FTFF 2014 was great EXCEPT . . . The offical(ish) constructive criticism thread

Balu

Lurker
Staff member
Admin
Moderator
Perhaps don't make them rules, but suggestions. The FT family seems reasonable enough to understand why they exist. And if someone doesn't follow them a nice "please remember the appeals(?)" might be enough.

By that I mean, don't make "Rules!" signs, but a nice "Please, - do this, - and that".
 

RcMatt

Junior Member
Having traveled with planes all the way from California I thought the event was awesome. Just a few things;
-There should be more food vendors/options
-I like the idea of a generator free zone as i was almost asphyxiated by the fumes sitting in my canopy
-And finally a improved system for chargers at the main tent as there were never enough plugs and the line seemed never ending

Overall the event was great, as my first major event i felt no discomfort and the volunteers were great. I loved the friendliness of people and helpfulness too.
 

hamburgrd

Junior Member
There are some great ideas here. I would like to see the runway moved out into the field a little more and maybe double the width. As a volunteer walking the flight line I noticed that even a perfect landing would come close to other pilots. When I flew it was uncomfortable to fly my base leg so close to and towards other pilots and spectators. This would also give more room for an "on deck" line.

I have my volunteer shirt cleaned and folded ready for next year!
 

Joker 53150

Mmmmmmm, balsa.
Mentor
Considering this was the first attempt at a large organized event it was better than I would have expected. We thoroughly enjoyed our time and will absolutely come back for 2015!

With that said, here are my observations:
Great work with the porta-johns. There were plenty of them and they were CLEAN!

The sound system worked very well, although it was quite loud if you were in front of the speakers when music was playing.

The big 3D demo was incredible - more demos would be welcome. Either professional or even just some high-end planes which wouldn't be risked in open flight with so much air traffic. Demos allow your registered vendors a place to showcase their goods and they also break up the day a bit. I'm sure some of the vendors would have loved to grab the microphone to talk about their products for a few minutes while somebody flies their goods. The runway was big enough for a few vendors to work at the same time (other than the big 3D demo).

The field was big and the runway was mowed, but the flying pattern was non-existent leading to chaos as a plane comes in for a landing only to find somebody hovering a quad dead center 10' off the strip. Or somebody is doing repeated high-speed passes down the runway. Basically, the pilots need reminders on flight etiquette. A simple arrow somewhere near the flight line showing the direction of the pattern would also be appreciated.

The main tent was a great way to beat the heat/sun. Is a larger tent a possibility? Along with more tables/chairs, as the builders took up a lot of room making workspace scarce. Recycling bins around the property would be a nice addition, along with more garbage cans inside the build tent. There were bits of foam everywhere, making it the only place I saw any garbage (good job everybody keeping the rest of the property clean!). It sounds like either more dumpsters or daily dumpster pickup would have been needed.

Others have suggested registration packets, and I agree strongly with that idea. I just ran a race this past weekend and only needed my ID and waiver form. My bib, pins, tracking ID, etc were all in an envelope waiting for me, quick and easy.

The food vendors did a good job and the choices were decent. Lines weren't long either, although if the event grows much you may need to allocate more space for food - especially a place to sit down and eat.

That's all I've got - I'm sure with all of the suggestions listed the FT crew will be able to pick & choose what they need to do to make the 2015 event another huge success!
 

Marc Stermer

Foaming at the Mouth!
What a terrific event, there were so many things that were done right. I liked the general layout with the multiple flight lines and the way that pilots didn't have to wait in order to fly. I hope that FT can continue to keep this event loose and care-free. Lots of great suggestions in this thread. The first combat event on Friday was unbelievable. I would love to see that each day.

The 3D demo on Saturday was absolutely spectacular but that big GAS airplane was flying only feet from the crowd. High-powered demos need to be conducted with a safety buffer... even the very best pilot in the world can have an equipment failure - a broken servo, a defective battery connection, etc. and...disaster. I felt uncomfortable and I was standing well back from the flight line - oooing and awwing with everyone else. Anyway, I was glad that the days weren't filled with demos. It was just a lot of fun flying with everyone all weekend which was great.

As a vendor who registered very early on, I was rather disappointed that there was no space reserved for me. I arrived just after opening on Friday. What seemed to happen is that some vendors & pilots who came early took all the spaces in the designated area. FT took good care of me so there was no problem. I know that this has already been addressed and that FT is aware of the difficulties - so it will get fixed. One possible solution is to have reserved places set out on "vendor row" so that the vendors know where they are assigned to be. Maybe some spray paint on the grass, or plastic warning-tape "boxes" laid out? (Ahead of the event, there was virtually no communication for what to expect or how big of a space I would have.. . just that tiny map. It would be very easy to get this organized and all set in advance.... I know next year will be better!)

