Performance Boomerangs

Acknowledgements

The pursuit of trying to get the best out of all the boomerangs I have – both
those I made myself and those I have bought - is one of the most satisfying
parts  of  the  sport  or  boomerangs.    I’ve  been  making  and  throwing  boomer-­
angs since the mid eighties and in that time, I have learned a lot about boo-
merangs and how to get them to perform the way I want them to.

I have spent countless hours, making, tuning, and thinking about how boo-
merangs work, as well as talking with other throwers and trying to figure out
a  system  to  make  it  easier  for  me  to  get  the  results  I’m  after.      I  continue  to  
have an insatiable appetite for information on tweaking boomerangs to im-
prove performance.

I  couldn’t  have  accumulated  the  information  in  this  book  without  consider-­
able guidance along the way. This book is the result of collecting carving
and tuning tips wherever I can. Special thanks to the people who have
shared information with me over the years (either directly or indirectly) as
well as those who crafted the boomerangs featured in this book. A lot of
credit must go to them however any mistakes or omissions are solely mine.

Thanks to the late Brother Brian Thomas, Ted Bailey, Eric Darnell, John
Flynn, Fridolin Frost, Axel Heckner, Fred Malmberg, Doug Dufresne, Mi-
chael  “Gel”  Girvin,  Volker  Behrens,  Georgi  Dimantchev,  Bruce  Carter,  
Adam Carroll, Jonas Romblad, Ola Wahlberg, Michael Siems, Dan Nee-
lands, Pat Steigman and Chet Snouffer. Special thanks goes to Tibor
Horvath for prompting me to update this book although that project got
stalled for a couple of years. He was instrumental in editing and helping
with this second edition. I truly appreciate his help and advice. Thanks
also goes to David Bjørklund for again prompting me to finish what I had
started and for hosting the electronic version of the book.

I hope that as new tricks are learned and new boomerangs are designed,
people in the know will continue to share their knowledge so that we can all
benefit. I encourage you to discuss your experiences and findings with
other throwers and to pass on your knowledge to others whenever possi-
ble.

John Cross — 2012

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

“Performance  Boomerangs”

Author and publisher

John Cross
1422 Highwood Blvd
Devon, Alberta
T9G 2E8
Canada

Graphics and pictures by John Cross

The boomerangs featured in this book are from

the collections of John Cross and Andrew
Cross.

First edition published 2003

Second edition published 2012

All rights reserved.

Copyright John Cross 2003, 2012

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 P E R F O R M AN C E B O O M E R A N G S

CONTENTS

Foreword 4
Safety 5
Good Boomerangs Great Boomerangs 7
General Design and Features of Boomerangs 8
Materials 11
Introduction to Tuning - The Tuning Model 15
Using the Tuning Model 14
Bending and Twisting 18
Add-Ons 21
Airfoil Modifications 28
Tri-Fly Modifications 34
Special Considerations for Wind 36
Putting It All Together 37
Alternate Tuning Methods 39
Repairs 41
Competition 42
Accuracy 44
Aussie Round 48
Fast Catch and Endurance 52
MTA 61
Trick Catch/Doubling 74
Relay 80
Long Distance 82
Performance Boomerang Gallery 85
Suggested Reading 122
Troubleshooting Chart 123

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Foreword
One of my major complaints back when I This book is not aimed at the novice thrower.
started throwing boomerangs was the lack of To use the techniques in this book to their full
tuning information. Although the information potential, you have to be able to throw consis-
available was a good starting point, most of it tently enough that you know the problem with
was  very  general  and  didn’t  really  take  you   the flight is the boomerang and not you. It will
very far after you had the basics down. I al- be assumed here that you know how to adjust
ways found it disappointing that there was no for wind, power, elevation and layover to get
source of information that went beyond the ba- fairly good returns with your favorite boomer-
sics on how to tune and carve boomerangs. angs. Although it is helpful if you have tried
carving and tuning your own boomerangs, it is
Because of the lack of information, tuning can not required to get good results. Nor is it re-
be a bit overwhelming for the uninitiated. For quired that you intend to use these techniques
instance, many never try tuning an MTA be- to construct competition boomerangs. They
cause  they  don’t  even  know  where  to  start.    My   are presented as examples of how different
objective is to remove some of the mystery modifications are used. Hopefully, the tech-
from the art of tuning and provide a starting niques here will help you get your boomerangs
point to get you going. Granted, experience is to perform better or inspire you to get back out
the best teacher and it would be foolish to as- in the shop and try some new things.
sume by reading about it, anyone could be-
come a master tuner. Having a guide to at This book has specific sections on the various
least get you started will ideally make the en- types of competition boomerangs. The section
tire task less intimidating and hopefully, you on long distance boomerangs was not in-
will be more willing to give it a try. cluded in the first edition of this book. It is ad-
mittedly brief and less complete than other
Carving and tuning boomerangs is not hard. sections. Their performance is so unlike other
Although there are numerous tricks and tech- types of boomerangs, I could not do them jus-
niques used when tuning, in reality, they are tice in the space provided. Besides, a great
mostly variations of the same thing even book has already been written on them exclu-
though they seem unrelated. This book is an sively (see Suggested Reading) and anything I
attempt to shed light on these techniques and wrote would be just plagiarizing it.
how  to  use  them.    I’ve  tried  to  make  connec-­
tions when I can to give a bit of insight into why Similarly, there are a number of other topics
things are done the way they are. usually covered in other boomerang books left
out of this book. These include history, theory
If you work your way through the tips in this of the physics, construction basics, thrower
book, hopefully you will end up with some profiles, and specific plans. If you are inter-
pretty good flying boomerangs. The tips here ested in these subjects, there is a list of books
are ones that have worked for me. Undoubt- at the end of this book worth tracking down
edly,  I’ve  missed  tricks  here  and  there  and  do   that have excellent sections on these topics.
things differently than some other throwers. I A quick search on the internet will yield more
do not know all the tricks the top competitors plans than could ever be included in a book.
use to get their boomerangs to fly the way they
do. I definitely do not mean to suggest that the What follows is what I think is the most com-
solutions presented here are the only way to prehensive guide on maximizing the perform-
do things. This book outlines how I approach ance of boomerangs available. In this, the
problems and how I go about trying to fix them. second edition, additional tips and tricks have
Although there are exceptions to the examples been added that were missed in the first edi-
given, they should be useful even though they tion.      I’d  like  to  think  I  got  them  all  this  time.
won’t  always  apply.

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Safety
Any time you are throwing boomerangs, you Some throwers like to wear protective gloves
should take care to ensure the safety of those as well but this is a matter of preference and
around you. Boomerangs can be dangerous if not required safety equipment.
thrown carelessly or around others not aware
of where they are in the air. Do not assume As well as the usual safety throwing rules, ex-
others know where your boomerangs are going tra care should be taken when tuning boomer-
or are paying attention to you. Be aware of angs. The process of tuning can sometimes
your surroundings and any people who may be yield unpredictable results – particularly when
walking near your throwing area. Wait to throw you are at the beginning of the learning curve.
until you are sure the area is clear. If a throw Tuning can potentially turn a poor performer
does get too close to someone, loudly yell a into either a great boomerang or a throw stick.
warning to duck. Make sure you leave even more room for mis-
takes than you would need if you were throw-
A good general rule is to throw on a field with ing your favorite boomerangs. Remember,
at least 2 to 3 times the range of you boomer- with each change you make to a boomerang,
ang in every direction. If not possible, the bare you can completely change the characteristics
minimum for a field to use is 20 meters larger of that boomerang. Keep this in mind particu-
that the range of your longest range boomer- larly if there are others in the area you are
ang. If you were throwing a 50 meter boomer- throwing.
ang, you need to be at least 70 meters away
from anything you could hit . When carving some of the more exotic mate-
rials, protection from the dust is required. In
Boomerangs should be painted bright colours particular, extra care should be taken to en-
to make them easy to see - both in the air and sure you do not breath the dust from materi-
on the ground. Losing sight of a boomerang is als such as fiberglass or phenolics. They can
never fun. If it crashes, you want to be able to cause serious damage to your lungs if pre-
know where to go looking for it to find it. If you cautions are not taken. A HEPA rated dust
lose sight of it in the air, it can be quite unnerv- mask (good to 1 micron particle size) should
ing to hear it whiz past you on the return. be used at all times when dealing with these
Don’t’  take  your  eyes  off  a  boomerang  that  is  in   materials. Although more money than dis-
the air. posable paper masks, they offer significantly
more protection. Safety glasses and hearing
It is also good practice when throwing with oth- protection should also be used any time
ers to wait until other boomerangs have landed power tools are being used.
or been caught before launching yours into the
air. Although some games such as suicide call
for everyone throwing at the same time, this
should be the exception and not the rule while
on the field.

Ordinary sunglasses offer protection in the

event of a catch that bounces off your hands
towards your face or from an errant throw.
This is particularly important when throwing
boomerangs such as fast catches which can
have more of a tendency to bounce off your
hands as you go for the catch. For this rea-
son, it is also wise to only attempt catches
when the boomerang is below head level.

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Safety
After carving, it is a good idea to shower and One last safety consideration that should be
wash off any dust. Some dusts may cause obvious  is  to  make  sure  you  don’t  attach  any-­
irritation on the skin if not washed off. thing sharp or jagged to your boomerang.
Similarly, jagged edges should be rounded to
Additionally, precautions should be used prevent injury when catching.
when handling lead used for weighting boo-
merangs. Wash your hands after handling
and spray a sealer coat of paint or cover the
weight on the boomerang with tape. Avoid
melting lead or using power sanders which
could cover the area with lead dust.

Although good boomerangs can and have

been made out of aluminum, making metal
boomerangs should be avoided. Metal boo-
merangs can de-tune easily if they crash lead-
ing to unpredictable flights. Also, because of
their thinness and colour, unpainted metal
boomerangs seem to disappear against a
cloudy sky making tracking difficult to impossi-
ble. For these reasons, they are not allowed
in competition.

If spray painting your boomerangs, do it out-

side or in a well ventilated area. If you plan to
paint a number of boomerangs, it may be a
good idea to invest in an organic vapour
mask. Be aware that organic vapour masks
and HEPA masks are not interchangeable.
Using an organic vapour mask in a dusty envi-
ronment will not help to protect your lungs.
The same goes for using a HEPA mask in a
vapour rich environment like when you are
painting. Although you can get combination
masks that have cartridges for both, I recom-
mend using separate masks for the different
activities.

If you are dealing with epoxy either for repairs

or for laminating, be sure to wear protective
gloves and work in a well ventilated area.
This is another situation in which an organic
vapour mask can be beneficial, particularly if
you are dealing with it for an extended time
such as when laminating. Epoxy can become
an irritant with repeated exposure and it is
best to minimize contact with it if you can.

6
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Good Boomerangs, Great Boomerangs

To me, the difference between a good boomer- Sometimes even minor changes can have a
ang and a great boomerang is one you like to dramatic effect on the flight.
throw  or  one  you  don’t.    The  difference  can  be  
quite subtle. For some reason, the ones you Although getting the best out of your boomer-
throw remind you of what attracted you to boo- angs is very satisfying, it can also be very frus-
merangs in the first place - that uncanny ability trating. Sometimes, what you do fixes the
of a stick to return to your hand. The other problem on the first try but more often, you
type may work OK but there is something un- struggle through it trying different variations.
satisfying about them. They may require too Sometimes you feel you have tried everything
hard of a throw, not go far enough or not per- and are still not quite satisfied with the results.
form like you want them to. You may not even There  is  always  a  challenge  that  hasn’t  been  
be able to explain why you like one over an- come  across  before  or  something  you  haven’t  
other. tried yet in your attempts to increase perform-
ance that little bit more. Approach each prob-
To get a boomerang to be one of those that lem with an ideal flight in mind then strive to
you always tend to throw, there are a lot of fac- get that flight.
tors. Looking good and feeling well crafted are
important, but unless it flies how you want it to, Learning to adjust a boomerang to your throw
you  are  unlikely  to  throw  it  regularly.    If  I  don’t   takes  practice  and  lots  of  patience.    Don’t  be  
like  the  flight  or  don’t  enjoy  throwing  it,  I  am   dismayed  if  you  don’t  get  it  first  try.    If  you  
more likely to either put it in a box or display it struggle for a long time on a particular prob-
for art than to throw it on a regular basis. My lem, sometimes it is best to leave it alone for a
most treasured boomerangs are the ones I al- while and re-visit it a later time with a fresh
ways take with me out onto the field not those mind. Just like throwing, getting the perform-
that have excellent artwork or a fine finish. ance you want gets easier with practice. The
more you do it, the better you get at it.
The  boomerangs  that  don’t  get  taken  to  the  
field  are  not  bad  boomerangs,  it’s  more  that   Used properly, the tips and modifications pre-
they  don’t  match  my  throwing  style.    They  may   sented in this book can be used to fix most
just be slightly out of adjustment for my tastes. flight related problems. They are not a substi-
To make boomerangs the ones you always tute for poor design, poor craftsmanship, or
carry with you, you need to know how to adjust poor throwing technique. The tuning tips pre-
them so that they match your throw. sented here are generally very effective when
working with proven designs.
It’s  not  possible  to  adjust  every  boomerang  to  
match every throwing style. Some designs Likewise,  these  tips  also  won’t  make  your  boo-­
have an inherently smaller throwing window merangs foolproof. You will still need to throw
than others. Most boomerangs, however, are them right to get good returns. In some in-
made to be suitable for a wide variety of throw- stances, an adjustment to your throw may be
ers. Many boomerangs that may not fly at their required once the tuning modification has
maximum potential for you fly fine for someone been done.
else.
Practice is the only way to get really good.
Tuning and carving for performance is subtle Get out there and do it and you will be a con-
business but is not difficult to learn if you have tender.
a good starting point. A lot will depend on your
throwing style and how particular you are
about your results. Most boomerangs require
at least some tweaking to get them flying right.

7
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

General Design and Features of Boomerangs

Below is a diagram of the different parts of a can act as a third blade. This is easiest to see
boomerang. For lefties, the boomerang is a on boomerangs with a sharp V shaped elbow.
mirror image of the one below. The below diagram shows the transition from a
Elbow tri-blader into a traditional shaped boomerang.

Lead Arm
Dingle Arm

Center of gravity
There are essentially five types of elbows
commonly seen on two-bladed boomerangs:
the V, the U, the flat-top, the keyhole, and the
1/2 blade extension.

Direction of rotation

One note about naming conventions. The

terms arms wings and blades are all inter-
changeable. Similarly, the dingle arm can also
be referred to as the trailing arm, the free arm,
or arm 2 while the lead arm can also be called Generally, tri-bladers or multi-bladers are de-
the lift arm, the throwing arm, or arm 1. scribed by having neutral wings, offset back-
wards or forwards or swept forwards or back-
Rather than try to force boomerangs into cate- wards. In actuality, wings swept forward or
gories such as omegas or hooks, instead lets offset backwards actually are variations of the
look at some key different design features. same thing. The degree of sweep or offset
helps determine lay down rate. Swept forward
Typical tips designs include: straight, tapered wings reduce the lay down rate whereas back
out, tapered in, bulbous, flared (or swept) or a swept wings increase the lay down rate. For
combination of two or more of these features. this reason, it is commonly used when design-
Bulbous and flared tips are used extensively to ing multi-blade boomerangs for specific events
enhance the performance of boomerangs. such as fast catch or trick catch.
They add extra surface area near the tip where
it has the most effect and also contributes to a
natural weighting that comes from having more
mass near the tips.

Designs may be fairly symmetrical or not even

close. It is not uncommon for the blades to not
only be of different length but different shapes
as well. Multi-blader boomerangs with blades
of significantly different lengths or that are not
Two-bladers are generally considered anything evenly spaced are generally referred to as
with two fairly distinct arms. This definition can non-symmetric multi-bladers.
be fuzzy as on some boomerangs, the elbow

8
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

General Design and Features of Boomerangs

The relatively standard airfoil used on most The boomerang spins about an axis that
boomerangs is the semi crude airfoil. There passes through the center of gravity. This
are many variations to the basic airfoil but most point is also known as the center of rotation.
boomerangs will work quite well if carved using The rotating boomerang can be thought to be
this airfoil. The leading edge is cut down ap- spinning in a single plane which is perpendicu-
proximately 1/3 -1/2 the material thickness. lar to the axis of rotation. This is known as the
The trailing edge is cut at a less acute angle plane of rotation. Since boomerangs are typi-
and down about 1/3 - 1/2 of the thickness of cally fairly flat, the plane analogy works fairly
the material. well. When there is significant warp, the wings
may be above or below the plane of rotation.
Trailing edge Leading edge

All these factors; airfoil shape, thickness,

Undercuts typically are understood to be cut chord length, overall design and small differ-
along the underside of the leading edge unless ences to angle of attack and the flatness of the
otherwise specified (i.e. trailing edge under- plane of rotation add up to give the lift gener-
cuts) or when talking about long distance boo- ated by the airfoil and the drag trying to slow it
merangs when the undercut typically refers to down. Both lift and drag are related to the
a trailing edge undercut. speed of the boomerang in terms of both for-
ward velocity and speed of rotation. They are
so interconnected, it is virtually impossible to
Leading edge undercut separate them.

Other airfoil modifications will be covered in Spin retention is controlled not only by the
later sections. drag but also by the weight distribution of the
boomerang which depends on design any
With the exception of MTAs, most boomerangs weights if present. For a dramatic demonstra-
are relatively flat. Any bending and twisting is tion of the effect of weight distribution, place
fairly subtle. The bends and twists that are weights on a tri-blader near the center then
present however are a critical part of a good move them out towards the tips. When close
flying boomerang. Most boomerangs will have to the center, it will spin faster initially but
a slight amount of dihedral (the tips are higher seem to slow down significantly. With weights
than the elbow) and a relatively neutral angle nearer the tips, the spin rate will not seem to
of attack applied to each wing (angle at with change very much at all over the course of the
the airfoil meets oncoming wind). You can flight.    The  weight  didn’t  change  but  the  weight  
check for dihedral and angle of attack by care- distribution did.
fully referencing off a surface you know to be
flat such as a table top. Holding the elbow The weight distribution also contributes to the
down, you can tap the tips to see if they move gyroscopic stability of a boomerang which im-
to identify dihedral. You can also sight down pacts the lay down rate. With the example
the wings to identify any warps or curves. above, you will also notice a difference in how
quickly the centrally weighted tri-blader lays
The thickness of the boomerang depends down compared to the one with weights nearer
largely on the material it is made from as well the tips.
as the design. Wood boomerangs are typically
3 - 6 mm thick although there are some that The gyroscopic stability can also be seen as
are up to about 8 mm. Plastics tend to be 3 - 4 well as how closely the plane of rotation of the
mm thick and composites like phenolics and boomerang matches a flat disc and how much
GFEC run 1.5 - 4 mm. of that disc the boomerang takes up. You have
no doubt seen wide angle traditional that al-

9
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

General Design and Features of Boomerangs

most seem to flutter during the hover while nar- The flight path itself can be almost circular or
row elbow V shapes with flared tips seem like more elliptical. At the extreme, it can even
a solid disc. The wide angle traditional has begin to look like a figure 8 however this is
relatively poor gyroscopic rarely a desirable flight path (except for in
stability as the design takes some cases when throwing a long distance
up a relatively small portion boomerang) as they are hard to catch.
of the disc that the spinning
boomerang traces out while
spinning (shaded area on the
figure to the right). The
sharper V shape boomerang
covers a larger portion of the
same disc even though the
tip to tip distance is the same Likewise, the elevation over the course of the
for both boomerangs. flight can range from relatively level the entire
flight to a gradual increase in height over the
The  last  effect  of  weight  distribution  is  the  “feel”   flight to a sweeping
of the boomerang when throwing. Some boo- flight where the boo-
merangs seem to pull themselves out of you merang gains height
hand and getting spin on them is easy. Oth- on the way out most
ers, not so much. All my favorite boomerangs dramatically near the
have an indescribable feel to their throw. apex of the flight, then
drops down again to
The flight of a boomerang starts at the launch. come in low.
The boomerang is thrown the right of the wind
for a right handed boomerang or to the left of The end of the flight ends with a hover stage
the wind for a left handed boomerang. The lay assuming the boomerang has laid down over
over of the throw, the power behind it, and the the course of the flight. The stability of the
elevation of the throw all depend on the boo- hover stage is often critical to how easy a boo-
merang and conditions. Generally, the more merang is to catch. Ideally, the hover should
spin you can put on it the better. Finding the be fairly straight down but it can also present
sweet spot for a given boomerang requires a itself by rocking side to side to varying de-
bit of trial and error until you get to know that grees or even the dreaded death spiral in ex-
boomerang. treme cases (neither of the last two being de-
sirable).
When the boomerang is initially in the air, it will
be travelling away from the thrower tilted off to
the side the same amount as the initial layover.
As the boomerangs starts to turn, it slowly be-
gins to lay down going from a roughly vertical
plane to a horizontal plane. How quickly the
boomerang lays down is known as the lay
down rate. Different lay down rates are desir-
able for different boomerangs. For a good fast
catch, the difference between the initial rotating
plane and the final one may be negligible. For
a sport boomerang, the final plane of rotation
may be fully horizontal.

10
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Materials
There are numerous materials to choose from There are two types of birch plywood generally
when making your own boomerangs. Just used for making boomerangs: Baltic birch and
about anything will work although the use of Finnish birch.
metals is generally frowned on (metal boomer-
angs are not allowed in competition). Most Baltic birch is readily available at better
people choose to carve their boomerangs out stocked lumber stores. The 1/4 inch 5 ply is
of sheet stock of different materials although excellent - particularly for sport boomerangs.
other methods are possible. Different materi- It is relatively inexpensive and is ideal for ex-
als have their advantages and disadvantages. perimenting with. There tends to be the occa-
The following describes some of the more sional void which can make this material more
common materials used in boomerang con- prone to breakage than higher grades of ply-
struction, and the applications to which they wood. For this reason, it is not typically used
are best suited. They are listed in order of in- for competition boomerangs. When tuning, it
creasing density. is recommended to use heat (steam over a
kettle or about 10 seconds in the microwave).
Wood
Wood is the material most people learn to Finnish birch on the other hand is suitable for
carve boomerangs with. It is stable, does not competition boomerangs. It is very high qual-
require special tools to carve and is readily ity material and is often referred to as aircraft
available. If using power tools, it is recom- grade. It usually has no voids to worry about.
mended to use a dust mask to avoid breathing Typically there are 2 plies per mm thickness.
the dust. All wood boomerangs should be The density is about 0.8 g/cm3 - slightly more
sealed to prevent warping due to humidity than that of Baltic birch plywood.
changes and to protect them from the ele-
ments. Finnish birch is available in several thick-
nesses suitable for boomerangs ranging from
Plywood is probably the most common mate- 2.0 - 6.0 mm. Thinner material is a good
rial used for making boomerangs. Aside from choice for MTA while thicker material is great
being very stable, and easy to carve, the differ- for sport or aussie round boomerangs. Be-
ent plies also act as a contour map of sorts cause of the density, you may need to weight
that allow you to track how much material you it to get extended ranges of over 40 meters.
have taken off which greatly aids in developing Material 3.0 - 4.0 mm thick is ideal for trick
consistent carving skills. catch, fast catch, and accuracy boomerangs.

It is recommended to only use a good quality Unfortunately, suppliers of this material are
plywood. Most regular big box store plywoods rare so it generally takes some looking around
have few layers and the inside layers are often to find it. Mail order is probably your only op-
full of voids or of low quality. Generally, only tion unless you happen to live in a major cen-
the outside plys are any good. Boomerangs ter which has a lumber store that carries it. It
made of cheap plywood are very prone to is also expensive at over four times the price
breaking. You are far better off to use one of of Baltic birch but if you are serious, it is worth
the better grades of plywood available. the extra cost and effort to track down.

It is generally accepted that birch plywood is Tuning can be done by gently bending on the
the best choice of all the different types of ply- field and holding for few seconds or with heat
wood available. Marine mahogany, maple, Thicker materials will need heat of some sort
and plywoods made up of exotic veneers have to get any changes to the tune to stick.
been used but generally only in special appli-
cations where looks are given high priority. Boomerangs can also be made of solid wood.

11
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Materials
Typically, solid wood boomerangs are a show- Plastics
case of craftsmanship and the woods used There are numerous plastics used in the con-
themselves over performance. They typically struction of boomerangs. Most used are typi-
do not find much use in performance boomer- cally 3.0 - 5.0 mm thick. Thinner material is
angs although as with anything there are ex- simply not rigid enough. The four most com-
ceptions. Solid wood boomerangs can be di- mon plastics are polypropylene (PP), ABS,
vided into three groups: Lap joints, strip lami- Nylon and polycarbonate (lexan). Others such
nates and natural elbows. as styrene, acrylic, PVC, and PET have also
been used but are not nearly as common. All
Lap joint boomerangs generally showcase the are excellent for making small multi-bladers for
woods used to make them. Highly figured competition events such as fast catch, accu-
woods are typical choices but any nicely racy, or trick catch. Typically they do not find
grained wood is a viable option. The building applications in MTAs or aussie round boomer-
technique is basically to join two boards using angs. Most are relatively inexpensive and
a lap joint (hence the name) at the elbow. readily available.
Since the grain follows the length of the arms,
this gets around the inherent weakness that Plastics tend to be difficult to carve without
would result if you used a single board to make power tools. They have a tendency to melt
a boomerang. If the grain was reasonably when cutting with a power saw and are very
straight, a single board boomerangs would end hard on cutting blades. Cut slowly and use a
up with at least one of the arms having the coarse blade for best results. Sanding will
wood grain running across the chord of the generally leave a slightly furry or rough sur-
arm which is just asking for breaks. face. If you want a smooth surface, you may
have to resort to scraping with a small knife
An alternative is to build up plywood using ve- held roughly perpendicular to the surface.
neers. It can look quite stunning if contrasting
coloured woods are used. If they arranged so Polypropylene is the lightest of the plastics
that the veneers overlap at the elbow, it is of- typically used. It is slightly more dense than
ten referred to as a feather lap. wood (0.9 g/cm3) but will still float so makes
great boomerangs for use at the beach. You
Strip laminated boomerangs rely on thin strips may, however, need to add weights to get the
that follow the curve of the boomerang. The range you want. Bending and twisting is very
strips may be veneers or be thicker steam bent easy (except in the cold when polypropylene
strips such as oak or ash. For visual appeal, has a tendency to shatter). Typically there is
often more than one species of wood can be no dust emitted when carving so you can
used. Many classic hooks look particularly carve without the need of a dust mask. For
good when made using this technique. boomerang use, look for stress relieved poly-
propylene.
Natural elbows are boomerangs made from
bent branches and roots of trees that naturally ABS is slightly heavier than polypropylene with
follow the shape of the boomerang. Makers a density just over 1.0 g/cm3 (it  won’t  float).    It  
need to be particularly patient as it takes sig- is most commonly used in 3 mm thickness. It
nificant time to find appropriate pieces of wood, is more rigid but is still relatively easy to bend
cut them, dry them, and to prepare them for and twist. ABS is easier to cut, grind and
shaping. If care is not taken, the blanks can shape than polypropylene. ABS is probably
warp to the extent that no amount of tuning the most common material for making fast
(short of steam bending it flat again), would catch boomerangs. The fast catch world re-
result in a flying boomerang. cord was made with an ABS boomerang. ABS
makes excellent 30 meter relay and trick catch

12
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Materials
boomerangs. Paper phenolic (generally referred to as pax in
boomerang circles) is made from paper im-
Nylon is more dense than ABS (about 1.1 pregnated with resin. It has numerous trade
g/cm3) but not as stiff thus it is easier to tune. names such as pax, paxoline, garolite, perti-
If unprotected, nylon will soak up moisture so nax, bakelite, XX grade paper phenolic, and
unlike most other plastics, needs to be sealed hard paper. It is very stiff and fairly durable
after carving. Nylon makes excellent trick although breaks may occur without warning -
catch, accuracy, wind fast catch and 30 meter particularly when twist tuning or if crashes oc-
relay boomerangs. cur. It finishes very well but should be sealed
after carving to protect it from the elements.
Polycarbonate is very tough and is difficult to Like the plastics mentioned earlier, an excel-
twist tune without heat. It is the most dense of lent finish can be achieved by scraping. The
the commonly used plastics and is a great density is typically about 1.4 g/cm3. It is excel-
choice for wind fast catch or accuracy boomer- lent for aussie round and distance boomer-
angs. Tri-bladers with ranges of 30 meters can angs in 3.0 - 4.0 mm. In thinner thicknesses
be made relatively easily with this material. (1.5 - 2.0 mm), it is excellent for trick catches
The density of polycarbonate is about 1.2 and wind MTAs.
g/cm3.
GFEC is a fiberglass composite that uses ep-
Composites oxy as the binder material. G10 is probably the
Composites are typically a series of thin sheets most popular grade. Other grades such as
of reinforcing material bonded together using G11 are sometimes used although generally
an epoxy or phenolic resin. The combination only in distance boomerangs. Boomerangs
of the two materials yields mechanical proper- with relatively short chord lengths are easily
ties superior to either component by itself. twist tuned. The density of GFEC is 1.7 -1.8
Composites tend to be more expensive than g/cm3. GFEC is virtually unbreakable although
other plastics. repeated tuning may result in loss of stiffness
and cause the boomerang to loose its tune
Composites tend to be very dense and power easily. GFEC is fantastic for aussie round
tools are generally required for carving. Spe- boomerangs in thicknesses of 2.0 - 3.0 mm. It
cial precautions must be taken to avoid breath- is also excellent for trick catch boomerangs in
ing the dust generated when carving compos- thicknesses of 1.5 - 2.0 mm. It tends to be too
ites. Use a minimum of a HEPA rated dust heavy to find use in MTA boomerangs.
mask if you carve these materials. A regular
paper filter dust mask is simply not sufficient. Carbon fiber is the most expensive and most
exotic of the composites. Like GFEC, it also
Linen or canvas phenolic use woven cloth as typically uses epoxy as the binder matrix.
the inner matrix. It is very easy to twist tune Sheet stock of carbon fiber is incredibly stiff
and very durable. However, it is difficult to get and usually reserved only for distance boo-
a smooth finish. This is not necessarily a bad merangs although other boomerangs have
thing - particularly for wind boomerangs that been made with it as well. It is difficult but not
require lots of drag. It is excellent for aussie impossible to twist tune. Generally heat is re-
round boomerangs in 3.0 mm and for trick quired if adjustments to the tune are required.
catch boomerangs in 1.5 - 2.0 mm. It can be More common is to actually carve tune. Den-
used for MTAs in the thinner thicknesses but it sity in sheet stock is about 1.5 -1.8 g/cm3.
is not very stiff compared to other materials. Carbon fiber is one of the most striking of all
Density is about 1.3 g/cm3. The best grades materials due to its iridescent appearance.
are CE (canvas) or LE (linen).
Some people actually make up their own com-

13
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Materials
posites for boomerangs. It is not that hard to
laminate multiple layers of paper, cotton, silk,
fiberglass, carbon fiber or even aramid (Kevlar)
fabric with epoxy to make up your own, custom
thickness sheet stock. Some even mix and
match the fabrics to take advantage of the
properties of each.

