The Temple Aero Modeler The Official Newsletter of the Temple Aero Modelers Radio Controlled Aircraft Club. October 2004

Transcription

1 The Temple Aero Modeler The Official Newsletter of the Temple Aero Modelers Radio Controlled Aircraft Club. October 2004 This month's meeting will be held Monday, October 25 th at 7:30pm at the Ronald McDonald House Meeting Room in Temple. R/C in Temple Since 1973

2 Last Beginners Night Oct 27 th CLUB INFO Toys for Tots Fly-In Dec 5 th Christmas Banquet/Officer Elections - Dec 13 th President: 2004 Officers Vice Pres/Sec. Treasurer: Safety Officer: Field Marshals: Jeff Pitts Ken Schulz Buster Hinkle Frank Sodek, Sr John Redwine John Rovetto Instructors Frank Sodek, Jr Mark Cullison Steve Meyer Paul Horan B.W. Ponder On The Cover Oct 27 Dec 5 Dec 13 Temple Event Schedule Last Beginners Night Ronald McDonald/ Toys for Tots Fly-In 10am Christmas Banquet/ Officer Elections District VIII Events (This is not a complete list) Nov 6 Jetero s 2 nd Annual Night Fly, Huffman, TX Nov 6 2 nd Annual Veteran s Day Fun-Fly, Orange, TX Nov 13 Toys for Tots Fly-in, Houston, TX Nov Jetero Joust (combat), Huffman, TX Nov nd Annual SE Texas Big Bird, Nederland, TX Several club members have caught the electric bug! These Ultimate biplanes were constructed from blue fan-fold foam purchased from Lowes. The parts were cut out using plans downloaded from the Internet. Using the recommended motor/prop/battery combination, performance is outstanding to say the least! Ten-minute flight times are not uncommon. Hover at 1/3 throttle, 3D maneuvers, etc. From left to right, B.W. Ponder, Mark Cullison, Don Mondrik Photo by David Dussetschleger Mark Cullison Co-Editor Frank Sodek, Jr. Co-Editor On the web at:

3 Issue No. 117 Wednesday, October 20, 2004 The Temple Aero Modeler 3 President s Report by Jeff Pitts Temple Aero Modelers, Last month, I submitted a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers, requesting permission for our tree clearing project. Here s a copy of the letter, along with the photo we submitted. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 70 Oakmont Circle Belton, TX September 27, 2004 Mr. Dan Thomasson Lake Manager Army Corps of Engineers 3740 FM 1670 Belton, TX Dear Mr. Thomasson, For the past 25 years, the Temple Aero Modelers model airplane flying club has maintained, in excellent condition and with a perfect safety record, the Army Corps of Engineers property which we use as a model airplane flying field in McGregor Park in Moffat. It is located on the west and south sides of property owned by Mr. Walter Brown, whose mailing address is 2614 South IH-35, Belton, TX Since we first began using the property in 1979, the vegetation surrounding the field has grown extensively. For a number of years now, our members have continually had problems with their planes crashing into trees and tall shrubs that are bordering the field. Members then have to climb trees and venture into the thick shrubs to remove the remains of their planes. We are requesting permission to embark on an Air Field Tree Clearing Project to remove trees and shrubs from the area surrounding the landing strip. We propose to undertake this project for the safety of our members, and to reduce the number of crashes we have been experiencing. Here are further details of our proposal: We propose this as a three-year project, beginning in the first quarter of 2005, with completion by first quarter, All labor and equipment will be provided by, or hired under the direct supervision of, the Temple Aero Modelers club and members. Native grasses, similar to the existing species, will be planted in any areas in which vegetation has been removed. Extreme care will be taken to preserve the aesthetics of the landscape. No burning will be done on the property. The Army Corps of Engineers will bear no liability for injuries to Temple Aero Modeler members or hired contractors for this project. As President of Temple Aero Modelers, I will serve as the primary liaison with the Corps for this project. The current elected officers of the Temple Aero Modelers will be responsible for the successful implementation of this plan. For 2004, they are: Jeff Pitts, President Ken Schulz, Vice President/Secretary Buster Hinkle, Treasurer Frank Sodek, Sr., Safety Officer John Rovetto, Field Marshal John Redwine, Field Marshal We will continue to maintain the newly enhanced property with the same high level of care we have provided over the past 25 years. Enclosed is a photo of our Air Field. Circled in white are the trees we are proposing to clear. Also enclosed is an Application for Permit. I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss any thoughts or concerns you have about this plan,

