FTFF 2015 Build Zone Vision

[Craftydan]

Hey guys! If you didn't get a chance to meet me at FTFF 2014, I’m Crafty Dan, and I hope to meet you at FTFF 15!

I led the first FTFF build zone volunteer team last year, and it was a smashing success almost entirely due to the excellent group of volunteers who stepped up and made it work

The Build Zone is really a unique thing to FTFF – no other festival has a public group build area that I’m aware of, and the idea is being batted around among other festivals. Perhaps it will catch on elsewhere, but we’re still going to do our best to make it even better.

We've taken a slew of suggestions, ideas, lessons learned and come up with an event area that some folks just might not want to leave (you know who you are). So far the ideas and plans have been set in a slowly hardening Jello, so there’s plenty of wiggle room yet, but the overall vision is formed:

We want to create an area that meets both the needs of the builder and pilots for setup, assembly and raw construction of airframes on a scale from the smallest of tasks to giant scale, encouraging people to engage into building planes and friendships (new and old).
​

There’s a lot to unpack in how we’ll do this, but we’ll try to hit the high points in this thread, and we’ll go into better detail in other threads.

 

[Craftydan]

The PIT

First, something about our layout -- we’re currently planning on one great area, divided 3 ways flexibly, so the three areas can trade space as needed: Pit, Open Build, and Scheduled Build.

First the Pit . .

• This area is set aside for quick setups – checking the radio‘s bindings and mixes, re-assembling planes to get them from ready to fly, or making minor tuning and adjustments on a multirotor or heli.
• This space is primarily for the pilot who just came in their car with a plane or two in the trunk, this will give them a shared space to ready their planes for flight.
• Last year this became a bit of a public gathering place, and as space allows, that’s more than fine. As space runs out, however, spectators will be gently encouraged to give up their space to pilots, and pilots will be encouraged to take their gear with them as they go.
• These stations should have power and trash cans, but won’t have any tools for building.
  

 

[Craftydan]

The Open Build

Next, Open Build:

• Probably the largest area.
• It’s set aside for those who want to build something, whether it be a Speed Build Kit, an ARF they just picked up from a vendor, or a scratchbuilt plane. Power, trash and hot-glue guns are planned to be provided at each station (setup between two 8’ tables). A limited supply of materials might be on hand, but please bring your own if you can.
• A single large specialized station for soldering, hot-air gun work, hot wire bow or any other power-hungry build tools will be setup on a separate circuit to keep breakers from tripping. At least one soldering station will be available, possibly more, but no solid plans of other tools for the moment – if you bring your own, you’ll go here to use it.
• As long as you’re not taking extended breaks, leaving a build on one of these build stations for a break (take lunch, walk around for 15 minutes or so) will be just fine for those who are working on extended builds. The threshold for this will depend on demand and how involved the build is.
• We will make a better effort this year to have a regular schedule of volunteer builders experienced in each of the FT builds to lend a hand stepping you through the builds. (more on the volunteers later)
• No word on any improved cell service or Wifi, but frankly, people can build alone with Josh via video any day of the week. If you travel hundreds of miles, for no more than 4 days out of a year, we’d like to give you something more than what you have at home. We want to do our best to help you build with other members of our community – building together is a FAR better experience, and something we’re almost uniquely able to provide!

 

[Craftydan]

The Scheduled Builds

Finally, Probably the coolest area, the Scheduled builds. It consists of several Scheduled Team Build stations and one "BUILD-OF-THE-DAY"

Scheduled Team Build tables:

• 4x 8’ table cluster with power and trash available.
• Teams will need to provide their own resources.
• Scheduled time slots for builders.
• At this point the slots for an individual project will be in a handful of 2-4 hour chunks, spread over a day or two – We don’t want a team to burn out or to not have time to regroup if the maiden doesn't go well.
• Since a scheduled slot is VERY valuable space, and the space is provided free, there will be applications for the team projects to fairly open the space for teams who have prepared for the effort and have planned enough to have good confidence in success.