A variation of this finds use with numerous

makers who have made high performance
MTAs. They make an incredibly light but still
stiff boomerang by wrapping a carbon fiber
skin over a very lightweight core. More details
of this technique are included in the MTA sec-
tion.

14
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Introduction to Tuning—The Tuning Model

The following pages outline generic tips for There are four changes you can make to your
tuning. As with any generic tips, they will typi- boomerang that you need to worry about –
cally give good results. There are exceptions dihedral, lift, drag, and weight distribution. Al-
to any rules but they will give you a good place though seemingly unrelated, they in fact sig-
to start when deciding how to fix a problem. nificantly overlap in their effects and can at
These tips will work for most sport and aussie least partially be thought of as just variations
round boomerangs. With minor variations and of the same thing. Because of this, you can
key ideas applied, they are also very useful for often pick which one you want to use and still
more specific types of boomerangs. get the same effect.

When tuning a boomerang, you are after a bal- These four parameters are variations of the
ance of the forces acting on the wings. Think same thing and are so intricately connected, it
of each adjustment as a step toward balancing is often impossible to change one without in-
these forces. If the lift of one wing is out of bal- advertently changing one or more of the oth-
ance with the other, you need to take steps to ers. This can happen despite efforts to not
re-achieve the balance otherwise it will ad- change more than one parameter at a time.
versely affect the flight. For instance if your
boomerang has too much lift on the lead arm, For this reason, be wary that things are not
you could regain the balance and fix it by either always as they seem. The modification that
increasing the lift on the dingle arm to match you expect to work may not actually be what
the lead arm, or decrease the lift on the lead you  end  up  using.    If  an  adjustment  didn’t  have  
arm to match that of the dingle arm. the desired effect, re-examine the flight and try
reversing what you did. The problem may be
Imbalances can be identified by the flight be- somewhere  where  you  didn’t  originally  expect  
havior of the boomerang. With practice, you it, be a bit more subtle than you expected, or
will develop an eye for these behaviors and be be the result of unavoidable interconnections
able to identify problems based on how a boo- of the effects.
merang flies. Once you think you know the
problem, you can take appropriate action to Suppose you are throwing a boomerang with
correct it. dramatically forward swept wings and it
crashes into the ground partway around. Your
Many modifications, although seemingly unre- first inclination might be to add some positive
lated are in fact just variations of the same dihedral to increase the height of the flight but
thing. By thinking of each adjustment as a way this seems to make it worse. However, when
of balancing the forces on your boomerang, you add negative dihedral the problem goes
you can use what you know to try other modifi- away.    This  doesn’t  make  sense  until  you  no-­
cations to get the same effect. tice that when you add negative dihedral to a
forward  swept  wing,  you  can’t  help  but  also  
The right combination of adjustments is often give it positive angle of attack at the same
found by a mix of experience, trial and error, time! The increased lift that results from addi-
and educated guesses. Multiple adjustments tional positive angle of attack is what in-
may be required to find the flight you are after. creases the likelihood of a full return.
In any given situation, it is possible that a vari-
ety of combinations of modifications will give Unfortunately,  since  you  can’t  measure  the  
satisfactory results but one combination might forces at work directly, you have no way of
be a bit better than others. Learn from your telling if a boomerang is in balance with itself
mistakes and develop your eye for how to get by just looking at it. To determine if an altera-
the performance you want. tion  to  your  boomerang  will  improve  it’s  flight,  
you need to throw it, make an adjustment and

15
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Introduction to Tuning—The Tuning Model

throw it again. If you see an improvement, you can imagine that you are left with a two-blader
did something right. You can make another boomerang. Treat it like one and apply the
adjustment to see if you can make the flight same idea we did for
even better. If it got worse, you can either re- the two-blader above to
verse what you did or try a different approach. the tri-blader. Assign
one arm as the lead
However, unless a clear method is used to arm and the other “Dingle”  arm   “Lead”  arm                                          
solve the problem, tuning would still be a as the dingle arm. Return Outbound
daunting task. Random changes would make For best results
progress slow. What is needed is a model to leave one arm (the
use as a guide for making modifications. “elbow  arm”)  com-­
pletely neutral.
The tuning model used here is just such a
guide. Others use a similar approach only for It is recommended to mark the arms on tri-
dihedral adjustments but I have found it works bladers with a pen (i.e. L for lead, D for dingle)
for almost all modifications. It works on two- to avoid confusion in the event that additional
bladers, tri-bladers, both competition and sport changes are required during another throwing
boomerangs. It can even be applied to quads session. Use whatever labeling system you
but  it  isn’t  quite  as  reliable  as  I’d  like  (however   like but be consistent to avoid having problems
if you can tune a tri-blader, chances are you later on.
can handle a quad with minimal difficulty). It is
invaluable when figuring out how to approach a To be able to use this tuning model effectively,
tuning  problem.    It’s  not  100%  perfect  but  is   you need to be able to determine where along
generally a great place to start. the flight path you want the change to happen.
This will give you a starting point for any
In essence, the basis of this tuning method is changes you make.
to superimpose the flight of the boomerang
over the boomerang itself to help you figure out For problems that originate on the outward
how to fix a problem. It is assumed that path, changes to the lead arm are usually
changes made at the corresponding spot on made. Things that happen on the way out are
the boomerang translate into changes in the the initial turn, gain of elevation on the outgo-
flight during that portion of the flight. This ing path, and the outward range. Problems
seems  like  it’s  too  simple  to  actually  work  but  it   on the way back are generally fixed by adjust-
does. All modifications presented in this book ments to the dingle arm. Things that can be
will use this model as a reference point. attributed to the dingle arm include gain of ele-
vation on the way back, accuracy of the return,
For two-bladers, the lead arm corresponds to how quickly the boomerang cuts in on the way
the first part of the flight (the way out). The back and hover. For instance, if your boomer-
dingle arm corre- Dingle arm Lead arm
ang flies too low immediately after it is thrown
sponds to the second Return Outbound (on the way out), an adjustment to make it fly
part of the flight (the higher on the lead arm should be made.
way back). The elbow
represents the point of It is wise to make adjustments in a series of
the flight when the small steps rather than one big one. Test
boomerang is furthest throw your boomerang after every adjustment
from you. to make sure you are on the right track. Any
subsequent changes you make should be
On a tri-blader, you have to use your imagina- based  on  the  results  of  that  throw.    If  you  didn’t  
tion a bit more. If you cover up one arm, you get the magnitude of effect you were after,

16
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Introduction to Tuning—The Tuning Model

make additional adjustments over a few steps. The tuning model would indicate that balance
Small adjustments reduce the risk of break- could be restored by an adjustment to the din-
ages and it is easier to backtrack in the event gle arm since the problem happens in the re-
that you chose the wrong adjustment. If ad- turn portion of the flight. It is suspected that
justments do not yield the expected results or if too much lift on the dingle arm
you go too far, it is easier to reverse the is causing it to cut in too fast.
change back where you started. A reduction of the lift on the
dingle arm would make it so
It is also wise to focus on trying to change only that the boomerang would not
one characteristic of the flight at a time. In the cut back in as quickly and
above example, adjust for height of the flight in would thus improve the accu-
small steps until it is flying right. Once the racy.
height problem has been fixed, work on range,
accuracy, or some other aspect you feel needs However, an equally valid approach would be
work. to look at this as a range problem. The reason
it is not making it all the way
As well as focusing on fixing only one problem back is that it is going too far
with the flight at a time, try to only make one out initially. In this case, the
adjustment at a time. Making multiple adjust- tuning model would suggest
ments at the same time (such as adjusting an increase in lift on the lead
both dihedral and angle of attack at the same arm would reduce the range
time or adjusting dihedral on both arms) may and fix the accuracy problem
lead to confusion over which adjustment had as well.
what effect on the flight. If additional adjust-
ments are required, it may not be clear what Now that we have a bit of an idea on how to
needs to be done. This can be particularly use the tuning model, we will move on to spe-
frustrating  if  things  don’t  go  as  expected  - it cific modifications you can use. The modifica-
may be nearly impossible to backtrack to your tions you can make are separated into three
original performance. categories – bending and twisting, add-ons,
and airfoil modifications. Each of these is de-
You can often resolve a problem and get the scribed in their own section with specific tips
same end result using more than one ap- on how to apply them.
proach. As mentioned earlier, balance can be
achieved by either adjusting the lead arm to Note that the pictures used to describe airfoils,
match the dingle arm or adjusting the dingle modifications, and flights are often exagger-
arm to match the lead arm. Your choice will ated for clarity and may not be to scale.
depend on your expectations and how you
view the problem. Be prepared to look at
problems from different points of view to find
the one that works best for you.

For example, lets look at a

boomerang that is landing in
front of you on the return.
You have tried altering your
throw but you are convinced
that the tune needs to be al-
tered.

17
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Bending and Twisting

Bending and twisting offers the advantage that Usually the flex is applied in a gentle curve
the outward appearance of your boomerang is over the length of the arm starting at about the
unchanged. Unlike other modifications, you mid-point of the arm however may be concen-
can’t  tell  what  was  done  without  either  throw-­ trated near the
ing the boomerang or making very precise tips in certain
measurements. applications.

When learning how to bend and twist, it is rec- Dihedral can also be applied in steps although
ommended to hone your tuning skills using a this is more rare. To apply it in steps would
plastic boomerang (polypropylene or ABS). likely require either a very flexible material or
Once you have the basics down, move onto heat to avoid breaking.
other materials.
To get an idea for the amount of dihedral pre-
Plastics lend themselves to bend and twist sent, place your boomerang on a flat surface
tuning as they are relatively pliable and not and hold the elbow down. By tapping the tips,
very likely to break. When bending or twisting you should be able to determine how much
plastic, simply bend past where you want it they are up off the surface of the table. If light
and release it immediately. If you need more tapping does not result in a clicking sound, try
bend , repeat the procedure. flipping the boomerang over and tap again.
You can also sight down the wing looking from
Linen phenolics and GFEC are tuned in the the elbow to the tip for a gentle curve however
same way. Paper phenolic typically needs to this can be tricky if the wings are not straight.
be tuned in smaller steps. Heat may be re-
quired to prevent breaks. Dihedral affects the height of the flight. When
the tips are bent up, they are above the plane
Wood is a bit trickier. On the field adjustments of rotation around the center of gravity. As a
can be made by twisting slightly past where result, the force generated off the airfoil is an-
you want as with plastic and holding it in that gled such that the produced flight is higher.
position for a few seconds rather than releas- With negative dihedral, the tips are below the
ing right away. For more dramatic changes, plane of rotation and a lower flight results.
heating over a steam kettle or microwaving
may be required to get the tune to stick. Most sport and aussie round boomerangs
work well when relatively flat. A small amount
The two variations of bending and twisting are of positive dihedral (1 - 2 mm) is usually a
dihedral and angle of attack (AOA). good thing to help get good returns and im-
prove hover at the end of the flight. Some
Dihedral specialized boomerangs such as trick catches
Dihedral is how much flex the arm has in it. and MTAs may require significantly more dihe-
Most boomerangs are not perfectly flat but are dral (some MTAs may have 10 mm or more of
actually slightly dish shaped. Positive dihedral dihedral) to achieve the height needed for a
is defined as the tips being bent slightly up. proper flight. Other boomerangs such as fast
Negative dihedral (or anhedral) is just the op- catches typically need a bit of negative dihe-
posite and represents when the arms are bent dral to ensure they have a low flight path.
slightly down.
How To Use Dihedral
Dihedral is adjusted to control the height of the
Positive dihedral Negative dihedral flight. If a boomerang flies too high or scoops
up somewhere along the flight, it has too much
positive dihedral. If it flies too low, it needs

18
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Bending and Twisting

more  dihedral  so  that  it’s  not  crashing  on  the   the leading edge and the trailing edge are
way around. Some positive dihedral will also even with respect to one another.
often help stabilize the hover at the end of the
flight. Additionally, small increases in dihedral Angle of attack is difficult to determine visually.
will sometimes dramatically reduce the power You can sometimes see variations by sighting
required to throw a given boomerang. down the arm from the tip to the elbow looking
for any twist. More often, analysis of the flight
Using the tuning model as a starting point, if is your only option.
your boomerang immediately climbs too high,
it is fairly safe to conclude that since it hap- Angle of attack affects the lift of the arm it is
pened on the outward part of the flight, there is applied to. More positive angle of attack will
probably too much dihedral in the lead arm. increase the lift. Negative angle of attack will
Bend it down a bit to get it to fly lower. If, on reduce the lift. Angle of attack can also affect
the other hand, it crashed right away, bend the the lay down rate. Positive angle of attack will
lead arm up a bit to keep it in the air. increase the speed at which a boomerang lays
down over the course of its flight.
Similarly, adjust the dingle arm if the height of
the flight needs to be adjusted on the return. Too much positive angle of attack will result in
excess drag and cause the boomerang to run
Generally, it is best to adjust the boomerang so out of spin before it ends its flight or cause so
that there are no extreme height variations much drag that the boomerang has trouble
over the flight. If you are after a high flight, ad- making a full return. Negative angle of attack
just the boomerang so that the height is gained can help with spin retention although too much
in a smooth arc – not a dramatic swoop at any can reduce the lift such that full returns are not
point. A smooth arc implies relatively good possible.
balance between the two wings.
If too much angle of attack is applied (either
Dihedral also helps with the hover at the end of positive or negative), you can reach a point
the flight. Minimal dihedral will result in a mini- where the amount of drag overwhelms the lift.
mal hover. More dihedral will generally result As a result, most boomerangs work well with
in more hover. Too much dihedral however, fairly neutral angle of attack. Generally only
will result in an unstable, unpredictable hover, minor adjustments are required. Exceptions
spiraling in the hover or can cause S-ing out at are fast catch boomerangs and MTAs where
the end of the flight. Drag can have a big effect significant angle of attack adjustments are
on how much dihedral a boomerang can han- common to achieve the optimal flight.
dle
Angle of attack is adjusted by twisting the arm
Angle of Attack (AOA) of the boomerang. To adjust the angle of at-
Angle of attack refers to the angle at which the tack, grab the tip and just below the elbow and
airfoil enters the air to produce lift. Positive twist the direction you want. Positive angle of
angle of attack is when the leading edge of the attack on a right handed boomerang is added
airfoil is higher than the trailing edge (on right by twisting the tip counterclockwise. To add
handed boomerangs this is counterclockwise). negative angle of attack, twist the tip clock-
Negative angle of attack is when the trailing wise. Small adjustments usually go a long
edge is higher. Neutral angle of attack is when ways. Extreme changes are usually not re-
quired.

How To Use Angle of Attack

Positive angle of attack Negative angle of attack With angle of attack, a little goes a long way.
Positive angle of attack will create more lift
19
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Bending and Twisting

(unless you overdo it in which case you create Extending the range will often make the boo-
too much drag to maintain spin) and cause the merang land in front of you. Additional adjust-
boomerang to lay down slightly quicker. Nega- ments to the dingle arm would be required.
tive angle of attack will decrease lift, may in- Finding the right balance requires patience
crease spin and will slightly delay the lay down and practice.
rate making the boomerang stay vertical
longer.

Increases to the amount of lift will tighten the

curve of the circle the boomerang makes. De-
creasing the amount of lift will increase the size
of the curve.

From the tuning model, we know that changes

in lift made to the lead arm affect range (the
way out). If you wanted to get another couple
of meters of range out of your boomerang, the
tuning model would indicate that an adjustment
to the lead arm is required as the range is de-
pendent on the outbound path. To extend the
range, the tightness of the curve of the out-
bound path needs to be extended. This can be
achieved by reducing the lift of the lead arm. A
slight twist of negative angle of attack into the
lead arm will give it to you. Similarly, if it is go-
ing too far, a bit of positive angle of attack will
tighten up the flight path a bit.

The dingle arm works in a similar way. If your

boomerang is cutting in front of you, some
negative angle of attack on the dingle arm may
allow it to come all the way back. The tight-
ness of the circle can be expanded to correct
for the boomerang cutting in too fast. If it is not
cutting in fast enough, a bit of positive angle of
attack will fix it. Positive angle of attack on the
dingle arm will also reduce the lay down rate.
Too much negative angle of attack on the din-
gle arm may result in the boomerang S-ing out
or having a figure eight flight path.

It is also important to note that changes to one

arm will invariably affect the other and may re-
sult in additional adjustments being required. If
you are making adjustments to range, you will
likely to also have to make adjustments to ac-
curacy once the range has been established.
It is often impossible to adjust the range with-
out having some effect on the overall return.

20
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Add-Ons
Add-ons are things you attach to your boomer- Drag Modifiers
ang to modify its flight. These can include vari- Drag modifiers are used to make adjustments
ous items to modify drag of the boomerang or to lift, the hover, and the overall accuracy of
to alter the weight distribution of the boomer- the return. It is also likely the most common
ang. They can generally be easily removed to method used for dealing with excessive wind.
get you back to the original performance or re-
positioned for a new or enhanced effect. Drag typically reduces the lift of the arm onto
which it is applied. This has the similar effect
Because they are so easy to experiment with as adding negative angle of attack to that arm.
without permanently altering your boomerang, However, when adjusting the lift using angle of
add-ons are probably the easiest and most effi- attack, we had the option of increasing or de-
cient way to learn how to tune a boomerang. creasing the lift of a wing to get it into balance
They are quick to apply, quick to adjust, and with the other wing. With drag, you only have
easy to remove to restore the original perform- the option of reducing the lift.
ance  if  things  don’t  go  the  way  you  expect.  
Add-ons are an ideal starting point for many in Using the example in which the dingle arm has
the quest to learn how to tune a boomerang. too much lift relative to the lead arm, a similar
You can experiment quickly without fear of ru- effect could be seen by adding positive angle
ining a good boomerang. You have instant of attack to the lead arm or adding negative
feedback for whatever modification you tried angle of attack to the dingle arm. Both can
and feedback for how minor adjustments affect bring the balance back. However, when using
the flight. They also give a visual cue as to drag, only drag added to the dingle arm would
what you did to the boomerang since they are be effective.
fairly obvious. Each adjustment takes less
than a couple of seconds and is easy to keep The amount of drag added is directly related to
track of what you did. Add-ons are also the the destructive effect on the lift and thus the
preferred method for on the field adjustments. flight. The amount of drag can be controlled
by the size of the object used to create the
What you learn using add-ons can be applied drag and by its placement on the boomerang.
to help you learn how to do other adjustments
as well. If an add-on fixes a flight problem, any The position where
modification that has a similar effect should the drag is placed
have a similar result. By making connections has a significant ef-
between the similarities of add-ons and other fect on the magni-
possible modifications, you can expand you tude of the effect on
knowledge into other tuning techniques rapidly. lift realized. Posi-
tioning the drag near
Unfortunately, most add-ons deter from the the tips will maximize
overall appearance of the boomerang. Simply the effect it has on
put, they cover up the paint job the maker lift. Moving it closer to Close to tip Far from tip
spent time getting to look nice. However, if the center of rotation Large effect Small effect
you are after performance or are interested in will reduce the effect.
competition, you need to be able to understand
how to take advantage of add-ons. The effect of position is due to how much air
the drag disrupts as the boomerang rotates.
There are only two types of add-ons routinely Near the center of rotation, the drag does not
used. These are drag modifiers and weights. pass through as much air as if the drag were
closer to the tips. Since the drag does not
pass through as much air, it has a less de-

21
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Add-Ons
structive effect on the lift. situations, additional rubber bands may be
added until you get the effect you are after.
Similarly, the size of Rubber bands are also among the quickest
the object used to adjustments you can make to a boomerang.
create drag has an They are so fast that it is even possible to
effect on the drag make adjustments when throwing under time
and thus the effect pressure such as in the middle of a fast catch
on the flight. For round.
fairly obvious rea-
sons, a large flap or For extra drag, another option to just adding
rubber band will cre- more rubber bands is
ate more drag than a Large add-on Small add-on to thread another rub-
small one. Large effect Small effect ber band under the
original rubber band
As you might guess, playing with both location and allowed it to hang
and size of the drag allows complete control out into space. Place-
over how much drag is added for a given appli- ment can be either on
cation. A small flap near the tips may offer the the top of the airfoil, on
same effect on the flight of the boomerang as a the bottom, or hanging
larger flap near the center of gravity. The re- off the trailing edge.
sulting drag is the same in both scenarios.
You can add a tiny bit of drag or a huge Another rubber band
amount quickly and easily and adjust either for alternative is to thread
ideal placement. a rubber band through
a small hole and letting
Your most common choices for drag are non- it hang out into space
destructive, on either side.
easily mov-
able meth- Wrapping entire sections with athletic tape is
ods such as sometimes used when the drag
rubber is required over a large area.
bands, Vel- This technique is not used very
cro, and extensively because of the diffi-
flaps. culty in changing the position of
an area wrapped in tape.
Other options are to Sometimes this technique is
wrap large sections forced into use by the need to
with athletic tape or cover an area repaired or by the
use turbulators (also repair itself.
known as turbs) but
these methods are Attaching adhesive Velcro dots (1/2 inch di-
comparatively rare. ameter) to your boomerang is ex-
cellent if you want to add lots of
My favorite form of drag is rubber bands be- drag. Either side of the Velcro will
cause they are so simple and easy to re- work (the fuzzy stuff or the small
position. Just wrap them around the blade you hook side). Because of the mag-
think requires a bit of drag. They are easily nitude of the drag caused by Vel-
rolled up or down the wing to find the proper cro, they tend to only be used
position. For added effect in more extreme nearer to the center of gravity

22
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Add-Ons
where the effect is not as strong or for wind surface of the boomerang similar to the dim-
applications. Velcro dots can be placed either ples on a golf ball. There is some debate as to
on top of the airfoil, on the bottom, or even whether turbulators add drag or reduce drag.
around the leading edge for different effects. Either way, the end result is a localized area
where the drag is modified from adjoining ar-
For a smaller effect, a small piece of sandpa- eas. It is simply another variation of the same
per may be used as a substitute for the Velcro idea.
dot. The sandpaper can also be used to help
with grip if throwing in wet conditions if put There are more permanent ways of adding
near the tip of the throwing arm. drag to your boomerang but these will be dealt
with under the airfoil modifications section.
Flaps are another common add-on. They work
great but some people feel they are more How To Use Drag Modifiers
prone to change than other approaches (they Drag modifiers are very straight forward to
can lay down or change shape if crushed) al- use. In a nutshell, if you add drag and the ef-
though typically, this is not a significant prob- fect is not as great as you wanted, move it
lem. Flaps can be made using any kind of closer to the tips. If the effect of the drag was
tape available (athletic, duct, electrical, etc). too much, move it closer to the center of grav-
Flaps have the same advantage as Velcro in ity. Small adjustments in the placement of the
that they can be placed either on the top or drag can have a great effect on the return of
bottom of your boomerang.
the wing,
or on the To take advantage of drag for accuracy of the
leading or return, throw so that the boomerang is coming
trailing directly for you at the end of the flight. De-
edge to pending on where you place the drag, you can
achieve control where it stops or as some people refer
additional to  it  “put  on  the  brakes”.    If  it  lands  or  sets  up  
effects. into the hover in front of you, you can pull it
back a bit by adding drag on the dingle arm.
A relatively new way of dealing with wind is the Adjust the location of the drag up or down the
use of turbulators. Turbulators are small strips arm until it pulls the boomerang back to you. If
of tape or stickers attached to the boomerang. it blows past you, move it closer to the center
The strips are generally about 2 - 3 inches long of gravity. If it is still in front of you, try moving
and about 1/8 inch wide. They may be straight it closer to the tip. If on the other hand the
or zigzag (cut with pinking shears). Although boomerang starts out landing behind you, try
only the thickness of a piece of paper, they can putting the drag on the lead arm. Adjust the
have a surprisingly large effect on the flight of location to find the sweet spot where your boo-
a boomerang. Typically they are merang is landing right in your hands.
positioned parallel to the leading
edge about 1/4 inch from the edge Flaps made with tape have a bit of an advan-
but other locations are possible tage over other forms of drag such as rubber
too. Turbulators are most often bands. Since they can be put either on top, on
found on MTAs but they may have bottom, around the leading edge or around the
potential applications for other trailing edge of the airfoil, additional effects
types of boomerangs as well. can be achieved. Used properly, they can be
used to adjust the height of the flight (similar to
Generally, it is felt that turbulators create a dihedral), range, or just the lift. The following
small boundary layer of air that sticks to the diagram shows how placement on the airfoil

23
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Add-Ons
affects your flight. center has a similar
effect. However, the
hole has to be small
enough for the rubber
More drag More drag band not to fall out and
Flies lower May fly higher
keeping it where you
want it is sometimes a
problem.
More drag More drag
May fly higher Flies lower A flap or Velcro dot in the center on the bottom
seems to help make trick catches float better
and reduces rocking. Placed on top, they
have a similar effect although they speed up
More drag More drag the rate of decent rather than slow it down.
More range Less range

Velcro dots can be used for similar effects but

are not as effective for adjusting the range.
Put on top of the airfoil or around
the leading edge, they tend to
lower the flight. On the bottom,
they seem to help increase the
height of the flight. Velcro is also
very effective at slowing down a In wind, drag is your best friend. Drag can
boomerang that is coming in too make normally unmanageable winds tolerable
fast to catch. and will let you throw in higher winds without
fear of being blown away. In very windy condi-
Multi-bladers need a bit of special attention tions, the best boomerangs often have numer-
when it comes to drag. Drag near the tips can ous flaps and rubber bands on them. Add on
help slow the spin and make catching easier. more as conditions get more extreme. When
Drag in the center section of a tri-blader will the wind is up, a bit of drag will do wonders.
often help resolve unpredictable hovers and
will slow the forward Weights
momentum near the Like drag and bending and twisting, weights
end of the flight. This can also be used to adjust the flight. Weight-
can be particularly ing can be used to increase range, to improve
useful for trick catch wind resistance, adjust for height, and adjust
boomerangs to help for accuracy. It is particularly useful when try-
stabilize the hover. A ing to adjust difficult to twist tune boomerangs
rubber band wrapped such as those made out of thicker composites
around the center sec- such as 4 mm paper phenolic.
tion will only slow for-
ward motion and help When most people think of weighting, it is usu-
stabilize rocking hov- ally to take advantage of the extra momentum
ers. It has minimal ef- the boomerang gets when a weight is added.
fect on the rate of de- This extra momentum is generally used to in-
scent. crease the range. Unfortunately, the tuning
model  doesn’t  incorporate  the  direct  effect  of  
Threading a rubber band through a hole in the more mass on the performance of the boomer-

24
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Add-Ons
ang. However, weights affect the characteris- To permanently attach a weight to your boo-
tics of boomerangs in more subtle ways than merang the weight is generally imbedded into
just increasing the overall momentum of the the wing. A hole is drilled at
boomerang and these effects can be related an appropriate place and a
back to the tuning model. weight is inserted.

In addition to the additional overall momentum, The most common weights permanently at-
weights shift the center of gravity around which tached to boomerangs are generally either
the boomerang rotates. A weight on one arm brass or lead although coins are sometimes
will shift the center of gravity such that the effi- used as well. Typical, lead weights range in
ciency of that arm is reduced and the efficiency size from 1/4 – 3/8 inch in diameter although
of the other arm is increased. The weighted larger sizes can be seen for certain applica-
wing does not follow an arc as big as before tions. Brass weights are typically approxi-
the weight was added and thus it is moving mately 3/8 inch in diameter.
slower through the air over a single rotation.
Since it is moving slower, the airfoil on the To insert a brass weight, cut a short section of
weighted arm generates less lift. The other brass rod slightly longer than the thickness of
arm follows a larger arc and is thus moving the material it is to be inserted into. The rod is
faster. The lift generated on the non-weighted inserted into a hole and glued in place with
arm is actually increased. The end result is epoxy. The ends are then filed or sanded
similar to the effect of adding positive angle of level with the surface of the airfoil.
attack to the unweighted arm or negative angle
of attack or drag to the weighted wing. The same method can be
used with a lead weight but
instead of gluing the weight
in, the weight can be set in
place with a couple of gentle
taps with a hammer.

