Another month gone and again very dry and windy too! For me, the opportunities for flying this year seem to have been limited (not just because of adverse weather), but I did hear a comment from one member who ordinarily visits regularly, that the weather has certainly curtailed the opportunity he has had to go flying. Hopefully, some of you will use the non-flying time to build a new model?
I was hoping to finish this HT earlier but a lightning strike on March 12 destroyed my modem and therefore no internet access. I finally got this fixed on March 27.
Club Day – March 1
The forecast wind obviously kept a number of members away for the day, but a few brave souls (13) turned up to test their skills or just to engage in some friendly banter. Those in attendance were, Alan J, Daniel H, Danny N, Kevin H, Kevin S, Phill E, Mark H, Max W, Meilin H, Nara T, Peter D, Peter K and Russel W (visitor). A few pilots flew before lunch
Meilin reported that after lunch the wind was quite strong (gusting to 44kph) and 2 intrepid pilots decided to give it a go Kevin H and Peter K, both took their Piper Cub’s to the skies and in Meilin’s words “had balls of steel”, negotiating the blustery conditions.
A few pictures from the day (plagiarised again from Mark Holman’s post of the LMAC Facebook page). Thanks Mark!
Clubhouse Projects
AN UPDATE ON PROGRESS …
To make room for the clubhouse extension, on Friday March 21, Mark Holman, with some assistance from Danny Nelson, pulled down the awning on the southern end of the clubhouse and relocated the defibrillator undercover onto the western wall.
6m x 3m Extension & Roller Door
The roller door was delivered on the Thursday, and Ron Davidson was there to take delivery on our behalf, and the clubhouse extension was delivered on Friday, March 28. Max and Danny were in attendance to receive the “kit”.
A friend of mine, Peter Stokell, who poured the new clubhouse slab and built our machinery shed, will make himself available on a weekend to guide us in building the extension. This will make it much easier for us as Peter builds these every day for living. We have one thing to do in advance of the construction and that is to cut out grooves into any slab that butts up level against the clubhouse slab as this groove will be necessary to allow the side wall sheet profile to slot in below the floor level on the outside of the slab. If anyone has a concrete saw or similar to enable this to happen soon, please contact the committee. UPDATE: Mark Holman has a saw and has volunteered to cut the grooves in the concrete for the side wall profiles.
If we can have the slab ready, with the slots cut in before Sunday, April 5 it is intended to build the extension on that Sunday, when Peter is available. If that date can happen, I will text those that volunteered to see if you are available.
Strip Improvements
It is obvious from the lack of rain, that our strip is probably the worst it has ever been – hard, dry, uneven and cracks appearing in the strip. We have the new seed in storage but with the current conditions, we would only be wasting the seed if we tried to sow it now. We need another solution.
Rodney K flew his models on March 10, and I asked him for some feedback on the strip. Rodney replied “Pretty average it is very lumpy, I did put the mower over the central part to reduce the bumps which did help a bit, it’s seems ok for bigger/medium size models” On hearing this, the committee considered what could be done in the meantime to try to improve the strip, especially for smaller models. It was decided to hire a 1.5t vibrating roller. Mick G picked up the roller from Tamar Hire on March 27 and spent a few hours rolling the strip. The results were mixed. It tended to compact the raised turf in the drill rows but not much else. Max reported that the strip had improved slightly and they did manage to take off from the strip without any trouble. Unfortunately, the ground needed some moisture in it, in order for the compaction to be effective, but rain always seems to be a way off.
I spoke with Ron at the farm and Ron has agreed that the lack of water means we will always be battling to maintain the strip. He has suggested a new 50mm water line that will tap into their 300mm line that supplies the centre pivots. He would install the 50mm pipe down the strip and we could install popup sprinklers the length of the strip. To determine how many popups, I asked Ron if he could find out the flow rate that we could expect from the 50mm line. Once we have that, we will cost the project and the committee will determine the next move.
Poll
The poll shown in the February Hangar Talk, was created as a result of a request from a member, where he asked –
“Hi George
In order to improve the participation of members at LMAC, l am suggesting notifying members by email of when each member intents to fly.
Consequently, if not by WhatsApp, l require a file? of all members e-mail addresses to facilitate this.
Please forward the current memberships in a format l and other members can use .”
The poll did not attract many participants, with only 7 respondents. WhatsApp 5 & Text 2. Not enough to warrant changing the existing method of an SMS to members.
A reminder that the membership list is available on the website as shown in the screenshot below –
Max Wiggins & Kevin Swiggs encounter an angry eagle
Max Wiggins often calls me to tell me what sort of a day he and some midweek flyers have had. On this occasion he called to tell me about a very interesting or better explained as a very challenging day flying with Kevin Swiggs. Max and Kevin went to the field to try out Kevin’s new Eflite “Apprentice”. Keep this in mind as you read Max’s recollection, Kevin flies on Mode 2, whereas Max flies Mode 1. Many of you know that Max is ambidextrous and can fly both modes but as expected, it requires a bit more thought for Max to remember what mode he is on. (I’d need more than thought, I’d need a brain transplant! Ed.) In Max’s words, this is what happened –
I initially test flew Kevin’s Apprentice to trim it out, before handing over to Kevin. Kevin took over but shortly we noticed an eagle approaching, so Kevin handed me the controls so I could descend out of his way. Kevin then exclaimed “he’s folded the wings and in a dive Max!”. I immediately pushed the nose down and headed for the runway. “He’s following you Max”, Kevin yelled. Before I knew it, the eagle was only just above the strip following me and intent on a “kill”. I was trying to take evasive action just above the strip fence, reminding myself that this was a brand new model and I was flying Mode 2. All of this whilst trying to avoid destroying Kevin’s model by hitting the fence and escaping the talons of a marauding eagle! Thankfully I landed on the strip, with everything intact except my nerves! Oh and the eagle flew away content he had rid the skies of this alien invader.
Max Wiggins has an another eventful day at the field!
On March 5, Max went to the field and was joined by Ian Campbell. For those that don’t know of Ian, he’s a member of PFL but was one of the few that participated in the many competitions held in the past by LMAC. Ian also provided much support to the RC community in northern Tasmania, including LMAC members, through his technical knowledge in repairing RC radio equipment and the supply of RC equipment.
Max, as we all know, is accustomed to many challenges flying other people’s models on their maiden flights. However this time it was Max’s turn. He was flying his well flown Eflite Apprentice, when he suddenly observed something fluttering away from the Apprentice as he was flying it around. It was not long before Max realised that what had fluttered away was the elevator! No panic for Max. He merely decided that he would use motor power to control his altitude. He carefully varied the throttle use and guided his model to a landing adjacent to the gate at the pit entrance. Many of us can’t do that with all control surfaces in place!
Tech Tip – Flight Modes
Flight-Modes-101From the World Wide Web
Landing RC Planes is the most important skill for the rc pilot. Most pilots are afraid of this and don’t practice enough. Poor landings results in viral RC Plane Crash videos on YouTube. So, here are a few examples and techniques to help you keep your planes looking good and impress your friends
Well that’s it for another month. Feel free to leave a comment below on what interests you or what doesn’t.
Don’t Forget – Put a Spark in your life and fly electric!
George
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