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April, 2000
BILL JONES Dates for this year's Summer Events have now been set. See the full Schedule of upcoming Events in this Newsletter for all the dates and information. In preparation for these events, we have planned a Work Party for all who can participate on April 16th. We need to paint some of the existing set-up tables and build some new ones with new tops. We will also be putting up the shade awnings over the picnic tables and mowing the areas around the runway. A big thanks to Richard Lange who mowed the area in March, but it needs to be done again following the Spring growth. The Party will also include picking up the debris (rocks, broken parts & parts of planes) from the runway and cleared area. The Work Party will begin at 8:00 a.m. so we can begin flying by 11:00 a.m. There will be NO FLYING until the work is completed! The more participants we have the sooner we'll be able to get into the air. Larry Frank and Jeff Costa have made a "NO SPECTATOR" section at the field that has now been roped off. This has worked great to keep spectators from getting hurt. Gary Child had signs made to designate the area and they were put up on March 31st. Thanks to all who have been involved in this project to make our field safer. Before this project was completed, spectators would walk around the set-up and start-up tables causing a safety concern. Please remember that there are only five (5) Pilot Stations. You may have a Co-Pilot, Buddy-Cord Trainee and one spectator at each station, but please advise them not to walk over to another station without permission, which may distract another flier. I hope to see all the existing members and new members at the field often this year along with a lot of new planes. MEMBER PROFILE--TOMMY BLAKEBY JEFF COSTA For this month I have decided to give the senior circuit a rest from the Member Profile column. Instead, I have gone to the other end of the age spectrum and the youngest member of Wine Country Flyers, Tommy Blake. Tommy is 10 years old and attends Brooks Elementary School in Windsor. His favorite subjects in school are Math and Reading. Tommy has 2 stepsisters, one older and one younger. I asked Tommy if there were any girls he liked besides his stepsisters and he said at the present time there weren't any. His favorite movie is "The Matrix" and his favorite pastime, besides flying model airplanes, is playing basketball and playing outside. Tommy became interested in R/C airplanes when went to an airplane fair and saw radio-controlled airplanes on display and he wanted to give it a try. Tommy's best friends are Gary DeBaca and Ben Hageman. His favorite person to watch fly is Mike Cingari (God help us !!). No amount of bribery could get him to name me. His favorite athlete is Michael Jordan. Tommy has a personal hangar of five completed models, a Hangar 9 Easy-2, a Piper Cherokee (his favorite), a Fun-Fly, a .Cap 232 and a Wingo. He is building a biplane and when he finishes that he has a PT-19 to build. Tommy is not idle by any means. Tommy buddy-boxed with Gene Novak and Tom Haddorf when he first started learning and he wasn't on the buddybox for long. Tommy Blake is a great kid. I had a good time talking with him. His family was very hospitable when I came to their home. UPCOMING EVENTS
RED'S CORNER ROB JENSEN Spring is nearly here, and I'm way behind on my building! I've been concentrating on test flying the MA2 prototype. I have put a few flights on it now and I have to say it is a very sweet flier-- fast and not for the faint of heart! I should have kits available by the time you read this Newsletter article. Contact me if you are interested. Combat and Fun-Fly season is here. There are events scheduled both at our Club as well at other clubs in the area. If you have never competed in a Fun-Fly...Why not? It is really a great time with a class for EVERY FLIER and tasks to match for participants. On the rumor list is a wingless Trainer race for the novice class. Since I am a "speed freak," I'll pass along a few tips that will make any plane a little quicker and generally a better flying aircraft. Assume that you have selected the proper prop for your engine/airframe combo. The next place you should look for a little more performance is airframe drag. This is the single most important area next to your power plant. One of the major causes of drag and flutter is excessive hinge gaps. You should always have your gaps as tight as possible without binding the control surface. If you have a large gap, there are two choices to consider: 1) Re-hinge the surface. This is really a pain and should only be considered if nothing else will work; or 2) Use the covering material or tape to seal the top and bottom gaps. This works much better and will make the most improvement. I have used the covering material for the hinges themselves on smaller planes for years and never have had one fail yet. After the sealing process, you should notice a higher roll rate and generally a more sensitive control feel. Most people will lessen their throws afterwards. The next thing you can do is to reroute the antenna inside the fuse. You may not think that this would contribute much to the drag, but an exterior antenna is a major contributor to drag. Finally, a general airframe cleanup will also help. Tack down any loose covering and keep the plane clean. That's all for now. See you at the field! NAME THE PLANE Last Month's Quiz: Name the largest and the smallest airplanes ever to fly. Hint: One is military and one is Civilian. Answers: The Bumble Bee, a civilian bi-plane with only a 6 1/2 foot wingspan and the Antanov 225. More next month. back to topHINTS AND TIPS Model Balancing Balancing a new model aircraft correctly is very important. Proper balancing can have a profound effect on the character of your aircraft in flight. A popular way to balance the model is on your fingertips and eyeballing it, but I like to use a fixture made for this purpose and get it more accurate. Two dowels, two pencil erasers and a block of wood is all you need. This needs no instructions. The diagram below tells it all. Just remember: Always measure the CG with no fuel on board and start with the CG point suggested by the manufacturer. From: The Signal