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2006 CLUB
CALENDAR
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1/31
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Club Meeting |
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2/28
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Club Meeting / Key Exchange |
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3/28
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Club Meeting |
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4/25
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Club Meeting / Winter Projects |
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5/30
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Club Meeting |
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6/4
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Framingham Space Day |
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June
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June Fun Fly TBD
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6/27
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Club Meeting (at field?) |
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July
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July Fun Fly TBD |
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7/25
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Club Meeting (at field?) |
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8/29
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Club Meeting
(at field?) |
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Sept
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Milford Demo Day TBD |
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9/26
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Club Meeting |
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10/29
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Club Meeting & Banquet |
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11/29
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Club Meeting / Annual Meeting |
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Dec
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No Meeting in December |
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Secretary's Report | Field
News | Coming Events
Engine Failure | Radio
Issues | Teddy Bear Picnic
Link to the Club Website
Safety in 2006!
"A
model, engine or radio
that is not prepared & working
properly on the ground before
takeoff will not improve in
the air - it will get worse!
There is no point attempting
to fly until everything is
100% correct."
SIG Manufacturing
Company
 I
actually look forward to this time of year. Between work and our
kids' schedules, the late fall is an extremely busy season in
our household. Then, once the holidays kick into gear, there never
seems to be enough time to accomplish everything that we set out
to do. This year had the added tension of waiting for the results
of our older daughter's early decision college application. We
received her good news just before Christmas, so our family celebration
was ramped up a bit more than usual.
... Now decorations are packed away
and relatives or friends have visited and returned home. Things
quiet down considerably around here once the holidays are over.
Looking out the window at a gray sky and the recent blanket of
snow, it's easy to imagine just hibernating until spring. But
like many other club members, I take advantage of this calmer
time to make repairs or dig into a new project. This year, I hope
to complete a SIG Hog Bipe kit in time for Winter Project
Night in April. I build slowly however, so it may be a difficult
deadline to hit even though that event is several months away.
I'll just plug away at it on weekends and a couple evenings a
week and see how it goes. I find time spent alone in the shop
to be very relaxing and renewing.
... So,
that's what I'm doing to prepare for the 2006 season. Other
than our hardier members who strap skis or floats to their models
and fly off the snow, Bill Martin Airfield is pretty quiet.
For the club, what is really important for you to do right now
is renew your membership. The sooner we have a bead on membership
levels, the better we will be able plan club activities for the
spring and early summer. For MMAC, the magic number is 50 members...and
we need to be well on our way before that famous Pennsylvania
groundhog makes his yearly appearance!
...
So, whatever you do to prepare for another flying season...build,
repair or read back issues of Model Airplane News...take
a moment today to renew your MMAC membership. It really does make
a difference!
Keep
up your airspeed!
Jim McCoy
EDITOR'S
NOTE: With no December meeting due to the holidays, there
is no Secretary's Report this month. Check out the next issue
of The Yankee Flyer for Roger's report on the January 31
club meeting.
"January 1st, CRRC FFFF, temp 50
degrees. Go figure..." Oooops, that was last year's copy.
This year, the weather was more seasonal. The event was well attended
and anything but quiet.
... Charles River's annual New Year's
Day Frozen Finger Fun Fly was once again a big success down at
the field. I counted 21 folks at 11AM. The skies were cloudy,
the temp was 22 degrees and the winds from the north were less
than 5 mph. In addition, the field itself was covered with about
4-6" of new, light powder snow.
...There was a lot of flying, all
on skis except for a very large, beautifully executed, RC assisted
electric powered free-flight design from the 1930s. Being equipped
with 5" diameter balloon tires and needing only 6 feet to
ROG, the snow offered little or no problem...the pilot even doing
touch-and-gos.
...The most humorous comment from
the peanut gallery was likening a white, very aerobatic, slow
flying park-flyer to an oversized snowflake.
...Roger Gillman and I represented
MMAC. And as usual, the tasty coffee, donuts and hot dogs helped
to ward off the cold.
...Thanks, Charles River!
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ABOVE:
John Weigel of CRRC with his beautiful Dallaire Sporster. RIGHT:
Our own Roger Gillman prepares his SIG Kadet for another New Year's
Day sortie.
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Instructor's Insight:
Engine Failure During Take-Off
The best way to deal with a flame-out during take-off is to
prevent the problem before it ever happens. While this is not
a new concept, it especially applies in model aviation. If you
are new to the hobby, you have undoubtedly seen people doing
odd things to their plane in the pits prior to flying. The most
common of these is to pick up the model, holding the nose high
and running the engine at full power. Some people will shake
the plane as well, or cycle the throttle up and down while holding
the nose at a high angle. All of this  is
designed to tell us if we have properly adjusted the needle
valve. If we have made the mixture too lean, the engine will
quit, and then we are landing dead-stick without adequate altitude
or airspeed. This is not a pleasant experience.
