Me: I am obsessed! I am obsessed with the obscure sport of Flight Shooting. It is an archery game with roots that go back as far as the beginning of archery. The rules are simple, see how far one can shoot an arrow. So simple, it would seem to become tedious in a short amount of time. But for some, it seems to tie into some buried genetic code that may have been programmed into me a long time ago. I would not doubt that my ancestors may have spent much of their time designing and building siege engines during the middle ages. If it weren't for flight archery, I am sure I would be another eccentric trying to figure out how far I could launch a pumpkin with a modern day catapult. I am sure my neighbors appreciate the fact that the projectile launchers I build can fit in the trunk of my car instead of take up my entire back yard.
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| Me, 2010 Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah |
My Goal: My goal is to build a bow that casts an arrow over a mile and I will document my progress here. I plan to complete this project in time for the 2012 US Flight Archery Nationals which are held at the Bonneville Salt Flats in late August or early September.
Some History: No one has been able to accomplish a one mile shot since Harry Drake shot his record Unlimited Foot Bow to a distance of 2024 yards in October, 1971! Although later, Harry Drake built and shot a crossbow 2047 yards in 1988. As a bonus, Harry Drake is recognized by the Guiness Records Book as delivering the farthest projectile using muscle power alone. There have been a lot of advances in materials since, but no one else has been able to repeat this feat. Why? I'll get into that later. It is not easy, and not as simple as shooting a light arrow out of a very heavy bow. What Harry Drake did in 1971 is absolutely amazing!
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| Harry Drake, October 1971, Unlimited Foot Bow |
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| Harry Drake, October 1971, Unlimited Foot Bow |
Competition: It is much more fun to be in a friendly race with some of my bow-building friends to push each other on toward this long distance shooting goal. So far, I count at least four of us who are building either a foot bow or crossbow which may be capable of reaching or exceeding the one-mile mark. So, lets get this arms race off to an official start!!!
