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2007 CLUB CALENDAR
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12/06
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No Meeting in December |
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1/30
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Club Meeting / $5 Discount |
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2/27
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Club Meeting / Key Exchange |
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3/27
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Club Meeting |
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4/24
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Club Meeting / Winter Projects
P-47 Raffle Drawing |
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5/29
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Club Meeting |
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June
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Framingham Space Day TBD |
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June
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Fun Fly TBD
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6/26
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Club Meeting at the Field |
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July
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Fun Fly TBD |
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7/31
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Club Meeting |
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8/28
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Club Meeting |
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9/25
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Club Meeting |
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10/7
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Milford Demo Day |
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10/28
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2007 Annual Banquet |
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11/27
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Annual Meeting |
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Bill Lloyd's New Project | The
Model Shop
P-47 Raffle | Events
| Club
Website
Happy
Holidays
One and All!
So...this is the workshop? It's been
a while since I've been down here, so let me look around and see
how I left things.
...
In the corner
past my father-in-law's old drawing board is an area that I call
"The Bone Yard." My daughter once referred to this spot in the workshop
as "dad's collection of crashes." Personally, I prefer my name for
it, but kids have a way of humbling their parents every now and
again. It's not a big collection, but it is growing...with the latest
addition being my sad looking Ultra Stick which encountered
the firm grip of Terra Ferma at the Milford Demo Day this past October.
...
Over my workbench
is another reminder of planes from my past, a wing panel from my
first trainer. I say "first" trainer because it took two Hangar
9 Easy Two models to get me soloed. This wing panel was about
all that was left of the lawn dart that I stuck into the ground
at Millis, just about where the first house was built a year or
so later. I remember after the plane disappeared behind the trees
and we heard the anticipated "thump," Jack Squier turned to me and
said in his usual sugar-coated manner, "What the hell did you do
THAT for?" I didn't really have an answer for him then, nor do I
have one now...but I guess I just needed to hang on to that piece
of personal history as a reminder of how far I've come over the
years.
...
Tacked up in
the rafters next to the trainer wing panel is a whole series of
photos clipped from calendars and magazines. These are not pictures
of scantily clad women that some guys have in their shop...but of
dozens and dozens of full-scale aircraft of different types that
I would someday love to model or at least reference to steal a trim
scheme. It's kind of my personal index of planes I admire and add
to when something comes along that catches my attention.
...
Other than a
couple of random tools left out, the workbench itself looks pretty
clean. However, I have a center island worktop that's a different
story. There's the partially completed wing of my Sig Hog Bipe
just as I last left it in April when my attention was taken by my
older daughter's high school graduation. It is all pinned up and
waiting for me to add the shear webs and sheeting. The fuselage,
upper wing and one lower wing panel are complete and set aside in
a safe spot. Over on the other side of this worktop is the box containing
my replacement Ultra Stick. Just beyond that is the fuselage
and wing for Bill Lloyd's Miss Texas and the set of floats
that I bought to fly off snow LAST winter.
...I
stop being nostalgic and begin to feel frustrated with myself. How
could I have left the Hog Bipe unfinished? Why did I let
the summer slip by and not mount an engine and radio into MissTexas
and fly it this season? Maybe I should push everything aside and
assemble my new Ultra Stick, as the previous plane was my
"go-to" model for most of 2006? But it's going to snow soon, shouldn't
I mount those floats first? Was I lazy? Did I not manage my schedule
well? So
many planes...so little time.
 |
| "Evening Joyride" by aviation
artist Burt Mader |
...
It's
at this point that I glance up, my eyes resting on a poster print
that was a gift from a friend several years ago. It's titled
Evening Joyride, and it depicts a classic yellow Piper J-3 Cub
flying over a winding river valley near Lock Haven, PA with the
door dropped open.
...
Now, if you
think about it, the essence of the word "joyride" is that you have
no particular place to go and all the time in the world to get there.
