Apologies for the absence of HT over the past couple of months. Limited activity at the field due to weather and a few health challenges for me have meant there has not been much for me to write about. This will still be a rather brief HT, but at least an update on some important matters.
Club Day – October 12
As you all know, the weather especially the wind, has played havoc with any flying activities (unless you had a kite). This was true of planned club days, the last being the July club day. August and September were canned due to weather and strip maintenances. October looked as though another cancellation was possible as the scheduled date of the 5th was postponed until the 12th and as luck would have it, it went ahead!
Quite a good turnout of members on the day, with Alan J, Danny N, Fred W, Ray & Micah G, Mark H, Max W, Meilin H, Mick G, Nara T, Peter D, Rodney K and Vince B in attendance. We also had a visit from Kevin H and a prospective new member in Bob Lockwood. Kerry and myself were again unable to make it but Kerry still managed to prepare all the food on the Friday and pass it on to Mick G to take to the field and ensure no one went hungry. As usual Mark H took some pictures on the day, and with Mark’s permission I have plagiarised his work by downloading and editing these from the club’s Facebook page for the benefit of non-FB users. Thanks Mark! (Click on images to enlarge)
NOTE: November club day was postponed from the weekend of the 2nd of November to the following weekend (Saturday 9th). Keep an eye on the website or texts/emails if the weather looks a bit dodgy and we have to cancel or postpone again.
Annual Dinner – Saturday, October 19
16 people attended the annual dinner at Steve’s Grill, and unfortunately Kerry and myself were unable to make it. This was disappointing for us, especially as I had been sending out emails and texts urging people to attend, but my health challenges took precedence. I understand it was a good night and enjoyed by those that attended. Mick G provided a picture from the night.
Weed Spraying and Strip Condition
Seona and Ron inspected the strip on October 14 and advised that there is a lot more grass coming through and that it may be possible to sow in a “patchwork” repair method, rather than a complete reseed of the whole strip. In conjunction with Seona, the committee has decided to “stage” the rebuild of the strip.
I have prepared a report, based on Seona’s recommendations, outlining the spraying process and this is shown below.
LMAC_Herbicide-Spray-Process- The first stage will be to respray a section of the strip that was missed previously as there is evidence of cape weed and other weed growing along the full length of the strip. We will also kill off the weeds at the northern and southern ends of the strip, that previously had not been sown with new seed. There is a low area where models enter the strip from the pits and this was quite boggy during the winter. This will be filled and sown with new seed soon.
- The second stage (this month) will be to spray all the cape weed in the pits and the car park to minimise spreading onto the strip.
- The third stage will be resowing the northern and southern ends. We will broadcast the seed next Autumn (when rain is forecast) and also spread seed on the main strip to fill any other gaps.
Whilst on the matter of the strip etc., there is the subject of regular maintenance. The committee has previously sought volunteers to assist in the regular maintenance of the strip, pit area and club house. At the moment we have two regular volunteers, Mick G and Mark H. To give you an idea of the task when it is reliant on one or two members, both Mick and Mark can spend at least 4 hours, mowing and whipper snipping. Mark called me the other day and said it took 2 hours just to whipper snip around the fence lines, clubhouse etc. The problem has been compounded by the fact that the weather and recent herbicide spraying has prevented regular mowing. Ron also ran the slasher around the strip perimeter to cut the long grass between the strip and the boundary fence. This left a lot of grass that needed clearing. We are indeed lucky to have Mark and Mick who make themselves available to work on the strip during the week, so as to have it ready for anyone wishing to fly at the weekend.
Below – Ron running the slasher over the perimeter grass and a look at a small sample of what Mark raked up (Click on images to enlarge)
What the committee is seeking is for members to consider that when they visit for a flight mid-week or on the weekend, there may be an opportunity to do a little maintenance to take the load off the few that currently do it. After all Mark for example, has a full time job and, whilst he says he enjoys the break from work stresses, it would be good for others to step up to help. Call Mick, Mark or myself if you think you can help.
For Sale
For those that are on Facebook, they may have seen that Mark H has listed some surplus models and gear for sale. Mark has asked me to list them here for the non users of “Fakebook” (sorry I can’t help my cynicism). Click on the links to the For Sale pages below.
- E-Flite “Apprentice”
- E-Flite “V900”
- Sig “Something’ Extra”
- OS GGT15 Gas Glow Engine
- Hitec Retract Servos x 2
I also heard that Greg R had some models on FB Marketplace. Contact Greg to see if he has any still available.
Peter Kidson’s Scale Helicopter Project – 3
Pete K has provided an update on his build of a scale helicopter. Here is what Pete had to say;
Bit of an update.
Tail rotor drive shaft is in and work started on the cockpit. Mechanics also in and secured. Prior to pulling the pod and boom model apart so I could put the main mechanics in the fuselage I of course had to test fly the four blade head. Sorry no pictures of that but suffice to say everything went well. In actual fact I really didn’t notice any difference between the two blade and four blade head.
I said to Pete, “I need pictures Pete” to which he replied (with pictures) “I’m having a riveting time.“
“Some more progress with the external camouflage paint and the very detailed cockpit. With that in mind I’m sending the last few photos of the helicopter as it’s ready to fly. It’s not finished yet as I’ve got decals, guns and what ever else to go yet but I want to make sure it flys what with the weight and all that. It’s around 11.5-12kgs.“
(Click on images to enlarge)
I think you would all agree that Pete has done an excellent job of adding the scale details to this helicopter. I can’t wait to see it in the air!
New Member
Please all welcome another new member – Bob Lockwood. Bob was a past member of NWAM but has now moved to Grindelwald and has selected LMAC as his club. Bob is a previous Gold Wing/Instructor (although expired) but his expertise will be handy. Max took Bob for his wings last week and he has passed the Silver test. We welcome Bob to the club and I am sure all members will make him feel welcome also.
Weather Station
For those that rely on the weather station information on the website, you would have noticed that it has been down since October 24. Between myself and a few committee members assisting with troubleshooting the problem, I finally worked out that the WiFi component of the console that sits inside the machinery shed had failed. This prevented the data from being uploaded to the website. A new console has been ordered and is expected in a week or two. In the meantime we will have to rely on the Willy weather here or by “looking out the window”
Vale – Faye Hellinga
Faye was the wife of a past member, Bill Hellinga. Faye was “one of the ladies” who assisted on club day or Christmas events or just enjoyed socialising with everyone, often making telephone calls to quite a few members just to have a chat and fill her day in. Faye passed away on October 13 at the age of 85 RIP Faye.
Christmas Lunch
The Christmas Lunch is scheduled for December 7, so hopefully you can organise your Christmas social calendar to make it for another fabulous day. The cost of the lunch is $20pp for mains and a dessert. Click here to register your attendance (or otherwise).
DIY tutorial for Cyanoacrylate (CA) glues
Most of us have used CA glues for a long time, but are we using them and storing them correctly? I found this video that is quite informative, especially for some newcomers to the hobby.
From the World Wide Web
We’ve all been using rechargeable NiMh batteries AA and AAA sizes for some time. However, there is now an alternative that some of you may already be using – XTAR 1.5V AA Rechargeable Battery, 3300mWh. They have a reported life cycle of more than 1,000 cycles. These are available from Amazon for example here and below is a video from Painless360 that explains more about them.
Well that’s a wrap for this month and hopefully I can find some more material to make the next on a November HT. As always (and as Peter K has done), send me any work in progress you have on the workbench and we can share with the members. 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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