Genesee Valley Aero Modelers

Hey guess what? It’s SPRING! The days are getting longer, Easter is almost here, it’s colder and snowing more than all winter. Oh well, at least the days really are getting longer and soon we’ll be back on daylight savings time. What does all this mean you ask? Flying season is almost here. Time to finish your winter projects and get your old favorites ready to fly. April is our last formal meeting until September, after this we meet at the field.

In my January editorial, I said I was getting ready to scratch build an Extra 300 from plans I got from Jim McBride. As the beginning of March arrived, I still had not started building. This is not a project I want to rush so I decided to put the plans on the shelf for now and ordered a kit to build. I purchased a Great Planes Slow Poke to use with a Magnum 30 4-stroke motor I had. After the March meeting I made a bet with myself I could have the plane finished to show off at the April one. I know for some of you this might not be a big deal but for those of us with full time jobs and kids at home it’s a little more of a challenge. So far the wing and tail feathers are done and the fuselage is almost done. You’ll have to come to our meeting to see if I succeeded. And don’t forget to bring your winter project so we can see what you’ve been up to.

In February I was able to attend the WRAM’s show in Whiteplains NY. It was fun seeing in person, all the stuff I’d seen pictures of. There were manufacturers, dealers, designers and several neat people to talk to. Dave put some of the pictures I took at the show up on our web site. Once again, I was amazed by all the ARF’s on display. I wanted to buy a kit but they were hard to find! At the Hobby Lobby booth they had a neat looking foam plane on sale for only $39. It goes for $59 in their catalog. Even at that great price, I could not get myself to buy a foam plane. (I’ve heard rumors that several club members have actually purchased foam planes.) I did finally find a kit to buy so I didn’t go home empty handed. As Lou told me last year, if you ever get a chance to go to this or the Toledo show do it. You won’t be sorry.

Last but not least, Glen is making up the mowing schedule for the summer. If you can help, please sign up at the next meeting. And please don’t forget, if you do go up to the field, don’t drive in unless you’re sure it’s dried out. Charlie doesn’t want to have to pull you out with the tractor.

Happy Landings,

Max

Here are some things I've learned over the years that may help you reduce noise levels.

Use a good muffler system. The original muffler should provide a good level of sound dampening - if the baffles haven't been removed. There are several after market mufflers available in various model magazines.

This can reduce noise from 1 - 3 dB in certain cases. It also extends the exhaust gas residue out a few inches from the airplane.

Use a larger prop. Increasing the prop diameter by ½ inch to one inch can have a 2 - 5 dB reduction in noise. Basically this slows down the engine rpm.

Clean and smooth prop. Clean edges will cut the air smoothly with less noise, whereas cuts and dings on the edges can cause friction and drag in the air stream-thus causing noise. I use 150 grit sandpaper for the rough areas, then 400 grit for finishing work. When you consider that a 10 inch prop at 10,000 rpm is traveling at 297 mph the aerodynamic profile of the prop makes a difference. A cut in the outer edge can cause a hissing sound and add to the engine noise.

Lower the Fuel's nitro level. For every 5% increase in nitro, expect a 1 dB increase in noise level. Reducing the nitro in the fuel from 15% to 5% can reduce the noise by 2 dB.

Keep the airframe tight. Often times, noises develop in the fuselage and/or wing areas due to mechanical resonances due to engine vibrations. This is often caused by loose hardware, wing braces, etc. Make sure all hardware is secure and tight (no loose wing ribs, etc.). Soft engine mounts can reduce or eliminate these noises by de-coupling the engine from the fire wall. This essentially lowers the resonant frequency and partially damps the high frequency vibration.

De-tune (richen) the engine's fuel mixture to reduce rpm. This obviously reduces power but the engine is quieter.

Go from a two-stroke engine to a four-stroke engine. The four-stroke engines are usually quieter. The added benefits are worth the additional money. A four-stroke engine is quieter, more fuel efficient, more reliable, and idles more smoothly. It also leaves a lot less oil residue all over the airplane.

Install the engine in the helicopter and set up normal pitch curves. Negative one degree on the bottom, five degrees at hover, and eight degrees on the top will be sufficient. Open up the needle 11/2 turns more than normal. You want the engine so rich that it has a difficult time making the transition to running rpm (you may need to leave the glow plug driver on while you make the first hover).

You want to just be able to get the helicopter off the ground at 3/4 to 7/8 throttle. The helicopter should be spitting smoke and running almost in four-stroke mode.

Run the engine for only five minutes and shut it down to let it cool. Do this twice, then lean it out about 1/4 turn. It should still be very rich and just able to hover for the rest of the tank. After that, lean it out about two clicks each flight until you get a good 1700 rpm hover and good power while still smoking.

I also add three ounces of oil to the first gallon of fuel I use. After that add one or more ounces to each new gallon.

Lead shot is a useful modeling tool. Most aircraft need some weight added to them, usually in the nose, to move the center of gravity (CG) to its proper location. If your aircraft tend to come out as tail-heavy as mine do, it often takes more than just putting on a heavy prop hub to fix the problem.

I use a plastic sandwich hag and slowly pour a bit of shot into it. The bag is usually located in the fuel tank compartment and I can get just the right amount of weight, in just the right spot.

The number of physicians in the US: 700,000.
Accidental deaths caused by physicians per year: 120,000.
Accidental deaths per physician: 0.171.
Statistics from: - U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.
Number of gun owners in the US: 80,000,000
Number of accidental gun deaths per year (all age groups): 1,500.
Accidental deaths per gun owner: 0.0000188
Statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.

FACT: Not everyone has a gun, but everyone has at least one doctor.

Please alert your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban doctors before this gets out of hand. Considering current practice, we already have a seven-day waiting period for guns, what should we do to limit the threat from the Medical Profession. Should we ban them altogether?

As a Public Health measure I have withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear that the shock could cause people to seek medical aid.

I have been out of touch for the last month. I have been in Florida. Tough duty but someone has to do it. I have been able to get up to the field with Charlie for a couple of flights since I returned. We flew until our fingers got numb, and then adjourned to the "Funky Chicken" for coffee and a beagle.

The field was in good shape. If we knew it would not freeze again, it was dry enough to roll. We will be able to fly from the pit area soon but don’t try to jump the gun or you will be in up to your fenders in mud. If you do fly watch the trees, they are hungry.

May 18-19 Sandy Bottom Float Fly. North end of Honeoye Lake.

May 25-26-27 Chiefs Camp & Fly, Canandaigua NY.

MAY 25-26 2^nd annual OVM Float Fly.Fulton NY. Registration fee $5.00.

Oct. 26 RAMS annual auction

It’s that time of year again. We are in need of mowing volunteers. If you need help with the tractor and mower we will be glad to show you how everything is done. Mowing only takes about 11/2 hours.
If you are interested give me a call Glenn. We would really appreciate your help.

Use a hot air popcorn popper! I came across this idea while perusing an old publication. It was timely in that I was tuning up two ships, both of which were heat-shrink covered, and both needed more washout in one wing panel. Being an Orville Redenbacher connoisseur, I happened to have a hot air popper, so away we went. Unlike working with a heat gun, you can just set the base of the popper down, freeing both hands to twist the wing panel. At first it didn't seem as if the popper would get hot enough, but you just work closer to the opening than with a heat gun. And the broader area of coverage lets the whole wing panel heat more uniformly. I'd do it again!

A good way to line up where the screw holes should go when fastening your cowl to your fuselage is to put a rubber band around the cowl and use it as a guide to keep all of the holes lined up. If you want to beef up the stress points or where two halves of a cowl or wheel pants are glued together, try this. Apply a piece of fiberglass tape over the desired area on the inside of the cowl. Next glue it down using PVC pipe glue. The PVC glue will soften the plastic and allow the fiberglass to permanently bond to the cowl. This process makes a very strong joint and is easy to do. PVC adhesive is cheap, fiberglass parts are not.

The best way to forget your own problems is to help someone else solve theirs.

Did you do the best job of covering your new wing you have ever done only to find out you forgot to run the servo wires through the wing? Try tying a piece of string to the connector end of the servo and put the string near the servo hole. Next put the nozzle of your trusty Shop Vac near the exit hole and turn the vacuum on. The vacuum will suck the string right through the wing and out the hole. Now all you have to do is pull the connector end of the wire through the wing and plug it in.

Bill Kegel built and used this on his winter project and thought it worked well. He wanted to share it.

G.V.A.M. Newsletter
c/o Glenn Crocker, Editor
21 Highview Trail
Pittsford, NY 14534