Final Copy NOV. 2009 Crosswinds.pub

Newsletter for the SPring Area
Radio Kontrol Society
“SPARKS”
Message from the President - Wally Warren
SO, WHAT’S NEXT???
That is the question I often ask myself as a
self-employed business owner upon completion of
a major project that has taken up a large chunk of
my time.
I ask the question not to anyone else,
but to myself, because whenever our
time is taken in huge chunks, we are
often giving up large chunks of whatever other parts of life that we have sacrificed in order to devote that time to just
one thing. It means, for me, that it’s
time to “catch-up”.
Catch up with family, friends, chores,
other business areas and what-haveyou. Just try to catch up! I am NEVER
all of the way caught up, but there are
times when I see light at the end of the
tunnel – and that is a VERY good thing.
You might be asking yourself where I
am heading with this because it is starting to take up large chunks of your time
and you want some answers. Well,
here you go…
One year ago, as SPARKS started
the shut-down of the old field, many
were left pondering the chances of ever
getting a flying field again. Not just any
old field, but a FLYING field. It’s not as
easy as it sounds – especially in this
day and age. A small group of VERY
dedicated members stepped forward to
engage in the battle to find a site that
would allow us to once again enjoy the
mystery of flight in a group setting and
with friends that we’ve come to know
and enjoy.
Under brilliant skies on Saturday, October 17, at about 11:00 in the morning,
SPARKS members and numerous
guests gathered at our new flying site to
dedicate the field with an official ribbon
cutting ceremony with delegates from the
Harris County Parks Department. All in
attendance appeared to enjoy themselves greatly and we got lots of nice
feedback from both spectators and the
members of the Harris County Parks Department. I’m glad we got up and running SO quickly. There are many clubs
that don’t enjoy the fortitude and willpower of membership that SPARKS R/C
club does and they end up disbanding
under circumstances similar to ours.
Ours is a great group of folks that DO
care!
So, where to from here???
That is a fine question to pose, but is
not an easy one to answer – just yet. If I
am the one giving an answer, here’s
what I would like to see happen in the
next few years:
con’t next page, please
November 2009
SPARKS WEBSITE
www.sparksrc.com
Or mail to:
SPARKS
P.O. Box 1361
Tomball, TX 77377-1361
SPARKS 2009 -
2010 Officers
281-794-0947
Wally Warren
President
281-655-0992
Alan Buckner
Vice President/Safety
281-356-4315
George Terry
Treasurer
281-374-8915
Diane Marson
Sect'y/Newsletter
SPARKS
Flight
Instructors
Chief Instructor
Lee Dillenbeck **
281-288-7661
Flight Instructors
Airplanes
Bob Allen
281-443-8779
Alan Buckner **
281 -655-0992
Jim Greer
281-370-5615
Mark Hunt
281-290-0327
Richard Lewis
281-255-2067
Bill Murad
281-290-8945
Nick Marson
**
Luis Rodriguez
281-374-8915
281-363-9134
Ground Instructor- Airplanes
Vic Baney
281-357-1357
Chris Fredona
281-376-7068
Flight Instructors
Helicopters
Warren Watkins
713-725-0827
** AMA designated Intro Pilots
Crosswinds
Page 2
President’s Massage con’t “So What’s Next ?”
obstacle.
It is
I believe that if we continue to be good tenants of
the park, and good neighbors to the land owners to the
north, that we will be able to expand our facilities and
REALLY grow into a premier R/C Flying Field.
my hope that we can find a way to partner with Harris
County Parks over the next few years and deepen and
widen our open space so that ANY R/C modeling group
will be able to comfortably enjoy the facility. Currently the
Pattern and IAMC flyers cannot fly their sequences because of a certain tree located exactly in the way of their
pattern!
It won’t be tomorrow, but if we chip away, then one
day….
What say you? What is your vision???