Details for a scheduled Team Build Application:

• A team does not have to be prepared to submit an application – part of the application approval will involve us working with the team to make the plans
• It will NOT be first-come-first-served.
• At LEAST half of the team will need to be pre-registered before the application will be considered, and at least one member will need to be registered as a pilot.
• Due to limited space, there's a good chance that not all applications can be accepted. If multiple small teams apply with similar goals, you might be encouraged to join forces on a project.
• The application steps will be in a separate thread, posted in a few days. The final selection and schedule will be announced on or before June 1, to give the build teams time to finish preparations, with a standby list kept but not released – if you’re high on the list and someone backs out, we’ll inform you ASAP so you can take their place.

One “BUILD OF THE DAY”, each day.

• A single large build area with a project and a build master
• The build master’s goal is to direct a group build, starting from raw materials in the morning and finishing sometime before late evening with the a large build to maiden.
• It is the build master’s job to recruit builders from the bystanders – someone looking on to see what the big deal is about my get dragged into the build for as long as they care to work (15 minutes, an hour, a whole day – up to them). Each builder, short or long term help has earned the right to sign the plane.
• The build masters will be selected shortly, will pre-plan their own projects (there are a few I have in mind, but otherwise it’s up to the build master). THEIR PLANS WILL BE SECRET UNTIL THE DAY OF THE BUILD (if you know what a build master has selected, don’t spoil the surprise for others ). One thing is for sure, they will ALL be epic builds.
• There *Might* be a Saturday Night “Build Of The Night” to construct a frankenplane from the wreckage created over the event, to maiden sometime Sunday morning. More details about that as we get closer.

This area may shrink or grow over the event as the schedule demands, but since the space is pre-scheduled, we'll know what we need ahead of time.

 

[Craftydan]

Volunteering in the Build Area

So those are the build areas. Now onto how I hope we can manage that space . . .

For this space we’ll need two types of volunteers, Volunteer Organizers and Volunteer Builders

Volunteer Organizers:

These are those volunteers who are only working in the build zone. They’re responsible first for keeping things running smoothly, helping keep the area clean(ish) and safe, and working with people to get what they need while helping everyone keep a positive neighborly attitude.

When they have time, they're welcome to help people build a model or pitch in for a moment or two on the build-of-the-day. I encourage them to keep their eyes up and scanning for people in need of help more than engaging in long projects with others – their job is to first connect people with others to help them if they can, then lending a hand if they can’t.

This is the only volunteer in the build area that will receive any volunteer perks (build volunteers will receive the perks from their other shift)
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Volunteer Builders:

These are those volunteers who are working a shift or two with one of the other teams but want to come down and help build for a few hours. They’re responsible for being around and available when they’re scheduled (or longer, at their discretion) to help people building speed-build-kits the volunteer has built in past.

While waiting they’re free to help with the build of the day or lending a hand with the volunteer organizers, but they’ll need to be able to shake loose to help someone build if they show up.

When someone comes in with a speed build kit and no one has experience with the build, the schedule of Build Volunteers will be consulted and if a slot is coming up with the know-how, we’ll ask them to come back then. If that’s your slot and your expertise, I’d encourage you to be on time and ready for when they come back.
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I‘ll be posting a thread for each group in the next day or two, for each of the groups to sign up. For the Volunteer Builders, I’ll work with you and your other team lead to help adjust a schedule for both jobs you’re happy with.

 

[Craftydan]

That’s the volunteer crew, so finally how we’ll keep order. There are a few basic rules, all driven by being safe and good neighbors:

• SHOES.
  There’s too much going on, too many things falling off of tables and in general going barefoot is dangerous. Closed toe is by far preferred, but you must have at least something on your feet at all times
  
• Prop or battery, never both.
  If you’re building on something, it’s fine to fit the prop for test. It’s fine to plug in the battery to test the electronics. In the tent, you are not allowed to do both at the same time, except on the *final* check before flight – and we’d rather you do that out on the flight line, if you can. Purely a safety issue.
  
