it is always an amazing thrill to watch something you built with your own two hands fly on its own.

Maybe you’re wondering …

What are the model planes made of?
The models are built with balsa wood, and most are covered in a thin Mylar film. Some use bracing wire made out of tungsten that is 1/3rd the size of a human hair. Some use composites like carbon or boron fiber.

How are the models powered and controlled?
All of them are powered by rubber bands and, once we launch them, we can’t control them. We are allowed to steer, however, and you might see folks use balloons or long fishing poles to do this. We also use them to retrieve models that occasionally get stuck. Please excuse us if we suddenly walk away from a conversation to steer; things can change rather quickly.

Why do the props turn so slow?
Because the models are very light, the propellers are very large, and there isn’t that much turning force in a tiny band of rubber.

Where can you buy these models?
You can’t buy them, so we have to design and build them ourselves. Some models can take up to 60 hours to build and fly at walking speed. If you see us shuffling along with a large model, it is because walking too quickly can destroy it. That’s how fragile they are.

How do you win the competition?
The model that stays in flight for the longest time wins. For this type of event the winning score will be the total of a competitors best TWO flights out of SIX.

FUN FACTS!

• F1D with Rubber motor weighs about the same as two dollar bills (1.8g)
• A brisk walk is about 6 km/hr (4 mph).
• A F1D flies at about 2 km/hr (a bit more than 1 mph).
• A brisk walk uses about 350 Kcal per hour or about 60 Kcal/km.
• An F1D uses 6 joules in a 30 minute flight.  This is about 12 joules per hour or 6 joules per kilometer.
• 1 Kcal is 4184 joules.  So an F1D uses only about 0.003 Kcal/hr or 0.0015 Kcal/km.  A F1D is over 100,000 times more efficient per hour than walking and about 40,000 more efficient per kilometer than briskly walking.  And a F1D is only about 3 times slower than briskly walking.

Guidelines for spectators:

• ·         Look but please do not touch.
• ·         Walk slowly and look around for models.
• ·         It is best to let a model crash. Please do not try to catch or grab a model.
• ·         When you see someone launching a model, give them some room. Some folks are trying to set U.S. or even World Records here today.

If a collision between you and a flying model is unavoidable, please stand still and let it hit you. You will not be hurt, and you’ll have a terrific story to tell about the time you survived a plane crash. Let the model come to rest on the ground and the owner pick it up.