News let June 03 - DCRC Radio Control Club

AMA CHARTER CLUB NO. 329
VOLUME 49
NUMBER 6
JUNE 2003
Meeting Raffle Hobby Works
Futaba Sky Sport Radio
Set
All great prizes. Thanks to Hobby Works of
Rockville You better get to the meeting early and get lots of chances
on the raffle. If you bring in your airplane to the model shop you get
3 free raffle tickets.
Monthly Club Meeting
Friday, June 20, 2003
County Council Building Auditorium
100 Maryland Avenue
Rockville, MD
Meeting Program:
Mike Dooley
2003 Marks the 50th anniversary of the DCRC Club.
Commemorative shirts are available for a limited time.
Contact Andy Finizio for more information.
Page 2
District of Columbia Radio Control Club
PRESIDENT:
Jim McDaniel
V.P.
Walt Gallaugher
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Scott Davies
Mike Dooley
Andy Finizio
Walt Gallaugher
Kevin Jackson
Jim McDaniel
Jeff Mervis
Fred Nielsen
Mike Peizer
TREASURER:
301-770-9150
301-843-8818
301-983-8557
301-253-4074
301-963-6091
301-916-0366
301-762-0020
301-299-4375
301-589-8299
FLOAT FLYING
AT THE
JOE NALL
BY
DOUG HARPER
We had a large gang again this year at
the Joe Nall Flyin in Woodruff, SC. This
without a doubt is one of the best flyins
in the United States. Not only is it huge,
with 540 registered pilots I think, but
always has a wide range of very interesting model aircraft. And these guys really
like to fly – all day and far into the night
with lights.
Scott Davies
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY:
Andy Kane
305 Natick Court
Silver Spring, MD 20905-5875
RECORDING SECRETARY:
Mike Peizer
SHOW TEAM MANAGER:
Paul Howey
NEWSLETTER EDITOR:
Andy Kane 301-236-9222
[email protected]
MEETING PROGRAM COORDINATOR:
Walt Gallaugher
The DC/RC Newsletter is published monthly by
the District of Columbia Radio Control Inc. Dead-
line for submitting materials for publication is
the last Friday of each month. Any part of the
newsletter may be reproduced for non-profit purposes
unless otherwise noted. Please credit the Newsletter
and Author if named. Articles may not reflect the
opinion of the club, but that of the author.
Visit us on the web:
www.dc-rc.org
I have attended Joe Nall for the better part of the past 10 years and have no
intention of changing that pattern. I
must admit, though, that since it is so
crowded and there is so much to see, it is
getting harder to find a way to enjoy this
event.
So this year, I thought I might try a
new way of enjoying Joe Nall – seaplanes.
Each month at the regular club meeting,
raffle tickets are 6 for 5.00, and the prizes are
always great.
Did you know that any airplane brought in
to the model shop will receive 3 free raffle tickets. Bring in your models each month for your
free tickets, and to share ideas.
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
FLOAT FLYING AT THE JOE NALL
CLUB MEETING MINUTES
NEW CLUB MEMBERS
SOUND AND SAFETY/AIR SHOW UPDATE
THE GOOD STUFF/CALENDAR
PHOTO GALLERY OF THE JOE NALL
PG
PG
PG
PG
PG
PG
2
3
4
5
6
7
Cover: Doug Harper, down by the lake
Mid Afternoon Air show, 4- Texan
Formation. Photos by Mike Dooley and
Andy Kane
Some of you might remember my article
from last year where I talked about flying
a .60 size seaplane called the Lanier Seamaster. It was a fun plane and I enjoyed
flying it at the large lake on the Joe Nall
property (owned by Mr. Pat Hartness who
is the host of this magnificent event).
Unfortunately the Seamaster met with an
untimely end due to a slight traffic prob-
June 2003
lem over the lake – another seaplane and
the Seamaster decided to occupy the
same spot of air at the same instant. You
know what happened next.