I was placed on the back side of the build tent (with several other vendors, because I wasn't the only one who had no place to go) and it was actually not a bad spot to be in. I had a great time! But we felt like we were in the "back of the bus" and I think that the vendors should be placed between the main flight area and the food, up front where the pilots are. Just an idea to consider for next time.

By the way I thought the build tent was an awesome idea. And the food vendors did a great job. The port-a-potties were clean. The shower unit was great. And the hospitality of the Fureys was amazing.
 
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FlyingMonkey

Bought Another Trailer
Staff member
Admin
I know that this has already been addressed and that FT is aware of the difficulties - so it will get fixed. One possible solution is to have reserved places set out on "vendor row" so that the vendors know where they are assigned to be.

This has been discussed, and I will be arguing for a much more structured situation for the vendors next year.

One problem that will have to be addressed is the size of space allotted to each vendor. Where at SEFF each vendor got space within a grouping of tables under the pole barn, the vendors at FF had large tents, RVs and trailers, as well as a collection of cars/trucks. I don't think that this was anticipated by the organizers, and the spread out nature of the vendors who "got there first" certainly made it difficult to fit everyone in.

It was also interesting to see the behind the scenes "Dynamic" of vendors… This made placing vendors challenging as well.
 

FlyingDreams

Junior Member
Vegetarian food choices

My son and I loved FliteFest. My son doesn't fly very often (it's my hobby, not his), so he is still buddy-boxing. I think this event was perfect for someone like him. He got to fly a lot more during this event than he has all year. As Josh always says, my son and I got to "build some memories." If that is Josh's and FliteTest's goals, I think this was a hugely successful event (it was still a successful event by any other measure), thank you FliteTest and all the FliteFest volunteers!

My one suggestion that I haven't seen mentioned is to have some more vegetarian choices for food. It doesn't have to be a big menu. Just having some veggie-burgers available on request in addition to hamburgers and hot dogs would have been good. My son and I don't eat red meat or chicken, so we had fried bucket of vegetables 4 meals in a row. Next year, it would be good to get some announcement of what types of food will be available before the event. If I don't like the food choices, I'll bring a small grill for cooking, but I'd rather not have to.

We actually left the event a half day earlier than planned, because we couldn't eat another bucket of fried (very greasy) vegetables. I suppose we could have gone to town to eat, but I confused the people working at the local Subways when I asked for a veggie patty sub. They didn't know what a veggie patty was! All other subways shops from Boston to western Pennsylvannia carries veggie patties, but not in Ohio.

By the way, we aren't strict vegetarians, and we don't do it for religous reasons. We used to be big meat eaters (or at least I was), but my son quit eating red meat and chicken for environmental reasons (it takes so much energy to produce each calorie of meat), and I stopped eating meat so as not to be pigging out on meat in front of him. In the process, I've lost 20 lbs and lowered my cholesterol from 249 to 176 in six months. We aren't very experienced vegetarians (and we still eat fish and other seafood - which I suppose you could argue isn't that environmental either), so maybe we can solicit ideas from others that have been vegetarians for lot longer.

As an experienced flyer, I noticed some of the things on the flight lines that others have already mentioned. I was guilty of buddy-boxing my son in the huge space between the beginner's flight stations and the heli stations when I first got there on Friday. I think there is enough space between the beginners and heli section for another set of flight stations. The main problem with having people spread out is that you have to start being very loud when you announce that you are coming in for a landing as someone 30 yards from you does not hear you and will walk out onto the runway without looking first.

A few times, I saw some beginners (as well as someone who looked like they were experienced) announce "on the field" without looking and just run/walk/dwadle out. My main complaint would be that people loitered on the runway looking over their plane and fiddling with it while I have to circle around before landing. At my usual club fields that I fly, I might have brought it to their attention (and at other events, people are screaming - no need for me to mention the specific event), but I think at FliteFest, those of us who are experienced should be a bit more understanding. That isn't to say that we shouldn't "educate" people on matters of safety, as long as it is done in a friendly and helpful manner.

John
 

Rames

Member
Outstanding event overall...