However, when filed or sanded to a level sur-

face, lead may cause a black smear - particu-
larly if the weight is inserted into wood. Lead
When the weight is put either on top of the weights are best cut to very close to the right
wing or on the bottom, an additional effect can size, and put into a slightly oversized hole.
be realized. When attached to the surface of
the wing, the center of gravity not only shifts For a bit of extra holding power to keep the
towards the wing on which it was placed but lead weight from falling out or becoming loose
also shifts out of its original plane. This shift after a long periods of use, two different tech-
creates a wobble in the actual plane of rota- niques for locking in the weight are sometimes
tion. This wobble can be such that the relation used. A hole can either be drilled partway
of the tips may be above or below the actual through the material then flipped over and
center of gravity. This results in an effective drilled though from the other side. A small
change in angle of attack and effective dihedral ridge on the inside of the hole is created which
on the wings which affects the height of the holds onto the weight a bit
flight. This has a similar effect as adjusting better than a flat surface.
dihedral and adjusting the angle of attack and
can result in an overall effect of a higher or Another method is to either drill small holes in
lower flight. the sides of the hole or to machine a small
groove into the side of the hole using a small

25
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Add-Ons
rotary tool. When pounded into the hole, the adjustments.
lead will form itself into the
groove and never fall out. Lead tape available from some sports stores
for adjusting golf clubs is also used for minor
For a particularly professional looking weight, adjustments. It allows for smaller additions of
use round lead shot. Drill a blind hole (only weight with less risk of modifying drag or the
partway though the thickness of the material) shape of the airfoil. As when dealing with
then insert the lead ball into the hole and tap other lead weights, tape over the weight to
lightly to set the weight. If the hole is drilled to minimize contact with your skin once the
the right depth, when the ball is tapped into placement has been finalized.
place, it will be level with the surface. Drilling
the hole to the right depth can easily be done A typical rule of thumb to use when weighting
with a drill press and do- is to limit the amount to about 1/3 the weight of
ing a few test runs on a the boomerang. The only boomerangs that
scrap piece of material. typically approach this limit are old style dis-
tance hooks that needed excessive weight to
When using lead, be sure to tape over or paint perform as desired.
over the weight so that the lead does not di-
rectly contact your skin when throwing or How To Use Weights
catching. Be sure to wash your hands after When most people think of weighting their
handling lead. Lead is an known toxin and it is boomerangs, it is to extend the range. When
best to minimize contact with it. placed near the tips, significantly more range
can be obtained. This is particularly true when
Inlaying coins is done by drilling an appropriate the weight is added to the tip of the lead arm.
sized blind hole but in this case, gluing the If we look at the example shown earlier, a
weight in rather than tapping it into place as weight on the lead arm causes the center of
with lead. Try to drill the hole so that no filing gravity to shift towards the lead arm tip. This
or sanding is required to get a flush fit as that significantly reduces the effectiveness of the
would ruin the novelty effect of using a coin. lead arm since the lead arm is not passing
through as wide of an arc around the center of
To temporarily attach a weight to the boomer- gravity as the boomerang rotates.
ang, just use tape and stick them on. This
method can be ugly but will work just as well
as permanently imbedded weights. Taping on
weights has the advantage that they can be re-
positioned to find optimum placement if you
don’t  get  it  right  the  first  time.      It  tends  to  also  
add drag and can affect the lift because the
shape of the airfoil is modified where the
weight is taped on. However, the effect of the Weight on lead arm shifts center of rotation so that the
change in drag and lift are relatively small com- lead arm is less effective
pared to the effect of shifting the weight distri-
bution. As we know from the tuning model, a reduc-
tion in the effectiveness of the lead arm will
Typical objects to be taped on include coins or result in more range. Combine this with the
small pieces of lead. A pocket full of coins of- added momentum and significantly extra
fers a number of readily available weight incre- range can be realized. You can get even
ment options. Use pennies or dimes for minor more range by either moving the weight closer
adjustments and nickels or quarters for larger to the tip or by using a bigger weight.

26
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Add-Ons
Weighting either tip will generally result in more ter of gravity such that the dingle arm is closer
range although the effect is more pronounced to the center of gravity
when it is placed on the lead arm. If signifi- and reduce its effective-
cantly more range is required, both tips can be ness. Properly placed,
weighted. This effectively reduces the effec- a weight can work just
tiveness of both arms. Additionally, the elbow as well as other tuning
can also be weighted although the extended methods for fine tuning
range due to this modification is due mostly to a boomerangs flight.
increased overall mass of the boomerang.
As an added bonus, placement of the weight
can also be used to modify the height of the
flight as with flaps. On two-bladed boomer-
angs, a weight on the top surface of the lead
arm generally makes the boomerang fly
higher. On the bottom, lower. On the dingle
arm, the opposite is true. If you are adding
If less range is required, a small weight placed weights to a tri-blader, weights on top gener-
near the elbow can be used. Weighting near ally yield a slightly lower flight. On the bottom,
the elbow typically will increase the efficiency slightly higher. This effect is particularly useful
of both wings which re- when fine tuning doublers.
sults in a shorter range.
If too large a weight is Multi-blader boomerangs may need weights
used, the range may in- on just one or two arms or on all of them.
crease due to the in- Weights of different sizes can be used (it is
creased overall mass of often beneficial to use weights of different
the boomerang. sizes for some reason). Placement is often a
combination of on top and on the bottom.
Properly placed, weights can be used for other Weights near the center of gravity can greatly
effects as well. Weights put near the center of stabilize a boomerang
gravity can increase the wind resistance and with an unpredictable
help increase the spin rate. Also, by strategi- flight and can help in-
cally positioning a weight on the boomerang, crease lay down rate.
you can greatly affect the return of your boo- As before, weights
merang. Apply in a similar manner as drag placed closer to the
and shift it around until you find the sweet spot tips result in more
to fine tune the return. range.

Finding the right balance using weights is a

matter of finding the proper size and place-
ment of the weight through trial and error. Like
experimenting with drag, try different place-
ments and combinations before settling on the
best place for the weight on your boomerang.

If for instance you had a boomerang where the

dingle arm had too much lift (i.e. the boomer-
ang is cutting in ahead of you), you could put a
weight near the midpoint on the dingle arm to
correct the flight. The weight will shift the cen-

27
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Airfoil Modifications
Airfoil modifications are another effective dercutting the leading edge. This is the most
method for altering the performance of your common modification made to airfoils after a
boomerang. It can be just as effective as other boomerang has been carved as the effect on
techniques. This section covers the various lift is probably the largest of all airfoil modifica-
changes you can make and how they can be tions. Since it is done on the bottom of the
used to affect the flight. boomerang, it can also be done after the boo-
merang has already been painted without fear
If you are considering re-shaping or modifying of wrecking the appearance of the finish.
the airfoil of your boomerang, keep in mind that Leading edge undercuts also generally in-
you are likely to wreck the paint job on it. Stick crease the height of
with non-destructive tuning methods such as the flight slightly.
bending and twisting, drag and weights if you
want to maintain your boomerangs appear- Lift can also be increased by removing more
ance. Better yet, save carve tuning for boo- material off the trailing edge although the ef-
merangs you make yourself and do it before fect is more subtle. Carving too much off the
you apply the finish. trailing edge tends to make the flight charac-
teristics of the boomerang less forgiving. For
Changes to the Airfoil most boomerangs, a semi-crude airfoil is su-
Most boomerangs generally use a semi-crude perior to a fully profiled
airfoil. Experience and experimentation over airfoil.
the years has determined that this airfoil, al-
though not as sleek as airfoils you see in other Lift can be reduced by carving an undercut
applications such as airplanes, typically yields along the underside of the trailing edge. The
user friendly boomerangs. As a result, it is a trailing edge undercut is often used to extend
great starting point for a wide range of boomer- range and may decrease drag as well. The
angs. Some even feel that this is the effect is very pronounced and taking too much
“standard”  boomerang  airfoil.  Other  airfoils,   material off in this area may reduce lift such
particularly more profiled airfoils, tend to result that your boomerang
in boomerangs with flighty or unpredictable won’t  return  anymore.
flights.
A more subtle way of reducing lift is to cut the
The leading edge of the semi-crude airfoil is leading edge back more. There is less of an
generally cut at about a 45 degree angle and effect on range but still a large effect on drag
cuts down to approximately half the thickness reduction. Care should also be taken with this
of the material. The trailing edge also cuts modification as carving too much off can re-
down to about half the thickness of the material duce lift to the point
but is carved at a much more gradual incline where returns are no
than the leading edge. All edges are rounded longer possible.
but compared to airfoils used on planes, it is
not very streamlined. Another method to reduce the lift is to reduce
the chord length of the arm. Short chord
For an easier throw length airfoils tend to be more wind resistant.
boomerang, round the leading edges a bit It should be obvious that taking this modifica-
more. This creates less drag. This may how- tions to the limit will severely weaken the arm
ever reduce wind resistance. For low wind of the boomerang and
boomerangs, round all corners a bit more than may make breakages
standard. more frequent.

You can modify the airfoil for more lift by un- A feature often found on fast catch boomer-

28
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Airfoil Modifications
angs is camber on the underside of the boo- volved is typically fairly small. Dimpling in
merang. They are also sometimes referred to particular can be very difficult to do cleanly on
as concave undercuts. This is generally done wood because of tear-out. These modifica-
near the tips for the greatest effect. This de- tions are best suited to materials such as com-
creases overall weight and increases lift at the posites  or  plastics  where  this  isn’t  a  concern.
same time. Usually this modification adds a
bit of extra drag. This When making boomerangs for wind applica-
type of modifications tions, the airfoils are often carved even less
seems to make the than the semi-crude airfoil. The angles the
airfoil more sensitive leading and trailing edges are carved at may
to angle of attack ad- also be carved at steeper angles relative to the
justments. Various top surface. This increases the overall drag.
styles of this undercut Unfortunately  you  can’t  modify  an  existing  
are possible. boomerang to have this type of airfoil if already
carved without shortening the chord length so
most boomerangs that use this feature are
carved that way in the
first place.

When carving thin materials for wind applica-

tions, the leading edge may almost completely
A variation of cambering the underside of the be missing. This is fairly common on trick
boomerang is to put deep grooves in the top catch boomerangs
surface of the airfoil. It is felt this made for higher winds.
also increases lift while providing
drag vital for performance in the Another interesting airfoil to try is the invertible
wind. Bulgarian Georgi Di- airfoil. A standard trailing edge is carved but
mantchev has pioneered the no leading edge bevel on the upper side. In-
used and application of grooves. stead, an undercut that runs the length of the
As with camber, many variations arm is cut on the leading edge. You will notice
are possible however deep that if the boomerang is flipped over, the trail-
grooves on the top of the airfoil ing edge and undercut are in the same relative
is not as common as position as before. As a result, a boomerang
camber on the bottom. carved with this type of airfoil will work with
either side as the top. Different flights are
Texturing the surface of the boomerang is possible depending on which side is used as
sometimes used for interesting effects. The the top when thrown. One side will generally
two most common result in a high, shorter range flight while the
modifications are to other will have more range and be lower. This
either cut multiple shal- airfoil is common on trick catch boomerangs
low grooves in top of but finds applications in other boomerangs
the airfoil or to dimple from time to time. It is particularly suited for
the surface in a manner use in thin composite
similar to a golf ball. materials.

Another variation for wind stability is the far

more subtle modification of slightly tapering
Both modifications are fairly rare as the differ- the  trailing  edge.    This  slight  angle  doesn’t  
ence in performance vs. the extra work in- look like much but has a surprisingly dramatic

29
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Airfoil Modifications
effect on wind resis- back. On two-bladers, typically
tance. this modification is only done on
the dingle arm and on the top
A fairly rare modification to help with wind re- surface of the boomerang.
sistance is to carve the trailing edge with a
scooped out contour. This is a tricky modifica-
tion to do cleanly. A small sanding drum in a
rotary tool such as a dremel would likely be
the best approach. It is sometimes used on
wind Aussie round As mentioned earlier, you can add drag to
boomerangs as well as your boomerang by making the airfoil more
on high wind fast blocky or by adding airfoil effects such as
catches. grooves. There are other ways of adding drag
permanently to your boomerang though.
The thickness of the material may be altered
for different effects as well. Although relatively The most common form of permanently adding
rare, some boomerangs have specific areas drag to your boomerang is holes. They are
thinned to as little as half the original material easy to make with a drill and can be taped
thickness. over if required to ne-
gate or modify (i.e. only
If thickness is reduced at the elbow, range is tape over one side of
often increased (likely due to the natural tip the hole or only partially
heavy weight distribu- cover the hole) their ef-
tion that results). fect. Variations include
Thickness modifica- size, number, and
tions at the elbow are placement on the wing.
typically only done to
the top surface of the Other variations that are generally thought to
boomerang. have less of an effect
than just drilling straight
If material thickness is through , are tapering
reduced closer to the the hole, rounding the
tips, reductions made sharp edges or drilling at
from the top typically an angle .
result in a lower flying
boomerang, or off the Holes in the tips work similarly to other forms
bottom for a higher flying of drag placed near the tips. They are often
boomerang. used for fine tuning the return or to reduce
These modifica- spin and forward momentum to make catching
tions also seem easier.
to help with wind
resistance. In tri-bladers, a hole (or numerous holes) in
the center can be used to slow down or stop
Another airfoil modification entails making an the forward motion of the boomerang. This is
indentation in the airfoil near the tip. Some- particularly useful for trick catches as it often
times, these indentations are put on to en- helps to stop rocking or unpredictable hovers
hance grip in less than ideal conditions but (a similar effect can be achieved by not round-
they also serve the purpose that they seem to ing over the center section). A hole drilled in
help get the boomerang to come all the way the center also will make the drop of the hover

30
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Airfoil Modifications
more quick which can be of use to get better trailing edge, the effect is more akin to a flap.
separation in a set of doublers. A hole in the
center also reduces the lay down rate. Placement of holes, slots and combs is the
same as with other non-permanent forms of
drag. Before drilling or cutting into your boo-
merang, it is recommended to find the proper
placement of drag using add-ons.

Carve Tuning Using Airfoil Modifications

Carve tuning is the only tuning method pre-
sented here that is not reversible without fur-
ther modifications. Carve tuning involves mak-
Slots are the next most common type of per- ing adjustments directly to the airfoil of the
manent  drag.    They  don’t  offer  any  obvious   boomerang to adjust the balance of the lift.
advantage over standard holes aside from pro-
viding even more drag and as a result are not When learning how to carve tune, initially use
as common. other methods to guide your actions. Add-
ons such as drag or weights can be used to
Most slots are essentially just elongated holes tell you which arm either needs more or less
although there are a few variations to how they lift. Use what they tell you about the balance
are cut such as tapered like a tear drop (note of the lift and carve accordingly. It is also
the narrower end can be either close to or far very important to note that all modifications
away from the tip), consistent width, or a thin should be made on the field using a sanding
kerf joining block so you can evaluate the alterations right
two holes. away under the same conditions.
They can also
be cut at an Where you choose to make an airfoil modifica-
angle relative tion will affect the overall flight. Use the tuning
to the leading model for determining what you want and
edge if de- where. Here are a few specific tips to get you
sired. started.

Like holes, a number of variations on how the Undercut the leading edge of the lead arm to
slot is machined can be tried such as rounded reduce range or increase the lay down rate.
over or cut out on an angle. On some boo- Taking a bit off the top
merangs with slots, the area on either side of leading edge may ex-
the slot is profiled with tend your range a bit
airfoils. and make it fly a bit
lower. Blunting the lead-
Combs are even rarer and generally only used ing edge may help im-
by powerful throwers as they dramatically in- prove wind resistance.
crease drag. Combs are
thin saw kerfs cut into ei- Undercut the leading
ther the leading edge or edge of the dingle arm
the trailing edge or the to help get the boomer-
wing. On the leading ang to come all the way
edge, they are very effec- back if it is landing way
tive for stabilizing the boo- out in front or to reduce
merang in wind. On the lay down rate. Blunting

31
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Airfoil Modifications
the leading edge may also help with wind re- maximum lift occurs and acts like a more sub-
sistance. tle version of reducing dihedral. This works
great on fast catch boomerangs. However, if
Trailing edge undercuts are most often done you are making a trick catch or MTA, make
either on only the lead arm or on both arms. sure  you  don’t  do  this  or  you  will  be  carve  tun-­
The reason is that this modification has the ing your boomerang to fly low before you ever
greatest effect on range when done on the get on the field.
lead arm. If just doing it
to  the  lead  arm  doesn’t  
yield the desired range,
then additional trailing
edge undercuts can be
added to the dingle arm
as well.

Undercut on the outside edge of the elbow Flies lower

section will make the boomerang fly higher To lower the flight slightly at a specific point in
and increase lay down the flight, cut back the leading edge at the ap-
rate. Cutting back the propriate area using the tuning model as your
airfoil so it resembles a guide. For instance, if the boomerang is flying
typical trailing edge on too high halfway along its outward path, try
the top will make the cutting back the leading edge of the lead arm
flight path lower and de- about halfway up the lead arm.
crease lay down rate.
To slow down or stop the forward motion of a
Adjustments to the inside of the elbow section tri-blader, square the entire center section so
are reverse of that of the there is barely any round-over. If you want it
outside. Undercut on to come in faster, carve this area more. This
the bottom will make it idea is a nice way of being able to step up the
fly lower while taking off speed of your fast catch until it is coming in at
material on the top will the right speed. Start off square and slowly
result in a slightly higher cut it back on the field testing in between each
flight. step. You will be able to get your boomerang
to suit your throw exactly.
Another modification to keep in mind when
carving boomerangs with a sharp V shaped
elbow (rather than a U shaped elbow) is that
the elbow can be carved with an airfoil to act
as a third wing. This is a
common feature on some
designs such as the Fuzzy.
It is a great way to get a bit
of extra lift to help out your
return.
Comes in faster at end of flight

To adjust the height of the flight, you can re- A hole will work equally as well for slowing for-
carve the tips. By extending the trailing edge ward motion at the end of the flight if the cen-
around the tip, you can make your boomerang ter section has already been rounded over but
fly lower. This changes the angle at which the will also increase the drop rate while the boo-

32
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Airfoil Modifications
merang is in its hover.

You can fine tune

these effects by alter-
ing the size of the
center hole or by drill-
ing a number of small
holes in the center.

Carve tuning takes lots of practice. It is best to

learn using boomerangs you have carved
yourself as it is the most destructive of all tun-
ing  methods.    If  you  screw  up,  you  often  can’t  
get back to where you started. Be sure you
know what you want to do before you take
your sandpaper to your favorite boomerang.

Also keep in mind that carve tuning is best

done before finish is applied to the boomer-
ang.    It  doesn’t  take  much  carving  to  totally  
wreck a nice paint job.

Despite being a bit more daunting than other

tuning methods, the results that can be
achieved with carve tuning can be almost
magical. It is worth learning or at minimum,
experimenting with.

Also, if you over carve, all is not lost if you

don’t  mind  adding  wood  putty  or  epoxy  mixed  
with sawdust onto the over carved area then
re-shaping  once  cured.    This  isn’t  very  com-­
mon on wood boomerangs but when using an
expensive material like carbon fiber, it makes
sense. You can always paint over an area
that looks lousy.

33
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Tri-Fly Modifications
to adjust and are virtually indestructible. They
are also relatively inexpensive. A polypropyl-
ene Tri-Fly can sell for as little as a couple of
dollars.

The original idea was to have something that

anybody could use and was durable without
being cost prohibitive. They tend to be a bit
tricky for novices to tune but they provide ex-
cellent bang for the buck.

The stock Tri-Fly is a good performer when

tuned properly. They can be used for trick
catching, accuracy or even juggling. By play-
The Tri-Fly was introduced to the world by Eric ing around with angle of attack and dihedral,
Darnell in the early 1990s. Since that time, a many different flights are possible. Use the
huge number of the boomerangs have been tuning model as before as your guide to good
sold around the world. As well as being popu- flights but be careful not to over-tune. Often
lar with sport throwers, They have become a only positive angle of attack on one arm is all
vital part of almost every competitive throwers that is needed for adequate returns.
kit. It is virtually impossible to find a competi-
tor  that  doesn’t  have  at  least  a  few  Tri-Flies in It  wasn’t  long  before  people  realized  that  the  
their throwing kit. Tri-Fly was an ideal platform for making per-
formance boomerangs. It was then that the
For these reasons, the Tri-Fly is important design really started to show its potential.
enough to the competition scene that they de- Rather simple modifications could turn this un-
serve their own section. assuming boomerang into an indispensable
part of a competitive throwers arsenal. It could
Although they look fairly simple, the Tri-Fly is be easily reshaped and tuned to perform as
actually quite an advanced design. The airfoil- high performance trick catch boomerangs,
ing and design is actually patented technology. doubler sets, accuracy boomerangs or for fast
The airfoil is designed so that it can work ei- catch.
ther right or left handed. The below diagram
gives an ap- Modifications of the Tri-Fly have been used
proximation of successfully in every boomerang event except
the airfoil used. long distance. In windy conditions, they have
even been used in MTA. They offer unparal-
Simply by twisting, the boomerang can be leled flexibility in what they can be used for.
made to perform as either a right handed or a
left handed boomerang. Cambering on the Because of the popularity of modifying these
underside of the boomerang allow a quick ad- boomerangs, it is rare to see a Tri-Fly unmodi-
justment to the angle of attack to change the fied  in  use.    Some  throwers  don’t  even  refer  to  
characteristics of the airfoil without adding lots them as boomerangs anymore but rather
of drag as blanks to be carved into something else.
many other
neutral airfoils Originally, the Tri-Fly was available only in
will. polypropylene. As demand increased, Eric
started experimenting with other plastics such
Being made out of plastic, the Tri-Fly is easy as ABS, nylon, polycarbonate, and PET.

34
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Tri-Fly Modifications
These heavier materials lent themselves to Tri-Fly  based  on  Eric  Darnell’s  design.    So  was  
even better competition boomerangs and even the record previous to that, and the one before
to applications for aussie round boomerangs. that. They are the choice for many top com-
They added not only an increased density to petitors.
the picture but also greater rigidity over the
polypropylene model. Eric continues to try Carving a great fast catch out of a Tri-Fly is
new plastics to take advantage of the endless relatively easy. Cut out the basic outline on an
number of varieties available. ABS Tri-Fly and carve fairly standard airfoils
for a good performer. Carve according to the
A big part of the appeal of modifying your own tips in the section on fast catch boomerangs
Tri-Fly is not only the number of choices in the and you will have a real contender.
base material, but also how easy it is. The
basic shape and size is already set out for you The number of possible variations of modifica-
so  you  don’t  need  to  spend  a  lot  of  time  cutting   tions seems endless. For ideas on different
out your shape out of sheet stock. Also, the modifications check out the picture below or
thickness is almost ideal for many competition take a look in the gallery section.
boomerangs.

Modifications range from simply drilling a few

more holes to drastic changes to the shape,
narrowing the chord or changing the thickness
of the material. Changes to the airfoil can be
anywhere from a simple rounding of the lead-
ing edge to full profiling.

Because of the shape of the stock airfoil, re-

markably simple modifications can yield some
pretty impressive results. For instance, using
a polycarbonate Tri-Fly, simply shaving back
the leading edge of each wing and rounding it
over will make an excellent 30 - 40 meter boo-
merang . This modification is essentially carv-
ing the boo-
merang so
that it has
positive an-
gle of attack.

Another reason for their popularity in carving

performance boomerangs is the cambering on
the underside. This feature is one of the major
desirable features of the fastest fast catch
boomerangs. It is already built into the design
so  you  don’t  need  to  try  to  do  this  difficult  
modification yourself.

Some of the quickest fast catch boomerangs

available are Tri-Fly modifications. The world
record in fast catch was set using a modified

35
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Special Considerations For Wind

Dealing with wind can be frustrating. Few bounced around by the wind. Placement of
things make you want to throw less than hav- the weight also allows you to easily adjust the
ing to chase all over the field for your boomer- return. To increase wind resistance without
angs. changing any other parameters of the flight,
weights added near the mid-point of each arm
You could try to adjust your throw for the con- may be helpful.
ditions by throwing lighter or attempting the
humpback throw but a much better option is to Tuning
customize your boomerangs for the conditions. Generally speaking, if wind is a factor, try to
Typically, it is best to have a series of boomer- tune the boomerang so it flies low. The idea is
angs that work well in calm conditions as well that it keeps it out of the fast moving air and
as a series that work in higher wind conditions. closer to the slow moving air close to the
ground. Reduce the dihedral a bit for a lower
The following are some suggestions to help flight. Also tune it so that under calm condi-
you modify your boomerangs to handle wind. tions, it would land well in front of you.

Materials Airfoil Modifications

One of the best pieces of advice for dealing The usual method of altering the airfoil for
with wind is to use more dense materials. Ma- higher wind conditions is to make the airfoils
terials such as polycarbonate and phenolics more blocky. This creates extra drag and re-
are much heavier than wood or plastics such duces the overall lift of the boomerang. Lead-
as ABS and Polypropylene. Because of the ing and trailing edges should be left square
increased density, boomerangs made of these rather than rounding over. A variation of this is
materials are also typically much thinner (4 to taper the trailing edge so that it is not
mm or less). These features allow boomer- square but angled. However, the effect of this
angs made out of these materials to cut modification is more subtle than just making
through the air and not be bounced around as the airfoil more blocky.
much by gusts.
Drag in the form of holes, slots, combs, or
Alternately, you could use thicker material to grooves may also be useful. For really high
take advantage of the increased weight and wind  boomerangs,  don’t  be  afraid  to  go  nuts  
increased drag of the airfoil. Some makers with the drill and turn your boomerang into
have great success using 6 mm wood. swiss cheese.

Drag The last variation that is sometimes used is to

In windy conditions, extra drag is a lifesaver. not carve the airfoil all the way to the tips. At
Additional amounts can be added or taken off the midpoint of the wing, the airfoil may look
as required. Drag can be used to reduce the fairly standard but at the tips, the airfoil
efficiency of the airfoils such that under calm changes to a more neutral shape
conditions, the boomerang would land way out that one would expect to see
in front of you. In wind, the boomerang will get closer to the elbow. Herb Smith
carried back to you. Add more or less de- used this feature on some of his
pending on the conditions. classic designs (Classic Hook,
Veebo) and it can also sometimes
Weight be seen on accuracy or trick catch
Next to drag, weighting is probably the next boomerangs.
most practical option for dealing with the wind.
Extra weight makes the boomerang less sensi-
tive to gusts and may stabilize flights that get

36
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Putting It All Together

Now  that  you’ve  read  through  the  different   atically make changes and see how the effects
techniques used to adjust boomerangs, how add up. From there, try tuning two boomer-
do you go about picking which one you want? angs to have the same flight. This is a vital
Simply put, pick one and try it. skill to develop for when you are making or
tuning doublers.
All the techniques presented in this book are
variations of doing the same thing – balancing After you have a pretty good handle on all
out the forces on your boomerang. The bal- these  techniques,  then  try  carve  tuning.    Don’t  
ance can usually be achieved by utilizing any be afraid to take your file, sandpaper, or even
of a number of different techniques. If one a pocketknife to the field. You will see instant
modification will work, often so will the others. results with every modification you make.
Once you find that balance, you will have a
great performing boomerang. Carve tuning is the most destructive and you
can ruin a good boomerang if you do some-
The best choice for given conditions will de- thing wrong so initially stick with self-made,
pend on both your throwing style and the con- unfinished  boomerangs  you  don’t  mind  experi-­
ditions. You may find you have the best luck menting on. I tend not to re-carve others boo-
when you do your adjustments with drag. Oth- merangs but rather make myself a copy and
ers may prefer weighting. For those that hate play around with that. You may just find that
having anything sticking on their boomerang, you can improve on that old favorite you al-
bending and twisting or carve tuning will likely ways throw.
be the most satisfying options. Be open to
trying a few variations before you settle on a If  you  can’t  seem  to  re-create the flight of your
given solution. favorite boomerang no matter what you do,
carefully check out the airfoils for anything out
If you are new to tuning, it is recommended to of the ordinary. There may be some interest-
start out with non-destructive methods like ing  trick  used  somewhere  that  you  hadn’t  spot-­
drag in the form of rubber bands or flaps. ted the first time around. Try get as close as
Start with boomerangs that fly OK but need a you can then try a few variations to see if you
special throw to get a perfect return. Tweak can match the flight better. You will quickly
them until they fly perfect. Slowly work your learn what works for you.
way through your throw kit until almost every
boomerang has some sort of drag on it to tune Also,  don’t  worry  if  you  end  up  with  signifi-­
it for your throw. cantly different airfoils that the one you copied
or expected. The final tune of any boomerang
From there, you may want to try moving onto depends on how it was carved in the first
strapping on weights. Try to get the same place. Even seemingly small differences can
effect as you did with drag by applying results in different flights. If both are flying
weights. Try different sizes of weights and right, they are both carved and tuned right re-
different placements to see the different ef- gardless  of  how  they  are  “supposed”  to  be.
fects possible. Also experiment with the ef-
fects of weighting near the tips to extend your Regardless of the choice you make when tun-
range. ing your boomerangs, try to do as much of
these modifications on the field as you can.
After  you’ve  figured  out  drag  and  weighting,   Making minor adjustments on the field will in-
bending and twisting is pretty straight forward. stantly let you see the effect of what you did
If you have the option, bend and twist tuning is on the flight of the boomerang. You can use
easiest to learn using plastic boomerangs what you learn to expand on the modification if
since the material lends itself to this. System- required to enhance the performance further.

