MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

Minutes of the 9/13/05 Meeting of the TriArea RC Flyers

The general meeting was called to order by President Benjamin at 7:PM at the SKP clubhouse. In attendance were: Benjamin, Anliker, Calkins, Cook, Takata, Granger, Oaks, McIntyre, Greene, Fitch, Olson, Dantzler, Hanke, Tolpin and Davis. Visitors were: Bob Reinach and Lawrence Pendelton.

The Treasurer’s report showed total assets of $4369.32, comprised of $708.32 in the checking account, $600 in fuel inventory (44 gal.) and $3000 in a CD. The minutes and Treasurer’s report were accepted as read.

The President led a discussion of the Show-and-Tell and Fly-In events and the relatively poor attendance at each. The possibility that the Show-and-Tell event didn’t have to be held every year or that it might be held at a better time was expressed. There was a general feeling that we should be cognizant of the wishes of the SKP people with this event. The issue of poor attendance was a led into the next discussion.

The perennial question of the membership cap was discussed and a motion by Pete Granger to remove the cap from the Bylaws was seconded and passed. Stan Davis expressed the need for us to take a proactive position on promoting the sport by joining in discussions with other clubs in the area.

Bob Reinach was welcomed into the club as a new member. His address is 17019NW Scandia Ct., Poulsbo, WA 98370. His e-mail address is magicj@uw.edu .

Chuck Dantzler was the worthy recipient of the Crash-of-the-Month Trophy with his attempt at an outside loop when the ground was too high.

The meeting was adjourned and the Granger household provided excellent refreshments.

Submitted by Bill Anliker, Sec./Treas.

FIELD MAINTENANCE SIGN-UP SHEET

I f you would like to join this elite group, drop me an e-mail. I am sure we can find a month to put you into.

AROUND THE CLUB

>Just after the last newsletter went out I was cleaning up my plane with my back to the runway when I heard a loud WHOOOOMP!!!! Chuck Dantzler had flown his very nice Midstar 40 through the sun and lost it. He thought it was a total loss and I tend to agree with him.

>We had 4 member pilots and 2 wannabe members at the field on September 1. Flying was continuous with no crashes or hard landings. Ken Oakes told me he fell off a ladder and was messed up for a while. We started talking about aging and he said "I miss my hair, I miss my teeth, but most of all, I miss my mind!"

>A little bird told me that Bruce Pyles and Veronica destroyed a beautiful friendship by getting married September 9. I saw him at the field on the 18^th and sure enough he was wearing a ring, which he refers to as his nose ring. Many happy returns!!!!

>Also on the 18^th, Stan Davis put one into the exact center of the NO TRESPASSING field to the South. It took us a while to spot it from outside the fence, but once it was located Stan drove over to the house and got permission to retrieve the plane from a lady (The person we have had problems with apparently was gone). The retrieval was uneventful, but the plane appeared to be totaled. While trying to spot the downed plane I found that there is a large opening in the fence on the far side of the field at the East corner with good access.

HINTS, KINKS, AND STUFF

>Thanks to Nate Moffett for these pictures from the Jets over Whidbey show.

>August 31 was the last day for Mini Mania Hobbies. We will certainly miss the shop and John Tyner, the owner. He did his best to take care of us over the years. He could not afford to carry a large stock of our R/C stuff, but slowly built up a very respectable supply of hardware, etc. to address our needs. He was always happy to special order items, which saved us packing and shipping charges. The newer club members probably don’t know, but we held many of the club meetings in the shop when it was located in Kivley Center. Anyway, I wish John all the best. By the way, he now works at the new NAPA Auto Parts store in Chimacum—stop by and wish him luck.

>My starter cord gets all twisted from winding it around the starter body and I’ll bet yours does as well. I have found that if I wind the cord in the opposite direction a few times, all those annoying twists come out!

>Now is a good time to check over your radio system(s). Make sure that the transmitter antenna is screwed all the way in, cycle your airborne battery packs, and verify that they still have full rated capacity. I happened to put my battery tester on Hawg Wild after 4 short flights and was horrified to find the pack was down to the red zone. I cycled the battery and found that it had less than 1/4 rated capacity!!!!! I started checking all my other airborne batteries and have found another that had barely 1/3 capacity. Three other battery packs checked good.

AERONAUTICAL JOKE

Tired of the inconvenience of driving from the airport to his country
cottage, a man equipped his small plane with pontoons so he could land on
the lake directly in front of his cottage. On his next trip however, he
made his approach down the airport runway as usual.

Alarmed, his wife cried out, "Are you crazy? You can't land this plane here
without wheels!" The startled husband yanked the nose up, narrowly averting
certain disaster.

Continuing home, he landed the plane on the lake without mishap. As he sat
there, visibly shaken, he said to his wife, "I don't know what on earth got
into me. That's the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life!"

And with that, he opened the door and stepped out ... right into the water.

MEET THE MEMBERS—Ed Gillanders

I got interested in models, specifically airplanes, as a young fellow who collected W.W. II aircraft identification cards. You remember--the 3 views with the answers on the back. Then it was the same idea with more "modern" machines that were packaged with the bubble gum. One whole wad sure filled the mouth. From there it was the Guillows kits for 25 cents that looked so attractive until opened…Smearing ones fingers with Testors glue and breaking the pieces in the process. Using 80 grit to "sand" the balsa. Not understanding why the paper would not stay on, etc., etc.

Ultimately I put this tortuous life style aside to take time to grow up, go to school, spend a little time in the employ of Uncle Sam, get married, make babies, support and raise same, etc., etc.

