SKAGIT R/C CLUB
AMA CHAPTER NO. 1810
September 2007 Volume 2 Issue 9
Editor...Bob Haug (360) 854-7983 skagitrc@yahoo.com
OFFICERS
PRESIDENT’S CORNER for AUGUST 20
As I was flying at Lyman Thursday, the 23rd, ALL BY MYSELF (yes, I know! but what’s a fellow to do when the urge is upon him?) on a glorious, warm, clear blue sky, light westerly breeze day, what did I hear but the mellow beat of a motorcycle-a healthy V-twin – as it pulled into the parking area.
My first thought was “oh #&*@! Probably a curiosity seeker wanting to see me crash!”, but I fooled him and made a nice landing-a greaser-a 10! Who’s going to dispute me?
Wrong! Turned out Ken Tiscornia (honest) is another Anacortes resident, already a member of the Whidbey Island club and came by to check out our field. Ken apparently liked what he saw and heard as he told me at the WIRCS meeting that he had joined the Skagit club.
If there’s point or moral to this, I guess it’s that –if you’re flying alone and a guy rides up on black motorcycle-SIGN HIM UP!! Actually, it’s not wise to fly alone and I’ll ask for some company next time the URGE comes over me.
Going float flying!!!!!!!!!!!!
JIM
(I am confused which is not unusual
so I have been told). The article for
the September 2007 News Letter was written (for August 20) yet Jim was at the
field flying Thursday 23rd.
Am I missing something here? He
took a vacation to Shuswap. I think that
was a good idea. Get things sorted out. When he gets back and reads this
comment, I imagine I will get sorted out and take a trip to the moon, just like Alice.
(The Editor)
SKAGIT
RC CLUB MEETING MINUTES, 8 AUG 2007
President Jim Carpenter called the meeting to order at 1705 hours. The meeting was held at Carleton Molesworth Field to be followed by a Club sponsored meal.
Total Attendance: 14
Guests/Visitors: Club member Jeff Schrader was in attendance. Welcome Jeff.
Minutes: It was moved to dispense with the reading of the minutes from the meeting of 11 July 2007.
Treasurer Report: NA
Old Business: Club members acknowledged the Belisles for their efforts in the ticket sales. Beryl in particular has done a lot to further the interests of the club.
New Business: The club website is up and running. The web address is www.skagitrcclub.com E-mail info@skagitrcclub.com Club members are encouraged to submit pictures , tips, and articles for the website. The webmaster is Bobby Greer. Access to restricted parts of the website requires a log-in name and password.
The Fall Classic (Shuswap) Float Fly is 4-9 September at Salmon Arm, BC.
Program: Bobby Greer has been doing some research on servo performance characteristics. His findings reinforce earlier comments from Larry Linde about the differences in current draw of analog and digital servos.
A standard digital servo (72 in-oz) current draw is approximately 1 ampere; stall current 3 amperes. An analog servo draws 0.250 amperes (250 milliamps). The voltage loss in a 12 inch servo extension is approximately 182 millivolts.
The message is to be sure to size battery capacity for the expected (calculated) requirements for your airborne electronics system. Bobby has more data for interested flyers.
Raffle: The door prize was won by Herb Schrader and the fuel was won by Jim Carpenter
Adjourn; The meeting was adjourned at 1730 hours.
Submitted, Don Schlumberger, Club Secretary
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TIPS AND TRICKS
DON’S LITTLE CORNER
Scrap Aluminum
One of the
most useful and inexpensive tools in the workshop are pieces of scrap aluminum
angle iron cut to various lengths and of various sizes. I find that a selection
of 1-inch, 2-inch, and 3-inch pieces, varying in length from one to six inches
are quite helpful, and these can be obtained at a metal supply shop.
If you have a metal fabricator near you, you might try asking him to sell you
some scraps of angle about these sizes. Since these lengths are considered
trash to these fellows, you may get lucky and get them for free. Even if you
don’t, the cost should be minimal, and as useful as these are, I would have
purchased new stock and cut it up into pieces to obtain these tools.
What good are they, you ask? Well, here are a few of the things I use them for
and I’m sure you can come up with more once you start using them. First off,
this is a great way to align the table on disk/belt sanders, drill presses,
band saws, etc. You can use them to hold items to be glued or drilled exactly
perpendicular to the work surface, such as drilling into the edge of sheeting,
or holding ribs at 90 degrees to the table while your adhesive dries. —from Mark Kallio, Balsa Chips, Milford Connecticut
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Waterfall
Continuous tail-over-nose descending flip. It's not a
loop, but the aircraft actually flops around its canopy. Start relatively high.
At low throttle, gradually pull the nose up until its near vertical. Just before
it stalls, add full down and full power at the same time. You have to
continuously “fly” the rudder and ailerons to keep the airplane flipping over
in a straight line. To do consecutive Waterfalls, continue to hold full down
and “fly” rudder and ailerons, and chop the throttle as the nose comes back up
to vertical, then add full power as it flips straight down .
—Mike McConville,
the Suffolk Aero Modelers, Bay Shore, New York.
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It’s summer-time and the weather is perfect for flying, however there is never much activity at the field. At least no one is sending in pictures or stories to be published in this here news letter. Well, I guess that is the way people want it and it is not all that bad considering you could be at one of the many busy fields where you have to wait to fly or get a clear frequency, if you don’t use 2.4 that is; kinda like your own private flying strip. Neat but boring for the newsletter when there is no news or pictures.
