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No Club Meeting in December |
1/1/10 |
Frozen Finger Fun-Fly |
1/26 |
Club Meeting |
2/23 |
Club Meeting
Key Exchange |
3/30 |
Club Meeting |
4/27 |
Club Meeting
Winter Project Night |
Happy Holidays!
Secretary's Report | New Raffle!
E-Power Clinic | Event Schedule
Photo of the Month | Club
Website
2010 Member Application
Hello all you Turkeys. Hope everyone is still full of… well… Turkey. Some of us are full of other things, but that is a topic for another day. All joking aside I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday. I would like to extend Happy Holiday wishes to all for Christmas and New Years as well.
... I didn't expect to be in the President’s seat of this club, but here I am, and here goes!! First, I would like to thank all in our club for having faith in me to lead. I will try my best to fill the shoes of those before me.
The first meeting is under my belt…Thank God.
Excellent job by Mickey Callahan, who very professionally kicked-off our seminars with electrics and generated a great amount of interest. We will continue with Mickey again at the next meeting, with additional input from Charlie Neville who has written his own white paper on electrics (see article below).
... There have been a few emails from Steve Rivet regarding combat. Anyone interested should contact Steve via email.
... Don Schipani has been doing a good job on our club forum, and I have to admit I need to go on and participate again. I urge any and all to join.
... Don't forget the Frozen Finger Fun Fly on January first, and maybe I will try to come up with an incentive to get some of our members there. I can speak to John from CRRC to see what if anything they do.
... Look for tickets for our next Pilot's Choice Raffle soon. Anyone who wants to purchase tickets or take a few to help sell, please contact me or Jim McCoy.
... Bill O’Donnell is going to build us a shed to remember.
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Brad Kaye, 2010 MMAC President
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Now a little bit about me…yikes!
A few short years ago I was a decent RC pilot, kind of a rebel, and had a little regard for the AMA and safety. It didn't seem to apply to me. I had the Milford field near work, I flew in a few events, and I didn't need to affiliate with anyone…or so I thought. But then a wonderful thing happened. I met one of my best friend’s to date…Bill O’Donnell. He was apparently looking for help to do an event in Milford for model airplanes. We got together and talked about it some. In a very short time I was training Bill how to fly and we became very close.
... Then came Scott Annis. I was excited about our new plans for an event and I became very aware of any stray visitors to “my field.” One morning I heard what sounded like an airplane at the field. I immediately had to investigate only to find two gentlemen (I use the term loosely) at the field. One was flying a Cub and the other was taking pictures. As I meandered on over to say hello, I was greeted by the leader of the two (Scott) with a very gruff greeting which sounded to me like “go away kid, you bother me.” So I just hung around and watched these guys with their very large plane (1/4 scale), as I only was flying small stuff at that time. I was very impressed and thought these two really new what they were doing. That was my first official introduction to Scott. A few things have changed since then. Scott has a kind of a hard candy shell, but great on the inside…kind of like an M&M. Once you get to know him, he is really a great dude. Scott has been a great friend and help to me since that day.
... The three of us had tossed around the event idea and we met up with Art Morin of the Milford Parks Department. He suggested we incorporate our event with some Pumpkin Fest they were planning that year. Bill worked his magic and got us a separate day for the first annual…Milford Demonstration Day. It has been our staple since.
... Now the MMAC!!! I went to the first meeting and thought I was at wrong place. Everyone there was at least 99 years old. I thought, how could these people possibly fly model planes? I have to admit the first few meetings were rough and I didn't really want to go that much. But, as time went on, I started going to some events and actually listening to Bill Lloyd’s safety speeches and got to know many members. I realized that this group had a great deal more knowledge of this sport than I first gave them credit for. And now, from what I can tell, this club is the LEADER of RC model clubs in our area. That is due strictly to the people who are in this club. I am truly honored to be part of this group.
... Thank you for having me…and thank you for teaching me the things I needed to become a better pilot. One who is now conscious of safety and totally dedicated to help this club grow and become even better.
Now I have to come up with some type of slogan…and all the good ones are taken.
“Keep up your air speed”…“Height is your friend”…“Ask not what your airplane can do for you, but what you can do for your airplane”…“Give me airplanes or give me death”…“Glow fuel Martini, shaken not stirred”…“I did not inhale”…
Humm… maybe I will go with something like this.
Fly vertical…you'll come down soon…
2010 MMAC President
PS. Sorry to be so long winded…you hired me!
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Club Meeting
November 24, 2009
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Please welcome Steve Rivet, our new club secretary for the 2010 season. He can be reached at poprivet@comcast.net or 508-966-2802.
The meeting was brought to order by club president Brad Kaye
A motion to accept the treasurer’s report as stated in the October 2009 Yankee Flyer was made and seconded. The motion passed. The treasurer’s report was given by Dave Seale. For the month of November:
CD $2,055.56... ... Checking $4,099.17
Income $982.00... Expense $1,380.37
A motion to accept the treasurer’s report was made and seconded. The motion passed.
... Motions were made, seconded and passed to keep the membership cap at 100 and the membership fees will remain the same at $50 per year. ($45 if paid at or before the January meeting)
... Bill O'Donnell will continue working on the field shelter with plans to build it in the spring. Suggestions were made for a grand opening cookout and fun fly when the shed is ready.
... A new Pilots Choice Raffle for club members and the public will be held with the drawing in April at the winter project meeting.
... Club meetings and fun flys were discussed looking for ideas to increase attendance.
... More seminars where club members share their knowledge on various topics were suggested, such as Mickey Callahan's informative talk on Electric Power setups, as was bringing in models in various stages of construction for show and tell. There were a number of suggestions offered as ways to increase attendance at fun flys, such as increasing prizes, supplying food, and advance notice of events. We need your input on this, please e-mail me and tell me what could be done to interest YOU in participating in the fun flys.
... The access road gate was discussed at length, in regards to it being open, closed, locked, unlocked. Bill Lloyd brought up an issue I had not considered, someone tampering with the lock causing us to be locked in, an obvious safety issue. I believe the final suggestion was to keep the gate in the closed position with the pin locked in a way that the gate can be opened in an emergency. This way the gate will look closed to the public, the lock and pin can't be stolen and if it is vandalized it won't be locking us in.
... Brad Kaye talked about flying again at the annual Hopedale Oktoberfest. I personally had a blast setting up my plane with floats and flying off Hopedale pond.
... The condition of the access road was discussed with plans to do repairs in the spring.
... It was undetermined if Bill Lloyd and Bill Costello have joined the "dark side" or the "enlightened side" of electric flight but all agreed that the fact that the motor can be started at any time requires extra safety precautions such as restraining your plane during radio checks.
I'd like to personally thank everyone for their help in getting me up to speed in this great hobby. There are so many directions to go, it never gets boring. Special thanks to all the trainers...especially Roger Gilman...for taking the time to work with me.
Steve Rivet
MMAC Secretary
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 2010 Pilot's Choice Raffle!
MMAC is kicking off the flying season with another great raffle to raise funds for field improvement. The "Pilot's Choice Raffle 2010" allows the winner to select from one of the following three great prizes:
FunKey CAP 232 120 ARF
Donated by Creative Hobbies in Mendon
Top Model Katana V2 70
3D Profile ARF
Donated by Brad Kaye
Hangar 9 Showtime 4D 90 ARF
Donated by Hobby USA in Ashland
This raffle is open to anyone and the winner will be drawn at random during our April 27 Winter Project Night. You need not be present to win and the lucky winner will be contacted by telephone if he (or she) is not at the meeting.
... Tickets are $3 each or two for $5
and can be purchased at club meetings,
by contacting Brad Kaye via email
or by phone at 508-962-1230.
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 Mickey Callahan's E-Power Clinic Gets
Members Charged-Up about Electric Models!
The November MMAC Annual Meeting is usually a well-attended evening, so a large group was on-hand to enjoy Mickey Callahan's educational clinic on electric power for model aircraft. Intended as an on-going feature of our monthly gathering, Mickey's first clinic provided a brief history of the development of electric motors for aircraft as well as details on the more popular types available today. He reviewed the basics of electronic speed controllers and touched on battery technology.
Special Bonus
Club member Charlie Neville has written a very informative white paper discussing technical aspects of brushless motors and LiPo batteries. You can request a copy by emailing Charlie or calling him at 508-376-5785. |
... At the January 26 club meeting, Mickey will walk us through converting a typical glow model to electric. We'll start with the motor mount and move on to discuss the power comparisons between a glow engine and an electric motor given a model's weight, size and performance expectations. We'll also learn a bit about how to select batteries, speed controls and what prop to use. As with Mickey's first presentation, there will be Q&A time throughout.
Also, be sure to check out the club's online forum for information regarding lots of model topics including the "Electrics" discussion under In The Workshop. Just go to the Members Only section of the club website and click on the "Forum Login" button. New visitors need to register, but that's an easy and painless process. Check it out!
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It Is Renewal Time Once Again!
 In the past, existing MMAC members would receive an application via regular mail in December to renew their membership for the coming season. Last year, we tried something new...a downloadable application form...and from all reports, the new system worked just fine!
... Renewing you MMAC membership is easy...just navigate to the club's member renewal page and click on the link that automatically downloads a PDF of the 2010 MMAC application.
... Once downloaded, just print out and complete the form with the usual info and send it with your check to our new club secretary, Steve Rivet.
... Members can still receive an application in the mail by contacting myself or Steve (links below) and requesting one. You can also pick up one at club meetings. Members without email were sent an application in the usual manner.
LINK TO MEMBER RENEWAL PAGE
To report problems or request an application via regular mail:
EMAIL STEVE RIVET... ... ... EMAIL JIM MCCOY
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 Club Logo Stickers & Hats
Don't forget that MMAC offers high quality logo stickers
that are perfect to place on your car, flight box, aircraft or spouse. Available in two sizes,
the small size (3" x 1.875") is $1 and the large size
(4.75" x 3") is $1.50. They can be purchased at club meetings
or shipped to you by mail by contacting
Jim McCoy at 508-478-6617 or email at mccoygroup@comcast.net.
... We also have a small supply of club hats available once again. Fully-adjustable, they come in a very stylish royal blue with the club logo embroidered on the front. Contact Bill O'Donnell at 508-473-4441 or bill@odonnellelectric.com while supplies last.
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Video of the Month
OK...so the holidays are almost upon us...and that means it's time to kick back and maybe get a little silly. This months video is just that..silly. The prestigious English "Red Arrows" Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team is spoofed in a Monty Python-esk film featuring British firemen piloting their own vintage "aircraft." Enjoy!
Thanks to MMAC member Bob Loos for this month's video.
Click here to link to the video!
Remember that MMAC members may submit their video or photo nominations to mccoygroup@comcast.net. TOP
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Coming
Events
2010 Frozen Finger Fun Fly
Friday, January 1 - 2010
Bill Martin Airfield / 9:00AM
MMAC and CRRC members
are all welcome to brave the
cold (or maybe not) and usher
in a new season.
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