With all the plans going forward for the West Baden contest, I thought those of you who’ve never seen the grand interior in person might get psyched a bit more when you see the attached photo, made during a contest. I took it back in 1983, the last year that the annual “Indoor Week” was held there. I also flew that year and earlier in 1981 and 1982. It was a great experience. You walked in the door on Sunday and didn’t have to leave the building for a week during which just about every type and class of indoor models were flown, both duration and scale, night and day. Yes, you could look out your room window that overlooked the atrium and see models flying past. Some guys stayed up for all hours, particularly during the MIAMA club’s 24 hour peanut scale grand prix.
The meals were prepared by students of a hotel hospitality class from Northwood Institute in Michigan. Those meals were tasty, and we all ate together in the dining hall which made for great comradeship. The late, great Dr. John Martin was the sparkplug of this annual orgy of indoor flying. He even tended a mini-bar in one of the alcoves! The building was a bit rundown and mostly empty back then, not the lavish palace it is today. But it was more than adequate for a bunch of indoor fanatics who came to fly, not party. I was happy to see that it will again see indoor models plying the air of that mighty dome.
Pardon the low-res scan. The new software for my scanner continues to befuddle me.
Bob Clemens
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Received on Wed Mar 27 2013 - 14:58:30 CET