The Western New York Free Flight Society, formed in the late 1960’s by a handful of dedicated modelers, is today an area-wide organization;with members from nine states and Canada. For over 33 years the WNYFFS has hosted the annual Empire State Free Flight Championships, typically scheduled in August. The WNYFFS also co-sponsors, with a Canadian free flight group, the Great Grape Gathering contest (named for the bottles of wine given in lieu of trophies) scheduled September. The site of these two meets is the Geneseo National Warplane Museum airport just west of Geneseo, New York. Membership in the WNYFFS is open to anyone in the upstate New York area, young or old, interested in free flight modeling. Annual dues are $10, and members receive the club’s newsletter, the Thermal Journal, with club news and information on upcoming club contests and other activities. An annual business meeting and dinner is held each November.
The Empire State Free Flight Championship is held in August each year. Since 1968 the "ESFFC", as it is affectionately known, is one of the few Free Flight contests held in the state of New York. The latest event announcement flyer and the latest results can be found here. Previous announcement flyers and results also archived on this website.
We co-sponsor, with a Canadian free flight group (SAM86), the Great Grape Gathering contest (named for the bottles of wine given in lieu of trophies.) The event is typically held in the early Fall of each year conjunction with SAM86 of Canada and includes a full slate of SAM, AMA and FAC events. The site of this meet is the Geneseo National Warplane Museum airport just west of Geneseo, New York. The latest contest announcement and the results are found on this website. Archived contest flyers and results are also available here.
The Pirate Challenge is the Flying Aces Club ("FAC") events and also held at the Geneseo National Warplane Museum airport just west of Geneseo, New York.
Spring Opener is an informal, no official contest events, gathering to get out and fly, test and trim new models, shake the winter cobwebs off existing models. Typically occurs in May with accompanying rain date.
SAM86 and WNYFFS co-sponsor the Great Grape Gathering contest where bottles of wine are given in lieu of trophies.
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