MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

Tri-Area RC Flyers January 12^th, 2010

President Bill Berson opened the first 2010 meeting at 7:05 pm.

The members present were: Pendleton, Bruce, Greene, Berson, J. Beres, T. Beres, Dantzler, Marken, Fitch, Olson, Berger, Crumley, Benjamin, Stephens, Merrill, Calkins, Carter and great to see you back Robin McMillen.

The guests present were: Alden Johnson, J.L. Byrd, Zachary Riggle and Jim Tolpin.

Minutes posted on the web site were approved as submitted.

Treasurers Report: The balance of the Bank of America checking account is $2,327.96 and the Quimper CD is currently $ 6,159.82.

Safety Report: See SAFETY by Seth Stephens.

Old Business: There was talk around the table with questions about what kinds of events and projects the club might have this year. There was a request to send in some ideas. Jeff Beres brought some of his ideas to the conversation including a connection between the Tri-Area RC Club and The Port Townsend Aero Museum, bring project planes to club meetings, fun fly/BBQ and contests.

New Business: Bill Berson suggested that a check list for maintenance detail at the flying field would be helpful. And, not withstanding, Alden Johnson moved from the guest side of the attendance sheet to the member’s column by a unanimous vote.

General: Jim Crumley suggested an economical way of updating ones radio with a Hitec Module (2.4 GHz) and 2 receivers for about $100.00 bucks. Jim has a distributorship for these and many other items.

Crash of the Month: Greg Marken nominated Pete Bruce. Yes, Pete wins once again!

Service Award: None.

Meeting Closed at 7:35 pm.

Program: Tom Beres talked about his E-Flight Project. Tom brought his F-16 foamy with an electric ducted fan power plant. He was very meticulous in sharing some of the details of construction and flying characteristics. It was definitely a well thought out presentation.

FROM OUR PRESIDENT

At the January meeting we had some enthusiastic younger members in 
attendance. This is a good trend. How can we get more young people 
involved?

Also, I have been thinking about what it might take to get the club 
reformed into a nonprofit corporation for donations. It is surprising 
how well some nonprofit groups, such as the Port Townsend Aeromuseum have 
done with donations. I would like to get an expert to talk about 
nonprofits or "save the farm" type organizations. But first I will 
poll the club members at the next meeting to assess the level of 
interest and energy we have in our club.

Bill Berson

AROUND THE CLUB

J We had a good turn-out and flying participation at the field Saturday January 23 in spite of the rain, wind, and cold. It's a shame that you have to put up with all that sunshine...... or is it snowing in your area? Ye olde editor: Our problem is to keep the sunshine shoveled off the runway.

J Many thanks to Roy Greene for this neat picture of the Christmas Party. What a fine looking group! RICHARD BENJAMIN took the pictures and GREENE passed them on.

N This reminder comes from Larry Berger:

J From Bob Kampmann: Ye olde editor: Yes, a Ford Trimotor doing acrobatics!

http://www.aircraftowner.com/videos/view/ford-tri-motor-aerobatics-video-1_552.html

L I still do not have a working e-mail address for Bob Reinach. Can anyone help?

NEW MEMBERS

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.

HINTS, KINKS, AND STUFF

J From Todd Anderson and Wanda Look, friends from Boeing:

Views of San Francisco Bay from a Zeppelin at 1,000 feet

 You can also click on the planes at the bottom for more photos.

J From Ron Jans, a flying friend from Wisconsin and father of the famous Lieutenant (now Colonel) Kluck:

On October 30, 1935, at Wright Air Field in Dayton, Ohio, the U.S. Army Air Corps held a flight competition for airplane manufacturers vying to build its next-generation long-range bomber.  It wasn't supposed to be much of a competition.  In early evaluations, the Boeing Corporation's gleaming aluminum-alloy Model 299 had trounced the designs of Martin and Douglas.  Boeing's plane could carry five times as many bombs as the Army had requested; it could fly faster than previous bombers, and almost twice as far.

A Seattle newspaperman who had glimpsed the plane called it the "flying fortress," and the name stuck.  The flight "competition," according to the military historian Phillip Meilinger, was regarded as a mere formality.  The Army planned to order at least sixty-five of the aircraft.

A small crowd of Army brass and manufacturing executives watched as the Model 299 test plane taxied onto the runway.  It was sleek and impressive, with a hundred-and-three-foot wingspan and four engines jutting out from the wings, rather than the usual two.  The plane roared down the tarmac, lifted off smoothly and climbed sharply to three hundred feet.  Then it stalled, turned on one wing and crashed in a fiery explosion.  Two of the five crew members died, including the pilot, Major Ployer P. Hill (thus Hill AFB, Ogden, UT).

An investigation revealed that nothing mechanical had gone wrong.  The crash had been due to "pilot error," the report said.  Substantially more complex than previous aircraft, the new plane required the pilot to attend to the four engines, a retractable landing gear, new wing flaps, electric trim tabs that needed adjustment to maintain control at different airspeeds, and constant-speed propellers whose pitch had to be regulated with hydraulic controls, among other features.  

While doing all this, Hill had forgotten to release a new locking mechanism on the elevator and rudder controls.  The Boeing model was deemed, as a newspaper put it, "too much airplane for one man to fly."  The Army Air Corps declared Douglas’s smaller design the winner.  Boeing nearly went bankrupt.

Still, the Army purchased a few aircraft from Boeing as test planes, and some insiders remained convinced that the aircraft was flyable.  So a group of test pilots got together and considered what to do.

They could have required Model 299 pilots to undergo more training.  But it was hard to imagine having more experience and expertise than Major Hill, who had been the U.S. Army Air Corps' Chief of Flight Testing.  Instead, they came up with an ingeniously simple approach: they created a pilot's checklist, with step-by-step checks for takeoff, flight, landing, and taxiing.  Its mere existence indicated how far aeronautics had advanced.

This simulation makes it much easier to comprehend the incredible flying skills of Capt. Sullenberger, US Air flt. 109.

SAFETY by Seth Stevens

Spinning propellers are one of the most dangerous things facing people in our hobby. This applies equally to the gas and electrical operators. In fact, the dangers from electric birds may often be more prominent due to the lack of noise. Here are some ideas that may help:

N If you are starting your own plane or standing watching someone else, don’t stand in the direct line of the spinning prop. Blades on damaged propellers that show no physical damage have been known to come apart when experiencing centrifugal force. These pieces cause all kinds of trouble with the eyes and face.

N Most gas flyers are well aware of the hazards of reaching behind the prop to adjust the fuel control but ever so often they forget. One thing that seems to help is to put a bright colored paint on the tip of all your props. It sure gets your attention and might save a finger tip.

N A problem I have seen at the field on two occasions has been people wearing hats with strings or loose clothing such as scarf’s and handkerchiefs that could be sucked into the prop wash when starting their plane or picking up a plane with the motor running. Believe me if it becomes tangled in the moving prop it could certainly ruin your day.

J We all enjoy a great hobby and nobody wants to witness a fellow club member or visitor hurt in any way. So stay alert out there and when you see a possible problem developing TAKE ACTION to prevent it.

FAR FLUNG FLYING

You may remember the pictures and story of the construction of this shelter and additional site development from Model Aviation a few months ago. The original fabric covering was ripped off by a hurricane and has been partly replaced by metal roofing. The site has been passed from the original developers to a major local club called SMASH (Small Model Airplane Society of Harlingen) which also has a much more elaborate field about 30 miles away. The site owner insists that this field be open to all flyers.

This was the place I got my first flight of 2010 as I raced an approaching cold front—the wind had already switched from South to North. As soon as I got out of the car I was attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes, but I ignored them, the wind blew most of them away, and I got in a nice long flight. However, I had left the back of the car open in my haste and drove home under constant attack.

There was a new (to me) outhouse at the field, but it was definitely not "TEXAS FRIENDLY." Notice the big, shiny padlock on the door!

JUST PLANE FUN

J Thanks to Gene Gronseth, another Boeing friend.

 'If the enemy is in range, so are you.' - Infantry Journal-

 'It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed.' – US Air Force Manual -

 'Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword, obviously never encountered automatic weapons.' - General MacArthur -

 'You, you, and you ... Panic. The rest of you, come with me.' - U.S. Marine Corp Gunnery Sgt.-

 'Tracers work both ways.' - U.S. Army Ordnance Manual-

 'Five second fuses only last three seconds.' -Infantry Journal -

 The three most useless things in aviation are: Fuel in the bowser; Runway behind you; and Air above you. -Basic Flight Training Manual-

 'Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once.' - Maritime Ops Manual -

 'Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do.' - Unknown Marine Recruit-

 'If you see a bomb technician running, try to keep up with him.' -USAF Ammo Troop-

FIELD MAINTENANCE

J Lawrence Pendleton has stepped up to the February chore. Thanks, Lawrence!

EDITORIAL—Does R/C flying qualify as exercise?

From EVA Exhaust Systems, edited by Leon Spielbush

Is the flying of Radio Control aircraft considered adequate exercise? Arguments for and against are described below.

1. Almost every flier gets up at 6 a.m. to fly in the mild breezes of dawn.

Problem: A person has to get up more than once before they are considered to be doing sit-ups.

2. RC fliers tend to have larger thumbs.

Problem: There is no known association between cardiovascular fitness and large thumbs.

3. RC fliers often bend down or squat near their airplanes.

Problem: It has been noticed that once they are down, they have a hard time getting up.

4. Some of the terminology sounds like exercise. For example, sport aerobatics, fuel, or gear. Problem: Terminology in and of itself is insufficient evidence of an adequate aerobic exercise program.

5. RC fliers often are seen walking in the desert. Problem: Generally, they only walk in the desertonce a quarter, and that is not for exercise but to recover a downed aircraft.

6. Weight lifting involves a buddy to spot the lifter. Problem: Even though club members use a "buddy box" and often "spot" real airplanes, the concepts involved are quite different than those used in body building.

7. In an exercise program, an individual is known to sweat after about 20 minutes. RC fliers also are known to sweat after about 20 minutes. This is the only assertion where similarities exist between exercise programs and RC flying.

8. People who exercise usually have better eyesight. Fliers often have to see at great distances but generally cannot tell whether the object they are looking at is right side up.

9. Persons involved in exercise programs often are fixated on building the perfect shape. Similarly, RC builders are fixated on achieving the perfect shape, but in this case, we are talking about the aircraft, not the person. The individual may actually be way out of shape.

10. Those involved in exercise programs are concerned about weight gain. RC builders are equally concerned about weight gain, but again the focus is on the aircraft.

11. People who are successful in exercise programs generally work out at the same time of day, five times a week. RC fliers can be found at the field on the same days and times.

12. Conversations among those who exercise regularly often are laced with letter and number combinations, (B-6, B-12, B complex). Similarly, RC flier conversations contain letter and number combinations (B-52, P-26, etc). ■

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—February 9 at 7:00 in the SKP Clubhouse

L Sorry, no program planned at the time of publication. The officers will congregate at 6:30 to do whatever they do—probably to get a head start on the cookies.

Pete Granger

granger@olypen.com