OSD,

I attribute my Free Flight experience with the credit for making it so easy for me to move around within the modeling disciplines at will. In the old days allot of the RC models were nomore than Free Flights with some rudimentary controls installed. They pretty much flew themselves while taking some input from the "pilot". Early CL models were also converted FF's.

There is a treasure of things to be learned by making a model fly without any control. Building straight and light are necessary and natural things for a Free Flighter to learn if he's going to be successful. Learning the subtlties of trimming is invalueable as well. Tiny thrust adjustments can result in huge performance improvements, etc.

Not to mention the fact that I never ever tire of seeing the sunshine through a tissued wing overhead.