Volume 5 Issue 12 Pages 10 AMA #530 District 11 www.eugenerc.com December 2009 Club Mailing Address: Eugene R/C Aeronauts, PO Box 26344, Eugene, OR. 97402 No December Meeting DUES TIME 2010 is coming, PLEASE pay your AMA and ERCA dues EARLY! ERCA News and Information Next CLUB Meeting – January 26, 2010, 7:00 pm at EWEB. If you have a building project, bring it with you for "Show and Tell". At the November Meeting – There were 19 members and guests at the meeting. There are still plenty of tickets available for the fundraiser raffle. Two wish list items have been explored further: The first, elevated pilot stations, has moved to the prototype stage. The second, semi-permanent shelter over the pit area continues in discussion and development.. Marty Wittman is the point of contact for organizing pylon racing at the field. If you are interested in becoming involved he wants to hear from you. Election of 2010 ERCA Club Officers, see CLUB CONTACTS list in this newsletter for the 2010 officers list. Flying field - The wet season has arrived, good flying days will be limited, but there will be some. If the runway is wet, please walk with caution. Winter Flying Rules are in effect. * * * * * * * * * * * * Attention All Pilots: WINTER FLYING RULES During November, December, January, February Saturday, Sunday & Wednesday NO FLYING before 12:00 Noon. DO NOT ARRIVE BEFORE NOON * * * * * * * * * * * * Web site stats December 31, 08 numbers; Views ERC Home page 1651 Pictures 1651 Newsletters 173 December 16, 09 numbers; Views ERC Home page 10931 Pictures 2784 Newsletters 1082 Meeting minutes are ONLINE at: http://eugenerc.com/meetings.html 2010 Meeting Dates EWEB downtown Eugene: January 26 7:00 pm. February 23rd 7:00 pm. Papas Pizza, 11th and Chambers March 23rd 7:00 pm. April 27th 7:00 pm. May 25th 7:00 pm. At the flying field 7:00 pm. June 22nd July 27th August 24th EWEB downtown Eugene: September 28th 7:00 pm. October 26th 7:00 pm. November 23rd 7:00 pm. No December Meeting Field Safety The wet season has arrived, good flying days will be limited, but there will be some. If the runway is wet, please walk with caution , it can become slippery Treasurers Corner Treasurer Al Barrington reports - We have reached 104 members in good standing. The ERCA has a current bank balance of $3836.90. This number is within $150 of where we ended last year, even with the field updates. ERCA CLUB CONTACTS President: Khoi Tran - 685-0086 - kmtranmd@hotmail.com Vice President: Brad Werneth - 285-5935 - brad@werneth.com Sec/Treasurer: Al Barrington - 935-4960 - albarrington@msn.com Safety coordinator: Frank Blain - 345-7449 - jaibee22@yahoo.com Safety coordinator: Marry Wittman - 968-2094 - wittmanm@msn.com Groundskeeper: Doug McWha - 741-3326 - flyduke@comcast.net Newsletter Editor: Jim Corbett - 344-5022 - james.corbett@comcast.net Next CLUB Meeting – January 26 7:00 pm at EWEB. Pylon Racing Coming in 2010 Pylon Racing !! ?? What fun !!!! Or is it ???? Yes it's a blast !!! All you have to do is fly from one end of the runway to the other end around a stick at each end.(pylons) Now, how easy is that !!!?? Ok there are skeptics out there that say it is harder then that !! Not really. Remember when you starting flying? All you did was go around the flight path. Around and around and around!!! No tricks. No loops or rolls no fancy flying just around and around and around. And yes I know it will be harder for some of you HOTDOGERS because you are not used to going around and around without doing all kinds of loops, rolls ,snaps and everything else you do. So who has the advantage? Well it all equals out. The club web site will have a section for PYLON RACING. In that section you will find a lot of information and links. The class we will be racing is the “CLUB 40 PYLON RACE”. This is a national class and other clubs in Oregon are starting to race this class also!! There are only (2) two planes that qualify for this class. Both World Models. The Sky Raider Mach II ARF and the LA Racer 40 ARF. Engine of choice is, Thunder Tiger Pro .40 BB ABC w/Muffler. I will have one each at the January meeting. Pylon Racing is fun. It would be nice to invite other clubs and show them how it's done here in Eugene. Yes. And we can even go to their races and still show them how it's done !!! Oh, I know not all of you will want to do this but you will want to race what you have , so that will happen also. Looking forward to going fast and turning left!!!! Marty Wittman 541-968-2094 wittmanm@msn.com Info Links www.pylonworld.com - The pylon racer's information source www.rcpro.org - Spreading the fun and excitement of pylon racing to all R/C modelers www.club40racing.com - Club 40 Rules This has all the can and can nots in it. When it opens, click on the rules. WITH THE WEEKDAY WARRIORS December 2009 It was a bit chilly last