Suggested Tweaks: Many of which have already been mentioned.
1) Improve charging station area. Batteries were the only limitation on my flying time.
2) Registration needs streamlining. We lucked out and were able to register Thursday night before the crowds came.
3) Flight lines were great. I never had to wait more than a few minutes to fly. However, I can see issues going forward. A slightly more formalized queue will probably needed to avoid arguments if the event grows next year.
4) Spread events and contests to all flight lines. I spent most of my time at the beginner line and felt a bit left out with all the commotion at the Main flight line.

Again, fantastic event and I had a great time flying with and meeting with new people.

Well done FT family! A huge thank you to the Furey family!
 

Techno

Sunny Day Park Flyer
FPV TV screens?

I was just looking at the shows tab and while scrolling I saw the FPV Community station when I realized.
WHY WAS THIS NOT OUT AT THE EVENT!?!?
It's an amazing idea to see what the FPV guys are doing and this is already setup. I was with one guy and he was weaving through the wavy dudes with his wing. Not like I won't already have an FPV setup by next year, but I was just wondering why this wasn't pulled out.
 

FlyingMonkey

Bought Another Trailer
Staff member
Admin
I was just looking at the shows tab and while scrolling I saw the FPV Community station when I realized.
WHY WAS THIS NOT OUT AT THE EVENT!?!?
It's an amazing idea to see what the FPV guys are doing and this is already setup. I was with one guy and he was weaving through the wavy dudes with his wing. Not like I won't already have an FPV setup by next year, but I was just wondering why this wasn't pulled out.

Excellent question. I know it was asked after the event. I am not sure that it was ever answered.

First event=learning curve. In the chaos that was moving things from HQ to the field, setting up all of the other event necessaries, and then the actual running of the event, it might be something as simple as "it wasn't on the to do list."

I know it will be on the list of things to do for next year.
 

knightshots

Junior Member
As I am sure these have been said before, but here are my ideas to make it better.
#1 (and most important) make it longer, at a minimum 4 days, to have time to fly, build, and volunteer.
#2 Larger build tent
#3 sign ups for real group builds, where you can purchase (or bring a specific plane) and build it step by step, then all fly together.
#4 Live FPV display
#5 volunteers to clean out showers. They smelled clean but did have a lot of grass and dirt scattered about.
#6 the size of the event was great, not overwhelming, so I hope in later events we are able to keep it just like a family event as we did this year. Some Noobs and others may not want to come if it becomes too large.
 
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Balu

Lurker
Staff member
Admin
Moderator
For #3: One idea would be to have a "build timetable" and reserve a part of the tent to build one plane during that time together. This might make it easier for volunteers to help since everyone is at the same step in the build.

But then - the chaotic approach seemed to have worked fine too.
 

earthsciteach

Moderator
Moderator
I do like having designated build times for particular kits. Honestly, I'm not sold on the idea of reserving spots for those build times. I know it is meant as a way to have more order, but the logistics of it worry me. While there are plans to increase the number of tents, I worry about having to manage a situation where you have to tell some people who are in mid-repair or mid-build that they have to pack up and move on in order to make room for reserved spots. I know its doable and there can be plenty of signs, etc stating that the area is reserved at hour X, but I just wouldn't feel good about booting people out for that purpose. The only way I see this working smoothly is if a tent or tents were designated for use as group builds, by appointment only (maybe in the late evening they are open to anyone).

In order to make this work smoothly, I think the volunteer staff (having knowledge of the builds) would have to increase quite a bit. Keep in mind that those scheduling an appointment for a "guided" build are probably not very experienced and probably young, in many cases. There will be huge variability in ability within the crowd. Not everyone will be able to keep up on a given pace. Therefore, it will be necessary to have volunteers on hand to assist those that work at a slower pace.

Personally, I like the idea of PUHLENTY of space to build. Go build whenever you are ready. If you aren't sure what to do, ask someone. Make a new friend! Our Flite Test community is all about that.
 

Craftydan

Hostage Taker of Quads
Staff member
Moderator
Mentor
ATM, I'm leaning toward scheduled "presence" -- volunteers schedule times they'll be in the tent with their name up on a board (board for each airframe? one board with name and airframe skill list?).

A father/son show up with, say an old speedster, and ask for help, we can ask around or go to the board and say, "look -- Joe Quickbuild is coming over in an hour and he know how to build the speedster." when Joe wanders by, the people who need help, Joe can lend a hand. if three or four groups need to build one, they can either gather together if there's space, or he can bounce between them.

Now how such a board would be populated and maintained . . . still thinking that through . . . I'm always open to suggestions and/or better ideas :)