Next meeting: Tuesday the 17^th of June 2003. Time: 7:30 P.m.

Vice President: Red Jensen (707) 585-3170

Secretary: Larry Miller (707) 577-0496

Treasurer: Tom Haddorff (707) 526-7058

Member @ Large John Reade (707) 545-9831

Just one new member to announce this month. So, lets welcome Ryan Renslow who is a junior member and lives in Healdsburg. Don’t have any further info about Ryan’s flying skills but we’ll assume that he can use some advice and assistance.

Submitted by Phil Leech

The big news for the month was our Opening Day Event held on May 17. Don’t know if you were able to make it but the turnout was amazing with attendance somewhere between

120 and 150. Its difficult to get an accurate count but our parking lot was filled on both sides and there about a half dozen cars parked on the access road.

The Swap Meet part of the event wasn’t huge but it was to me as I bought a Proctor "Antic" from a guy named Dick Sullivan. Dick has had the kit since Father’s Day 1987 and I was happy to help him part with it. There were several kits and engines that found new homes with several of the guys. Another first for me was the turbine jets. I had seen videos of jets but the in your face experience is something you’ll never forget. A real treat. And speaking of treats, how about the flyover by the Bucker Jungmeister. Don’t know about you but I have visited many, many Air Museums over the years and I have never seen a real live Bucker before. Credit for this goes to Red Jensen who knows the pilot personally. The Bucker lives at Schellville Airport just south of Sonoma. And speaking of credit, I think we owe a lot to Robbie for the spectacular turnout as he apparently really sold the event hard from Hangar One.

Financially it was a big plus too as we actually MADE MONEY. The club is ahead some $290 mostly from food sales. It has been my goal to turn the food portion of our events into moneymakers and it looks like we are on it. Sorry that I underestimated the turnout and we ended up SOLD OUT! I’ll try to not let that happen again but at least we didn’t have any wasted food.

Phil Heidt gets his piggyback Kadet/glider ready for flight at the Opening Day Airshow.

Well, we had a pretty good turn out with some first timers there at the meeting. I believe Oliver Burns and John Wolf were the two newbies to the meetings. They seemed to have a good time as John even won a raffle prize.

OLD BUSSINESS

We all discussed opening day and what a great day it was. All in attendance had a great time. We had at least 150 in attendance if not more. I (sTevo) had taken a head count at around 2:30 p.m. and there were 105 there and I know several had already left earlier. With over 50 planes from ours and other clubs (Lake County & Ukiah Propbusters) we had quite the fun fly. We also had a positive cash flow with the food concessions (+262.43). I have been told that this was a club first. This money will go into the main account and will be there for field improvements or whatever we need it for. Hats off to Phil Leech for turning that around for us. Everyone at the meeting showed their appreciation with applause even though Phil could not be there to accept it. Way to go Phil.

Next we discussed Learn to Fly day. This will be held on June 28^th beginning at 10.00 a.m. There will be t pilots at each flying station and we will have 10 trainers to fly. Steve Cole and Mike Cingari will provide Heli flight training also. Although at this time we do have a sufficient supply of flight instructors we may need some help with planes. If you have a trainer in good shape make sure it is charged and ready to go as it may be needed that day.

Also there is a great need for volunteers for ground school. This was a great addition the last couple of years and seemed to give the new pilots a little more of what to expect before they took the sticks. I know we have many experienced modelers out there who would be great at this. Just let Steve Cole know that you would like to help and we can put you to work.

Clearlake Modelers open Fun Fly was announced for May 31^st. I did not make it so if any went I would like to know about the field. Send sTevo an email please.

Sid Maxwell brought up a thought that maybe we should include Combat demo’s at the LTF day. Yours truly commented "I think we will probably have combat anyway with all the new pilots in the air at the same time." We agreed that there would probably not be time for it but if Sid wanted to and could get a few people lined up that it may be doable.

NEW BUSSINESS

Sid Maxwell brought up a point about new members. He asked if we had anything in place that would be similar to a welcome packet for new ones and also Solo Certificates to new pilots. Steve Cole commented that it is in the works but not completed at this time.

Chuck Green said he would like to help out with the mailing cost by accepting email version only of the newsletter. STevo mentioned that because of rising mailing cost this is the acceptable way and all who have a working email should go this route. Thanks Chuck.

The infamous P.A. system that failed during the last event was mentioned. Red said he could look into a new one but that ours failed because the batteries were bad. He will get new ones before the next event.

John Reade made a confession to all present. The weekend prior to the meeting he had almost lost a plane due to a radio hit. He was getting hit badly with his Four Star and was forced to land. Well he brought it down in one piece but when he went to the impound shed to put up his radio he noticed something that made his stomach tighten. Someone had left their radio on and it was on the same channel. I pity the fool who would be on the receiving end of big John’s wrath. Well on closer inspection, he recognized the radio. You see, it was his second radio. He had inadvertently left it on from a previous flight. He just wanted us all to be aware of how important it is to double check your radios EVERY TIME YOU IMPOUND! Thanks big guy, it took a great deal of humility to admit that. He admitted also that he made the mistake of telling sTevo one of the newsletter guys so he might as well come clean. You know how those media types can be! Haha.

Someone mentioned some shingles missing from the impound shed and John Reade took note as the Field Maintenance Chairman.

Motion was made to accept the secretary minutes from the board meeting. Steve Cole made a motion with Stevo Smith as second.

Tom Haddorf gave the treasury report. I all remember is we have money. If you need details give Tom a ring or an email. Hey this is my first time covering the meeting minutes, give me a break…..

John Reade said he completed the repairs to the water system on the equipment shed. Thanks John.

Door Prize

One Gallon of much needed fuel was won by sTevo.

Name that plane contest was considered a draw as Red was not able to be there and no one could remember the correct answer so we all decided that Chuck Green and Tom Haddorff won. What they won I don’t know but they won.

50/50 was won by NOOOOO not Gary Childs again! He pocketed a cool 41.00 bucks.

Steve Cole won next and selected a really nice little electric ME 109

John Reade was next with a Field Box.

And last but not least was John Wolf who this being his first meeting was excited to get a nice Foam Plane Stand.

SHOW AND TELL

Joe Kagen (glad to have you back Joe) brought an Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft that had a lot of great pics with articles of military aircraft. Lots of details.

If you weren’t there you really missed out on a treat. Tom Haddorff went to great lengths to made a construction video of a Piper Cub he built three years ago. This was no ordinary video but was done using time lappesed photography with a video camera. Much like the old Mr. Bill claymations on Saturday Night Live. It was really cool the way you saw the pieces seemingly floating into place. I think he said it took him three months to complete using this method. Very cool Tom. Tom also had some footage of his Cub flying from a float pond that was pretty cool too. He brought a TV and set it up for all to see. Thanks for all the extra effort to make for a great meeting Tom.

Steve Cole brought his 190 D9 Topflight Folkwolf for show & tell. It was a sight too. All the controls are internally mounted using torque rods with a system from IRF Machine Works Inc. Fax 503-421-1808, or Phone 503-653-7217. He is using JR Digital DF 368 servos with 53" oz of torque. The unique thing about using the special control rods is that it doubles the torque of your servos so he effectively had 106" oz of torque to the control surface. It was a beautiful sight. It will be powered by a YS 120 4 stroke. Just a side point, he used heli ball links on his tail controls as he does for all his planes. Just likes the way they never bind.

We all can’t wait to see this baby fly.

Thanks Steve.

Steve Cole also brought his VQ P38 Lighting ARF. All built up and covered for 799.00. The will use Spring Air Retracts, 12 Hitec 225 53 oz Servos, 2 Saito 100 4 strokes with 3 blades. He may go with two 61 two strokes if he doen’t use the 100’s. Will probably have a gyro for one engine flame out. More than likely will have the props rotating inward towards each other. Has Fowler Flaps and should weigh in at around 14-15 lbs. Like that was not good enough, he has a signed photo that he took at the Reno Air Races from awhile back of Lefty Gardner. Lefty will be using this photo in some of his promotions and told Steve it is one of the best shots of his plane he had ever seen. Man did y’all miss out if you weren’t there.

Meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

The meeting was held at the offices of Gary Childs, Mortgage Broker. Thank you Gary. Members in attendance were: Gary Childs, Steve Cole, Guy Nicholas, Robbie Jensen, Stevo Smith Tom Haddorff, John Reade and Phil Leech.

The meeting was brought to order at 7:30 by Steve Cole as he discussed plans for the upcoming "Learn to Fly Day". Steve told us that he has the following instructors lined up to participate: Stevo Smith, Gary Child, John Reade, Robbie Jensen, Tom Haddorff, Phil Heidt, Steve Cole, Art Sutter, Dale Chiaroni, and Julio Alvarez.

Steve Cole will be the official Event Director and Coordinator. After a brief discussion it was agreed that we should plan for about 70 people. In the past we have been using Robbie’s home made P/A system and it seemed like a good time in investigate what it would cost and what is available at Radio Shack or Best Buy for a commercial P/A. Robbie agreed to do this.

In conjunction with the "Learn to Fly Day" Steve plans to schedule a minor Work Party for Saturday, June 21 just to spruce up the field. He plans to start at 8:00 AM but doesn’t think it should take that much to get things in shape.

Robbie told us that Larry Frank is working on the graphics for a new sign at the Field Entrance. He also told us that Dino House has stored the Pace Pylons that were used in the past and that he has to have them removed. We will probably have to find a way to store them in the Storage Shed.

In response to the recent rash of Helicopter/Airplane mid-airs Guy Nicholas and Robbie Jensen proposed that our Field Rules be modified to require Spotters for Helis and Airplanes when both types are present. This proposal opened discussion of the overall field layout with a number of ideas reviewed for pros and cons. There didn’t seem to be any overall consensus as to what would be the most satisfactory direction to take but it was agreed that it would be beneficial to have an accurate survey of the field. Steve Cole has measurements of the field that were made last year. Robbie Jensen agreed to chair a committee to review all alternatives and ideas for presentation to the general membership.

Saturday, August 9 was selected as the date for Art Sutter’s Summer BBQ. Art is planning to BBQ Tri-tips on an open fire with roasted corn and potatoes and we will need to have some sort of RSVP to determine how much food to buy. This should be a memorable event and a high point for the summer season.

Guy Nicholas agreed to record credits for dues reduction for the membership. Stevo Smith will send Guy the format he used last year.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:15 PM.

Respectfully submitted by Phil Leech for Larry Miller, Secretary

The following is a list of persons that are currently in flight training and haven’t soloed yet. Let us know if we missed anybody.

Lou Winnard, Ollie Burns, Stuart Dobbie, Bilal Maqsood, Robert Sherrill, Bill Boitano, Jordy Strong

It’s a warm bright sunny day. Temperature in the high 70’s. As you load your stuff you’re thinking about the fly’n day ahead. What kind of day will it be, will it be windy? Driving to the field you watch for the tell-tale signs of the, "wind". You see little flags moving slowly in the wind and you watch for the moving trees. As you near the field you see the wind picking up speed. When you reach the field the wind sock is standing straight out. The thought goes through your mind – should I fly or not –is it too windy – will it be OK? How many times have you driven to the field and then go home without flying? Unless it’s a hurricane, fly anyway. You just fly different. When the wind is blowing it’s a different kind of fun. It’s a different kind of take-off and landing. Then after you try it a few times you find out how much fun it really is. One thing is for sure, it will make a better flyer out of you. Bring an old trainer with you to start so you won’t mind if there is a mishap. The take off is an adventure all by itself. After you’re airborne you’ll find you go slow one way and real fast the other way. There will be no float down landing. You will have to power in, sometimes ¼ throttle or more if needed. And get ready to use the rudder for the crosswind. But after you do it a few times you will begin to see how much fun it really is. Nothing but fun, fun, fun. I tried it and I like it! So let’s fly – See you at the field.