37
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Putting It All Together

It is also best to do your modifications during a
single throwing session. You not only take
advantage of the instant feedback of seeing
your results right away but you will also find it
easier since your throw will be more consistent
and  you  probably  won’t  be  fighting  changing  
conditions.

Go to the field with a pocket full of coins, rub-

ber bands, a roll of tape, and your sanding
block. Take notes of what you find. Some
even write notes directly onto their boomer-
angs. Throw often and in a wide range of con-
ditions (calm to windy). You will be rewarded
for your efforts.

38
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Alternate Tuning Methods

As you might have guessed, the method for weight or drag.
tuning boomerangs presented in this book is
not the only approach. The method in this Darnell Stock Tri-Fly Method
book was devised based on experience and As mentioned in the Tri-Fly section, it is very
an attempt to come up with a consistent common to over-tune a stock Try-Fly. Eric
method for all type of boomerangs. For com- Darnell suggested using the following ap-
pletion, here are a few alternatives. You may proach. Label one arm P (for pitch - the same
want to give them a try to see if they work for as angle of attack), one arm D (for dihedral),
you. and one arm T (for throw). Always throw from
the throw arm. Angle of attack adjustments are
Bowl Tuning made on the P arm only and dihedral is only
Bowl tuning was popularized by Al Gerhards changed on the D arm. This simplified ap-
and his famous strip laminated hooks. The proach is very effective to keep you from over-
idea is that the bottom surface of an ideally thinking your Tri-Fly.
tuned boomerang will sit flush in a shallow
spherically shaped bowl. Al apparently had Darnell Tri-blader Method
shallow bowls he made that he used as a On a modified Try-Fly such as a Stubby or
starting point to tune all his boomerangs. Eric’s  Advanced  Fast  Catch,  Eric  Darnell  sug-­
Modifications to the tune were then thought of gested a slightly different approach. Eric would
as either increasing or decreasing the size of assign one arm to be the lead arm and the
the bowl. To decrease the bowl, you basically next as the dingle similar to the method sug-
tried to flatten it out. To increase the bowl, you gested in this book. As with the process used
held both tips and twisted in and up. in this book, the lead arm controls the outward
flight and the dingle arm controls the return
Mickey Kinley (the maker for the famous flight. However, only angle of attack adjust-
boomalum aluminum boomerangs) published ments were done on the lead and dingle arms.
a small tuning booklet with his boomerangs The third arm (which is left neutral in the
that had tuning suggestions for specific prob- method in this book) is reserved for dihedral
lems. Certain problems could be fixed by in- adjustments.
creasing the overall bowl or by focusing on
one arm or the other. Many of his tuning tips This method works fine for fast catch and ac-
are the same as those used in the tuning curacy boomerangs but can be tricky to get to
method used in this book - just presented dif- work on trick catch boomerangs. It can in par-
ferently. ticular be difficult to stabilize the hover to an
acceptable level.
Bowl tuning can make for some great flying
boomerangs as the boomerangs of Al Random Approach for Multi-bladers
Gerhards and Mickey Kinley can attest. How- There  are  those  that  don’t  use  any  system  at  
ever, from a tuning standpoint there are a few all when tuning a tri-blader. A random ap-
problems with it. It is fine for a starting point proach is used instead.
but only if it matches the airfoils to which it is
applied. Assuming your boomerang must fit If more lift is required, angle of attack is added
into a bowl to work is usually a pretty big as- to one wing. Any wing is suitable for dihedral
sumption. Few boomerangs actually do. Sec- adjustments  as  well.  The  process  isn’t  actually  
ondly, the method of increasing or decreasing quite this random. Careful examination of the
the bowl changes dihedral and angle of attack angle of attack and dihedral of each arm is
on both arms at the same time which makes done before picking which arm the adjustment
keeping track of everything you did difficult. is  done  to.  The  arm  that  is  “most  wrong”  gets  
Lastly, it has little to say on the effects of the adjustment. Ideally, all the arms end up

39
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Alternate Tuning Methods

with roughly the same angle of attack and di-
hedral.

This method has the disadvantage that you

don’t  know  which  arm  you  did  the  last  adjust-­
ment to so reversing an adjustment can be
trickier. It also requires the ability to sight down
a wing and see how much angle of attack or
dihedral or angle of attack it has. With the sub-
tle angles involved, it can be difficult to differ-
entiate between one arm and the others.

However, this method appears to work better

on quads than any attempts to use the tuning
method described in this book. Like any
method, there are exceptions to every rule.

40
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Repairs
Unfortunately, boomerangs are not indestructi- the boomerang. Clamp the two plates tightly
ble. Poor throws or attempting new catches together and allow the glue to cure.
sometimes yields damaged or broken boomer-
angs. Minor damage such as dings caused by If you want your repair to last or are repairing a
hitting the ground hard can often be ignored or competition boomerang, it is recommended to
simply filled with a mixture of epoxy and saw- use some sort of re-enforcement on the glue
dust. Minor dents rarely have a significant det- joint. One of the best materials for use to re-
rimental effect on the flight. Breaks however enforce a break is fiberglass fabric.
are  another  matter.      You  can’t  ignore  a  break  
and keep on throwing. To make a repair that will last as long as the
boomerang, first scuff sand any painted sur-
As a result, you have the choice of either at- faces (to allow for better glue adhesion) and
tempting a repair or never throwing that boo- put glue on the fractured surfaces (1). Care-
merang again. Depending on the situation, fully line up the two broken sections (2). Brush
the second option may be unacceptable. a thin layer of epoxy over the area surrounding
the break (3). Place a small section of fiber-
If  you  can’t  bear  to  lose  a  great  boomerang,   glass fabric (the width of the wing and about
you can repair it. Done properly, a good repair 2 - 3 cm long) over the break and wet it out
can last the life of the boomerang and actually with epoxy by gently dabbing with a brush (4).
be stronger than adjoining areas. If wetted out properly, the fiberglass will almost
turn invisible. Once all the fiberglass is wetted
The technique used to repair breaks and major out, place a thin piece of plastic over the glue
cracks varies slightly from material to material. joint and press out any air bubbles. Bubbles in
Some materials such as polypropylene are the epoxy will greatly reduce the strength of
virtually un-repairable. Other plastics such as the joint so it is a good idea to try to get rid of
ABS can be repaired using ABS plumbers ce- as many as possible. Start from the center and
ment. Sport boomerangs made out of wood move towards the edges.
can generally be repaired fairly easily with
some 5 minute epoxy or wood glue. Once this is done, clamp between two plates
as before. Both sides can be done at the same
Regardless of the method used be sure to time if desired although maintaining alignment
align all pieces properly before the glue sets. may be tricky. It may be easier to do one side,
If you glue up a break that is not aligned prop- allow it to set, then do the other side just to
erly, at best you will have lousy looking repair. make sure everything works out.
At worst, you may have significantly altered
the tuning by changing the angle of attack or Once the epoxy has cured (5), sand and
dihedral to end up with a poor flying boomer- feather the edges down to match the sur-
ang. rounding material (6). If another break occurs,
it  won’t  be  at  your  repair.
To ensure proper alignments, it is a good idea
to sandwich the pieces between two splints or
plates of stiff material such as G10 or pax to
make sure the break cures flat. Make sure
you place either some wax paper or plastic
wrap between your broken boomerang and the
plate  to  make  sure  you  don’t  glue  the  plates  to  

1 2 3 4 5 6

41
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Competition
Although  you  don’t  need  to  be  a  competitor  to   ered by some to be too long for fast catch).
enjoy or get useful information out of this book, Some even suggested doing away with ranges
a lot of attention is given to competition boo- altogether by using boomerangs pre-certified
merangs. Competitions have driven the de- to fly a certain distance. Although no doubt
sign of boomerangs and it is important to get a very fun, this did nothing for allowing people to
feel for how they have helped push the evolu- consistently know where they stood in terms of
tion of boomerang design. their level of throwing compared to others
unless they attended all the tournaments.
Like the boomerangs that were designed for
them, competitions have evolved a lot over the It was the topic of heated debate during the
time since they were first held until now. The late 80s and early 90s as to what defined a
objective of each of the following sections is to boomerang. Some areas such as Australia,
give a bit of insight into major events that would only allow two-bladers. Others
spawned new ideas or major achievements in (particularly the Europeans) did not have this
boomerang design before going into detail restriction and competitors were free to use
how each of these factors has helped advance anything they wanted. Depending on the com-
boomerangs and how you can use it. petition, the officials had the right to rule any
boomerang  they  didn’t  think  fit  the  definition  as  
The first organized modern competitions were illegal. If it was too close to being a tri-blader,
held in Australia starting in the 1960s. They the competitor would have to find something
were not very regular and the rules were still in else to use if they wanted to throw.
their infancy, but they were a start. During the
early years, only versions of accuracy, aussie The big problem was getting everybody to
round, and consecutive catch were contested. agree to a definition of what the difference be-
Over time, new events and other changes tween a tri-blader and a two-blader was.
were introduced. Some two-blader boomerangs such as the
Fuzzy are really a tri-blader in disguise.
One of the first changes that was brought Where do you draw the line on what is accept-
about was a standardization of the field used. able? Likewise, tri-bladers could be carefully
Before the first international meeting of the US made to fit within even the best written de-
and Australia in 1981, different areas did not scription of a two-blader.
necessarily use the same field.
It  wasn’t  until  the  early  90s  that  there  was  in-­
For instance, in Australia, there were fewer ternational agreement that the shape of the
circles for range and accuracy. As a result, boomerang could not be used to define what
scoring for aussie round and accuracy were could  and  couldn’t  be  used.    What  defined  a  
different and the maximum scores attainable boomerang is what is does, not what it looks
were lower. After 1983, the field circles were like. Today, the only restrictions on competi-
changed to the internationally agreed upon tion  boomerangs  are  the  boomerang  can’t  be  
present form. made out of metal and cannot have any catch-
ing aides on it.
Early competitions also were not very consis-
tent in the events contested. Which event Although every once in a while, there is a bit of
might be contested one day was generally the grumbling about the use of multi-bladers, there
whim of the tournament director/organizer. is little debate on this subject anymore. Multi-
Rules were subject to change and new games bladers have found their niche areas where
were tried on a regular basis. Even the re- they rule the field just as there are areas
quired range for many events was yet to be where  they  aren’t  used  very  much.
standardized (for instance, 20 m was consid-

42
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Competition
As well, the rules of competitions have been Only the formally recognized events are in-
evolving. Some rules like foot faults, being cluded here. Missing are juggling, a lot of the
called short on range, or drops were relatively Gel games like glorp and hackuracy as well as
easy to get agreement on. Others have re- thing like the fast make competition. Also
quired much more work. Some scoring sys- missing are variations like night tournaments,
tems have changed (particularly in trick catch/ indoor tournaments, Fun-Fly or Air Dancer
doubling since too many competitors could tournaments, Throw stick competitions, virtual
routinely get perfect scores under good condi- tournaments, head to head competitions.
tions) as well as new rules to more strictly de-
fine what was a valid throw (such as the dis-
tance restriction in MTA100) needed to be im-
plemented to keep tournaments running
smoothly. Variations on the number of throw-
ers required for a valid tournament and even
how events were run have been tried (i.e.
head to head or tandem throwing in accuracy
and aussie round).

The following sections outline the current state

of tournaments and offer some tips on how to
carve boomerangs for each event. Since rules
occasionally change, it is recommended to
consult the rulebooks for the completion you
are attending. Similarly, the records noted are
as of 2012 so may not be 100% up to date.

All events with the exception of long distance,

use the same field. Lines are drawn at 2, 4, 6,
8, 10, 20, 30 , 40 and 50 meters. Not all lines
are used for every event.

43
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Accuracy
In accuracy, the ability of the thrower to get The first time a perfect score was ever made
their throw to return to as close to the spot was in 1999 when Fridolin Frost of Germany
where it was thrown is measured. Your boo- threw a round of 50 (+9). In 2001, Thomas
merang must fly out the minimum 20 meter Stehrenberger of Switzerland threw an accu-
distance and return to where it is thrown. Cir- racy round of 50 (+10, +8). A 10 throw version
cles drawn on the ground like a giant bulls-eye (100 points maximum) version is also some-
determine the scoring for the event. times contested. The current world record us-
ing the 100 point scale is 99 points by Alex
Accuracy is also the only event in regular tour- Opri in 2007.
naments in which the catch is not allowed. In
accuracy, only the throw counts. Although it Current Rules
doesn’t  have  the  speed  appeal  of  fast  catch  or   Accuracy as it is contested today is probably
the showmanship of trick catch, accuracy is the simplest of all events. The thrower
still an integral part of modern competition. launches their boomerang from the 2 meter
circle and lets it land. The throw must make
Accuracy History 20 meters in order to be counted. Circles
Accuracy is the original boomerang game. It drawn onto the ground give guidelines for
was played by aborigines before the first set- points received for the throw. After five
tlers ever made it to Australia. Apparently, throws, the points awarded for each throw are
aborigines did not like to play catching games totaled. The highest total wins.
with their boomerangs. This is easy to under-
stand since many aboriginal boomerangs were Catching or touching your boomerang before it
actually quite heavy and large by modern stan- lands results in a score of 0 for that throw.
dards and would probably not have been very Foot faults or interfering with another throwers
fun to try to catch. boomerang (when throwing tandem), will also
result in a score of 0. The thrower must not
Ever since the first official competitions, some touch their boomerang until after the center
form of accuracy has been contested. One judge has determined the points to be
early  version  was  “Closest  to  the  Pin”  where   awarded.
the landing spot of the boomerang was meas-
ured from a predetermined spot. Naturally, the Setup and Scoring
closest to that spot won. Other variations in- Required circles are accuracy circles at 2, 4, 6,
cluded trying to get the boomerang back to a 8 and 10 meters and a 20 meter range circle.
certain spot (such as into your boomerang At least three range judges and a center judge
bag) after a predetermined number of throws. (for foot faults and tracking scores) are re-
In this case, only the last throw really counted. quired. All throws must be made from the 2
meter circle and have a range of at least 20
Over time, it evolved into the version that is meters. To speed the 20 m
currently contested. Accuracy circles are event up, sometimes
drawn on the field and throws are given a spe- two throwers throw at
10 m
cific number of points based on where they the same time. The
land. A total of five throws are made and the thrower must not
total for the five throws are added to give the touch their boomer-
final score. ang until after the
center judge has de-
A perfect score in accuracy is five bulls-eye termined the points to
throws for a total of 50 points. If five tens in a be awarded. Scoring
row are thrown, extra throws are allowed until is as follows.
a throw which does not score a 10 is made.

44
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Accuracy
Inside the 2 m circle – 10 the accuracy circles. The flight should be rela-
On the 2 m line – 9 tively low so that it will be unaffected by slight
Inside the 4 m circle – 8 variations in the wind. There should be little or
On the 4 m line – 7 no hover at the end.
Inside the 6 m circle – 6
On the 6 m line – 5 Generally, accuracy boomerangs are made
Inside the 8 m circle – 4 and tuned so that they must be thrown at full
On the 8 m line – 3 power. Throwing at full power ensures the
Inside the 10 m circle – 2 flight is quick and seems to be more effective
On the 10 m line – 1 and easier to control than using boomerangs
Outside the 10 m circle - 0 that require less power. Add drag to your boo-
merang so that it requires a full power throw.
Strategies for the Best Scores
When throwing for accuracy, pick your most The tuning should also be such that the boo-
accurate boomerang for the conditions. Avoid merang has laid down completely by the end
boomerangs with hover as the landing spot of the flight. If it were to come in still vertical, it
can vary widely with changes in wind. is more likely to bounce and roll uncontrollably
Position yourself in the circle to take advan- when it hits the ground.
tage of where your boomerang will land. If for
instance your boomerang always lands slightly Variations
in front of you, throw from the rear of the Variations of accuracy such as the one involv-
throwing circle. If the range of your boomerang ing throwing your boomerang into your boo-
is only marginally over the minimum required merang bag or landing closest to a pin or
range, throw from the front of the throwing cir- some other object are often made up on the
cle to minimize the chance of getting called spot. Rules are easily modified depending on
short. the skill level of the throwers involved. These
are generally just fun games for informal get-
Watch the results of other throwers that throw togethers and not formally contested.
before you. You may be able to identify odd
wind currents plaguing otherwise good throws The only organized variation of accuracy regu-
that you can avoid. Take advantage of wind larly contested is the Gel game hackuracy. In
indicators placed in locations other than in the this game, the throwers (often in teams) are
throwing circle when deciding the direction you encouraged to hackey and bounce their boo-
will throw. merang off themselves towards the bulls-eye.
Each hackey counts as a multiplier (i.e. 2
If you need to make an adjustment to how hackeys triples the score of the final landing
your boomerang is flying during a competition, spot of the boomerang).
it is best to make the changes using easy to re
-position drag like a rubber band. If a larger Design Features
change is required than can be handled by There are actually very few boomerangs de-
adjusting the drag a bit, switch to a different signed outright for the event of accuracy. Any-
boomerang. For this reason, it is wise to have thing out of your throwing bag that fits the bill
more than one boomerang ready that suit the of having an accurate return in the conditions
approximate conditions you will be throwing in. you are throwing in can be used. As men-
tioned earlier, they are generally made to be
The best strategy for accuracy is to have a thrown at or near full power.
boomerang that barely makes it back to the
bulls-eye. Extra drag is added to prevent the Properly tuned, an accuracy boomerang will
possibility of the boomerang flying past out of only go slightly further than the required 20

45
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Accuracy
meter range. If more range is present, there is any material. If it works, use it.
additional risk of the boomerang being blown
out of the scoring circle. Most accuracy boo- Accuracy Carving Tips
merangs are designed and tuned so that they When carving an accuracy boomerang, one of
spend a minimum the key elements is not to take much time get-
amount of time in ting everything smooth. Drag is very good
the air so that from an accuracy standpoint.
there is less time
for winds to shift The airfoils are typically quite blunt. Some use
or a sudden gust the invertible airfoil
to take effect. similar to that used on
Naturally, an accu- many trick catch boo-
rate return is a merangs although with
requirement of a less profiling.
good accuracy
boomerang. Holes are often drilled in the tips to reduce
spin and slow the boomerang near the end of
A lot of people choose to go with a slow fast the flight. A hole in the center of a tri-blader
catch boomerang that has excessive drag built can also help reduce the forward motion at the
in. Others opt for regular boomerangs that end of the flight as well as help it drop quicker.
have  been  “trashed  up”  with  lots  of  drag  and   In addition to holes, slots or combs are some-
possibly weights to ensure the required range times used but are not as common.
of 20 meters is met.
Accuracy Tuning Tips
When tuning an accuracy boomerang, ideally
it should fly a relatively low circle with little or
no hover at the end. The flight is similar to a
slow fast catch. The wings should have neu-
tral or negative dihedral to achieve this type of
flight. The idea is to minimize the time the
boomerang is in the air do that it will be unaf-
fected by slight variations in the wind since a
gust of wind while the boomerang is hovering
down can greatly affect where it lands.

Fine adjustments to the accuracy can be made

using angle of attack to make sure the boo-
merang flies exactly as desired. Once accu-
racy is close to where you want it, make final
adjustments using drag. During a competition,
The airfoils are generally blunt with minimal lift. small adjustments can be made between
Large holes and lots of drag allow the boomer- throws by re-positioning drag such as a rubber
ang to be thrown at full power yet not blow band. Making angle of attack adjustments
past the accuracy circles. while in competition is not recommended as a
slightly too large adjustment can seriously af-
Plastics such as ABS or polycarbonate are fect  the  accuracy  (and  you  can’t  test  the  flight  
probably the most common materials used for between throws to see what effect the adjust-
accuracy boomerangs but as mentioned ear- ment had.
lier, since any boomerang can be used, so can

46
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Accuracy
Drag and weights are used to maximize con- Does not make it all the way back
trol in wind. Weights ensure the boomerang Adjust placement of drag
makes  the  required  range  and  stabilize  it’s   Remove some drag
flight. Drag makes sure it drops quickly. Vel- Twist negative angle of attack into one or
cro dots are used fairly extensively because of more wing
the additional drag they contribute. Tape over holes

One trick to stop your boomerang on a dime Too much hover

and has minimal hover is to place a flap on the Add flap on leading edge of one wing
leading edge of one wing. This will cause the Add Velcro dot on top
boomerang to fly lower. By play- Bend down one or more wing
ing around with placement, the
accuracy of the final return can Too sensitive to wind
be fine tuned. If place far Add weights
enough out towards the tip, spin Add drag
near the end of the flight will be Blunt airfoils
slowed to the point that there Carve out of heavier material
should be no problem with any
hover. Cuts in too fast or not fast enough
Adjust angle of attack of dingle arm
Accuracy Trouble Shooting Guide Adjust throwing direction
Flies too high Adjust placement of drag
Bend down one or more wing
Add weights on top
Add flap on leading edge of one wing
pointing forward

Flies to low
Bend up one or more wing
Add weights on bottom
Add positive angle of attack to one or more
wing
Remove drag from top
Tape over holes

Does not make range

Twist negative angle of attack into lead
arm
Add weights

Flies past accuracy circle

Add drag
Add angle of attack to one wing
Square center section if using a tri-blader

47
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Aussie Round
Aussie round is arguably the quintessential Foot faults, or interfering with another throwers
boomerang event. It combines accuracy, dis- boomerang (when throwing tandem) will result
tance and the ability to catch. in a score of 0. Once a catch is made, the
thrower should avoid moving until the score
Aussie Round History keeper has recorded the score.
Like accuracy, some form of aussie round
has been contested ever since the first boo- Setup and Scoring
merang competitions were held. Originally, Required circles are accuracy circles at 2, 4, 6,
the maximum distance contested in this event 8 and 10 meters and range lines drawn at 20,
was 40 meters. At the time, it was also 30, 40, and 50 meters. At least three range
known as 40 meter round. As boomerangs judges per line and a center judge (for foot
with a range of 50 meters became more com- faults and tracking scores) are required.
mon, the extra range of 50 meters was
added.

The maximum score for a single throw is 20

points. This would entail a throw that went 50
meters (6 points), caught inside the 2 meter
circle (4 points for the catch and 10 accuracy
points). A perfect round would be five bulls-
eye catches with each throw going 50 meters
for a total of 100 points. If five perfect scores
in a row were thrown, additional throws would
be allowed until a score of less than 20 was
made.

In all the time that this event has been con-

tested, no one has yet managed a perfect
score in competition. The current world re-
cord is 99 points scored by Fridolin Frost.

Current Rules
Aussie round as it is contested today is com-
prised of points awarded for distance accu- All throws must be made from the 2 meter cir-
racy and the catch. cle and have a range of at least 20 meters. To
speed the event up, sometimes two throwers
The thrower launches their boomerang from throw at the same time. Points awarded are
the 2 meter circle and tries to catch it on re- as follows.
turn. Circles drawn onto the ground give
guidelines for points received for the throw. Distance
Spotters at each of the range lines determine 20 m – 0
the range of the boomerang. 30 m – 2
40 m – 4
Scores for each parameter are added up to 50 m – 6
give the total for the throw. After five throws,
the points awarded for each throw are totaled Accuracy
for the final score. The objective is to get the Inside the 2 m circle – 10
highest total. On the 2 m line – 9
Inside the 4 m circle – 8

48
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Aussie Round
On the 4 m line – 7 advantage of wind indicators place in locations
Inside the 6 m circle – 6 other than in the throwing circle when deciding
On the 6 m line – 5 the direction you will throw.
Inside the 8 m circle – 4
On the 8 m line – 3 If you need to make an adjustment to how
Inside the 10 m circle – 2 your boomerang is flying during a competition,
On the 10 m line – 1 it is best to make the changes using easy to re
Outside the 10 m circle – 0 -position drag like a rubber band. If a larger
change is required than can be handled by
Catching adjusting the drag a bit, switch to a different
Inside the 20 m circle – 4 boomerang. For this reason, it is wise to have
On the 20 m line – 3 more than one boomerang ready that suit the
Inside the 50 m circle – 2 approximate conditions you will be throwing in.
On the 50 m circle – 1 (imagine having to run
50 meters and only get one point for it!) Design Features
Outside the 50 m circle - 0 Aussie round is the only place (aside from
MTA) where two-bladers still rule the field.
Strategies for the Best Scores Most aussie round boomerangs are essentially
Typically, it is almost a matter of pride that longer distance versions of sport boomerangs.
many competitors use a 50 meter boomerang Although there are a few multi-blader designs
for aussie round. It is wise to remember available, they are still relatively rare in com-
though that you get far more points throwing petition except when conditions dictate a
for accuracy than for distance. Although dis- shorter range boomerang.
tance points are virtually guaranteed, they may
reduce your overall score because of the loss
of accuracy points. It is often better
(particularly in unfavorable conditions) to use a
40 or even a 30 meter boomerang and focus
on getting accuracy points rather than going
for distance.

Make sure you use a boomerang that can han-

dle the conditions you are throwing in. Be
ready to add weights or drag to adapt to
changing conditions.

To maximize the points for each throw, it is

important to ensure that you make every
catch. When possible, stretch for the catch Most aussie round boomerangs are designed
from a higher point area to maximize your and modified to be thrown at full power.
points. As well, the trick of jumping in a score Weights and drag are used extensively to en-
is used when possible. The catch is made sure the desired range is met and to adjust for
while in the air, jumping from a lower point a very accurate return. Range is generally
area into a higher point area. adjusted to be a couple of meters over the de-
sired range to reduce the risk of being called
Watch the results of other throwers that throw short on your desired range.
before you in your round. You may be able
to identify odd wind currents plaguing other- A few observations of some of the more popu-
wise good throws that you can avoid. Take lar aussie round boomerangs are listed below.

49
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Aussie Round
These are by no means rules for design but The thinner composites tend also to be more
rather observations of some of the more com- wind resistant. This is partly because of their
mon features employed. Aussie round boo- additional weight and partly because they are
merangs may be designed with many, some or so much thinner than their wood counterparts.
none of these features. Look to the gallery Thinner airfoils tend to be less susceptible to
section for examples of these features. changes in the wind.

Materials of choice are generally dense When carving your own, I recommend starting
composites such as phenolics or G10 either with any of the designs available off the
The dingle arm is often slightly longer than internet or copying one of your favorite boo-
the lead arm merangs. You can also use the design for a
The dingle arm often has a shorter chord sport boomerang but will likely have to modify
length than the lead arm it to get it to work for longer range applications.
Like many sport boomerangs, flared or bul- Start by possibly reducing the size slightly and
bous tips are common reducing the chord length of each arm and us-
V shapes and omegas are the most com- ing a composite instead of wood.
mon followed by pseudo tri-bladers and
two and a half-bladders - multi-bladers are Experiment with various airfoils to build up a
still relatively rare but are gaining popular- kit of aussie round boomerangs for various
ity conditions. Some models work well even
If shorter range is acceptable (30- 40 me- when carved with significant undercut on the
ters), tri-bladers made out of heavy mate- trailing edge - particularly on the lead arm.
rial such as composites or weighted wood This airfoil is excellent for getting a bit of extra
sport models can be used range without having
Coins and flaps are used extensively for to resort to weights.
tuning
Typically are smaller than sport boomer- Another interesting airfoil to try is the invertible
angs because of denser materials used airfoil. With this airfoil, different flights are pos-
sible depending on which side is used at the
Aussie Round Carving Tips top when thrown. One side will generally re-
For the most part, aussie round boomerangs sult in a high, shorter range flight while the
are generally longer distance versions of sport other will have more
boomerangs. To achieve distances of 50 me- range and be lower.
ters, generally one of two options are used.
These options are to either use heavy materi- Aussie Round Tuning Tips
als such as phenolics or G10 instead of wood For aussie round boomerangs, the tips given
or to weight the tips of the boomerang to ex- in the generic tuning tips section all work well.
tend  it’s  range.    Sometimes  both  options  are   Use drag as required and weight to achieve
used. the distance you desire.

Using composite materials such as phenolics Aim for a stable flight that resembles an ex-
or GFEC will make it easier to make 50 meters tended version of the flight of your favorite
but will also require special precautions when sports boomerangs. There should be no dra-
carving to ensure you are protected against matic changes in the height of the flight and it
the dust generated. If you choose to use should be very accurate. There should be
wood, you will likely have to weight the tips to enough hover that the catch at the end can be
maximize your range. Most plastics such as made comfortably.
ABS or polypropylene do not find much use in
aussie round boomerangs.

