CRF Newsletter August 2016 - The Christchurch Radio Fliers Club

Tail feathers
Official newsletter of the Christchurch Radio Fliers Club
August, 2016
Jeremy McLean’s 1/5 scale Hawker Typhoon on approach at Burnham.
With the Lake Forsyth event
coming up later this month it
has been good to see a few
models being tried out at Burnham in readiness for the fly-in
- the 20th anniversary of our
annual fly-in by the way.
One such model is Jeremy
McLean’s Typhoon which you
can see above. Make sure
you try your models out and
give the float planes a dust off
before coming to Forsyth.
It was in 1996 that Mark Halliday, Russell Ramsden and
others thought it would be a
good idea to repay the hospitality of other club’s fly-ins by
mounting our own. This they
did down at Lake Crichton near
Dunsandel, but it was moved
to Forsyth and now look how it
has grown.
General meeting well attended at Ruamoko
A good turn out of 26 people attended the
club General Meeting at Ruamoko Solutions - Jeremy’s place of work in Blenheim
Road. We heard a fascinating talk from Roger
Atkinson about his new project, the Republic
Seabee, as well as some interesting tools,
glues and techniques.
Peter Hewson gave an illustrated talk about
the Southern Cross which he is building and
the places he has visited in Australia looking
for information on the aircraft.
Alex Hewson talked about his flying wing design for Lake Forsyth and some MFNZ matters. (Seabee below and S.Cross right.)
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New rollers bought for club runway
A quick thinking club president,
Craig Clapham, and Treasurer,
John Isitt, have pounced on a
deal for two second-hand rollers for the club.
The metal rollers were once
used for cricket pitches and
are filled with water which can
be emptied. Well, that was the
idea, but the bung is impossible to remove - even having
been partly welded. Some
work will be required to fix this
and to add a tow hitch to the
front to make it easier to tow.
If they can be made ready we
could use them at Forsyth too.
Keith Reid and John Goddard
had a go at using the rollers
last month behind Graeme
Holme’s car. It seemed to go
OK. The strip extensions will
certainly require a little rolling if
they are to be useful. The other
idea is also to have two pilots
boxes, one at either end to assist landing shorter and making
best use of the strip.
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Thrust lines and Dihedral.
What’s it all about?
For those newer people to our wonderful hobby,
I thought I would shed some light on what the
model plane designers call Thrust Lines and
Dihedral. All you super experienced ones can
turn the page.
Some of you will have noticed that the motor
mount or firewall in your model is on what appears to be a strange angle. Don’t worry, it’s not
because the person who assembled it at the
factory was intoxicated. Most model engines
that are mounted at the front of the aeroplane,
whether they are IC or electric, rotate in an
anti-clockwise direction when viewed from the
front, and clockwise when viewed from the rear,
looking forward. Because the motors have such
high torque, they tend to want to pull the model
to the left (When viewed from the rear) so to
rectify this you will notice that your engine points
slightly to the right and to the left when viewed
from the front. This is called ‘Side Thrust’, usually it is no more than a couple of degrees, but
enough to be noticeable.
Larger torquier motors may have even more
side thrust added, just to be on the safe side.
you may also notice that your motor is pointing
down towards the ground a little, this is called
‘Down Thrust’.
So.. why do we need ‘Down Thrust’? Basically
the model will tend to climb on its own when you
apply power, full sized planes also do this as it is
a natural tendency, due to the increased air flow
over the wing when forward speed is increased.
The two angles are combined to help your
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model fly straight and true, without the need
for constant control input. With practice, you
can become a better pilot by using your motor throttle to control your assent and descent
rather than your elevator input.
It is not my intention to get into the science
of ‘Thrust Lines’ in this short article, but I will
mention that wing location also plays a major
role. Models that are designed for competition
aerobatics tend to have the wing location as
close as possible to the centre of thrust. This
helps to maintain accuracy, and by this I mean
that the model goes precisely where the pilot
points it.
It can take quite bit of effort to set up a competition aerobatic model to ensure it performs
with high degree of accuracy, this is why this
type of model is not recommended for beginners. Which brings us to the next subject;
‘Dihedral’.
Again I will point out that this explanation is
very basic and we won’t be getting too technical, as the intention is not to put the reader to
sleep.
It is a strange sounding word, dihedral, but
for the ‘Free Flight’ discipline enthusiast, it is
a most essential thing to have built into your
model and also for the beginner RC pilot. The
Dihedral effect is a critical factor in the stability of an aircraft about the roll axis. It is also
important to the nature of an aircraft’s manoeuvrability about the roll axis. Dihedral effect
is defined simply to be the rolling moment
caused by sideslip.
As a learner RC pilot, dihedral is your best
friend as it will self-correct your model about the
roll axis, as soon as you take your fingers off
the sticks, providing you have enough dihedral
built into the model. This is why scale Piper Cub
aircraft are not really a good RC learners aeroplane, as they have very little dihedral, if any at
all.
However, the semi scale version which as at
least 65mm of dihedral is a much better proposition. But, there is a lot more to this very useful
dihedral thing.
