Don t miss the June Club Meeting Program about the Navy s Airship Program (see Page 5)

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1 Serving the Central Coast of California Since 1976 SAM SAYS.... : SALINAS AREA MODELERS P. P.O. Box 6351 Q. Salinas, CA June 2009 Volume 33, Issue 6 salinasareamodelers.org AMA CHARTER NO IMAA GS SQD. CHAPTER 147 Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! T-34 Race June 13 th MAY EVENTS A MIXED BAG BOB FRANCIS MEMORIAL The weather for the Bob Francis Memorial largescale fly in was unfortunately very windy even for large aircraft. The highlight of the event was Joe Francis flight of his Turbo Raven, built from his dad s plans. His maiden flight photos were featured last month. There were a few brave IMAA pilots, but the number of pilots was down this year. Joe, Chantel, and Darlene Francis with Joe s Beautiful Creation MAY FLOAT FLY The May Float Fly at Lake San Antonio had a glorious weekend for off-the-water flying, but the number of pilots was down some from last month s similar event. Bob McGregor has provided a nice report on this event on Page 4. Float Fly Action at Lake San Antonio in May McGregor s Cub on Final T-34 RACE THIS MONTH The big event for this month is the T-34 Race scheduled for June 13th. President Jim St. John lays out the expectations and requirements for SAM member help in his PRESIDENT SAYS article this month (see Page 2). This will be a very exciting event, especially if you have never seen RC pylon racing. Don t miss the June Club Meeting Program about the Navy s Airship Program (see Page 5)

2 PRESIDENT SAYS...! PAGE 2 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Let s Race That s right folks, it s race time! This article will be primarily about the upcoming T-34 race on June 13 th. If you read this, PLEASE be there to help out as this will take folks to make it work. If you don t read this, then don t worry about coming. Our Fearless Leader at the Controls I m going to list the jobs we have folks for already and a list of folks I m hoping will make it and where I d like you to help us please. Pylon Judges These judges will be trained on the day of the race at 8:30 A.M. Committed: Dennis Stanley & Chris Thomsen Hopefuls: Jay Beck, Joe Francis, Randy Bonetti, Malcolm Bruce Food Shack Led by Chris Meharg Committed: Jack Jellá, Dick Mueller, Jonathan Meharg Registration will be done by Jan Johnson of Madera Hopeful Assistants: Chantel Francis, Bob McGregor Starting Line Judge: Jim CRASH St. John Committed: Rick Maida, James Gale, Kevin Norred, J D Johnson Pit Support: Dale Oxford, Alan Brown, Joshua Jutba Lap Counters will be assigned on that day. If we don t get enough folks out to help with this area we will have to get pilots to help out with that. Those of you listed below can help out here. The folks I m hoping can make it out for help are: Don Meeks, Steve Fields, Bob Tjerrild, John Midgorden, Bill Range, Dave Downer, Lawrence Dorn, Walt McCommons (I think you said you can t make it Walt), Jerry Arana, and A N YO N E E L S E W I T H T I M E TO SUPPORT THE CLUB! We ll have the popups set up for the Pylon Judges with tables and chairs and ice chests for those folks. The club has purchased hard hats for those working the flight line area. I believe all the needed supplies are covered except for six clipboards. If you have some that you could loan us for the event please let me know. Some of the supplies will be loaned to us from James Gale and Kevin Norred. I ve been to several T-34 race events last year and this year. This can be a financially rewarding event PLUS a lot of fun for all! I m sure several of you will get the bug and want to get involved for next year. You may not want to WAIT until next year and get started at the next race! Everything else going on with the club will be listed elsewhere so I m going to cut this short. Remember to support your local hobbyshops (especially St. John s Attic), fly safely, lock the gate/padlock behind you, take you garbage home with you, and most important HAVE FUN!!!! Every where I go to events we talk about SAM being an active club that pulls together to welcome others to our field. There is a lot of excitement with the racers about us hosting this event with possibilities of next year, the following year, and maybe the next 20 years of racing too. Happy Landings, Jim CRASH St. John Bob s Duck Damage at April Float Fly June 3 rd Sam Club Meeting Landing Zone Restaurant 7:00 P.M. Program Pictures and Narration of the Navy s Airship History Notice: The Landing Zone will not be open before 6:00 P.M. for those coming to eat dinner together.

