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VOLUME #14 ISSUE 7 SEPTEMBER , 2002
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT
There were many club member present as well as families. The day was perfect and the shared potluck food was outstanding. The planes were the most colorful that I can remember as a club member for at least 25 years. Planes flew very well and the day was packed with people, tents, and flights. Some of the members included in no particular order, Doc Wessels, Jon White (actually flying a fixed wing plane), Russ Rhodes with the knee jerking Corsair, Carl Baron with the Advance 40 (flew flawlessly), Charlie Newton and his romantic planes, Gary Weaver with the flying horse (Pegasus, for non Latin lovers), Sparkie Wessels with Georgie ( a none flyer as of today) and with Magic, Mike Howard and spouse with Aristie 40, O. D. Fine with the Senior (what a plane), Ron Walters with a "fast plane", Chris Brown, Dale Brown with his Astro Hog, Doug Bennett, Harold Carrol with his Senorita and Four Star Forty, Dan Curtis, practicing for the event that he won, naturally, Steve Rubel with his upside down Senorita (you gotta see him fly that one) and his Breitling, another one that grabs your attention, Ralph Todd and Magic, John Clevenger and the spectacular Heli 60 (A Big Plug for the Helicopter Event coming up, October 12-13, 2002. They are spectacular in flight performance), Larry Davidson and his Four Star Forty, Adam Quinos and his family and his Ultra Stick, Bob Bender and Magic, and Ray Ward. Forgive me if I left someone out.
New Millenium Pattern Contest- Springfield RC Sponsored Event, September 14, 15, 2002
This event is highlighted in the contents but this is a direct link. Go to Millenium Pattern Contest
Their "1st Annual Warbird Fly-in and Fun-Fly", held on September 29, 2002 was a great success. The weather was great and the wind was generally down the runway with little cross wind. There was a lot of flying from a beautiful grass runway, some 1000' long, a well identified pilots' area and impoundment area. Food was served and the Commerative Air Force and Military Museum persons were there. There was a scheduled full scale L-2 there as well. There were around 6-10 of our members there. Great event and not far from Springfield.
IN THIS ISSUE
Springfield
RC Club, Minutes of
September Meeting, September 5, 2002
Kevin
Murdock, Secretary
Following a
meeting of the Board of Directors, the regular meeting was called to order at
7PM by President Charles Newton.
Recognition
of guest Glenn Mamsen, new member Bob Hardy, and returning member Bob Pace.
Minutes of
the August meeting were reviewed by the secretary. Motion to approve seconded
and passed.
Treasurers
report given by Carl Baron. Motion
to approve seconded and passed. 95
paid members, 1 honorary.
General
discussion about the condition of the field, obtaining fill dirt, and filling
ruts. Tabled for next meeting.
Many thanks
to Mike Howard for keeping the field mowed this year.
His efforts are appreciated.
Thanks to
member Richard Hilger for his mowing job for in overflight area.
Richard did a great job for no pay, despite damaging his tractor in the
process.
Review of
preparations for the remaining events:
New Millenium Pattern Contest- Trophies are being furnished by O’Reilly
Automotive, saving the club a lot of money.
Dan needs volunteers for scribes still.
OD Fine volunteered. Charles
will head the cooking team and Al will help.
Al is also checking on replacement coolers from Pepsi Cola.
SPRINGFIELD PATTERN NEWS
Two contest to report on this time, St. Louis and Springfield. The last weekend of August means its time to trek up I-44 to the Phantom Flyers pattern contest. This year marked the 45th annual contest and was held at the Phantom Flyers field just north of St. Charles, MO. The weather was excellent and the competition was strong as usual. The Springfield RC Club was represented by Tim Johnson and Dan Curtis. Tim had another strong showing in the Sportsman class and brought home the 1st place hardware. Dan flew to a second place finish in Masters. Tim made the St. Louis contest his last outing in Sportsman and is moving up to the Intermediate class.
The Springfield contest was convened on September 14, 2002 and was very well attended. Twenty-eight entrants made up the field for this year’s event. The first three classes were very well represented both in numbers and in flying quality. The weather forecast had been questionable for several days preceding the weekend and it did have some effect on the contest. We had a small shower on Saturday and were only able to fly 3 rounds. Sunday was void of rain but not of low ceilings. First flights on Sunday did not commence until 11:30 am, however two more complete rounds were flown. The award ceremony was completed by 3:00pm allowing the contestants to be on the road and homeward bound at a reasonable time.
