MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

THE CHRISTMAS PARTY

It looks like the whole crowd is fully employed chowing down.

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S HOBBY SHOP

As we enter a new year in one of the most fulfilling hobbies in the world, I ask for your support in keeping the momentum we have gained acquiring new members and promoting member participation. Our club has an untapped wealth of talented modelers. We have people that can design, scratch build, construct kits, make ready ARFs and teach people to do the same. We have proficient pilots that can coach and instruct the novice pilot to become the pilot he wants to be. We have people whom have been instrumental in model concept and design, written model performance reviews for national magazines, and we have one of the authors of "The RC Flight Manual". We have people whom have dabbled, experimented, floundered, bounced back and become quintessential RC hobbyists. We have the people you need to move up to the next level.

I will make it my goal in 2009 to open a line of communication between those that need help or information with the resource(s) we have to offer. It is my intent to make every monthly meeting entertaining and informative but I need your participation. I believe every one of us has questions about the project he or she has undertaken or certain aspects of a dream project and it is my belief that someone in our club has the answer. The after the meeting Program has been a stellar success in my opinion. Program topics have ranged from hobby specific to hobby related. The Programs have been both entertaining and informative. It has also given more depth to some of our own members by showing us a part of them that we would not ordinarily see. Recently we have had good discussions about issues such as building and finishing, radios, batteries, motors, and Craig’s List. There are no bad questions. All questions should be heard and deserve an answer. Informative dialog that the entire membership can contribute to and benefit from should be our goal. I see us coming together and working as a team to support those that share this interest. I ask you to ask the questions, suggest topics for discussions and demonstrations. I ask you to share your interests and experiences. Bring in your latest project for praise or for help. Share your successes and failures. Share the dos and don’ts.

I ask you to SHARE THE WEALTH.

Happy New Year,

Greg Marken

AROUND THE CLUB

J Lou Creedon has a new e-mail address: creedon.r@gmail.com

J From Bob Kampmann: http://www.nwmodelhobbyexpo.com/index.html

This long download shows a model B-29 flight complete with an X-1 that it releases, a tail spin that really looks real including the pilots bailing out! Also included are some very non-scale acrobatics and other stuff. This is too good to miss, so if you do not have high speed internet, impose on a friend.

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

JUST PLANE FUN

I was given a couple of modeling magazines for Christmas back in 1941 or 1942. Model Airplane News was one of them and I think Flying Models was the other. This was an unusual gift for a little boy just learning to read, but I was totally fascinated with all airplane things (and I still am). I kept those magazines for years reading, rereading, and deciphering the plans. In fact, I taught myself blueprint reading by the time I was 10 years old!

A year or two later Christmas favored me with a model airplane kit. In those war time years most model kits were solid, non-flying models. The box had a colorful rendition of the single engine fighter doing heroic things, but inside was a sheet of plans that described the shape of the plane and a few balsa blocks. The idea was to carve and sand the blocks using the plans for templates to get the cross sections right. I also had a small tube of Comet cement, and a few pins. The cement came in penny, nickel, and dime size tubes with a nozzle at one end and a crimp at the other end. The tube was opened by pushing a pin lengthwise through the nozzle end.

Since I was not allowed to have a knife to whittle with, I decided to glue the blocks together in an airplane shape. I opened the tube with a pin and applied a generous amount of glue to two of the blocks which I pinned together, getting almost as much glue on my hands as on the balsa. The glue dried fast on my skin and that was when I discovered the pleasure of picking glue off myself. Finally I was ready to resume assembly, but the glue did not want to come out. I squeezed the tube harder and harder until the crimp let go and dumped the whole tube on the new pants I was wearing just as my parents walked into the room. My modeling efforts were abruptly terminated and I never saw my creation (or the pants) again. It looked like the end of modeling for me.

FIELD MAINTENANCE

Sorry, the signup sheet has not been circulated yet. I’ll announce the January people next month.

EDITORIAL—Support Our New Officers

Our new officers begin their year-long commitment this month. They are all intelligent, dedicated people, but they will fail miserably without your support. YOU are essential to our officer’s and club’s success. Each of you is individually responsible for field safety, but that is not your only task. Volunteer for field maintenance. If you see something that needs to be done, don’t hesitate, just do it...and be sure to let me know what you did. I’ll certainly give you a pat on the back in the newsletter, and who knows; maybe you will even get one of the new attaboy pins. When the call goes out for assistance at a club meeting, step up to it.

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—January 13 at 7:00 in the SKP Clubhouse

Our new (and old) officers will meet at 6:30, possibly out of habit, or maybe to transact a little business.

John Nesset will be bringing his Sopwith Camel to show for the January meeting program. Rumor has it that the model has a sound system. 

Pete Granger

granger@olypen.com