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Presidents Corner
Eugene R/C
Aeronauts
Each week thousands
of people fly an airplane
without ever leaving the
ground. The Eugene RC Aeronauts welcome you to the incredible
sport of
remote control aviation.
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PRESIDENTS
CORNER, January 18,
2011
I have
been trying to make it to the field for months now but find that I
don’t much like the cold, rain or mud. My hats off to all those truly
dedicated flyer out there that have been flying in all this nasty stuff
for months, good job and maybe someday I will be tough enough to join
you.
The January meeting was very early in the month and there was also some
confusion as to the date, so as a result the turnout was low. For those
of you that didn’t make it to the meeting we got a lot of good stuff
done. We approved the 2011 budget, which is in great shape. We ended
2010 with over $6,000.00 in the bank and 97 members. There is no field
improvements scheduled for this year but we did budget to have the road
and pit areas graveled.
I have started a new process for conducting the meetings with an AGENDA
for what we will be discussing at that meeting. I hope this will help
the meeting stay on track and keep down on the back and forth. I would
like to start having a gust speaker at the meetings to go over RC
topics. I hope to have Eugene Toy & Hobby at the March meeting to
talk about Electric Aircraft and all the new information on batteries,
chargers, and maintaining you electric systems. If anyone would like to
speak at an upcoming meeting or has a topic that they would like to
hear about then please let me know, this can be about anything to do
with RC, from aircraft to radios and servos to field information and
rules.
Speaking of rules, for those of you on 2.4 GHz, you are still required
to go grab a pin and put your AMA card or your club member card in the
slot. If there are no 2.4 GHz pins available then you still need to
leave a card. This is an AMA rule that all people flying at the field
show and display current AMA membership. Club member cards work because
you can only get the card after AMA membership has been verified. I’m
sorry if this is an inconvenience but if you forget your AMA or club
card, even if you are current, you can’t fly that day. This rule is
required by the clubs AMA insurance.
At the next meeting (PIZZA) we will be having a 50/50 pot. You can buy
tickets for $1.00 each and at the end of the meeting the winner will
get half of the pot and the club will get the other half. Bring money
so you can join in on the fun. If anyone wants to help out with the
cost of food than you can buy a pizza as a donation. I will be buying
one large pizza for the club.
We will be selling raffle tickets for a $500.00 gift certificate to
Trump’s Hobby in Corvallis. Tickets will be $5.00 each, so start buying
them now. We will be voting at the Feb. meeting for when to end the
raffle; I hope to make it no later than May so the winner can use the
funds for this flying season. If this raffle is over by May then
we can do a second raffle this year.
Hope to see you all at the field, weather permitting for me, and at the
February club meeting.
Regards,
Brad S. Werneth
ERCA President 2011
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PRESIDENTS
CORNER, February 15,
2011
I made it; I have
been out to the field twice in the last three weeks. On one Saturday
the temp was in the 50’s and there was no wind at all, it was a great
day to fly. I’m getting back into my Heli’s but still having tons of
fun with my new fixed wing toys. Rod Madison gave me an old Hanger 9
Cherokee. I put a O.S. 46AX in it and some JR servos and had it up
flying two weeks ago, thanks Rod.
Remember the February meeting is at Roaring Rapids Pizza
and there will be a 50/50 pot at the meeting. You can buy a ticket for
$1.00 and at the end of the meeting the winner will get half of the pot
and the club will get the other half. So bring money and join in on the
fun while helping the club. Also if anyone wants to help out with the
cost of food, you can buy a pizza as a donation. I will be buying one
large pizza for the meeting. Let Al know if you plan on buying a pizza
for the meeting.
If you have topics that you would like to talk about at
the Feb. meeting, than email or call and I will put them on the agenda.
One item already on the agenda will be a talk about RULES and making
sure that all members under stand them, the same. The March meeting
will have a guest speaker to talk about all things ELECTRIC so if you
have questions get them ready.
Jim Corbett has built an addition to the Freq. pin board
with more 2.4 GHz pins. As stated in last months newsletter all 2.4 GHz
users need to have a pin with your AMA or club card in the board. This
is for AMA insurance reason so no exceptions.