I would like to see the open space increase by approximately 600-feet in north/south depth and another
300-feet (or more) in east/west width. This increase
would give us an open field of approximately 1,300’X 800’
and would decrease the likelihood of flying over the
neighbor field to the north. The beauty of where we are
presently located is that we would be able to expand our
area without shutting down the field for a move!
Thanks again to each and every member that
gave of your time, talents, and money in order to give
us all a flying field that we can enjoy now, and for many
years to come.
Come to the meeting so that we can get feedback
from all of you! It will be a Valley Ranch BBQ on
Wednesday, November 4 at 7:00pm. Come early and
eat with us – it is GREAT stuff!
If we get the go-ahead, we could clear all of the
necessary land (south and to the west of where we are
now), build a new runway and make it a plug-and-play
field without missing a beat. We already have a water
line, so the clearing of the trees would be the biggest
Till then… Get to flying, bring a friend, make a friend,
and show someone how it’s done – SPARKS-style.
Regards, Wally
Inside this issue:
October Meeting Highlights
3-4
October Model of the Month - Alan Buckner
5
SPARKS Grand Opening Day - Nick Marson
6-8
Mini Funtana, update - Rod Kuntz
“Oh ! Hardluck” earned its name -
9
Lee Dillenbeck
Electric Flight (Fright): Movin’ on up
- Rod Kuntz
9
10 - 11
12 - 13
B.E.S.T. Highlights - Alan Buckner
Can you believe this flew? 11 times no less... - Mike Rose
An Inside look at our Drone Pilots at Work - Mike Rose
14
14
Building Tip – Elevators
15
- Rod Kuntz
On Board Aerial Photography
Rob Jasken
16 - 17
Useful Addition to SPARKS Field - Rob Jasken
17
Vintage Bomber takes off by mistake at air show - Lee Dillenbeck
18
Hirobo Ready To Fly Sceadu 50 size Helicopter
18
Model Shop Ads
2
Jim Greer
19
Crosswinds
Page 3
October 7th Meeting Highlights
New member Randy Shewmaker was introduced. Several members have not paid the $35.00 assessment fee as
of this Oct. Meeting. Email notices will be sent these unpaid members. The Bylaws state that members must pay all dues
and assessments to retain their membership. George had 17 SPARKS badges which he distributed to those members in
attendance. There were 19 senior members in attendance so we had a quorum.
Necessary revisions of the SPARKS Bylaws due to the change of the fiscal year dates were unanimously passed. These
are the revised Bylaws.
ARTICLE VI - DUES, FEES, AND ASSESSMENTS
SEC. 1 - INITIATION FEES
(A) New open senior members shall be assessed a onetime initiation fee. The amount of the initiation fee for the next year
may be changed in the November meeting. If no action is taken in the November meeting to change the initiation fee, then it
will remain the same.
(B) Open junior members shall not be assessed an initiation fee.
(C) Honorary members shall not be assessed an initiation fee.
SEC. 3 - DUES
The amount of dues will be determined by a majority vote of the open senior members at the November meeting. If no
action is taken at the November meeting to change the dues, then they will remain the same.
SEC. 6 - PAYMENT SCHEDULE FOR EXISTING MEMBERS
The fiscal year for SPARKS is Feb. 1 through January 31 of each year. All dues, fees, and assessments for the forthcoming year are officially due and payable from all members on January 31st of each year, for the next year. If a members'
dues, fees, and assessments are not paid in full for that year by the close of the March meeting, he will no longer be a
member of the club. A member who has lost membership due to non-payment of dues, fees, and assessments may subsequently reapply for membership in the Spring Area Radio Kontrol Society, Inc., but will be treated as a new membership applicant and will be subject to the rules of admission for new member applicants
Alan Buckner reported the Club now has three AMA designated Intro Pilots who can assist non AMA members using a
buddy box system. They are Lee Dillenbeck, Nick Marson
and himself.
Registered Pilots and Swap Meet Vendors will receive a
meal ticket with their registration fee.
