MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

AROUND THE CLUB

>Last month I mentioned an electric supplier in Poulsbo. I received the following from Frank Merrill: Pete, e-flightlines.com is owned by Mike Small and his son. I worked with Mike for 2 years at Keyport before he "retired." They did live in Port Orchard as of the last time I talked to them about 6 months ago. Thanks, Frank, they are in Port Orchard, I goofed.

>As you probably know, Marg and I "ran away from home" for a couple of weeks in October. I only took the Slow Stick electric with me because I was unable to locate any clubs in the areas we planned to visit. I didn’t even find a place to fly the electric until Maryhill State Park in the Columbia River Gorge. It usually blows pretty hard through the gorge, but this time there was only a light breeze. There are lots of trees in the park and I had a hard time locating a large enough open space. The group picnic area was just barely big enough so I decided to try it even though there was a fair sized flock of Canadian geese feeding there. I could tell they were pretty nervous, but as soon as the airplane took off so did they! I made 5 more flights over a couple of days with only one more incident. I was circling in for a landing when the light breeze increased and carried the Stick so close to a tree the tail feathers actually brushed the leaves!!! That was a heart thumper for sure.

>I am always happy to include your input in the newsletter. Have a problem with some of the club rules? This is a good place to air your concerns. Lou Creedon sends stuff to The Leader all the time and I am surprised I have not had anything from him. Heck, I haven’t even gotten any ads other than P & G.

HINTS, KINKS, AND STUFF

>John Morris, a modeling friend in Oklahoma sent me the following web site for pictures taken at the Bomber Field scale contest. My download is slow, so I did not look at all the pictures, but the ones I did see knocked my socks off!

http://MCrotts.photosite.com/bomber pix/

>Have you ever gotten a small hole or tear in your model’s covering and not bothered to fix it because it was too much trouble? …and then it got bigger? I find that the clear cellophane-like packaging tape works well for quick repairs of this nature. I use the 2-inch wide tape and always try to cut the patch in a smooth curve to eliminate corners that are likely to lift. Make sure the surface is clean and oil-free before installing the patch. I have some patches that have seen 3 or more years of flying without a problem.

AERONAUTICAL JOKE

The three best things in life are a good landing, a good orgasm, and, a good bowel movement. The night carrier landing is one of the few opportunities in life where you get to experience all three at the same time.

(Author unknown, but someone who's been there)

MEET THE MEMBERS

EDITORIAL—Lawn Tractors Revisited

The membership at the October meeting voted to replace our existing mowers with a new John Deere L110. Since that time a number of issues and developments have come up. I will try to list all this stuff in as orderly a fashion as possible without muddying the water, but as Lou Creedon would say, it is a sticky wicket!

1. Randy Calkins was talking to Roger Short the other day when Roger mentioned that he was selling some of his land, including the flying field, and that he was concerned about our future.

2. The October 20 issue of The Leader page A10 said: "Now Short has to find another way to save his family farm on Center Road in Chimacum. The 40-year veteran farmer can’t get a loan so he will probably have to sell his small herd of cows. A Mount Vernon dairy farmer plans to look over the milking cows in the next couple of weeks, and Short has already listed his 40 acres along Beaver Valley Road with a real estate agent to pay off his debts."

3. I have obtained a copy of the field sales brochure. The asking price for the 40 acre parcel is $14,500 per acre.

4. Pete Hanke grabbed me at the field a few days ago and offered to repair the club’s Cub Cadet mower. He said that he had two 70s vintage Cub Cadets that he keeps running in rotation. Naturally I accepted his offer.

5. Bill Anliker and Jim Crumley say they are interested in taking a crack at fixing the other (red) mower if we decide not to buy a new mower.

6. Although the club voted to buy a new mower, the money to do so was not voted on. This is essential to the procurement process, but I understand that it was not done because one member thought he could get a much lower price than was quoted at the meeting.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

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.

MANEUVER OF THE MONTH (MOM)

Last month’s MOM was the spin and I am pleased to see that a number of our intrepid pilots are trying to do them, most with good success. Since the gang is getting more adventuresome, let’s try something really wild and wooly—the snap roll. If your plane can do a tailspin, most likely it will snap just fine.

Be sure you are 2 or 3 mistakes high. From straight, level, full throttle flight, put the right stick into a bottom corner and the left stick into the corresponding top corner (both sticks in a right corner or both sticks in a left corner). This should result in a wild twisting rolling maneuver known as the snap roll. If you hold the controls too long your plane will go into a full throttle spin that is pretty awesome. For now, let’s just do a simple snap; bring the right stick to the center (neutral) position and throttle back with neutral rudder until things settle down. I guarantee your first snap will give you an adrenalin rush!

Snaps can be very controllable and are included in many acrobatic maneuvers. For example, one AMA maneuver, the AVALANCHE, calls for an inside loop with a snap at the top. I can do that one, but sometimes they come out kind of sloppy, as the stick movement timing is critical. The IMAC rules specify fragments of snaps for some maneuvers from ½ to perhaps 1 1/2, which should give you an idea of the actual controllability.

There is an aspect of snap rolls to be avoided at all costs as it will re-kit your airplane every time. If, on a take-off or touch and go, you try to horse the plane into the air before it has enough speed a snap will likely result. The only recovery from one of these is via a plastic trash bag!

This is the most important meeting of the year as this is the time we choose officers. Our nominating committee has worked very hard to be able to offer you viable candidates for each open job, including President, Vice-president, Secretary/Treasurer, and one Board of Directors position. We will also discuss the Christmas party—a complete prime rib dinner for only $10.50—it does not get much better than that!

MEMBER BUSINESS ADVERTISEMENTS

The Board at the August 3 meeting 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. Don’t you find it strange that I receive a request for the following ad every month?????

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

Pete Granger

granger@olypen.com