Many of the classes had some very tight scores with the leads and positions changing after each round, with the final results not being determined until the last flight scores were tabulated. It just doesn’t get any better for a competitor.
The final results:
Sportsman
1st Robert Perkins, Harrisburg, MO
2nd Mike Howard, Springfield, MO
3rd Jeff Schmidt, Springfield, MO
Intermediate
1st John Bender, Lawson, MO
2nd Jeff Buckner Columbia, MO
3rd Joe Dunnaway Great Bend, KS
Advanced
1st Tim Pazara, Channahon, IL
2nd Ron Williams, Omaha, NB
3rd Tom Phistry, Morris, IL
Masters
1st Dan Curtis, Springfield, MO
2nd Brian Hueffmeier, Foristell, MO
3rd Claude Weimer, Omaha, NB
FAI/F3A
1st Orland McKee, Raytown, MO
2nd Charlie Reed, Raytown, MO
Springfield was very well represented in the Sportsman class with Mike Howard, Jeff Schmidt, George Ashley, Richard Harris and Rodney Elliott was really something special to me. Each and every one of them flew well and for some it was there first attempt at pattern competition. Sportsman is an entry-level class however it must be noted it is not necessarily for fledgling pilots. The competition can be rough. Many enter with planes built for sport flying and go up against planes more designed for the task at hand which adds to the difficulties and apprehensions of new pattern flyers. I, as a member of the Springfield RC Club and as the Contest Director want to take this opportunity to state how proud and impressed I am of this group of pilots and want to say that each one did a great job.
I would like to thank all the volunteers that helped during the weekend. Especially those that worked (and worked hard) to provide the food and drinks during both days. We are fortunate that we get volunteers to do this service at our events. A special thank you must also go to Doug Bennett and Ronnie Wissbaum for handling the scoring system, outstanding job.
I would be remiss if I did not include a heartfelt thank you to Vicki Rock. She was in attendance with her husband Charlie and was a tremendous aide to myself in coordinating judges for each round and each flight line. What a job!!
The Springfield RC Club can be proud of this year’s contest. When the contest was over and the flyers began packing up to head home, each flyer came to me and commented on a fine contest. This tells us a lot.
Till next time ……Dan Curtis……..Exiting the box.
National Newsletter:
From AMA National Newsletter, Februrary, 2002 Issue
So You Soloed—Now What?
Achieving the level of flying ability to go it alone and fly your RC model
without the assistance of an instructor is a great feeling. You have learned a
lot, made some mistakes, and put in the effort and time to master the basics of
a fairly difficult sport. You have earned your wings. Where do you go from here?
Most pilots want to keep improving their skills. They want to step up to bigger,
faster, more maneuverable airplanes. Buried in the depth of our minds are
visions of performing flawless aerobatics like a TOC competitor, the only limits
of our performance being that of the aircraft. Most of us know that isn’t
going to happen. We just don’t have the time or the natural ability, but we
still want to become better, and to keep improving. How best then, to proceed?
One good way is to take the PET approach—Practice, Education, and Training.
This is what most pilots do, even though they may not consciously give it much
thought or planning. They continue to practice the basics with their trainer—improving
landings, handling windy conditions, and striving for a more graceful, smoother
flight. They learn from other pilots, ask questions, and read magazine articles
to better understand flying. All well and good.
Further training, however, seems to take a backseat. It is not too often that
pilots with newly-earned wings are seen at the flightline with an instructor
beside them, with or without a buddy cord. More likely, the new pilot relishes
the opportunity to show his peers that he is competent and can manage quite well
on his own. Nothing wrong with that. It builds confidence, but it may also slow
the progress the new pilot desires. In the worst case, it may even allow some
bad habits to develop that result in unexpected crunch testing. It may be
impeding the learning process and preventing the growth of knowledge and skills.
Full-scale private pilots are required to take check rides with instructors
every two years. These rides provide an opportunity for the pilot to see how
well his abilities are being maintained, where improvement is needed, and what
bad habits may be forming. Most pilots don’t wait two years for this required
event to take advantage of an instructor’s experience and knowledge. They take
frequent flights with instructors to learn and to sharpen their skills.
There is no reason it should be different with Radio Control (RC) models.
Instructors are there to help, even after a pilot solos. Although there is no
formal program in the club to advance to higher levels, there is no reason to
not take advantage of what a more experienced pilot has to offer. There is
nothing wrong with being back on a buddy-box if you need help in learning to fly
new maneuvers, or with better handling crosswind landings. Don’t be afraid to
ask for help, but this type of training session would be better if scheduled
other than on Tuesday Training Days.