week and there was rain in the week before that. Now we are faced with at least a further week of typically dismal Oregon, but hark back to the end of November and you will find that there was some eminently flyable weather right about then. People took advantage of it and on one Wednesday we had a crowd that would not have disgraced a weekend. Dwayne Graville has finished the repairs to that LT-40 whose front wing dowel pulled out. Looks to me as though he has enlarged the ailerons as well. Another LT-40 flier, Rick Charles, is making his own landings now, though Chuck Jenkins is still standing by. Okay, sitting by; CJ likes his comfort when instructing. A lot of Rick’s landings are going pretty well right down the middle of the strip. Lucky for you weekend guys of delicate constitutions that you were not present to see Alan Wellentin the day he brought his Showtime to the field. Showtime! A fixed- wing ship! This is an ex-Pat Willis machine and is hauled along by a BCMA 26. That 26 is in cc, which comes out to about 1.60 cu. in. in real measurements. And, yes, Alan flies the fixed-wing stuff as well as he flies the helicopters — but you’d expected that, hadn’t you? A bunch of new (to me) guys were at the field on those few nice days. Kenton Melville has a Nexstar flying on an electric motor. This isn’t one of the meant-to-be-electric Nexstars, but a conversion of a glow ship. Kenton is using the A123 battery system in the Nexstar and the climb-out after takeoff assumes a startling angle and goes on that way as far as Kenton cares to prolong it. This system gives long flights and short re-charge times at the expense of a little extra bulk and weight, neither a problem in a 60—size ship. K.M. has built a clever hatch where the “windshield” is and can remove the battery for charging very easily. Now my electronics expertise consists in knowing which way on the switch is “on” and which is “off”, but Kenton studies the stuff and hooks the powerplant up to a portable computer so as to read how much current the thing drew on the last flight, how much sap it sucked out of the A123s, and how much recharge it will need. I’d be content with knowing that it started when I pushed “on”, flew the plane, and was still running until I pushed “off”, but we can’t impede the March of Science. You know, I have to start asking the electric guys for details of the motor power they’re using just as I ascertain the size of the i.c. engines. The other day, Dennis Akers, another new guy, had an old, old, foamie. So old that the foam was getting hard. I kept trying to come up with a name for the ship — I’m sure I should have known it - but no soap. And I never did ask Dennis. Fairly slick, low- wing, military look to it — you’d almost call it a Corsair except for the unbent wing. Converted to electric and flying well, if somewhat squirrelly on crosswind approaches. Too many go-arounds that went via the helicopter area. There was a Stik in the hands of Carey Walters, yet a third new guy. All red with an 0.S. 46FX for power and a tailwheel landing gear. Carey did not seem to be new to this flying stuff. And you all know that Doug McWha is not new to the flying stuff. Believe it or not, there he was at the field with the successor to his EasySport! A Hangar 9 Super Stik using another 0.S. 46FX up front. Sad to report that the wing came off on the first turn after the first takeoff and the SS is no more. Apparently, Doug did not get the front wing bolts screwed into the threaded plate, so nothing was holding the front of the wing to the fuselage. A situation like that can only end in tears. Frank Blain and President Tran dearly love that elevated flying platform and they have a WITH THE WEEKDAY WARRIORS continued disciple in Wayne Wahrmund, but everybody learned a lesson. Frank cranked up that outsized Extra 330 of his and headed for the staircase to the platform. Khoi put the Extra on the runway, but then wa1ked away while Frank was still climbing the stairs. The plane, left to its own devices, began to taxi off, catching Frank unawares. When he realized what was happening, and without a good view of the ship yet, Frank zigged when he should have zagged, hit a pilot’s box, then the restraining poles for the monster ships. Result: big dent in the leading edge of one wing and a broken prop, the latter being no laughing matter on these big ships. Moral of the story: don’t let go of the model until you’re sure the pilot is ready for you to do so. Khoi, for his part, is now flying a very large radial-engined Pitts. “Radial-engined Pitts” does seem an oxymoron, but this one is a Pitts Python and is meant to be that way. Something to do with Quiqui Somenzinni, the fellow from the Argentine. Your columnist has the tail surfaces and two wing panels built for a Cavalier Std., meant for a pre-Surpass 0.S. 40 4- stroke.which should he more than enough, seeing as the original had a Brown Jr. in 1938. These pieces are going to be carved and sanded and the wing panels joined (beaucoup dihedral), before I start on the fuselage. I’d promise to show it off at the January meeting, but I’ll be in Florida in the warm sunlight, by gosh. C O’D. Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night! KUDOS To all of our club members that stepped up and took care of the things that needed doing. Without these folks things would not happen. 2009 in Review Excerpts from ERCA Meeting Minutes January 2009 Khoi and the board rolled out the proposed budget for consideration. After much discussion and a minor amendment the 2009 budget was passed by an overwhelming majority vote February 2009 Khoi gave an update on the progress in securing the Oakridge Airport for our Big- Bird Fly on July 18th. March 2009 Khoi announced he has been approached by member Jeff Engel about providing materials and labor in the construction of a utility shed at our field. April 2009 Three new members were accepted into the club. A big welcome to Mickey Cohen, Len Stolfo and Mark Cross. May 2009 The July meeting will be dedicated to a discussion of our budget, where we are and where we want to go. We now have a clear picture of membership commitments and projected cash reserves. All members are encouraged to give some thought to their wish list of upgrades/service improvements. June 2009 Several members expressed concern over the condition of the material used to cover the pit area. The edges have curled creating a trip hazard. Further discussion expected in July. July 2009 Funding approved to purchase gravel to cover the pit area, over the existing mat. A $600 estimate was approved with the understanding the actual cost could be slightly higher. It was agreed that this is a priority due to the safety issues that had been identified with the current state of the mats. September 2009 The fundraiser raffle for a Futaba 10C radio system in progress and there are $5 tickets left. The drawing will be held after all the tickets are gone. So, the faster you buy the faster you can win. The pit area has been covered in compacted gravel and looks very nice. It took approximately $900 to finish. The storage shed was completed and is ready for paint. A painting party was to have occurred two weeks from the meeting. The clubhouse was to receive a coat of paint also. The idea of having name tags for members has sprung from the July wish list into reality. They look very nice. October 2009 Wayne Wahrmund showed a video of a shade/cover structure that has been in place near Port Townshend, Washington for 8 years. It's a tube frame with canvas awning type cover. 18' X 40' Section for $769.00. November 2009 There are still plenty of tickets available for the fundraiser raffle. The first, elevated pilot stations, has moved to the prototype stage. Two field tables have been used to construct a stable platform from which to fly. Some members “highly” recommend the better view of the runway. 2009 Field Improvements Mower shed under construction. Pit area covered with 3/4 minus. Club house get new paint. Completed and painted. Pilot stations ready for action. Yup on both sides! 2009 Field Improvements Elevated Pilot station New windsock with Club name and Logo Flying in the breeze! Ready to use. Electric Flying - INDOORS There are about 10 or so of our members who regularly are flying Indoor Electric RC. Eugene Electric Flyers (on our web site use the Links page to get there) For a good part of the year we have been flying on Wednesdays at National Guard Armory gym around 2pm. We now have a second site available at the Regional Sports Center. (see page 9) --- That's All Folks --- Eugene R/C Aeronauts Newsletter Editor 1618 Gilham Rd. Eugene, OR. 97401 December 2009 Name Street CitySTZip ____________________________ Renewing Current Member ____________________________ INVOICE FOR 2010 MEMBERSHIP - EUGENE R/C AERONAUTS Please fill in the following information and send back with your Dues Remittance Member Name __________________________________________ Name Tag ___Clip ___Pin 2010 AMA Membership No.________________________ I certify that I have paid my 2010 AMA Dues. Initial _________ Member Address ________________________________________________________________ Member Phone No. __________________________ Cell: __________________________ Member Email Address ___________________________________________________________ Newsletter Via: _____ Email ___ Regular Mail ___ Do not need to receive newsletter Please enclose your check for $ 60.00 as a current member renewing for 2010 and Mail to: Eugene R/C Aeronauts, PO Box 26344, Eugene, Or. 97402. Or bring this INVOICE and $60.00 to the Meeting. Next CLUB Meeting – January 26 7:00 pm at EWEB. December 2009 2