F1D Indoor Free Flight | Flite Test 

I have never flown these before but I immediately have the utmost respect for anyone who has build one of these things! they look almost like something mother nature would make, something that looks alive.

Hard to believe some of that wasn't slow-mo video. Amazing!

Its almost surreal looking how slow those things move flying around for such a long time.

FliteTest. I can't thank you enough for this video. I built and flew 'penny'-type planes indoors in the early 70's in addition to flying control-line and single channel escapement r/c(kraft tube transmitter) Read all the magazines for years and now follow the hobby on the web, always with the greatest of joy and amazement. As blown away as I am by giant scale, 3D, multi-turbine, helicopter, drone, FPV, etc. F1D will, in it's way, always the 'purest' form of the sport of model aviation for me. Your own sense of wonder helps convery how incredible these craft are. They are not really 'models' of anything. They are their own category of craft, really: more 'swimming though the air than flying as some other commenters have noticed. Joshua is an inspiring builder and teacher. Filming in their home was perfect. It made the experience feel very 'accessible' and intimate. Great job and thanks to all. BTW...would this happen to be your most viewed and/or most commented on video? It wouldn't surprise me. I have already enthusiastically shared it with my fb friends a couple of times. Thanks again.

when this guy was talking about the rubber bands from different years and even months....i felt like i was sleeping and seeing one of those dreams where you realize how unreal it is....

13:50 That has to be one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life.

Thats crazy! I thought you were filming in slow-motion the first time it was flying.

Ive had the honor to know the Finns for a few years and they are great people. Josh has been helping me greatly with my own indoor planes over the years and I would not be having the success I have now without him. And Hope is even more awesome. :) They are doing great things for the hobby and have been blessed with a large audience.

So refreshing to watch a video on youtube, with young people without actually cursing and using bad language. Kudos guys. Our whole family (of 5 kids) enjoy your videos very much. Keep them up.

The best Flite test video i have seen, this guy is a real master and knows things that most rc ''modelers'' ignore.

I remember my first balsa wood rubber band powered plane. I got it for Christmas when I was thirteen (1987). It took me months to carve out, glue up and dope the wings properly. I loved the process. Bonded with my Dad a bit too. I took it out for its maiden flight and... ...wound the rubber band in the wrong direction. As I launched it from my hand, the heady anticipation of the beauty of flight filling my mind, the propellor span in the wrong direction and the plane reversed itself forcefully into the ground, shattering into pieces. If I had wound the rubber band the right way I would probably be in this video alongside these passionate souls, but alas it was my first and last journey into the world of balsa wood model aircraft. Respect the rubber band, people. It can change the course of your life.

This is actually mind-boggling to me! So much detail and so amazing. The amount of patience you need is unreal to me^^

This guy is so deep into rubber bands...

that ornithopter is stunning, i would love to see some more of it

Sweet! I am 71 and this brings back many happy memories. You guys are awesome..... Peace.

Thank you Flight Test for posting this. I have always been fascinated by these aircraft. Im so glad you found someone so passionate about the hobby. Congrats to Joshua and Hope for finding each other, wonderful people

One of my fave flitetest episodes since it describes something unique, elegant and mature. All attributes flitetest can use more of.

Daily dos of internet!

Great video! it too have always been curious about these little guys but I have never found a nice concise video on the subject. Josh is just such a chill dude and can talk well in front of the camera, loved his details and website recommendations. Thanks for sharing.

Keep doing this guys, I appreciate and enjoy the educational and informative part of this channel as much as the flying! Cheers Josh, well done!

The depth of the nerdom just involved in the rubber for the power band was absolutely astonishing. Wow

I've always wanted to know more about these planes. So cool! Thanks for sharing guys!!

This was one of the most fun YT videos I've ever seen. I've been, mostly as an observer, a model airplane fan for ~6 decades, I've read about these planes, but I've never seen them fly. Truly amazing, delicate little flying machines. Thank you so much for putting this video online!

Hundreds upon hundreds of hours of watching all manner of content on RU-vid - I can't think of anything I've seen and heard that pleases me more than this video. What an honour and a treasure.

Great episode. These planes are surreal and awe inspiring. So amazingly complex and simple at the same time.

Wow! Great episode. I'd love to hear more about the ornithopters at 13:50.

This has to be my all time favorite episode. This guy is absolutely inspiring. You could spend your entire life and never meet someone who does something this interesting and unique.

WOW what a change of pace! I have known about these aircraft for a long time but had never had any exposure to them. Thank You Flite Test for this wonderful video. Andre

smiles a lot , this guy .love it! thumps up!

Single best video I can find. Thanks hero. Keep it up.