50
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Aussie Round
Aussie Round Troubleshooting Guide
Not enough range
Add weight to lead arm
Add weights to both arms and possibly el-
bow
Carve out of heavier material (i.e. G10)
Twist slight negative angle of attack into
lead arm

Flies too high

Add negative dihedral to appropriate arm
Add flap on top
Add weight on top of dingle arm or bottom
of lead arm
Carve tune airfoils for a lower flight

Flies too low

Add positive dihedral
Add flap on bottom
Add weight on top of lead arm or on bot-
tom of dingle arm
Undercut both arms slightly

Does not make it all the way back

Adjust drag (probably on dingle arm)
Adjust weights (probably on dingle arm)
Adjust angle of attack of dingle arm
Adjust airfoil (i.e. dingle arm depression)

Flies past bulls-eye

Adjust drag (probably on lead arm)
Adjust weights (probably on lead arm)

Too sensitive to wind

Add drag
Add weights near center of rotation
Change airfoil (i.e. more blocky or
grooves)
Carve out of heavier material (i.e. G10)

51
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Fast Catch and Endurance

In fast catch, the objective is to make five The first big leap in technology happened in
throws and catches in the shortest period of the early 80s when a young competitor named
time. A good round requires that everything John Flynn was experimenting. He was actu-
works perfectly – five times in a row. You ally trying to make an MTA but at the time, he
need a good throw, fast hands, smooth transi- was relatively new to tuning and bent the
tions between throws and catches, and a fast wings of his boomerang down rather than up.
boomerang. His boomerang flew a very tight circle, low and
very accurate. Rather than being dismayed
Endurance is fast catch extended for a total over his apparent failure (it was a lousy MTA),
time of five minutes. Endurance requires eve- he clued into the fact that this boomerang
rything a good round of fast catch does com- would make an excellent fast catch. He incor-
bined with the stamina to keep it up for an ex- porated some features shared with him by Eric
tended period of time. Darnell into his designs and completely domi-
nated the early years of fast catch. John was
It should also be noted that in fast catch and the first thrower ever to break the 30 and 20
endurance, probably more than any other second marks. John also was the top competi-
event, it is best to wear some sort of eye pro- tor in endurance being the first ever to break
tection. Sunglasses not only protect you from 50 catches in 5 minutes and later had 70 in
the sun but will also protect your eyes if the five minutes.
fast catch bounces out of your hands towards
your face. By the end of the eighties, there were many
good two-blader designs. Most were V
Fast Catch and Endurance History shapes or pseudo tri-bladers. The pseudo tri-
The first time fast catch was competed, the bladers are actually tri-bladers disguised as a
best time was almost 5 minutes. It should be two-blader. The elbow section of these acts
noted however that 10 catches were required as the third wing. They are not necessarily
and there was a restriction on where the boo- faster than the V shapes but are much easier
merang could be caught. to catch. Most two-blader fast catch boomer-
angs were generally heavily cambered on the
The rules were changed to only 5 catches but bottom and had extensive undercutting.
times  were  still  slow  by  today’s  standards.    Un-­
til the early 80s, anything under a minute was In the early 90s, tri-bladers became legal in
considered a pretty good round and a score in competition according to the international
the mid 30 second range was considered ex- rules. Since that time, tri-bladers have com-
ceptional. pletely dominated the fast catch event. There
are a few quad designs but they are still rela-
Fast catch boomerangs, like those used in tively rare.
some of the other boomerang disciplines such
as MTA and long distance, have evolved Modern designs have not only become faster
greatly over the time since the events incep- (this point is debatable based on the two-
tion. In the beginning, ordinary sports boomer- bladed fast catch boomerangs in my collection
angs were used which explains the long times. - they are scary fast) but also more user
At the time, there was little else available. friendly. This area is constantly changing and
Over time, people began to realize that since new ideas are being put forth to make life eas-
you could achieve different flight patterns us- ier for the thrower. It is dramatically easier to
ing different boomerangs, it was probably pos- break 30, 25 or even 20 seconds now than it
sible to design a boomerang specifically for was in the early 90s. It still requires skill but
fast catch. designers are doing their best to push per-
formance to new levels.

52
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Fast Catch and Endurance

Probably the most common fast catch boomer- valid catches are made or the maximum al-
angs  are  modifications  of  Eric  Darnell’s  Tri-Fly. lowed time has been reached (in which case
Tri-Fly modifications are particularly popular the number of catches is recorded). The last
because they are so simple to make. They throw must be released before 60 seconds of
are cambered on the bottom so this part of the time in the round has elapsed. The time or a
design was already taken care of. As well, round may be significantly over one minute if
since they are made of plastic, they are very the catch is made outside the circle and it
easy to tune. They are available in a number takes some time for the thrower to get back to
of different plastics although most competitors the 2 meter line to stop the round. Usually,
lean towards ABS. each thrower has two rounds of fast catch.

The current world record for a round of fast Endurance is run very similarly except the
catch was set in 1996 by Adam Ruhf of the round does not end until five minutes has
USA with a time of 14.60 seconds. Adam elapsed. The last throw must be made before
used a self carved Tri-Fly modification based the end of the five minutes but may be caught
on  Eric  Darnell’s  Advanced  Fast  Catch  design.   after the five minutes is up. Drops, throws with
Adam is the only person to break the 15 sec- foot  faults  or  throws  that  don’t  make  range  do  
ond barrier in competition although others not count towards the total. Only one round or
have come exceedingly close. endurance is usually allowed for each thrower.

The current endurance record was set by Both fast catch and endurance can be com-
Manuel Schütz in 2005 with a total of 81 peted under independent, team, or head to
catches in five minutes. That translates to head formats.
maintaining the equivalent of a sub 19 second
round for five straight minutes. Setup and Scoring
Minimum requirements for the fast catch and
Current Rules endurance events are 20 m
The goal of fast catch is to throw and catch a one 20 meter range
20 meter boomerang five times as quickly as circle and one 2 meter
possible. In endurance, the throwing contin- center circle. Typically,
ues for five minutes and the objective is to the circles used for 2m
rack up as many catches as possible in the aussie round or
allowed time. accuracy are used but
all the other lines are
For both fast catch and endurance, all throws not needed.
must be made from inside the 2 meter circle.
Stepping over the line of the 2 meter circle is Three range spotters to confirm each throw
considered a foot fault and that throw will not makes the required 20 meters and one center
count if caught. Similarly, if the boomerang judge to check foot faults and call out the end
does not make the required 20 meter range, it of the round are required.
will not count and the thrower must throw
again (if time allows). Typically for fast catch, three timers are used.
The top and bottom times are dropped and the
Time in fast catch is from the first throw until remaining time is given as the time for the
the throwers foot lands back in the 2 meter round. Two rounds are generally run with the
circle after the fifth catch. If a drop is made, better of the two score counting as the official
range is called short, or a foot fault called, that time.
throw does not count as part of the five throws
required. The thrower must continue until five For endurance, only one timer is required.

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Time is periodically called out to the thrower accommodate different winds with your throw.
so they know how much time is left in the You can do this not only by adjusting left or
round. right in the wind but also by slight variations in
your throwing elevation. Slightly higher will
Strategy for the Best Times bring it back further a bit. Lower will move it
It would be easy to say that your best bet for a forward a bit.
great time in fast catch or endurance is to use
the fastest boomerang you have. However, Typically, you are aiming for the boomerang to
this is rarely the case. You are usually much come in about chest level at the highest.
better off to use something that you can Much higher and you risk it flying over your
handle rather than something you risk head with a puff of wind. The flight should be
dropping or flying past you. low and round. The boomerang should look
like it is at the same level all the way around.
Even a single step here and there eats up time
like  you  wouldn’t  believe.    A  slightly  slower   Be sure that you are throwing at full power (or
boomerang that  you  don’t need to move to close to it), with lots of spin and virtually no
make the catch will get you much better times layover for the entire round.    Don’t let up on
than a faster boomerang that you need to take power part way through the round.
a couple of steps every time you catch it. As
your skills advance, you can move towards the Make sure you make every catch. Missing a
faster models and still maintain control. catch is the easiest way to mess up a great
round.    To  make  sure  you  don’t  miss  a  catch,  
To have a good round of fast catch, you need never take your eyes off the boomerang during
to have your boomerang adjusted perfectly. It the whole flight. It can be tempting to take
should  be  very  accurate  so  you  don’t  have  to   your eyes off it just as you catch to line up
move to make the catch. You should not have your next throw but make sure the boomerang
to take even a single step to catch your is in your hands before your turn your head or
boomerang. If you are taking more than a take your eyes away. Also make sure your
step between your hands follow the boomerang and are in the
catch and your right place for the catch before the boomerang
next  throw,  you’ll   gets there. Trying to catch at the last second
have troubles by snagging it out of the air is not the best way
getting good times. to  make  every  catch.    Stay  relaxed  and  don’t  
Naturally, this is tense up right before each critical catch.
much harder than it
sounds and will As mentioned earlier, use a boomerang you
take a lot of can handle. Drag will slow your boomerang
practice. down enough by the end of the flight so that
you can catch it. If you have the power and
Actually, the boomerang should come in the right throw, the added drag will not slow
slightly behind you for best times. This allows down the time the boomerang is in the air
you to be part way through you wind-up when much. Many like fast catch boomerangs that
you make your catch – saving precious time. just about stop as they come in for a nice easy
Practice this technique using a slow, predict- catch.    Others  don’t  mind  something  coming  in  
able fast catch. You will be surprised how a bit faster but often need to wear gloves to
much it can affect your time. protect their hands. Many top competitors opt
for catching gloves to protect their fingers dur-
Once tuned for this flight, you can make minor ing fast catch rounds just so they can use a
adjustments to where it comes back to you to faster boomerang.

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Generally, since there are two rounds in fast A variation of supercatch is often part of the
catch, the first round is considered a safety team events at international competitions. In
round. Make every catch and try to get an ac- the team version, one thrower launches his
ceptable score. Use a slower boomerang if MTA and the rest of the team throws fast catch
necessary. If you mess up, you can still re- until the MTA is caught. If the MTA is not
cover with a good second round. If everything caught, none of the other catches count. The
went well in the first round, the second round total number of catches for the team are
is run with no holds barred. The idea is you added up for the score.
have nothing to lose so you might as well go
for it. Use the fastest boomerang you feel you Another common variation is team endurance.
can handle. In this variation, each team member sprints to
the throwing circle, throws one minute of en-
In endurance, it is generally a good idea to durance then sprints back to tag the next
stick with a slower, safety boomerang. Noth- member of the team. If there is still time on
ing will wear you out faster than having to run the clock when the last team member gets
a lot to chase after a boomerang you missed. back to the starting line, the first thrower can
Focus on making every catch not speed sprint back to the throwing circle and throw
unless conditions are perfect. until any remaining time runs out. The team
with the most total catches wins.
You may also want to have a few different fast
catch boomerangs for different conditions. Design Features
Fast catch boomerangs are notoriously sensi- Most modern fast catch boomerangs are tri-
tive to wind. Top throwers often carry at least bladers. Almost all modern fast catch boomer-
three with them into the throwing circle. A su- angs share the common design feature of hav-
per fast one for dead calm conditions, a safe ing forward swept wings. This keeps the lay
one for if the wind is up a bit, and a brick for down rate to a minimum and lends itself to a
when the winds are really tough. low, round, fast flight-path. The degree of for-
ward sweep does not have to be very much to
Practice is the only way to get good at fast have a significant effect.
catch and endurance. There is no luck
involved in a good round. Even under ideal
conditions, they are very challenging.

Variations
The most common variation of fast catch and
endurance is speed. It is basically a one min-
ute version of endurance. For novice throw-
ers, fast throw may be competed where only 5
throws need to be made (the catches are not
required but will speed up the time).

Another variation sometimes contested is su-

percatch. Supercatch entails throwing an MTA
and then starting a fast catch round. Catch as
many fast catches as you can before catching
the MTA. To qualify as a supercatch round,
you need at least 5 catches with your fast Before tri-bladers were legal in international
catch boomerang. competition, two-bladers were used. Without
getting into too much detail about them (since

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Fast Catch and Endurance

they are rarely used anymore), the major fea- round (by rolling either inwards or out towards
tures used on two-blader fast catch boomer- the tips) without losing much time. They allow
angs was extensive undercutting and camber- you to deal with a sudden change in the
ing on the underside. Some two-blader fast strength of the wind without having to stop and
catch boomerangs will actually outperform change boomerangs.
many modern tri-bladers in terms of overall
speed of the flight but are much harder to han- Weights can also be used to help stabilize the
dle. flight. They are more common in safety round
or higher wind fast catch boomerangs.
Today, it is rare to ever see anyone throwing a
two-bladed fast catch in competition. Multi- As with MTAs, the tune is an essential part of
bladers (tri-bladers in particular) have com- all fast catch boomerangs. Properly tuned,
pletely overtaken this event. This is largely the boomerang will barely make the required
due to the fact that they tend to be easier to 20 meter range and fly a low fast flight that is
throw, catch, and are more forgiving. very accurate.

Generally, the airfoils Plastics such as ABS and polypropylene tend

are fairly similar to the to be the materials of choice for most fast
standard semi-crude catch boomerangs. Wood is still fairly com-
airfoil. Undercutting mon but is not used as much because it is
and camber on the un- typically harder to tune. When dealing with
derside are still used wind, heavier plastics such as polycarbonate
extensively. or PET are used. Materials such as phenolics
are rarely used except in designs made for
Another vital part of the design is drag. It is very high wind applications.
rare to find a fast catch boomerang that does-
n’t  have  either  holes  in  it  or  have  some  other   Fast Catch Carving Tips
sort  of  drag  on  it.    If  they  don’t  have  enough   Since very few people throw two-bladed fast
built in drag, they can be too fast to handle catch boomerangs anymore, the tips pre-
and thick gloves would bee needed just to get sented here will be mostly for tri-blader de-
through a round unscathed. signs.

Drag not only makes the boomerang slower The standard semi crude airfoil will work okay
but also makes it easier to handle. It slows for a fast catch but it will not be particularly
down the speed at the end of the flight enough fast. It is probably your best bet if you want a
that a very fast boomerang is catchable. A stable boomerang for use in the wind. How-
properly dragged fast catch boomerang can be ever, if you want a really fast boomerang,
thrown at top power but will slow down enough some special airfoiling may be required.
by the end of the flight to still be catchable. There are a few places where the airfoiling on
This balance depends on the skill of the a quick fast catch typically deviates from other
thrower. types of boomerangs. These areas are the
tips, the leading edge, the underside, and the
Drag is used to stabilize unpredictable flights. center section.
Boomerangs that need a very specific throw or
conditions often are helped by the addition of The Tips
drag. The tips are very important on a fast catch
boomerang. The tips are the portion of the
Rubber bands are particularly useful since boomerang that is moving fastest through the
they can easily be adjusted in the middle of a air when in flight so pay close attention to how

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Fast Catch and Endurance

you carve them. tune the range of the boomerang a bit better
and maintain the
On most sport boomerangs, the leading edge height easier.
extends around the tip. On many fast catch
boomerangs, the trailing edge extends around As well, the leading
the tip. This has the effect of creating a lower edge is often undercut
flight. Not all fast catch boomerangs need it to maximize lift.
and you can get the same effect through tun-
ing but on some boomerangs it is very effec- The Underside
tive. The fastest fast catch boomerangs are gener-
ally hollowed out on the underside. This has
the effect of increasing the lift while reducing
the overall weight of
the boomerang. Not a
lot of material has to
be removed for the
results to be very im-
pressive. The style of
Flies lower as trailing edge wrapped around the tip more undercut can vary
widely.
Tips that are square tend to be slower than
round tips. Square corners are also more
likely to result in a painful catch even though
the boomerang may not be moving as fast.

Cambering the underside on tri-bladers is typi-

cally only done near the tips where it has the
most effect. On some two-blader designs, the
Flies faster as tips are rounded entire underside was cambered.

On another note, it is not nec- One of the advantages to modifying a Tri-Fly is

essary to make the tips smooth. that this concave undercut is built into it al-
Rough edges create drag which ready.    You  don’t  have  to  carve  it  in  manually.    
in turn require you to throw On models where you do have to carve it in,
harder (thus speeding up your the most common ways of doing so are to ei-
boomerang) but allowing it to ther use a router, a rotary tool, or the edge of a
slow down enough to catch it. drum sander. It can be a bit tricky to do a neat
job but the results are well worth the extra ef-
The Leading Edge fort.
How you carve the leading edge can have an
effect on the speed of your boomerang. The The Center Section
bevel on the top should not cut down any fur- Carving the center portion of your fast catch
ther than in the regular semi-crude airfoil but can greatly affect the flight. The more bevel
should be cut much further back. This creates carved in this area, the faster the boomerang
less drag over the airfoil and allows you to fine will come in for the catch. You can assure

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Fast Catch and Endurance

yourself a nice easy catch by leaving this area needed to get the range you need and can
blunt. A slow end to the flight will not affect greatly help stabilize flights. Use a slow,
the times you can get very much. As your safety fast catch that is reliable and make it
skills improve and you can handle a faster re- even  slower  to  make  sure  you  don’t  get  blown  
turn, try beveling the center section in small away.
steps to increase the speed. However, too
much removed from this area will result in an As well, many opt to use a boomerang made
erratic flying boomerang that is hard to control. out of a heavier material such as polycarbon-
ate or PET. They tend to cut through the wind
a bit better and still allow you to get good
times. Materials such as phenolics are rarely
used as they are considered to be too heavy.

Aside from these, relatively obvious modifica-

tions, changes to the airfoils are also possible.
The most common are to use a more blocky
airfoil, thin the thickness of the material down
Faster as center is carved more but also harder to control at the tips or to use the inverted airfoil.

One of the symptoms of this area being over- The blocky airfoil is just and extra blocky ver-
carved is if you have problems with a slight, sion of the standard semi-crude airfoil used on
last second, turn in at the end of the flight. If most boomerangs. Care should be taken to
this happens, blunt the edges of the center. only round off the edges enough that it is com-
Sometimes,  if  the  previous  tricks  don’t  work,   fortable to catch. Square edges are better. In
carving in a slight amount of undercut in this particular, do not round the trailing edge at all.
area can also help to fix this problem. Take off a little material as possible. This air-
foil will make for a slow
A hole dilled in the center will also help slow fast catch but is very reli-
down your boomerang at the end of the flight. able.
It can also be used as an alternative to blunt-
ing the center section as above if you have a I first came across the modification of thinning
last second turn in issue. Be aware that drill- down the thickness of the material near the
ing a hole in the center will also affect the lay tips to enhance wind resistance
down rate of your boomerang which may not on a fast catch developed by Eric
be desirable. Darnell. For best effect, carve a
standard airfoil then thin the thick-
Wind Fast Catches ness of the boomerang at the tips
Dealing with wind in a fast catch round is very by taking material off the top of
frustrating. Relatively small changes in wind the boomerang. The overall
can completely disrupt an otherwise good thickness of the material at the
round. When the wind really comes up, more tips can be reduced to less than
extreme measures are required if you want half of its original
anything resembling an acceptable time. thickness.

For wind, the most common approach is to The inverted airfoil is carved similarly as with
add drag and weights Drag is usually added other boomerangs. There should be minimal
afterward using flaps, rubber bands, Velcro, or bevel on the top of the leading edge and a
the permanent modifications such as holes or small amount of under-
combs (still fairly rare). Weights may be cut. The trailing edge is

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Fast Catch and Endurance

virtually unchanged from a normal airfoil. high  enough  that  it  won’t  crash  into  the  ground  
on  the  way  around  but  low  enough  that  it  won’t  
Fast Catch Tuning Tips fly over your head if your throw is off a bit.
To tune a fast catch boomerang for the opti- Ideally, the boomerang should come in slightly
mum flight, generally, it is advised to adjust for lower than chest level.
range first, followed by accuracy the finally for
height. Any other adjustments are made later. Drag is used to make the flight more stable
and easier to catch. Rubber bands, flaps and
For adjustments to range and accuracy, use Velcro are all used extensively.
the tri-blade tuning model from the generic
tuning tips. Be sure to mark which wing you Weighting is also used if stability of the flight is
choose to be the lead arm and which you an issue. Coins taped near the midpoint of
choose to be the dingle arm. each wing will greatly help with stability.

Angle of attack on the lead arm is used to con- Fast Catch Troubleshooting Guide
trol the range. Twisting in positive angle of Flies too high
attack will create more lift and result in a Bend negative dihedral into one or more
slightly shorter flight. If your range is not quite wing
enough, twisting in a bit of negative angle of Extend the trailing edge around the tips
attack will add a few meters to your range. Add weights on top of wings
Add flap on leading edge pointing forward
Weighting can be done to extend the range as Add drag (holes, flaps, rubber bands, etc.)
well. This can be done either with coins or
sometimes with just a few wraps of tape Flies too low
around the tips. Ideally, the range should be Throw harder
just over 20 meters. Throw higher
Bend positive dihedral into one or more
The dingle arm predominately affects the ac- wing
curacy of your boomerang. Too much angle of Twist positive angle of attack into one or
attack and the boomerang will cut in front of more wing
you. Not enough and it will fly behind you. To Add weight to bottom of wings
optimize your time in a fast catch event, you Add large flap on the bottom in the center
need to adjust your boomerang so that it
comes directly to you. Not having to move in Not enough range
your round will save you more time than any Twist negative angle of attack into the lead
other single thing you can do so really work on arm
accuracy. Add weights or move weights closer to tips
Carve back leading edge of airfoil
Height adjustments are made by adjusting di- Add flap near leading edge on the bottom
hedral on one or more of the wings. With fast
catch boomerangs, it does not seem to make Too much range
much difference which wing is adjusted to get Twist positive angle of attack on lead arm
the final effect. Weighting either on top or on Undercut leading edge
bottom of the wings (or combinations of on top Remove weights or move weights closer to
and on bottom) can also be used to adjust the center
height of the flight. Weights on top will tend to
make it fly lower. On the bottom, higher. Flies way past you on return or comes in too
fast to want to be in front of
Adjust the height of the flight so that it flies Add drag (holes, rubber bands, Velcro,

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Fast Catch and Endurance

flaps, etc.) Not fast enough
Enlarge holes in tips Remove weight
Drill a hole in the center Remove drag
Blunt the center section Add concave undercut
Add concave undercuts Sharpen leading edges
Use lighter material
Flies erratically Throw harder
Add drag
Enlarge holes in tips
Add weights (minor problems near the
center – major problems closer to the tips)
Blunt or undercut center section

Runs out of spin

Reduce drag
Reduce angle of attack

Doesn't make it all the way back

Remove or adjust drag (stops before it
gets all the way back)
Throw harder

Crashes into the ground halfway around

Remove or adjust drag
Add positive dihedral to one or more wing
Throw harder

Lays down too fast or not fast enough

Change design (determined by amount of
forward sweep in the arms)
Drill hole in the center

Doesn't come in straight

Add weight near center section
Add weights near midpoint of each wing
Blunt or undercut center section
Drill hole in center

Can’t  handle  wind

Add drag
Add weights near midpoint of each arm
Blunt airfoils
Carve reversible airfoil
Carve out of heavier material
Reduce chord length
Thin tips to half of original thickness

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

MTA
MTA or Maximum Time Aloft is a favorite were little more than lightweight traditional
event of many competitors. A perfectly thrown boomerangs. Raw power often determined
boomerang soars up into the air and settles who would win with scores of 15 - 20 seconds
into a gentle hover. Perhaps it catches a ther- being the top anyone could ever expect. It
mal and the boomerang eerily ceases to drop was the arena for those with powerful throwing
or even begins to rise. People point as the arms to show their stuff. Design had not yet
boomerang gently floats across the field. See- allowed for the extended times now seen.
ing a boomerang float for an extended period Sometimes, longer distance models were used
of time in the air is an awe inspiring experi- to take advantage of their extended flight. Tun-
ence although it can also be quite nerve ings and designs were top secret and often
wracking if the flight is too good (and you are hidden from other competitors to maintain an
scared it might not come back down). edge. Fortunately, this secrecy is no longer as
much of a problem and many throwers are
For newer throwers, MTA is also among the more than willing to help novices get started.
most frustrating of all the events. MTA has
the reputation for being among the most diffi- The design of MTAs did not really evolve very
cult boomerangs to master. MTAs require a quickly until Ted Bailey started playing around
very specific throw. Slightly too much layover with  modified  versions  of  Wilhelm  Bretfeld’s  
can have disastrous results. boomerangs. In early 1985, he took design
tips from the Bretfeld design, combined that
Likewise, tuning is very important. Some with design features of his Bob Burwell Rip-
wooden models can have a tendency to de- pah, and reversed tuning advice from Al
tune over time - much to the frustration of their Gerhards on how to get boomerangs to fly low
owners. Just the idea of having to tune an tear drop flight paths instead of high flights.
MTA is enough to make many cringe. That is Ted also started making MTAs out of light-
part of the reason for the popularity of expen- weight 3 mm birch plywood and mastered the
sive composite MTAs such as the Jonas or bend and twist tuning that is used virtually ex-
the many models available from Georgi Di- clusively to this day. The performance was
mantchev, Gary Villard, Manuel Schütz, Adam revolutionary.
McLaughlin, and David Schummy.
Ted holds many firsts using his MTAs includ-
However,  you  don’t  need  an  expensive  com-­ ing the first boomerang ever to fly over two
posite boomerang to do well in this event. A minutes, the first boomerang ever lost to the
bit of tuning knowledge can put you right up sky under normal wind conditions (he lost
there with the best of them. For years, even more than 40 more over the next 5 years) and
after composite MTAs were the norm for top the first ever supercatch round. With a few
competitors, the world record was held with a exceptions, almost all modern MTAs are varia-
plywood model boomerang. tions  of  Ted’s  designs.

Although they are intimidating, MTAs are very By 1987, the rules had to change to accommo-
satisfying to master. The goal of this section date the performance competitors were get-
is to take some of the mystery out of these ting. Just to keep the competitions restricted
wonderful boomerangs to make it easier for to the field and to keep them moving along at
you to get the most out of yours. a reasonable pace, a distance restriction was
implemented and MTA100 was born.
MTA History
MTA is one of the modern events. It has only In the early 90s, Jonas Romblad of Sweden
been contested since the late 70s. Originally, took one of Ted Baileys designs and revolu-
MTA was known as duration. Early MTAs tionized the MTA world again. He made an

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

MTA
ultra  light  composite  version  of  Ted’s  best  de-­ The recorded time is from when the boomer-
sign using ultra stiff carbon fiber and other ex- ang leaves the throwers hand until it is caught.
otic materials. If a drop is made or it is caught out of bounds,
the time does not count (catches outside the
The biggest advantage of this MTA over all 50 meter circle are open to the MTA unlimited
others before it is that the tuning was molded record but typically do not count towards a
into  the  boomerang  and  it  wouldn’t  change.     valid flight in competition.
He could also make the boomerang even
lighter than is possible with wooden models. A pre-determined number of throws is allowed
Jonas quickly became known for making the (usually 3 - 5). The longest time wins. Scor-
worlds finest MTAs. ing changes periodically from individual times
to combined times but the basic rules still ap-
Even now, they are still the standard for con- ply.
sistency and performance. Jonas unfortu-
nately no longer makes his fine boomerangs Setup and Scoring
and they are becoming collectors items. They The only circle requirements for this event is
are still common among top throwers in com- one 50 meter range circle (100 meter diame-
petition and will likely continue to be the MTA ter). Typically, the 50 meter circle used for
against which all others are judged until they aussie round is used. All the other lines are
all are lost to the sky. Fortunately, a few oth- not needed. Ensuring the throw and the catch
ers have stepped up to the plate and offer are both made within the 50 meter circle is of-
similar boomerangs with similar performance. ten done based on the honor system.
50 m
That  is  not  to  say  that  you  can’t  do  well  in  
competition  using  “old”  technology.    In  1997,  
the world record for MTA100 was set by Eric
Darnell in 1997 with a wood Bailey MTA. The
current world record is held by Nick Citoli with
a time of 139.10 seconds in 2010. The MTA
unlimited record was set by Billy Brazelton
also in 2010 with a throw of 380.59 seconds.
Then of course there is the legendary unoffi-
cial throw of 17 minutes 6 seconds with a
catch set by John Gorski in practice 1993.
Although many have had longer flights that
flew off into the sky, this is the longest timed
flight with a catch. If it had been thrown in
competition, it would have fit within the restric-
tions of MTA100!

Current Rules
The goal of MTA is to throw and maximize the
time before it is caught. Current rules state Three timers (two official and one backup) are
that all throws must be made from somewhere usually used with the top and bottom score
within the 50 meter circle - it does not matter being dropped. The remaining time is given
where. Likewise, the catch must be made as the time for the throw.
within the confines of the 50 meter circle.
There is no measured range requirement for To speed up the event a bit, often multiple
MTAs. throwers are allowed to throw at the same time

62
P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

MTA
(each thrower must have the prescribed num- watching trees in the distance. If you can
ber of timers though). MTA can also be con- time it so your throw is launched about 5 sec-
tested under head to head and team formats. onds prior to a gust getting to you, you can
take advantage of the extra gust for a bit of
Strategies for the Best Times extra lift right when the boomerang is setting
When throwing MTA, it is important to take up and get some extra height.
your time and mentally prepare yourself for the
throw. MTAs generally have a relatively nar- One trick the top competitors who throw com-
row throwing window so it is imperative that posite MTAs use is to twist a tiny bit of nega-
you throw correctly. tive angle of attack into the lead arm just be-
fore throwing. This allows the boomerang to
Watch other throwers and how their boomer- get higher and more likely to catch a thermal.
angs perform. This can give you indications The twisted in angle of attack comes back out
on where the best place to throw is. It can of the boomerang by the time the MTA sets up
give clues on the placement of thermals and in  it’s  hover  so  stability  is  not  affected.
how far the wind is carrying the ultra-light boo-
merangs across the field. Although there is a As with other events, make sure you make
certain amount of luck in catching a thermal, every catch. A drop has a time of zero no
paying attention to what others are experienc- matter how long it was in the air. Run down-
ing may increase your odds. wind as soon as the boomerang is released so
that when you turn around, it is in front of you.
Other tricks for finding thermals is to look for Spotters are often used in windy conditions to
birds in the air riding thermals and try to take tell the thrower when to turn around. This al-
advantage of them. Dead or brown pieces of lows you to step forward to make the catch
grass tend to create more thermals than the rather than chasing after it making your odd of
cooler green grass. Throw such that your success much greater. To milk a bit of extra
MTA sets up directly over places where you time out of the flight, catch as low to the
think a thermal might be. On cloudy days, ground as you can without risking it touch the
thermal action increases dramatically when ground.
the sun comes out from behind a cloud.
Sometimes this is more predictable that at When the wind is up, it is recommended to use
other times. an MTA made out of a heavier material such
as  phenolic  so  you  don’t  get  blown  away.    Also  
Plan to use the tune the MTA so that it sets up way out in front
entire space if to reduce the likelihood of being blown out of
the winds are up the scoring circles. This is the motivation be-
a bit. Throw right hind some of the new multi-blade MTAs.
at the edge of the
throwing circle so In very high wind situations, some competitors
if the wind carries opt for using a trick catch boomerang just so
your boomerang that a catch within the circle is ensured. A
down-wind a long throw of 10 - 15 seconds is still better than 0.
ways, at least
you have 100 Variations
meters before The most common variations of MTA is MTA
your are out of unlimited. Simply put, the restriction of having
bounds. to catch within the 50 meter circle is lifted.
MTA can be competed as independent, team
Also pay attention to minor wind gusts by or head to head formats.

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Another variation sometimes contested is su- Like the MTA, the maple seed only has one
percatch. Supercatch entails throwing an MTA wing that quickly spins around the axis.
and then starting a fast catch round. Catch as
many fast catches as you can before chasing As the boomerang falls through the air, it also
after the MTA. To count as a supercatch produces  it’s  own  spin  (an  effect  known  as  
round, at least 5 catches must be made with auto-rotating).    The  spin  isn’t  free  - it is gener-
the fast catch boomerang and the MTA must ated by the falling motion of the boomerang
also be caught. through the column of air. Falling faster would
generate more spin which in turn would cause
A variation of supercatch is often part of the faster tip speed and ultimately, more lift which
team events at international competitions. In would decrease the drop rate. Once in the
the team version, one thrower launches his hover stage of the flight, the spin rate will
MTA and the rest of the team throws fast catch quickly reach a balance point between the spin
until the MTA is caught. It the MTA is not created by dropping and the extra lift gener-
caught, none of the other catches count. The ated by the extra speed. From that point on,
total number of catches for the team are the spin rate of the boomerang should be rela-
added up for the score. tively consistent no matter how long it is in the
air. This is why a really long flight never
Design Features seems to run out of spin no matter how long it
The design of most MTAs is fairly consistent. is in the air.
Most have a long lead arm and a short dingle
arm. The original design was actually conceived by
Wilhelm Bretfeld but Ted Bailey is the one who
brought  it  into  it’s  modern  form.    There  are  
other designs but the Bailey shape is the most
common.

Other designs popular among competitors are

Ola  Wahlberg’s  Snake  and  Axel  Heckner’s  
Quirl. Bulgarian Georgi Dimantchev and
Manuel Schütz have developed asymmetrical
The idea behind this design is that it places three-bladed MTAs (the Trigger and the Palm)
the center of rotation such that during the designed for use when winds are up. They
hover portion of the flight, the boomerang tries drop quicker than Bailey style MTAs but make
to become a single bladed boomerang. The up for it by getting very high before their initial
effect of the dingle arm is minimized as it al- stabilization. They are also tuned so that they
most lines up (tip to elbow) with the path of set-up way out in front of the thrower so the
rotation. The lead arm on the other hand trav- chances of being blown out the back of the
els in a path perpendicular to the path of rota- scoring circle are minimized.
tion thus contributes a much larger portion of
the lift. This Manuel Schütz has also developed a symmet-
effect is seen rical tri-blader MTA that is amazingly stable. It
in nature in is almost hard to throw in such a way that it
maple seeds won’t  stabilize.    The  tune  on  these  has  to  be  
that slowly very exact - even more so than conventional
drop to the MTAs. The tune is locked in place by making
ground spin- them in a similar method as other composite
ning like a MTAs with carbon fiber skins covering a light-
helicopter. weight  core.    So  far,  I  haven’t  seen  a  copy  of  it  

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made out of conventional materials that flew boomerangs. Other makers like David
anywhere  near  as  good  as  Manuel’s  version. Schummy actually leave the center hollow
while others are experimenting with other ma-
Most MTAs are made of very thin materials. If terials such as light-
making an MTA out of wood, 2.5 - 3 mm ply- weight foam or
wood is about as thick as you are ever likely to balsa.
go. With phenolics, 1.5 and 1.75 mm thick-
nesses are common. Paper phenolic is more Composite MTAs can be made to any thick-
common than linen or canvas phenolics as it is ness the maker wants but are generally a bit
more rigid. The thin materials make them light thicker than phenolic MTAs (but thinner than
and reduce drag - both key components to wood).
long flights.
The disadvantage of composite MTAs is the
Paper phenolic models tend to be heavier and complexity of making them. Fabricating these
don’t  float  quite  as  well  as  lighter  wooden   MTAs is very technical and definitely not for
models. However, they offer a great advan- the beginner. Carbon fiber is also very expen-
tage when the wind is up a bit since they are sive so mistakes are costly from a materials
less prone to drift out of the circle. The also standpoint as well as the time you put into it.
can get much higher initially so good times are
still possible. The molds also have to be made very pre-
cisely. The mold has to have the exact tune
For the ultimate MTA, many feel that compos- you want as once the boomerang is made, any
ite MTAs are the way to go. Made of stiff car- changes to the tune of the finished boomerang
bon fiber and other space age materials, they are going to be difficult because of the non-
are lighter and do not de-tune as readily as tunable nature of carbon fiber. It often takes
wood or phenolic models. the maker a few tries before they manage to
get a good mold. However, once you have a
mold that has the proper tune, the rest is
“easy”.    Unfortunately,  even  making  a  mold  is  
beyond the scope of what can be covered
here.

The key feature of the all MTAs is the tune.

Without a proper tune, no MTA will perform
properly. The proper tune will allow for a high
More and more people are trying to mimic the flight that sets up into a stable hover. The ba-
performance  of  Jonas  Romblad’s  composite   sics of the tune are lots of dihedral and strate-
MTAs. The basics of the construction is to gically placed angle of attack to maximize the
mold two shells (one for the top and one for height of the flight and the stability of the
the bottom) and then glue them together. hover. Tuning can also be adjusted so that
Each shell has an outer layer of lightweight the boomerang set up way out in front of the
carbon fiber (for rigidity) and an inner layer of thrower to ensure the boomerang stays in
aramid fiber (Kevlar) so that breaks are less bounds in windier conditions.
common. The two layers of each shell are
held together with a matrix of epoxy. Before Most generally think that the ideal MTA is as
they are glued together, the two shells are light as possible. This is not always the case.
sandwiched around alight weight inner core. Often problems in the flight can be fixed by
Jonas Romblad used a mixture of micro- adding a small weight (such as a 1/4 inch dot
balloons and epoxy for the inner core of his of lead tape). These changes can correct for

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minor problems that occur due to improper carve  tuning  your  MTA  to  fly  lower  than  it’s  
weight distribution of the boomerang. Weights maximum potential. This would hinder your
are typically placed on the lead arm near the efforts later on to tune your MTA to set up in a
center of gravity as a starting point. high stable hover.

The other problem with trying to get MTAs too Similarly, the leading edge of the lead arm
light  is  that  if  they  aren’t  heavy  enough,  they   should extend around the outside of the elbow
are actually more difficult to throw. The lower rather than the trailing edge of the dingle arm.
limit for weight seems to be around the 14 Like the tips, if the dingle arm trailing edge
gram range (which is pretty close to the limit were wrapped around this area, the result
you can achieve with composite technology). would be a lower flight.

MTA Carving Tips

There is nothing special about carving an
MTA. The standard semi-crude airfoil works
great. Because of the design of the MTA, the
minimal drag of the airfoil is not enough to in-
hibit  the  spin.    You  don’t  need  to  worry  about  
making perfectly
smooth airfoils.

The secret to a good MTA is in the tuning.

There are a few mistakes you can make when
carving an MTA though. If you read through The trailing edge on the lead arm should ex-
the carving section, you may have noticed that tend all the way up to the elbow. Experiments
you can make a boomerang fly lower depend- of just carving the last few inches of the lead
ing on how you carve the tips and the elbow arm resulted in poor flying MTAs. No good
section. explanation for this can be given aside from
the unpredictable nature of carving around the
Make sure that the leading edge extends elbow section of boomerangs.
around both tips (not the trailing edge). Wrap-
ping the trailing edge around the tips would be

Carving the tips with the leading edge wrapped

around the tips will allow you to maximize the
height

The trailing edges on all airfoils you carve

should not be too sharp. If they are, your MTA
will likely be
prone to rocking
or death spirals.
Carving the tips too much will result in a lower
flight
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A few alternative airfoils have been tried with everything else slightly rougher.
varying success. Byron Seward carved the
dingle arm of his Upside-Downer MTAs with The last technique is actually not a carving but
the trailing edge carved on the bottom rather a finishing trick for wood MTAs. The first time
than on the top. The idea was that this mimics you tune your boomerang, you should do it
the introduction of negative angle of attack into before it has any paint on it. After tuning,
the  dingle  are  so  you  don’t  have  to  worry   spray a light coat of paint on it and leave it for
about twisting it in. However, more often than a few days. Return to the field a make sure
not, this modifications do not remove the need the tuning is perfect. Add another light coat of
to make some sort of angle of attack adjust- paint. This should lock the tune of the boo-
ment on the dingle arm merang in. Done properly, this can reduce the
so it has never widely possibility of de-tuning problems and allow the
caught on. tune to remain stable for years.

Occasionally, you will also see airfoils carved MTA Tuning Tips
with a slight amount of camber on the bottom Tuning MTAs is one of the more intimidating
of the airfoil. This is most common on the tasks in boomeranging. If you can tune an
composite MTAs of Georgi Dimantchev. It is MTA, most other boomerangs are relatively
fairly rare on hand easy. Practice and doing it yourself are the
carved MTAs. only ways to learn how to do it.

Some MTAs also utilize a small trailing edge The general tune is lots of dihedral in both the
undercut to extend the range. This modifica- lead and dingle arms. The lead arm will gen-
tions is used mostly on MTAs designed to set erally have slightly more dihedral than the din-
up way out in front of the thrower (for wind ap- gle but that is likely due to the fact that it is so
plications). It will increase the drop rate during much longer. The lead arm usually has a
the hover phase but this may be more than slight amount of positive angle of attack. The
compensated for by the outward range and dingle arm may be neutral or may have a
height attainable using this airfoil. Care must small amount of negative angle of attack.
be taken when carving this airfoil as too much
trailing edge undercut Dihedral on either arm should not start directly
can result in a non- from the elbow but rather closer to the mid-
returning boomerang. point of the arm. The elbow region should be
left flat. The idea is to have the dihedral start-
You can also modify the performance of the ing from the center of gravity rather than the
boomerang by the finish you use. They do not elbow. Similarly, the dihedral should be added
need to be sanded to a high polish to get good so that it is a smooth transition over the last
results. Sanding to 180 grit is fine. Some feel few inches of the arm rather than in a single
that a slightly textured surface seems to hold sharp bend.
the air a bit better and can improve perform- Gradual bend starts about
ance - particularly on the bottom of the boo- mid-way along arm
merang.
Bend starts about mid-way
Actually, what I do is slightly more compli- along arm but is too sharp
cated. I do
sand the elbow Gradual bend starts too
area on top soon beginning at elbow
smooth (220
grit) and leave

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The process presented here for tuning MTAs you decide to make a change. Make the
follows the same rules outlined in the generic change  when  you’re  sure  it’s  the  boomerang  
tuning section. This is the process I use to and not your throw.
tune up my wood MTAs.
Another tip is to avoid doing anything to the
When learning how to tune MTAs, initially stick elbow. Changes there can result in some very
with the simple shapes such as the Bailey hard to fix problems. Try to leave the entire
style boomerangs. When you change dihedral elbow section as flat as possible.
on an MTA with swept wings such as a snake,
it can also effect the angle of attack of that If you are tuning a phenolic model, keep in
wing. Starting off with simple shapes lets you mind that typically significantly less dihedral
make changes and know exactly what the will be required than with wood models. They
change you made actually did. Try your skills may also be more prone to breakage during
with other designs after you have a bit of a tuning so take your time and make only small
handle on the basics. adjustments.

It is easiest to get good results when tuning A quick explanation of the pictures of the
from scratch. This is because you are not throws in the following tuning steps. The
trying  to  fix  problems  that  you  didn’t  tune  into   curved part of the line represents the flight
the boomerang. Starting from scratch lets you path of the MTA after each step is completed.
control each step. If a mistake is made and The hover stage is the screw shaped line and
some unwanted performance is accidentally obviously does not factor in drift due to wind.
tuned in, the step can be reversed before con-
tinuing. This also lets you set what each step Step 1 - Getting Started
looks like so when you throw another MTA that The MTA throw is very vertical (no layover)
isn’t  tuned  optimally,  you  may  be  able  to  rec-­ and higher than usual. When tuning from
ognize where it is along the tuning process scratch, initially aim about twice as high as you
and jump directly to that step. would for an ordinary boomerang. As tuning
progresses, you can aim even higher but this
Use the trouble shooting guide if you are close is a good place to start. Throw with medium
to having the right tune or are having troubles power but lots of spin.
with  a  specific  part  of  the  flight.    If  you  can’t  fix  
the problem, it is sometimes easier to flatten it An un-tuned MTA will initially fly quite similar
out and start over than to try to fix a bad flying to a regular boomerang. It should do a nice
MTA – particularly if you are new to tuning circle and end up in a hover at the end of the
them. flight.    If  it  doesn’t  turn  (goes  straight),  twist  
positive angle of attack into the lead arm. Too
Do  not  “fix”  problems  that  don’t  exist.    For  in-­ much angle of attack and you will kill the spin
stance,  if  it  is  flying  high  enough  but  you  don’t   during the hover and may reduce the float
have as much dihedral as you thought you time. You only need enough to make it come
should have, adding more will not necessarily around or at least turn a bit in the right direc-
make it fly even higher. You may end up sac- tion.    Don’t  worry  if  it  
rificing stability because you trusted what you sets up in front of
thought you needed rather than what the flight you. This is actually
told you it needed. Make each change either a  good  thing  so  don’t  
to fix a consistent problem or to get a bit extra try to correct for it. If
out of the flight. it  seems  like  it’s  tak-­
ing way too much
It’s  also  wise  to  do  a  number  of  throws  before   angle of attack to get

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it to turn, try putting a bit of positive angle of Step 2 - Getting it to Fly Higher
attack into the dingle arm as well. Once it is Next thing you want to do is to get it to fly
turning fine, concentrate on the hover at the higher. The higher it goes, the better times
end. you can achieve as most of the time is
achieved while the MTA is in the slow descent
You want to make sure your hover is stable. stage of flight.
Rocking or spiraling really robs time from an
MTA flight. Start by elevating your aim until you reach the
highest throw you can do and still maintain a
stable hover at the end. Next, start bending
dihedral into the lead arm in the last half to
third of the arm. The same throw will now
make the boomerang fly quite a bit higher ini-
tially but it will seem to come back down a bit
before stabilizing. Do not worry yet that it
doesn’t  stabilize  very  high.      We  are  trying  to  
maximize the initial height gained in the throw.
Also, try to bend in as much dihedral at the
very tip (the last inch or so) that you can. For
A slight twist of negative angle of attack on the an extra bit of height,
dingle arm will often stabilize the hover from try twisting negative
rocking. A bit extra twist of positive angle of angle of attack into
attack into the lead arm can help ward off the the last inch or two
dreaded death spiral. A death spiral is where of the lead arm. Too
the boomerang initially sets up but begins to much will reduce the
carve out bigger and bigger circles as if floats ability of the boomer-
down until the circles are big enough that a ang to turn but you
spectacular crash results. Only correct for should be able to get
this problem is you are actually getting a death away with a bit to
spiral – too much lift on the lead arm can rob increase the height.
you of height later on.
As  you  increase  the  height  with  this  step,  you’ll  
All boomerangs are different so there are no likely notice that you can aim your throw even
hard and fast rules for how much dihedral and higher and still maintain the stable hover.
angle of attack you need. If yours seems to be When changes no longer seem to be making
getting worse when you make a change or your throws go any higher, stop and move
doesn’t  seem  to  be  getting  any  better  no  mat-­ onto the next step. If you add too much, you
ter how extreme you get, try backing off the may not be able to stabilize the boomerang
change and doing the opposite. There is a again.
fair amount of trial and error when tuning an
MTA. After each tuning change, test throw to make
sure that the hover is stable. If at any point it
If all goes well, your MTA should now have a starts to rock or death spiral, immediately
flight pattern similar to that of a regular boo- make the required change to make the hover
merang. The flight will not be particularly high stable before you try to add any more dihedral.
and  you  can’t  expect  good  times  yet  but  it  will  
have a nice stable hover. The adjustments made in this step were all
made on the lead arm (except for any adjust-

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ments to correct stability problems). This goes paint will not only help with visibility, but will
back to our tuning model in that we are aiming also help lock in the tune.
to get the boomerang to fly high initially. In the
next step we will focus on adjustments to the Let the paint dry over night then take it out
dingle arm to ensure that the second part of again the next time you get the chance. On
the flight ends up where we want it to. your next throwing session, go back to step
two and try bending in more dihedral into the
Step 3 - Getting it to Stabilize High lead arm then the dingle arm to maximize the
To  get  your  MTA  to  stabilize  at  it’s  maximum   height  you  are  getting.    Go  slowly  so  you  don’t  
height, start adding positive dihedral to the din- overdo it as you should be pretty close to an
gle arm. Again concentrate on the last half of optimum tune. When you are satisfied that
the arm and the tip. As you add dihedral to you have the right tune, give it another light
the dingle arm, the height at which the boo- coat of paint. The two coats of paint will
merang stabilizes will in- greatly help to stabilize the tune.
crease. Eventually, the
height of stabilizing may Be sure to keep both coats of paint light as too
even be higher than your much paint can add significant weight which
maximum height in the may rob you of time you laboriously tuned in.
second step. It will spiral
upwards until it reaches Tips For Specific Designs
its maximum height and Tips for Snakes
set up into a nice stable The throw for a Snake is a bit different than
hover. As before, correct with regular MTAs. They can handle a lot
any stability problems that more layover. They also like to be thrown
arise before trying to add lower than other MTAs. The throw is more like
more dihedral. a high aussie
round throw
After you have completed this step, you may rather than a
wish to go back to step two and see if you can typical MTA
get a little bit more height by adding more di- throw.
hedral to the lead arm and then to the dingle
arm to get it to stabilize higher. You can also Tuning for Snakes is fairly similar to regular
try twisting in a tiny bit more negative angle of MTAs. Extra care should be taken to make
attack in the tip of the lead arm. Stop as soon sure the elbow region is flat - even more so
as any changes you make either have a detri- than on regular MTAs. The lead arm and the
mental  effect  that  you  can’t  correct  for  or  have   dingle arm should both have some dihedral
no effect at all. At this point, you should have although the amount required can vary greatly
a properly flying and well tuned MTA. from boomerang to boomerang.

Step 4 – Locking in the Tune Snakes also like lots of positive angle of attack
Now that your MTA is tuned, you probably on the lead arm to get them stable. Because
want it to stay that way. Most phenolic MTAs of the curve in the lead arm, when you add
will be fairly stable once tuned but wood mod- dihedral to the lead arm, you are also adding
els may need some extra help to make sure negative angle of attack. You need extra posi-
they  don’t  go  out  of  tune  over  time. tive angle of attack to overcome that. Try to
add positive angle of attack in the last couple
Give it a light coat of paint on both sides. of inches of the arm for this reason. A tiny bit
Many prefer black as it shows up the best of negative angle of attack right at the tip of
against the sky but it is entirely up to you. The the lead arm can get you a bit of extra height

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but too much will destabilize your boomerang. stance are capable of flights out as far as 70
If the dingle arm has too much dihedral it will meters and setting up out 40 meters in front of
climb very quick and not go out very far in front the thrower. If you threw from the front of the
of you. If there is not enough you won't get throwing circle, it could float back 140 meters
much height. from where it set up before you would be out
of bounds.
Tips for Quirls
Quirls are renowned for the height of their ini- Both Palms and Triggers utilize a special airfoil
tial stabilization. Great times are possible to help achieve the range. A small trailing
simply because they get so high. They need a edge undercut is applied to all three wings. Be
very high, over ver- careful when you carve this in though as even
tical throw that a bit too much will result in a boomerang that
many find even goes  straight  and  won’t  turn.    If  you  over  do  it,  
more difficult than you’ll  have  to  add  positive  angle  of  attack  to  
typical MTAs. the longest arm to compensate. If you only
apply the trailing edge undercut to the two
Most of the tuning is just dihedral (and lots of smaller arms, you reduce the risk of turning
it). The required angle of attack comes the your boomerang into a non-returner.
curve of the arm and the effect that comes
naturally when you change the dihedral. As As for the tuning of Palms and Triggers, treat
with other MTAs, they can be prone to death the two smaller arms both as you would the
spirals if the airfoils are too profiled. Weighting dingle arm (sadly these boomerangs are an
using lead tape can be used to correct this exception to the tuning model). Both should
problem. end up with plenty of dihedral and a bit of
negative angle of attack. You may or may not
Quirls  don’t  seem  to  do  much  until  you  get   have to twist in the angle of attack since the
really close to the right tune, then they are vir- forward sweep of the two small arms will auto-
tually unmatched for how high you can get matically introduce some negative angle of
them. Try to talk with an expert if you are hav- attack when you add the dihedral.
ing problems with yours.
The long arm is treated like the lead arm of a
Tips for Palms and Triggers regular MTA. If you are not getting enough
Palms and Triggers probably had the biggest range as you would like, you can try adding a
impact on MTA design since the Jonas MTA. bit of negative angle of attack or adding a
They are not de- small trailing edge undercut.
signed to get the ul-
tra long times that a MTA Troubleshooting Guide
Jonas does however. There are lots of different opinions on how to
They are designed to tune MTAs and even how to fix given prob-
let a competitor get a lems. A given problem may have more than
reasonable score one possible correction. Each suggestion has
when the winds its place and sometimes one will work and an-
come up a bit too other will not. Experience and experimenta-
much for a standard tion is the only way to learn how to do it.
MTA.
There are very few people out there who can
The way they manage to do this is by greatly look at a flight and fix the problem in one or
increasing the outward range and setting up two  steps.    Don’t  expect  instant  results  but  be  
way out in front of the thrower. Palms for in- prepared to spend some time with each MTA

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MTA
you tune to get it to fly right. Eventually you Sets up behind you (or not far enough in front
will develop an eye for what is wrong and can of you)
jump to the correct tune quicker. Adjust throwing direction relative to the
wind
In some cases, it may actually be faster and Reduce angle of attack on the dingle arm
easier to stop, flatten out your MTA and start Reduce angle of attack on the lead arm
over again from scratch (this can particularly Add small weights (try lead arm first - use
be the case if the elbow region of your MTA is a ¼ inch dot of lead tape)
warped – slight twists in the elbow area can
have some very strange effects and it can be Goes  straight  and  doesn’t  turn
very hard to identify and correct problems). Add positive angle of attack to the lead
arm
If  you  can’t  get  it  right  no  matter  what  you  do,   Add positive angle of attack to the dingle
try contacting an experienced thrower to help arm
you. If you can attend a competition, there are Reduce dihedral in the lead arm
usually many throwers more than happy to
give you a hand to get your boomerangs flying Seems to fly perfect but sinks too fast
right. Reduce angle of attack on one or both
arms
Any problem you try to correct should be con- Experiment with turbulators
sistent before you try to fix it. MTA problems
are often just throwing problems. Remember Climbs too high, stalls, and crashes down
to minimize layover (release should be near Reduce angle of attack on the lead arm
vertical for most MTAs) and aim high. For Throw with less layover
learning how to throw an MTA, try to get your Throw with less power
hands on one that is already tuned. Tuning is
much  easier  when  you  know  you’re  throwing   Floats out of bounds
correctly and consistently. Add a tiny amount of drag (small rubber
bands)
Does not get high enough Adjust throw to wind direction (throw either
Aim higher more into the wind or more off the wind)
Throw with more spin Reduce height by reducing dihedral
Add more dihedral to the lead arm Add small weights near center of gravity
Twist negative angle of attack into lead (use a ¼ inch dot of lead tape)
arm tip Add trailing edge undercuts to get the boo-
Add small weights to underside of tips and merang to set up further in front of you
elbow (use lead tape)
Will not stabilize
Gets high but comes down a bit before stabi- Throw lower
lizing Reduce dihedral of lead arm
Add dihedral to the dingle arm Reduce dihedral of dingle arm
Reduce dihedral to lead arm slightly Adjust angle of attack on the dingle arm
Add small weights (use a ¼ inch dot of
Lays down before the maximum height is lead tape)
achieved Check that elbow area is flat
Throw with less layover Blunt trailing edge
Reduce dihedral on lead arm

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MTA
Rocks or destabilizes during hover
Try throwing using the other arm (choosing
dingle or lead seems to have a greater ef-
fect with MTAs over other types of boomer-
angs)
Aim lower
Reduce throwing power
Adjust angle of attack to dingle arm (may
need positive or negative angle of attack
depending on the situation – negative an-
gle of attack is more common)
Reduce dihedral to lead arm
Reduce dihedral in dingle arm
Experiment with turbulators
Add small weights (try lead arm first - use
a ¼ inch dot of lead tape)
Check that elbow area is flat
Blunt trailing edge

Goes into a death spiral (may stabilize first

then work into at death spiral)
Try throwing using the other arm
Reduce power of throw
Aim lower
Add positive angle of attack to the lead
arm
Add positive angle of attack to the dingle
arm
MTA may be over-tuned – reduce dihedral
on one or both arms
Blunt trailing edges
Experiment with turbulators
Add small weights (try dingle arm first - use
¼ inch dot of lead tape)
Check that elbow area is flat
Blunt trailing edge

Loses spin
Check  to  make  sure  you  aren’t  twisting  the  
MTA on release
Sharpen leading edges slightly
Reduce angle of attack to the lead arm
Reduce angle of attack to the dingle arm

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Trick Catch/Doubling
Nothing really shows off the skill of a thrower Current Rules
quite like the ability to do well at trick catch. The object of trick catch is to perform a pre-
Top competitors expertly tracking the flight and determined set of trick catches in order. Each
catching it under their leg or behind their back catch has a set number of points awarded if
can make it look so easy. completed. The highest total score is the win-
ner. The current list of trick catches performed
Aside from the obvious acrobatics and flexibil- in competition are:
ity required to make these catches, you need a
boomerang that flies very predictably. If you Right hand clean
have ever tried doing trick catches with an un- Left hand clean
predictable boomerang, you know it can be Right hand eagle
very frustrating. To be successful at trick Left hand eagle
catch, you need a bit of strategy, planning and Behind the back
a properly performing boomerang. Under the leg
Tunnel
Trick Catch/Doubling History Foot catch
The history of trick catch goes back to the first One hand behind the back
competitions. Instead of trick catch, consecu- One hand under the leg
tive catch was contested. Everyone lined up Hackey catch
and threw at the same time. It was spectacu-
lar to see but had a certain amount of mayhem Doubling entails combinations of these
to it as well. People were gradually weeded catches.
out when they made a drop. The last thrower
to not drop their boomerang was declared the The boomerangs must make the required
winner. range both when thrown alone and as doub-
lers. You must maintain control of both boo-
However, under good conditions, many could merangs  until  both  are  caught  (i.e.  you  can’t  
throw all day and never miss a catch. So, to catch the first boomerang, then toss it to the
make things more interesting and limit the time side and catch the other one).
of the event, more challenging catches were
added to make it more difficult. There are now The point system used for scoring changes
a standard set of trick catches that the com- periodically so check with current rules for
petitor must complete. A list of official trick points awarded for each catch.
catches is given in the current rules section.
Setup
Just to add an extra bit of difficulty, doubling Required circles are one 2 meter throwing cir-
was added. Doubling entails throwing two cle and a 20 meter range circle. At least three
trick catch boomerangs tuned to have similar range judges and a center judge (for foot faults
flight patterns. A trick catch is done on the first and tracking scores) are required. All throws
one to come down followed by a different trick must be made from 20 m
catch with the second one. Doubling will chal- the 2 meter circle
lenge your throwing, and tuning ability even and have a range of
under good conditions. at least 20 meters.
Foot faults, short 2m
The current trick catch record was set by range and missed
Manuel Schütz in 2004 with 390 points. The catches all constitute
current consecutive catch record is held by a score of 0 for that
Haruki Taketomi of Japan with 2251 catches. throw (if one boomer-
ang is short during

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Trick Catch/Doubling
doubling, both are considered short). rocking or changes in direction during the
hover. If the hover rocks a bit or makes you
The points awarded for each catch and the run, you will likely not be at the top of the
sequence has changed a bit over the last few game in trick catch. You want your boomer-
years so check with current rules for points ang to be as predictable as possible. If you
awarded for each catch. As of the writing of know exactly where the boomerang will land, it
this book, this was the order and scoring for is easy to get yourself set up for the catch.
trick catch/doubling.
Ideally, the hover will be as straight as possi-
Single Boomerang Sequence Score ble with no S-ing or rocking so that it is very
1. Left hand clean 2 predictable. How quickly it drops is a matter of
2. Right hand clean 2 preference. Some people like to have lots of
3. Behind the back 3 time while others can get set up quickly if they
4. Under the leg 3 know exactly where to position themselves so
5. Eagle catch 4 don’t  need  as  much.    The  best  trick  catch  boo-­
6. Hackey catch 6 merang    I’ve  thrown  dropped  like  a  rock  but  
7. Tunnel catch 6 landed exactly where you expected it to. It
8. One hand behind the back 7 made trick catches easy even though you did-
9. On hand under the leg 7 n’t  have  a  lot  of  time  to  prepare  yourself  for  the  
10. Foot catch 10 catch.
Subtotal: 50
Always try to keep your boomerang in front of
Doubling Sequence Score you. This allows you to keep your eye on the
11. Behind the back/Under the leg 3+3=6 boomerang and step forward to make the
12. Hackey catch/Left hand clean 6+2=8 catch rather than chasing after it trying to
13. Tunnel catch/Right hand clean 6+2=8 catch a boomerang that is moving away from
14. One hand behind the back/one you. To make this easier, it is best to tune
hand under the leg 7+7=14 your boomerang so that it does not make it all
15. Foot catch/Eagle catch 10+4=14 the way back to you but rather lands in front of
Subtotal: 50 you. In low wind, tune
your boomerang to land
Total 100 2-5 meters in front of
you. In higher winds,
If all the catches are made in a single round, tune it to land even fur-
the thrower is allowed to continue throwing ther ahead so that if a
starting back at the start of the throwing se- gust pushes it back a
quence. They can keep scoring points until bit, it is still in front of
they make a drop. you.