Then about 15 years ago, our older son verbalized an interest in building an R/C aircraft. He found a Goldberg Eagle through one of the mail order houses, ordered it and anxiously awaited its arrival. Once delivered, he opened it to observe a box of sticks and sheet balsa, mumbled something about girls being more interesting, promptly lost interest in the kit and slid it beneath his bed where it languished for about 6 months. I approached him one day and asked if I might try putting it together. He said go ahead and away I went.

Once I rediscovered models and the technological changes that have transpired since "the good old days", I renewed my fascination with how things work. Now, like the rest of the group, I have trouble finding room in my workspace for "that next project".

I enjoy building as much as flying the different models in my collection. My favorite is the Sig Kadet Sr. that I paid a logger $100.00 to retrieve from the top of a fir tree several years ago. It was a very tall and very hungry tree but the money was worth it. At the other end of the spectrum is my one and only scratch built. It is a ½A size Su26, Mini Sukhoi designed by Nick Zirolli Sr. and pulled by a Norvel .061. This is a classic example of my fascination with the miniaturization of the hobby. The little a/c even has rudder, elevator, ailerons and throttle and they all work as designed.

I do not compete with anyone but myself by constantly trying to improve my skills in both building and flying. I do enjoy the social aspects of this hobby by watching my colleagues have as much fun as I do. Not only that, but the lying which goes on is truly impressive.

I am still actively employed, as I have been for quite some time, in the environmental business by selling industrial cleaning and environmental contracting services to a wide variety of private and public entities. I have no intentions of retiring anytime soon as I need to support my habit. Model airplanes, that is.

EDITORIAL—Volunteering

The sign-up sheet for field maintenance seems to be working well. I’m sure the new mower has contributed to the nicely mowed facility we all enjoy. I did not find my month at all burdensome, but the spring and early summer months (until the grass dries up) really deserve more than 2 bodies since the field needs mowing more frequently.

We have other maintenance issues as well. I noticed that the port-a-potty roof has broken loose both front and back. I think we will need some aluminum angle and pop rivets to assure that we do not lose the roof during our winter windstorms. It appears that some of the pit plastic fencing has had the plastisizer baked out of it so that it has become brittle. We probably should plan to replace the affected fencing soon. Nate sprayed the wasps that were setting up a nest in the top edge of the shed door; hopefully we are through with that for a while. Pete Hanke tells me the Wylie Field sign needs to be revarnished, so if it is missing Pete is working on it.

I am not aware of any other maintenance needs, and that is a tribute to our membership. You have taken on the tasks that needed attention and did them without waiting for an organized work party or special event. My hat is off to all of you.

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 pictures are also acceptable.

This plane, finished to resemble Ernst Udet’s plane in the spring of 1916, has just 7 flights on it, has never crashed or even broken a prop. It flies like a trainer, lands gently, and performs the maneuvers that the real plane was capable of including the Emmelmann. I flew it with my OS91FS. The plane is complete and undamaged, but you will need 5 servos and the rest of the radio gear, motor mounts, and a suitable engine. I’m asking less than the cost of the materials at $150.00 which includes some scale documentation and a book. I need the workshop space.

The upper flying wires do not have to be disconnected—ever. The lower flying wires are disconnected by a fishing line snap at just 4 places when the wing is removed. The drooping ailerons are not connected to servos in this picture. The real Eindecker used wing warping instead of ailerons.

Pete Granger 379-3185

MANEUVER OF THE MONTH (MOM)—The Flat Spin

I have only recently learned the secret to doing this maneuver, and like anything new I tend to try it with most of my planes frequently. I find that my 40 size Kaos does an extra turn when I am ready to stop the spin, which really puts the fear in me! The rest of my planes pop right out with no problem—if they will flat spin at all. Anyway, folks have been asking me how I do these so here goes.

I have seen only a few of our pilots attempting a snap roll, but that is the entry maneuver for the flat spin. Snap Rolls were the MOM for the November ’04 issue, so you might want to check that one out on the web site. So get lots of air between your plane and Terra-so-Firma, put the left stick in the top left corner and the right stick in the bottom left corner and hold. The plane should do a snap followed by a full throttle spin. Now comes the tricky part—while holding full up elevator move the right stick to the right until you see the plane’s wings level out and the spin flatten out so that altitude loss per rotation is minimized. That, my friends, is a flat spin. If you input too much aileron the plane will likely just fall out of the spin.

One of the more interesting aspects of doing a flat spin for the first time on a plane is finding out if it will recover. As noted above, my Kaos elevates my adrenalin level during recovery and the full size airplanes have a poor record for coming out of this one. I simply neutralize the controls to get out of these, but some airplanes require more heroic efforts such as opposite rudder, bursts of throttle, etc.

MONTHLY MEETING—Tuesday October 11 in the SKP Clubhouse

As usual, the meeting will begin at 7:00. I will present a brief program on lightweight design and construction that may also provide ideas for repairs and rebuilding. The program title is: "BUILDING TO FLY."

MEMBER BUSINESS ADVERTISEMENTS

The Board has approved allowing club members to place small ads in the newsletter at no charge. The ads will be included in the newsletter so long as the newsletter editor receives a monthly request for each one.

A professionally written manual to introduce all aspects of the RC hobby from getting started through intermediate aerobatics. Download order forms, order on line, or view the Table of Contents at www.thercflightmanual.com

Petersen & Granger, LLC

I still have 1 book on hand, so you can save the shipping and handling charges.

Pete Granger

granger@olypen.com