How is Dihedral measured?
The amount of dihedral also has a major effect on the Rudder and Aileron authority of your
aeroplane. The amount of dihedral shown in the
diagram would almost be sufficient to steer the
aeroplane on its ‘Yaw’ axis using Rudder and
Elevator input only. The more dihedral that you
have, the less sensitive the Ailerons become.
Sometimes when ailerons are used on modes
with a large amount of dihedral, the ailerons do
not work at all, and the pilot must depend on the
Rudder for steering.
However, combine the two inputs i.e. Rudder
and Aileron together and things become very
smooth and more controllable. This applies
to planes with or without dihedral. For many
years Trainer Specific model planes had
plenty of dihedral and were Rudder, Elevator,
Throttle. To get the student used to turning
the aeroplane, the rudder was plugged into
the Aileron port of the radio receiver. This
meant that when the student wanted to upskill
to a model with Ailerons, the transition was
much smoother.
In my experience, most models with small
amounts of dihedral are much easier to fly,
simply because they are more stable. But
arguably, very little if any dihedral is desirable
on an aerobatic specific aeroplane, though
there are exceptions as a tapered wing may
look flat and not show much dihedral but the
underside taper from the root of the wing to
the tip incorporates a small amount of built
in dihedral, offering better stability, whilst the
wing chord taper affords more speed.
Some designs go for ‘Anhedral’, simply put,
this is the exact opposite of Dihedral. You
may have noticed some fighter jets have
Anhedral on wing and horizontal stabilizer.
(Droopy wings)
Full size aircraft wings have become super
complicated over the years, but most would
agree that this means major advances in
safety and controllability, especially on commercial jet airliners, which the observant folk
will note have quite a lot of dihedral and angled rearward vertical stabilisers. This combination gives more rudder authority.
On my last trans-global flight in a B777, I noticed that the flight computer uses ‘Spoilers’
to correct minor variance’s in roll axis while
the plane is in level flight, while the Ailerons remained quite still and merely twitched
every now and then. (I wonder if the pilots get
bored)
Perhaps next time we can talk about these
wonderful things called ‘Spoilers’, essential
gear for RC glider Pilots.
Happy landings.
David Bately.
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I stayed home and din’t miss
much, apparently.
Burnham
Observer
Sunday 10th July
Cold start to the day, but did
not put off a good crowd of
keen fliers to the field.
By the time I got there the billie
had been boiled and just had
to add the milk.
Main participants on the flight
line were Jeremy, John, Roger
and Corrie. Corrie found time
to give us a visit while on
varsity holidays. Graeme had
been away overseas but was
back and anxious to get back
into some flying. Jeremy had
his largeTyphoon, petrol powered with those slow working
retracts flying to perfection.
Roger was complete with a
new Canadair, complete with
electric motors and looking
superb for the Forsyth Fly In
weekend. Also flown was a
Sunday 31st July
smaller version of the Partenavia. Chris continues to have
fun with his CAP.
Sunday 17th July
Another morning which was
ok, the threatening rain held off
and a few brave soles
Ventured out. Conditions were
good and flying was fun with
the sun hidden behind cloud.
Craig paid a brief visit but work
was calling him. With the billie
boiled it was time for a cleanup of some of the cups as they
were looking a little grotty.
There were no major events or
mishaps as a little bit of light
rain tried to finish the morning.
Sunday 24th July
Bad weather reports with
Canterbury fine but windy so
John Goddard’s Kyosho Stearman at Burnham
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Another winter month draws
to a close, a cold start and a
moderate attendance
out at the field. The numbers
increased as the morning went
on and the sun came out. A
promised southerly swung
around but it was very light.
That fresh dump of snow in the
back ground looked impressive
with a sprinkling up on the port
hills.
The club roller was getting the
once over by the club committee. The bung removed
It was leaking dirty water.
Some maintenance required
prior to taking it to Lake Forsyth. The flight line was kept
busy. Mike had his electric
Northstar out for a run
But managed to drop it in down
the end of the run way. He
fared better with his Elder 40,
with some motor fine tuning
under the watchful assistance
of Geoff.
Matt, for ever busy flying kept
everyone honest with the good
old fashion screaming two
stroke sound. Geoff trotted out
his Hots II, needing no introduction it flew
perfectly as a Hots does.
Graeme, Keith, Owen and Alex
along with Joseph kept the
bystanders entertained. New
prospective members were
also out checking us out
As the club membership numbers claws back up post the
AGM. Chris, took time to do
some filming with his quad
copter and has made the footage available on the club
Web page.
People and planes seen at the field
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Committee Corner
MINUTES of the Christchurch Radio Fliers
Club Inc.
Committee Meeting, 25 July, 2016
7:30pm, Nigel’s place
Present: Craig Clapham, John Isitt, Peter Hew- velopments with the re-vamped website. These
son, Roger Atkinson, Dave Bately,
included wordpress CMS, passwords for commit
Keith Reid, Nigel Phillips, Chris Hellyar tee members to enter material to the site, contact
details will include the President, Treasurer and
1. Apologies: Jeremy McLean
Secretary’s details, photo and video links, Forsyth
details, Facebook page, Committee names, RPAS
2. Health: NIL, except for lots of colds and flu. and Airshare info. For drones.
3. Minutes of the previous meeting were
emailed and read. Approved (JOHN/ROGER)
4. Matters Arising: NIL
5. Correspondence
a. John sent an email to Des Richards
(MFNZ) giving our bank account in order to
receive the money they have granted us for the
Lake Forsyth event.
b. Peter received an email from Ben
van Bussel from engineers, Davis Ogilvie &
Partners, requesting help with reading aviation
maps and drone operations, to which Peter
replied suggesting the Aero Club.
c. Email request from “Steve” wanting to
know how to join the club. Peter replied giving
details and inviting him to join us on a Sunday
morning.
d. Chris Hellyar replied to suggestion
from Peter re. new website
e. Notification from Jonathan Shorer,
MFNZ, granting the club $1,500 towards the
purchase of items for Lake Forsyth. Peter replied thanking MFNZ.
10. Safety & Noise. One issue about a member
which was adressed “In-Committee” and a letter
written by the President to the member.
11. New members. One or two possibilities, but
yet to confirm.
12. Forsyth sub-committee. Roger reported that
all is going well on the Forsyth organisation and
that he will mow on 14 July. We will buy fencing,
EZYup sides and signs with the MFNZ money.
13. General Business:
a. Quad racing is being organised for Friday
morning by a group of fliers, including Alex Hewson, on the same basis as last year.
b. It was decided that Chris Hellyar should be
added to the club list of wings inspectors
c. The club General Meeting on 1st August was
discussed with Roger, Peter & Alex giving presentations.
d. Two second hand rollers have been purchased
for the club by John and Craig. One is a hand
and the other a water-filled roller for the club strip.
Some work is required to get them to operational
6. John presented the month’s accounts and
status.
bills for payment. Approved (DAVE/CRAIG)
e. Roger suggested that in order for club fliers to
make best use of the runway and land close to
7. Club Captain’s report. Keith reported that it themselves, we should have a flight box at each
had been windy and little flying had taken place, end of the strip to accommodate different wind
but that the strip had been rolled.
directions. This will require buying three more
gates.
8. Newsletter. Peter reported that he was grate- f. The memorial plaque for the caravan should be
ful for those who had supplied material.
ready soon, reported Chris.
9. Webmaster. Chris Hellyar reported on deMeeting ended 9:18pm
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A great shot of Roger Atkinson’s Stearman with the snow-clad mountains providing a strong backdrop on a cold clear winter’s day at Burnham.
Check out the club’s new look web page that Chris Hellyar has been
working on at
http://www.radiofliers.org.nz
and Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/christchurchradiofliers/
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Prez sez
Gidday all,
I’m writing this the day after
our general meeting which was
well attended by club members
with some great speakers covering their areas of expertise.
Roger gave us a good but not
too stern talking to on building from plans, Peter a very
detailed discussion on Charles
Kingsford-Smith/the Southern
Cross, and Alex had some cool
combat wings which probably
will look a lot less presentable
after the weekend at Forsyth!
Personally I found the most
interesting bit was that 2 of
our club members (who shall
remain nameless) were at Wigram in 1928 to see the Southern Cross flying. By my rough
calculations that must make
them at least 105 years old so
they are hiding their age well.
Imagine the fees they would
have saved if they were life
members!
Does anybody have Jim Hickeys email address? We’re
about a fortnight from Forsyth
and I’ve been unable to get
hold of him to order some
decent weather for the big
weekend, given that I promised
good weather at the AGM it’s
about time I got that sorted.
I suppose if it’s no good everyone will put it down to the
president making election
promises and not following
through. I can’t imagine Donald
Trump doing that...
I’ve been absent from Burnham for a couple of weeks but
I’ve noticed a continuing pattern when I’ve been out there
of folks guiding/carrying their
models when in the pits which
is exactly what we harp on
about when we ask you not to
taxi in the pits. You know who
you are, well done and thanks.
Lastly, with Forsyth and the
previously discussed good
weather coming, I’d like to ask
you (yes YOU) for your help in
running the event. There are a
bunch of jobs that need doing
over the weekend, some big,
some not so big and even if
you can come out and drive a
BBQ for an hour to give the ladies a break, or stick on a fluro
vest and supervise a flight line,
or come out on Friday to help
set up etc etc every bit is helpful. Even betterer if someone
wants to man the donations
box by the toilets and persuade
the visiting public to stick some
money in the tin before they
use them the committee would
be most grateful!
The Clapham Clan
Committee, 2016 /17
President:
Vice Pres.
Secretary:
Treasurer:
CRAIG CLAPHAM
JEREMY McLEAN
PETER HEWSON
JOHN ISITT
Club Captain: KEITH REID
Committee: NIGEL PHILLIPS, CHRIS
HELLYAR, ROGER ATKINSON, DAVE
BATELY
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