To speed up the event, trick catch can be run For doublers, the outsider should come down
with tandem throwers throwing at the same a few seconds after the
time however this is fairly rare. Trick catch insider. This will give
can also contested under head to head and you time to locate the
team formats. outsider and set yourself
up for the catch after
Strategies for Trick Catch/Doubling grabbing the insider.
The key to doing well in trick catch is to have a Ideally, the outsider
boomerang that sets up properly. Ideally, the should be even further in
boomerang should have a stable hover with no front of you than the in-

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Trick Catch/Doubling
sider so you can step into that catch as well wood but they seem not to be as common.
(not too far - just a couple of meters). This is likely because it is harder to get range
with the lighter materials without resorting to
Variations weighting.
Trick catch is also contested under head to
head and team formats. However, the most
common variation of trick catch is GLORP. It is
played almost anytime more than a few throw-
ers get together.

Unlike regular trick catch, there are no re-

quired catches. Everyone lines up in order of
how long they have been throwing boomer-
angs. The person with the least throwing ex-
perience throws first and makes the trick catch
of their choice. Everyone must then follow and
perform the same catch. If the catch is
missed, a letter is assigned. Last person to
have all five letters wins. In true boomerang
fashion, the honor system is used to determine Most trick catch designs typically have the
if all catches are valid or not. Everyone is en- wings swept slightly rear-ward – particularly
couraged to push their limits, be creative and near the tips. This advances the rate of lay
have fun. down and allows the boomerang to set up into
a hover quickly.
Didier Bonin from France has identified over
80 trick catches often seen in games of To control the speed of spin and the hover,
GLORP. Even with this number of choices, drag (usually holes or flaps) is used exten-
there always seem to be new catches being sively. Holes near the tips are used to slow
made up on the field any time a game is rotation so that catching is easier. Holes or
played. drag near the center are used to reduce rock-
ing in the hover and reduce forward motion.
Another alternative is called suicide. This is
when as many throwers as are on the field line Doublers have a number of design character-
up and throw at the same time. It is quite a istics of their own to be aware of. Starting with
sight to see - particularly at larger competi- a fairly typical trick catch design, there are
tions. People drop out of the next throw when slight variations between the insider and the
they miss a catch. Often catches of increasing outside.
difficulty are introduced as the game pro-
gresses. The last person not to make a drop The outsider generally has slightly longer
wins. chord length than the insider. This provides it
with better hover as well as extends the range
Design Features due to the fact that the additional material
Most trick catch boomerangs used today in makes it heavier. When weighted, the weights
competition are tri-bladers. They are more on the outsider tend to be closer to the tips
stable and easier to catch than most two- than on the insider and place on the bottom.
blader boomerangs. Current competition mod- Weights on the insider are generally placed on
els tend to be made out of thin composite ma- top. Similarly, flaps are often put on the top of
terials such as G10 or phenolics. There are the insider and on the bottom of the outsider.
also very good models available in plastic or To enhance the separation between the two

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Trick Catch/Doubling
boomerangs, the insider may have additional fine boomerang. They will even work with no
drag (more flaps or holes), less overall weight airfoiling at all but slight changes in the tune
added and the wings may not be swept back will wreck their perform-
as much. ance. A little bit of airfoil-
Insider ing is required for a user
Weights on top friendly trick catch boo-
Weights closer to center merang.
Holes in tips and center
Reduced chord length
Another variation for trick catch airfoils actually
Outsider resembles a long distance airfoil. There is sig-
Weights on bottom nificant undercutting along the trailing edge.
Weights closer to tips Boomerangs made with this airfoil can get very
No holes high. This airfoil requires lots of positive angle
of attack to compensate for the low lift airfoil.
Tuning tends to be a bit more tricky than with
the reversible airfoil.

Trick catch boomerangs tend to like having

lots of drag. You will notice that the leading
edge of most of the above airfoils are square.
They are only rounded enough so that it is no
Trick Catch Carving Tips longer actually sharp. Rounding over the lead-
There are lots of variations of trick catch air- ing edge too much will make your trick catch
foils. Some such as Chet Snouffer use what boomerang prone to rocking or S-ing out.
appears to be a pretty standard airfoil. How-
ever, this is likely largely due to the fact that he It is also important not to wrap the trailing edge
uses relatively thick material (4 mm wood). around the tips of the boomerang. Carving the
The extra drag of the thicker material allows trailing edge around
for a fully profiled boomerang to work well. If the tips is a carve
you choose to carve a standard airfoil on your tuning trick to get
trick catch, minimize the amount of round-over lower flights. If you
on the leading edge - particularly if you use carve your tips in this
thin material. way, you are making
your boomerang fly
A relatively common airfoil for trick catch boo- lower than you need
merangs is the reversible airfoil. With this air- to and likely are con-
foil, you can throw the boomerang either side tributing to rocking.
up. Often with this airfoil, a trick catch boo-
merang thrown upside-down will fly like a relay A hole in the middle will help to reduce rocking
boomerang (like a 30 meter fast catch). This and drifting but may also make it drop faster.
is my personal favorite airfoil for trick catch This may not be a bad thing so long as the
boomerangs. boomerang drops in a
predictable manner. It
If you choose to carve a trick catch out of thin may also be beneficial to
composite material like 2mm G10, linen or get better separation be-
paper phenolic, you can actually get away with tween doublers or to re-
even less airfoil than shown in the above dia- duce drift due to wind.
gram and rely on only the trailing edge bevel Beveling the underside of
or the leading edge undercut and still have a the hole in the center

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Trick Catch/Doubling
may help get more stable hovers however, mark which wings are tuned in which way.
when using thin material, this effect is rela- Changes made later can lead to unpredictable
tively small. results  if  you  don’t  keep  track  of  how  you  bent  
each wing.
A hole will almost definitely be required if you
over-carve the center section. You should First, adjust for range by adjusting the angle of
purposefully make sure to leave the center attack of the lead arm. Normally, a bit of posi-
section as square as possible. This is particu- tive angle of attack is required. Also give the
larly important on an outsider as you probably lead arm some dihedral so it will get high as
don’t  want  to  add  a  hole  that  would  make  it   soon as it is thrown. The dingle arm should be
drop faster (and give you less time to catch it bent up until the path of the boomerang contin-
after the insider). Minimal rounding over is all ues upward until the hover sets up. This proc-
that is required. Leaving this area square will ess is done using almost the exact same pro-
also help reduce drift and rocking. cedure as when tuning an MTA.

The overall tune has positive angle of attack

and dihedral on the lead arm, positive dihedral
(but not as much as the lead arm) and a small
amount of negative angle of attack on the din-
gle arm and the third arm neutral.

To correct minor rocking in the hover, a little

extra negative angle of attack twisted into the
Holes in the tips will slow the spin slightly to dingle arm may help. Alternately, drag (rubber
help make catches a bit easier. bands, flaps or Velcro dots) can be added.

Trick Catch/Doubling Tuning Tips A Velcro dot or large flap in the center section
The general idea of the flight you should be on the bottom seems to put the boomerang on
aiming for is for the boomerang to circle a pillow of air that it rides down on. If you pre-
around, set up fairly high and out in front of fer a quicker drop, drill a hole in the center.
you, and come down in front of you. This al- These will also help to keep your boomerang
lows you to walk forward and keep your eye in front of you as drag added to the center will
on the boomerang as it hovers down to you. reduce forward motion.

High is good but too high and you risk getting If range is a problem, add weights in the form
blown away. You only really need enough of coins (generally two pennies and a dime or
time to allow you to set yourself up for the three pennies) taped onto the wings. To get
catch. Only you can decide how much time more range, move them closer to the tips.
you need.
For a higher flight or if tuning an outsider of a
Some makers advocate a tuning in which all double pair, put the weights on the bottom. If
three arms are given a slight amount of dihe- you want a slightly lower flight or are tuning an
dral. Depending on how the boomerang was insider, put the weights on top of each wing.
carved, this can work very well. That being Holes in the tips will slow the rotation a bit and
said, I have had better luck using the tuning make it easier to catch. Similarly, flaps or rub-
model used throughout the rest of this book ber bands at about the midpoint of each arm
when tuning trick catch boomerangs. will also help in this regard.

If using the tuning model, it is very important to When tuning doublers, first tune one boomer-

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Trick Catch/Doubling
ang then the other before throwing them to- Spins too quickly to be easy to catch
gether. After they are both flying fine, throw Drill holes in tips
them together. The one that is flying further Blunt leading edges
and lands second is the outsider and the Add drag around midpoint of each wing
shorter range one is the insider. Decide which
one flies better and leave it alone. Try to tune Does not fly high enough
the other one to match the firsts flight. Add positive dihedral to lead arm
Add weights on bottom
Optimally, there should be good separation Add positive angle of attack to lead arm
between the two and the outsider should float
a few second longer than the insider. Despite Does not stabilize high enough
the different flights, both boomerangs should Add positive dihedral to dingle arm
land relatively close to one another. Add weights on bottom

Generally speaking, the insider will have more Hover rocks or is instable
flaps or holes, a center hole and weights on Add drag (holes in tips or flaps)
the top to get it to have a shorter hover. Blunt leading edges
Weights should be at about the midpoint of Add drag to center (flap or Velcro)
each arm. The outsider generally has fewer Drill hole in center
holes, less drag, and a longer hover. If
weighted, the weights will probably be on the Does not make range
bottom and slightly closer to the tips than on Twist negative angle of attack on lead arm
the  insider  to  extend  it’s  range  a  bit. Add weights
Make out of heavier material
One tip for increasing your chances of making Throw harder
a good doubler set is to make more than one
set at a time. Tune a series of boomerangs so Too sensitive to wind
they all fly well but without regard to how well Add drag
the fly in comparison to one another. Throw Add weights
them all not trying to match them up - just let Make out of heavier material
them land where they will. Pick up pairs that
landed close together and use these as a Not enough separation during hover
starting point for identifying matched doubler Add weights on top of insider, bottom of
sets. Throw the pairs together to see if they outsider
are a good match and have good separation. Add drag to insider
You can also try testing them in different com- Reduce chord length of insider
binations with each other. You will often get Increase angle of attack on lead arm of
lucky and get a matched pair right away and insider or add negative angle of attack to
save yourself a lot of tuning headaches. If the lead arm of outsider
pairs still need a bit of work, you can go back Throw harder
and tune them to overcome whatever prob-
lems they may have. Doublers click or do not separate after throw
Throw with a small
Trick Catch Troubleshooting Guide clump of grass be-
Does not land in front of you tween boomerangs
Adjust throwing angle in relation to wind Offset grip of insider
Add drag in center and outsider
Drill hole in center Throw harder
Add positive angle of attack to dingle arm

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Relay
Relay is the boomerang version of similar Setup and Scoring
school-yard relay games. Teams are picked The requirements for relay are a starting gate
and race against each other in a head to head (generally at the 20 meter circle), the 2 meter
manner. When the race starts, the throwers bulls-eye circle and the 30 meter range circle.
sprint to the throwing circle and throw their Spotters are required to ensure range is met
boomerang. They generally must make two and a head judge
catches before running back to tag the next is needed to settle
team member. Each team works its way who completed
through the pre-determined number of rounds. the round first. If
The first team to complete the entire round only two teams
wins. are present, no
stopwatches are
Generally speaking, when people refer to re- required but if
lay, they are referring to the version involving more teams are
throwing a 30 meter boomerang. present, they are
a good idea for
History determining the
Relay is one of the root games of the team fastest team.
competitions at the Boomerang World Cham-
pionships. As it relies on a team effort, it is Strategies for the Best Times
ideal for matching the skill of the throwers of To be effective in relay, you need to complete
one country against those of another. Due to two catches as quickly as possible. Use
the number of variations possible on the relay something that is very accurate since you lose
theme, records are not typically kept for these more time by running all over the field to make
events. your catch than by having a slower boomer-
ang. Take your time to make a good throw
Relay is also very good for involving new rather than rushing it and having to chase after
throwers in competition. Many find being part a bad throw.
of a team is less intimidating than trying to
compete against seasoned throwers. Variations
The most common variation of relay is team
Current Rules endurance. In this variation, each team mem-
As mentioned earlier, there are numerous ber sprints to the throwing circle, throws one
variations to relay games. The most common minute of endurance then sprints back to tag
involves teams of either two or four throwers. the next member of the team. If there is still
The throwers must sprint 10 meters to the time on the clock when the last team member
bulls-eye circle and throw a 30 meter boomer- gets back to the starting line, the first thrower
ang. The boomerang must go the required can sprint back to the throwing circle and
range or it must be thrown again. The boo- throw until any remaining time runs out. The
merang can be caught anywhere (depending team with the most total catches wins.
on the situation, the catch may not be re-
quired). A second valid throw must be made Design Features
from the bulls-eye and after being caught, the Almost any 30 meter boomerang can be used
bulls-eye circle must be tagged before sprint- for relay. Boomerangs specifically designed
ing back to tag the next team member. The for relay are generally essentially 30 meter fast
team generally goes through two rotations to catch boomerangs. To get the extended
complete the round. range, they are often made out of heavier ma-
terial such as phenolics or are weighted.

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Relay
Carving and tuning tips are the same as for Flies erratically
sport or aussie round boomerangs although Add drag
some of the tips from the fast catch section Enlarge holes in tips
may be useful if you are throwing a quick tri- Add weights (minor problems near the
blader. center – major problems closer to the tips)
Blunt or undercut center section
Relay Troubleshooting Guide
Flies too high Runs out of spin
Bend negative dihedral into one or more Reduce drag
wing Reduce angle of attack
Extend the trailing edge around the tips
Add weights on top of wings Doesn't make it all the way back
Add flap on leading edge pointing forward Remove or adjust drag (stops before it
Add drag (holes, flaps, rubber bands, etc.) gets all the way back)
Throw harder
Flies too low
Throw harder Crashes into the ground halfway around
Throw higher Remove or adjust drag
Bend positive dihedral into one or more Add positive dihedral to one or more wing
wing Throw harder
Twist positive angle of attack into one or
more wing Doesn't come in straight
Add weight to bottom of wings Add weight near center section
Add large flap in center section on the bot- Add weights near midpoint of each wing
tom Blunt or undercut center section
Drill hole in center
Not enough range
Twist negative angle of attack into the lead Can’t  handle  wind
arm Add drag
Add weights or move weights closer to tips Add weights near midpoint of each arm
Carve back leading edge of airfoil Blunt airfoils
Add flap near leading edge on the bottom Carve reversible airfoil
Carve out of heavier material
Too much range Reduce chord length
Twist positive angle of attack on lead arm Thin tips to half of original thickness
Undercut leading edge
Remove weights or move weights closer to
center

Flies way past you on return

Add drag (holes, rubber bands, Velcro,
flaps, etc.)
Enlarge holes in tips
Drill a hole in the center
Blunt the center section
Add concave undercuts

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Long Distance
How far you can throw and still get a full return However, based on existing examples of abo-
is the name of the game in long distance. riginal boomerangs, these figures are likely
Ideally, your boomerang will fly out an incredi- nowhere near the actual range of the boomer-
ble distance, slowly rise slightly and turn, and ang. Few existing old aboriginal boomerangs
dive back towards the line from which it was have a range of more than 30 meters.
thrown. Spotters in the field track the boomer- It is unlikely that the range was actually meas-
ang to measure the distance if went while ured with any accuracy. It seems that many
spotters at the throwing line check to make early feats with boomerangs were often exag-
sure the return was valid. gerated.

Although it requires power, finesse is also im- During the 1930s, legendary thrower Frank
portant since technique is critical. Catching in Donnelan claimed to have thrown a boomer-
long distance is not required and usually not ang over 100 yards. Again, there is question
recommended. It makes no difference in your about the validity of this throw since how it was
score. measured is not clear. Some references make
it sound like the path of the flight was meas-
Because of field requirements and a few other ured rather than the outward distance. It is
factors, long distance is generally not included also unknown if the boomerang made a full
in regular tournaments. Special tournaments return.
or an entire day event at larger tournaments
are dedicated to this event when it is run. A It  wasn’t  until  1972  when  Herb  Smith  of  Sus-­
small tournament of a dozen or so throwers sex England made a carefully measured and
can take all day if only a couple of rounds are recorded throw of 108 yards (98 meters) that it
contested. was clear that distance was not an event of
hearsay. Herb used a heavily weighted tradi-
Distance is probably the most awe inspiring of tional boomerang of his own design to set this
events. Jaw dropping distances are possible first official record.
with modern designs. Modern competitors
often break 100 meters during tournaments The event of long distance was quickly revolu-
with the top throwers exceeding that mark by a tionized with the development of the hook
wide margin. shaped boomerang. These boomerangs were
typically quite large, asymmetrical designs with
Long Distance History the lead arm being slightly flared outwards.
Long distance is one of the most recognizable This design dominated this event unchal-
events. It is one of the very few events ever to lenged for years. As technology improved, the
regularly be featured in record books and the switch from wood to more exotic materials
maximum distance capable of a boomerang is such as paper phenolic and fiberglass was
often a point of interest to new or non- made. The shape was refined but not drasti-
throwers. cally changed. They were big, heavy and re-
quired a lot of strength to throw. The world
Distance has many references through out the record was held for years with a large hook
history of boomerangs. Mention of the incredi- design called the Challenger III.
ble distances achieved by aborigine throwers
were mentioned in some of the very first refer- Early record holders in the discipline of dis-
ences to boomerangs ever recorded by the tance include Bob Burwell, Al Gerhards, and
western world. James Cook, one of the dis- Larry Ruhf.
covers of Australia and one of the first non-
aboriginals to see a boomerang in action esti- In 1998, the face of long distance was again
mated their flights to be in excess of 300 feet. revolutionized. A couple of new designs that

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Long Distance
were lighter and easier to throw than the large five throws in a round.
heavy hooks were introduced. The world re-
cord quickly was bumped to 155 meters by Setup and Scoring
Manuel Schütz throwing a Pathfinder then The setup for long distance is a 40 meter line
months later to 174 meters by David over which the boomer-
Schummy throwing a Buzzwhip. Even that ang must pass. There
incredible distance did not last long. Manuel are line spotters at ei- Field spotters
Schütz shattered the distance record in 2000 ther end to make sure
with a phenomenal 238 meters with a full re- the boomerang
turn using a Voyager. To date, he is the only crosses the line on re-
person to throw over 200 meters and he has turn. A 2 meter circle
done so on numerous occasions. is drawn at the center
of the line. The
Not surprisingly, the hooks that dominated the thrower launches from
sport in the 80s and 90s have been virtually the back half of that
completely supplanted by the newer designs. circle. The line judge is
Voyagers and Buzzwhips are easier to throw in charge of watching
and go farther. They typically weigh less than for foot faults and 2m
half that of the Challenger style hooks. If you measuring from the
40 m line
were to attend a long distance tournament to- throwing line.
day,  there  probably  wouldn’t  be  an  old  style  
hook on the field. Field  spotters  (competitors  who  aren’t  throw-­
ing) arrange themselves in a rough V forma-
Current Rules tion out from the throwing line so they can get
Long distance is pretty simple. You launch an accurate line on the boomerangs flight.
you boomerang from a 2 meter diameter semi
circle. You are allowed to run up into it for the Assuming the throw returns across the throw-
throw  but  you  can’t  cross  the  throwing  line  - ing line to make it a valid throw, the head field
even after the throw has been released. The spotter is guided
boomerang flies out and on the return must into the point
pass over the throwing line. If you step over where there is
the throwing line or if the boomerang does not most agreement
cross the throwing line, the throw does not on where the
count. You can catch the boomerang if you maximum dis-
want so long as you do so behind the throwing tance the boo-
line  but  you  don’t  get  any  extra  credit  for  it.     merang achieved
was. Valid throws
The distance is measured by spotters ar-
ranged on the field who tri-
angulate the head field spot-
ter to the point of maximum
distance. The throwing line
judge (also known as the
head spotter) measure off
each other with laser range
finders until they give Not valid throws
matching results (within 1 The head field spotter and the head line judge
meter). The distance is re- measure off each other with laser range find-
corded. Typically you get ers to determine the range.

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Long Distance
Strategies for best score
Simple. Use a great boomerang, throw hard
with just the right amount of layover. If you run
into problems, add more weight to your boo-
merang (long distance enthusiasts will tell you
adding more weight fixes everything). For
more details, go buy the book LD by Tibor
Horvath and Lorenz Gubler.

Design features
Modern long distance boomerangs are typi-
cally made from a composite material such as
G10, G11 or carbon fiber. Typical thickness is
in the range of 2 - 3 mm. The most common
type of design currently used is a question
mark shape. As of writing of this book, the two
most common designs were Buzzwhips and
Voyagers or minor variations. They may or
may not be weighted.

Airfoils are generally quite sharp with lots of

trailing edge undercuts. The more trailing
edge undercut there is, the longer the potential
of the boomerang. For beginner long distance
throwers, the upper airfoil is recommended as
a good place to start. As your skills improve,
you may choose to become more aggressive
with your airfoils, eventually settling on an air-
foil that is verging on symmetrical. Many of
the top long distance boomerangs have airfoils
similar to this. However this comes at a cost
as too much and the boomerang will be unsta-
ble and more difficult to
throw without significant
tuning to compensate.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

A great accuracy boomerang made by Michael

Girvin. It was originally designed as a fast
catch but is too slow by today's standards.
The entire underside is cambered. Notice the
weight taped on the lead arm. Holes were
drilled (roughly) in the dingle arm and the el-
bow. The model is the Rad German.

Another accuracy boomerang made by Chet

Snouffer out of a polycarbonate Tri-Fly. Chet
uses the inverted airfoil on this model. It is
Chet’s  variation  of  Eric  Darnell’s  Stubby  de-­
sign.

This accuracy boomerang also uses the in-

verted airfoil. It was made by Gary Broadbent.
Notice the weights on each arm for tuning.
Gary carved it out of an ABS Tri-Fly.

This accuracy boomerang was made by John

Cross. Notice the Velcro in the center and the
flap on the leading edge of one arm to ensure
a low flight. It is carved out of a polypropylene
Tri-Fly.

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Performance Boomerang Gallery

A great accuracy boomerang made by Andrew

Cross out of a polycarbonate Tri-Fly. Andrew
used traditional airfoils on this model as op-
posed to an invertible airfoil. Notice the extra
rubber bands for drag. It is a copy of Eric
Darnell’s  Stubby  model  - the same model Mike
Forrester used to score a 49 in accuracy. This
boomerang is also a good choice for a windy
fast catch round.

This boomerang is a Slowdown made by John

Cross out of 3 mm polypropylene. It is one of
the few models specifically designed for the
accuracy event. The designer is Adam Müller
of Germany. Flight is a 20 meter teardrop with
virtually no hover at the end. Like its name
implies, this one slows down a lot by the end
of the flight.

This accuracy boomerang was made by Tony

Butz of Australia out of 4 mm wood. Airfoils
are very blunt and blocky. Each tip is weighted
to ensure it makes the required range.

This boomerang is actually an old fast catch

design by Winfried Gorny called the Hawk-
wind. Too slow and difficult to catch to be
used for fast catch today, it makes a great ac-
curacy boomerang. This one was made by
Will Gix of the US out of 4 mm wood. Notice
the airfoiling at the elbow to turn this boomer-
ang into a psuedo tri-blader.

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Performance Boomerang Gallery

The Tornado is an excellent accuracy boomer-

ang made by Adam Carroll - probably out of
ABS. Lots of holes makes it stop on a dime
and drop like a rock. It can handle a surprising
amount of wind and like it should be, is very
accurate.

These two boomerangs were made by Mark

Legg for the aussie round event. The upper
one is known as a Longarm and the lower is a
Hummingbird. Both are made of 3 mm linen
phenolic and easily go out the required 50 me-
ters.

The top of these two boomerangs is made by

Eric Darnel. It is one of his few models not
based on a modified Tri-fly. It is made of 3
mm linen phenolic. The lower was made by
Larry Ruhf and is typical of the sharp V shape
he tends to favour. It is made of 4 mm ply-
wood. Neither can make a full 50 meters but
make for a very safe 40 meter round.

This boomerang is another by Adam Carroll

called the Blast. It is tiny compared to even a
Tri-fly but has small weights and trailing edge
undercuts that allow it to go a full 50 meters.
Made out of 3 mm plastic (probably ABS).
Works best with a bit of wind and a strong
throw. It lives up to its name.

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Performance Boomerang Gallery

The famous Phenolic Sunshine by Michael

Girvin of the US. Notice the coin taped to the
lead arm to extend the range to a solid 50 me-
ters and the flap near the elbow on the dingle
arm for tuning. Made out of 3 mm linen phe-
nolic using intentionally roughly carved airfoils
to enhance the drag. At least one of these (or
a  copy)  should  be  in  everyone’s  competition  
kit.

A modified polycarbonate Tri-Fly for aussie

round use by John Cross. Small weights
made of lead tape are on each arm. Only the
leading edge of each arm is carved (only
rounded over). Range is about 40 meters.

Two of the fantastic Windeater series by

Volker Behrens of Germany. The top one
(Windeater I) is one is made out of 3 mm G12.
The lower is a Windeater II made out of 3 mm
paper phenolic. These work great in other ma-
terials such as 2.5 - 4 mm paper phenolic or
thinner G10. Range is 50 meters. These boo-
merangs are also considered to be a staple of
many competition kits.

This odd little pseudo tri-blader boomerang is

a Buzzy made by John Cross out of 3 mm pa-
per phenolic. Range is about 40 meters.

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Performance Boomerang Gallery

These two boomerangs sport the half blade

extension on their elbows. The top is an Ad-
vantage designed by Georgi Dimantchev and
made by John Cross. The lower is a Farout
made by Pierre Kutek of France both are
made out of 2.5 mm G10. Weights and holes
in the tips allow these boomerangs to be solid
performers although their range is only about
40 meters.

This boomerang is the Atlas by Georgi Di-

mantchev. Range is about 40 - 50 meters.
Notice the holes in the elbow area for stability
in the wind. Also note the grooves in both the
lead and dingle arm. Made out of 3 mm paper
phenolic. It is slightly smaller than most aus-
sie round boomerangs.

These fantastic aussie round boomerangs

were made by Adam Carroll of Australia. Both
make a solid 50 meters. Notice the coin taped
to the lead arm for tuning of the Ayr. A simple
looking boomerang that really performs. Every
serious thrower should have one in their kit.
The lower boomerang is known as a Bambino
and looks like a mini boomerang but will sur-
prise you with its performance. Both are made
of 3 mm paper phenolic.

Two great aussie round hooks made by Bob

Burwell of Australia. These are two of the few
non-weighted wooden boomerangs that are
capable of doing 50 meters. Made out of 6
mm finnish birch plywood. If you prefer the
feel of a wood boomerang, you should defi-
nitely have one of these. Bob recommends
throwing using a three finger grip over a pinch
grip.

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Performance Boomerang Gallery

Two variations of the Buzzard designed by

Fridolin Frost of Germany. The top is an origi-
nal made of 4 mm paper phenolic complete
with rubber band and a flap for tuning. The
lower is a Slim Buzzard by Georgi Dimantchev
made out of 3 mm phenolic. The design
makes a great sport boomerang if made out of
4 mm wood. Range is 50 meters for both.

This is the DeVe by Ola Wahlberg of Sweden.

Made in 3 and 4 mm paper phenolic, they
have been a vital part of many competitors
aussie round arsenal for many years. John
Anthony held the world record of 95 point in
aussie round using this model for years. The
lead arm is carved with significant trailing edge
undercut to extend the range without needing
a weight. Notice the coin on the dingle arm for
tuning.

This fantastic aussie round boomerang was

designed by Didier Bonin of France. It is
called the Elixer and shown are two variations.
It incorporates such advanced features as
trailing edge undercut on the lead arm to help
extend the range without weighting and the
dingle arm depression at the tip to aid in the
grip and enhance the return. The area around
the elbow is thinned down from 4 mm to 3.6
mm. Makes a beautiful 50 meter flight.

Two of the many variations of the Fantasy se-

ries by Georgi Dimantchev. Both are made
out of 5 mm wood and weighted in each tip
and in the half arm at the elbow to extend the
range to 50 meters. Notice the sandpaper on
the dingle arm tip for extra grip.

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Performance Boomerang Gallery

This boomerang is a Fuzzy. It was originally

designed by Axel Heckner as a fast catch but
can be modified for aussie round. When made
out of 4 - 5 mm wood with large weights in the
tips and the elbow, it will fly like a 50 meter
fast catch. This design is actually a tri-blader
in disguise as the elbow region is carved with
an airfoil as well. This example was made by
Fridolin Frost. These are another staple in the
kits of many top competitors.