Much to my surprise, the Seamaster
didn’t immediately sink to the bottom so
some kind soul fished it out and I was
able to retrieve the important parts.
Anyway, the Seamaster is gone so this
year I took my 1/3 scale clip-wing Balsa
USA Cub with floats (both built by Tony
Masiella by the way). The Cub is close to
10 years old and has been a truly wonderful model, even with too may flights to
count on it.
I had the Cub at Joe Nall last year
but only made a few flights. This year, I
decided to focus on “aquatic flying”
pretty much solely. I did this since I was
dying to fly the Cub, I could come to the
field anytime I felt like and drive right to
the lake, park 20 feet from the water,
and set up shop for the day with no
crowds. And they even allocated 3 frequencies this year to seaplanes-only so
hardly any waiting for the pin. Well, this
worked perfectly and I made many
flights. I even got to fly for the SKS
Videos people who was there making a
for-sale video of the event.
My strategy worked fine and I had a
great time. I did return to the DCRC tent
late in the day to get in on the socializing.
I didn’t want anyone to feel I was being
standoffish; I was just having a great
time.
So next year, if you go to Joe Nall,
come on down by the water, look for the
Cub, and I’ll be there too. If you ever get
the chance to fly a seaplane, definitely
give it a try. You’ll find it to be different
but great fun.
June 2003
District of Columbia Radio Control Club
Page 3
by Mike Peizer
The Club Meeting
was called to order by Jeff Mervis
at 8:07 PM. Jeff started out the meeting by making a
few announcements.
The shelter should be in place next couple of weeks, if
the weather cooperates. Markers have been installed to
delineate the box. One is located at the tree line off the
north end of the runway. The other is located at the far
northeast of the box. You have to go up on the runway to
see this marker. Please note where the box is and respect it.
County Appreciation day is June 22nd. Come out and
support the club. Please check the web site for flight
training dates. We need all the instructors and ground
support we can get. Please help out when and where you
can.
There will be no reports this time around because all
the committee members are attending the Joe Nall FlyIn.
When Jeff called for any old or new business there
was no response from the members present.
Next, Jeff went straight to the raffle.
Raffle: Tonight’s raffle prizes were furnished by FMA
Direct.
A FMA Supernova 250S charger was won by Al Rettig
A $50.00 FMA gift certificate was won by Jim Bon
bright
Three FMA Lithium Poly batteries were won by Al
Rettig
It was a great time to enter the raffle. Just ask Mr.
Rettig.
Model Shop: George Arcay showed an electric GWS
Warthog ARF. It’s very light. It’s two, 7.2 volt, ducted
fan motors are powered by NiCad batteries. The aircraft uses four channels of control, rudder, aileron,
throttle and nose wheel steering. The primary controls
use micro servos. It took three days of evenings to assemble. George hopes to get 7 minutes of flight time on
a charge.
Program:
The program was a DVD of the 2002
“Warbirds Over Delaware”. The event is hosted by the
Delaware RC Club at Lums Pond in Delaware. The DVD
was provided by Dave Fepelstein.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:42 PM.~
The
Board Meeting was called to order by Jim
McDaniel at 7:26 PM at the home of Michael Peizer. In
attendance were Mike Dooley, Scott Davies, Jim McDaniel, Andy Kane, Walt Gallaugher, Andy Finizio, Fred Nielsen, and Michael Peizer.
Jim McDaniel started the meeting out by reporting on
a discussion Kevin Jackson had with an individual from
the FCC at the ham radio show in Dayton, Ohio about the
53 mHz repeater near our field. The person from the
FCC was surprised to learn that the 53 MHz repeater
was up and in operation. Apparently, the ham radio guys
do not have the right to put up that repeater without
consulting the FCC, which they did not do. They might be
made to reduce the power of the repeater, but they will
not be made to take it down.
The concrete for the shelter was supposed to be
placed either today or tomorrow. It has been delayed
because of the rain. The shelter kit has been delivered
to the field and they are ready to go, weather permitting.