I calm myself and start to sort the bits of balsa sheet that I had
trimmed for shear webs in April. You know...I'd like to have the
bipe finished for Winter Project Night in the spring. But if it
isn't complete in time, it's really not the end of the world. Down
here in the shop, the only person that can put pressure on me...is
me! Schedules and deadlines are to be left on the other side
of the door.
...
This is a lesson
that I've learned and relearned several times. Fortunately, our
hobby is as much about patience as it is about skill, talent or
anything else. So whenever I get frustrated, I try to take a step
back and remind myself that whether we are flying or building and
repairing...we're in this to have fun. Sometimes I find it tough
making the transition from the field to the shop. But once I get
my head into it, I can't imagine any place better.
Happy
holidays to everyone and best wishes
for an enjoyable and fulfilling building season!
Jim McCoy
R
E M I N D E R :
Make
sure that you keep at least one plane at the ready for the annual
CRRC Frozen Finger Fun Fly on New Year's Day at Bill Martin Airfield!
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Club Meeting
November 28, 2006
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Jim McCoy brought the 2006 annual meeting to order at 7:30. With
the members present, the requirement of a quorum to conduct club
business as defined in the club constitution was met. A motion to
accept the October secretary's report as stated in the November
2006 Yankee Flyer was made and seconded. The motion passed
unanimously. The treasurer's report was prepared by Dave Seale and
read by Bill Costello. A motion to accept the treasurer's report
was made and seconded. The motion passed unanimously. I reported
that the current membership count is 59. Two new members have recently
joined the club during the past month.
...
A motion was made and seconded to keep
the membership cap at its current level of 150. The motion passed
unanimously. A motion was made and seconded to keep the dues at
last year's amount of $50 with a $5 discount if paid on or before
the January 2007 meeting. The motion passed unanimously. Bill Lloyd
accepted the reappointment as club safety officer. The club board
did not appoint a Bill Martin Field representative. The board will
handle any field issues as they arise.
...
A motion was made and seconded to purchase
a new lock and set of keys for the field gate in Medfield for the
2007 flying season. The motion passed unanimously. The current locks
have been in use for several years and there are a lot of unaccounted
for keys in circulation.
...
Jim announced a new raffle for a Hanger
9 P-47 Thunder Bolt 60 ARF. Tickets are 2 for $5.00. Contact Bill
O'Donnell for tickets. The winning ticket will be drawn on Winter
Projects Night, April 24.
...
Bill O'Donnell will attempt to reserve
the Sunday of Columbus Day weekend, October 7, for the 2007 Milford
Demo Day.
...
The next club meeting is scheduled
for January 30. There is no meeting in December.
...
The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 and
followed by the raffle.
Regards,
Roger Gilman
MMAC Secretary
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 November
Fuel Winner!
The raffle at the end of each monthly
meeting has been a MMAC tradition for season after season...and
although there's usually a broad selection of hobby goodies to choose
from, the first prize selected off the table is almost always the
gallon of glow fuel.
...
November's annual meeting was no exception
as Roger Gilman celebrated his first meeting of his second term
as club secretary by being the lucky recipient of the first raffle
ticket drawn. We're pretty sure Roger's luck was enhanced by the
evening's absence of members Dave Seale and Mike Marinucci, who
have each won the coveted prize several times apiece.
Congratulations, Roger!
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 Duck!
A few months ago I sold my big, slow and easy-to-fly
Sig Kadet Senior. Now, with space in my hangar and $150 burning
a hole in my pocket, I needed a new project. Charlie Neville had
told me about the Nitro Planes website, so I took a look at it.
I have never been a fan of ARF planes, but one that got my attention
was the Long-EZ .46, a canard. This is a semi-scale version
of Burt Rutan's design. For those of you who don't know, a canard
can be best described as a backwards airplane. The wing and engine
is in the rear and the horizontal stab and elevator is in the front.
As the price was right ($99.95 plus shipping) I decided to give
it a try.
...