3 SAM SAYS....! PAGE 3 INTERNATIONAL MINIATURE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION FLY IN AT SAM FIELD (BOB FRANCIS MEMORIAL) The last weekend in April 12 pilots gathered to compete in SAM s annual Bob Francis IMAA Memorial Fly In of large scale aircraft. A big thanks to all the SAM members who helped make this event run smoothly and providing lunches and evening meals. Randy Bonetti and Wild Stick YOUR OFFICERS Jim St. John, President (831) tigger999@sbcglobal.net Chris Meharg, Vice-President (831) lawns@redshift.com Bob McGregor, Treasurer (831) pilotwon@redshift.com John Midgorden, Secretary (831) jomidgorden@me.com YOUR BOARD MEMBERS Malcolm Beety (831) lowflyer8@sbcglobal.net Jack Jellá (831) jella@pacbell.net Dennis Stanley (831) dennydenco@razzolink.com

4 SAM SAYS....! PAGE 4 May Float Fly at Lake San Antonio Revisited SPECIAL SAM REPORTER BOB MCGREGOR May 15 through May 17 were the dates for the May Float Fly which turned out to be a very warm weekend. When we arrived Friday around noon it was warm but there was a gentle breeze coming off the lake and it was very pleasant. Dale Oxford, Gary Mallett, Chris Thomsen, Joe and Chantel Francis and Bob and Randy McGregor got there about the same time and wasted no time getting airplanes into the air. Chris Meharg and his family showed up early evening. Our normal cove was completely gone so we flew parallel with the direction of the lake. The buoys were a little closer, but no one found one during the whole weekend. That was a good thing!! Saturday was a little warmer and the breeze never showed up. The temperature was 100 to 102 depending on who you asked. However the flying was terrific! A few more showed up on Saturday including Randy Bonetti with his Wild Stick, Dennis Stanley with a couple airplanes, Gary Pozzi and a couple of his friends. (I probably left somebody out.) We had only one catastrophe during the weekend and it came on Sunday when Gary Mallett s Cub found mother e a r t h i n a r a t h e r precariously nose down attitude. A few others d o d g e t h e b u l l e t, however. With Randy at the controls, Bob s quarter scale Cub had a tail flutter around the longitudinal axis which resulted in two broken lower stringers and a few other joints shaken loose. A safe and successful landing was accomplished. One elevator servo stripped the gears. Thank goodness for two elevator servos!! Guess those knife edges and harrier passes proved too much for the tail especially with the extra weight of the floats. Both Bob and Randy s Ultra Sticks loosened the wing mount dowels to the point that Randy quit flying his on Friday and Bob flew his very conservatively for the r e m a i n d e r o f t h e weekend. With Chris Thomsen at the controls of Dale Oxford s big Seamaster, a little of the bottom of the hull came up missing! Surprising how fast it fills with water with a four inch by 8 inch hole in the bottom! Even with that he was able to get it to shore. Chris Meharg s Alpha 60 ended up with a badly cracked aft float mount Saturday which ended his flying for the weekend. Sunday was much like Saturday with little or no breeze, but good flying. We pretty much called it quits by 11:00 AM, broke camp and headed home. A very good time was had by all that attended. We ll have to check on the lake level before the Fall float fly. Could be there won t be a good spot to fly by that time. The w a t e r w a s d o w n approximately four feet from April a four week period. If it continues to drop a foot a week (or anywhere close to that) it could be bad news for the Fall. Thanks to Chris Meharg and Chantel Francis for float fly photographs

5 SAM SAYS....! PAGE 5 HISTORY OF THE U. S. NAVY S AIRSHIP PROGRAM USS Akron ZRS-4 USS Los Angeles ZR-3 USS Shenandoah ZR-1 The June Club Program will be Power Point presentations on the Navy s Airship Program narrated by an airship captain, Donald M. Layton. The June program for the SAM Meeting on June 3rd will feature Prof. Layton s description of the US Navy s Airship Program. Some of you may recall that the USS Akron went down off the Central California coast with its compliment of biplane fighters on board. Come and enjoy this journey down memory lane of the Navy s airship program. Prof. Layton is currently a resident of Salinas, CA. Your editor is indebted to the use of Jack Jellá s copy of Prof. Layton s CD.

6 SAM SAYS...! PAGE 6 Does Joe Francis Ever Fly Right-side Up? (Photo by Rob Ellis) Oxford Flying and Meharg Watching COMING EVENTS Aero Tow Glider Fun Fly An Invitational Event Sponsored by the Salinas Area Modelers (SAM) July 25 26, 2009 GLIDER CONTEST June 6 th Come Enjoy the Fun of High Start Gliding Begins at 9 A.M. T-34 RACE June 13 th Every Able Bodied SAM Member Needed to Help with this Exciting Event AMA Membership $10 Landing Fee Lunches Both Days RV s Welcome (no hookups) Come Soar in the Salinas Valley Field Directions on SAM Website: Location (1 mile West of Chualar, CA) Don Meeks Event Coordinator and Chief Tow Pilot FIELD WORKDAY June 20 th Field Closed Until Work Accomplished JUNE RUDDERGATE June 28 th

7 SAM Says...! PAGE 7 MINUTES OF THE MAY CLUB MEETING Called to order by President Jim St. John at 7:00 P.M. Board members present: Jim St. John, John Midgorden, Bob McGregor, Chris Meharg, Dale Oxford, Jack Jellá, and Dennis Stanley. Club members present: Raymond Peterson, Malcolm Bruce, Alan Brown, Walter McCommons, and Dick Moeller. Bob McGregor reported on the balances in the checking and savings accounts. McGregor reported that the Bob Francis Memorial event essentially broke even ( there are some of the food shack supplies left over). The weekend was terrible in terms of wind and there were only a few pilots. Old Business The question arose as to whether the May Ruddergate was still on beings it is the Memorial Day Weekend. After discussion it was agree to go ahead with the event and Chris Meharg volunteered to provide the cooking. McGregor reported that the club s membership stands at 69. Dick Moeller shared that a letter has been sent to the Boy Scout troops in Monterey County offering SAM help with their aviation merit badge programs. Dennis Stanley is now working on the flag system required in the new field rules to manage mixed aircraft use of the runway. New Business Midgorden reported on the new AMA Membership drive program and handed out explanatory brochures. Several members involved in the cook shack operation feel there is a need for a procurement officer in the club. Chris Meharg volunteered for this position. Chris will get the club s account debit card for purchases. He will also work on an inventory program. McGregor has instituted a new payment program through the Club s bank. So, don t throw away Bob s checks from Chase bank that read Payment Enclosed on the envelope. Jim St. John indicated that the T-34 Race in June is under control. There was much discussion regarding the tasks and assignments. There is a need for seven new trash cans and fire extinguisher. Chris, the new procurement officer will purchase Bob shared that he has had trouble with epoxy not drying properly. After checking with some manufacturers they indicated that their epoxy is only guarantee for one year. Alan Brown announced that he will be doing a lecture on Saturday of the Watsonville Annual Fly In on the Lockheed Skunk works and the F-117. The Watsonville Fly In is over the Memorial Day weekend. Show and Tell There were no show and tell items this month. Program Alan Brown gave a very interesting lecture on tails explaining his article in the May issue of this newsletter. F4U Corsair John Midgorden, Secretary MORE PHOTOS FROM CHINO AIRSHOW B-17 Flying Fortress P-38 Lightening B-25 Mitchel SBD Dauntless

8 SAM Says...! PAGE 8 Russian Aerobats June July SAM Events June 6: Glider Contest 13: T-34 Pylon Race 20: Field Workday 28: Ruddergate July 4: Glider Contest 11: Annual Memorial Fun Fly 25 26: Aero Tow Glider Fun Fly June 3 rd Club Meeting Plan to meet for dinner at the Landing Zone Restaurant, Salinas Municipal Airport 6:00 P.M. Chris Johnson s Yak and Don Meek s Sukoi (Ellis Photo) Combined Board/Club Meeting begins at 7:00 P.M. June Program History of the Navy s Airship History SAM SAYS.... FROM: Salinas Area Modelers P. P.O. Box 6351 Q. Salinas, CA June 2009 Volume 33, Issue 6 MAIL TO: