San Diego Orbiteers Free Flight Club

The San Diego Orbiteers (SDO) free flight club originated in early 1959 to fill a need for regularly scheduled San Diego area contests for free flight modelers. In the late 1970’s members of the SDO created the P-30 event, which became an official Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) event and is the most popular outdoor rubber powered free flight event worldwide. Outdoors, the club sponsors E-36, glider, Coupe (F1G), P-30, and Old Time Rubber/Nostalgia Rubber events on a rotating basis at its monthly outdoor contests in Perris, California. Indoors, the club sponsors Limited Penny Plane, A-6, No-CAL, Phantom Flash, glider, P-18, and Embryo events on rotating basis at its bimonthly indoor contests in El Cajon, California. Each month the club publishes an electronic newsletter called The El Torbellino which contains helpful articles, contest results, contest pictures, and listings of free flight contests throughout California.

New members are welcome to join the SDO. Non-members are invited to attend our contests to enjoy seeing some of the best free flight modelers in the world demonstrate their talents. One of our members is Kang Lee, a three-time F1D world champion. AMA membership is required in order to compete in the SDO’s outdoor contests which are sanctioned by the AMA.

Members of the SDO are proud to coach young flyers in the Wright Stuff, Elastic Launched Glider, and Helicopter events of the annual Regional, State, and National Science Olympiad tournaments.