Sid Maxwell

If there was ever a guy born to fly it is Steve Cole. Steve became interested in airplanes when he was 8 years old. His father had an interest in aviation and his grandfather flew Transports and Corsairs in the Navy. In 1981 when he was 13 he got his first R/C airplane. A Falcon 56 with a 4 channel radio. His practice field was a 20 ft. wide and 500 ft. long driveway at his father’s home in Windsor on 6 acres. With no one to help him learn he would ground hop it up and down the driveway. He knew the basics of flying from all the books he was reading. One day he decided to give it a go. He flew around the patch 3 times before it went in. The R/C bug had bit. After one summer and 7 crashes, which he kept track of by putting a red hash mark on the fuselage, he learned to fly and got better with each flight. In 1981 he started going to the Reno Air Races, which he has gone to for 21 consecutive years and also started taking full size airplane lessons for a total of 172 lessons while putting R/C on hold for now. At the Reno Air Races in 1983 his father was taking pictures and took a picture of Lefty Gardner’s P-38 and Lefty said, "Let’s Go". So at 16 years Steve received a ½ hour ride doing loops and rolls and flying in formation with 2 other racers. That sealed his love for the P-38. In 1997 he put full size airplanes on hold and started R/C again and was determined to fly better. He joined the Wine Country Flyers and met Red Jensen and Mike Cingari. They challenged him to fly better and could do things he wanted to do. "They really didn’t teach me, they would do things I wanted to do and I would try them until I could do them", Steve said. That took about one year then Steve was on his way. Flying helicopters also made him a better pilot. "Flying helicopters really did it for me, the hand-eye coordination really helped. I lacked using the left stick. Now I can change from helicopters to airplanes with no problem", he said. When I asked him if he could get better he said, "I wonder if I can get any better and before you know it you’re at another level. I never had a fear of flying and there is lots of room for improvement". His equipment includes: 2 JR transmitters 8 airplanes, a few are ARF, 2 helicopters and now he’s working on his dream, a P-38 ARF,VQ, all white just like Lefty’s Reno racer. He likes everything about R/C but his favorite is Warbird scale. I asked him what advice he could give, "keep coming out and flying and keep having fun. Keep your confidence in balance with your ability and keep asking others for advice". And for beginners, "relax, have fun and don’t think too much. Don’t move the sticks too much".

Steve is President of Wine Country Flyers this year, is married to Susanne and seven month old Ashlan is their bundle of joy. "When you fly just have fun and remember why you are doing it because you love to fly", he said. That’s the reason he does it, he loves to fly and he loves things that fly. This is a guy that was truly born to fly.

Since no one came up with the answers for last months Contest here are the answers.

Name the plane that has the most examples built? Answer: The Russian "Flying Tank" the Stormivik with over 40,000 copies built

Name the plane that was the first turbo prop airliner. Answer: The British Vickers "Viscount".

For this month’s Contest:

Name the plane that was famous in WW2 for flying cargo "over the hump" from Burma to China. Many of these twin engine planes are still in the air today! See you at the meeting with your answers. 

Hey, we had a great time at Ukiah. The weather was perfect and the event was great. Very nice scale planes and we got to meet some nice people from other clubs. Julio, John Reade, sTevo, Red, Matt, Steve Jensen all spent the night. The night flying was to say the least, awesome. If you missed the Dan Sullivan this year, you gotta make it next time. A great even put on by a great bunch of people.

See ya at the field.

Stevo

Rich Larson would like to offer to trade audio/video equipment for airplanes or helicopters. If anyone is interested, have them contact me at

Thanks,

Rich Larsen

STevo Smith has a Dazzler 40 kit new in the box for very decent price. Shoot me an email with an offer.