...
Despite years of experience, I am sorry to say that I have had
plenty of these OHMYGOD moments with mixed results. I should
say that there is not one solution, because there are so many
variable factors. What you do depends on your altitude, your
airspeed, which way the wind is blowing, etc. So what do you
do? If you lose your engine right away, you go NOSE LOW ASAP
and glide the plane to the softest landing that you can along
the same line as your take off. I have also been able to "save"
the engine by going LOW THROTTLE as soon as I hear the engine
sag. Then I play with the throttle stick while I set up for
an emergency landing, yelling a warning as I go.
...
If I have achieved a reasonable altitude but I can't go around
for a nose-into-the-wind landing, I will bank AWAY from the
pits and try to do a downwind landing...again, yelling about
my situation until I am sure that others around me are aware
of my plight. I learned long ago to NEVER turn towards the pits,
as I have so little control as to how good and how complete
a turn I can do. Finally, I prefer to plant my plane into the
ground then to do anything that could hurt one of my friends
or a spectator who happens to be too close to "My Space."
I can always buy another plane.
TOP
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 Radio
Issues
Courtesy of SIG Manufacturing
Radio failure or radio interference during a
flight almost always results in a crash However, you should never
give up on trying to control the model. Even though it may not
respond, bring the throttle to full low and leave it there. Hold
the transmitter as high in the air as you can to make sure you
are sending the best signal possible. If you are at a busy field,
yell "interference!" to attract the attention of other
pilots and spectators. Someone may have accidentally turned on
their transmitter on the same frequency as yours, realize their
mistake, and turn it off. If you've enough altitude, you can regain
control (and your composure) and bring the model in for a landing.
...Another
form of radio interference is a "glitch," or momentary
loss of radio control. The model will by flying normally, then
suddenly jolt or bounce a couple of times, and then continue on
normally. Most of the time a glitch is a definite warning that
a radio problem exists, DON'T IGNORE IT! Throttle back and bring
the model in for a landing as quickly as possible. Check the radio
and its installation thoroughly before trying to fly again.
...
SAFETY FIRST! Flying RC model aircraft is an enjoyable way to
spend your spare time, however, things don't always go according
to plan. The safety of spectators and other pilots is of utmost
importance whenever you are flying. Always keep your model away
from people and buildings so that if an emergency does
arise and the model crashes, no on will be hurt.
TOP
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Instructor's Insight:
Teddy
Bear's Picnic
A few years ago, over at the old Millis Field, I lost a Cub out
in the woods across from the pilot stations. I made two mistakes
that day, besides dumping the plane. First, I was all alone at
the flying field. Second, I went out into the woods and swamp
all alone.
...
I walked straight out on a good line and found the plane without
much trouble. I took the wing off, gathered up all the parts and
headed straight back the same way I went in. All of a sudden,
I came across a wire fence that I didn't remember crossing on
the way in. The trees didn't look the same as I remembered. The
walk out of the woods was taking a lot longer than the walk in.
When I finally came out, I was way up in the other field and still
had a long walk back to the pits. It could have been worse...I
could have gone due west and really have gotten lost.
...
Recently, a plane was lost at Medfield across from the right end
of the runway and out in the swamp. A couple of guys went looking
for it in one area. A little later, Bill Costello went out to
search in a slightly different spot. When the first two guys came
back alone, I became concerned about Bill. They didn't even know
that he was out in the swamp. In the end, Bill was fine and I
am sure he thought I was being a Mother Hen.
...
What I am trying to say is that you can get into a lot of trouble
if you go out in the woods by yourself. You could get lost or
injured and no one would know. Please use the buddy system and
make sure that other people at the field know the direction you
went on your great airplane hunt.
...
Thus the title of this little piece. When my kids were little,
my wife would sing them the song "Teddy Bear's Picnic."
The first line goes like this, "If you go out in the woods
today, you'd better not go alone."
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Coming
Events
January
29
Middlesex County
R/C Fliers Auction
American Legion
11:30AM-4PM
162 Winn Street
Burlington (128 north
to Exit 34)
www.burlington-rc.com
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February 12
Northern Connecticut
Radio Control Club
New England's
Largest Auction!
Vernon Center Middle School
9AM-5PM
777 Hartford Turnpike
Vernon, VT 06066
www.ncrcc.org
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February
19
Cape Ann RC Model
Club Auction
VFW Hall - 12PM
Rowley, MA
www.carcmc.org
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Web Sites
to Check Out
www.bassfiles.net/parachute.swf
Don't miss this sky-diver game!
(sound & pix)
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