NOTICE: These pads were manufactured in 2017 and have sat in unsold inventory. During that time, the branded "dome stickers" on either side of the over-snare "runway" have begun to "lift." See last photo. The 4 replacement dome stickers that ship with every unit are also compromised and unusable. Fun fact: they reference "Tweeting" your customized pads on Twitter.  Ha! A lot changes in 9 years. These are purely cosmetic elements and I warrant each pad functions as intended with no degradation in structure or critical components. I offer a 30 day no questions return policy. I am confident this pad will become your new favorite pad. I apologize for making your collection of old, used pads useless. 

Here's what we set out to do and how we did it. You will enjoy this pad like none other before or after it.  

Precision.

It doesn’t just happen.    It’s not chance.   Natural ability alone can’t deliver it.

Precision takes practice.    A lot of practice.

Naval Aviators and Aerobatic pilots are passionate about their craft.  But passion alone isn’t enough.  It not only takes practice, it takes countless hours of precision before the aerobatic routine or strike mission is ready for battle.

When your life is passing at 200-700 mph just inches from the ground, simply practicing more isn’t enough. Pilots don't just practice vague aerial figures or "good enough" landings. Precision isn't an option.  Their lives depend on it.  Every stick movement - precise.   Every throttle adjustment - precise.  Visual scan - precise.  Every glance and every angle - precise.  

And when it comes to practicing with precision, equipment is everything.  

Advanced aviators don't practice in machines for training beginners.  Their aircraft are precision designed.  Precision engineered.  Precision tuned. Precision maintained.  Precision flown.  It's how every aviator brings precision closer to…perfection.

And isn’t this true for drummers as well?  Okay, so maybe our life isn’t at stake in our performances, but our livelihood might be.  

Let’s face it, no member of an ensemble or band has more demands for precision than drummers.

A drummer’s precision doesn’t just happen.    It’s not chance.   Natural ability alone can’t deliver it.

So we practice.  And we practice a lot.

But do you practice with precision?  Do you seek precision?   Every stick movement.  Every rebound.  Every nuance.  Every angle…

And how about your equipment?  When you practice on a pad, are you still using a drum pad made for training beginners?

Beginner pads are great for learning basic strokes.  

Compact pads make it easy to practice just about anywhere.  But aural and physical responses from compact pads are nearly the same no matter where you strike them.  This isn’t true when hitting an actual drum.  As you know, the tensioned head of an acoustic drum provides greater feedback when struck in the center than when struck near the edge.  As a drummer you hear it and you feel it allowing you to adjust your motion to achieve greater precision.  

Do to their size, few compact practice pads offer an elevated rim - critical to simulating and practicing with complete precision.  Compact drum pads can also be difficult to stand-mount for ensemble rehearsals such as snare line practice.

Full-sized drum practice pads do a good job simulating a full-sized drum thus providing more realistic aural and physical responses.  Some even mount easily in a standard snare stand.  But they can be cumbersome to carry around and let’s face it, if it’s not easy to carry your pad with you, it’s going to directly impact how often and how well you can practice.

What if a drum pad was compact, easy to carry in a stick bag but could somehow provide precision physical and aural feedback to enable precision practicing?  What if that drum was  pad could somehow feature an elevated rim for practicing all dynamic figures?  And what that drum pad somehow be easy to mount in a snare stand for easy standing practice sessions? 

Introducing:  The AeroFactor F1 pad

I’m Rich Chiappe and I put my years of experience manufacturing precision machined aluminum aircraft parts to work designing the AeroFactor F1 Pad to be the world’s first compact, precision drum practice pad.  And the result is simply beautiful.

To create the AeroFactor F1 Pad, we conceptually started with a disk of our favorite aircraft aluminum alloy - fourteen inches in diameter - just like the rim and head of a real snare drum.  We started by removing all the typically unused parts of the drum creating a precision, keyhole shaped primary striking surface.  That’s our strike target - for precision air strikes (wink).  We machine the bottom of the strike target pocket to be concave.  And then we machine a channel separating the strike target from the stiff aluminum frame.  But we leave three features that allow the pan beneath the strike target that allow it to “swing” like a real drum head when it’s struck:  two hinges and a spring.  We then pour the strike target with an industrial urethane rubber hardness matched to simulate the same surface durometer as today’s Kevlar marching snare heads.  The result is a pad that rebounds more when struck in the center and less when struck nearer the edge - precisely like a real drum does.  

The AeroFactor F1 pad is NOT a “silent” pad - by design.  The strike target has been engineered to be audible and precise allowing drumlines and ensembles to hear each other, adjust and fine tune the precision of their strokes.

But theres more.  We continued by machining an elevated rim around the perimeter of the frame of the pad.  Using basic geometric conventions, we scaled the rim so that even though it’s closer to the center of the drum than it would be on an actual 14” snare drum, rim shots are played at the exact same stick angles.  A rim shot played on the AeroFactor F1 pad is played at precisely the same stick angle as on a typical 14” snare drum.  

But we didn’t stop there.  With the empty space in front of the keyhole, we machined a pocket into which we pour a very soft silicone polymer.  The result is a warm-up chop pad that absorbs energy and makes warm-ups challenging.  Start your practice session by swinging the pad around to warm up your strokes, then swing it back to start your session.  

Speaking of swinging, the AeroFactor F1 is the first and only drum pad to feature integrated F-14-Tomcat-inspired "SwingWings."  When you want to mount the F1 pad in a standard 3-point snare basket stand, simply pull out the swing wings and mount it up.  

When your session is over, simply stow the wings and the Aerofactor F1 pad slides easily into your stick bag.

Because the F1 pad is manufactured from aluminum and other industrial materials, it will not chip, flake, crack, fade or deteriorate.  It will look just as good after years of use as it looks out of the box.  And speaking of the box, the AeroFactor F1 pad comes standard with a protective neoprene case perfect for keeping a pair of sticks and a pencil with your pad at all times.  It also features a convenient pocket for your ID or cell phone containing everything you need for your lessons or practice session.

The AeroFactor F1 pad is also customizable. Replace the Aerofactor logos on either side of the snare "runway" with stickers of your own creation so your pad can best represent your style, your school or your passion.

No other pad looks like the Aerofactor F1 pad.  No other pad performs like the Aerofactor F1 pad.  And No other pad plays as precisely as the Aerofactor F1 pad.  

No other pad matches the precision, performance, flexibility, transportability and style of the AeroFactor F1 pad.

When it comes to practicing with precision, equipment is everything.  For drummers, the AeroFactor F1 pad has everything you need to elevate your precision:  precision designed.  Precision engineered.  Precision built.  Bring precision to your practice.  And bring your precision closer to…perfection.

AeroFactor.

Practice with Precision.

Perform with Passion.