The Quiggins property sold at auction Saturday May
17th. It was sold to the former owner of Phillips Publishing, and will probably become a small working farm.
There has been a formal noise complaint lodged with
Park and Planning. Derick Berlage has asked his people to
look into the matter. So far, they have found no problems with our compliance with the standards as set forth
by the county.
Over the last two weeks Jim has spent a lot of time
on the phone discussing many issues with many people.
Tom Ogle completed his report concerning sound levels at
the field and turned it over to Park and Planning. Tom
said he has not heard anything from them since then,
which is a good thing. He wants to come out and calibrate our sound meters with those of the county sometime in early June. He said we should continue to try and
reduce the sound levels as far as we possibly can and continue to monitor as we have been.
Treasurer: Scott Davies reported three expenses over
$100.00 since the last report to the Board.
Field Development: Fred is trying to find someone who
makes the old fashioned roll up shades for the back of
the shelters. Andy Kane gave Fred a few suggestions to
try. After some discussion the Board decided to abandon
(Continued on page 4)
Page 4
District of Columbia Radio Control Club
(Continued from page 3)
the shades as unworkable. The shades would be delicate
and probably wouldn’t last a year. The gazebo should provide plenty of additional shade much like the one at the
old field did. Any member who wants to rig a tarp at the
rear of a shelter in the pit area is certainly welcome to do
so.
Sound & Safety: Walt Gallaugher has asked AMA to send
a copy of the 2003 safety code to post on the bulletin
board of the impound. Jim remarked they sent it to him.
It will be posted soon.
The new outer markers have been erected at the
north end of the field. Signs have been posted at the
flight line stating the makers are there.
Next Walt brought up the issue of sound levels at
the field. IMAC has done some very thorough research
concerning sound levels and Walt says they are a good
place to start. Our testing standards (proposed) will correlate close-in static measurements with measurements
taken at the property line, while planes are in the air.
Walt intends to also measure RPM and calculate prop tip
speed, since this is a major contributor to aircraft noise.
By using these two types of measurements, you have a
reasonable assurance that the sound level will not exceed
the county limits at the property line. Jim said we have
an outstanding relationship with the county and we should
continue to be good neighbors by doing everything we can
to keep our sound levels below the minimum. We have
taken steps to reduce sound levels at our own volition and
we will continue to do so. It is important to note we are
in complete compliance with all county sound regulations
and we are attempting to further reduce sound levels in
an effort to be good neighbors.
Walt got an email from Bob Aberman concerning a
few safety issues between park flyers and large gas powered airplanes. Walt did some research to determine if
other clubs have rules pertaining to this issue. His research turned up very little on the subject. Ideally, a
separate site for park flyers seems to be the best an-
June 2003
swer. This is not possible at Walt Good Field. Andy Kane
suggested that it might be reasonable to allow a park
flyer to fly alone and fly after he has come down. After
some discussion the Board came to the conclusion that
this is an issue of communication, not park flyers versus
larger powered aircraft. The best way to reduce midair
collisions is good communication between pilots, and following established procedures on the flight line. Midair
collisions are very rare, but they are a fact of life. Still,
we can do our best to reduce the risk as much as possible.
Newsletter/Membership: Andy Kane reported we have
218 members. Jim McDaniel asked Andy if he was able
to ascertain whether a DCRC member who is renewing is a
current member of AMA. Andy said he has a procedure
in place to check.
Andy mentioned he has not updated the welcome
package for new members in a year or two. The field
rules have changed and may need to be updated on the
welcome package. He will send Jim the package to look
over for suggestions about amending.
Events: Andy Finizio reported County Appreciation Day
is scheduled for June 22nd. We are all set on the food
and the entertainment. Andy is working on a raffle prize
for the event. He hopes for something like a trainer.
Andy was approached about changing the date for
OctoberFest, because of another event taking place on
the same date. Andy asked if the Board would consider
switching OctoberFest to Sunday, September 28th. The
Board members present agreed to move the event. It
has now been rescheduled.
New Business: Andy Finizio thinks the club should have a
camera to be kept for the use of the newsletter editor to
take membership card photos, and document club events.
He moved we buy the camera for the newsletter editor’s
use. Fred Nielsen seconded the motion. Andy Kane said it
was not necessary and he would be more comfortable using
his own camera. He respectfully declined the offer. The
motion was withdrawn. The meeting was adjourned at 9:34
Welcome to New Club Members in May
Rich Galvin/Laytonsville, John Miller/Rockville, Afshin Abedi/Germantown, Eric Berger/Bethesda
Sean and Matthew Connolly/Olney, Hyun Lee/ Gaithersburg, Nathan Sullivan/Laytonsville
William Garner/Gaithersburg, Ayman Jarrah/Gaithersburg, William Firby/Germantown
Woodard Schaeffer/Silver Spring, Luis Arenzana/Harrisburg, PA, Carlos Deras/Germantown
New Proficient pilots this month.
Rick Galvin, William Seggel, Frantz Tanis
June 2003
District of Columbia Radio Control Club
SOUND AND
SAFETY CORNER
BY
WALT GALLAUGHER
The noise produced by our airplanes
and helicopters continues to be a problem
for some of the neighbors near the model
airpark. As a result, each member must
make an effort to ensure his or her planes
are as quiet as possible. What I am suggesting is a change in attitude that if all
members comply could greatly reduce further complaints.
We all make choices when we build and
fly our model airplanes. Performance and
cost are two factors that usually determine how loud the noise will be from any
particular model. Based on this, we all have
different expectations about how much
enjoyment we will get from flying the
plane.
Many people love unlimited performance. They will do anything to get that last
ounce of performance from the plane.
Usually, more power means more noise but
not necessarily and that is where cost becomes a factor. The cost is associated
with buying the latest in muffler or canister technology and the latest propeller
designs to help reduce the noise. Also, we
should be willing to sacrifice a small margin of performance for a much quieter
plane.
There are other people who have an
airplane with an old engine with an inferior
muffler who still insist on flying. Here
again, a new engine or better muffler
should be purchased to quiet down the airplane.
Another possibility is that it is just
too hard to fit a bigger better muffler
into the plane. Here the cost involved is
more effort and building time to figure
out a way to modify the fuselage to accept
a more effective muffler.
So whose responsibility is it to ensure
we continue to enjoy the privilege of flying
at the Montgomery County Model Airpark?
I am busy working on developing a new club
measurement standard that will help ensure we do not violate the counties noise
ordinance. Ultimately it is up to you to be
individually responsible for expending
whatever time and effort it takes to make
your planes as quiet as possible. Your commitment will be greatly appreciated by all.
~
DC/RC AIRSHOW
TEAM UPDATE
BY
DOUG HARPER
On Thursday, May 8, the DC/RC Show
Team had its spring planning meeting/
luncheon at the 94th Aero squadron Restaurant at the College Park Airport. They
have an ample buffet and we all consumed
lots of good food while we enjoyed the
ambiance of the oldest continuously operating airport in the United States.
It is a bit sad though now that
College Park is within the security ring
around Washington so there is very little
flying activity. In the old days, you could
have lunch and watch several planes take
off and land right out in front of the restaurant.
Charlie Calvert, Fred Nielsen, Paul
Howey, Bill Savage, Harry Grattan, Andy
Kane and I enjoyed getting back together
to discuss the coming show team year.
We already have plans to fly for the
Montgomery County Police on Norwood
Road on June 8, at Hayes Field sometime
later in the year, at McMap County Appreciation Day on June 22, at the Frederick
full-scale air show in August, at the DCRC
Bealeton Fly in, and the year is just getting started.
Paul Howey was unanimously elected
our team manager again this year. Paul
has done a wonderful job of organizing the
team, updating the AMA about our shows,
and scheduling the show dates. I will continue again this year writing articles for
the AMA Show gram, the official show
team newsletter.