Spectators may also purchase sandwiches and drinks.
Invitations have been sent to several other area RC
Clubs, Pct. 4 / County Officials and notices posted in both
hobby shops. Since it will be an open flying day, we are
expecting guest pilots as well as spectators who may have
never attended such an event.
It was suggested that the field watering schedule be reviewed and possibly cut back. The field has had standing
water in several locations lately. Vic Baney will adjust the
timing and possibly cut a day or two off the schedule now
that the grass is more established and temperatures are
milder.
A pilot’s meeting has been called for 8:30 am. At 11 am,
the official ribbon cutting ceremony will commence followed
by demo flights by heli and fixed wing pilots during the
lunch break.
A work Day was called for Saturday, Oct. 10th to spruce up
the field in preparation for the Grand Opening Day on Saturday, October 17. A Barbeque sandwich lunch will be
served from approximately 11 am until 2 pm.
please see next page
3
Crosswinds
Page 4
October 7th Meeting Highlights , con’t
Alan Buckner will conduct the Pilots meeting and handle
the flight line throughout the day. Additional members
are needed to insure a smooth and safe flow of pilots and
planes.
The officials at Dyess Park are bringing in extra employees, picnic tables, garbage cans and a tram system to
ferry folks back and forth to the designated parking
area. Since we do not have enough parking on site, pilots
and swap meet folks will drive in, unload and drive back to
the parking area. They will then be shuttled back to the
field by the tram system. Volunteers are needed to help
with unloading and other details to make for a
smooth transition.
Spectators will also park in the designated area
and arrive by tram. We want to ensure their welfare and
enjoyment by answering questions and being mindful of
safety at all times.
Alan reported he met at the Cy-Falls High School campus with the ROTC RC Group who we voted to sponsor
and mentor at the Sept. meeting. They are in need of
basic RC equipment and SPARKS members are asked
to donate their surplus items by bringing them to the field
on Grand Opening Saturday.
It was suggested that a few SPARKS members could
attend one of their Monday meetings to stage a flight
demo and explain the use of basic equipment.
Volunteers are needed to assist with parking, unloading equipment, sign up, drinks, flight line and safety in general.
SPARKS members are requested to wear their
badge for easy identification.
Some of the items needed include a portable P.A. system
and coolers with ice and water.
It was suggested that we have an additional toilet facility. Volunteers and SPARKS members should arrive by
7:30am since the Event starts at 8 am. There will be no
flying until after the pilot’s meeting at 8:30.
Rod Kuntz brought the remains of his electric Yak 54
craft which crashed and burned recently.
Model of the month was presented by Alan Buckner….His Extra 330 weighs in at 4 ¾ lbs.
A note of thanks to the following contributors……
Alan Buckner, Lee Dillenbeck, Jim Greer, Rob Jasken,
Rod Kuntz, Nick Marson and Mike Rose
Pl ease send your contributions for next
m ont h’ s issue to me at:
dgmarson@earthlink. net
I appreciate everyone’s ideas.
Also, please send your contact inf o changes t o me.
Thanks, Di ane
4
Crosswinds
Page 5
October Model of the Month
by Alan Buckner
Specs:
3D Hobby Shop 57”
Extra 330SC
57" Wingspan
57" Long w/ spinner
680 sq. inches wing area
4.75 lbs
1100W (231W/lb!)
Setup:
Reaper GR-45 motor
Airboss 80A ESC
14x7 XOAR wood prop for electrics
Zippy Rhino 4S3700 LiPos (I can fly continuously
with only two batteries at ~$40 each)
4 x HS225MG Servos
Media:
Favorite video flown by the owner of 3DHS, Ben Fisher:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showatt.php?attachmentid=2711386
WebSite: www.3dHobbyShop.com
RC Groups Thread: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1110083
5
Crosswinds
Page 6
Grand Opening Day at SPARKS, Oct. 17, 2009 submitted by Nick Marson
Photo to left:
Official Ribbon Cutting
Vic Baney, Wally Warren, Sammy Bush, Park Superintendent and Dennis Johnson, Parks Administrator.
Many thanks to Mr. Johnson and Mr. Bush for their much
appreciated assistance in making our “Field of Dreams” a
reality.
It goes with out saying that Vic and his Field Committee
deserve a round of applause for their many hours of work
in planning, organizing and executing all the many
phases of construction. Job well done, guys !!!!!
6
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Page 7
Grand Opening Day at SPARKS, Oct. 17, 2009 submitted by Nick Marson
Ten planes were entered in
the “Most Awesome Plane”
contest….Pilots and spectators
alike gathered on the runway to
view and vote on their choice.
The guest who travelled
the farthest was Alex Ramcke,
the heli pilot from Germany
who flys with us when he is
visiting here on business.
Alex reads the newsletter
each month and was able to
extend his stay to include our
BIG day.
Well, the overwhelming choice
was Vic Baney’s “Jenny” and well
deserved too. “Jenny” is a work of
art and also flies like the real craft.
Vic was presented a gift certificate
to Randy’s Hobbies by President
Wally Warren.
The show stopper, “Jenny” ... Vic probably had to wipe all the drool off,
everyone was so intrigued with it.
Chow time !!!!
Wow - more photos, next page
7
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Page 8
Grand Opening Day at SPARKS, Oct. 17, 2009 submitted by Nick Marson
Several of the Air Force Junior ROTC Flight Club of Cy Falls
High School were also present at our Grand Opening. SPARKS
has taken them under our wing (no pun intended) . Major Tim
Nichols and several of the Club members took buddy box flights
with our Intro Pilots and enjoyed question and answer sessions
with several SPARKS members.
A donation table was set up for them and several SPARKS
members brought spare equipment.
8
Crosswinds
Page 9
Mini Funtana, update
Submitted by Rod Kuntz
As promised in the previous newsletter I said I would send an update on the
mini Funtana as I planned to upgrade the power system on it to improve performance. After all it is supposed to be an extremely aerobatic 3D type airplane, and
quite honestly with the way I had it set up before it’s flying performance was
somewhat like driving your wife’s minivan….predictable, but totally boring.
So, what did I change? The motor, to a bigger brushless outrunner and a bigger prop. I kept the same ESC and the amp draw was still acceptable. There
was a resulting increase in total weight of the plane, even though I did not
change the battery size. Total all up flying weight went from 18 oz to 22 oz.
The easiest way to show the changes is in tabular form:
All up flying weight
Power system
Measured output
Battery
Prop
Watts per lb. of air-
Old setup
New setup
18 oz
22 oz
Eflite Park 400 outrunner
135 watts @ 15 amp
Cermark 2820-1210
outrunner
240 watts @ 22 amp
3s 1300 mAh 25C
Lipo
10x5 apc
3s 1300 mAh 25C
Lipo
11x5.5 apc
120 watt/lb
170 watt/lb
“Oh ! Hardluck” earned it’s name
The Cermark motor has a reported equivalent
thrust of 32 oz giving me almost a 1.5:1 thrust
ratio.
Well, that is all well and good, but how did it fly
now?? In a word YEE-HAWW!
Unlimited vertical (well unlimited until these
old eyes have trouble seeing that little bitty
plane), and a completely different machine…
no more minivan…now a Porsche ! !
