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2006 CLUB CALENDAR
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9/26
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Club Meeting / Legion |
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9/30
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CRRC Electric
Fun Fly |
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10/8
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Milford Demo
Day |
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10/29
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21st Annual
Banquet |
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11/28
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Club Meeting
(Annual Meeting) |
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Dec
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No Meeting
in December |
Secretary's Report | Field
News | Raffle
Events | Club
Website
Could
that be a Chill in the Air?
Early autumn is a great time to fly in
New England. The plane that started the season as a new toy
is becoming an old friend at this point. The summer's practice begins
to feel evident, and your engine seems well behaved as both it and
the plane perform better in the less humid and cooler air.
...
Those of you that read last month's President's
Letter will be happy to know that the Cub is still alive and
well. I've really taken John Markinac's advice to heart and have
been focusing on smooth take-offs and landings as well as maintaining
level flight through coordinated aileron-rudder turns. It's certainly
not flashy flying, but I do feel like the frustration has passed
and I'm making progress. The Cub is particularly squirrelly on take-offs,
as one run looks smooth and the next looks like I've a couple of
beers! I never realized just how "right thumbed" I was until forced
to consistently use the rudder. I highly recommend that you play
with the rudder on your next trip to the field as it can do a whole
lot more for you than just steer you on the ground!
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Gerry Lyman (dark shirt) sets up an approach
under the watchful eye of Ted Zaborski.
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...
Speaking of learning,
there are several students that are coming along nicely. I've had
the pleasure of watching Gerry Lyman's progress as he's been training
with Ted Zaborski for several months. Like all of us, Gerry has
had his share of mishaps. He has the dubious honor of being the
first to hit the new field sign (with Ted's help of course). That,
combined with a few close encounters with trees, has tested his
patience and commitment. Gerry's doing quite well though, and we
wish him luck over the next few weeks as he gets closer to solo.
...
If this month's edition of The Yankee
Flyer seems a bit sparse, it's because club treasurer and newsletter
editor, Dave Seale, hit a rough patch health-wise that included
several days in the hospital. Dave is recovering, but has decided
to cut back his club responsibilities until he feels better. I'm
going to try and fill his shoes on the newsletter and Bill Costello
will cover treasurer's duties for the time being. Dave, we all wish
you the best and speediest return to the pilot's station!
...
Reservation forms for the October 29 MMAC
Annual Banquet were recently mailed (regular mail) to each and every
active member. There are several things planned that should make
for an interesting and entertaining evening, so please be sure to
complete the coupon at the bottom of the flyer and return it with
your check as soon as possible.
...
So, make a point to get down to the field
and fly while the weather's still warm...because you know that colder
days are on the way!
Keep up your airspeed!
Jim McCoy
P.S. Nominations for 2007 club officers are due by the September
26 meeting. We welcome anyone who is interested in running for
one of the executive board positions to contact myself (mccoygroup@comcast.net)
or any of the other 2006 board members. It's a great way to contribute
to the future of MMAC and have fun at the same time!
R
E M I N D E R :
Our
club
website has a complete
list of officers, instructors and other helpful information. The
"For Sale" page is constantly being updated with planes
and gear that members are looking to sell.
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Club Meeting
August 30, 2006
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Club
president Jim McCoy brought the meeting to order at 7:30PM. A motion
to accept the July secretary's report as stated in the August 2006
Yankee Flyer was made and seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
The treasurer's report was read by Bill Costello for Dave Seale.
A motion to accept the treasurer's report was made and seconded.
The motion passed unanimously. As of August 30th the 2006 membership
count stands at 57 members.
...
Due to an illness, Dave Seale has resigned from all club positions.
Bill Costello will take over as treasurer; Jim McCoy will take on
the editing of the newsletter; Jim McCoy and Bill O'Donnell will
handle the annual banquet. We miss you Dave and wish you a speedy
recovery.
...
The nomination period for election of club officers is open. Nominations
should be forwarded to Jim McCoy prior to the September meeting.
Jim strongly urged anyone interested in any club officer position
to not hesitate to get someone to nominate them. Except for the
treasurer's position, the current executive committee will be seeking
a new term.
...
Mark your calendar! The annual banquet is scheduled for October
29 at the Coachman's Lodge in Bellingham. The club will be sending
out a flyer to all members. The flyer has a registration form at
the bottom that needs to be returned to Jim McCoy before October
16 if you would like to attend.
...
The raffle for a Futaba 9C Super radio will continue up to the annual
banquet in October. One ticket for $3 and two tickets for $5. Contact
Bill O'Donnell for tickets.