• Clean up after yourself.
  It’s a grass field -- we don’t expect the place to be spotless -- but when you finish working on something take a moment to clean up for the next builder. Empty your trashcan into one of the larger bins and if you’ve dropped bits on the ground, please pick them up. Leaving a mess for the next builder or the volunteers to pick up after you is unfair to them.
  
• Good Neighbors ask.
  Need a tool, or a part, or a scrap of foamboard, or space on a station that’s half-used . . . ask first. Most of the time your neighbor will be glad to help you, but don’t assume – They don’t have to help, but it’s their choice to help or not.
  
• Keep power hungry tools at the dedicated build station and chargers at the charge stations.
  A slew of high power glue guns take a LOT of power to run. Don’t be that guy to trip the breaker plugging something hungry in.

So far, simple rules with simple reasons. There might be one or two added on as needed, but it will still follow the “be safe” and “be a good neighbor” logic. If someone is breaking the rules, the focus is more on why we don’t do that than what was done wrong. On the whole we all want to be safe and we all want to be good neighbors.

 

[Craftydan]

What have I missed?

Anything else?

There’s a lot there and probably still more detail I might have missed. There’s also still things that will change between now and then, so comments, questions and suggestions are always welcome.

 

[Trimax]

shamless plug!! tisk tisk... seriously tho fun place to be!!!!!!!

 

[willsonman]

I really like this idea Dan. I'm not entirely sure where my Sikorsky build fits but I suppose in the open build area.

I was planning on bringing all of my hot wire cutting gear and I would be glad to share if there is supervision for those who have never used one before. Between the high current and the heat there are some safety concerns. Maybe a dedicated safety officer? Maybe some sort of portable eyewash station for safety? With glues fuming and possible squirts of paint this also seems like a good "just in case" thing. I will have many other tools that I will be happy to lend out.

I think a dedicated "painting station" or "booth" would also be prudent. With overspray bound to happen this just seems smart. Maybe some hanging rods in there too. I have a spool of aluminum wire that can be sourced for this. Simple plastic sheet maybe 8' by 8' with a PVC pipe frame? Masks? They sell boxes of them at hardware stores. Something basic should suffice in an open field with plenty of ventilation out the top.

Perhaps a schedule of technique clinics? Minwax application, airbrushing, details (panel lines, rivets, etc), material use and application, are all things that come to my mind.

I'll think more on this... I'm sure to have additional ideas.

 

[makattack]

I like this Dan! Great plan! You didn't mention lipo chargers in your section about the power station. I'm assuming that the battery charging station is on the same circuit? Or are there other plans for a charging station? Just curious.

Thanks and looking forward to seeing everyone again!
Dave

 

[CrashRecovery]

We all know a charging station is being worked on. As for the group builds.... Dan can you explain the time thing better? If you have a group that is building a large plane, are they only allowed a few hours or can they build like we did last year on the giant ft flyer, all day?

 

[Craftydan]

Curt,

when you're people are done, they now know where to go to have fun

(in seriousness, if you're a people-and-sun kinda personality, the greeter and parking teams are a good shift, and when you're done, we'll be glad to have you hang out and build over here )


Wilsonman,

That's what I had in mind. From your planning thread, it sounded like the footprint you typically need wasn't that big and getting you set-up in the regular build area would meet your needs and get people close-by to chat and, well, gawk.

If you think you can put together a schedule of when you're planning on hitting any of the major techniques in your build, we might post it and let people know ahead of time so they can gawk. . . but for other common build techniques, I like the idea but may be a little too much. Not closed off to the idea, but I'd need the volunteers and plans to commit to doing it. I can easily see this consuming the footprint of a group build, so the space-cost would be substantial, but the return would be worth it . . . assuming we can pull it off more than halfheartedly.

As for your specialized equipment, it's your equipment. I think we can leave a solder station or a *maybe* heat gun open for public use (maybe not even the heat gun), since most people know how to use them, but something more specialized like a hot-wire I'd prefer the owner keep control, and if they loan it, they need to supervise and train.

