The Skystreakers R/C Club The Thrustline AMA Chartered Club 1165 www.skystreakers.org November 2008 NEXT MEETING Thurs. Nov. 13 7pm, Downstairs AmVetsHall, New Gloucester, Maine Club Officers/Contacts President Nelson Frost Vice President Mac Mclaughlin Treasurer Dave Edwards Secretary Mac Mclaughlin Safety Officer Peter Flanagan Field Marshal Allan Mendenhall Board of Directors Peter Flanagan Charlie Nelson Joe McVay Newsletter Editor Peter Flanagan spits@maine.rr.com FLYING SEASON ENDS? This time of the year days at the field are likely infrequent, it just depends on having a nicer than normal day. Although when I was out at the field last week I was swatting some black flies and finding deer ticks. It is the perfect time to have an airplane small enough to put in the car all assembled, ready to fly. There are quite a few new electrics that fit the bill perfectly for these short trips to the field. I have yet to pickup an electric airplane, although I have my eye out for one that fits my style. I do fly electric helicopters which do well for short trips and the smaller ones do well indoors. Have you seen the new micro Blade CX helicopter? It is about half the size of the original Blade CX, I think even I could fly it in the living room at home without getting too much grief. Another off season activity to keep you busy is coming to the Club Meeting.It is a good opportunity to touch base with other club members and fliers and see what is going on. There is always room for more entries in the Plane of the Month, and it gives others a chance to see some of the newer models that are available. I do miss Rosalie s cookies. Another task which would help with the newsletter would be to send in some photos you have taken in the past year of flying. You could even add a few written notes along with the photos. I would like to put together a digital collection of photos from this summer, but it won t work unless I have some input from or all of you. I didn t get out much this year. My e-mail is in the sidebar. WHAT AM I BUILDING? I would like to start a new feature in the Thrustline called What am I building? I am going to start out this month with an airplane of my own, but I would like to have a different club member (or members) airplane each month. This will definitely take cooperation and input from may club members if it is to work out. It shouldn t be too involved to take a few photos of your latest project in the works or recently finished airplane along with some information about the plane. Then I can put the stuff together for the newsletter and feature a different airplane each month. Newsletter Contact: Peter Flanagan,email: spits@maine.rr.com
SKYSTREAKERS MEETING MINUTES FOR October 2008 President Nelson called the meeting to order at the usual time. There were 13 members present. Nelson read the Treasurer s Report for Dave; who did arrive; but a little late. Nelson made a motion to transfer $1,700 from the Reserve Fund to the General Fund, to cover club expenses. the motion was seconded and passed by members present. I read the Secretary s Report for the previous meeting, and it was accepted as read. Nelson commented on the importance of the safety issues brought up in the newsletter by our editor, Pete. OLD BUSINESS Ray Labonte stated that he would mail the newsletter to members that couldn t access the WEB to get it. It was noted by the members present that Dick Dumais, and Bill Curless were the only members (as far as we know) who need it mailed. Nelson informed us that he had witnessed someone flying over the BOG,RIDGE, LEFT END, of the field area. He stated that after informing the pilot of the infraction, the pilot argued with him. Nelson said that he thinks that large aircraft pilots have an arrogance about them, and he hasn t had a problem with the smaller aircraft pilots. A discussion of the incident ensued. NEW BUSINESS October is the month for nomination of officers for the club. There were no nominations to replace the present slate of officers, so nominations were closed with the present slate being elected for another year. Ray informed the club that the cost of fuel has skyrocketed, and that it may not be feasible to continue the Fuel Raffle without losing money. Nelson made a motion that we change it to a 50/50 Raffle, and the winnings could go towards fuel or whatever the winner wished. The motion passed. The members also voted to do away with the Plane of the Month prize. Members are still encouraged to bring in planes or related projects to share information with the members. LAST FUEL RAFFLE The winners of the last Fuel Raffle were: Dick Dumais and Dan Flynn Respectfully submitted; Mac McLaughlin Mailing the Newsletter Mailing the Thrustline to those who need it mailed certainly can be done, but it requires help from a number of people. Ray has volunteered to do the actual mailing, but in order for that to be done in a timely manner I have to write/compose/edit the newsletter on a fairly predictable schedule. That said, I need to have any or all contributions by the first day of the month. I certainly don t want to discourage any one from having some input, it is just a fact that I need enough lead time to get the job done and sent to Ray. I only know of these 2 members who need it mailed, but there may be others who don t know there is a newsletter. Maybe there could be a spot on the membership form to indicate the need for a mailed newsletter. - Peter/Editor