...
The Milford Demo Day event is scheduled for October 8 from 10:00AM
to 2:00PM. The event will be held at Plains Park off of Rt 85 in
Milford. Let's hope for good weather.
...
The next club meeting will be held at the Legion Hall in Millis
on September 26 at 7:30PM.
...
The meeting was adjourned at 8:30.
Roger Gilman
MMAC Secretary
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This
Month's Fuel Winner
Your's truly was not
entirely on the ball when he packed up for the last club meeting
because the camera was left at home! Nevertheless, the monthly gallon
of model fuel was the first to go in the evening's raffle...and
was happily won by acting treasurer Bill Costello.
...
The standing
record for winning the most fuel is held by club treasurer, Dave
Seale. Since Bill is covering Dave's duties while he recuperates,
it does make you wonder if the first ticket drawn goes with the
treasurer's job. We'll just have to see what happens at the September
26 meeting!
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Congratulations, Bill!
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 Joe
Candela Receives
MMAC Membership
It was a little later
in the season that we had planned, but Jim McCoy and Bill O'Donnell
were finally able to deliver the complimentary MMAC member plaque
and member card to Joe Candela. Joe is the owner of Creative Variety
Products...a well stocked hobby and craft store on Northbridge Road
in Mendon, MA. He has been kind to supply several items to MMAC
for use as raffle prizes or for other club fund raising efforts
over the past year.
...
Joe's shop carries
kits and ARFs from SIG, Carl Goldberg, Midwest, Pica, Seagull, Thunder
Tiger and others. He also caries an impressive line of engines,
paints, covering as well as hardware from DuBro and Slimline. Joe
reports that he very close to becoming a Great Planes distributor
as well.
...
In addition
to model aircraft and other hobby items, Creative Variety Products
offers a high quality embroidery service. He has our club logo is
on file and can embroider it on just about anything...hat, jacket
or shirt. You can purchase the apparel item from him by selecting
from a catalog, or bring in your own item and he'll be happy to
add a MMAC logo.
...
We want
to express our gratitude to Joe for his support of our club over
the past year and encourage our members to stop in to see his inventory.
See his website for directions and hours of operation.
Creative Variety Products
71 Northbridge Road
Mendon, MA 01756
508-473-8259
www.creativehobbies.net
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The end of August found the MMAC board in a bit of a pickle as the
gate lock disappeared without a trace one evening. In order to avoid
a lot of confusion, VP Bill O'Donnell jumped through a few hoops
to quickly get a replacement lock that would be keyed the same as
the missing one. He was successful, only to learn that the missing
lock was returned to duty without an explanation! Looking on the
bright side, we now have a spare lock in case the existing one is
lost again or damaged. However, we're still looking into the identity
of the culprit.
...
The field itself is in pretty
good shape although the grass is still growing at a decent rate
for this time of year. Members are encouraged to bring along a weedwacker
in their car or van and edge around the pilot stations, pits and
the field signs.
...
The big news of the month
(and I mean BIG) is the maiden flight of Bill Costello's 20% Top-Flight
Stinson SR-9 Reliant. If you remember,
this 100-inch span beauty was the "Best of Show" at this
spring's Winter Project Night. Bill's been tweaking the setup for
several weeks now, and the day to fire it up and give it a go was
finally here. As usual, Bill Lloyd got test pilot duty and admitted
being more than a little nervous about having the fate of this big
beautiful bird in his hands. Plane and pilot performed well, however...with
the only issue being a pesky engine overheating problem that caused
a dead-stick on the first flight. Bill is working on a solution
to the problem as well as engineering a stronger landing gear attachment.
Generally though, the Reliant lived up to its name and looked graceful
and very stable on the initial hops.
Another big bird making a debut this month
was an incredibly detailed P-47D owned by MMAC member Scott Annis.
Scott's well-known for his love for World War Two vintage aircraft
and this one is no exception. Finished with Aerofoil (a product
similar to Flite Metal), Scott added hundreds of rivets, panel lines,
several clever access doors and beautifully done decals. The cockpit
alone is a work of art. He powers this 80" bird with a G-38
gas engine.
...
Scott
gave his warbird its test flight at Milford's Plains Park recently,
with fellow MMAC member Brad Kaye at his elbow for moral support.
The flight went well, although Scott felt that he would need to
adjust rudder and aileron throws. Unfortunately, the retracts collapsed
on landing, doing some structural damage to the gear mounts and
area around the wheel wells. Nothing
that can't be repaired, though!
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