Kansas City Radio Control Association AMA Charter No. 390 CONTACTS. The Official Newsletter of KCRC

Transcription

1 Kansas City Radio Control Association AMA Charter No. 390 CONTACTS August 2015 Volume LXI, Issue VIII The Official Newsletter of KCRC The President s Corner Summer has definitely arrived in Kansas City and that means our outdoor events are in full swing. If you did not attend the 3-D Poker Run, you missed some good flying. There were 13 registered pilots and the weather was pretty good. There was a strong crosswind early in the morning, but that turned into a good steady breeze from the south. If you missed this one make sure to catch next year s 3-D Fly In. August 15 th is National Model Aviation Day, a fund-raising event for the Wounded Warrior Project. RC Clubs across the country will be coming together and hold fun fly s to raise money. This years local National Model Aviation Day will be held at Charles Reed III Flying Field. As we did last year we will be working with the Mid-America 49 th Jumbo Squadron, RC Sport Flyers, KC Helicopters, and Eagle Association Helicopter clubs that make up the RC Association of Jackson County. I am asking all KCRC members to please come out and make a donation and fly your airplanes. If you want to donate and can t make it to the event you can send you donation to myself, Susan Calvin or Tom Safley and it will be added to the donations received at the event. Our 19 th annual Warbird Fun Fly will be the second Saturday of September this year. I m sure this year the Warbird Fun Fly will a good one, so get those Warbirds ready to fly. There will be a spot-landing contest, so practice, those spot landings. IN THIS ISSUE President s Corner Page 1 3 D Poker Run Page 2 Warbird Poster/Craig s Article Con t Page 3 Minutes of July Club Meeting Page 4 The Best Fighter of WW II Page 5 Duane Hulen s NATS Win Page 6 Seen at the Field Page 7 Don t miss the August Club Meeting Wednesday the 19 th at the Fly Field Lighted Gliders after the meeting! Craig s article is continued on Page 3 CD Barb and Hubby Richard The Food Service Guys Ryken Making Money

2 CONTACTS PAGE 2 Thank you, Barbara Carey, CD I would like to thank all the pilots that showed up for the event. A big thank you to all the help. I know it was hot and humid but, everyone had a great time. Joe Sheilds wasn t so lucky, dead stick into the trees. Mike Ryken laid one down in the tall grass but, flew it many more times. The pilot with the most flight s was Mike Ryken 15 total. Wow!! And the Winners are I would like to thank Don s Hobby Shop for the pilot prizes. Very Cool and Thank You. Thank you Marvin and crew for cooking up a great lunch for us. Spectators showed up during the day and where very impressed. Pilot Mike Ryken Scott Kidder Place 1st 2nd Award $200 $75 Richard Carey 3rd $50 Thanks to Barbara Carey for these great photos!

3 CONTACTS PAGE 3 Craig s Corner Continued from Page 1 Also its that time of year to start thinking, How can I be more involved helping the club? Yes, I m speaking about the upcoming officer elections. At the August meeting we will start accepting nominations for all officers. If you want to be more involved or just learn more about how the club is run, this is your opportunity. Another opportunity to help the club is in the concession area. Marvin has been doing a great job at concessions for several years and I m sure he would appreciate a break from this task. Hope to see all of you at the NMAD fun raiser on August 15 th and at the Club meeting on August 19 th. Craig White, President OFFICER NOMINATIONS According to the KCRC Bylaws officers for the next year are to be nominated at the August Club Meeting. Who do you want to serve as your 2016 Officers? (Officers to be nominated are President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary) Come to the August Meeting and place your nominee(s). It is always a good idea to talk to your choice(s) before the meeting. KCRC s Annual Come Fly with Us On September 12, 2015 Registration at 8:00 A.M. Flying Starts at 9:00 A.M. Aircraft displayed on Runway During Lunch Charles Reed RC Field at Fleming Park You Could Win one of these Models in the Raffle Raffle Tickets: $1 Each, 6 for $5 Sanctioned Event Card Required 50 Inch Wingspan 26 Inch Wingspan Landing Fee $20, Includes Catered Dinner at Day s End ($7.50 for additional dinners) More scenes from the 3-D Poker Run Concessions Available from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M. Trophies for People s Choice, Most War Torn, Biggest Warbird and Smallest Warbird Awards for Spot Landing, Formation Flight, & Scale Judging POC: Susan Calvin Scalvin47@earthlink.net