September Treasurers Report Receipts Current Period Prior Total Year to Date membership dues $0.00 $4,450.21 $4,450.21 fuel & other raffles $0.00 $147.00 $147.00 club novelties $0.00 $0.00 advertising $0.00 other $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 TOTAL RECEIPTS $0.00 $4,597.21 $4,597.21 Expenses Postage & Newsletter $0.00 $50.24 $50.24 Fuel $0.00 $71.60 $71.60 Field Repairs & Maintenance $0.00 $362.04 $362.04 Portable Toilet $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Mowing $0.00 $3,360.00 $3,360.00 Prizes & Drawings $0.00 $215.00 $215.00 Patches, Awards & Novelties $0.00 $52.95 $52.95 Contest Prizes $0.00 Contest Supplies $0.00 $300.00 $300.00 A.M.A. Dues $0.00 $90.00 $90.00 A.M.A. Sanction Fees $0.00 Admin. Supplies & Materials $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Miscellaneous $0.00 $60.00 $60.00 Meeting Room Rent $0.00 $80.00 $80.00 Public Relations $0.00 $0.00 V.C.R. Tapes $0.00 Bank Fees $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 TOTAL EXPENSES $0.00 $4,641.83 $4,641.83 NET INC. OR (DEC.) IN FUND BALANCE $0.00 ($44.62) ($44.62) ASSETS Key Bank-Checking ($605.35) ($605.35) Key Bank-Reserve $4,388.36 $4,388.36 Total Assets $3,783.01 $3,783.01 FUND BALANCE Fund Balance (Beg. of year) $3,827.63 Year To Date Inc. or (Dec.) ($44.62) Total Fund Balance $3,783.01 Liabilities Total Liabilities & Fund Balance $3,783.01 Paypal account 242.52
What Am I Building? Peter Flanagan Thrustline Editor I didn t get much done this summer, but my shoulder has recovered to point I have graduated from Physical Therapy, so I am back building again. I started this airplane a year ago, I have always known it was best to let a kit age and stabilize before building. I have had an allergy to gasoline for quite sometime and so I fly planes on glow or alcohol fuel. I had been looking for a 100cc engine converted to run on alcohol and Ray found this BME 110 alcohol converted engine. It will run on alcohol with 4% synthetic oil, no nitro, so the fuel is not as costly as glow fuel. However this airplane will have an 80 ounce fuel tank half a gallon a flight! The airplane is a Composite ARF, 2.6 meter, in the Patty Wagstaff scheme. The hardest part of the assembly is fitting the exhaust canisters and two 40 ounce fuel tanks.
From the President: November is here already. Don t forget to keep the gate locked at all times so we won t trap any hunters inside the gate with no way to get out. The inner gate can be left open as usual but the last one out is responsible for locking it up. The extra lock belongs to Steve and he should be getting it as soon as he sees it there. Please review the minutes from the last meeting to get caught up on what was voted on last month. During the meeting there was a discussion on club rules. One topic was flying over the bog. As everyone SHOULD know, flying over the bog has been banned for years. We used to have complaints from neighbors who live on the ridge. The rule should be more specifically, no flying over or PAST the bog because the ridge is really the place we want to stay away from. The turning flag in the pine trees is where you should begin turning on the left side. If you do this, you would never fly over the bog. On a normal line up for landing from the left, you will find that you have to fly to at least the access road to make a proper final. That is fine because you are at low altitude and low engine speed and noise. It is when flying the regular circuit or aerobatic box that you MUST NOT fly over the bog unless you are not in control of your aircraft. Let s hope that is a rare event. If anyone has trouble understanding this, please don t hesitate to ask. It is a very important issue to preserve our ability to use the field in the future. As the discussion progressed during the meeting, I made a comment that there was a perceived arrogance about the large plane pilots. The comment was not meant to offend anyone or said sarcastically. The perception may come in part because the size and expense can be overwhelming for the novice flyer with a Kadet 40. Some members have told me that they don t dare approach the large plane pilots. Now, I don t have any fears about approaching anyone. I wouldn t say that everyone on that end of the field was very friendly or talkative. I can see where someone might perceive this as arrogance. Does that make them bad people? No. Does it mean that they are arrogant? No. But the perception is there. As the discussion of what was said gets passed from person to person it certainly gets worse. So, if you have any heartache about what I said or about me, feel free to talk to me about it. I am not here to make enemies, I am here to have fun flying along with everyone else. At the meeting, I might be encouraged to tell how my 120 size Ultra Stick became a remote control post hole digger. I hope to see you at the meeting Thursday night at 7pm in the basement of the AmVets Hall in New Gloucester. Nelson Frost.