After we had lunch and our meeting,
we adjourned to the College Park Airport
Museum next door. If you haven’t visited
this facility, I would highly recommend it.
It can be toured in less than an hour (or
Page 5
you can stay all day if you like), is affordable and is chock full of very interesting
airplane history and information. College
Park was at the center of early aviation in
the United States and played a very important role. We have loaned the Museum
a couple of Show Team craft – the Lawn
Mower and Snoopy – for the winter
months for the past few years.
We
stopped by to pick them up so they could
go back into service for the summer season.
In case you didn’t know, the show team
program is sponsored by AMA to spread
the word about our wonderful hobby.
AMA provides financial and organizational
support and each individual show team
does the rest. It is a labor of love but
very rewarding. There are probably 30 or
so show teams across the country and the
DCRC Show Team is one of the oldest.
Our show, while somewhat shorter
than in years past, still provides a lot of
entertainment value and holds the audience’s attention. We put a lot of emphasis
on fun acts such as the Flying Lawn Mower
and Snoopy and the Red Baron. Snoopy
always wins and gets the crowd’s cheers.
We usually have a guest flyer or two depending on our venue and who is available.
If you would like to know more about
the Show Team, just grab one of the people listed above or myself. We will gladly
give you any information you desire.~
Jorge Arcay,
My Moth
Page 6
District of Columbia Radio Control Club
THE GOOD STUFF
BY DON GRAY
(This month we have the following
write-up from Al Anderson on his “Need
for Speed”)
Having been a member of the
DCRC Club for over two years, and recently
becoming a certified pilot, I have accrued
several different types of trainers, all with
OS 40 engines. Most are Hobbico Superstars and Avistars. The reason I have several is because during my early training
flights I was told I would not make certification with one airplane – the understatement of the year!
As my training
progressed I became aware of a
situation that is
not generally discussed at the
field. The runway
and
adjacent
grass areas are
littered
with
stealth
bumps.
You cannot see
these bumps, but
as you come in for
a landing they
jump up and bite your airplane. I’ve also
noticed that they especially like to bit
trainers. As time went by I got to know
where most of them are, and avoided them
enough to get certified. I also know they
love to damage fuselages more than wings.
This leaves me with extra, slightlydamaged wings.
Having flown nothing but OS 40 LApowered trainers, you now know why I have
the “Need for Speed”. These trainer designs are reliable, relatively quite, and fuel
sippers; but, lack speed.
Having talked to several experienced pilots
I became aware that one way to increase a
model’s cruse speed was to increase the
wing loading by clipping the wings. Since I
had extra wings and a hacksaw, approximately 6 inches were removed from each
wing panel on a Superstar and Avistar wing.
The original Superstar wing tips were reused since they were not damaged. The
Avistar wing tips were replaced with 3/8inch thick shaped balsa since one of the
original wing tips was badly damaged. The
net result is the original 5-foot wings are
now 4 feet in span, a reduction of 20 per-
cent.
I have taken both of them to the field and
had experienced flyers, as well as myself,
make comparison flights. It was unanimous
that the speed increase was noticeable,
starting immediately on takeoff. Once in
the air it required a higher throttle setting to maintain level flight. With the
shorter wings, the roll rate was also significantly increased. In general if was felt
that the planes moved away from the basic
trainer and more to the sport aerobatic
type. The experienced pilots liked the
handling of the clipped wings a lot more.
No major complaints were noted. In fact,
the planes handled better in
a breezy situation since they
did not float
as much during
landing.
The
Avistar
was the first
model to fly
with the modified
wing.
Bert
Matos
made
the
maiden flight
with Don Gray
and myself making the next couple of
flights. I flew it once airborne and felt I
needed more practice before trying to
land.
On another outing the clipped-wing Superstar was flown on a breezy day. The wind
gusts were estimated to be approaching
15-20 mph and at times were crosswind to
the runway. Bert Matos again made the
first flight. He reported excellent handling even in the gusty winds. Follow-up
flights were made by Don Gray and myself
(this time taking off and landing), with Don
Sassaman finishing up the test flying.
