Future Vintage: AeroFactor practice pad

I just acquired this practice pad, made for a short time and sold under the name AeroFactor.

It’s a cool, interesting pad. Came with a single heavy workout stick.

 

I would love to find a mate, but AeroFactor simply does not exist anymore. No functioning web site, no contact info or location. It existed 2015 through maybe early 2019 before vaporizing completely into the ether.

 

I did, however, find some info.

 

1. The pad was designed in 2014 by Rich Chiappe, who worked in aviation technology in Texas and had kids in his local HS band. The pad clearly shows influences of aviation design.

 

2. The pad went on the market in 2015, and was made available through Amazon and its affiliates. I could not find a retail price, though the item still shows up in an Amazon search with the words “Currently unavailable.”

 

3. The pad came with a neoprene slipcover, a pair of weighted metal warmup sticks with rubber tip covers, and a second set of rubber tip covers in a pouch. My pad came with only one stick. I hope at some point to find a mate.

 

4. There are three playing areas: the black rubber center, a slightly thinner black rubber end, and a thick, clear section at the other end that’s nice for lower resistance chopping and warmups.

 

5. Two “wings” swing out at angles to allow the stand to be used on a standard snare drum stand. Placing it on the stand will give it a different sound and slightly different response, though I haven’t tried that yet.

 

There are a couple of videos on YouTube, and a few more at the Aerofactor Pads FB page, which is still up. Here's a little video I took. Although the company's videos show someone playing this pad with big marching sticks, I found that it was more responsive with concert sticks, so I used some lighter weight Cooperman #10's to make my video.

Based on how short-lived the company was — only three years — and how involved the manufacturing process probably was, I’d guess the pads were expensive when sold, relatively few in number, and pretty rare now. I’m glad to have found one and I enjoyed going down the research rabbit hole.

 

Rich Chiappe left Texas in 2019, a year after AeroFactor ceased production. He also seems to have left the aviation industry and is now working in high-end real estate somewhere in Colorado.

It does not seem that he ever had anything to do with music products again after AeroFactor.

I’ve reached out to Mr. Chiappe for more information. He has a FB account, though it has not been added to in several months. I hope he will respond. And if he does, I’ll let you know.