As for safety, I've been lobbying to get the First-Aid rally point to one corner of the build tent, with their "work area" a few steps away in a semi-private spot. The idea being they "hang out" in the build area while we all hope and pray they don't get any first-responder work. Seeing if we can pick up a portable eyewash station (or even just have a hose nearby) is not a bad idea, as might be other safety equipment -- I'll deffer to crash for that. I've put the notion of co-locating build and first aid in the right ears, but haven't seen any approval for it yet.

Spray Paint will be . . . tricky. honestly I've had no plans for accommodating it in the build zone. For most builders I'd encourage they find a clear spot in the back field, downwind and out of the way. Naturally, that would depend on how packed we'll be, which come Saturday will probably be VERY. A paint booth has problems all of it's own that we haven't begun to broach . . . even the "shower-booth" setup would need to be out from underneath the tent to get good ventilation and away from the crowds for fumes. Tape, decals, markers and brushes might be the order of the day, but that's from a practical standpoint, not at all because I prefer it.

Keep the ideas coming. If we think of it here instead of in the tent, it's easier to plan ahead


David,

There are plans for the charge area, but they're VERY in flux ATM.

We will have something. It will be better than last years. It may be MUCH better than last year's, but I don't know yet if all the ideas that we're working toward can be implemented before July.

Current plans (ha!) are that it will run off the same power, but not the same circuit. Provisioning for the amount of power has been significantly increased -- our biggest headache was underestimating this. Getting power to the people . . . well, we'll need to get farther along before I feel comfortable sharing those details.

 

[Craftydan]

We all know a charging station is being worked on. As for the group builds.... Dan can you explain the time thing better? If you have a group that is building a large plane, are they only allowed a few hours or can they build like we did last year on the giant ft flyer, all day?

For the scheduled builds, the *PLAN* is to allocate teams blocks of time so the stations themselves will be hot-racked. I'm expecting that there's simply not enough resources to give a large station to each team for a couple of days on end. If the interest isn't there, that may not be a problem, but I seriously doubt it.

The *PLAN* is to give 3-4 hour chunks of time, so the team can have time between the pushes to plan, rest, regroup, procure and whatever, all while we fit 3-5 slots in a day.

The build area will be powered from 7-ish to midnight (gene's cut off then for people to sleep), so 8-12 is the rough 16 hour window everybody has to share, and one large group table consumes 4 open tables -- that can be up to 8 individual builders. If I open 8 group stations up, I may have just pushed out 64 individual build stations to do that . . . 64 that are also hot racked with shorter projects, so if each hot-racks 2 builders that day . . . you see where these estimates are going.

Completely NOT saying it wouldn't be worth it, but I simply can't afford to leave a large group station empty, unused, or the team standing around not building for hours while re-planning after a big problem, or waiting for parts or . . . whatever. Thursday it might not be that big of a deal. Friday and Saturday? Not a chance.

All that being said . . . it's not history, it's a *PLAN*. The first casualty of battle is the plan. This plan is what I expect and I'm encouraging others to prepare for, but until the schedule firms near the end of may, it's all set in Jello . . . and the soft watery kind, not the jigglers

 

[willsonman]

If you think you can put together a schedule of when you're planning on hitting any of the major techniques in your build, we might post it and let people know ahead of time so they can gawk.

You know I should probably start doing this. I've assembled the plane so many times in my head and in so many ways I need to start to make the final plan.

 

[willsonman]

I've started my list and it will take some time to refine but overall the first day will be the bulk of making the shape of the thing. I'll update my thread with details.

 

[SP0NZ]

I was planning on bringing my poster board templates along for anyone who would like to use them to try a scratch build, or if people need to make some replacement parts to repair a plane. I have several FT planes (I can provide a list) as well as my own designs (Bloody Baron, Ugly Wonder, and Bloody Wonder MkIII). Any thoughts on this? I don't want to take away any sales of speed build kits from FT, but some people (like myself) find it very rewarding to do it yourself.