Without a doubt, the general opinion was
that the clipped wing versions of both airplane designs provided much better handling, especially in windy conditions. And
the tendency to float on landing was
greatly reduced as well.
My thanks to the experienced pilots for
their help and comments. Pictured with me
are the clipped-wing Superstar and Avistar
along with the original full-span wings for
comparison. ~
June 2003
June
1 Freestate Frenzy Laurel, MD
7 DCRC Training Walt Good Field
7 Swan Harbor RC Skyfest, MD.
6-7
Warbirds Bomber Field, TX
13-15 JR Aero-tow Monticello, IL
14 DCRC Training Walt Good Field
14-15 IMAA Rally Elm City, NC
19-20 IMAA Rally of the Giants, Atwater, CA
20 DCRC Club Meeting, Mike Dooley
20-22 Ray Gordon IMAA Harrisonburg, VA
21 PGRC Q-500 Race
22 DCRC County Appreciation Day
25 DCRC Board Meeting, Mike Dooley
24-29 World Aerobatic Championships,
Lakeland, Florida
July
29-3 IMAC Nationals, Munice IN
5 DCRC Training Walt Good Field
11-13 PGRC CAPI IMAC Contest
18 DCRC Club Meeting, Walt Gallaugher
19 DCRC Training Walt Good Field
19-20 Mid Atlantic Warbirds,
Essex SkyPark, Maryland
19-20 IMAC Bumbs Flying Resort, OH
23 DCRC Board Meeting,
Walt Gallaugher
26 Electric Fly IN, Leesburg, VA
August
2 DCRC Training Walt Good Field
3 Freestate Frenzy Laurel, MD
2-3 IMAC NE Goshen, NY
15 DCRC Club Meeting, Andy Kane
16 DCRC Training Walt Good Field
16 PGRC Q-500 Race
20 DCRC Board Meeting, Andy Kane
22-24 Bealeton Fly In, Andy Kane
http://www.bealetonflyin.com
29-31 DOGS Fly IN, IMAA Dayton OH
September
6 DCRC Training Walt Good Field
13 Swan Harbor RC Giant Scale IMAA, MD
16-20 Don Lowe Masters, Greenville SC
19 DCRC Club Meeting, Fred Nielsen,
Nominations
20 DCRC Training Walt Good Field
20-21 PGRC Q-500 Race
24 DCRC Board Meeting, Fred Nielsen
October
4 DCRC Training Walt Good Field
4 PGRC Open House Fly In
11 PGRC Q-500 Race
17 DCRC Club Meeting, Jim McDaniel
Elections
18 DCRC Training Walt Good Field
22 DCRC Board Meeting, Jim McDaniel
New Board.
November
1 DCRC Training Walt Good Field
June 2003
District of Columbia Radio Control Club
Page 7
Top row l to r, Bob Sadler and Matt Chapman, Matt Chapman and Mike Stokes, Jerry Candito new 3w330 44%
Next row l to r, The three Andy’s, Kane, Finizio, Herold, The DCRC Crew
Next row l to r, Andy Kane’s PA-18, Fred Johnson’s AT-6 Miss Appropriations, Jason Shulman, “the Alien”
Bottom Row, l to r, Charlie in his hay day, selling Andy’s Junk, David Michel, new Composite ARF 3m330, and the sign of the day, by Rob Sarlan.
Andy Kane
305 Natick Court
SILVER SPRING MD 20905-5875
FIRST CLASS MAIL
Andy’s new YAK-55SP
TM
www.HobbyWorks.com
Federal Plaza
12274-G Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
301-468-6330
Mon thru Sat 10 am-9 pm,
Sun 12-5
Please ask a manager about our
Exclusive Club Pricing Plan for
DCRC Members.
Scott Davies working on his 1/4 scale Mecklenberg
Stearman