Building and flying model aircraft with no radio control at all: once launched, the model flies on its own under power from a rubber band, compressed gas or a small engine, and the builder's skill lies in designing and trimming it to fly a stable, predictable pattern. It is the oldest branch of hobby aeromodeling, and competitive flyers are judged chiefly on flight duration across several rounds within a given model class, with a lost or drifting model sometimes requiring a long walk or bike ride to recover.
Facts
Established When (Circa)flown for over two centuries 1 OriginThe original form of hobby aeromodeling, using self-controlling stable aircraft with no external control after launch 1 Connections
Associated With
Control line flying developed historically as the next stage after free flight model aircraft, adding pilot control via lines.
Sources
1. Free flight (model aircraft)
Description section, second sentence
Aircraft of this type have been flown for over two centuries.
lead paragraph, second sentence
Free flight is the original form of hobby aeromodeling, with the competitive objective being to build and launch a self controlling aircraft that will consistently achieve the longest flight duration over multiple competition rounds, within various class parameters.
Lead section, hobby classification (Free flight (model aircraft))
Free flight is the segment of model aviation involving aircraft with no active external control after launch.
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