We will be selling raffle tickets for a $500.00 gift
certificate to Trump’s Hobby in Corvallis. Tickets will be $5.00 each,
so start buying them now. We will be voting at the Feb. meeting for
when to end the raffle; I
hope to make it no later than May so the winner can use the funds for
this flying season. If this raffle is over by May then we can do a
second raffle this year.
Hope to see you all at the field and at the February club
meeting.
Regards, Brad S. Werneth
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PRESIDENTS
CORNER, March 18,
2011
I did it, I’ve gotten a large size electric helicopter. I’ve been
thinking of getting one for years but the cost of the batteries has
been keeping me from pulling the trigger. The helicopter is a Compass
600e, it is the same as my nitro version, Compass Knight 3D, this way I
can have a direct comparison to the performance differences. The
helicopter is setup to run a single 6S Lipo battery pack (22.2 volts).
I went with the Turnigy 4.0 packs from Hobby King. At only $54.00 a
pack this makes the cost acceptable. So far all I have done is basic
setup and some light flying but the power is amazing. I’m looking
forward to jumping in to the electric aircraft world. I hope that in
the near future I will have an electric airplane or two to go with the
new helicopter. I have been studying all things electric and having a
great time learning this new aspect of the hobby. To all you electric
guys out there I will be looking to learn as much from you as I
can.
I have noticed that there are more and more club members looking in to
electric aircraft. Mike Vaughan has switched his whole fleet over to
electric. We may need to take another look at electric power for
charging at the field again.
We voted at the March meeting to have a second pizza meeting. The pizza
meeting will be the October meeting and it will be at Roaring Rapids
Pizza in Glenwood. We will also be having drinks at the April meeting,
Mickey Cohen will be bringing soft drinks and I will be bringing
coffee, both caffeine and decaf. If you would like to bring cookies,
doughnuts or some other treats to the next meeting then please do so,
all will be eaten.
Don’t forget about the 50/50 pot at the next meeting (all members that
bring in show and tell will get one free 50/50 ticket) and the Trump’s
Hobby’s gift certificate. There are several members with raffle ticket
so you can buy them at any time.
Frank Blain will be giving us a quick class on aircraft repair and
covering tips at the next meeting so make sure your there to learn from
a master. If you have topics that you would like to talk about at the
April meeting, then email or call and I will put them on the agenda.
Hope to see you all at the field and at the March club meeting.
Regards, Brad S. Werneth
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PRESIDENTS
CORNER, April 13,
2011
I did it, I’ve
gotten a large size electric helicopter. I’ve been thinking of getting
one for years but the cost of the batteries has been keeping me from pulling the trigger.
The helicopter is a Compass 600e, it is the same as my nitro version,
Compass Knight 3D, this way
I can have a direct comparison to the performance differences.
The helicopter is setup to run a single 6S Lipo battery pack (22.2 volts). I went with the Turnigy 4.0
packs from Hobby King. At only $54.00 a pack this makes the cost
acceptable. So far all I have
done is basic setup and some light flying but the power is amazing. I’m
looking forward to jumping in to the electric aircraft world. I hope that in the near future I
will have an electric airplane or two to go with the new helicopter. I
have been studying all things
electric and have having a great time learning this new aspect of the
hobby. To all you electric guys out there I will be looking to learn as much from you as I
can.
I have noticed that there are more and more club members looking in to
electric aircraft. Mike Vaughan has switched his whole fleet over to electric. We may need to take
another look at electric power for charging at the field again.
We voted at
the March meeting to have a second pizza meeting. The pizza meeting
will be the October meeting and it will be at Roaring Rapids Pizza in Glenwood. We will also be
having drinks at the April meeting, Mickey Cohen will be bringing soft
drinks and I will be bringing
coffee, both caffeine and decaf. If you would like to bring cookies,
doughnuts or some other treats to the next meeting then please do so, all will be eaten.
Don’t
forget about the 50/50 pot at the next meeting and the Trump’s Hobby’s
gift certificate. There are several members with raffle tickets so you can buy them at any time.
Frank Blain will be giving us a quick class on aircraft repair and
covering tips at the next meeting so make sure your there to learn from a master. If you have topics that
you would like to talk about at the April meeting, then email or call
and I will put them on the
agenda.
Hope to see
you all at the field and at the April club meeting.
Regards, Brad S.
