MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

President Bill Berson opened the meeting at 7:04 pm.

The members present were: Pendleton, Anliker, Creedon, Bruce, Reinach, Calkins, Berger, Marken, Barras, Fitch, Davis, Cindy Cook, Jim Cook, Stephens, Dantzler, Jeff Beres, Tom Beres, Frank Merrill, Berson, Greene, Carter, Hanke and Johnson.

The Guests present were: Tami Pokorny, Zachary Riggle and……..will the club member who keeps bringing their fantasy guests (this month being Robyn Banks) please step forward and "Fess Up". This Secretary has respect for the club and this position. Are you willing to do the same?

Minutes posted on the web site were approved as submitted.

Treasurers Report: The balance of the Bank of America checking account is $ 2,653.98 and the Quimper CD is currently $ 6,159.82.

Safety Report: See attachment by Seth Stephens.

Old Business: There was conversation around the table concerning a non-profit program as consideration for the Tri-Area RC Club.

New Business: Jeff Beres put out the question for the club, "Would there be interest with the members to go to the Port Townsend Aero Museum as a group?" There were many hands raised showing some enthusiasm for that possible event. Greg Marken suggested that Bill Berson seek the advice of the AMA. They can provide guidance in all aspects of property acquisitions and will in most cases provide some purchase and development funding.

General: Pete Hanke has been pondering some creative ideas on how to get real time wind conditions at the flying field. He described the possibility of using a solar powered camera that would be accessed through a web site link.

Jeff Beres said for the March meeting, he will give a demonstration on cutting foam with a hot wire.

Crash of the Month: Chuck Dantzler, David Carter and Seth Stephens were very open in describing their unfortunate mishaps at the flying field. And, the details shared in each incident seemed to reveal some subtle interest in taking home "that there" trophy. The photo of that very proud lawn dart in the middle of the runway left little doubt about which way the vote would go. Congratulations to Chuck. A small note: He put’er 6 inches in the ground and didn’t even crack the engine cowling.

Service Award: Bill Berson nominated "yours truly" for "whatever he called it", concerning work on the flying fields lawn mower. I can only say that I thought that I was doing what I needed to do to accomplish what I signed on for, on the maintenance sheet. Anyway, thanks club for your support and thank you Jim Crumley, Seth Stephens, Bill Berson and Roy Greene for keeping me "propped up" during that whole operation.

Meeting Closed at 7:35 pm.

Program: Tami Pokorny talked to the club about the Conservation Futures Program. At the end of the program, Bill Berson suggested that a committee be formed to research ideas available for an open space project. Larry Berger seconded that suggestion. Bill Berson and Pete Hanke volunteered to become the team to begin an investigation.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

At the February meeting we were discussing field acquisition ideas.  
The county has a program that can fund up to 50% of a land purchase. 
After the meeting, I felt a bit discouraged thinking that the needed 
matching 50% would be nearly impossible to obtain, but if we can find 
another "Save The Farm" program, it might be possible to combine the 
programs for the full amount.
Stay tuned.

Bill Berson

AROUND THE CLUB

J Thanks to Larry Berger for this timely reminder:

Larry Miller (McMinnville Aircraft Modelers) larry.sanford.miller@gmail.com is the contact/focal point for this event.

J Thanks to the many members and friends that sent me this one:

The hexakopter

http://www.wimp.com/thehexacopter/

 J Thanks to Bob Kampmann for this gem:

J Another one from Bob K:

The bone yard at Davis-Monthan AFB

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8530165.stm

J …and yet another one from Bob (what would the N/L be without you?)

This is for a steam powered (!) airplane:

http://www.aircraftowner.com/videos/view/the-besler-steam-plane_658.html

J Larry Berger shares this one with us:

J Thanks to Jim and Cindy Cook for this bit of aviation history:

If you haven't seen this before it is certainly worth the time it takes to view it....amazing piece of history.

I was completely unaware of this.  It happened 9 mos. before the Francis Gary Powers incident in Russia, so the U-2 was still a super secret airplane. The story begins with Dr. Hua and his wife offering their holiday greetings and then begins his story of the August 2009 anniversary ceremony in Cortez, CO.  (By the way, Cortez is in the SW corner of Colorado and close to the Indian reservations there.)

NEW MEMBERS

J Thanks to new member Alden Johnson for the following:

I worked for IBM in San Jose, California for 30 years as an electrical
engineer. I like building things and during the last years with IBM I
built a 40 foot steel sailboat. That is how my wife and I became aware
of the Port Townsend area: for several years we came through this area
in our camper to attend a gathering of the Metal Boat Society that met
in Oak Harbor. After retirement from IBM we decided to move here. We
used the boat to cruise the inside passage to Alaska for several years.
My most recent construction project (attached photograph) has been a
single place, turbine powered helicopter called the Helicycle. I have
only recently taken steps to get involved with radio control and have
interest in the whole spectrum: electric, nitro and helicopters.
However, as of January 2010 I am just using a Phoenix simulator... no
aircraft yet!

Regards,
Alden Johnson

SAFETY—by Seth Stevens

Disposal of Lipo Batteries

The following steps will help you dispose of lipo batteries in a safe and environmentally friendly way:

1. Before starting to dispose of a lipo battery be sure it is cool to the touch.

2. All lipo batteries should be fully discharged to one or less volts per cell before disposal; however, if physically damaged or one or more cells are swollen do not attempt to discharge it but go directly to step 5 below.

3. Place the battery in a fire proof container or a bucket of sand.

4. You can safely discharge the battery several ways:

A. Use your charger’s discharge capability by following the chargers specific instructions. C/10 has been determined as a safe discharge rate for most chargers. For example, the 1C rating a 1200mAh battery is 1.2A and the C/10 number is 1.2A/10 or .12A.

B. Other discharge methods include connecting it to a properly sized inline resistor or a string of DC light bulbs. Any method that doesn’t cause swelling or overheating of the cells.

5. Mix a ½ cup salt per gallon of water in a plastic container (not metal) with a lid. Submerse the battery for at least two weeks.

6. Remove the battery wrap it in paper and discard it in the normal trash.

HINTS, KINKS, AND STUFF

J Thanks to Jack Brown, an old friend and retired airline pilot:

This video covers the first flight of an SR-71 model.

http://www.fark.com/cgi/vidplayer.pl?IDLink=4464984

Turn up your sound.  It's like the real thing!

J Thanks to Bob Skoien, a neighbor, for this bit of aeronautical history:

January 10, 1964, started out as a typical day for the flight test group at Boeing's Wichita plant. Pilot Chuck Fisher took off in a B-52H with a three-man Boeing crew, flying a low-level profile to obtain structural data.

Over Colorado, cruising 500 feet above the mountainous terrain, the B-52 encountered some turbulence. Fisher climbed to 14,300 feet looking for smoother air. At this point the typical day ended. The bomber flew into clear-air turbulence. It felt as if the plane had been placed in a giant high-speed elevator, shoved up and down, and hit by a heavy blow on its right side.

Fisher told the crew to prepare to abandon the plane. He slowed the aircraft and dropped to about 5,000 feet to make it easier to bail out.
But then Fisher regained some control. He climbed slowly to 16,000 feet to put some safety room between the plane and the ground. He informed Wichita about what was happening. Although control was difficult, Fisher said he believed he could get the plane back in one piece.

Response to the situation at Wichita, and elsewhere, was immediate. An emergency control center was set up in the office of Wichita's director of flight test. Key Boeing engineers and other specialists were summoned to provide their expertise. Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control centers at Denver and Kansas City cleared the air around the troubled plane. A Strategic Air Command B-52 in the area maintained radio contact with the crew of the Wichita B-52.

As Fisher got closer to Wichita, a Boeing chase plane flew up to meet him and to visually report the damage. When Dale Felix, flying an F-100 fighter, came alongside Fisher's B-52, he couldn't believe what he saw: The B-52's vertical tail was gone.

Felix broke the news to Fisher and those gathered in the control center. There was no panic. Everyone on the plane and in the control center knew they could be called upon at any time for just such a situation. In the emergency control center, the engineers began making calculations and suggesting the best way to get the plane down safely. The Air Force was also lending assistance. A B-52, just taking off for a routine flight, was used to test the various flight configurations suggested by the specialists before Fisher had to try them.

As high gusty winds rolled into Wichita, the decision was made to divert the B-52 to Blytheville Air Force Base in Northeastern Arkansas.
Boeing specialists from the emergency control center took off in a KC-135 and accompanied Fisher to Blytheville, serving as an airborne control center.

Six hours after the incident first occurred, Fisher and his crew brought in the damaged B-52 for a safe landing.
"I'm very proud of this crew and this airplane," Fisher said. "Also we had a lot people helping us, and we're very thankful for that."

FAR FLUNG FLYING

We moved to Rockport, TX (near Corpus Christi). I visited the local Hobby Shop, got acquainted, and learned where their new flying field was. Their old field was very close to my RV Park, but it is now posted property. A few days after the get acquainted visit I checked out their new field. The road was pretty soft (lotsa rain), so I stopped at the gate (no lock!) and walked the 50 or so feet to the pits. The "must haves" were all present including AMA starting stands, a shade shelter with work benches, and a BBQ (after all, this is Texas). The runway is nearly as big as ours, but one end ends in the bay and the grass is a bit rough. The mosquitoes found me and I dashed for the car—it was too windy to fly anyway.

A couple of weeks of bad weather followed, but I found my way back to the field under a threatening sky. I slathered the bug repellant on before I got out to open the gate and had no problem in that regard. It was pretty breezy, but I whipped my little YAK out, checked the controls and took off. I felt the first sprinkle just after I got airborne. I finished the flight as the sprinkles intensified, threw the YAK back into the car, and headed for the RV. As luck would have it, the water works turned off by the time I was a mile from the field!

My wife suggested I check the web for a closer flying field and I did. The AMA web site showed another field south of us, but a bit closer to us than the other one, so off we went on a search. We located the field after only 1 wrong turn and pulled up to the gate (there was yet another gate beyond the first). I walked up to open the gate and staring back at me were 6 locks all daisy chained together! The weather got bad and stayed that way the next day, so I never looked into flying there.

JUST PLANE FUN

J Thanks to my former secretary Mae Marley for this jewel:

FIELD MAINTENANCE

EDITORIAL—The Newsletter

I enjoy assembling our newsletter, but I have a concern that you club members are getting short changed. I am in the local area such a short time that club news and happenings rarely get recorded here. This newsletter should be about YOUR club, not my musings and wanderings. I hungrily seize every scrap of local news that comes my way and put it in the N/L, but I just do not get enough of that kind of material. Note that there is NO club news in this issue although I had a lot of neat stuff from club members.

I am willing to pass the TALE SPINNER on to anyone willing to take the job just so we have the local connection. If anyone is interested please talk to Bill Berson (we don’t want to bypass our leadership). I can supply a CD with most of the past newsletters plus a "boiler plate" master copy that I use to maintain the format.

If no one wants my job I am more than willing to continue, and there is another option available to us. We could identify someone to serve as a local correspondent. This person would then be responsible for supplying me with local news and perhaps an occasional picture.

I think either of the above proposals has potential for improving the content of OUR newsletter. Please give the matter serious consideration.

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—March 9 at 7:00 in the SKP Clubhouse

I guess the bored will meet at 6:30 as usual. The program will be a special treat that we have wanted for a long time--Jeff Beres will give a demonstration on cutting foam with a hot wire. This has been on our program wish list for years, so don’t miss it!

Pete Granger

granger@olypen.com