Flite Fest 2016
Every year, the population of a small town in Ohio doubles! And a giant family gets together for a family reunion – well, that’s what it feels like anyway.
Flite Fest isn’t just an excuse to spend a long weekend flying RC airplanes and drones, it’s more about getting together with 4,000 or so of your closest friends to make memories. For 4 or 5 days you’re surrounded by a flying community that “nerds out” just as much as you and who has a passion for the hobby and a longingly wants to see other newcomers succeed and have a great time.
I’ll admit, the whole 4 days I was at Flite Fest I flew 1 aircraft 1 time for 15 minutes. I just really enjoyed seeing my family have a good time at a place where they could experience what I was passionate about in a context that I’m proud of…
Logan playing in the Family tent with another Flite Test dad.
Flite Fest is “The festival of flight.” It’s put on by Flite Test – a company who started out as a YouTube Channel doing RC flight tutorials and reviewing models. They since started an online store and forum where hobbyists can go hone their craft. With ~492,000 followers, its crazy to think that Flite Fest only yields less than 1% of their following from around the world!
This year I designed a Flite Test Dress for my daughter. It features a pattern made from the Flite Test logo. Her Grandmother helped with the sewing. It turned out amazing!
What makes Flite Test special?
Flite Test’s goal is to make it easy and affordable for anyone to get into the hobby. They’ve come up with and engineered plans and planes that are built from foam board. With a series of folds, bends and cuts – using nothing but foam board and hot glue – you can build an airframe for just $1-$2!
What about the electronics? You only have to buy them once! Each plane is “swappable,” which means you can take a little box out called a “power pod,” and use it in a new plane! Brilliant! They also make it just as easy to build a drone, using parts you could find at a local hardware store!
My 4 year old son built his own plane in 45 minutes! 
And he participated in a STEM “Airplane egg drop” event. His plane flew 35′ and his egg (pilot) remained intact! He designed the egg holder himself! Awesome job for a 4 year old!
He couldn’t be happier!
Flite Test even has Sunday Mornings covered! They convert the main Build tent ( a place where modelers go to build their cheap airframes) into a chapel! They brought in a favorite worship band and held a great service too!
What did Cerebral Dad do?
I brought several aircraft to fly – I primarily like to fly drones, and I even brought a few of my own designs. But, we were having such a good time that I only flew one.
My son says camping and spending time as a family was the best part.
Each night there was live music. This band’s name is Sparkle Pony. They were awesome!
This is my custom designed “Bicopter.” My good friend and camping buddy, Jason, took on the challenge of bringing it to life. I love seeing my designs turn into practical aircraft!
Over the next couple of posts, I’ll be highlighting some of the specific events that we took part in as a family. I’ll also feature some flight videos. Stay tuned for that…
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Featured Image Credit: James Macius
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This looks like so much fun!!! Great job on the site. Hope you had a great get Away!