The kit arrived in about a week, and everything
in the box looked good with the exception of the wheels and some
of the hardware. No problem, as I had lots of extra things like
that kicking around my workshop. I took the instruction book up
to my easy chair to read over before getting started. I opened the
book to page 1 and saw next to it was page 4 then 5 then 4 then
5 then 7 then 8 then 7 and then 8 again. That meant that I only
had about half of the book. I e-mailed Nitro Planes to request a
new book, but decided to put it together on my own in the meantime.
At least the pages I did have covered most of the important
things including the correct CG location.
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| A full-scale Burt Rutan designed canard. |
...
The plane went together well with the
most difficult things being the engine mounting and getting all
the radio equipment tucked into the nose along with a heavy bar
of supplied steel for balance (I still had to add about 4 ounces
of lead). I mounted my Saito .56 with an 11x8 pusher prop. The fuel
tank is mounted in front of the engine with the fuel and vent tubes
coming out the front with long lines wrapping back to the engine.
Without the instructions, I had to set up the control throws by
the TLAR (That Looks About Right) system. I now had it all set to
fly, but still had not received the instruction book.
...
I took it to the field on a nice calm
fall day, and prepared to start it up. After Bill Costello reminded
me how to restrain a Canard pusher (the holder has to go in front...not
behind the stab), we tweaked the engine to get the most RPM we could
without getting too lean. I took it out to the runway and taxied
around a bit to check ground handling. Then, taxiing to the end
of the runway, I pointed the model into what little wind we had
and started the take-off run. Even at full throttle, I just could
not get up enough speed to rotate. I tried again without luck, deciding
afterwards to bring it back to the pits for a little more engine
tweaking.
|
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| What the B-17 might have looked like if Burt Rutan worked
for Boeing during World War Two. |
...
When I took it out for another try
I was able to only to get slightly airborne, then I stalled and
cracked the glue joint on the stab. That was it for day one...back
to the workshop.
...
While making the repair to the stab,
I broke the supplied elevator control horn and had to make up a
new way to get the throw I needed. I installed a nylon horn on one
of the elevator halves with the push rod going through the side
of the fuse. It worked great, allowing me to get more throw than
before.
...
Back to the field on another great,
calm day. I taxied out to the end of the runway, pointed into the
wind and hit the gas. This time the model became airborne after
about two-thirds of the runway. It was flying, but quite out of
trim in both the ailerons and elevator. Since the damn electronic
trims on my Hitec transmitter are very slow, it was difficult to
let go long enough to adjust them. Although I was shaking all the
time, I finally got the trims set and the plane was flying well.
It sure looked funny though, seeming to be pointing the wrong way
as it went through the sky. The first flight didn't last long as
I sure didn't want to make a dead stick on my first landing. I made
a normal set up and the landing went quite well, although a little
fast.
...
After locking in my trims and refueling, it
was time to try again. Again, the plane required a long take-off
run and had just barely enough speed to rotate. It still looked
strange, but I was getting use to it and was not shaking as much.
I decided to try a roll. Great!, smooth and fast. Next try a loop.
At the top of the loop the plane seemed to loose elevator control,
stalled inverted and I had to roll out to save it. So much for not
shaking. Oh well, let's try that again, this time keeping the power
on at the top. Well, it did a loop... sort of...but it sure wasn't
round. I set up and landed, no touch-and-go's with this bird. With
that this day was a success. Long-EZ went home in one piece.
...
The next time I took it out, I guess
I was getting overconfident and wasn't able to build enough speed
on the take off run. As I was running out of runway, the model hit
a bump and bounced into the air just as I cut the power. It stalled
and cart-wheeled, really breaking the stab. It will be repaired
and will fly again in the spring.
...
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The two Bills get this
strange looking bird ready for its first flight.
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OK...now is it coming or going? Taxi tests
prior to maiden flight.
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The usual silent peanut gallery...
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The first landing...home safe and sound!