Submitted by Lee Dillenbeck
From the http://www.zianet.com/tedmorris/dg/bombers4.html
website
“At about 10 p.m. local time on May 8, 2006, a 7th Bomb Wing B-1B Lancer (Tail Number 86132 - called "Oh! Hard Luck")
based at Dyess AFB, Texas, made a wheels-up belly landing on runway 31 at Diego Garcia, skidding 7,500 feet down the
runway. The aircraft was landing at the end of an 11 hour ferry mission that started at Andersen AFB, Guam. During the
landing, the B-1B caught fire and emergency crews extinguished the flames. The four-person aircrew escaped from the
plane through the overhead escape hatch. The aircraft was finally
removed from the runway 4 days later. The Air Force Accident
Investigation, released 18 September 2006, concluded the pilots
forgot to lower the landing gear. The USAF estimated the damage to the B-1B at $7.9 million, and the damage to the runway at
$14,025. RBRM and those old SEABEES made one tough runway, that's for sure! For those of you who've never seen a
$285,000,000.00 bomber on the deck, here she is! And at the
bottom is a picture of what $7.9 million in repairs and a year of
work can accomplish! “
9
Crosswinds
Page 10
Electric Flight (Fright): Movin’ on up
by Rod Kuntz
Also sometimes referred to as “THE CREMATION”
By this point I feel like I may be providing step by step instructions on how not to progress in electric flight from basic
planes to serious aerobatic planes (or I could just begin a series of articles on spectacular small plane crashes). However,
every once in a while something happens ( in the oilfield we use the “s**t happens” excuse for almost anything) and you
have to stand back and just say, “What the heck!!!”.
Having flown my Funtana EP for a while and really enjoying it, I decided to step it up and go a bit bigger. So, late one
night in a fit of eBay madness I bought an Ultrafly Yak 54. Lovely ARF, 471/4” wingspan, 39” length plug in wings etc.
They said it should weigh in at 37 oz. However, they did not specify what motor/engine combination that would include.
I quickly decided that a bit more HP was better than less, so I also found an Eflite Power 25 and became the proud owner
of that as well. Now then, one must have proper servos for a plane of this lineage, so out came a purchase of a set of Hitec
HS-65’s and a Phoenix 60 amp ESC.
To power this baby I decided I needed a BIG battery so bought a 4000 mAh 3s 11.1V 20C battery ($$), and connected it
all with a Spektrum AR7000 receiver.
I put it all together slowly, but the result was absolutely beautiful (see
pic to left).
I installed larger wheels for our grass field and initially had a 12x6 prop on it.
Maiden was uneventful and it flew very stable, but like a school bus (slow and not very exciting). I put my meter on the
motor after the flight and found that it was only making 300 watts at about 20 amps. (Thought to self….that stinks as the
motor is rated at at least 550 watts and the plane weighs almost 3.5 pounds…not a good combination).
Next day I called Eflite tech support and found out that, for their motors that are rated above 3s, their stated output is assuming you use the maximum number of LiPo cells; thus my Power 25 would not make the stated 550 watts without using
a 4s LiPo battery.
This raises all kinds of technical issues now with the Castle Creation ESC…particularly the fact that you have to either:
A. disable the BEC connection to the ESC and add an external ESC wired into your LiPo battery; or
B. disable the BEC connection to the ESC and add a second battery pack connected to the battery port on the receiver to power the servos.
I chose the second option, ordering a 4s 3300 mAh pack from Hobby City (Turnigy), and buying a 5 cell-6 V mini battery
pack to power the servos (only added 2 oz of weight).
10
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Page 11
Electric Flight (Fright): Movin’ on up,
con’t
by Rod Kuntz
Also sometimes referred to as “THE CREMATION”
Got it all set up finally, rebalanced and did a short
power up test in my workshop before flying again last
Saturday (Oct. 3)….WOW!! At about ¾ power I was
reading 600 watts and 42 amps on my meter with a 13x6
prop. Total new flying weight it 3.5 lb. We are happy!!
Checked everything carefully, and everything looked
great…all connections were good, locktite in place on all
bolts, etc.
Early morning Saturday, October 3, connected everything, preflight check then taxi’d out and took off. BEAUTIFUL, nice climb out literally hands off with no trim
needed. Turned out parallel to the runway (heading
West), and then at about 50 ft altitude the elevator
started flapping loosely with no control. The airplane
slowly nosed over and went down, as I pulled off power.
It hit pretty hard. I walked back to put my transmitter on
the table and Bill Murad shouted “IT’S STARTING TO
SMOKE!!!”
We made our way out the crash scene as quickly as
possible, but there was absolutely nothing to salvage as
the plane was completely engulfed in fire. We suspect
the fire was caused by a short somewhere ( but not an
initial LiPo failure) which caused the actual wood/fabric to
start burning. Once the batteries got hot and the Lipo
failed, it really got going.
We made our way out the crash scene as quickly as
possible, but there was absolutely nothing to salvage as
the plane was completely engulfed in fire. We suspect
the fire was caused by a short somewhere ( but not an
initial LiPo failure) which caused the actual wood/fabric to
start burning. Once the batteries got hot and the Lipo
failed, it really got going.
Anyway, Bill helped me pick up the pieces in a little box
(amazing how little was left of the electronics), dug the
motor out of the ground, etc. and we carried the remains
back to the field once the fire was out. Our analysis of the
incident was that somehow the connection between the
elevator servo and the elevator failed some way. If the
hinges had failed the elevator would have been flapping/
trailing behind the plane, but that was not the case. Push
rod failure?? Servo connection failure? Don’t think even
the NTSB could sort this one out from the remains.
Plane on fire on
the field
Almost out….
What’s left….Boo Hoo. Fibreglass wing tube visible
laying on landing gear; the black box beside the tube
is what’s left of the Lipo. Part of the canopy was
thrown clear and there is a bit of the wing above the
motor remains
11
Crosswinds
B.E.S.T. Event
Page 12
submitted by Alan Buckner
On October 10-11, the B.E.S.T. event was held in New Waverly, TX which
is about 15 miles north of Conroe off I-45. B.E.S.T. stands for
Best Electrics in South Texas and is the 2nd largest electric only fly-in in the
US. The largest is S.E.F.F. (Southeast Electric Flight Festival) held in
Georgia in the Spring. This was a very well run event with raffles,
contests, demos, vendors, and LOTS of planes. My father counted over
150 planes of all shapes and sizes before he got tired of counting!
Though it was overcast, Saturday afternoon was very pleasant with low
winds making for ideal flying conditions. They, like us, have a crested field
so the water from the Friday night thunderstorms did not affect flying. I got
in a number of flights and spotted for a number of others.
Some fantastic flyers were there such as our own Andy Warwus and former member, Ian Bange (used to work at Randy’s).
Since the last time I saw Ian fly, he’s concentrated on ProBro style 3D flying and – WOW – he’s really something else! With
pilots coming from all over Texas, Louisiana, and even Missouri, I was able to meet a number of people I have “met” on RC
Groups. In fact, most people put both their real names and their RC Groups name on their name tags!
I think the best part was seeing all the different electrics planes. From 1 lb to 52 lbs, Pro-Bro profiles, aerobatic, balsa, foam,
giant-scale, auto-gyro, towed gliders, and even a flying shark!! Here are some pictures of the site and some of the more
unique planes. I would highly recommend next year’s event to anyone even vaguely interested in electrics.
I thought this was a very unique
design...
Please see next page for more
12
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Page 13
B.E.S.T. Event
con’t
submitted by Alan Buckner
This bomber is 52lbs! Per the
owner, it was cheaper to go electric
than gas.
This auto-gyro was really fun to
watch fly!
This cub is much larger than it appears
and had a lot of attention to detail.
Ian and Andy flying over
the tall grass.
These “ProBro”
style profiles are
great for
outlandish 3D!
Check out this charging station. He flew
multiple very large planes and with this
setup, flew non-stop all day.
13
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Page 14
Can you believe this flew? 11 times no less... -
submitted by Mike Rose
“Designed by World War I aviator Konstantin Kalinin with a wingspan greater than a B-52's and a much greater wing
area, the K-7 was one of the biggest aircraft built before the jet age. It was only one engine short of the B-52 as well,
having the curious arrangement of six pulling on the wing leading edge and one pushing at the rear.”