A modified Oregon Hat made by Doug Du-

fresne of the US. This model is a very popular
sports boomerang. The example shown will
do 50 meters without any weights but it needs
a bit of wind for a full return. Notice the odd
airfoiling on the lead arm. It is made out of 6
mm wood (sports models are made out of 5
mm wood or are strip laminated).

An interesting variation of the omega. This

small boomerang was made out of 2.5 mm
paper phenolic by John Cross of Canada. It
uses the invertible airfoil so is like two boomer-
angs in one. Depending on which side is
thrown facing the thrower, a high elliptical or a
low round flight is possible. Range is about 40
meters.

These two boomerangs are variations of the

Adhemar De Montiel designed is by Jean-
Marie Gachon of France. The top one
(renamed a Whisper) was made by Morri Mohr
out of 3 mm paper phenolic. The lower is a
miniaturized version made by John Cross. Tip
to tip span is only about 9 inches. The dingle
arm is weighted. Made out of 4mm wood, the
range is close to 50 meters. The full size
model is usually made out of 4 mm paper phe-
nolic or 5 mm wood and can have a range of
up to 70 meters.

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Performance Boomerang Gallery

This hook is an easy throwing 50 meter boo-

merang. It was designed by Roger Perry of
Australia. This one was carved by John Cross
out of 3 mm linen phenolic.

This hook was made by David Schummy of

Australia. Made out of 6 mm wood, it is sur-
prisingly easy to throw. Needs to be thrown
with lots of layover. Even though it is not
weighted, it has a range of 50 meters.

This boomerangs is the Wicked Stealth made

by Abo Steve Conaway. Range is 50 meters.
It is made out of Stealth material - a special
composite Steve has made specifically for
him. It is basically G10 with a thin layer of car-
bon fiber in the middle for added stiffness.

This is the Flying Fox by Roger Perry of Aus-

tralia. This wood hook is almost standard
equipment in Australia. Made out of 6 mm
wood. With a coin taped to the bottom of the
lead arm, the range is 50 meters.

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Performance Boomerang Gallery

Two V designs by Adam Carroll carved out of

3 mm paper phenolic; a Kick Ass and a Vic-
tory. Both will do 50 meter boomerang but the
Kick Ass is ore reliable in varying conditions.
The weight on the lead arm helps keep the
range comfortably over 50 meters.

The Binghi by Peter Byham was used exten-

sively by the Australians in early international
competitions and can still hold its own. It take
weights to get over 40 meters nicely or if un-
weighted, makes a great sports boomerang.
This one is made out of coachwood plywood.

Pierre Kutek of France makes some of the

most nicely finished boomerangs around.
They almost make you want to not throw them
in fear of damaging the jewel-like finish. Of
course they fly great too. Made out of carbon
fiber the Typhoon CF makes the most of the
iridescent nature of carbon fiber. The Nabab
below it is made of thin G10 but is also fin-
ished exceptionally.

This is the Bidexter by LMI Fox. Originally de-

signed by Christian Jabet, this model can be
thrown with either hand depending on the tun-
ing. Made of heavy black plastic and weighted
with large brass weights in either arm, this is a
serious boomerang.

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Performance Boomerang Gallery

Two variants of the Slein design by Niels Jen-

sen of Denmark. The top is plastic and the
lower is wood. The wood version is weighted
using coins embedded in the tips and the el-
bow flush with the bottom surface of the airfoil.

Three very fast German made two-bladed fast

catches. Makers are left to right; Volker
Behrens, Axel Heckner (Fuzzy), and Fridolin
Frost (Merlin). All have extensive concave un-
dercutting. During the late 80s and early 90s,
these would have been essential equipment.

Three more examples of two bladed fast catch

boomerangs. These were made by Doug Du-
fresne (FC II), Ted Bailey, and Michael Girvin
(Rad German). The FC II is strip laminated
out of lightweight wood to be lighter (and
faster) than a comparable plywood version.
The Bailey model is very similar to the one
John Flynn used to break the 20 second bar-
rier for the first time.

The last of my historical two-blader fast cach

boomerangs. Top is by Fridolin Frost and the
lower is by Ted Bailey. Again, extensive con-
cave undercuts are used on both.

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Performance Boomerang Gallery

This boomerang is a Prana fat catch by Mark

Legg.    It  is  made  of  4  mm  plywood  and  doesn’t  
have the common concave undercuts. Holes
in the tips help to slow it down enough so you
can catch it.

This is a modified Renner by Axel Heckner.

Still fairly rare in North America, Renners are
more common in Europe. Each tip has an in-
teresting swirl type pattern molded into it to
help  provide  a  solid  grip.    I’d  expect  to  see  
more and more of these on the competition
circuit as an alternative to modified Tri-Flies.

These  are  three  of  Eric  Darnell’s  Advanced  

Fast Catch. Each is made out of an ABS Tri-
Fly. They are probably among the most com-
mon fast catch boomerangs seen at tourna-
ments. The world record of 14.60 seconds is
held with this design. The speed of the boo-
merang can easily be increased by extending
the trailing edge around the tip. Every compe-
tition kit should have a version or two of these
in it.

These two fast catch boomerangs are made

out of 3 mm polypropylene or ABS by Adam
Carroll of Australia. Very fast even without
concave undercuts due to the relatively low
overall drag. Left is the Fireball and on the
right is a Velocity.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

This small fast catch trainer is made by Tomas

Carter of the US. It has an excellent flight and
is suitable for those new to the fast catch
event. Since it has no holes, it does not re-
quire as hard of a throw as most other models.
Made out of 4 mm wood.

A  variation  of  Eric  Darnell’s  Advanced  Fast  

Catch design made by world record holder
Adam Ruhf. Weighted to get it to fly 20 meters
and to stabilize its flight. It is very quick.
Made out of an ABS Tri-Fly.

A SE 3 by multiple world champion Chet

Snouffer. Chet offers this model in a super
fast version that has extensive concave under-
cuts (shown) or a tamed down version with
holes drilled to slow it down. Made out of 4
mm wood.

The FC 3 by Doug Dufresne. Another very

fast boomerang. There is a small flap on one
arm to slow it down for an easier catch. Each
arm has a small area of concave undercutting
near the tip. Another fast catch made out of 4
mm wood.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

Another boomerang by Georgi Dimantchev.

This fast catch is called a Wind Factor and as
the name suggests, it is designed for use in
wind. It is weighted, loaded with holes, and
has grooves on the upper surfaces to help with
control. Made out of 3 mm ABS.

This odd looking fast catch is carved from 4 - 5

mm polypropylene and is great in the wind.
Thicker than most fast catches, it is very slow
but very stable. It could also be a good choice
for accuracy. Small weights are attached onto
each arm. Made by Christian Meyer of Ger-
many.

The Ice Runner by Fridolin Frost. Another

very fast boomerang made out of 4 mm wood
although it was also available in 3 - 4 mm
polypropylene. It works very well when carved
out of 3 mm ABS as well. Most feature con-
cave undercuts of some kind - Fridolin experi-
mented with numerous variations of chamber-
ing on these boomerangs.

This fast catch was made by world champion

Manuel Schütz. He has broken the 20 second
mark using this deceptively simple design.
There are no concave cambering on the un-
derside but all leading edges feature signifi-
cant undercutting. Made out of 4 mm wood.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

A modified polypropylene LMI Fox Skyblader

for fast catch or endurance. A bit slower than
other models but very stable. Notice the
roughed up tips and weighting to help stabilize
the flight. Unmodified, Skybladers make ex-
cellent fast catch trainers. A couple of holes in
the tips can really make a difference in their
performance and start to let you see the po-
tential of this design.

This is one of the number of fast catch boo-

merangs that Volker Behrens makes. Made
out of 4 mm wood, it is the fastest model he
makes. It does not have any cambering on
the underside but features relatively sharp air-
foils and loads of undercutting on the leading
edges. A glove is recommended for this
model since it comes in really quick.

A sample of the Gelfast by Michael Girvin of

the US. Due to minimal drag, this one is very
quick for the entire flight so you might opt for a
glove when throwing this model. The leading
edges are extensively undercut but not sharp
as on some other models. It often needs a bit
of weight to make it get out the entire 20 meter
range. Made out of 4 mm wood.

This fast catch has an interesting history. It

was actually designed to be the insider of a
doubler pair. Put in the hands of Gregory Bisi-
aux and with extensive tuning, this model was
used to hit 15.03 seconds for the world record
in 1992. This one was made by Eric Darnell
out of a polypropylene Tri-Fly.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

A simple yet effective fast catch made out of 3

mm ABS by John Cross. Based loosely on
Georgi  Dimantchev’s  Wind  Factor  but  without  
all the extra drag.

The Stubby by Eric Darnell is probably the

second most common of the numerous Tri-Fly
variations available. A bit slower than the Ad-
vanced Fast Catch, it is one of the top choices
when winds are a bit too tricky for a super fast
model. This one is made out of ABS.

This odd looking fast catch is a Legs by Mi-

chael Girvin. It is one of the very few fast
catch boomerangs made out of phenolic mate-
rial. Notice the weights and the large flap in
the center to help with stability.

This variation of the Tri-Fly was designed and

carved by John Cross. It is basically halfway
between the Advanced Fast catch and the
Stubby by Eric Darnell. It has a more stable
flight than the Advanced Fast Catch and is
faster than a Stubby. The tips have been left
rough for extra control in the wind. Carved out
of an ABS Tri-Fly.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

A copy of the famous Bailey MTA made by

Will Gix. Larger than many other MTAs but
very stable. Made out of 3 mm wood. The
world record for MTA100 was held for years
with a model similar to this. This is the design
that revolutionized the world of MTA.

The mighty Jonas MTA. This MTA is the most

sought after MTA in the world. Only about 350
of these were ever made and they are the
standard against which all other composite
MTAs are measured. Carbon fiber and aramid
outer shells surround an inner core of micro-
balloons. Very lightweight at only about 18
grams. Lighter versions were sometimes
made as light as about 14 grams. The current
record for MTA unlimited is held with this
model. It is still common with top competitors
despite its now collectable nature.

Ola  Wahlberg’s  Snake  is  one  of  the  most  

popular MTAs available. They tend to be the
top choice when winds are too stiff for plywood
or lightweight composite MTAs. Top is a full
size Snake made out of 1.75 mm paper phe-
nolic. Bottom is a scaled down version called
the Baby Snake is made out of 1.5 mm paper
phenolic. These are also very common with
top competitors.

The Quirl, designed and made by Axel Heck-

ner of Germany, is one of the only MTA boo-
merangs that does not follow the basic Bailey
style of design. Quirls tend to drop faster than
other types of MTAs but make up for it by get-
ting very high initially.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

Didier Bonin of France makes some excellent

boomerangs and his Zenith MTA is no excep-
tion. Made out of thin paper phenolic, if can
float almost as good as a wooden or compos-
ite model. This model was used to set the
French MTA record.

This composite MTA was made by Georgi Di-

mantchev. Notice the use of turbulators on the
lead arm. Very stiff and lightweight. The bot-
tom of this model has a slight camber near the
elbow area. The carbon fiber used in this
model has aramid fibers woven directly into it
to yield a snakeskin like appearance.

This odd looking MTA is a Golem II by Kendall

Davis. Great time are possible with this one
and it is becoming more common at tourna-
ments. Made out of 3 mm wood.

This is a sample of a composite MTA made by

David Schummy of Australia. Rather than fill-
ing the inside with lightweight materials such
as micro-balloons, David actually constructs
these so that they are hollow. Like the Georgi
Dimantchev model above, the carbon fiber
used in this model also have aramid fibers
woven into it.

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A pair of phenolic MTAs by Adam Carroll of

Australia. These are tuned to set up way out
in front of the thrower so are good in slightly
elevated winds. Models are the Oxygen (top)
and Skyrocket (bottom). Highly recom-
mended.

This odd looking MTA is a Palm. Originally

designed by Manuel Schütz, this one was
made by Mark Legg. Like the above boomer-
angs, it is designed to set up way out in front
of the thrower. It can handle more wind than
most other MTAs.

Although  this  boomerang  doesn't’  even  look  

like what most have come to expect an MTA to
look like, it is nonetheless a very good MTA.
Made by Manuel Schütz using a similar proc-
ess to the Jonas MTA, it uses a carbon fiber
skin over an ultralight core. Getting the tuning
right on a triblader MTA is very tricky and
since this one is made with carbon fiber, the
tune is already set for you. It is an amazingly
stable MTA. The most common wind MTA at
top competitions.

Last  of  the  MTAs  is  Manel  Schütz’  take  on  the  
MTA made famous by Jonas Romblad. His is
made in a similar fashion although has a slight
camber on the bottom surface. The perform-
ance of this one matches that of a Jonas in
every respect. These are becoming more
common at tournaments as Jonas MTAs are
getting too valuable to risk loosing to the sky.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

The  number  of  variations  of  Eric  Darnell’s  Tri-

Fly seem endless. To the left are four varia-
tions carved for the trick catch event. Modifi-
cations range from just bend and twisting to
thinning of the center section to radical re-
shaping of the outline. Top choices for materi-
als are generally polypropylene, ABS, or ny-
lon.

This trick catch is a Mobius by Fridolin Frost.

Although this one is made out of 4 mm wood,
versions made out of 2 mm paper phenolic are
excellent for competition use. This design is
considered by some to be the standard on
which most other designs are based.

A set of doublers made by Abo Steve

Conaway. Notice the insider has holes and
flaps to make it come down quicker than the
outsider. This set is made out of thin G10.

An unusual sight. These doublers by Chet

Snouffer are one of the very few sets still
made out of wood. Chet is an expert on carv-
ing good doublers and continues to frequently
use wood doublers in competition. Weights
are on the bottom of the outsider and on top of
the insider.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

A set of doublers by Michael Girvin. This de-

sign is a variation of his wood Carlota design.
This set is a bit unusual in that holes and ath-
letic tape wrapped around the center on the
insider are used rather than flaps. Made out of
2 mm linen phenolic.

This great flying set of doublers is made out of

very thin (1.5 - 2 mm) G10 by Torsten Fredrich
of Germany. Holes and a Velcro dot are used
on the insider. The outsider has small weights
taped onto the bottom. Notice the chord
length of the insider is smaller than that of the
outsider.

A set of paper phenolic doublers made by

Gunter Moller of Germany out of 2 mm paper
phenolic. Weights are on top of the insider
and on the bottom of the outsider.

An odd looking set of doublers made by the

innovative Mark Legg of the US. The center
section of each of these boomerangs is wider
to facilitate hacky catches. The center section
of each boomerang was also left completely
square. Made out or 2 mm paper phenolic.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

This trick catch was made by Adam Carroll of

Australia out of 3 mm ABS. Carved using the
reversible airfoil. If inverted, it can be used in
the relay event.

This trick catch was made by John Cross out

of 2 mm G10. If you look closely, you can see
how much material was taken off for the air-
foils. The airfoil used is the reversible airfoil.

Another set of doublers made by Chet Snouf-

fer. This set is made out of phenolic material
and is suitable for higher winds than his wood
models. The design is based closely on the
Mobius design.

This doubler set was made by Christophe

Dautriche of France. Made out of 3 mm poly-
propylene and weighted to ensure the required
range is met. Notice the notch in one arm to
be used as a trigger while throwing.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

This trick catch is a wood Carlota by Michael

Girvin. Made out of 4 mm wood. This boo-
merang is also considered by many to be one
of the standards of design for trick catches.

This trick catch was made by John Cross out

of 2 mm linen phenolic. If you look closely,
you can see the minimal airfoiling used. The
airfoil is the reversible airfoil.

This set of doublers by Michael Girvin is more

typical than the set featured earlier. This set
uses flaps for tuning on the insider. Made out
of 2 mm linen phenolic.

Another trick catch boomerang made by Mi-

chael Girvin called the Quad. This four-blader
is made out of 4 mm wood and is weighted to
extend its range to 20 meters.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

This polypropylene trick catch is carved using

the airfoil featured on page 77. Extensive trail-
ing edge undercut makes it difficult to impossi-
ble to determine if this is a lefty or a righty
without either throwing it or checking the tune.
It also makes it flight particularly high so you
have lots of time to get underneath it for the
catch.

This boomerang was inspired by the Mobius

design and turned into a quad. Carved out of
3 mm polypropylene, it needs to be weighted
to get out 20 meters but it is very easy to
catch. Carved and designed by John Cross.

This boomerang is an Overcross designed by

Adam Müller and carved by Tibor Horvath.
Intentionally carved roughly, it requires a hard
throw and can be used in higher winds than
some other models. Notice the use of slots
and combs to help with stabilization. Carved
out of 4 mm nylon.

When winds are up, most trick catch boomer-

angs can get blown away. The Bellen Wind
Dancer by Michael Girvin is the boomerang of
choice when nothing else can handle the wind.
Made out of thick 6 mm wood with lots of holes
for drag and extra control in the wind.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

This quad flies like a 30 meter accuracy boo-

merang. Holes, weights, slots and combs are
used to help tune the flight. Made by John
Cross out of 3 mm ABS. Based on the Early
Bird design by Adam Müller. It is a great
choice for the relay event.

This relay boomerang was made by Ola Wahl-

berg of Sweden out of 2 mm paper phenolic
with fiberglass skins on either side. The range
is 30 meters. It flies like a 30 meter fast catch.

This very odd looking boomerang was de-

signed by Mark Legg for the relay event.
Carved out of a PET Tri-Fly, the range is about
30 meters and is very accurate. Only the
“elbow”  arm  has  any  airfoil  carved  on  it.    The  
other two arms only have angle of attack
twisted into them.

This relay boomerang is an ABS version of

Fridolin Frosts Wind Goblin. Although this one
has a standard airfoil on it, this model also
works well with an invertible airfoil. If an in-
vertible airfoil is used, this boomerang can be
used as a trick catch boomerang when thrown
upside down. Made by John Cross.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

This relay boomerang is a modified carbon

LMI Fox Skyblader. The carbon models are a
bit heavier than polypropylene or ABS ver-
sions. The flight is very stable and predict-
able. Aside from holes in each tip, no modifi-
cations to the stock boomerang were made.

This boomerang was carved by Eric Darnell

for either relay or for safe aussie round use.
With the weights taped on each arm as on this
example, the range is 40 meters. Without the
weights, it still goes 30 meters. Only the lead-
ing edge of each arm of this polycarbonate Tri-
Fly are cut back and rounded over.

This boomerang is the carbon fiber Phoenix by

Stephane Margurite of Canada. The upper
surface is dimpled like that of a golf ball. This
model takes a very specific throw and per-
forms like a 30 meter fast catch. It is con-
structed using a similar method to that used by
Jonas Romblad for his excellent MTAs.

This very nice relay boomerang was made out

of 5 mm wood by Will Gix. It is weighted to
maximize performance.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

This page features a number of North Ameri-

can made sport boomerangs. Boomerangs
featured are by Michael Girvin (Gel Boomer-
angs), and Colorado Boomerangs.

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Performance Boomerang Gallery

This page features a number of North Ameri-

can made sport boomerangs. Boomerangs
featured are by Chet Snouffer (Leading Edge
Boomerangs), Kendall Davis (Master De-
signs), and Doug Dufresne (Outback Boomer-
angs) .

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Performance Boomerang Gallery

This page features models by T.W. Smith,

Steve  Conaway  (Abo  Steve’s  Boomerangs),  
Dave Hughes, and William Watts.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

Below is a selection of plastic boomerang

models available including ones by Eric
Darnell (Turning Point Boomerangs), LMI Fox,
Rangs, Ben Ruhe, a plastic copy of the Binghi
boomerang and a small German made plastic
boomerang called the Pegasus.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

Here is a selection of boomerangs by Austra-

lian makers. To the immediate left are a se-
lection of boomerangs by Adam Carroll. Be-
low are boomerangs by Bunny Read
(Wycheproof), Sam Blight (Rangs), Peter By-
ham (Binghi) and Dave Martin. At the bottom
are two boomerangs by Rod Jones whose
boomerangs have become fairly collectable.
In particular, the Peregrine hook is sought af-
ter because of its near legendary performance.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

The boomerangs featured here are some sport

models by Volker Behrens (Bluestar Boomer-
angs) of Germany. He was well known for his
many longer range models. At the bottom is a
great flying boomerang by Pierre Kutek of
France. Despite the pointy edges, it is not
nearly as scary to catch as you might guess.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

This page features a few boomerangs by Herb Smith. Boomerangs made by Herb Smith are
cherished by collectors and are particularly popular among distance enthusiasts as Herb Smith
was a pioneer in the distance event and many of his models are capable of extended ranges of
over 60 meters. During the late 70s and early 80s, Smith boomerangs set the standard for fin-
ish, decoration and performance. Herb Smith was also known for the huge number of models
he designed. He is sometimes referred to as the man who re-invented the boomerang because
of his innovative contribution to design. He was also among the first to experiment with com-
posite materials such as paper phenolic and weighting boomerangs to extend their distance.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

Herb Smith Boomerangs are not only coveted

by collectors but also widely copied. Included
are examples of copies by Dan Neelands,
Steve Conaway and John Cross.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

Included on this page is a range of boomerangs for

the distance event. To the left is a series of boo-
merangs showing the evolution from the Quirl by
Axel Heckner, through the Pathfinder (designed by
Manuel Schütz made by John Cross), into the ulti-
mate distance boomerang, the Voyager by Manuel
Schütz. The world distance record is held by
Manuel Schütz using his Voyager design. It is an
amazing 238 meters with a full return. At the bot-
tom, the difference between the old style hooks
and the more modern distance boomerangs can
easily be seen. Makers include, David Schummy,
John Cross, Tibor Horvath, and Dan Neelands).

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

At the extreme other end of the spectrum are

indoor boomerangs These generally have
ranges of less than 3 meters. These are great
if you want to practice your tuning skills or trick
catches and the weather outside is nasty. You
never have to leave the living room to have fun
with these. They are generally made of light-
weight foam or light plastic.

Next we have a selection of short range, back-

yarder type boomerangs. These are designed
for use in small spaces and generally have a
range of under 10 meters. They are generally
made out foam or styrene and are very easy to
tune. They are very lightweight and easy to
throw. They are aimed at younger throwers
since they do not offer much risk for injury if a
bad throw is made. For this reason, they are
often used at school demonstrations.

To the right are some pocket boomerangs that

are so small that they can be carried with you
wherever you go. The largest of the bunch is
less than 9 inches tip to tip. The tri-blader in
the center can even be folded up into a
smaller size. The small size of these boomer-
angs  doesn’t  compromise  performance  
though. The two-bladers have ranges of 20 -
40 meters.

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P E R F O R MA N C E B O O ME R A NG S

Performance Boomerang Gallery

Art boomerangs are made to be fully functional

art. They not only look amazing but also are
fully functional boomerangs. They are often
one of a kind creations and are often custom
designed. Sometimes, they offer exotic lunar
or space motifs such as the one to the left by
Volker Behrens. Others take ordinary objects
out of everyday life and transform them into a
flying creation. The art on the boomerang to
the left by Alan Scott Craig features three coy
swimming together in a swirling motion.

The attention to detail and the cleverness of

the design of many art boomerangs is impres-
sive. Although generally not fantastic perform-
ers, they show just how far you can push the
design and still have a fully functioning boo-
merang.

Siegfried Stiller of Germany is another prolific

boomerang artist. His creations include nu-
merous variations of fish, birds, and other ani-
mals. The two boomerangs to the right feature
some of his work. He is probably best known
for his mushroom creations such as the one to
the right. Similarly, the detail in the wolf is
amazing. The basset hound below is a sam-
ple of the excellent artwork of Pat Cardiff of
the US.

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Performance Boomerang Gallery

There are those that choose to make boomer-

angs from scratch out of fancy hardwoods
rather than sheet stock material. Their efforts
are generally rewarded with fine examples of
boomerangs that showcase their craftsman-
ship.

To the top left is a feather laminated boomer-

ang by Oscar Cuartas of Columbia featuring
layers of exotic South American hardwood ve-
neers. Below that are a trio of natural elbow
boomerangs made of holly, yew and ash by
Jay Butters of the UK whose craftsmanship is
simply outstanding. Below that is a selection
of fine lap joints made by John Cross out of
materials such as fiddleback mahogany, curly
walnut, flame maple and spalted box elder.
Lastly are strip laminated boomerangs made
by Dan Neelands, John Flynn, Pat Steigman,
John Cross, and John Cryderrman

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Suggested Reading
The number of books written on boomerangs is About Boomerangs, Americas Silent Sport
quite limited. Many older books are out of print Kelly Boyer-Sagert, 1996
and due to the limited number of copies This book focuses on the prominent US boo-
printed, are very difficult to find. This section merang personalities who were at the top of
outlines some of the ones that you might be the competition circuit. Light on practical infor-
able to find that are definitely worth your time mation if you are wanting to learn how to throw
to track down. This list is not a complete list of or tune but still quite interesting.
all boomerang books written, only the ones I
have found to be particularly good. L’Essentiel  du  Boomerang
Didier Bonin and Olivier Duffez, 2001
The Ultimate Boomerang Book This French book is worth tracking down even
Michael Siems, 1996 if  you  don’t  speak  or  read  any  French.      The  
This is probably the best English language pictures alone are worth the price. Even when
book available on the topic of boomerangs. you  can’t  read  the  captions,  the  ideas  they  are  
This book is the English translation of a Ger- trying to represent are clear. This book will
man book (Die Neue Bumerang Mappe). It give you lots of new ideas and probably help
has excellent sections on throwing, theory and your understanding on the fundamentals of
weighting. It also has lots of top notch plans. boomerangs. It has probably the most in depth
If you made copies of all the boomerangs in theory  section  available  short  of  Felix  Hess’  
this book, your competition kit would be fairly doctorate investigation. Lots of excellent plans
well stocked. Highly recommended. and a wonderful gallery section for inspiration.

Boomerang, How to Throw, Catch and Make LD

It Tibor Horvath and Lorenz Gubler, 1998
Ben Ruhe and Eric Darnell, 1985 This book is the only book devoted to a single
This great book is unfortunately out of print but type of boomerangs - namely long distance
it is relatively easy to find used copies for sale boomerangs. It came out just before the major
on the internet. It originally came with an Eric revolution of the LD world in 1998 (literally
Darnell Poly Wizard Pro-Fly. Written in 1985, weeks before the introduction of the Buzz-
some of the information is a bit dated but it still whip). Although the technology featured in it
has lots to offer. In particular, it shows a nice was out-dated almost by the time it was writ-
snapshot of the state of competition before the ten, it still features an impressive amount of
major breakthroughs in MTA and before tri- useful information. It has since been updated
bladers were allowed. Lots of interesting mini and  is  interesting  reading  even  if  you  don’t  
biographies of legendary throwers. The intro- throw long distance. Lots of plans for large
duction to carving your own is among the best long distance hooks. Your best bet to get a
written. copy of this book is probably to contact the
authors directly.
The Boomerang Book
John Cassidy, 1985 Boomerangs, Aerodynamics and Motion
This book was also written in 1985 and came Felix Hess, 1975
with its own boomerang (the Skyturn). It is This is the legendary doctoral dissertation on
also out of print but again it is fairly easy to find boomerangs that described the physics in-
used copies for sale on the internet. A light- volved in the flight of a boomerang. You can
hearted look at boomerangs. It has an excel- sometimes find it through inter-library loan at
lent science and theory section and a wonder- universities. If theory is your thing, you owe it
ful gallery of boomerangs at the end. Like the to yourself to try to find this. Heavy on math, it
Ruhe/Darnell book, the introduction to carving is  not  for  those  who  can’t  follow  a  technical  
is also very clear and easy to understand. document.

122
Performance Boomerangs

Troubleshooting Chart

on
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at e

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nge

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esis
gh a

tabl
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t ma
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ugh

but

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o hi
o hi
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muc

s no
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eno

s pa
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she

Doe

Req
Poo
Hov
T oo
Flie
Flie
Flie
Flie
Cra

Flie

Los
Not

Ret
Solution
Positive dihedral to lead arm x x x
Negative dihedral to lead arm x x
Positive dihedral to dingle arm x x x x
Negative dihedral to dingle arm x
Positive angle of attack to lead arm x x x x
Negative angle of attack to lead arm x
Positive angle of attack to dingle arm x x x x x
Negative angle of attack to dingle arm x x
Drag on lead arm x x x x
Drag on dingle arm x x x
Weight on lead arm x x x x
Weight on dingle arm x x x x x
Undercut lead arm x x x x
Undercut dingle arm x x x x
Undercut outside of elbow x x
Undercut inside of elbow x x
Extend trailing edge around lead arm tip x
Extend trailing edge around dingle arm tip x
Cut back lead arm leading edge x x
Cut back dingle arm leading edge x
Cut back top of inside elbow x x
Cut back top of outside elbow x x
Smooth airfoils x x x x
Blunt airfoils x x x x
Weight in center (triblader) x x
Drag in center (triblader) x x x
Weight on top x x x
Weight on bottom x x
Drag on top of leading edge x x
Drag on bottom of leading edge x
Drag on top of trailing edge x x
Drag on bottom of trailing edge x
Drag on top x x
Drag on bottom x x
Round leading edge x x
Round trailing edge x x
Blunt leading edge x x x
Blunt trailing edge x x x
Undercut trailing edge slightly x
Page 123
 About the Author

John Cross has been making and throwing

boomerangs since about 1985. He attended his first
tournament in 1997 and has since competed in
numerous international tournaments including three
World Cups. John has held Canadian records for
Long Distance and MTA unlimited.

John works as a chemical application specialist for an

international oilfield chemical company. He lives in
the small town of Devon just outside Edmonton,
Alberta with his lovely wife Kathryn and two sons
Austin and Spencer. His other interests include
playing and making guitars.

Copyright, John Cross, 2003, 2012