Werneth
ERCA President 2011
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PRESIDENTS
CORNER, May 13,
2011
The big thing for
this time of year to remember is safety. We seem to be talking all the
time about safety but that is a good thing. Safety should always be
foremost in your mind when out at the flying field. So lets remember as
more and more members are making it to the field to keep safety in mind.
Our first
summer flying event is the Big Bird Fly-In in July. We will need to
have some volunteers to help out at the event and even be the Contest
Director. We will be asking for help at the May meeting, so come and
volunteer.
We are continuing
to do research for a possible future solar powered battery charging
station, so if you have some thoughts about it please come and share
them we the rest of the club. We will also be going over the
Constitution and By-Law changes at the next meeting.
Don’t forget about
the 50/50 pot at the next meeting (all members that bring in show and
tell will get one free 50/50 ticket) and the Trump’s Hobby’s gift
certificate. There are several members with raffle tickets so you can
buy them at any time.
Thanks Frank for a
great class on aircraft repair and covering. I know that we all learned
something new; I hope not to be putting these skills to use except for
on new building projects. If anyone has topics that they would like to
talk about at the May meeting, than email or call and I will put them
on the agenda.
Hope to see you all at the field and at the May club meeting.
Regards, Brad S. Werneth
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PRESIDENTS
CORNER, June 21,
2011
I hope all of you
are fine and finding some time to make it out to the flying field. I
have only been to the field a couple of times in the last few months
but with the nicer weather I hope to get out there more. I will be
getting to the June meeting early so I can get some flying in before
the meeting starts. I don’t have any big messages to go for this news
letter just get out to the field and have some fun, that what we are
all here to do.
Our first
summer flying event is the Big Bird Fly-In in July. We will need to
have some volunteers to help out at the event Mike Farr will be the
Contest Director. If you would like to help out then let us know at the
next meeting. We will be going over the Constitution and By-Law changes
at the next meeting.
Don’t
forget about the 50/50 pot at the next meeting (all members that bring
in show and tell will get one free 50/50 ticket) and the Trump’s
Hobby’s gift certificate. There are several members with raffle tickets
so you can buy them at any time.
Hope to see you
all at the field for the June club meeting.
Regards, Brad S.
Werneth
ERCA President 2011
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Vice Presidents Corner
Eugene R/C
Aeronauts
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VICE
PRESIDENTS
CORNER, January 19,
2011
I just wanted to say a quick hello to
those of you who may not know me. This is the beginning of my fourth
year as a member of the club and RC flying. I have totally been
bitten by the RC bug and am already having trouble finding a place in
the garage to store airplanes. Currently, I am working on Venus II
pattern plane with an OS 120 4 stroke with a pump. Santa dropped off
a .60 U-Can-Do and I plan to install a Saito 100. Some of you may
recognize me by my planes, Toledo Special, orange Graduate or yellow
Knockabout.
I have really enjoyed my experience in
the club and have appreciated the help, advice and encouragement I
have received from intro-pilots and experienced members. My flying
skills are limited but by serving as the vice president I hope I can
give back a little to the club.
Look forward to seeing you at the
field.
Mike
Farr |
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VICE
PRESIDENTS
CORNER, May13,
2011
There are few
moments when it appears spring and warmer dryer weather might actually
come to pass! Many of us are dusting off the winter’s
accumulation of aeronaut inactivity. As we head out to the field with
“old reliable” and our new projects, please remember to “dust off” your
flight-line etiquette. Our sport is tremendously fun, fascinating
but carries a potential for injury and harm. The last thing any
of us want is someone getting hurt. Here are a few items we
should all remember and keep fresh in our minds whether we fly all the
time or just getting going again:
- <>Please review the rules posted on
the east end of the club shack!
- Not all
flyers skills are equal – heads up – be alert. Engine,
electronic, and equipment failure can happen to anyone!
- Pre-flight
inspections can often save planes and costly problems.
- Every
flyer is to obtain and wear a frequency pin and post either an AMA card
or a Club
- Membership
card in the club shack.
- Always
vocally announce when you are entering the field (crossing the flight
line) for any reason.
- Always
vocally announce” take offs” and “landings”.
- We do
not have an established flight pattern at our field but please be
respectful of the pattern others are flying and always give priority to
pilots experiencing problems.
- Always
vocally announce “dead stick” or other flight problems.
This list does not
cover everything but I hope we all can have a safe, fun and enjoyable
time as we fly together. Cool heads and respectful interactions
go a long way to build a enjoyable experience and a great club!
BIG BIRD Event is coming soon! July 16th.
Mike Farr
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Treasurers Corner
Eugene R/C
Aeronauts
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NOTES:
Annual membership dues of $60 per year apply to each adult. There
is no membership fee for ages 9 to 16. Active and drilling
military free membership
and initiation. Furthermore, membership in AMA ($58 per year) is
mandatory for all
fliers (no exceptions!). Please note that AMA membership
for minors (up
to 19) is only one dollar per year.
Mailing
address: Eugene R/C Aeronauts
• P.O. Box 26344, Eugene OR
97402
Email address:
albarrington@msn.com
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Treasurers
Corner
January 19,
2011
Another
reminder: The next meeting will be Tuesday, 7pm, on February
22nd, at Roaring Rapids Pizza Co., 4006 Franklin Boulevard, Eugene, OR
97403 (541) 988-9819. For info, directions and
menu go to: http://www.rapidpizza.net. The club will get a discount if we preorder a
minimum of five large pizzas. The meeting room has been reserved
for us and confirmed.
We've launched the 2011 new year with our
January 4th meeting when we adjusted and approved the budget. We
also conducted and discussed
many other items of business as outlined in the minutes.. It
promises to be a great year with the usual annual events, along with some
additional action planned by the Pylon Racers and the Indoor Electric
Fliers.
Our membership started
back at zero with the beginning of the new year. So far, we have
32 members who are current with both AMA and ERCA. All membership
renewals must be completed by March 31st to keep from being dropped off
the active club
roster. I would like to finalize the roster and send it to AMA
headquarters along with our club charter renewal as early as possible. To those who
have submitted their renewals, thank you and happy landings.
AL Barrington
Sec/Treas, ERCA
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February
10, 2011
We 44 members as of February 10. All
membership renewals must be completed by March 31st to keep from being
dropped off the active club roster. I would like to finalize the roster
and send it to AMA headquarters along with our club charter renewal as
early as possible. To those who have submitted their renewals, thank
you and happy landings.
AL Barrington
Sec/Treas, ERCA
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March 16, 2011
Unless you count kites, I haven't done much flying lately
with the stormy weather we've had. I did receive the new Radian
Pro from Horizon Hobby. It's all together and programmed to the
Spektrum DX7. Now we just need a good day of weather for its
maiden flight. Until then I'll be flying the simulator and
working here around the hangar. As I write this, I believe I saw
a school of fish swim past my window. SCUBA gear may be required
to step outside, let alone fly.
Thanks to all members who have renewed their AMA and ERCA
memberships. We are at over 60 members now. That leaves
about 40 members from last year's roster who will be dropped after this
month's meeting. I will bring a list of those members to confirm
dropping them from the roster. If you have contact or influence
with those members, please encourage them to act now. It's easier
to retain current members than to recruit new members. I need to
send AMA our finalized roster and it would be great to have everyone on
it.
The treasury remains strong after paying the major bills
for the year. We are paid in full on our field lease, AMA club
charter, insurance, instructor pilots and some administrative costs.
Everyone who was present at our February meeting seemed to
have a good time. This was our annual pizza meeting at Roaring
Rapids. With the generosity of members who donated toward the
cost of the pizza, the club broke even. I welcome your feedback
and suggestions for next year's pizza meeting. One bit of
feedback I have received so far is to plan more pizza meetings during
the year. I look forward to hearing discussion on this at future
meetings.
Our next meeting is on an odd day. Wednesday, March
23rd. When submitting our meeting schedule to EWEB, I requested
our usual 4th Tuesdays of the month far in advance but EWEB had those
occupied with meetings of their own. I'm on a quest for a new,
convenient, stable and free meeting place where we can get back to a
regular schedule. I welcome all suggestions for discussion.
Happy and dry landings to all.
AL Barrington
Sec/Treas, ERCA
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April 13, 2011
Our membership is currently at 76. We made it to the budget
break-even point. Woo Hoo!
The renewal
tsunami has wound down to where I've been able to get out of the hangar
and spread the wings a bit. Between rain storms this past month,
we have been blessed with one or two fair days a week to fly. The
early mornings are still chilly but it warms up by noon to near
60F. Winds have been all over the compass and from 0 to 15
mph. Lots of variety..
This past month
I've been trying out the new Radian Pro power glider from
Horizon. It's a Parkzone foamy with a lot of features. I
have a dozen flights on mine now and have managed somehow to resist
landing it on the roof of the clubhouse. So far I'm very pleased
with its performance. It has lived up to the reviews and my
expectations. Special thanks to Alan Wellentin for his assistance
on the maiden flight with the launching and trimming. There's
much more to tell that I'll save for this next meeting's show &
tell.
I'd like to say a
huge thanks to our volunteers for all they do to help keep the club and
facilities maintained and running smoothly. We have a handful of
unsung heroes who I feel don't get enough credit and praise for their
generous efforts and selfless dedication to our club. You know
who you are. I want you to know that we appreciate all you do for
the club. It is this pride in ownership of our club that keeps
other clubs envious of what we have.
Doug McWha has
been diligently working his magic on the field, converting it from a
swamp into a functional landing strip. Rod Madison's generous
fertilizer donation will give our grass strip a much needed breakfast
after the winter hibernation. I've seen several other handy
members getting involved in the general Spring cleanup and fix up of
damage following this past winter's storms. Thanks to all.
With everyone pulling together, we will be prepared for another great
flying season and our upcoming big events.
I'm looking
forward to seeing everyone at the field and meetings. This next
meeting is on another odd date. Wednesday, April 20th, at 7pm, at
EWEB. Until then . . .
Happy landings.
AL Barrington
Sec / Treas, ERCA
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June 22, 2011
The club is currently at 82 members after the addition of a few new and
returning members.
Welcome to:
Marc Winz
Mike Baker - returning member
Jed Orme - Associate member from Indio CA.
The club's treasury is currently at $7489.33.
We bought a load of gravel for the entrance road to the flying
field. Since we haven't received the bill yet but I hope to have
that expense figure in time for the meeting. Our other expenses
for this month have been the usual maintenance costs.
Sorry this is so short but like you, I'm anxious to get out to the
field to take advantage of the prime flying conditions that have
finally arrived. I hope to see you all there.
Happy landings.
AL
Barrington
Sec / Treas, ERCA
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October 19, 2011
We have 88 members. Renewal time is upon us again. All
members should have received their notices to renew their AMA
membership. This is required to make the membership renewal in
ERCA valid. Please verify that your member status with AMA is
current before submitting your ERCA renewal. I'm accepting
renewals for 2012 now. The ERCA dues are still $60 payable in
person at the field, at a meeting, or by snail mail to: ERCA, PO
Box 26344, Eugene, OR 97402 Thank you in advance for avoiding the
rush.
During this month's meeting we will be taking nominations for club
officers President, Vice President, Secretary / Treasurer and Member of
the Year. The names of the nominees will be
publicized and the vote will take place at the November
meeting. As we did last year, absentee ballots will be accepted
by email to maximize participation.
I'll be looking forward to seeing everyone at the next meeting, Tuesday
October 25, 2011 - at Roaring Rapids Pizza, Franklin Blvd in Glenwood.
Happy landings.
AL
Barrington
Sec / Treas, ERCA
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November 18, 2011
At our last meeting the membership decided to retain the existing
officers for 2012. All officers accepted the jobs. In all
the excitement we didn't nominate a member if the year. This will
be on the agenda for our next meeting which will be 7pm Wednesday
November 23, 2011 - at EWEB.
EWEB and I finished negotiating for the 2012 meeting reservation
dates. We were hoping for Wednesday nights since they would be
more compatible with our VP's schedule. EWEB had all of the
Wednesday nights booked up so I had to settle for mostly Thursday
nights. Here are the dates that EWEB has approved along with the
other non-EWEB dates I chose for the pizza meetings and field meetings.
2012 ERCA Meetings
January 5 Thursday EWEB
February 23 Thursday Roaring Rapids Pizza
March 29 Thursday
EWEB
April 19
Thursday EWEB
May 24
Thursday EWEB
June 28
Thursday Field
July 26
Thursday Field
August 23 Thursday Field
September 18 TUESDAY EWEB
October 25 Thursday Roaring Rapids
Pizza
November 29 Thursday EWEB
December - No meeting
Happy
landings.
AL
Barrington
Sec / Treas, ERCA
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