Read more about this strange craft and the fate of it’s designer…..
http://www.aviastar.org/air/russia/kalinin_k-7.php
http://www.aviation.ru/k7/k7giant.html
http://www.officiallyrad.com/post/83255654/designed-by-world-war-i-aviator-konstantin-kalinin
An Inside look at our Drone Pilots at Work submitted by Mike Rose
“
This is Fascinating. From the comfort of their "Office" our people can take out the Taliban and Iraqi Insurgents and
never break a Sweat!!!! This is Fascinating. From the comfort of their "Office" our people can take out the Taliban and Iraqi
Insurgents and never break a Sweat!!!! This is Fascinating. From the comfort of their "Office" our people can take out the
Taliban and Iraqi Insurgents and never break a Sweat!!!!”
Read more about it on the website…...
http://www.aviationservicesdirectory.com/permalink.php?id=218
14
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Page 15
Building Tip, Elevators – submitted by Rod Kuntz
Another build tip that some may find useful. This deals with strengthening joined elevator halves. Many planes come
with elevator halves that are joined with a hardwood joiner and have just a big open space between then to allow for
proper rudder movement. Such is the case with a .60 size Ultra Stick I am putting together
However, I am always concerned this is not as
strong a connection between the two halves as
I would like it to be. So, what I have been doing
is using some carbon fiber to strengthen the
hardwood joiner. I cut a careful groove into the
hardwood joiner at the midpoint on both sides of
the elevator.
I typically use thin carbon fiber that is about 1/8”
wide. I cut the groove into the hardwood with an
Xacto knife and a balsa hobby saw and then
gently tap the carbon fiber strip into the slot.
I then soak it all in CA.
Repeat on the other side. If you really want to make it super
strong you can also use some round toothpicks and drill
holes through the hardwood and into the balsa behind it. Fit
the toothpicks in the holes and epoxy them in place, sand
flush on front if needed.
15
Crosswinds
Page 16
On Board Aerial Photography
submitted by Rob Jasken
Many have asked me about the link on the SPARKS
homepage and the process I went through to make
movie. I thought I’d share a few things on the market
now to allow on-board video.
All of these can produce a movie format that can be edited with Microsoft Movie Maker program (free from Microsoft). It is very easy to add titles, captions, remove parts
of the movie, etc.
Today’s technology is allowing things to get smaller
and smaller, especially in the tech world. Cameras and
video cameras are no exception. Currently I have 3 video
cameras that I use for aerial photography, and a couple
on the way!
I’m also waiting for 2 more small cameras I have on order from Hong Kong. One is the size of a small keyless
entry fob, the other will fit into a package of chewing gum.
They were about $20 each. If you have any questions,
please feel free to contact me.
The black camera in the picture is the FlyCamOne2. A
specially made camera for planes, cars, etc. It is
3”x1.5”x.5” and weighs 1 ounce. It has a standard SD
card for the video. It has the ability to connect to a servo
for lens movement and to take stills in the air. It has an
internal LIPO battery charged from a PC. It also has various other modes that are not useful to us flyers. It also
has full sound. The movie format is AVI. A simple piece
of Velcro secures it to my planes. It has stayed on my
87mph Pulse Xt 25e!
Pros: size, adjustable lens, SD card(2 gig), easy to use. Cons: Sometimes a little finicky. It’ll start working, then somewhere in the flight it will quit and it will not save the video. I have found that it you copy the video off the SD card and format the card before each use, it is more reliable. Cost about $80 and comes with a cable and mounting platform.