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Bill Lloyd and his latest
project...a Nitro Planes' ARF of the Long-EZ .46, a Burt Rutan
canard.
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Recently Jim McCoy sent me some information
confirming what I had already had figured out about a canard. Because
there is no prop wash coming over the flight surfaces, a canard
requires more air speed for the elevator to be effective. This must
be the reason that rotation is difficult and why the loops are so
strange. I can't decide if I should try different props or a bigger
engine after the repair, but I have all winter to think about it.
...
If you were wondering about the title
of this little tale, the story goes that the first time someone
saw a canard landing, it looked so strange that he yelled for every
one to DUCK! It just so happened he was French (canard means duck
in French).
Bill Lloyd
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The Model Shop
Now that the seasons have changed again, it's back
to the workshop. Last summer's repairs and upgrades to the Fleet
have all been made. The Flair Hannibal airframe is completed
(see July 2006 Yankee Flyer). It will be covered in True
Red Monokote with traditional German crosses on white backgrounds.
This work will be done later, up in the clean kitchen where there
is more room and best light.
...
In the meantime, I have always wanted
to build a polyhedral, pylon-mounted wing model reminiscent of the
old time free-flighters. Bob Holman Plans offers many such models
from the Golden Age of modeling back in the 1930's. Some of the
well-known ships of that era are Buccaneer, Zipper,
Lanzo Bomber and Joe Elgin's design, Playboy.
...
The Playboy comes in 3 sizes:
Senior, Junior and Baby. The Playboy Junior, with a 52" span,
has been selected and will have RC assist control. Bob has redrawn
the plans in CAD and offers laser-cut parts such as wing ribs and
stab, rudder and wing tip profiles. This reduces some of the drudgery
and leaves the more interesting design and construction to the builder.
...
The fuselage is of very light construction
using 1/8" balsa sticks. It's a bit tedious compared to the more
robust airframes we're used to, and it has to be ruggedized to support
all the added weight of the RC gear. I've gone to S3101 micro servos
and the new smaller and lighter R168DF receiver, which has replaced
the old standby R127DF. Connections for stab and rudder control
will be with Sullivan Golden-N-Rods. The plans show what looks like
an Ohlson and Rice .19 ignition engine with its integral fuel tank.
The Society of Antique Modelers (S.A.M.) competes using these old
gas spark-ignition power plants, but I'm installing an OS15LA with
an internally mounted 4 oz tank.
...
This ship should make a good subject
for conversion to electric in the future. Stay tuned.
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A recent incarnation of the classic Lanzo
Bomber built by Ted Patrolia
of the South Shore Radio Control Club.
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While
perusing the Bob Holman catalog I couldn't resist buying a Vito
Garofalo's Heaven Bound plan and partial kit. This model
is an Old Time rubber stick with a 50" wingspan and an 18" folding
prop. The motor is 16 strands of 1/4-inch FAI brown rubber, 36 inches
long. It turns out there's a lot more to rubber powered free-flight
than meets the eye. Don Ross has written 2 comprehensive books...but
this is all for another time.
Remember gentlemen...two minutes
a day!
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Here's Our Latest Raffle to
Take us into the New Year!
Whether you're nuts for
warbirds or not...who could resist a chance to win this beautiful
60-size Hangar 9 P-47D ARF donated by Bob Rice at Hobby USA
in Ashland. Tickets are available at club meetings or by contacting
Bill O'Donnell at 508-473-4441 or Jim McCoy at mccoygroup@comcast.net
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Coming
Events
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Monday, January 1
2007 Frozen Finger Fun Fly
Charles River Radio Controllers
Bill Martin Airfield
Medfield, MA
All Day Starting 9AM
www.charlesriverrc.org
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February 23 to 25, 2007
39th Annual WRAM Show
Westchester Radio Aeromodelers
Westchester County Center
White Plains, NY
www.wram.org/show_details.html
See the AMA
DISTRICT 1 Calendar
for a more complete listing of area
auctions and flying events.
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