4 Issue No. 117 Wednesday, October 20, 2004 The Temple Aero Modeler 4 or to provide any further information you may need. Please feel free to contact me at or Thank you very much for your consideration of this proposal. Sincerely, Jeff Pitts President Temple Aero Modelers Enclosures <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I received a reply. Here s a copy of the letter from Daniel Thomasson, Lake Manager. He informs us that all the trees removed would have to be replaced at another location at a 5:1 ratio. 5 October 2004 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY FORT WORTH DISTRICT, CORPS OF ENGINEERS Belton & Stillhouse Hollow Lake Office 3740 FM 1670, Belton, TX Mr. Jeff Pitts, President Temple Aero Modelers 70 Oakmont Circle Belton, TX Mr. Pitts, Reference your letter dated 27 September 2004 concerning permission to perform clearing of brush and trees around your model airplane flying field in McGregor Park. Please understand that such clearing activities on federal property are governed by various environmental guidelines and policies including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Clean Water Act. Without going into a lot of detail and technical jargon the bottom line requirement is that there can be no net loss of natural resources as a result of such clearing operations. If a clearing operation is approved, the removed trees must be replaced by providing trees of like kind and size (determined by total trunk diameter) in another area. If the trees to be removed are in a park area they must be replaced at a 5:1 ratio. To illustrate, if a 10" Live Oak tree were removed it would have to be replaced with 25 2" trees. In addition, the new trees have to be maintained for three years with an 80% survival ratio. As you can see, the proposed clearing operation will result in a substantial mitigation project. If you feel that such a project is within the resources of your club the next step would be to determine the exact scope of the project concerning type and number of trees and brush to be removed. If you desire to pursue this project please provide a list of all vegetation by type and number that is two inches and greater diameter at breast height. At that point we will be able to determine an appropriate site(s) for planting the replacement trees and give you additional details on required irrigation systems, vegetative re-establishment of disturbed areas, etc. Considering the scope of the required mitigation project that would be associated with your request I would recommend as an alternative that you consider extending the runway to the south. This area is much less wooded thus requiring less mitigation and would allow takeoffs and landings more removed from the offending trees. Please allow me this opportunity to commend you and your club for the conscientious, responsible way you have conducted your activities in the past. I look forward to working with you and your club in an effort to resolve your concerns in this matter. For technical questions on the mitigation process please contact Mr. Robert Adams, Conservation Specialist, at Sincerely, Daniel E. Thomasson Lake Manager <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> To put Mr. Thomasson s response in perspective, the cost of replacing just one 10 -diameter live oak tree would be in the neighborhood of $2,000.

5 Issue No. 117 Wednesday, October 20, 2004 The Temple Aero Modeler 5 We can discuss this further at our November meeting, but it looks like any major clearing would be cost-prohibitive. See you at the field, Jeff Pitts jeffpittscarpet@earthlink.net ************************************************ Treasurer s Report Beginning Balance $5, Credits Total Deposits: Debits Ronald McDonald rent Frank Sodek, Sr. (Telegram PIE) Lowes (Amdro ant killer) Mark Cullison (sausage) Total Debits: (206.94) Balance September 2004 $5, Submitted by Buster Hinkle Club Treasurer ************************************************ Meeting Minutes Jeff Pitts called the meeting to order at 7:32pm on September 27, The meeting was held at the Ronald McDonald House in Temple. Ken Schulz summarized the Minutes from the August meeting. The minutes were accepted by John Redwine and seconded by Don Mondrik. Buster Hinkle presented the Treasurer's report. The Treasurer's report was accepted by B. W. Ponder and seconded by Frank Sodek, Sr. Old Business Mr. Brown Property Deer season (bow season) starts the first weekend in October. Please remember to wear a safety vest when crossing the fence. Field Maintenance Frank Sodek Sr. mowed before the picnic. The ants have been treated. Tree Trimming A letter of intention has been sent to the Army Corps. of Engineers. This letter outlines a 3 year project to trim and remove some trees. We are awaiting approval. Beginners Night Turnout has been very good on beginners night. As of September 22 nd there have been 316 training flights. Combat Mark Cullison gave a report on the final combat session. They started with 5 planes and ended with 2. Out-House Steve Sanders has added the Rid-X to the tank. Fall Picnic There was a lot of good food and flying. Safety AMA s district 8 had no reported accidents in the months of July and August. AMA Grand Event 2005 There is nothing new to report. Partners in Education The Partners in Education will be running an ad in the October 5, 2004 Temple Daily Telegram thanking the sponsors. TAM is sponsoring Linda Zikes elementary school class. New Business New Sign After some discussion we agreed to replace the sign on the south end of the pavilion with a spectators welcome sign. Don Mondrik made a motion to have a sign made for spectator parking. The motion was seconded by Steve Sanders. Spectators will be asked to park in the grass west of the pavilion. This will allow people more room to unload the planes. The motion passed. Jeff Pitts will have Stacey Peacock make the new signs. Indoor Flying Site There was a discussion started about having the club sponsor/support an indoor flying site. Several members are researching several different options. Fun Fly The fall fun fly is scheduled for October 3. Buster will pick the events and reveal them the day of the contest. Poker Fly This event is scheduled for October 17. There will be a $5 landing fee. Each flight gets a card. The best 5 card poker hand wins. The money collected is paid out as follows 1 st 50% 2 nd 30% and 3 rd 20%. Christmas Party Frank Sodek, Jr. has reserved the room at the Temple Public Library for December 13 from 6 to 9pm. Model Aviation Subscriptions