Another thing I plan on bringing is my Galaxy Tab with all the FT build videos on it. I will use that mostly for me as a refresher on certain builds that I may have never built, or only built once. Just thought it might be handy to have in case questions come up on a particular build.

Any plans to do a group demonstration of "How to Build a Flite Test Plane"? Perhaps the FT Flyer, FT Nutball, or FT Tiny Trainer (seems like it would be the best fit). I might, on my own time, show people how to build the Bloody Baron if there are enough people interested in seeing it live. Thoughts?

 

[willsonman]

OH! ... and if anyone wants plans printed so you don't have to tile them... hit me up. Dan, how's that gentle lady coming?

 

[Craftydan]

um . . . not well, but that's not your fault -- the plans were splendid.

The kit was for an Electra, not a GL, which are sister planes, but Carl Goldberg apparently tweeked the design between them . . . so the plans and the pre-cut parts don't match

I've put that build on hold until I get the right plans, since the parts the last builder already started simply don't line up.

Gorgeous plans, though.


Dan,

I've got further plans I need to run by you . . . but I've got no issue with templates. Personally I like the convenience of a SBK, but hate the laser cut edges worse I'd advise if you do, bring the simpler templates, since cutting out pieces can add quite a bit of time to the build, turning it from a 2-3 hour one man project to an all day project . . . or longer. Also, don't plan on bringing anything you can't tolerate getting destroyed. Kinda like the old adage, "never lend something you can't live without." It'll probably be fine, but don't count on that.

I appreciate the offer of the pre-loaded tablet, but as I mentioned before, I'd really prefer builders show builders -- They can watch Josh build it any day of the week, but we could offer them something they can't get at home. Not going to turn it down completely, just caution to keep it as the VERY last resort.

Group build demos I'll class like the technique demos Wilsonman was suggesting -- a great idea but will cost us in volunteers and space. well worth it if we can pull it off, but it'll be better to not do it if it ends up half baked. I'm in favor, but only if we can solidly plan it.

 

[SP0NZ]

I've got further plans I need to run by you . . . but I've got no issue with templates. Personally I like the convenience of a SBK, but hate the laser cut edges worse I'd advise if you do, bring the simpler templates, since cutting out pieces can add quite a bit of time to the build, turning it from a 2-3 hour one man project to an all day project . . . or longer. Also, don't plan on bringing anything you can't tolerate getting destroyed. Kinda like the old adage, "never lend something you can't live without." It'll probably be fine, but don't count on that.

I feel the same way you do regarding the SBK's and the laser cut edges. I've built a couple SBK's and really like not having to cut anything out and get right to building. That and I like to support Flite Test when I can. But, I really like taking a clean sheet of foam (or 2 or 3 or...) and turning into something that can fly! I expect that there will be some collateral damage to my templates if I lend them out. I can make new ones if I need too.

I appreciate the offer of the pre-loaded tablet, but as I mentioned before, I'd really prefer builders show builders -- They can watch Josh build it any day of the week, but we could offer them something they can't get at home. Not going to turn it down completely, just caution to keep it as the VERY last resort.

I completely agree. I really just threw that out there as a resource in case anyone gets really stumped on one of the builds. There are a few FT planes that I haven't built and probably won't build before Flite Fest (Viggen, Simple Soarer). I just figured that if no one else could help, the videos would be a good last resort reference.

Group build demos I'll class like the technique demos Wilsonman was suggesting -- a great idea but will cost us in volunteers and space. well worth it if we can pull it off, but it'll be better to not do it if it ends up half baked. I'm in favor, but only if we can solidly plan it.

I can definitely see pros and cons to doing it.

 

[willsonman]

SPONZ, If you like I can provide printouts of plans for you to cut at the event. The paper I have is VERY heavy weight. That way you can save your own templates. My printer has been able to accommodate every FT plan so far. Some are much longer than others but with 300' rolls at my disposal I'm happy to pitch in to get builders getting more into scratch building.