The white thumb drive looking camera is the 5 in 1 eDvr. These are said to
not be made anymore but you can still find them on Ebay. It weighs less than 1
ounce and is 3”x1”x.75”. It has an internal battery that is charged when plugged
into a USB port. It also has full sound and can take stills. Pros: VERY reliable,
easy to use, if it runs out of battery or memory it WILL save your video. Cons:
shape makes it hard to mount, 128meg of memory so only 6 minutes of video. It
also uses it’s on video format that must be converted using their provided software. Not a big deal but an extra step. Cost about $50 on Ebay.
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Crosswinds
Page 17
On Board Aerial Photography
submitted by Rob Jasken
The last camera pictured is the new Sony Webbie. I actually
have not put this on a plane yet since I just got it. It is the biggest of the 3. It’s 4”x2”x.75” and weighs 4 ounces. It has the
moveable lens and will sit flat on the plane. It has a removable lipo battery good for 2 hours. It will take stills, has full
sound, and a 3x digital zoom (excellent quality for a digital
zoom). It is one of the new HD mode cameras and for it’s size
the video is high def!
It has a removable Sony mini memory card. It also has 3 modes of video, 1080hd, 760hd, and a VGA mode. It comes
with software that allows you to trim video off the beginning and end of the movies It does have a process that will allow
conversion from it’s MPEG4 format to WMA(windows). When you convert you do lose the HD quality. But MPEG4 will
allow HD video to be uploaded to YouTube. Pros: HD, shape, lens. Cons: MPEG4 format, weigh for smaller planes.
Costs about $149 and comes with a charger and cables to connect to a TV.
U s e f u l A d d i t i o n t o S P A R K S F i e l d submitted by Rob Jasken
Being a new member to the club I was out
flying one day and noticed something missing.
An official windsock. While the sock that was
in place and moved from the old location
worked perfectly fine, I thought that Sparks
needed an “Official” orange windsock!
So a couple quick searches on Google and
Ebay, about 5-6 days later, and with some help
from Bill and Rod on the installation, the new
windsock is in place!
At first we were not sure how sensitive it would be, but it will swivel with even a slight breeze. Like all windsocks I found,
they are designed to fully extend at 15 knots (17.3mph). It has an 8” opening and is 40” long. I’m sure it will get plenty of
“looks” too ! !
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Crosswinds
Page 18
Vintage Bomber takes off by mistake at airshow submitted by Lee Dillenbeck
Wow, talk about quick thinking from an old pilot !!! Read this amazing account and how the pilot saved the
day……
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6826566.ece
Here is an actual video from where else ?? You tube ! !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh2YSzBdWFg&feature=related
“The recently restored Handley
Page Victor, a vital part of Britain’s
nuclear deterrent in the 1950s
and 1960s, was intended only to
taxi along a runway in front of
spectators, before stopping for
photographs, at a Leicestershire
air show.”
Hirobo Ready To Fly Sceadu 50 size Helicopter which includes the following.
* Thunder Tiger Heli Pro engine
* Thunder Tiger Redline Hi-Flow 3D tuned exhaust
* Thunder Tiger Carbon Fiber (620mm) rotor blades
* Thunder Tiger Carbon Fiber tail rotor blades
* Futaba 401 gyro w/Hi Tec HS- 6965 HB high speed servo
* All other servos Hi -Tec HS-6975 HB's
* Curtis Youngblood ATG V3 Governor
* Spectrum AR-9000 9 channel 2.4 Ghz receiver w/ one remote receiver
* Conveniently located remote glow starter
* Simple fuel dot/ pinch valve fueling
* Fuel line filter
* 3300 Mah NiMH battery pak. less than 4 months old.
Excellent condition and flys outstandingly.
Fo r
Sale
Contact Jim Greer anytime at either 281-370-5615 or 713-412-6482
$675.00 w/ ATG governor obo
$ 640.00 w/o governor
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obo
Crosswinds
Page 19
Please support our local RC Shops…
they are vital to our hobby.
Troy Built Models
1650 Honore Ave. - Sarasota, FL 34232
941 - 342- 8685
http://www.troybuiltmodels.com/
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