" It's compulsive and totally absorbing.  I love it . To prise the Mini IFO from me would require surgery."

What is an IFO?  It's an indoor flying object.  Thus by definition a Mini IFO is a smaller indoor flying object.  The makers proclaim it will fly in your local gymnasium, sports hall, playing field, park, front or back yard. 

The Mini IFO is the smaller 25" span sister of the standard 33" IFO MK3.  It's best described as a carbon rod framed, plastic skinned, kite with a GWS Pico Stick motor and elevon control.  With 7 cell flight battery and r/c gear it weighs about 5.7oz ready to fly.

My rather battle scarred Mini IFO

Flying in my own back yard (garden) appealed to me so I bought a Mini IFO.   Mine is a fairly average size back garden but after about 10 flying attempts on 7 cells I was struggling. 

 The Mini IFO can be very twitchy, even on the recommended reduced "novice" throws, and in such a small area your reaction times have to be quick - very quick. Particularly if it is breezy which it was. 

I hit most of the obstacles in the garden from a large tree through conifers and shrubs in pots to the wall of the house itself. Surprisingly the Mini IFO shrugged off this abuse with only superficial damage to the covering.

A ladder can be handy for retrieval from taller trees

A further problem for me is that about 10% of my garden area is water, i.e. two ponds,  normally tranquil features, and home of pet goldfish and other friendly aquatic life.  Definitely an unsuitable habitat for any species of IFO.

 Yet the model took advantage of any momentary lapse in my concentration, for even a nanosecond, to become fatally attracted to this relatively small area of water.  It kept going in so often it became a habit.

Mini IFO has affinity for water

The Mini IFO doesn't float. Once it arrives in water it sinks fast like a stricken submarine diving for safety.  However, it is waterproof so drying out the electrics is easy with a hair dryer, though this does no favours to the covering which then shrinks at random.  Yes I know the instructions repeatedly warn of warping the frame if you heat the covering but that's during the build and not later when drying it off. So that doesn't count does it?

Since I was getting nowhere fast on 7 cells I decided to try 8 (as per the instructions - once I had fully read them some nights later).  The transformation was impressive.  Clearly the 8th cell contained not only desirable extra power but an extremely effective pond repellant.  Now each time things went pear shaped and the the model approached a pond I instinctively firewalled the throttle and the Mini IFO made rude noises as it skimmed just above the surface and leapt back into the air.  7 cells just doesn't give this instant response. 

After 3 flights with 8 cells and not a single dunking I was like a dog with two tails. This was fun!

8 cells are very nippy

So if 8 cells was magic how about 9?  A  9 cell pack was hurriedly fitted and now the mini IFO would gently hover over the pond pulling faces and blowing raspberries at it before powering away almost vertically upwards. It reminded me of damsel flies darting and hovering across the pond in summer.  The Mini IFO seems to actually fly slower the more cells you use or perhaps it's just that the pilot has more confidence flying slowly knowing he has the urge to power out of "situations". 

9 cells are ballistic

Problem solved -  I could now laugh in the face of ponds!.  Delirious with success I just had to take the "extra cell experiment" a stage further so I fitted my largest 10 cell pack.

BIG MISTAKE !!!

 In the euphoria I think I lost my presence of mind and launched it at full throttle unlike previous flights which had all been at half throttle.

I seem to remember the blur as it left my hand.  It shot straight as an arrow across the lawn towards the trees and the normal dab of elevon had it coming back towards me inverted like a missile.  I well remember ducking as I turned it hard away from the patio doors.

 My throttle thumb just froze for the rest of that very short flight as my reactions were about half a second behind the model.  It rocketed around the patch occasionally strimming the grass, kissing trees and breaking twigs off shrubs as I vainly tried to get ahead of it.  Finally it did a snap roll and came out inverted approaching the pond.  I knew just where it was going because that's where it always goes.

This time the damage was more severe, the covering was ripped and detached so workshop repairs would be necessary (5 minutes).  And it was getting very dark and cold - then I realized I had been flying the model long after dusk and now I could hardly see outside. In fact I had been flying/repairing covering/charging and changing batteries for almost 4 hours non-stop and the last flight had been lit by an outside light with its 60 watt bulb. I had missed my evening meal and was so cold I was shivering but nobody could have wiped the smile off my face.

That's how the Mini IFO affects you - it's compulsive and totally absorbing.  

 Do I like it?   I love it.  To prise the Mini IFO from me would require surgery.  Its performance and flight envelope are awesome, and it has improved my flying reactions like no other model I have ever flown.  All in my own back garden.

 So if you would like a really tough model that can take the worst you can throw at it. A model that with practice will loop, roll, hover and prop hang yet also burn up the sky like a pylon racer, all in your back garden, try the Mini IFO.

 It can be built in a long evening and costs under 38 quid.

But do fly in daylight to start with. Then you can see trees and ponds.

Fly safely.

Keith Edkins

PS

Is this the start of IFO mania?

KE 03/05/2001