6 Issue No. 117 Wednesday, October 20, 2004 The Temple Aero Modeler 6 The subscriptions of Model Aviation for Belton High School, Temple High School, and the Temple Public Library are due. Buster Hinkle made a motion to continue these subscriptions. The cost is $12 per year per school and $16 per year of the public library. The motion was seconded by Don Mondrik. The motion passed. Blunder Awards 1. Jay s wing left his plane on takeoff. The holding pin was not properly secured. Jay is your winner. The meeting was adjourned at 8:34pm. Submitted by Ken Schulz Vice-President/Secretary ************************************************ Once again, The Temple Aero Modelers are proud to sponsor this fine educational program. ************************************************ ATTENTION: JR Radio Users We are attempting to locate a couple of our JR buddy boxes that have been loaned out to beginners. If you have one in your possession, please call Mark Cullison at Thanks! Fall Fun Fly Sunday was a clear day with very little wind. Bobby Zikes, B.W., Frank Jr., Steve Meyer, John Hill, Jeff Pitts, Doug Stains, and Max Blose signed up. We had two rounds of three events. First event was Las Vegas Loops. When the timer starts, roll a seven or eleven with the dice. The pilots are to takeoff and do three loops. The timer stops at touchdown. Bobby had the worst luck! It took him 40 seconds to roll the required dice in the first round, about 20 seconds in the second round. Jeff and Doug hit on their first throw. Steve turned the fastest time of 35 seconds. Frank and B.W. turned 36 seconds. Steve won this event with 3230 points. B.W. had 3200, and Frank finished third with Second event was the Two Minute Timed Flight Circle Finish. Time starts when engine starts, time stops when plane stops rolling in circle with a dead engine. A loop, roll and a stall were required. If you dead-sticked, you had to push, pull, or drag your airplane into the circle. Jeff had to do this from the north end, not easy with a tri-gear. It was very entertaining. Doug blew away the competition with a 12 second over flight, then a one second over flight. He scored 3675 points, the highest of any event. John was 56 seconds over the first round. He flew, landed, and started taxing circles not realizing he was way over two minutes. John's second round he did the same thing, but performed only two circles, killed the engine, and slowly pushed his plane into the circle scoring a perfect two minutes. Frank was second place with a 19 and 13 seconds off, scoring Steve won third with 27 and 7 seconds off, scoring B.W. was fourth with a 19 under and 19 over. The first 3 pilots were 19 seconds off on the first round. Other than Doug everybody had a bad round, so I offered to do another round and throw out the worst one. We voted 5 to 3 not to have another round. The last event was Las Vegas Balloon Bust. Roll one die then do the number of loops that appeared on the die and bust the balloon. Time starts at liftoff and stops when balloon busts. Some pilots wanted to roll two dice so we voted 5 to 3 to use two dice. B.W. was the first to suggest two dice and he rolled a 12 and had to do 12 loops and he busted the balloon on a hot landing turning 52 sec. Almost ever one else had to do some taxi work to get the balloon. Max had the most trouble on the first round. He kept circling the balloon with his wing tip against it. Steve turned the fastest time of 25 sec. doing 6 loops. Doug had to do the least amount of loops rolling a 5 and snake eyes. B.W. had the most with 12 and 8. Steve won this event rolling 11 and 6, scoring 3220 points. B.W. was second

7 Issue No. 117 Wednesday, October 20, 2004 The Temple Aero Modeler 7 with Frank ended up at third rolling 7 and 9, scoring Steve won the contest with 9610, Frank second 9210, B.W. third 9180, Bobby 8535, Doug 8495, Max 7740, John 7620, Jeff Steve's loops would start out vertical and end up horizontal every time. The horizontal ones did not count. Frank needed some of Steve's excess horsepower. We all had a lot of fun with a lot of laughs. Thanks to Roger Miller for running the scoreboard. Buster Hinkle Contest Director ************************************************ Watchdog Report Investigator of Clandestine Activity: Beyond the X-1 The rumor mill was grinding away about an event to take place at an undisclosed location. After a little digging and armtwisting, I was able to discern the location the infamous Area 52.5! Hmm I needed more info. So I delved into the underground grapevine, popped a few kneecaps and greased a few palms to learn that the notorious SquirrilWerks organization was at it again! I headed out to the coordinates given to me by my contacts, loading up on donuts, Diet Dr. Pepper and sausage wraps on the way (didn t know how long the stake-out was gonna last!) After a couple of three days, I observed several vehicles arriving one Saturday afternoon. While the subjects were inside, I was able to slip closer for a better view, disguising myself as a small tree on the southwest end of a grassy knoll. Well, what I saw them bring out was a shock to me a completely new experimental rocket plane, looking very much like the Space Shuttle. What were these idiots up to now? I wanted to shuffle a bit closer, but was afraid that would be too conspicuous, since I was pretending to be a tree. It appeared the same launch vehicle used for their famous X-1 project was going to be pressed into service for this project as well, with a few modifications to the carriage assembly, of course. In due time, the shuttle was attached to the launch vehicle and the engine was cranked up. There were four team members present Test pilot #1, Test Pilot #2, Rocket Man, and the Project Manager (Big D). The plane and it s cargo was taxied out and the engine revved up it lumbered down the grassy knoll. Upon lift-off, the whole contraption made a right turn straight at me! I started to jump out of the way, which would blow my cover for sure, when at the last minute it swerved and missed me by a couple of inches. I hoped they didn t notice the tree shaking as the craft blew by. The plane appeared to struggle as it gained altitude, at times it even seemed to stall during turns, but Test Pilot #1 was able to keep it in the air. After an appropriate altitude was established, the cargo was released. What I witnessed next could not be described as flight, more like a barely controlled fall. At one point it seemed the shuttle (for lack of a better name) seemed to level off a bit, but when a turn was initiated, the nose dropped and down it went. The result was a crushed nose, and a few other internal pieces popped loose (I was able to use my nifty spy ears to overhear the prognosis) Back into the workshop they went. I took this opportunity to scoot over a few feet so maybe I could avoid being creamed if they try another launch that last one was a close call! Soon, the group was back at it again, with the nose of the shuttle repaired and other adjustments made (something about a CG.) The craft was again attached to the launch vehicle and the engine fired up. A taxi and takeoff were initiated in a practiced fashion, no close calls this time! As the plane slowly ascended, it again was having difficulty. As the plane attempted to turn back into the wind, it seemed to fall out of the sky, with the shuttle still riding piggyback. Afterwards, I witnessed much debris being hauled back to the workshop from the crash site. Apparently, an investigation was started into the cause of the mishap. Unfortunately, I could not stay to learn of the outcome, since a horribly large guard dog was released into the area about that time. I quickly made an exit, with most of my pants intact!

8 B.W. Ponder Left to Right, Steve Meyer, Don Mondrik(Contest Director), David Dussetschleger, and Fred Huber enjoy some good food between flights. Mark Cullison David Dussetschleger is the proud owner of a new Cub! B.W. Ponder Mark Cullison carries Doug Staines plane out to the runway. Taxiing was difficult due to the strong winds! B.W. Ponder

9 (254) IT FLIES!!! The long awaited maiden flight of Mark Cullis on s Super Stearman (five years of off-and-on building) took place Saturday, October 16 th at Ponder s place. The flight was a success. Photo by David Dussetschleger

10 Mark Cullison - Editor 218 Tanglewood Rd. Temple, Tx Last Beginners Night Oct 27 th Toys for Tots Fly-In Dec 5 th Christmas Banquet/Officer Elections - Dec 13 th Name Address Citystatezip "The Temple Aero Modeler Newsletter" Is published monthly by the Temple Aero Modelers, Inc., a nonprofit organization. We reserve the right to edit all copy forwarded to us. Permission is hereby given to reprint any article in its entirety, as long as proper credit is given. Please submit all material to: Mark Cullison 218 Tanglewood Road Temple, Tx (254) mcullison@swmail.sw.org All material submitted for publication will become the property of the Temple Aero Modelers, Inc., and will not be returned unless directed to do so at the time of submission. The Editors of the newsletter and the Temple Aero Modelers, Inc. will not be held liable and/or responsible for any columns written in this publication.