4 CONTACTS PAGE 4 MINUTES OF THE JULY CLUB MEETING The July 15 th KCRC club meeting, held at the Charlie Reed Memorial Field, was preceded by the usual hotdog/polish sausage dinner provided by Marvin Lackamp and John Sincox. Officers present were President Craig White, Treasure Tom Safely and Secretary John Midgorden. There were twentythree members present and five guests. OFFICER REPORTS President Craig welcomed the guests and they introduced themselves and shared their interests in RC flying. One guest, Keith Bramblett, indicated he will be joining the club. Secretary John Midgorden shared the current membership total stands at 62. He also announced that five member s had been returned as undeliverable. The s returned were from the server kc.rr.com. Vice-President Duane Hulen was in Muncie, IN competing in Quickie Racing at the NATS. Treasurer Tom Safely indicated the Club s financial condition is solvent. He also received a nice letter from the Salvation Army for the Club s donation in honor of Jim McDonalds memory. Tom also shared that he had provided flowers for Wayne Nyberg s funeral. The AMA will be increasing its dues for 2016 and there is an opportunity until September to renew AMA memberships at the old rate for two years. Parks Jim Cianciolo had nothing to report. OLD BUSINESS Craig reported that all event and food permits fees have been paid. The food permit costs were reduced since KCRC is a non-profit organization. Susan Calvin reported that the Warbird sanction had been lost in the mail but that she is taking care of the problem. (She received an after the meeting indicating the sanction had been approved) NEW BUSINESS Jimmy Cianciolo explained that the control line guys had requested a sanction directly from the AMA for an event the same weekend as the KCRC Warbird event in September. He indicated that he has been in contact with the AMA and the control line folks and the conflict will be worked out. Susan has prepared letters to seek corporate donors to the Wounded Warrior Project, the main thrust of the National Model Aviation Day. Anyone who has a corporate contact is encouraged to get the materials from Susan and submit the letter to their contact. Ed Baucom wondered if the Park could be asked to erect a sign on the Woods Chapel corner directing people to the RC field. It was pointed out that their is a sign indicating RC Field on the sign just before Rennau Dr. turn off. Jesse Casteel and John Midgorden flew their lighted gliders after the meeting, along with a few others who flew electric powered airplanes. Respectively submitted, John Midgorden, Secretary INTERESTING WEBSITES Check out this Big Electric How about this model Mustang pilot with eyes to see