It's been a while since I've been around indoor fliers. Thanks for the refresher. Great video.

This is so beautiful! I really was like "Wow" when I first realized how it flew indoor. Very gentle and gorgeous flight. Thank You for such an awesome videos that made me proud.

this is my 3rd time watching this video, every time I am mesmerized how great they look flying around the room

I have always had a love of free flight planes, and love this episode. I remember a young astronauts program brought in a man that flew planes similar to these in our Gym. Even had one with a tiny motor that ran on CO2. Needless to say the demonstration was amazing. Thank you for the resources.

Thx flite test for making this video. I appreciate this very much and how much precision these take to make. Very impressed. I don't think I've ever seen something fly that slow!

Fantastic Episode Guys, my son Thomas has wanted to know about F1D for ages now.

Most inspiring video on youtube for me since months thank youba lot for this video and thanks for the resources! God bless your wonderfull family!

I give this full thumbs up. We have a small club that do rubber powered indoor planes in Ayrshire Scotland. The average age of the members in the club must be 80. We need to promote more of this kind of modeling. This is cheep. You learn how to build balance and fly a plane. This kind of modeling is what anyone can do at any age. Love watching all your videos. Keep the hobby going as it's loosing momentum in the uk. All the local models shops are gone.

I gotta say your channel is so positive, so gracious and apparently your viewers are just as well-natured considering the consistently meager dislike to like ratio. Keep it up!

one of the coolest flite test episodes I've seen.

Loved this!

Amazing content guys. This is quite far from R/C, yet so interesting to watch!

Nice job Flite Test!!! I flew indoor models like these for many years, and have never seen a nicer introduction video. As for having kids around these, my three boys grew up with them since birth. By the time they were three or four, they could not only launch one, but could carefully catch one of these slow flyers in mid air! Being around this type of stuff made them learn how to handle delicate things carefully. We went to the US nationals in 2005 as a family and had great fun competing.

Infectious passion. Truly an engineer through and through.

Wow these are all so beautiful!

Awesome video. Takes me back to the days of the great Cleveland Indoor Model Airplane shows held in the Public Auditorium. I never did microfilm planes .. too twitchy and delicate, but did do condenser paper planes, which are a bit more rugged and still can be flown indoors. Also enjoyed hand launched gliders and have had flight approaching 3 minutes with a hand launched glider. I also flew outdoor rubber powered, my last one going OOS (out of site) on a calm evening at a park. Began flying R/C when I was a youngster, and my 1st single channel R/C transmitter actually had TUBES in it, along with some big batteries. Just started re-learning to fly RC with a small indoor quadcopter (used to fly "Class D" aerobatics back in the day). Maybe you can get some more "old time" modelers sharing what modeling used to be like .. most people today have no clue what early pioneers went through just to get in maybe one RC flight at the field. Cheers

Probably your best video. What an amazing and inspiring family!

Amazing episode! really incredible. Thanks Flitetest

Great work in showing this part of the hobby FT! Compliments :) Very nice to broaden people's view as a whole And entertaining to watch! :D Cheers :)

Definitely one of the best Flite Test videos. More technical details could have been given like how the old film was created on top of a bath of water and how it is placed on the wing frame. Also, in competitions, how the planes are controlled by helium balloons temporarily disturbing the air in front of the them. Read a great article in RCM about a F1D competition in a cavernous salt mine - I think it was in Hungary.

these are one of my favourite type of model aeroplanes :) so glad to see you guys did a video on this!

Great interview, Josh! Nice to see you on here, and I hope it helps get people interested in the hobby!

Joshua and Hope need to do a (free fight) build video. What do you think?????

Awesome report on a great aspect of modeling. Everyone should have a simple winder at a minimum.

That was awesome to watch and learn about. Thanks for sharing with the group.

I've been eagerly awaiting this episode when it was announced a little while back.Such a fascinating segment of model aviation still practiced today no less! Please keep up this kind of variety of videos, guys.Perhaps a episode on control line flight or lighter than air modeling,as a suggestion.

I do t k ow what to say or where to begin on the fact that THIS IS AWESOME! I've realised that rubber band powered aircraft is just fine for me! This will be my next project after I complete a Cessna 150 (maybe a 170 I'm not sure). I never knew that this stuff actually existed. I never even thought of it!

This is awesome! Not for me, because I am not good with fragile things. But it is beautiful to see them fly!

Those are just mesmerizing in flight. Great episode. Thanks to all.

This is mind expanding stuff!! I'm 55... Been in the Hobby since 1984, and the only thing that I've even SEEN before, was the Peanut! And that only on an old AMA video. Thanks to this wonderful family and you guys at FliteTest, for showing us a whole new World. Carmine ✈🚂🚙

Josh 3 is such a nice guy :-) would like to see a project involving him and Peter.

The fact that this is being controlled by poking it with a stick is surreal. The planes look like a human attempt at making a dragonfly.

What I like about this video is the fact that someone made something simple and beautiful... they did it because of a passion of the hobby and the historic aspects. this stuff is cooler to me than any jet engine. I didn't even realize these were a thing! how cool

My favorite FT video! Thank you for the references and resources for anyone interested. The polar opposite of my models, yet something I could see loving to master as much.

Holy crap ! Got me thinking about my old delta dart !

Great episode! Just like eric I had always seen the pics in magazines but never in person. This guy is a wealth of knowledge and it was great to hear the history of these. Now, what will peter come up with after seeing these? :^)

this is the most amazing episode Thanks a ton guys!

this is so outside the box of standard aviation.. well done! amazing aircraft and a great hobby! thank you for sharing it.

wow, i work with rubber bands all day and didnt know there was so much thought that went into them

thanks to this video i built my first ezb and I'm loving it.

Wow. As much I love the RC technology stuff, this episode was fascinating. Thanks guys.

Excellent show. Teaching the theory and history of any facet model aircraft is always a great idea. Would love to hear more about propellers and their pitch specs. Throwing together some parts and putting things in the air is great to watch, but learning the why and wherefores helps understand why things go wrong and how to make them better. Keep mixing up the fun flys and the lessons!

Fantastic video here. I live in England and have recently been researching my family tree. I found out that one of my 3x Great Grandad's was a half-brother to Stanley Spooner (1856-1940). Stanley created founded, and edited the world's first magazine devoted solely towards aviation. It was called: "Flight". It went on sale in January 1909. This encouraged me to look back through back issues of that magazine on the internet. The rubber band gliders in this video are reminiscent (in shape at least) to early outdoor rubber band powered gliders, that were homemade, and used by some modellers in the early years of aviation:www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1913/1913%20-%200288.html?search=ModelsOne of these models during those years actually achieved a distance of 260 yards.

Very cool. Nice job FliteTest. Can we get a build video for one of these planes?

Loved this one, WOW! Model aircraft is such a great topic and you guys (Flite Test) cover it with such a broad brush. So creative, keep it coming please!

This was very cool. Did not even know this kind of thing existed. Very refreshing video to watch! Thanks to Josh for that.

Let us know if you like this... It's got over 840 000 views, yes I think we like this!

i am an ultimate piece of rubber born may 1999

That is some fine tuned specialized flying stuff there. Who ever heard of 10+ minute flights from a rubber band? I learned about a dozen new things from this one video alone. Excellent stuff guys!

That was a very interesting vid, thanks for showing a very different form of aviation. He is very switched on and passionate about them!

Try making a rubber band powered quadcopter!!

4:55 when you realize that this is not slowmo

So cool and inspirational! Thanks for this video and all you do.

This is awesome. I have been waiting for this episode since the announcement on the podcast. Finally I got to see this amazing form of flight, from an engineer who tells you how to get started. Lots of great information. Favorited and liked! Flight test needs to come to geneseo, ny when they have the outdoor get flight event in the summer. That would take dozens of episodes to cover. Nice job guys.

Holy Jesus my brain hurts.

Awesome! I was captivated by F1D since I first saw it! But also like Eric, I have found finding these aircraft in person elusive. It's so great to see that there is a real interest in this side of the hobby. I've been looking forward to a documentary that is a long time in the making called "Float." You can find updates about the project here, I'm sure it's going to be great!! www.kickstarter.com/projects/bensaks/float-documentary/posts

Beautiful. I would love for you to cover more indoor flying, it is fascinating.

This has to be one of flite test best videos of all times, airplanes and rockets...I am not the only one that likes both of these AMA/NAR contest events . . .

Flite Test - Ultra light weight r/c build using these build methods?

goddam everyone is named Josh

This was fantastic, thank you for posting!

Now that’s real skill and dedication .... and most of all a scene of beauty.

I wonder if he could build a helicopter the same way?

One plane comes to mind here. Gossamer Condor.

that guy's a genius, i mean th high amount of planning and thinking that goes into even one of those planes is so amazing. what a work of art!

its amazing that something as simple as a rubber band can be so well tuned as this hobby uses

build film!!!

it looks like its on a string or in slow motion, thats not real!!!(but seriously thats very very cool)

A heartwarming video of human ingenuity. Sweet couple - thanks for this nice video!

Thanks, you guys, for presenting this. A very respectful look at a fascinating area of model aviation.