Usually the new pilot is chomping at the bit to build a new airplane and get it
in the air. It’s a higher performance airplane than the old trainer. This is
another place where the instructor or experienced pilot’s help can be
invaluable. You may think you are ready to step up to a new airplane, and this
is good. But it is wise to get an unbiased opinion of whether you are actually
ready, or if you may need to bolster your abilities in certain areas. There is
nothing worse than taking a new airplane up on its first flight and find you can’t
handle it. Sweaty palms and weak knees are quick to show, panic sets in, and the
result is predictable. This is not what you had planned.
The best approach with a new airplane is to hook up with an instructor or other
experienced pilot. Let him look it over for airworthiness. Let him take it up on
the maiden flight. He can then offer whatever advice may be necessary to correct
any problems, and make adjustments that will fit your capabilities. This may
mean resetting control surface travel or balance to provide better stability,
and easier handling.
Hook up on a buddy-box when you first take over. Now you have some back-up, and
the pucker factor remains in check. You also have an opportunity to get an
expert opinion about how the airplane performs or why you may be having
difficulty with some aspect of its flight. It also allows you to let an
experienced pilot demonstrate the airplane’s capabilities and shortcomings, if
any. This provides an opportunity to learn the best ways to fly this particular
aircraft, and avoid learning the "hard" way.
Unfortunately, there is usually some point in the path to becoming a better
pilot at which overconfidence grabs us. It just seems to be a natural thing for
most of us. Some pilots are able to avoid it, but most will, at one time or
another, fall prey to the feeling that they are better than they really are. The
result is predictable. Most of us have experienced it.
Confidence is good. It is a necessary part of flying. It is part of the
foundation from which we improve. But it should be confidence based upon
knowledge, not hope. This is where the PET approach comes in. Practice the
basics of flight until they are solidly-formed into habit. Even straight and
level flight—the most basic of all—needs continued practice.
Too simple, you say? Most maneuvers begin from straight and level flight. If not
precise at the start, a maneuver can end up looking like something completely
unplanned.
Add to your skills gradually, and practice each small part until you are
confident of the outcome. As you attempt new things, ask others and listen. Read
everything you can find. If you don’t understand, keep asking. On a regular
basis, hook up with an instructor to get feedback on how you are progressing.
Let him demonstrate new things with your airplane, and give advice to help you
improve your skills.
Not all pilots want to be top notch aerobatic masters. Many are content to just
build good looking, good flying airplanes, and spend some time at the field
enjoying some relaxed easy flying along with the usual hangar talk and
socializing. That’s as it should be. Just use some PET along the way to make
sure the "relaxed easy flying" part is truly that, and you are
enjoying this great sport in the manner you desire.
from Aero-Shaft
Aero RC Club of Flint
John Hice, editor
Flint MI
I have the below equipment that has never been flown for sale.
One tank of gas run through the engine to break it in.
Hobbico Avistar radio control plane complete (new, never flown)
Skysport 4 controller
Hangar 9 12V 7Ah Sealed Battery
Hangar 9 12V Battery Charger
Hangar 9 Heavy Duty 12V Super Starter
Hangar 9 Electric Fuel Pump
New Hobbico Tool Box/Work Station with Deluxe Power Panel
Gallon of Wildcat fuel
Misc parts and accessories
Randy Little
Little & Associates, Inc.
1352 E. Elm Street
Springfield, MO 65802
(417) 866-1898
Fax (603) 258-0231
Alternate Fax (928) 222-2284
| President: Charles Newton, 883-3354 | Vice President: Doc Wessels, 859-3126 |
| Secretary: Kevin Murdock, 823-7865 | Treasurer: Carl Baron 883-2229 |
| Board of Directors: Dan Curtis, Lonnie Cort, Mike Howard, Ray Niles, Al Shepard, Doug Bennett | |
| News Letter Editor: Russ Rhodes, 3164 S. Glenhaven, Springfield, Missouri 65804, rgr592f@smsu.edu | |
| Web Site of Springfield RC Club: http://www.anglefire.com/mo2/blacksheeprc/index2.html | |
Next
Meeting: October 3, Midtown Carnegie Branch, 397 E. Central, Community
Room, Second Floor (the Old Main Library) Springfield, Missouri, 7:00 P. M..
