Genesee Valley Aero Modelers

Editor: Glenn Crocker
21 Highview Trail
Pittsford, NY 14534

As predicted, Spring arrived right on time - 8:00AM, March 20th, to be precise. However, it is not exactly flying season yet. We've had some tantalizing hints of warm days and balmy breezes, but they have been very few. Old Man Winter just keeps hanging on. Perhaps better weather will have arrived by the time you read this. All the forecasts I have heard are predicting weather in the 50-60 degree range, and perhaps even the 70s, by the second week of April, and we all know how accurate those long-range forecasts are, don't we? It's a sure-fire, ironclad guarantee, right?

Despite the depressing weather conditions, the pace of activity continues to increase in anticipation of better days to come. Everything is pretty well set for the upcoming show at Eastview Mall on 21-22 April. I will have a sign-up sheet at the April meeting for volunteers to man the tables. It would be good to have at least three to four persons there at all times to answer questions, etc. Several of you have already indicated your willingness to help out with this chore, and I offer my sincere thanks in advance. I'm sure that those of you who have attended these affairs in the past will attest to the fact that it can be a lot of fun. A little positive publicity for our hobby can never hurt. One more point: If you do sign up for a stint at the display, be sure and bring your own chair. Maybe the idea of standing for a couple of hours doesn't concern you young whippersnappers, but it can be a pretty daunting prospect for us old geezers!

The April meeting will be the last of the season, and as always, this signifies that it's time for Show and Tell. I urge you to bring the results of your winter building activity to the meeting for everyone to see. For the past several months, I've been laboring over a project that, for me, has been unique. Some time ago, I acquired an R/C model that was about two thirds built, and I'm now trying to complete it. It's over 30 years old (!) and the challenges of modernizing the airframe have been rather daunting. I'm now making good progress, but I'm beginning to doubt that it will be ready for the meeting.

I hope that work on your projects has proceeded more rapidly and that you'll come to the April meeting with the latest creation to emerge from the balsa dust of your workshop!

The break-in for ringed piston engines is similar but you don’t run as lean at first because the piston ring needs time to seat in the cylinder liner. In all cases, avoid dusty surroundings. I run my engines in on a test stand on grass for this reason.

If you pinch the fuel line, and the engine speeds up, it is on the rich side of the adjustment. How much it speeds up shows how close you are. If it speeds up a lot, you are rich. If it speeds up just a little, .you are just right. If it doesn’t speed up at all, you are just going lean. If it slows down, you are lean.

This test temporarily starves the engine for fuel and is reliable to test for a too-lean condition. At full throttle, quickly pinch the fuel supply line. The engine should momentarily increase rpm before starting to die. If it starts to die immediately, then it’s already too lean and should be adjusted.

The 2001 flying season will soon be upon us. Since this is the winter that won’t quit, now is the time to check our equipment and take care of the scratches and dings before it gets too nice outside.

If you have a plane that has survived a number of years of flying, you may want to think of recovering it. It isn’t that you need the practice because we are all "experts" at covering, but you may find structural defects that you can’t see with the covering on. I recovered my Waco about 4 years ago and found a number breaks in the framing and quite a few places where glue joints had failed due to some hard landings and vibration. Charlie recovered his Seniorita this winter and found similar Structural and glue failures. I had flown the Waco about 7 or 8 years prior to recovering it and Charlie has flown his Seniorita about 5 or 6 years.

Be sure to check the control surfaces, control horns, links and cycle the batteries. This may prevent some surprises at 300 feet.

Remember to bring your winter projects to the April meeting. It doesn’t matter if they are complete or still under construction.

See you at the field soon.

Apr. 21 & 22 Mall Show Eastview Mall with the RAMS. People setting up and displaying, bring equipment through the Main Entrance north side between 7:30 and 9:00 A.M. Bob Herden (RAMS) will assist you.

Apr. 25-29 Top Gun, West Palm Beach Fl.

May 19-20 Sandy Bottom Float Fly. Honeoye N.Y. Hosted by the Chiefs.

June 2-3 Ray Edmonds Memorial Airshow & Fun Fly. Northampton Park, Brockport N.Y. Hosted by RCCR.

June 23-24 Sky Rovers Annual Air Show Ford Field.

July 28-29 RAMS Open House, Macedon.

August GVAM annual family picnic. Coye field.

Sept. 2 Interclub Fun Fly.

Nov. 24 RAMS annual auction. Church of the Holy Spirit.

(Club Frequencies Continued)

It is an idea that is catching on in AMA clubs throughout the United States. Club members are draining glow fuel or gasoline into small bottles or containers, rather than just letting it run out on the ground or runway. Plus, with the cost of most glow fuels today, it’s a great way to save money!

Catching fuel is a simple idea that you can do by rigging up a small fuel tank with at least two vents. One is for incoming fuel from your overflow line, and the other is to allow air to escape from your container. Use a small 3-inch piece of 1/8-inch tubing, or some kind of connector that has a long enough piece of fuel line attached so it can set on the ground next to your model, and then just watch for the fuel to start into the line or tank before shutting off the fuel pump. Then, at the end of the day, you can pump or pour the fuel from the overflow catch bottle back into your gallon tank. It’s a simple habit that pays back in real dollars and helps to eliminate pollution to the soil or pit area.

I have been trying out different solutions to clean my models ever since I got trapped in that dust storm at the Lost Hills Free Flight Champs last November. I have mixed up the following concoction which works for me.

I use one quart of automotive window washing fluid mixed with a tablespoonful of Cascade dishwasher liquid. Mix well and pour into a spray bottle Spray over the surface of the model at the end of the flying day, and wipe off with a paper towel. It's better than Windex® and costs less.

I also saw Mark Sexton using baby wipes for his models. Buy the generic brand in the local store. They are packaged in a handy plastic box

and contain both a cleaning agent and lanolin that polishes up the covering afterwards. They smell okay, too.

To stop bleeding, use black pepper. It does not burn, stops the bleeding instantly and it helps the wound heal without scaring. Pepper is a natural antiseptic. Keep some of those fast food paper packets of pepper in your field box or first aid kit.