Squeaker Clamps Here's a neat idea for making a handy dandy clamp for your work shop. It's' cheap, easy, and effective. Take an old caulk gun (or new) and glue a piece of scrap wood cut square, or in the shape of your choice, to the stationary end, and one to the plunger as shown below. The wood protects the work and provides for a flat surface for even pressure. The ratcheting-style guns work best. From: The Signal Squeaker Pin Organizer Okay so you're asking exactly what is that thing anyway? Well this is one of those little jewels you come across now and again that make life just a little easier. This is a handy little building pin holder. What we have is simply a block of Styrofoam that has been shaped into a horse shoe shape, glued onto a scrap of plywood and has two plastic tubes glued on each end to hold the cleaner. Then acetone is put in the jar so when CA gets on the pins, they can be tossed into the jar. You can also use a magnet on the outside of the bottles to bring the J3ins_ back out of the jar. Then, divide the foam block into three sections. One section is used for each of the three sizes of pins. This is very simple but it does keep the pins close, clean and out of your fingertips! I can see several ways to modify this design to fit your work area. In our kitchen I put up a new paper towel dispenser. It is the type that the frame is made of Plexiglas and the part you put the roll of towels on is a 12 inch piece of one inch dowel with the ends cut down to fit the holder. A piece of I inch foam pipe insulation fits nicely over the bar and you then have a pin holder t~atyou can mount on the wall next to your building area. It is off the building surface so the pins are always easy to find and reach. From: Propwash Jeff Sorg, Editor TREASURER'S REPORTDALE CHIARONI WE NEED TO HAVE A COPY OF EVERYONE'S AMA CARD ON FILE FOR THE YEAR 2000. PLEASE SEND ME A COPY IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO ALREADY! See Members-Only, Financial Pages http://www.wcflyers.com/members/finance/financial.html MINUTES OF MARCH MEETING LARRY MILLER The March meeting of Wine Country Flyers was called to order at 7:35 p.m. There were 18 members and guests present. Several new members and guests were introduced. Our Treasurer, Dale Chiaroni, gave the financial report. We are doing well financially this year and there are no major expenses anticipated in the foreseeable future. Old Business: Jeff Costa reported on the new spectator barrier he and Larry Frank set up at the field several weeks ago. It is now complete except for sax new signs that will be put up at the pit entrances. This seems to be working well to keep onlookers out of harm's way. Jeff also took the lawn mower home for some much needed maintenance. He cleaned it up and sharpened the blade which was in rough shape. Thanks, Jeff, and thanks to all those who mowed the grass and picked up the trash that the critters had spread around. The field looks nice with the freshly mowed green grass. It was decided that we would cancel the Mall Show planned for May. We are going to concentrate our efforts on our display at the Pacific Coast Air Museum (PCAM) open house in August. We would like to have several scale aircraft for this display, so try to keep them in one piece until then. Our next event is going to the Learn To-Fly Day in June. It was a big success last year and we anticipate a big turnout again this year. We will need at least six instructors with trainer aircraft that will be willing to help with the new fliers. Other people will also be needed to assist us with the BBQ and other events during the day. There will be a raffle and plenty of activities for all. New Business: Des Shapiro brought up the need for hand washing facilities at the field. Several members will be looking into some type of portable sink and water tank. Dale, who in the RV business offered several suggestions. Des also told us about one of his patients who suffered serious brain damage, possibly from painting models without respiratory protection. Fumes from the materials we use in our hobby can be dangerous. Use caution. It was noted that our wing sock at the field was in tatters and it was decided to obtain a new one soon and have it installed. Our gracious host at El Portal Mobile Estates, Bob Barnes, advised us that we may have to find a new meeting site in the near future. He is spearheading the search with several good leads to work on. Any input would be appreciated. Show and Tell: Dan Coffman brought in his Super Tigre .46 powered Balsa USA Northstar. It hasn't flown yet, but when it does, it will be able to be flown off of water or land. The model was very nicely done. Jeff Costa talked to us about his unusual looking plane called the Crossbow. He says it flies like a trainer and is just not very acrobatic. The plane is now for sale at Hangar 1. Bill Jones showed us his 1/12 scale combat Corsair that was originally started by Dino House and finished by Bill. It looks like the Corsair that Richard Lange used to have. Our host. Bill Barnes, who paints aircraft murals for a hobby, showed us his latest sketches of future murals he plans to complete. Bob is an excellent artist, especially of aviation scenes. Dale Chiaroni was the lucky winner of the door prize-- one-gallon jug of fuel of his choice. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m The next regular meeting will be on April 11th at 7:30 p.m. at the El Portal Mobile Estates recreation room. Don't forget to check us out on the web at wcflyers,com/index.htm. CLASSIFIEDS FOR SALE: 1/12th Scale Reno Replica "Super Corsair" built from a modified Pica Kit. Covered in Monokote with computer-cut "BUD LIGHT" vinyl decal set. MDS .25 engine, (2) JR 341 servos in wings. Flown 6 times, great flier--quick & stable. Just add your RX, 2 servos and batt. $300.00 or B/O. Call Rob Jensen 544-2827 or E-mail me for pictures at Lownverted@aol.com FOR SALE: Avistar Wing-$15.00; OS LA .40 $35,00 (Low hrs.); OS FP .60 $45.00; Supertote $20.00; E-Z Fly 40 (w/o motor) $65.00; I-Skysport Futaba Radio-$75.00; I-Skysport 6A Futaba Radio"$85.00; Futaba Attack 4-CH Radio w/ 2 servos & Batt $100.00; Futaba S3003 Servos $5.00 each. Call Mike Ballestrazze @ 792-1142. |
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