5 CONTACTS PAGE 5 The Best Fighter (Bomber) of World War II!? Every since the World War II an argument has raged as to which was the greatest fighter of the War. From the teenagers of the era to the scholars of today, advocates of the P-51s, P-38s and Spitfires have argued their case and the disagreements and arguments go on. As some of you know I worked thirteen years for the Chance Vought Aircraft Corporation in Dallas, TX. I worked there two summers before graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering in The first summer I worked for Vought the company was completing its contract with the French for the last production Corsairs (F4U-7 s) in This made the Corsair the WW II fighter with the longest production run. In this article I will present the facts to argue that the Corsair, specifically the F4U-4, was the best fighter of WW II. Speed Comparisons: The F4U-4 had a top speed of 446 mph at 26,000 feet. This was 10 mph faster than a P-51D at the Mustang s best altitude for speed. Rate of Climb: The F4U-4 had a climb rate of 4,170 fpm, which was 20% better than a Mustang. Load Carrying: There is no argument that the Corsair was the greatest load carrying fighter of the era. Charles Lindberg demonstrated, while helping the Marines and New Zealand air force pilots in the South Pacific adapt to the Corsair, that a Corsair could takeoff with 4,000 pounds of external stores. The B-17 Flying Fortress could only carry 4,500 pounds of bombs on missions over 800 miles. The P-47 normally carried 2,000 pounds of bombs.. Because of its versatility as a fighter and a bomber one Navy Admiral declared the Corsair as the best single engine fighter of the Pacific War. We now get to the more subjective aspects of the -4's performance. Rating a fighter's flight characteristics is never without pitfalls. What one pilot feels is too stiff, another might describe as firm or secure. As a result, opinions may vary. However, empirical data is certainly the most valuable in determining a fighter's overall performance. The tangible things such as cockpit layout and visibility are also important, as are the intangible things such as confidence in the airframe to get the pilot home. Ease of Flight: The Corsair was much less a handful than the P-51 when flown into an accelerated stall. Torque roll was no worse than most of the other big fighters of the era. The F4U rolled very well, especially in conjunction with power plant torque. Only the P-47D rolled faster and then only by 6 degrees/second. Acceleration: In level flight the Corsair gained speed at 2.4 mph/sec while the P-51D accelerated at 2.2 mph/ second. The real drag racer of WW II fighters was the P-38 that gained speed at 2.8 mph/second. All this acceleration data was compiled at 10 15,000 ft at military power settings. In turning to dive acceleration the Corsair and P-51D were even. The P-47D and P-38L could easily out distance both the Corsair and the Mustang in dives. Turn Rates: The Japanese fighter designs were much lighter and more maneuverable at low speeds around 150 mph. Allied pilots in the Pacific Theater learned not to tangle with the AM6 Zero or the Ki-43 Oscar at low speeds. In Europe things were different. The Germans flew fast, heavily armed fighters that were not suitable for low speed turning flights. The Spitfire was very adapt at turning tight. American fighters like the P-47, P-38 and P-47 were very much a match for the German ME-109s and FW-190s. However there was nothing in the European part of the war that could hang with the F4U-4. Time to summarize Now let the arguments begin! by John Midgorden Category Corsair F4U-4 Mustang P-51D Speed 446 mph 436 mph Climb 4,170 ft/min 3,370 ft/min Maneuverability Armament Survivability Range Best for balance of maneuverability and responsiveness 6.50 Caliber guns more than adequate, but bomb load carrying unmatched More survivable than the P-47D (according to AAF ) About same as P-47D A bullet in the cooling system brings a Mustang down With external tanks unmatched

6 CONTACTS PAGE KCRC EVENTS SCHEDULE (Remaining) Warbird Fun Fly September 12 Club Meetings 3 rd Wednesday of Each Month (Club Meetings at the Field from May through September) Flight Training Opportunities Every Tuesday Evening (Starting on May 5 th Training Evenings will end on August 25 th ) Your 2015 Officers Craig White, President kcrcpilot@gmail.com Duane Hulen, Vice-Pres drhulen@sbcglobal.net Tom Safley, Treasurer (816) tomsharsafley@sbcglobal.net Last month we featured Duane Hulen s racing success in Arizona. This month we are pleased to report that Duane took 4th place (in a field of 40 pilots) in Quickie Racing at the NATS in Muncie, IN. Great Job Duane!! John Midgorden, Secretary (816) jomidgorden@me.com Your Board Members Susan Calvin (816) Scalvin47@earthlink.net Gary Fisher (816) garyfisher@earthlink.net Fleming Park Liaison & AMA District VI Representative Jim Cianciolo kcrcpilot@comcast.net Newsletter editor John Midgorden (816) jomidgorden@me.com 2015 Membership stands at 62

7 CONTACTS PAGE 7 Seen at the Field Dan Olsen and Grandfather s autogyro design Dan Olsen Pre-flighting his autogyro Young People Learn Fast Barb Carey About to Get a Lesson Ron Dubinsky and his Electric Beaver Stan Harrington and his Big Extra Midgorden Launching Lighted Radian Midgorden s Kadet at Lift Off No Stool Pigeon!

8 CONTACTS PAGE 8 Club Meeting Food! CLUB MEETING August 19 th 7:00 P.M. Club Meeting at the Flying Field Come early for Hot Dogs/Polish Sausages at 6:30 P.M. Scott Kidder, Richard Carey and Mike Ryken Top Winners at the 3-D Poker Run LIGHTED GLIDER FLYING After the Club Meeting the Lighted Gliders will take to the air. CONTACTS KCRC E. 29th Street S Independence, MO August 2015 Volume LXI, Issue VIII MAIL TO: