MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

Minutes of the 11-11-2008 Tri-Area RC Flyers Monthly Meeting

President Jim Cook opened the meeting at 7:02 pm.

Attending: Marken, Greene, Bangle, Berger, Bruce, Fitch, Dantzler, Barras, Berson, McIntyre, Pendleton, Kampmann, Cook & Cook, Anliker, and Granger.

Guests: Seth Stephens joined us for his third meeting. Dale Robbins joined us for his second meeting.

The previous meeting minutes were approved as submitted.

Seth Stevens was acknowledged and voted in to the club membership. Welcome Seth.

Treasurer Report: Larry Berger reported a balance of $1771.51 in checking and the CD has grown to $5049.13. A reminder that annual membership dues are due by December 31 so please pay up (See Larry Berger) and don’t forget your AMA membership by the end of the year.

Safety Report: None

Old Business: Cindy Cook purchased a number of hat/lapel pins from the AMA for our new program dubbed the "Pin Policy". This is a policy to acknowledge individuals for their efforts to support our club and hobby. Individuals will be recognized for their positive influence and be awarded with a pin of their choice drawn from the supply at hand.

The Christmas dinner will be held at the SKP Clubhouse on December 9^th at 6:00pm. The cost is $15 per head due by December 2^nd mailed or handed to Larry Berger. Greg Marken has volunteered to take party pictures for the newsletter so SMILE. The activity of the evening will be the gift exchange. If you choose to participate, the gift limit is set at $10, not in stone mind you. Gifts can be gags, hobby specific or not. It is advisable for your significant other to provide a gender specific gift so they don’t get bored.

New Business: Bill Anliker asked for approval for funds to pay for field rent and the appreciation gifts for the neighbors. The motion was approved.

General: The annual election of officers was held and the outcome is as follows:

President; Greg Marken

Vice President; Bill Berson

Secretary; Lawrence Pendleton

Treasurer; Larry Berger

Safety Officer; Tim Bangle

Webmaster; Roy Greene

Director- Pos#3; Tom Cochran

Pin Policy: The first Pin was awarded to Bill Anliker for his efforts to put the mower back into service. It is apparent that some of the membership believes the mower is a rock crusher and they are bound to cover the driveway with crushed rock or ruin the mower trying. Please raise the mowing deck when not mowing the runway, as it does not crush rocks. The second pin was awarded to Bill Berson for his effort and willingness to be our onsite Flight Instructor the many days he shows up to fly. Thank you guys and our hats are off to you.

Meeting adjourned at 7:38pm

Program: None

Respectfully Submitted by Greg Marken

AROUND THE CLUB

J I recently sent out a special notice to the membership that Bob Kampmann sent me:

Pete... I received this from another club, the Port Orchard group.  You may want to pass this on to our membership!

Bob

Over the last several months I have recommended FMA Direct to several people to buy lipo chargers.

http://fmadirect.com

Recently, one of the club members who took my advice found out that his credit info was stolen from the FMA web site and he was getting charges on his account from porn sites.

FMA told him they had changed the way they stored the card info and it shouldn't happen again.

In one of the on-line forums I hang out in there are several others who believe they may have been victimized as well.

However – I’d highly recommend that anyone who has purchased anything from FMA Direct, check their accounts to be sure there are no unauthorized charges.

So far as I can tell, FMA is NOT contacting their customers to warn them of the theft.

Tom Egan responded: Just a short line to let you know I too was a victim; they got me for 70.00 in porn charges. I tried to file a police report, and offered to surrender my computer to Jefferson county sheriff’s office to prove I have never visited any porn sites; they declined my offer (I don't know why for sure, but I assume too many man hours would be spent for a 70.00 theft). They did tell me to take it up with my bank (Bank of America) who did reimburse me 50% of my loss. The lesson for me was cheap and very clear: even if I see the locked padlock indicating I am in a secure site there is some thieving low life lurking around the bend with the ability to help himself to our money. Another bit of information I learned later was most that are charged (falsely) for porn charges don't take it to the attention of the authorities or their banks due to the embarrassment; these predators are counting on that.

J

J Pete Hanke’s new e-mail address is: petehanke@gmail.com

J Wednesday November 19 was pretty clear with only the lightest breeze, but the temperature in Chimacum was 46 degrees. I thought there might be 1 or 2 others at the field, but there were 5! Anliker, Fitch, Berson, and Crumley were flying, and Bangle was watching (with his hands in his pockets). Pete Bruce saluted us with a fly by in his full size plane and a good but chilly time was had by all.

How many times have you used the household iron and been jumped on for leaving sticky stuff on it? Have you used iron-on film and had the color pigment stick to the iron and bleed to another section leaving streaks and marks on the second color (red on white, for instance)?
 

Solution: Heat the iron, put some salt on any sheet of paper and rub the iron over the salt. PRESTO! Iron face back in pristine condition.
—From the Tingalpa Transmitter in Australia

When drilling a hole in balsa, the wood has a tendency to splinter out and make a nasty mess where the drill bit exits. Drip a few drops of thin Hot Stuff around the exit area of the drill bit and let it cure. You can now drill a hole and the wood will not splinter. This method also works great when drilling wing hold-down holes on built-up wings.
—From the Windy Flyer newsletter, Downers Grove, Illinois

NEW MEMBER

I hope to obtain a brief bio and a picture of our new members to enhance their introduction to the membership. This is voluntary on the part of the newbie, but it should be beneficial for all.

My wife, Pat, and I have been Port Townsend residents since 1984. After college I entered the Air Force with an ROTC commission and we spent the next 24 years moving about the country, Germany, Canada, Hawaii and I had my tour in Vietnam. We managed to raise two fine sons that became mechanical engineers. One works for NASA and the other works for a French company building nuclear power systems. My work in the service was with munitions (both nuclear and conventional), missile and aircraft maintenance and several tours with the Inspector General's Office. I also received special training in aircraft and munitions accident investigation. I retired in 1982 and returned to college for a couple of years before coming out to Port Townsend. We spent two and a half years building our own house. My hobbies are watercolor painting, fishing, and as of lately RC flying. I'm looking forward to the day I can return home with my plane in one piece instead of in a bag.

HINTS, KINKS, AND STUFF

J From Norma Alguard, another ex-Boeing person:

http://www.greatdanepromilitary.com/SR-71/index.htm

This web site has a lot of good SR-71 stuff including the origin of the plane and some of its exploits.

J From the Coos Bay FLIGHTLINE newsletter, Editor Don Bunyard

It isn’t often that you snap the shutter at

the exact instant that a plane crashes, but

Don Bunyard got this one, Harold Gregory’s

Tower Hobbies 40, just as it hit.

J There has been a video circulating of an air show airplane that loses a wing, recovers, and miraculously lands out of a knife edge on its wheels. Cindy Cook, Bob Kampmann, and John Richards (Indiana flying friend) all sent me the web site at http://www.chilloutzone.de/files/08102703.html See what you think. The Cooks think it is a fake and put me on to another web site

JUST PLANE FUN

SPARKS—The YAK profile revisited

I have been trying to get this little plane dialed in for several years, and I think it is now as right as it can be without major modifications, mainly moving the rudder and elevator servos forward and stiffening the body. In the early Fall I began to fly the thing in a knife edge. To do this one must feel out the appropriate amount of rudder to input. Naturally I put in too much and the plane did a wobbly KNIFE EDGE LOOP! I have seen very few planes that can do a pretty knife edge loop, and the YAK is not one of them. However, it turns out that the thing can do CONSECUTIVE KNIFE EDGE LOOPS that are at least recognizable!!!!!

LOOKING BACK

Next month I will replace SPARKS with a look back at what we used to do, what we built and how, and what we flew. All of you old timers are invited to write up your experiences to share with the club. The January effort will report on my introduction to models back in the ‘41/’42 time frame.

I will bring SPARKS back as I develop more stuff to write about.

FIELD MAINTENANCE

Brand new member Seth Stephens is doing the chores for December. I’ll bet he does not have to cut much grass! Many thanks, Seth, for being a contributor so quickly.

EDITORIAL—A Potential Safety Issue

J Another item from the Coos Bay FLIGHTLINE newsletter edited by Don Bunyard:

Some of us have neck straps that we

clip to our transmitters for support after

we get the engine running and go out to

the flight line. That little strap can also

become a lethal missile. The metal clip on

the strap can whip into your eyes, or the

strap itself could catch the prop and pull it

right up to your neck or face. That would

be ugly.

So, make sure you don’t have any dangling

objects that can get into the prop.

FOR SALE OR TRADE

If you want to list an item, just send me the details including your name, phone number, and asking price or trade-for item. Low pixel count digital (JPEG) pictures are also acceptable.

MONTHLY MEETING—December 9 at 6:00 in the SKP Clubhouse

A white elephant/gift (not to exceed $10.00) exchange will follow.  This is more fun than it sounds like as once the presents are opened folks have an opportunity to "trade" their initial selection for the good stuff someone else got.  Flyers may bring something appropriate to the hobby or something else.  Participating family members should bring a non-RC item for their separate drawing.  Both groups draw numbers and pick out a gift alternately.  You do not have to participate in the gift exchange--watching it can be almost as much fun! 

If you don't want the dinner, come anyway and join in the fun.  If you do want dinner, you must put $15.00 per person into Larry Berger's hands by December 1.  You can send the money to Larry at:

5416 Wilson St.

Port Townsend, WA 98368

If you procrastinate too long, you could call Larry and whine/plead/beg your way onto the dinner list if he is sufficiently impressed with your effort.

Pete Granger

granger@olypen.com